Some time ago I blogged about having intrest in a little game called Persona 3 FES (the extended edition of Persona 3). I spoke on the game back in 2008, and I hadn't even touched it when I wrote the post, but mentioned that it looked like something worth looking into. Well I ended up buying the game on (according the receipt I found tucked away in the box) the sixth of july 08. Now I'm back to say that eight days short of having the game for two years, I've finally beaten it from front to back.
Overlooking "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion", P3F (as titled on the box) is the game that has resulted in THE most bang for my buck I've ever purchased. FES is divided into two games, "The Journey" which is the main story, and "The Answer" which extends the story, and gives additional closure. The game is advertised as having 100+ hours altogether. However, since I love to play RPGs exhaustively, I spent a rough total of 180-200 hours on the game. Most of that is because of my OCD for grinding, but none the less that's a value of $0.16 and hour VS. the traditional $10 an hour value (6hrs for a $60 game) I'm used to getting.
I digress, The entire point is that P3F was a fantastic game, and it shows that others agree since it's about to have it's third release for the PSP in early July (ironically the same day I bought FES two years ago). I spent an exhaustive amount of time on the game, and for good reason. It's story was well written, the game play was good (though it had it's quirks), and all the characters were properly fleshed out so you knew who they were and why they acted the way they did. Besides that it's structure was a breath of fresh air, allow me to elaborate.
in most RPGs you have minimal control over what happens in the game world other than how you choose to level your character, and fight enemies. However in Persona 3 game play is split into two different domains, traditional combat, and a simulation of high school life. At night you fight monsters, level up, and engage in all the traditional RPG elements. However during the day you go to school and hang out with friends. This part may seem like it's useless, but because your character has the special ability to combine summons (personas) to make new ones leading the life of a highschooler has it's useful purpose.
All personas in the game are classified by arcana (based on the tarot card system). The purpose of the highschool life sim is for you to make friends (or in some cases girlfriends), and forge strong bonds that correspond with a certain arcana. The stronger the bond between you and the friend that represents that arcana, the more powerful a persona created under that arcana will be when made by fusion. This results in one game with two very different appeals, which, through this system, are woven quite tightly together.
Anyway that's the basic rubdown of how the game's structure that caused it to be such a UNBELIEVABLY different experience. With a radically different spin on the traditional turn based RPG something was bound to happen, in this case it just so happened to be good.
Well I'll cut off here since I've rambled long enough. Check out the special montage seen at the beginning of P3F below.
Now here's to hoping that I get through Persona 4 faster. Oh did I mention that while in the middle of Persona 3 I bought Persona 4 on it's release day?
----Cp Out----
P.S. Right now I'm experiencing shell shock from finishing a game I've been playing for so long.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Life After "The End"
Upon completing the new game Red Dead Redemption I found myself pondering the general evolution of game endings. Why did I start thinking about this you ask? Well, it's quite simple, But it will take a bit to explain, so bear with me.
Red Dead Redemption is a game very similar to the Grand Theft Auto series, not only in it's play style, but also how it looks and generally feels. Because it was produced by RockStar Games (the same people who make GTA) this is to be expected. However, I also expected it to follow the same story formula which the GTA games have, even though I knew it would be somehow different.
Yet when I drew to RDR's close I was faced with some very surprising plot twists, and even more surprising were the choices the developers made to allow you to continue playing the game after finishing it. The ending of Red Dead Redemption aside, I came to realise the general constraints on story telling in games which allow you to continue playing after the main story ends.
This phenomenon is generally tied to the sand box/world builder gene. I suspect this is primarily due to how much there is to do in such games, even after you finish them. This means it makes more sense, and is more critical, to be able to keep playing than in traditional linnear games, such as first person shooters, turn based RPGs, or adventure games.
Now if it is expected that you can continue playing after completing the main story of the game, what does that mean about how the story can end? Well for one it means the main character has to survive, you can't play a tragic hero. Secondly, the world cannot end, everything has to still be there after you finish. Third, your empire, achievements, power, money, etc. has to stay intact, otherwise it feels like you played through the game for nothing.
Looking at those three stipulations it becomes rather clear that open ended games will all likely have a rather similar and predictable ending. This in turn means repetition is inevitable for the genre. However Rockstar seems to have anticipated this little issue, and in turn decided to make some bold moves to alter the fate of a "play after the end" game like Red Dead Redemption.
I'm not certain of exactly how I feel about how Rockstar decided to change this trend. In their efforts to prevent a predictable ending but still allow you to play afterwards they looked at those three rules with contempt. One rule they obeyed, another didn't apply to how the story worked, and the other one they directly disobeyed. It took some creative writing to pull off, and I have to say the story was far more unpredictable, further into the game, as a result.
In the end Rockstar has made it clear that they are making profound efforts to refine the open ended game, and change it. And even though I'm uncertain of how I feel about how they did so I can say one thing. If a game can be defined as good by weather or not it was worth the money it cost, then Red Dead Redemption can be called a good game.
Red Dead Redemption Début Trailer
Now I'm off to crack into a non story heavy game called Super Mario Galaxy 2.
----CP Out----
Red Dead Redemption is a game very similar to the Grand Theft Auto series, not only in it's play style, but also how it looks and generally feels. Because it was produced by RockStar Games (the same people who make GTA) this is to be expected. However, I also expected it to follow the same story formula which the GTA games have, even though I knew it would be somehow different.
Yet when I drew to RDR's close I was faced with some very surprising plot twists, and even more surprising were the choices the developers made to allow you to continue playing the game after finishing it. The ending of Red Dead Redemption aside, I came to realise the general constraints on story telling in games which allow you to continue playing after the main story ends.
This phenomenon is generally tied to the sand box/world builder gene. I suspect this is primarily due to how much there is to do in such games, even after you finish them. This means it makes more sense, and is more critical, to be able to keep playing than in traditional linnear games, such as first person shooters, turn based RPGs, or adventure games.
Now if it is expected that you can continue playing after completing the main story of the game, what does that mean about how the story can end? Well for one it means the main character has to survive, you can't play a tragic hero. Secondly, the world cannot end, everything has to still be there after you finish. Third, your empire, achievements, power, money, etc. has to stay intact, otherwise it feels like you played through the game for nothing.
Looking at those three stipulations it becomes rather clear that open ended games will all likely have a rather similar and predictable ending. This in turn means repetition is inevitable for the genre. However Rockstar seems to have anticipated this little issue, and in turn decided to make some bold moves to alter the fate of a "play after the end" game like Red Dead Redemption.
I'm not certain of exactly how I feel about how Rockstar decided to change this trend. In their efforts to prevent a predictable ending but still allow you to play afterwards they looked at those three rules with contempt. One rule they obeyed, another didn't apply to how the story worked, and the other one they directly disobeyed. It took some creative writing to pull off, and I have to say the story was far more unpredictable, further into the game, as a result.
In the end Rockstar has made it clear that they are making profound efforts to refine the open ended game, and change it. And even though I'm uncertain of how I feel about how they did so I can say one thing. If a game can be defined as good by weather or not it was worth the money it cost, then Red Dead Redemption can be called a good game.
Red Dead Redemption Début Trailer
Now I'm off to crack into a non story heavy game called Super Mario Galaxy 2.
----CP Out----
Monday, May 17, 2010
Crash
In my aimless wander across the internet the other day I ran across an old flash game that I used to spend hours on. It's called NANACA†CRASH!!, and it's an interesting twist on the traditional how far can you throw something game.
What makes this instance so special is how it's based of the traditional shonen school drama concept. You know the drill, some guy goes to a school, meets a ton of girls, ends up in love with one, etc. In the process he probably gets slapped around by the girls for having some rather perverse incidents occur, weather they be intentional or not.
Anyway Nanaca Crash launches the main character into the air after having a collision with a girl on a bike. Like any game of the type you can gain boosts by hitting special objects, or lose speed, or stop entirely by hitting others in this case the objects being different girls and your male friends respectively. What makes this version special though is how there are combos you can activate.
I'll stop there, if you want to know more just check the link above.
----CP Out----
What makes this instance so special is how it's based of the traditional shonen school drama concept. You know the drill, some guy goes to a school, meets a ton of girls, ends up in love with one, etc. In the process he probably gets slapped around by the girls for having some rather perverse incidents occur, weather they be intentional or not.
Anyway Nanaca Crash launches the main character into the air after having a collision with a girl on a bike. Like any game of the type you can gain boosts by hitting special objects, or lose speed, or stop entirely by hitting others in this case the objects being different girls and your male friends respectively. What makes this version special though is how there are combos you can activate.
I'll stop there, if you want to know more just check the link above.
----CP Out----
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Disturbing Advertising
A while back I blogged about an item available on NewEgg during a valentines sale. It was odd and humours at the very least. However the item has returned in their most recent sale for... Mothers Day.
Ok, I know that husbands buy gifts for their wives for mothers day, but I think MOST people think of their MOM on mothers day. Which made me nearly rip my brain out when I saw the item in NewEgg's advert.
I am Disturbed
----CP----
Ok, I know that husbands buy gifts for their wives for mothers day, but I think MOST people think of their MOM on mothers day. Which made me nearly rip my brain out when I saw the item in NewEgg's advert.
I am Disturbed
----CP----
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Pixelated Heroics
In my youth just at the dawn of the internet, I was caught up in the rolling tidal wave which was the first generation of fully 3D console video games. I was armed with a Nintendo 64 and I found my first solid videogame addiction, "The Legend of Zelda Ocrina of Time". Not too long after completing the game I moved on to mastering it, and subsequently played through all other Nintendo produced Zelda games. This addiction, though not as strong as it once was, still continues today. I successively dedicate my time to any new Zelda games that come out, and a thorough play through of fresh releases is an activity I still engage in.
With such a long running love affair I can't overlook games that clearly parody or spoof the original series. For that reason in addition to the unique visual aesthetic, I look forward to playing the game "3D Dot Game Heros". A current gen idea with a throw back feel to the classic eight and sixteen bit games of the 90s. In addition it takes an unbelievable number of cues from the Zelda series.
Watching the video below will explain a WHOLE lot more.
----CP Out----
With such a long running love affair I can't overlook games that clearly parody or spoof the original series. For that reason in addition to the unique visual aesthetic, I look forward to playing the game "3D Dot Game Heros". A current gen idea with a throw back feel to the classic eight and sixteen bit games of the 90s. In addition it takes an unbelievable number of cues from the Zelda series.
Watching the video below will explain a WHOLE lot more.
----CP Out----
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Rendered Youth
Hopefully one day I'll be able to achieve the quality that this video has in my own productions. Until then I guess I'll just have to watch this video in awe.
----CP Out----
----CP Out----
Friday, April 09, 2010
Trip
I know I don't usually post about things that pertain to my professional intrests here but I couldn't help myself in this case.
As a graphic designer and motion graphics artist I'm always looking at thins in such a manner so I can get new ideas. As a result I often browse youtube for interesting videos and am suggested unorthodox design videos.
Well recently I was advised to view the video below from a company call E-spaces. The video gives me some great ideas and also I feel really retro when i watch it for some reason. On a side note though I don't understand how any of that footage could be considered useful, even as a background for blue screen.
---CP Out---
As a graphic designer and motion graphics artist I'm always looking at thins in such a manner so I can get new ideas. As a result I often browse youtube for interesting videos and am suggested unorthodox design videos.
Well recently I was advised to view the video below from a company call E-spaces. The video gives me some great ideas and also I feel really retro when i watch it for some reason. On a side note though I don't understand how any of that footage could be considered useful, even as a background for blue screen.
---CP Out---
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