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  • Spike
    Junior Member
    • Nov 2006
    • 7

    #16
    Re: Videogames

    [quote user="GuitarFlame"]

    Spike, on another note, Monkey Island 1-4 were very enjoyable as well. Challenging puzzles, humourous and engaging plot and dialogue, and memorable characters, certainly a pinnacle of the gaming genre.</p>[/quote]<div><br class="khtml-block-placeholder" /></div><div>[quote user=&quot;Servo2000&quot;]</div>

    Grim Fandango may very well be my favorite video game of all time.</p>

    The Monkey Island series are grand as well, but not quite grim fandango grand.</p>[/quote]<div><br class="khtml-block-placeholder" /></div><div>Yep, the Monkey Island series was a classic... I was a total product of 90s puzzlegaming, hah. Played the whole Myst series, Journeyman, Obsidian, the newer Zorks... basically all the games that would captivate me with the storyline and complexity of the puzzles involved. What kills me is that with all the new graphics technology available, making it so easy for designers to make a good-looking world, why there&#39;s no-one willing to put the time in to think of new, demanding puzzles. I like being able to take my time to think - I consider that kind of gaming to be a mental workout. Occasionally I like my adrenaline fix from mindless videogames, but it&#39;s only ever that: mindless entertainment. Anyone saying it&#39;s anything else is deluding themselves</div><div>Anybody know of any new puzzlers that have come out lately? =)<div><br class="khtml-block-placeholder" /></div><div><br class="khtml-block-placeholder" /></div></div>

    Comment

    • Servo2000
      Senior Member
      • Oct 2006
      • 2183

      #17
      Re: Videogames

      Strangely enough, you know the &quot;death&quot; screens in Journeyman? My father illustrated more-or-less the entire series of games death sequences, up until the last two, I think, when they switched to 3D endings.
      WTB: Rick Owens Padded MA-1 Bomber XS (LIMO / MOUNTAIN)

      Comment

      • Faust
        kitsch killer
        • Sep 2006
        • 37852

        #18
        Re: Videogames

        [quote user=&quot;Spike&quot;][quote user=&quot;Faust&quot;]

        There still are. There is one bozo who is making money by preaching that watching TV and playing videogames is actually making you smarter. He even wrote a book on it, but I forget his and its name. &lt;Edit&gt; found it.
        </p>[/quote]<div><br class="khtml-block-placeholder" /></div><div>Incredible that he&#39;s even trying to argue that. The games that the education concept were based on are so dead and buried in the ground (due to them probably not being financially viable) that he&#39;s completely deluded. He doesn&#39;t seem to understand the difference between passive/active interaction (i.e. passively watching TV VS actively reading) and the huge difference it makes to education</div>

        [/quote]</p>

        Yea, he just wants to make some dough. People prostitute themselves in far worse ways. It does seem worse when someone with an academic record doesn&#39;t care for making a fool out of himself.</p>
        Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

        StyleZeitgeist Magazine

        Comment

        • Servo2000
          Senior Member
          • Oct 2006
          • 2183

          #19
          Re: Videogames

          Speaking of &quot;educational&quot; games, I have been absolutely addicted to Pop Cap Game&#39;s Bookworm Adventures just recently. Yep, it&#39;s a game about spelling, and I am not shitting you when I say that when I was sick this week I did very little else.<div><br class="khtml-block-placeholder" /></div><div>I think it has something to do with my obsession with reading and everything that it entails, but whatever. I know there&#39;s some word smiths out there who would get hooked on this as well.</div><div><br class="khtml-block-placeholder" /></div><div>http://www.popcap.com/launchpage.php?theGame=bwa</div><div><br class="khtml-block-placeholder" /></div><div>I know it&#39;s absurd, don&#39;t judge me too harshly.</div>
          WTB: Rick Owens Padded MA-1 Bomber XS (LIMO / MOUNTAIN)

          Comment

          • interman
            Member
            • Dec 2006
            • 88

            #20
            Re: Videogames



            It's a bit sad that some of you dismiss gaming as garbage. I've spent a few years writing articles about it, the culture, and the people.</p>

            Only twitch games? Incorrect. Look at the Nintendo DS and the Nintendo Wii. Gaming is a whole lot more approachable today than it's ever been.
            </p>

            If you can find it in stores, take a look at the British magazine Edge, which is easily one of the better when it comes to intelligent insight and coverage.
            </p>

            Comment

            • designersheep
              Member
              • Oct 2006
              • 91

              #21
              Re: Videogames

              I've recently had really enjoyable experiences playing a couple of online interactive fictions (more like artwork showcases).

              These aren't really new, and they aren't really games, but I didn't wanna create a thread just for introducing them; so here they are:


              99 Rooms (click to open in a new window)

              Showcasing 99 artworks by a team of German artists. There is almost no interactivity here, but I really like the creepy atmosphere it creates, and the artworks are always beautiful.


              Hotel (click to open in a new window)

              An interactive tale by H. Hoogerbrugge.

              Both require Flash. Make sure to turn the volumes UP!

              Comment

              • PrinceOfCats
                Senior Member
                • Jan 2007
                • 100

                #22
                Re: Videogames



                Most views on games are largely informed by what hack journalists write about games. There are games with narratives, formal techniques, artwork, musical scores and interactive mechanics as worthy of praise as any other medium. Anyone who hasn't played the classics like the original Half Life, Unreal, the original Deus Ex, Planescape Torment, Monkey Island II, the original Baldur's Gate, System Shock, Fallout I &amp; II, the Thief series, the original Discworld, Chrono Trigger, KoTOR, Grim Fandango and so on is about as qualified to talk about games as someone who's never read Sappho , Petrarch or Shakespeare is to talk about sonnets. And that's not getting on to experimental games like Galatea because I don't have time to keep up with gaming these days.
                </p>

                UT's 'M-M-M-MONSTER KILL' is probably poetry for the modern age. </p>
                the extraordinary metamorphosis of one black liquid into another

                Comment

                • Servo2000
                  Senior Member
                  • Oct 2006
                  • 2183

                  #23
                  Re: Videogames



                  Metal Gear Solid and Videogames as "Art"</p>

                  (I don't have tons of time right now but I'll start getting up some of my thoughts, it might be a little disjointed as some ideas are going down as soon as I have them and the structure is not particularly cohesive at the moment. a lot of the ideas are supported by an article here although mainly for reminders since I had this planned out before I found it)</p>

                  A brief summary Metal Gear Solid 2, via Wikipedia:</p>

                  [quote user="Wikipedia"]The story revolves around a massive offshore clean-up facility that has been seized by terrorists calling themselves the "Sons of Liberty." They demand a massive ransom in exchange for the life of the President of the United States,
                  and threaten to destroy the facility and create a cataclysmic
                  environmental disaster if their demands are not met. The motives and
                  identities of many of the antagonists and allies change rapidly, as the
                  heroes discover a world-shaking conspiracy constructed by a powerful
                  organization known as the Patriots.
                  [/quote]</p>

                  To give some context: that rote idea and story summarized just there
                  results in catastrophies which end up destroying New York, fights with
                  apparently invincible vampires and overweight demolition experts who
                  ride about on rollerblades, and collisions between reality and virtual
                  reality, to name a few things that I remember (having last played the
                  game several years ago, and once more, briefly, more recently). The latter 1/2 - 1/3 of the game is
                  practically laden with apparently intentional plotholes and is so
                  confusing as to have the gamer constantly having to ask themselves,
                  "What the fuck is going on?"
                  </p>

                  As you can see, the differences between this and any typical "action" game are pretty clear. The key to why this game is the first wave of "Art" videogames is that it's structure is created such to, in my mind, propose an equivalent of Clement Greenberg's ideas in regards to the the "flattening" of the plane to make new painting different from not only the "old masters" but from other mediums (paintings that could, essentially, only be paintings). Metal Gear Solid 2 is an experience that can only be delivered by this medium, and Hideo Kojima wrote it as such, himself describing it as "To make a videogame that told a story that could only be told in a videogame," to "use the medium [which is] inherently postmodern." In addition to the experiences which involve the player in a similiar manner to films (plot and visuals), there is a second element unique to gaming, and that is "gameplay."
                  </p>

                  Games before now have created worlds in which players are supposed to "become the character" and enter into the world. </p>

                  Even the first Metal Gear Solid game is constructed as such, which makes the new main character of the second game, Raiden, all the more important. In the first, you play "Solid Snake," a character with personality, a past, vision and a future. In the second, after a tantalizing period playing as Snake, you are forced to come to terms with playing as "Raiden," a character with none of those qualities. Metal Gear Solid 2 is essentially a remake of the first game as we begin to find out, as the difference between Raiden's reality and memory begin to fall apart in the face of his true "reality" which is essentially a virtual training mission. The article put this better than I:
                  </p><p id="text">[quote user="Insert Credit"]Remember when Rose says to Raiden (paraphrase): "I've been
                  to your apartment. Your room is empty. No pictures, no posters -- just
                  a bed." </p><p id="texta">And Raiden defends himself, "I only use that room for sleeping."</p><p id="texta">...</p><p id="text">In Metal Gear Solid 2, we play as Raiden, a
                  newcomer, a loner with an empty bedroom back home, who's currently
                  going through a training mission based on the events of another game. </p><p id="texta">Raiden -- Jack -- is a videogame character.[/quote]</p><p id="texta">The game provides many clues and almost constant reminders of this, even displaying text that says in all capital letters:</p><p id="texta">TURN THE GAME CONSOLE OFF NOW! TURN THE GAME CONSOLE OFF NOW! TURN THE GAME CONSOLE OFF NOW!</p><p id="texta">You can see these ideas begin to arise in the first game in the series when, in combat with a boss who can read your mind, you have to physically remove the controller from the game and place it into another slot to "break" his link to your mind within the game. An interesting mechanic that becomes more important given this context.</p><p id="texta">As your memories become implanted pasts and the "virtual" friends and commander AIs begin to break down Kojima even toys with the idea of the classic video game "tutorial" as your "real" friends give you tips on how to play the videogame: Remember to sleep if you get tired. Remember to drink water. Don't become too involved. It's just a game. Why are you still playing? TURN THE GAME CONSOLE OFF NOW!
                  </p><p id="texta">Aside from exploring the idea of what it means to create something that can only be told through a videogame, there are also the differences between Metal Gear Solid, and, I feel, every other videogame and videogame series that raise this to an altogether different level. First, and I consider this one of the most significant, it is possible to move through the entire game without killing a single person. Newer games such as Bioshock often flaunt the ability to choose, but the "choice" is typically only "Do I kill everyone or only some of 'them' ?" Then, there is the simple nature of the story and characters. When one typically imagines "story" in a videogame, most people imagine the grand Japanese RPGs such as the final fantasy series which, despite occasionally being involving through the sheer amount of time you spend around characters, they tend to be rife with stereotypes and trite ideas. Metal Gear Solid, however, has some truly poignant moments such as "Otacon crying over his little step-sister's dead body because he
                  had sex with her mom. Right in the middle of a
                  terrorist-hostage-nuclear weapon-situation." Which sounds somewhat ridiculous out of context, admittedly, but I can only give you my word that it's powerful in-game.</p><p id="texta">This is starting to get a little long but let me just conclude here: the Metal Gear Solid series, so far especially Metal Gear Solid 2, is, in my opinion, absolutely art. I experienced similiar experiences to that of enjoying the best films and was also often moved in the self-same manner, which is not to say that there are no laughs: Kojima has a somewhat bizarre sense of humour which often comes out both in dark and practically "infantile" humour, forcing the player to sneak along the edge of a ship as he is urinated on by a guard relieving himself over the side of a ship. In addition, the "gameplay" element which is well-executed enough here to truly involve the player in the game as well as providing ample entertainment. It defies conventions and easy categorisation. It's influences are apparent in high literature and pop-culture. Even if it is not art I believe that this is the template (along with Ico and Shadow of the Colossus) for future videogames and interactive media to become "art."</p><p id="texta">(on a side note, if Katamari Damacy is not art for the sheer physicality of the experience and mind-bending visuals, then I don't know what it is.)</p><p id="texta">(P.P.S. I'm going to try and edit this down / make it more coherent, just tried to get something up to open up some discussion if possible and I don't have much time between studying for finals)</p>
                  WTB: Rick Owens Padded MA-1 Bomber XS (LIMO / MOUNTAIN)

                  Comment

                  • Servo2000
                    Senior Member
                    • Oct 2006
                    • 2183

                    #24
                    Re: Videogames

                    Goddamn. Did not realize I had written that much. Must shorten. I'm sure it appears that I'm a frothing-at-the-mouth lunatic about videogames but to be honest, I don't think I've played more than an hour or two a week in months. I just think it's unfortunate to see a youthful medium being given so little of a chance, with what small strides there have been mostly going ignored in the face of so much unfortunate media coverage and misinformation.
                    WTB: Rick Owens Padded MA-1 Bomber XS (LIMO / MOUNTAIN)

                    Comment

                    • delroylindo
                      Member
                      • Sep 2007
                      • 36

                      #25
                      Re: Videogames

                      I have been playing Assassin's Creed off and on for like a month and a half now. It's a pretty good game, plus I'd assume most SZers would approve if Altaïr did a WAYWT post.[66]

                      Comment

                      • Servo2000
                        Senior Member
                        • Oct 2006
                        • 2183

                        #26
                        Re: Videogames

                        WTB: Rick Owens Padded MA-1 Bomber XS (LIMO / MOUNTAIN)

                        Comment

                        • ddohnggo
                          Senior Member
                          • Oct 2006
                          • 4477

                          #27
                          Re: Videogames

                          i'm not a big gamer at all, but i'm seriously contemplating on buying an xbox360 or playstation 3 for grand theft auto 4. should i do it????? plus i could get rock band and host rock band parties in my tiny studio.
                          Did you get and like the larger dick?

                          Comment

                          • Diego
                            Senior Member
                            • Aug 2007
                            • 1111

                            #28
                            Re: Videogames

                            Go for the ps3 Joey, much better than xbox360 imo

                            Comment

                            • ddohnggo
                              Senior Member
                              • Oct 2006
                              • 4477

                              #29
                              Re: Videogames



                              i was talking to a friend of mine and was mentioning how i should get a ps3 just b/c it supports blueray. i just remember that when the ps3 came out it was a total bust. maybe it was just the games on it? </p>

                              what do you like about the ps3 over the xbox360 (if you have or played on the xbox360)?</p>
                              Did you get and like the larger dick?

                              Comment

                              • Diego
                                Senior Member
                                • Aug 2007
                                • 1111

                                #30
                                Re: Videogames

                                I own both and the only reason the xbox360 is still gathering dust at the office is because of some games I like (2). The ps3 has better graphics (most of the games are 1080p), comfortable control, better interface, psnetwork online gaming and blu-ray (format war is over, hd-dvd is dead). Most games are available for both machines but I would recoment ps3 instead of xbox any day of the week.

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