Thoughts of Gaming in my Head

Christmas so soon?  That hardly seems fair.  Having just finished finals and now being forced to rush away from what I now consider home, I long for time to relax.  But then Christmas.  Family. Presents. Shopping.  Is there any other holiday that wears so many people down so quickly?  My friends, I am a simple man.  I don't need a lot to be happy and I never know what to ask for when others want to buy me gifts.  I have what I need.  If I found something I wanted, I'm sure there's some way I can get it.  I've never been a big fan of Christmas.  I do not look forward to watching Spike TV's 24 hour marathon of James Bond movies nor TBS' 24 hour marathon of A Christmas Story.  Even the games that come out at this time of year seem to lack luster.  Maybe that's just me.  Maybe one of the authors at Super Dope Gaming is a Grinch or Scrooge.  Well, Bah Humbug I say; let's talk about the great titles over the years that came out during the non-holiday season.

This won't be another holiday list like below.  I've passed that milestone.  What this is, is more like, "hey, don't worry about Christmas or New Years Eve, just think about gaming's greatest feats and take a well-deserved break from all the hustle and bustle."  Now, to start, how about we go back to when gaming was segregated from the world -- a time when people could only play games in a darkly lit building, throwing away money earned from mowing the lawn, a time when the arcade was the place to be a gamer.  Besides, I think it's appropriate with the recent release of X-Men Arcade.  If you haven't played that masterful multiplayer, then now is the time.  The game, on your own, is nothing special.  It can be completed in less than an hour and you can grow bored with the button mashing that is the side-scrolling fighter.  If you've played the game on it's original cabinet, with six or four players, then do what you can to find that cabinet again because that's where it shines.  The arcade was the era of Donkey Kong and Pac Man, but soon enough came the ability to get more and more people in on the action.  I can't think of any other game that let more than one to three other people join in, but I can definitely tell you that everybody wants to be Wolverine and no one wants to be Dazzler.

Nothing says F**k You Christmas like a tornado.

For those of you a little younger -- or just not lucky enough to have a Penny or Nickel Arcade nearby -- we can skip ahead a few years to one of the monumental strides gaming has made.  Ok, that may be pushing it.  It's just Sonic the Hedgehog.  Sonic, Sonic, Sonic.  We want so badly to like you now.  Sonic Colors is admirable.  It got good scores, seemed like a new and interesting take on a game built on running fast.  But everything else, everything else that came out recently... why would you do that to people who love you?  I don't understand?  Turning into a werewolf?  Getting a sword?  Racing in cars?  You don't need a car, Sonic, you need better games.  We love you because we remember looking for the codes in gaming magazines to enter in the sound test to skip through levels or become Super Sonic -- even though we would always fall into that pit in "Mystic Cave Zone," that had no way of getting out, because we were going too fast.  We love you because of Sonic 3 and Sonic 3 and Knuckles, which only when put together do they make a complete game.  We love you because you had the evil Dr. Robotnik as a nemesis who tried to conquer the world and turn people into robot slaves rather than just steal a princess.  I love you still, Sonic.  I will never play any of your new games, but I'm glad you were released in the summer so I don't have to relate you to Christmas.

We're gonna jump ahead here and miss a generation of consoles, but I think that's for the best.  I'm going to make the statement, and probably ruffle some feathers, when I say Ninja Gaiden (2004) was the best game to come out on the original Xbox.  Sure, there wasn't any multiplayer and it can never reach the success of Halo. But the level of difficulty, variety of weapons, non-linear story telling, crazy/bloody action, amazing boss battles and several other aspects put that game at the forefront of what to own for the Xbox.  Plus, it makes you feel like a badass every single time you get the "Master Ninja" rank.  The game calls you a Master Ninja.   That should be all the advertising it needs.  Of course, if you don't do well enough, it also calls you a "Ninja Dog," but that just makes you want to do better.  There's nothing holiday-related to remind you of Christmas in this game, other than the demons from Hell, which I guess can be seen as your extended family.  You know the ones I'm talking about.  The ones that bring fruit cakes and can't remember your name, but still refuse to leave you alone.

You are worth exactly this much to your relatives.

Now, even after mentioning these few games that game out in the summer or a couple months after the holiday season, you still may think that just because games come out for Christmas doesn't make them horrible.  Well, let me tell you something.  Every Mario Party game, except for the latest one (Mario Party 8), came out just in time to be picked up as a present.  I mean, I like board games, I like Mario, but that doesn't mean the two should be brought together as an excuse to shove crap into stockings.  Even the Winter Olympics are worse than the real Olympics.  Does anyone watch the winter Olympics?  Is it just snowboarding and skiing?  Maybe curling?  I have no idea, but Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games didn't win anyone over.  That game, in case you wondering, also came out a couple months before Christmas.

Time Passes But Love Never Dies

As I sit here, drinking my tall, cold, plastic cup of chocolate milk, looking through old photos of friends whom I never talk to anymore, I realize that many things have changed in my life over the years.  I've moved from the Central Valley, down to Santa Barbara and then way up to San Francisco.  I've gained and lost numerous friends, fallen in love (twice) and even got into a couple of car accidents.  All of these experiences have changed how I live my life or how I view others.  My tastes have changed as well.  I now have a much broader appreciation for films, books, music and, not surprisingly, my family.  I've heard that the only constant in life is change.  In my experience this seems about right.  Although, there is one thing that has never changed -- something I can't imagine ever changing:  my love for certain videogames.

My favorite game, which has been mentioned several times on this site, is over a decade old.  It came out on the Nintendo 64, a system with the most awkward controller and a catalog of games that comes up short when compared with its main competitor, the PlayStation 2.  Countless other games have come out on about a dozen home consoles and hand helds, but few have earned the right to be compared with that one N64 title.  At least, according to me.  The Halo series has now become a blockbuster franchise with near-perfect multi-player capabilities.  Super Mario Galaxy has redefined the platformer genre.  World of Warcraft has over 12 million people willing to pay a monthly fee in order to give up their own lives and play a game.  I wonder how many people who have played these games will name a classic throw-back title as their favorite, and possibly as the best, game of all time.  Do these titles always rest on pedestals while we maintain some kind of grand illusion about them?  Would our favorite games be worth going back to after so much time has passed?  Would they stand the test of time or fall by the wayside along with other, outdated games?

 At one time this was the pinnacle of technology in our civilization.

There are some who can call a game "great" simply because of the nostalgia it brings.  Memories of a time without paper work or dead lines.  This may be enough of a reason to play a game, but certainly not enough to judge whether or not a game is great.  I loved playing Pokemon Snap with a group of friends a couple years ago, but I know I would never play that game alone.  Not again.  We see this type of thing happen all the time.  We're probably all guilty of hearkening back to the good ol' days about something or other.  You can barely turn on the news without hearing how things have gotten so much worse over time.  Well, this is actually the best time to be alive since the beginning of time.  So grats on that.  Even with videogames, technology is racing forward.  Have you seen the Kinect hack videos?  They're amazing.  Think of the possibilities.  I get excited every time I think about the future of gaming.  I don't know what's next, but I know I'm on the edge of my seat waiting for it.

Now, with all these new fangled doohickeys coming out from the woodworks, I'd still be shocked if any of them replaced my favorite game.  Let me remind you at this point that it came out on the Nintendo 64.  Others my age, or older, have favorites from the original Nintendo Entertainment System.  What does it say about all the new hardware if they can't compete with games that came out before 3D was even an option?  I try to judge the game based on it's own merit.  When I look back, I don't focus on the good memories of my family watching me progress through each area; I look at the story, the difficulty and the gameplay.  I should try to be as objective as possible.  We all should when discussing the quality of any title.  But here's the real question, if we're so sure that nothing will compare with our old favorites, why play new games at all?  Why not just keep playing those top classics and be content appreciating the quality of an age long since passed?

And the crowd goes silent as I go for my 10,000th straight win...

I'm willing to bet that we always hope the next game will be our new favorite.  No one gets into a game with the thought of how terrible it'll turn out.  People want to be entertained.  Whether that's by some old favorite from childhood or the newest game to hit the shelves I don't think people care.  Every time I pick up a Zelda title, I want it to be better than Ocarina of Time.  I want that experience of playing a game I know is amazing from start to finish.  I want another game I would judge with a perfect score.  I hope that the games of tomorrow surpass those of yesteryear, but, knowing that the majority of games are average and good only for a week-long rental, I don't have any expectations, just memories.

Giving Thanks to Gaming

Soon, one of the most fattening days of the year will be upon us.  Thanksgiving is usually seen as a time to be grateful for what we have, who we have in our lives, and what we're lucky enough to do with our lives.  This is done by eating a giant meal with our families and loved ones and maybe saying a word of thanks before digging in.  Some families have traditions for this day: to go around the table and give thanks, the father cutting into the turkey, watching hours of football with an unbuckled belt.  Whatever your personal tradition, Super Dope Gaming hopes you each have a lovely Thanksgiving, full of joy and laughter.  For those gamers out there, more concerned with getting to the next level than with what part of the bird you get to eat, here is a selection of games that you should not only be thankful for, but also ones that you can share with others.

1. MarioKart Wii

The game that keeps on giving, even after all the courses have been memorized and you've become a pro at drifting.  No, not with DLC; MarioKart Wii allows for a rewarding experience through 32 tracks, half of which are taken from previous MarioKart games and updated; split screen multiplayer, competitive online matches, a leader board, fun and exciting items, and more characters to play as than ever.  This game, like it's predecessors, is most enjoyed when playing with friends -- just make sure they know what they're doing first, racing against beginners is never fun -- and having several hours devoted to finding out who's the better kart driver.  The courses aren't too challenging, which means more people can get in on the action, but some of the most difficult challenges come from catching up to your friend after a blue shell.  This game is always a fun time with a small group and works best when people just want to have fun and forget the serious nature of other games.

2. World of Warcraft

I know, I know, it's an MMO and a lot of people don't have it or don't want to pay the $15 a month subscription fee.  I don't blame you.  But what could be better than getting a group of your friends online and setting up a PvP raid against the Alliance?  It's been a long time since I played WoW (it was back before the first expansion) but the best memories I have of my 60+ days of play time are the ones where I took a trip to Ironforge and sneaked around, ganking low-level noobs.  I was cruel.  Of course, there have been battle grounds for a long time, places where there can be a point to the pointless slaughtering of others, but the best situation is going to the lowest leveled, contested area and griefing the rival faction with your friends, hopefully there with you at a LAN party.  Ah, memories.

3. Super Smash Brothers Brawl

Another Wii game, but deservedly on this list.  Not too many people can keep up with the fast pacing of Melee, and there are some who won't go near the clunky, unbalanced mess that is the original Smash Brothers, so that leaves the latest iteration of the series.  This game has pissed off "hardcore" fighter fans since it came out, but does much to improve on accepted greatness.  Brawl offers a roster of 35 characters and 41 stages, which is more than enough to add the required depth for more serious players and a great way to bring in people whose favorite characters may not have been in the games before.  The game offers a Co-op mode, the subspace emissary, which is a pretty big let-down, really, but the game shines when it's a group of four going at it on random stages.  You can make it more competitive by getting rid of items and, if you're playing against someone without much experience, you can add a handicap to make it easier.  If you want crazy fun, create your own stage with lots of traps and spikes, then turn on items to very high and watch as sh*t hits the fan.

4. Secret of Mana

An oldie but a goodie.  If you want retro fun with a great game, then look no further than this classic gem.  Secret of Mana allows for two or three (with a multitap) people to play in what is usually a single-player genre.  This SNES game does what most RPGs now don't even do: have each person control a member of your party.  It's perfect and I don't know why it doesn't happen in each party-gathering RPG.  Taking down run-of-the-mill baddies to a giant moth-thing and then a giant bat-thing with your friends instills a great feeling of accomplishment in each person.  Leveling-up is also a feel-good experience during which you can be cheered on by your friends for now being able to kill enemies in a single hit, or be berated for having chosen the cleric.  Clerics are lame.  The game loses a few points for having only three characters, but gains it all back and more in the stellar gameplay.

5. The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures

This game is both the longest-titled on the list and my personal favorite.  It holds a special place in my heart because A Link to the Past is one of my favorite games (Ocarina of Time is still better) and I have great memories with my friends.  The story is different, but the visuals and the dungeons are taken frame-by-frame from the SNES version.  It's hands-down the most difficult to arrange with your friends since, in addition to the game, you need four Game Boy Advances or SPs, and also a connector cord for each to plug into the Gamecube.  These are not easy to come by, but once it happens, it's a thing of magic.  Top-down, multi-player Zelda action.  My friends and I have taken a weekend off just to take the time to get through the game.  There isn't a lot of difficulty for fans of the Zelda series, but there is a ton of carnage.  Each player can hold an item (some of which can be upgraded) and use that item to attack other players.  You got bombs? Blow up your friends.  A Roc's feather? Jump up and slam them.  A hammer?  You know what to do.  Then, at the end of each level, you can vote for the best and worst "hero" to further honor or denounce your friends.  I would still love to play this game, but my God, are those connector cables a b*tch to find... and three other gamer friends.

Time for Something Completely Different

I can't tell you why people play videogames, merely offer suggestions.  Maybe it has something to do with escapism, the need to have something out of the ordinary -- a distraction -- in our routine lives.  Maybe it's a way to find a few hours of entertainment not found in other forms such as reading a book, watching a movie or even playing a board game.  To some, perhaps they are nothing more than a way to kill time.  The reason I take the time out of most of my days to sit and play a game is that I want a unique experience.  I want something that makes me look back fondly on my time with that game.  There are not many games that achieve this.  I don't mean to say there are only a few good games in the world, but rather to offer the question: how many games have you played that made you feel good about yourself?  I imagine not too many.

I aim, more directly, to question the feelings inspired through videogames.  There are games that can shock and others that can impress, but what games are there that make you feel at peace?  Serenity is not a common goal of game developers.  People usually want action and excitement, coupled with blood and gore, to make them feel more than human.  Things presented in videogames are almost never things found in reality.  Is that true also for what the videogames inspire in us?  Surely you can be proud of your life's achievements just as easily as you can of your gaming achievements.  I also have no doubt that a game can create feelings of love within the player or feelings of hate.  Are these feelings different because they're triggered by a world of fantasy?  What is your own perception of life if not a fantasy?  Videogames can imbue us with feelings that are perhaps more real to some than their actual lives.  But back to the feeling in which I am most interested: peace.  I don't know of many games that can be considered peaceful or even calming.  Flower comes to mind, but only the first half, and also an old Flash game called Boomshine, which involves some strategy and possibly frustration.  I obviously don't know of every game, but I would indeed be shocked if there was such a game that could bring about acceptance and peacefulness.

Videogames are inherently active.  You can't have a game where the point is to be at peace.  There is no game that doesn't require some amount of action, even if that action is balancing on a small piece of plastic, as in the "meditation" minigame of Wii Fit Plus.  Even if such a game existed, I'm not sure if it would then fit the definition of a "videogame."  There are games that simulate life.  Games like Second Life, EVE Online (for a futuristic lifestyle), or even games like The Sims can open up worlds with no set objectives or stories that drive the player to some end-goal.  These games are marvelous steps for gaming in a direction not usually treaded by other developers.  Players seem to care about their characters or online jobs more than they care about other people in the real world.  But then again, who defines what's real?

The act, if one can call it such, of being at peace is not possible in videogames and, commonly, not an option for people in their lives.  Serenity is possibly not an option for people who do anything other than attempt to gain a grand sense of acceptance and tranquility.  It may be unfair for me to hope for that feeling to come from videogames.  I think I feel the most calm or peaceful when I'm sitting comfortably, reading for personal enjoyment and accompanied only by silence.  It's a wonderful feeling to have nothing to do other than taking the time to enjoy yourself.  I have heard happiness defined as "the state of wanting nothing," but I'm not sure whether I agree.  There are times when I want to do nothing, times when I want nothing. Those are not times when I feel happy, but lethargic and bored.  Videogames are able to influence a person's life; I would argue much in the same way a novel or film could also influence someone.  Can these mediums cause a person to be happy?  Is there a game that allows people to want nothing?  I'm not sure that can ever be the case.  One must find certain things in life and nowhere else.  I would suggest "peace" as one of those things.

Duty Calls

Apparently, the Call of Duty franchise has been around for quite a while.  This latest addition, Black Ops, is a grand testament to the series’ strength and the knowledge gained through years of experience developing First Person Shooters.  I’ve only played one other Call of Duty and that was years ago.  It’s not much to say that this game is a marked improvement over my previous experience.  Although, this is a beast of a game.  There were times when my laptop slowed because it couldn’t take all the action.  This is the only game for which that’s ever happened.  To be fair, I don’t exactly have the highest end, gaming laptop.  I own a Dell.

Anyway, Call of Duty: Black Ops tells the story of “Mason,” a CIA covert agent who gets assigned to kill people – in order to protect America, of course – throughout the world and its various wars.  As you probably have heard, there is a little hiccup over someone famous getting shot during the game.  I don’t care about it and, I think the level headed will agree with me when I say, people need to understand it’s just a game.  There are worse things, more gruesome kills at least, that happen to a number of other individuals.  The gameplay actually occurs when Mason is recalling his past actions to a group of silhouetted men who are torturing him to get answers.  You’ll have to play through the game to find out what exactly those answers are and how they lead Mason to his current situation.  I say the gameplay “occurs” because I couldn’t help but feel as if I was watching a movie during most of the game.  There are in game “cinematics” that involve you in some way, but never more than slowly approach this person and take him out from behind.  Most often, it’s a simple one button press and the game then takes over.  It’s less than a quick-time event, but the game is clearly not trying to make them challenging, rather, I’m sure the purpose is to make it all feel like one is in the middle of a Hollywood Blockbuster.  For my own part, I appreciated the effort to make the game more than a common FPS.  The cinematic feel of the game lasts through its entirety and it’s enough to separate the game from other, dime a dozen shooters.

This f**king guy...

As I implied earlier, the visuals are incredible.  I was impressed every time I looked at the sky, saw countless bullets flying by, or watched as I blew up what looked like an experimental rocket ship.  Any sound other than explosions or gunfire was a little hard to hear and, to be honest, I didn’t even pay attention to it sometimes because all I wanted to do was find cover and kill more Russians.  This game is intense.  I died so many times just while playing it on “regular” difficulty that the option to “lower difficulty” on the menu screen just seemed to taunt me.  I don’t know if that’s a theme with other Call of Duty games or if I just wasn’t used to the way the game plays out, but I was very happy with the game’s take on such arduous tasks.  Mason isn’t a super hero or some cybernetically enhanced marine and you can tell you’ll need to find cover every step of the way if you’re not a hardcore FPS fan.  It makes the game less appealing and harder to approach for the general population of the gamer community, but I’m sure most gamers know what to expect from a game like this long before they ever pick it up.

In the end, for the gamers who don’t feel the need to own a dozen different shooters, Black Ops isn’t too different from previous games of this type.  Mason’s story of a forgetful CIA killer is a nice touch and I’m happy to have this game as an addition to a genre which isn’t known for its cerebral qualities. Also, as expected, the game supports online multiplayer, which I don’t feel the need to discuss because Modern Warfare 2 set the bar pretty high and Black Ops does much in the same way.  There is also a mode simply dubbed, “Zombies,” which has you doing what you can to survive a wave of, you guessed it, Zombies.  This is not a mode that’s needed to make the game better, but it is a lot of fun and a welcome extra.  You won’t get anything too new with this game, but you will have a great time trying to figure out what’s exactly going on and trying to kill a seemingly endless hoard of enemies.

4.5/5 Near Perfect Score! Almost Super Dope!