On the difficulty of Demon's Souls and the ease of games

I can't exactly give a proper review of Demon's Souls, as I've only played maybe 2 hours of it, but if the game remains along the same path, then I can at least state an opinion/observation...

Many people seem to love the game for the apparent return of it's "old school" nature: extreme difficulty. In an era where people are complaining about the increasing ease of games, and the emergence of the casual genre, it makes sense that something with a nostalgic feel has a moderate re-emergence.

However, while some may call this innovative, I am more tempted to consider it broken, and something that should probably only be a one-off (unless there's a direct sequel - to put it another way, From Software should be the only ones to developer a game like this).

The reason it's broken is simple: it's backwards.

We're in an era where games are moving forward in terms of ease and speed (checkpoints, regenerating health) because the people playing them and making them, who more than likely also grew up with them, don't have the time to spend dozens of hours on one game, trying to accomplish one task. When we were young we had lots of time, so a game like this was the norm. Not to mention there was nothing like the modern games we had, so we were all used to "extreme" difficulty.

It makes sense that as we age, and go from the player to the creator, we want to make games that we would play. Unfortunately, modern youth, who still do (and youth more than likely always will) have lots and lots of time for games that are more old school in nature. Then again, there are also adults who have felt "burned" by the increasing ease and predominance of casual games.

But are easier, more time-friendly games a bad thing? Definitely not.

As the language of games matures, it begins to take on it's own unique features. While games from the past decade were mostly trying to mimic movies in their grandiose, cinematic scale, games of today appear to be going more in the direction of books and TV - chapters.

While games have been having save and checkpoints for quite some time, it's only more recently that game makers are understanding the benefits of pacing and creating chapters.

A perfect example of this is the Uncharted series. Each game has around 25 chapters, with each chapter being anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes. It can be difficult to find time to play a game, and so when we sit down, we may not really know how long we really have to play. Using chapters is a great way to generate a sense of accomplishment and progress in a small time, even though we may not know how long a chapter will be.

The addition of chapters adds a certain flow that only benefits the narrative and structure of a well-crafted game, to the point where playing through a well-written game such as the Uncharted series is akin to reading a good book that you can't put down. You always want to read or play just one more chapter, and with the progress and direction in which games are going, players can go through a chapter and know that it won't take forever, or if they die, all that time spent will be for naught.

This is the lesson that Demon's Souls sadly ignores - the value of time. I am very intrigued by the world, story and mythos of Demon's Souls, but I have sadly neither the time, interest, or, really, patience to put up with it's design.

Perhaps the sequel will make up for this, but I doubt it.

Star Wars: Force Unleashed: Ultimate Sith edition review

Ok, so I actually wrote this review on a gaming website in the comments section a couple of months ago, but have been meaning to review it here, anyway.... So, without further ado, poorly pieced together and slightly reworked is a review of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed - Ultimate Sith Edition...........



Quite frankly, it sucks. It's the epitome of bad Western video games:

Poor hit detection (right next to an enemy, facing directly and the lightning doesn't hit)

Bad balance (having to replay a section 10 times on normal difficulty? they added waves of bad guys to padden the length of the game, because it's otherwise very short)

Reusing of assets/levels

Lousy voice acting (particularly the Emperor, more of a caricature than gloom, seriousness, and gravitas of Episode VI)

Rather bland/odd looking character models (particularly the female pilot)

Also, it's called the Force Unleashed, so just skip all of the awkward pseudo RPG elements and let me be a damn Jedi/Sith with power. Don't give me a small Force meter for recharging, give me UNLIMITED POWER (zap).

And the health system... this game has made me of the mind that, instead of having "difficulties" in games, bad guys should always be of a certain level, but players should be able to choose how their own character has health and energy (e.g., instead of the normal 100% health, you could have 900% health). I am so tired of dying in games, it's an archaic design from the days of arcades and needs to stop.

As for the story... it's got some good and bad. I don't think the characterizations are very good (particularly Vader). The actual plot seems rather cheesy.

Force Grip is another issue I had. As "fun" as locking several people together, it was unnecessary (apologies to those who worked on the physics of the game - I commend the work, just didn't use it much).

For Force Push (which was worthless for the Purge Troopers... more on them later), I would have much preferred simply pressing a button and automatically having the nearest object fly at the nearest enemy (or directed enemy). Or the nearest enemy go flying. Would have preferred something like that significantly more.

Also, that reminds me, the game had very little clear direction in what to do (poor level design). Just so flawed. Bah, must stop before I go off the deep end.

Terrible jumping and platforming. Let's also throw in the mediocre camera, made worse due to the bad platforming and level design.

And the unskippable cutscenes. Ugh

All around bad logic - you can manipulate an entire Star Destroyer but not a single Purge Trooper? As one of hte other commenters pointed out, "they supposedly had magnetic boots which allowed them not to be picked up. Which for one, why not give everyone magnetic boots? And also, if the character is strong in the force enough to do all the force grip "puzzle" portions, why can he not pull the Troopers apart an the shins?"

On the whole, I have no idea how it got a Meta score in the low 70s. While the game is playable, I would rate it somewhere in the mid 40s, low 50s, and recommend this as a rental only (I prefer the CAG method of giving a recommended buying price, but I can't recommend anyone buying this. Maybe, maaaaybe, $5 for the Ultimate Sith Edition).

Gotta love 3D movies

They pretty much are and always will be a gimmick. They were a gimmick in the 50s, a gimmick in the 80s. A gimmick in the 90s. And now that pretty much every major live action franchise blockbuster movie is going to be in 3D, a gimmick in the 2010s. Avatar opened the door, and just because one film had massive success with it doesn't mean every film will.

Part of the appeal of Avatar's 3D effects was that the world was so colorful and vibrant, and that you wanted to explore, be a part of, and absorb every sense of it. A majority of the films being announced as 3D are simply piggy-backing on the success of Avatar - very few offer a world that you want to explore. However, that's not to say there won't be a few good ones.

The biggest concern is simply that 3D will become so mainstream so quickly that it will lose it's appeal. That, or everyone will own their own pair of 3D glasses, and ticket prices (and profits) will go down, that Hollywood will need to find a new gimmick (scents?).

In any case, studios shouldn't expect to have anywhere near the success that Avatar had, and (BIG GUESS) by Summer 2012, 3D won't be nearly the spectacle it was with Avatar in December of 2009.

Video game DLC strategy

Should be similar to HBO - subscription based, or more than that, similar to Tales of Monkey Island (pay upfront, get release over time). In fact, this strategy should be incorporated into the price of the original game (if bought on disc), in that say you bought Fallout 3 when it first came out, then you would get the first year's worth of DLC for free.

In this regard, DLC should be used as an incentive to lure in late adopters, and a reward for those who keep their discs.

Basically, treat DLC as a TV show - make them have an interest to come back every so often.

Trigun anime review

Excellent Western marred only by a few of the standard anime WTF gripes. Good music, great characters and voicework. Would have been better to have lengthened the series by another 13 or so episodes if only to prolong characters' screen time.

Very satisfying overall (though I don't really care for the visual style).

Will modify soon.

The Prisoner (1967) review

Brilliant series. Patrick McGoohan kicks ass. Absurb, but awesome, ending. Sure there are some filler episodes, but they're not bad (they're the same type of bad that a bad Pixar film is). The standout episodes are just some of the tops that television has to offer. Way ahead of it's time.

Will revise soon.

Pixar's Up movie review

Up is a delightful story - beautiful, touching and powerful.

As much as I'd love to support Pixar, I'd be more inclined to recommend Up as a film that people watch privately in their homes, if only to make the film more of the intimate experience that it is. Believe me when I tell you how unfortunate it can be when some of the most heart-wrenching moments of the film are interrupted by the shuffling of feat of other little noise distractions that are exacerbated in the open-forum nature of the movie theater.

As intimate and touching as the film is, it almost seems like the film is trying to purposely manipulate you into sadness. Take for example the character of Russel the child. I will. not say how, but they keep tacking on things into his background that try to squeeze every last drop of emphasis out of your emotional grab bag (probably not the best way of putting it, but hopefully you get the idea).

Indeed, even the opening 10 minutes of the film are some of the best 10 minutes in film storytelling in years. Notice how I didn't say animation, as Pixar (and indeed the medium in general) has moved beyond the restrictions of "master animators" and stepped into the forum of "master storytellers" (though the starting point of the latter could be argued for some time, i.e. they've been master storytellers for roughly the past decade).

It's a solid tale that has plenty of mild humor, if not a constant comedy tone. Up's humor is more light-hearted in nature.

Probably the best way to describe the film is a mix between character study and coming-of-age, even if the characters aren't all children. Up is a very human tale, with a rather human presentation and it makes it all the better.

Not surprisingly, the film is excellently scored by composer Michael Giacchino, who only gets better with each project he takes on. He's often been called a modern John Williams, and listening to Up you can definitely hear that as the film sounds and feels like Star Wars.

Speaking of which, Up does a very good job with it's action scenes, becoming very reminiscent of Star Wars. The opening of the film even has a Citizen Kane vibe to it. Considering how those two films are held in such high regard, any combination can only be considered good.

As great as Up is, if you have to see it in theaters, do yourself a favor and wait a couple of weeks for the crowd to die down. Otherwise, just wait until the Blu-ray for that purely intimate experience.



For those curious, my order of favorites for Pixar films is Incredibles, Ratatouile, tie between Wall-E, Up, and probably Finding Nemo (need to rewatch), followed by the Toy Story films, then A Bug's Life (haven't seen Cars yet; shame, I know)

Drag Me To Hell movie review

Sam Raimi's latest film is a return to his comedy-horror routes. Take note the order and emphasis on which genres I put the film in (comedy first, horror second).

The film is a nonstop joyride of shock horror thrills. But, surprisingly to those uninitiated to Raimi's horror styles, it's all in good fun.

As far as the plot/story goes, all you need to know is that a girl wanting a promotion, and in an effort to show leadership, refuses a loan to a gypsy, angering the gypsy who then places a curse on the girl. What entails thereafter is some of the most enjoyable 90 minutes of movie-going you'll probably experience this year (or maybe have experienced in the past several years).

Drag Me to Hell is a rather tongue-planted-firmly-in-cheek horror satire, where Raimi, a master of his craft, perfectly sets up the audience for the standard horror shock thrill, but tweaks it just enough to surprise the audience every time. To clarify, some of the tricks he uses is that he will set the audience up thinking that the scare is in one frame, but delaying it to the next. Or having something happen in the peripheral. Subtle tricks that keep the audience on the edge of their seat in anticipation of the next thrill. But the beauty of it is that it's never so much as scary as it is fun.

Special acknowledgment to composer Christopher Young who is in top-notch form for the film, yet again bringing his beautiful musings to another horror film.

Drag Me to Hell is one of the most enjoyable PG-13 films to come out in some time. It's nearly 100 minutes of pure, unadulterated, theme park ride-type thrills, and I can't recommend it highly enough.

Seriously, go see it now. It's the type of film you absolutely have to see in theaters with a group of people to properly enjoy it.

Entertainment unions alternative

With the current economy and the SAG conflict, several business strategies are proving to be less sound than initially thought. While some actors were able to command up-front fees of multiple millions of dollars, that is no longer the case since studios aren't tightening their budgets.

To help curtail the rising costs of actors, writers, directors and the like, I'd like to propose a new hiring strategy: salaries. This will do away with unions, as there won't be a need for the people to have voices (they'll already be able to talk with HR/representation) and possibly get much needed benefits.

It's something that's worked very well in the business world for years, so there's no reason why it shouldn't work in the entertainment industry. As an example, let's look at the video game industry (granted, it depends on where you work). Odds are, if you work at a publisher or publisher-owned developer, you have a salary and not a project-based income. With this, you have the comfort of steady work and benefits, while still being able to work on multiple projects.

Going back to actors, directors, writers and the like, if they are salaried, they can act as pool of talent, lending their abilities to multiple projects, be they TV shows or movies. While some of the more top-dollar players may be opposed to this, I'm sure there are a number of less-demanding, but still very talented people that wouldn't mind this.

Also, to put it one way, for those who really enjoy money, there should easily be a way to factor in residuals into the salary (e.g. bonuses). I'm guessing that Pixar probably has a strategy similar to what I'm thinking of, as most of the players should be salaried by Pixar, and since their films are highly profitable, they should be getting amply compensated. But then again, this is all speculation.

In any case, thanks to SAG's predicament, perhaps it's time to rethink unions in the entertainment industry.

Soundtrack pricing strategy

In an effort to add extra value to consumers, and to help sell more soundtracks, with the rise of digital distribution consumers should have the option to a special "deal" wherein when they buy a product, such as a DVD or video game, they can purchase a digital version of the soundtrack for only $5. This way, it's cheap enough for people to pick up on a whim, even for those who aren't normally into soundtracks. It also adds value to the initial purchase for those who feel they are entitled to everything contained within the purchase.

A good soundtrack will enhance the initial experience while still being able to stand on its own, and a strategy like this will hopefully increase sales and support. Not to mention, with digital distribution, production costs are very minor, limited mostly to the bandwidth of the purchasing website.