Assassins Creed: Have Aliens Gone Too Far?

Today, I would like to unearth a debate that might be brewing in the minds of some Assassin's Creed fans. If you've read my blog or freelance articles, you know how big of a fan I am of the Assassin's Creed series. This series is the first of its kind, mixing history with fiction under the banner of a fight against the real-life Templars. The first game in the series focused heavily on the historical aspect of the Assassins. Protagonist Altair is tasked with slaying a number of targets believed to be greedy and self-absorbed members of the Templar Order. When the game comes to an end, the player learns the artifact he has been chasing after is not of this world. It can control people's minds, an idea many would term "science fiction". With the closing of the second game in the series, the appearance of the holographic projection of a woman calling herself "Minerva" warns the player of an impending apocalypse. It seems the more games are released in the series,the more science fiction plays a role in the story of the Assassins and the Templars. By the time the player plays Assassin's Creed III (the fifth entry in the series), the story has branched out to stopping the end of the world with the help of "gods". So, here's my question: Would the series be better off specifically sticking to historical elements to tell their story? Or, does the parallel story regarding Desmond and these "gods" and the apocalypse enrich the story? Some people believe the story would have been fine without the presence of aliens and alien technology. Why not keep the story between the Assassins and Templars? Why not stay within the realm of reality? Why add this sci-fi element? Are the writing teams on these projects going too far with the other-worldly angle? Feel free to comment below. I would love to hear your thoughts. Cheers, Sean P.

The Play is the Thing

Why hello there young chaps! Welcome back to the blog that started it all. (Not really. I just thought it sounded cool. Probably not.) Anyway, my mind has been whirring around and around with topics I'd like to discuss. While I'd like to touch on them all, I think I know what needs to be discussed. Not only do video games thrive on this particular element, but other artistic endeavors as well. It sounds simple at first (and maybe it doesn't get more complex and I'm just reading too deep into it). Here it is: Play is the thing. That's it. Simple, right? The play is the thing. Say it with me now: "The play is the thing". So...wait what? What the hell does that mean? The play is the thing? That's so bland and boring! I was expecting some sort of secret to the universe or the keys to the heart of any girl (revealed later). The play is the thing. What do I mean by this? Imagine yourself playing a video game. I'm particularly fond of the Assassin’s Creed series. Say you're playing the best installment in the series, Assassin's Creed II. For those unfamiliar with Assassin's Creed II, many collectibles are strewn about each level and can be collected to unlock outfits, improve wealth, etc. Some people won't collect all the loot chests in the game (a loot chest contains money and various materials to sell). Some people might collect half of them; some might collect only what they need to get through the game. I tend to fall into the completionist category, so I try to collect all of them (a quite daunting task). Now, what's my point through all this "loot chest" talk? Well, the loot chests are widespread and, after a while, I don't really need the money anymore. I've built up such a horde of wealth, that the chests honestly won't make a dent in my bank account. However, I still go for them. I still want them. Why? Put simply: the play. I like the play of running around, finding the chest, opening it up, and taking what's inside, even if I don't need it. It's not the end result I'm interested in. I'm interested in the actual act of the play. The act of running up walls to get to the chests. The act of fighting off guards to enter quarantined areas for the chests. It's the play that keeps me going. If that example isn't concrete enough for you, here's another one. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a pretty solid RPG. Any Elder Scrolls game you play is probably going to be awesome. Since Skyrim is an RPG, naturally there's going to be a vast array of collectibles in the various sprawling cities one can travel. Things such as journal entries, books, weapons, chests, etc. all can be found littering the caves and dungeons and houses. For this specific example, let me narrow my focus down to books/journal entries. As any RPG fan knows, the journals and books found throughout the game add to the lush lore of the world's fiction. Books can be found documenting the history of the fictional population, or maybe even a book of rhymes and fairy tales. When the player collects these, they might read them (I always do). However, two years after playing the game, will the player remember more than 10% of the information they read? Unless you're some sort of savant or a die-hard fan of the chosen franchise, the answer is no. We'll hardly remember any of it. So, why is it worth picking up these cool books if we won't even remember them? I think you know the answer. The play is the thing. It's not the act of remembering it two years from now. It's the act, in the moment, of collecting the book and reading the book (or not if you don't like the books). The same goes for any other aspect of the game. Are you going to remember all of your encounters with every enemy? No. But, it's being in the moment that makes video games so great. It's being in the moment and physically playing and jumping and swinging that gives us the rush. It's the act of beating a challenge that drives us. The play is the thing. Next time you are playing a video game, stop and take a moment to take it all in. Immerse yourself in the act of playing. It’s what we crave.

Dawn of a New Year

Welcome to the New Year! It seems we have all survived the Earth patch 2.0.13 and are all moving on to 2.0.14. I hope everybody's patch downloads properly, since issues DO come up from time to time. So, a new year has dawned, and with that comes a flurry of New Year’s Resolutions. I don't particularly make a list or anything (hell, I didn't even celebrate New Year's Eve/Day this year), but I do want to improve myself in one major way: DOING WHAT I LOVE. Since I run a blog about video games, you can probably figure out that video games are a main focus of my life. Everything about them fascinates me. I play them, read about them, am an avid watcher of Twitch, am trying to collaborate on a book about them and am learning a programming language (Java). That's...that's a lot. BUT...I can proudly say I love it. You see, people (myself included) always tend to procrastinate and push things off till tomorrow. However, a vast majority of the time, tomorrow never comes. Doing it today and doing what you love is what life is all about. Finding the moments that make your jaw drop and cause chill to race down your spine. So, where am I going with this inspirational speech? Basically, I'm saying go for broke. You can't take "what if's" and "should have's" to the grave. However, these "what if's" and "should have's" are what fuel imaginations and you can play them (or read them or watch them). Video games are a gateway to a land of "what if's". Stories in general serve as this gateway, but video games let you interact with the content of the story/narrative in a stunning array of possibilities. What sets apart video games from the rest of the pack? YOU. You are the one behind all of it. You can go watch a movie and interpret it in your own way. Ultimately, however, how much control did you have over the characters? The story? The answer is none. Books act in a slightly different manner, because the reader can create the pictures of the characters and events in their minds. But, you still can't control any other aspects of the book. Video games allow YOU full control over the character. Even if it's a simple point-and-click game, YOU have to move that cursor to carry out the pointing and clicking. Even in simulation games, you are still manipulating conditions for the simulations. The power lies within yourself. As this new year is beginning, please remember that YOU control your life. Do what you love, and you'll never fail. Oh yeah, and keep playing video games!

Normal

Normal. That's a difficult word to define. What, exactly, is normal? Since perceptions of viewing reality alternate between people, normal cannot be defined. However, you will discover that people love to define things. "I'm nobody special. I'm just...normal." When it comes to video games, "normal" is often seen through the lens of an objective. "What do you do in that game, Bruce?" "Well, I'm killing these aliens, Mike." That simple explanation, that simple way of thinking has dominated gaming for years. It still does to this day. Video games are about completing objectives. That's the way it's always been. The objective of Pong? Keep hitting the ball. Don't miss. Sure, the objectives have progressed as the complexity of gaming has grown. In Pac-Man, you (the player) have evolved from hitting a ball back and forth to evading enemies in a maze. Fast-forward to the 1990's. A little game launches for the Nintendo 64 called Super Mario 64. Everyone loves it. Critics, the public, young, old. People fell in love with the game. The game's objective? Defeat Bowser and collect stars. Yes, it is an amazing open world experience and a first for the Super Mario franchise. But the game still has a tangible objective: defeat Bowser and collect stars. A hop, skip, and a jump later, we're in 2013. Now, gaming slowly begins to shift. Sometimes, the objective isn't always a necessary requirement. Take, for instance, the independent title Gone Home. What's the defined objective of this game? Absolutely nothing. There are no enemies to kill. No aliens to disintegrate. No side-scrolling action. No objective-ridden puzzles to solve. All the player does is explore a house. That's it. How can a game be successful (and fun) if that's all you do? Well, maybe we (as a people) are yearning for something more...simple. With all the technology, all the pressure, all the pain, and all the stress, maybe this concept simply lets us be free. Maybe it frees us from following the rules. After all, many rules exist in video games. "No, you can't shoot your teammate. You can only get to the next level after you've completed this one. You can't use that weapon here." Most of the time, these rules don't stick out to us. But, they’re there. We follow them. We just don't realize it. So, with video games, free exploring and the abandonment of objectives may become prevalent in more and more releases. Why? Why would game designers abandon this practice that makes games "have meaning"? Why would they create a game that's not "mainstream"? Why wouldn't they make it...normal? Perhaps it is because a different type of complexity can be achieved? While playing any type of game that involves exploring and having free reign over the gaming space, the player will gravitate towards what THEY WANT to do. Let me say that again. What THEY WANT to do. So many times, we are thrust into a specific role with defined characteristics. While playing Mario, we only have certain abilities to use with him. Granted, you can change his suits and with these suits come varying powers. However, can you choose which suit to wear when you uppercut a Question block? No. Rather, the game gives the player a chance to use the suit the designer has placed there. Ultimately, we are playing into the game designer's hands. With games such as Gone Home or Journey, the world is at your fingertips. Now, please do not twist my words. I am not saying games such as Super Mario Bros. 3 are not fun or don’t work well. They are absolutely brilliant. I am just trying to project my idea that games can go beyond objective-based gameplay and offer an alternate type of gameplay experience. But, what if that's not the reason these types of games are being made? Maybe the answer lies within the rapidly advancing technology of today's society. Devices such as the Oculus Rift are giving people the chance to EXPLORE whole new worlds. Sure, the FPS genre will be one of the most, if not the most, popular genre associated with the Rift and devices like it. But, concepts such as virtual reality are just brimming with possibilities of a different kind of interactivity. Virtual reality uses the environment to enfold you in the game. Instead of FPS's loaded with killing aliens, virtual reality can engross the player by different means. Something as simple as talking to someone or exploring a forest will provide an enthralling experience. Either way, games like this are here to stay. And they definitely aren't "normal"...or, are they?

PLAY

It's finally here. The Xbox One has launched, and the "console wars" have officially begun. However, isn't it a little silly to be calling these "wars"? Why does everything have to be a war? I get it. Two consoles bearing fisticuffs to see who's bigger and better. But, when did gaming get so competitive (I say this with a "please don't hit me" face)? Think about it. Just stop and think, for two measly seconds, about video games. If you play video games, you are a gamer. If we are all gamers, then why hate on one another? Or, how about this: When you were little, you would play any game you could get your hands on, right? It didn't matter if one was manufactured by Sega and the other created by Nintendo. You played it, regardless. Why? Well...because it's fun. Reading an article from Game Informercoaxed me into thinking about this topic. It's a topic that needs to be addressed. Why be loyal to a brand? Why not be loyal to...VIDEO GAMES?? Video games as a medium is constantly being (unjustly, I might add) thrown under the bus. "Oh, video games are just for kids." "Video games make people go out and massacre a school." "Video games are ruining our society." How about if we stood up for our games? Stand up for the unjust actions being taken against us. Yes, I said US. When people take a shot at video games, they are taking a shot at YOU. It doesn’t matter if you play your PS3, Xbox 360, or Nintendo Wii. These remarks are aimed at ALL OF US. If internal fighting keeps occurring, we are bound to get nowhere. If a person says GTA: Vice City is a "murder simulator"(this actually happened) and is turning kids into murderers, that negative attention isn't placed solely on people playing GTA. It affects gamers as a whole. Now, games that may be violent but use violence for completely different means are torn to shreds in the press. When people claim video games are a waste of time, they're telling you, "You're an idiot for playing games. They're just for kids. Quit playing and get a real job." They don't take into account that the average age of a gamer is 37. They don't take into account the fact that games increase the size of various portions of the brain. Just because we don't use our spare time watching soap operas or playing a sport doesn't mean we are wasting it. These people do realize that most of the technology they are using right now on their fancy phones is gamified, right? The cell phone's a game in itself. We need to stand as one, not divided. Guess what? SOME OF US DON'T HAVE A CONSOLE. I have one, but not EVERYBODY does. Some people are content with their handheld devices. Should we shun them because they didn't pay 400$ for a console? It doesn't matter if you're playing a game of Candy Crush Saga or playing Mass Effect on your Xbox 360. Notice which word was used in both instances? That's right: PLAY. It seems we've lost our touch with what was so fun about games: PLAY. Take brand names out of the equation. It's simple...just PLAY.

A Unique Look at Storytelling On Next Generation Consoles

Every game tells a story. Whether it is a flashy first-person shooter with absorbingly realistic graphics or a simple 2-D platformer, every game tells a story. How this story is told varies from game to game and experience to experience. For instance, the futuristic first-person shooter Halo encompasses a story molded with many layers to it. Not only does the game function as a war story (aliens vs. humans), but it also deals with concepts such as questioning what is human when a person is genetically modified to become a killing machine. The game also explores thoughts about religion and how deadly the ideas proposed by religion can be. Most of the “mainstream” games fall along these same lines. The game places the player in the shoes of a person (the hero) and they are tasked with saving the world. Many games take on this simple concept because, well, it’s easy. Outside of these “simple” stories, games also express their emotions and stories through the gameplay itself. Take, for instance, the indie side-scroller Limbo. Limbo doesn’t place the player in a typical game situation. Wars aren’t waged across the country and the hero doesn’t come to save the day. Instead, the game tells its story through the eyes of a lost boy (whose identity remains a mystery throughout the entire game and well beyond the final level). Rather, the story radiates through to the gamer by the design of the levels, the music, and the whole presentation of the game. The game takes place in an undisclosed (but twisted) land populated by monsters and nightmarish creatures. Flashy graphics don’t make this story shine: the gameplay does. The acts of solving platformer-esque puzzles and encountering the creatures of the land tell the story. The game designer’s choice to present the game in black and white tells the story. Now, we are entering another phase in the gaming world. As the new consoles loom on the horizon, the next generation of consoles can grant the power to tell stories in unique and exciting ways. Sometimes, something as simple as fans at a soccer game can tell the story. Hands down, the FIFA series of video games is one of the most popular in the entire world. Soccer is the world’s game, and franchises such as FIFA are taking the next step in storytelling: immersive crowds. Since the development of the sports game, the crowds have always been…well, they’ve looked horrible and there’s really no reason why they’re there. If I’m playing in the Super Bowl, don’t I want the crowd’s sound to blare out of my speakers? Think about it this way: What would sports games be like with absolutely no crowd? Honestly, you could still probably play the game. Hell, maybe you wouldn’t even care. But, what if your experience could be enhanced by the cheering and booing of the fans? EA Sports is looking to bring this next-generation experience right into your living rooms and onto your virtual fields. I know when I watch my favorite team play against my most hated rivals, my home games are the most fun I’ll have all year. Why? The passion of the fans comes through. Sacks on the quarterback aren’t just sacks anymore. Tackles on their running backs become thunderous forces of rage. Everything is heightened-senses, emotions, even your own body. Imagine if you could garner that same feeling when you’re recreating that situation on your Xbox One or your Playstation 4. Here’s a great quote from FIFA 14 executive producer David Rutter: “What we’re about to embark on in this new world where the game itself has the equivalent of a soul and can track the history, the behaviors, and the relationships between those players and those clubs…That, for me, is what this generation of consoles allows us to do, which is tell those stories.” Well, that’s all fine and dandy, but how is this going to be implemented? Along with many other new and exciting additions to the crowd technology, crowds will cheer louder and longer when the home team scores then they would for the away team. If a player has scored three 3-pointers in a row in NBA 14’ (for the home team), the dynamic crowd will know this. The momentum can be felt in the crowd as the tide begins to turn in favor of the hot-handed scorer. What I’m excited for the most is the ability for the game to recognize the “storylines” that commonly occur in real-life sports. If trade talks are brewing between two teams, the heat may be on when they play each other. The game may play out a little more intensely; a little more brutal (same can be said for teams making a playoff push in NBA 14’). The next generation of sports games could be a game changer: I only hope that we, as gamers, give the designers a chance to test out these ideas. With an open mind, we can’t lose.

GTA Teamwork

Teamwork. This is the mantra of the future. Collaboration, small groups, meeting with others. Ideas like these permeate throughout our society these days. With the advent of technology and websites like YouTube, this has become the age of sharing. Everything seems to be interconnected. Friends from high school, who would have been strangers to you 20 years ago, are now friends of yours on Facebook. Didn't make it to your friend’s wedding in San Francisco? That's ok; they already uploaded all of their pictures online. This concept has even infused itself into the work world, where small teams are the focus of workplace productivity. With all of this teamwork going on, is it no surprise that Grand Theft Auto 5 has latched onto this idea and uses it for the premise of their game? GTA V is the first game of its kind in the GTA franchise. Instead of one sole protagonist, the game allows you to switch to two other characters at any one time. Knowing you have this ability is liberating as a player, mainly because you aren't forced to see things and experience things from one perspective. Three vastly different and unique characters for you to choose from in a diverse and dangerous city, full of activities and missions for you to play. Not only is the player allowed to switch between these characters, but they also collaborate on missions together in the game. Heists are a major factor in the GTA V single-player story. These heists require careful planning before their execution. Rockstar handles the concept of heists swimmingly in the game. The player isn't just worried about stealing the jewels. First, the player must choose his/her team for the heist. Again, this idea of teamwork comes into play. Players must choose which gunman is going to be the best for a particular heist. Will you choose the gunman who is worse at shooting? If you do, you might put the heist in jeopardy. However, the lower-level gunman will receive less of the cut if you complete the heist successfully, meaning more money for you. As well as selecting varying members for your crew, the action in the heists themselves requires vast amounts of teamwork. During the heists, the player is allowed to change perspectives from one character to another. They are in constant communication with each other, and this teamwork is what drives this game as unique as opposed to the rest of the GTA games. The other titles in the GTA series find a lone protagonist trying to survive in a harsh concrete jungle. Considering GTA is known for its satire and parody, maybe this design of a team-centric story and game is a sign of the times. I, for one, love the teamwork required in the game and can't wait to see what Rockstar is going to roll out next.