I recently picked up last year’s Game of the Year award recipient, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. Honestly, I didn’t know much about the game other than that the lead character resembled Captain Hammer and that there was a strong female lead. I bought Uncharted 2 specifically because it had won Game of the Year. I wanted to know exactly what made the game so damned special. Of course, I have my own criteria of what I thought a Game of the Year be:

1. Well-written and acted characters (if story has a narrative arc)
2. Fluid controls
3. Well-stated and achievable goals
4. Challenge without frustration (or at least that positive frustration that makes you jump that impossible gap over and over and over once more)
5. Attractive art style
6. Fun! Exciting! Entertaining!

I don’t think that my list is too demanding. I’m not exactly sure how IGN or the VGAs come to their decision but I can’t imagine that their list does not include most of these considerations. How has Uncharted 2 measured up so far? Read on, intrepid gamer, for my super important, all encompassing opinion.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves definitely wins in the character development / narrative development category. The story is exciting. The characters are funny and somewhat complex. I didn’t feel the urge to poke myself in the eye every time a female character was on-screen. This is a good thing. What games like Uncharted and Dead Space have over games like Alan Wake is that the narrative is tucked into every nuance of the game and is a surface conceit. Also, neither game pretends to be “scholarly” or a game for “readers and writers.” Alan Wake‘s main conceit was that an active force was scripting the experience. And that active force is supposedly a comparable writer to Stephen King. What a dangerous comparision! This means that Alan Wake should be as well-written as The Dark Tower or  Carrie. Yeash. What a way to set the bar impossibly high.  Of course, Uncharted and Dead Space are both scripted but they don’t throw it in your face that you as a player are helpless to change events.

Games are little worlds where players can pretend to be gods. Acknowledging the script is for actors not for viewers or players. Otherwise, one feels distracted and torn between God-like and a fool. I can only think of a few examples where acknowledging scripts is effective and one is Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, a Tom Stoppard play, and the other is Adaption, a Spike Jonze movie. Notice both of these works are theatre-based and not game-based. Uncharted 2 sweeps the player into the action and moves them along at the pace of an action film. As does Dead Space and a horror film. This is not to say that I believe that a video game can be a theatre experience anymore than a theatre experience can be a video game. The two mediums can borrow from each other but I think the attempt to make every game interaction film quality is near-sighted. Game narrative pacing should definitely utilize dramatic tropes. Films should attempt to engage viewers in a more varied internal stimulation. Books, theatre, film, and games are all related in that they tell stories but they are vastly different. (Oh and Nathan Fillion would be freakin’ awesome as Drake.)

The film narrative to game narrative relationship is an area that Naughty Dog both succeeds and fails in. There are certain cinematic choices that are a determent to completely fluid controls. How so, you ask? Take, for example, when Drake has to jump a suspiciously large gap. Normally, I would run as fast as I can towards the edge of the gap and launch my character as far as possible to guarantee a safe landing. Not so in Uncharted 2. In Uncharted 2 each jump is cinematic. Drake as to have a mid-air flail and struggle to pull himself onto the ledge. This means that no matter the gap size, if Drake has to travel in a direction, he will always make the jump. Therefore, I cannot judge correctly if I can make a jump or not. I have to willingly fling my character over gaps of various size and assume that Drake will make it because it’s in the script. If it is the correct direction, Drake will make it 100% of the time. I have found that this cinematic jump mechanic has seriously cut down on the challenge and exploratory anxiety normally associated with taking such a risk. It seems that the only time I fail and fall is by complete random mistake and not due to challenge.

Oh, you Naughty Dog!

Another control issue arises when the player attempts to sneak up on a bad guy and use the sleeper kill tactic. For some odd reason, the button that I always push for the sleeper attack no longer functions in the same manner if I am hiding behind something. Now, instead of just tapping the square button, I have to move forward and tap the square button and hope that the guard does not become aware of my awkward fumbling.  Of course, most of the times I try and sneak behind a railing to grab a guy, Drake completely spazzes out and jumps right into the open.  I’m sure there are smoother operators than I out there, but after playing a game like Splinter Cell: Conviction, I know that there are better duck, cover and eliminate options available. Instead I am as stealthy as if Sam Fisher was a stroke victim trying to get the lid off the apple sauce. In fact, Tommy and I were discussing the fact that Naughty Dog seems to frequently employ sub-par control mechanics. Even Crash Bandicoot was off in some manner that made jumping an especially confusing experience. Which is lame because Naughty Dog does excellently in almost every other facet of game-play.

Another aspect of Uncharted 2 that feels a little lackluster is the navigability of the world. Although I am generally a map fan, I can deal with games that don’t include them as long as I can still figure out where to go. I get it. It is highly unlikely that Nathan Drake has a pre-rendered map of the exotic locations he finds himself in. I guess Naughty Dog wanted to help out the player through an ever present hint system But the addition of a hint system is not a solution for lost players. Either the levels must be streamlined in a way that moves the player towards the goal.or the Player needs some sort of messaging that they’ve already explored this damn rocky corner 17 times. Oh and it looks suspiciously like plenty of other rocky corners, so good luck telling the difference. Games like God of War 1 & 2 don’t employ a map and, even with occasional path confusion, I never feel like the world is impossible to keep track of, rather, it’s because I’ve messed up somewhere along the way or I am not looking in the right manner. In Uncharted 2, I find myself wandering around more often than I would like. Or I find myself keeping an eye on the NPC to see where they are hanging out and figure that the path must be close by. This is just another hint system mechanic. It’s almost as if Naughty Dog knows that it’s difficult to find one’s way and didn’t spend enough time creating level designs.

Uncharted 2 does set up the puzzle elements and unique action skills rather well. I feel like I always know the next step to take when it comes to puzzle rooms. The challenges are well thought out and suit the narration well. New mechanics are easy to employ, which is awesome because you usually have to use the new skill in the midst of a swarm of bullets. These portions are the most enjoyable parts of the game. There is a great train scene (no not the opening train scene that you play through twice) that has Drake ducking low signs and sneaking into windows that really shines.

I am currently playing it on hard mode but have been jogging through. When exactly does this game get difficult? Or is the difficulty just dealing with the lame control mechanic? Anywho…

The last two items on my list are completely met by Uncharted 2. The art and set pieces are immense and very Indiana Jones-like. The characters look and move well. Furthermore, even with my complaints, I have found Uncharted 2 to be a blast. It really is very fun and entertaining. I care about the characters and want to see how events resolve. It’s like Crash Bandicoot all over again. There’s something wonky there but I don’t care. I’m having a great time.

Do I consider Uncharted 2: Among Thieves to have met all my Game of the Year criteria? Not really. Do I actually know what that means? Not really. Would I buy another “Game of the Year”? Probably. Will I still gripe about it like a petulant four year old? You betcha.

I beat Donkey Kong Country Returns this morning. It left me with a unique joyful feeling that I rarely encounter these days. DKCR was such a well-balanced experience, both in challenge and in creativity, that I was supremely satisfied when I saw those credits roll.  I wasn’t annoyed that there wasn’t more time to explore the game mechanic, as in Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions.  I didn’t feel that the boss battle was anti-climatic, as in Batman: Arkham Asylum. No. I was elated. I sat through the entirety of the credits and was rewarded with a new area! I had already planned on replaying some of the levels to complete the collection challenges but now I had a new goal. Man. That Donkey Kong guy is the gift that keeps on giving.

I have to admit that I haven’t returned to Dragon Age: Origins or Castlevania. I have been completely obsessed with DKCR. I am not disappointed that I didn’t finish Dragon Age. I still think I’ll go back to Castlevania one day but the game on my brain was DKCR. Why was I so enthralled? It has the great schema of nerve-wracking challenges that seem impossible and tight mechanics that ramp to a “flying by the seat of your pants” abandonment. Flat out, it was fun. I missed fun. Yes, I have fun when I play most video games but usually the world that these games operate in are less than happy. I’m fairly hesitant to hang out with Dante, Lara, Kratos or Sam Fisher. (Although, I would get a drink with Ezio or Nathan Drake any time.) DKCR gave me the chance to be child-like, very different than childish, while operating on an adult skill level.

I recently tried out Little Big Planet and Stacked!. Both games are whimsical and beautifully rendered. Both are humorous. LBP seemed to require more skill than Stacked! but I have not been inspired to continue either game. Why? Well, the LBP mechanics are kinda wishy-washy. I’m not exactly sure what type of gravity they have on their planet but it makes leaping an imprecise chore. The humor and energy is there but the game just isn’t as good as it’s concept. LBP possibly has a more interesting concept than DKCR but that doesn’t mean I want to play it.  Stacked! was plain boring. Again, great art and humor but lackluster game mechanic and puzzles. Maybe I should’ve played longer but it did not feel challenging. On the other end of the spectrum, DKCR had me at first chest thump and all I wanted to do was help my simian and ape friends reclaim their bananas. DKCR made me feel awesome for conquering an especially tricky run. I did not feel that way at all after the other two games. All three games made me giggle but I felt the Kong made me want to play.

What LBP or Stacked! does that DKCR does not do is reward the player with “stuff.” All three games have a certain amount of collecting involved. In LBP, you collect a certain amount of items to be used in the creation of levels and stickers. In Stacked! you collect different sets of dolls. In DKCR you collect letters and puzzle pieces that result in personal satisfaction and/or unlockable art. I am more interested in the self-satisfaction model of “I went the extra mile and conquered some crazy craziness” as opposed to “I need these things to fully enjoy the game” (LBP) or  “I have to search endless nooks and crannies for very little payoff” (Stacked!). I, a notorious 100% completer, am satisfied by the notion that I can have as much fun as the next person by choosing to jump the hair-raising lava pit to get the extra hidden puzzle piece or not. It was a freeing concept for me and it only added to my enjoyment.

I know that there are some secret levels left, because of the new area and some unexplored map nodes. I like achievable goals. I like that there are some things that I haven’t found yet but I like knowing that they exist and that I should be looking for special level elements. In fact, I am excited to revisit levels immediately. I would have to say that is a sign of greatness.

In celebration of a most loathed holiday, Valentine’s Day, I have compiled a list of the games I have enjoyed playing with special someones over the years. I am strictly anti-Valentine’s Day but these titles can muster up a loving feeling from this cynic’s heart. Just so you know, I am a fairly competitive player. Actually, I am more “outrageously” competitive but let’s not get distracted. These games have great mechanics and balance that, I believe, cut down on the competition and plump up the fun. For example, Gauntlet, will not be featured on this list  because I have a bit of a hoarding problem in that game which seriously displeases anyone else on the same quest.

Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles

Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles definitely comes to mind. Rail-shooters seem like a fairly safe bet for a date game. They don’t take too much skill and they’re somewhat cinematic in that there are surprises and thrills for your sweetheart to jump at and seek comfort from. Wii games are especially user friendly and the Wiimote feels natural to shoot with. It is much easier for a novice player to point and shoot rather than use two joysticks and two triggers (think Resident Evil 4).

I feel The Umbrella Chronicles is a better game than it’s successor The Darkside Chronicles, mainly because the camera gets rather shaky and nobody wants to feel pukey on a date.

Mario Tennis

The next game speaks volumes to me about sitting close to someone special in a dark basement by the soft glow of a TV. Mario Tennis for the N64 does require a bit of skill but it is so damned fun and cute, that you don’t mind losing (that much). Sports, in general have a certain amount of teasing and silly dramatics attached. If you can find a good partner and a non-threatening presentation, good times will roll.

Backgammon

Backgammon. I know it’s not a video game (although I guess it could be) but sometimes you want your hands free. Think about Backgammon as a way to drink a glass of wine and nibble on some cheese or pate to show how cultured you are. Backgammon is one of those easy to learn hard to master games that accommodate a variety of skill level. Also, if you have a loving partner that isn’t so into video games, this is a great way to prove that you don’t like games more than them. That you’re willing to share your game experience and perhaps warm them up to your side of the force. Think of it as a gateway drug to play. Some tabletop games to avoid include Chess and Scrabble. Those games will teach your partner to hate games and possibly you.

The Simpsons Arcade

Ahh, The Simpsons arcade game, how I adore thee? One, your humor and character inspire smiles. Two, you represent a familiar universe seamlessly. Three, your two button mechanic is simple but your gameplay is not. The Simpsons was one of the first brawlers that enabled players to team up and attack the same enemy. So you and your deary can alternately vacuum, jump rope, skateboard or Homerize bad guys in unison. If that ain’t romantic, I don’t know what is!

Bust A Move 4

Bust A Move 4 is my favorite of the series. I wanted to include a puzzle-type game and at first I thought that Tetris would be perfect. Then I started thinking about the amount of ladies I know that liked Tetris and the ladies I know that loved BAM 4 and, if I was being honest, I’d have to say that most of my lady friends prefer BAM 4 hands-down.

Like Tetris, anybody can play BAM 4 but unlike Tetris, BAM 4 is lushly colored and features really cute dinosaurs. Also, it does not have a “math game” or “nerd king” stigma attached to it like Tetris. As a lady, I have a certain nervousness of displaying poor math skills after years of being told that woman are poor at math and logic. Yes, this is a blanket statement and many women are great at math but it makes me work so much harder to be a better Tetris player than my date. And that can make things less than fun for all.

I have to confess that it was really difficult to not think of Nintendo games. Those guys have the date experience down. Serious. I hope all you prospective love birds make it out of Valentine’s Day alive. I know I will be hunkered down in my apartment avoiding plasticine chocolates and amorous chubby dudes with arrows with my lovey dovey and some co-op romance. Which is what we do everyday  anyway.

All right. I had a moment with this game. A moment that I am not proud of but happened none the less. It happened after Belmont sees his dead wife for the first time. I totally swooned. totally. This is a difficult admittance for me. That is why I felt the need to open up publicly. Belmont is brown-eyed dreamboat. There. I said it. Now I will sit and fret whether I will be condemned to the girly girl player’s camp or not. I usually have a hard time finding my video game avatars to have the necessary components to elicit sweetheartery. The Final Fantasy guys are too pretty. Dante from DMC is too flippant. Leon Kennedy could be cute but only if he learns how to simultaneously shoot and run. (I have to admit that I only make characters in Mass Effect that I would court.) But Belmont. Wowza.

Perhaps the reason I reacted to Belmont so “loinsingly” is that I am a long time Castlevania fan and Lords of Shadow is doing a great job of transferring what I imagined everything in Castlevania to look like to a new format. I have always had a crush on those from the Belmont clan. Back in the pixel art days I had a mental image of Simon Belmont that was vaguely pulled from his on-screen image. Lords of Shadow is just extending my deep-seated love of all things Belmont. This new Gabriel Belmont, somehow, fits the mental image I already had of an typical Castlevania protagonist. This is a good thing. This makes Castlevania: Lords of Shadow feel like a Castlevania game.

Apart from the mythology, Lords of Shadow plays very similar to a God of War game. Combos, mini-games, special battle power gauge that is filled by executing enemies, and a robust upgrade system are just a few of the Kratos inspired features. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as combat is truly awesome in God of War but it isn’t exactly innovative. It did make it quite easy for me to get into. The “metroidvania” mechanic of revisiting levels and areas as Belmont earns new skills is intact but without a map, things get a little confusing at times. I have always liked the chance to revisit areas, as in Metroid. This is because I am obsessive and need to get 100% complete on everything. That issue needs a whole other blog post but offering the chance to revisit areas seriously cuts down on my anxiety that I missed something important. The levels have been fun so far and I dig the enemies, so going back hasn’t felt overly grindish. Oh and the game looks great. The camera can be a little jittery. It, again, reminds me of the camera work in God of War I. The camera stays out of the rocks but occasionally there is such dramatic switch in perspective it seems that the whole world shimmied and moved a little to the left.

Overall, I have been enjoying Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. It’s a fun entry into the Castlevania world, much better than the other attempt at a 3D Castlevania, Lament of Innocence. Jeez. What a stinker that was.

Jess’s Grade-O-Rama: B+

This year I was the recipient of a Christmas Miracle. Under my tennenbaum was a mysterious and heavy square box. Oh kiddies, the interior of that box contained a shiny new PS3. Joy! Angel Wings! Pig Snouts! I win!!! I have been coveting a PS3 since it’s debut but my tight-wadedness blocked my purchasing impulse. I have a soft spot for the Playstation. While the game cube and Xbox were in my periphery 10 years ago, it was the Playstation that reminded me why I love video games. I love the juxtaposition of technology and art. Of interaction and isolation. Of Marvel Vs. Capcom….and so on. I recently fostered a love for the Game Cube but I never have truly warmed to the Xbox. Maybe it was the huge controllers that my tiny hands couldn’t feel comfortable with. Or maybe it’s Microsoft’s penchant for nickle and diming the player but I am not, and probably never will be, a Microsoft gal.

I now own all three of the newest generation consoles: Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3. On the train ride home from my parent’s house, I explained to my boyfriend all the awesome things the PS3 can do. His wise response was that he no longer saw the purpose of owning a Wii and, possibly, the Xbox. As I had just received games for all three consoles, I nervously scoffed at his assessment. If he was correct, then the dollars spent on the other two consoles would be lost in uselessness. This was not good news for my tiny tight wad heart.

I knew that when I got home that I wanted to play some game. Would I continue on with Splinter Cell? Or would I jump right into GOW 3? I was nervous about breaking the PS3 seal. Would I ever go back? Well, it was my boyfriend who gave me the PS3. When he saw me attempt to turn on the Xbox to get some quality time with Sam Fisher his face fell as if I had just punted his disabled puppy. So there you go. Time to turn on the PS3 and see what she can do.

Wowza. Eddie was right. I may no longer have any use for the Xbox and Wii. Especially if Mass Effect 3 is going to be simultaneously released on the 360 and PS3. The Wii might still entice me with the new Zelda but after the poor showing known as Metroid: Other M, I feel no pressure to jump on the re-visioned Zelda train. As it is, I barely use the Wii. The most attention it receives is when I want to watch Netflix but now the PS3 even does that better. Oh well.

From the moment I switched the PS3 on, I was in love. I dig the simple interface. I find the Wii and the Xbox’s interface too busy for my tastes. I hate clutter. I hate in at my workspace or in my apartment or in my interface. This is not to say that, left alone to my own devices, my personal spaces are spic and spam but I will say that my desktop has a minimum of icons and files.

I also have to say that the PS3 is super quick. It downloads files fairly speedily. I didn’t download anything too huge, like I have on the Xbox, as of yet but, call it a hunch, I bet it’s quicker. Internet connection is where the PS3 and Wii beat the Xbox. Both consoles come wired with Wi-Fi while the Xbox asks you to buy a peripheral or plug into the wall. Really? Come on Microsoft, don’t be so lame. Name me another internet capable device being sold today that does not come equipped with Wi-Fi and I will show you a shoddy product. From what I know, Wi-Fi shouldn’t really be that difficult (or expensive) for Microsoft to implement and yet, they chose not to. Why? To squeeze another $100 from the consumer. Maybe they wanted to keep the price down to compete with the PS3 but when the cheapest console (Wii) can manage it, so can Microsoft.

While we are on the topic of boldly lame moves, how about the lack of a rechargeable controllers in both the Wii and Xbox? The PS3 comes with a rechargeable controller that is charged by connecting it to the console. In both the Wii and Xbox, the consumer must purchase a recharging peripheral. By the way, I bought the recharging dock for the Xbox and it broke immediately. Just like the first Xbox I bought home. Awesome. Oh and pay for Netflix? When I already have a subscription?!? Crazy.

Obviously the PS3′s graphic quality is going to outperform the Wii. Even Nintendo will admit that, so I don’t feel the need to drag them into the HD battle. I think they are planning to address the HD issue soon anyway. As for the PS3 to Xbox debate I would have to say that the PS3 does seem a bit more glossy when I compare games like Dragon Age to God of War. But I have to admit that Splinter Cell: Conviction is as nice looking as God of War. I know that developers have just begun to explore the PS3′s capabilities while the Xbox has already been heavily mined. This leads me to believe that the PS3 will triumph sooner rather than later. I get the feeling that the Xbox and the Wii will release at least one more generation before Sony has to revisit the Playstation.

I am so happy that my bordering on irrational love for the Playstation is not misguided. If any other of you cheap bastards are on the fence about whether to buy a PS3 or not, do it. From one cheapo to another: It’s worth it.