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.

Originally, I popped in Mass Effect 2 but honestly, it was too Bioware, too familiar from the Dragon Age model. I wanted something entirely new. Luckily for me, it’s Christmas and that means a office nerd gifts! Nobody gets me nerd gifts like my co-workers. I was not disappointed. I unwrapped Tommy’s gift and there was Sam Fisher giving me the eyeball. I’ve never played a Splinter Cell game before. I usually don’t go for realistic war time games and assumed, perhaps incorrectly, that anything with Tom Clancy’s name on it wasn’t worth my time. Yes. I am a game and book snob. And don’t get me started on music.

Once Splinter Cell was up on screen, I was singing a different tune. First off, it is a beautiful game. The voice acting is superb and although it seems a little Jack Bauer at times, the story piques my interest. Like Jack Bauer, Sam Fisher is a complete badass in both deed and word. He employs violence as a major interrogation tool, can clear an entire hanger of thugs and stalks his prey from the shadows. What’s not to like?!?

Fisher comes across as very agile and very deadly. The cover system, while not completely flawless, is really strong. By holding the trigger and aiming at highlighted cover points, Fisher can silently move from cover to cover without getting stuck on unwanted surfaces. Sometimes, the cover area you want does not highlight but there is usually a way to find another path. I find the the aiming/sniping behaviour is very forgiving and usually fair. This did not stop me from a couple of, “Come on! I shot that guy!” moments.
I also have to give the pace a big thumbs up. This is one of those games where you look up after a particulary intense session and realize two hours have passed. The tension vs action ratio is great. Also, there aren’t any in-game loads. Splinter Cell: Conviction does most of its loading during sweet cut-scenes. This makes for a fairly seamless experience. I find that the missions are clear yet challenging. I haven’t gotten “lost” yet. This is not to say I’m just breezing through. My Sam Fisher has definitely gotten shots to the face but this just makes me replay to mess up that dude that messed up my dude. dude.

There are plenty of gadgets and weapons that can be upgraded. Weapon upgrade points are earned by executing certain challenges like pulling 5 guys out of windows or sniping a certain amount of guys from the shadows. I like this type of reward system. I feel it encourages me to try actions that I might ordinarily wouldn’t. For example, if I know this one action will work, I will do that action as much as I can. But if I can get a bigger, better gun by executing a less tested move, I will definitely try it out.

Bottom line: Get Tommy to buy you Splinter Cell: Conviction. You won’t be disappointed!

At first, I was hesitant to get started.  I’ve been wronged by fantasy rpg’s before and I didn’t want to get my hopes up.  But this was Bioware, maker of my beloved Mass Effect.  They wouldn’t let me down. Well, I can say this about that, Dragon Age is freakin’ awesome!  I have been playing non-stop at the peril of my eyesight and personal relationships. (Why exactly does Bioware make their text in migraine font?)  In fact, I now have dreams with multiple-choice dialogs.

While I completely love Mass Effect, I get the feeling that the Dragon Age universe is deeper and more involved then what I experienced with Shepherd at the helm.  I suppose with 6 story lines to follow and 120 hours of gameplay, Dragon Age: Origins would have to feel huge.  My first dose of universe magnitude came after I restarted the game about 5 hours in.  I don’t know about you but I am one of those players that constantly battles the urge to restart using the knowledge of some outcomes to make what might be “better” choices.  I then do some quick calculations of how OCD I am verses how much time I’ve already spent playing.

Sometimes I win this battle.  This time I lost.  I basically remade the same character I had been playing but changed some of the stats.  On the second time through, most of my options were the same but not all.  The guard I had previously been able to persuade to release his prisoner was less open this time around and I had to bribe him.  While not exactly the outcome I was hoping to gain by restarting, it did point to the fact that the amount of gameplay I could see was disproportionate to the gameplay I was not seeing.  It’s the ole tip of the iceberg trick.  In other words, there is potential for an awesome amount of  replay value in Dragon Age: Origins. Maybe this game will actually help me save money by distracting me for weeks instead of hours.  I am already looking forward to checking out the other races and classes.  I know I should not expect wildly different experiences but I still look forward to comparing story tracks.  I feel that if the story is written well enough, then there should be a desire to see that story from every angle.  As opposed to Mass Effect, I get the feeling that my character’s background actually will effect the NPC’s.  I did not get that impression with Shepherd.  It didn’t matter if she was an orphan or a military brat.  In Dragon Age: Origins the racism against elves is palpable and nobody really wants to be seen with a Grey Warden.  This piques my interest into how the other characters experience will compare to my current elf lady mage.

My theory is that Mass Effect could have been Dragon Age: Origins but Bioware was courting different audiences.  Mass Effect might be a somewhat lighter experience so those intimidated or uninterested in the complexities of a full-blown rpg can have a product that also offers a richness to the experience through great writing, heroic themes and highly customizable characters.  Dragon Age: Origins is definitely intended for the WoW players and middle-earthians.  At this point in my life, I am sometimes turned off by the medieval fantasy setting.  This is due to the amount of hokiness I’ve had to put up with as a fan of the genre.  I am a grown woman who wants mature (get your minds out of the gutter) story-lines.  There is a small amount of damsels-in-distress that I can actually get behind and unicorns should be cruel and violent not virgin transportation (why else have the crazy, stabby horn?).  I am not ashamed that I am all sorts of “Huzzah!” for this game.  And now that I mention it, I have missed the pleasures of spell casting and flaming broadswords.

Man. I can’t wait to get out of work so I can go play me some game!

Famous mute protagonists include Jack Ryan from Bioshock and Isaac Clarke from Dead Space. The main difference between these unlucky gents is that there is or conceivably can be a reason why Jack is silent as opposed to Isaac, who is just a regular chap beset by very irregular circumstances. Jack’s head has been severely messed with by an egotistical/bug nuts crazy father figure and a shady (severe understatement) scientist. Although, Jack does give the initial voice over, he does not speak a word of audible language through out the game. In a somewhat ironic twist, Jack does not get a voice until he puts on the Big Daddy suit (and that voice is more of a moan than anything). Furthermore, when Jack dons the Big Daddy suit he must go through the voice modification process which, I believe, is a complete severing of the vocal chords. While odd that Jack can speak the game’s opening lines and nothing more, it is not out of the realm of possibilities in a submerged city, surreal alternate universe type of way. I am not bothered by Jack’s silence mainly because I have already been clued into the fact that this is a game that is not tethered to reality.  Jack is being controlled by so many different forces: Fontaine, Suchong, Ryan, Tenenbaum and the player, that is acceptable that he doesn’t have a voice or a choice.

Isaac Clarke’s silence is another matter.  Dead Space takes place in the year 2508 in this (yours and mine, reader friends) universe. Earth has chugged along to its assumed fate of 500 years in the future bereft of natural resources. Isaac’s universe is presented as the player’s universe and that is where his silence becomes a bit unrealistic and frustrating. If Isaac is just a regular human on a regular day, why doesn’t he ever tell Kendra to shut up and stop freaking out? I sure would have if I was in his gravity boots.  Why doesn’t he ever voice his opinion on Hammond’s knowledge of what was on the Ishimura? Are we saying that in 500 years humans will not feel the necessity to express themselves during periods of heightened periods of stress? How come Kendra and Hammond can yammer on but Isaac is committed to his monk-like vow of silence? In contradiction to Bioshock where the player can understand why Jack is not completely under player control, in Dead Space there is no reason why Isaac shouldn’t be thinking, speaking and reacting through player directives.

As it was Samus that started this discussion, I will use her silent ways to explore the secretive protagonist. Samus is a woman of action and, until recently, little words. The difference between Samus and the previously described mute protagonist is that her character is presented with choices inherent to the non-linear nature of the Metroid series. Samus gets a directive and either immediately follows it or goes off to explore another section in search of upgrades and newly accessible pathways.  Yes, Samus will eventually have to return to the directive but it’s not a “jump and how high” situation as in Dead Space and Bioshock. This is not to say that all Metroid players are not directed towards the same end goals but the paths may be different from player to player. In this manner, players can begin to connect to their own “Samus.” The player and Samus tangentially explore and discover the world together.  There isn’t the thought that there is someone in the universe that knows more about Samus then the player.

To that ends, it should be said that as opposed to Isaac and Jack, Samus seems to always be in control of her situation.  This sense of control, however, delineates between a survival game (everything is happening to you) from an adventure game (you are causing things to happen).  I wonder if there is a correlation there between the mute protagonist and horror/survival games.  Perhaps one day I will do some research but that’s another day and another huge blog post.

The last silent protagonist is the reactive type.  Link from the venerable Legend of Zelda series is the epitome of the silent, reactive protagonist.  In Windwaker, Tetra reacts to Link as if he makes statements but the little sound that does come out of our reticent hero adds up to a couple of grunts, sighs and yips. I have read in multiple places that Nintendo says it doesn’t want to make Link talk because it would “contradict players’ individual interpretations of the character,” but none of these quote users include citation so I don’t know how reliable the information is.  I do agree, however, with the sentiment.  Without hearing Link’s side conversations, the player is allowed to come to a spectrum of conclusions.

Players don’t have a chance to mentally change Link’s overall personality because the Zelda universe keeps him on track.  For example, it’s fairly hard to imagine Link dropping f-bombs and pushing drugs on them yeti guys.  He’s just not that guy and never will be.  Even in Twilight Princess where Hyrule gets a bit more dangerous and adult, Link still sticks to the script.  We know he is loyal, so he is not going to respond disingenuously.  We know he is heroic, so of course he is going to help the lonely lady find her rabbit-loving husband. In this manner, we can gleam the tone and type of response Link will give in almost every situation.

Others might argue that the main characters in Dragon Age are reactive, silent protagonists but I disagree.  It is true that the characters do not audibly speak, but the player chooses dialogue that translates through the secondary character reactions.  Where Dragon Age differs from other games is that the player gets to mold the personality type of their character, which seems related to the silent character in that the player imprints their own personality onto the game avatar.

Although I think the Bioshock silent protagonist is more enjoyable / understandable than the Dead Space version, I’d have to say that where both games fail is in the protagonist character development.  Both heroes take orders without missing a beat. Both heroes put themselves in immense danger for strangers and unknown loyalties. Why? As a player, I do not feel connected enough to imprint my own emotions or attitudes on the avatar. These two dumb jerks just do whatever there told and never discernibly question their directives or the outcomes of said directives. It does not surprise me that both sequels for these titles will let the protagonist speak.  I want to not that I enjoyed both games and the mute protagonist in both games seemed to lend to their cinematic quality.  In fact, I would go so far to say that both game’s sets where a bigger character than the protagonists themselves.  I look forward to both sequels.

It does not surprise me that the two other protagonists I chose to explore are Nintendo creations.  Their ability to create entire nuanced universes with minimalist tools would seem to support the use of a silent protagonist.  It does not surprise me that there are generations of gamers that identify with such tight-lipped heroes as Link, Samus and, even, Mario.  These characters “play” along with the gamer and are very effective in endearing themselves to the public.  Thus, the public responds poorly if some developers come along and mess with a player’s imagined bond with a character.

Silent protagonists can and are as effective as the speaking protagonist.  I do not have a preference between the two, as long as the protagonist type serves the experience and not the other way around.

Originally, I had played God of War II with a ravenous excitement. God of War was one of my favorite games and I completely bought the hype for GoW II. I remember the opening fight with the Colossus had left me with a feeling that finally, a game has lived up to the hype. I had been impressed by the scale of the experience and the little to no loading times. I had appreciated that the button scheme supported both precision players (me) and button mashers (some others who shall not be named). I thought the story was continuous and kick ass. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire game and played each mode, including Titan. In fact, it is GoW II that got me this illustrious job at SMASHWORX. I was getting my haircut and talking to my future boss (my hair cutter’s husband) about my GoW experience. About a week later I get a call from Nik saying, “Hey, You seem to know a lot about games and you’re a good writer. Want a job?” So basically, my job came about because I had clear, discussable points about game mechanics and could crack a joke. Sometimes that’s all you need.

On repeat play I have to say, GoW II really stands up. It’s still brain-bustingly fun. GoW II’s set design, optics and art makes one feel that everything around you is massive and goes further than what presented on tv. Now that I’m in the business of making games, I’m perhaps more impressed than on my first play. GoW II is a tight, frenetic experience that is so damn satisfying. I’m impressed with how much fun the battles are and, besides a couple of duds, how well the puzzles work. The creature design is top notch and reminds me more of Ray Harryhausen’s Clash of the Titans than the new, terrible version. Honestly, GoW II looks better than some of the recent Xbox titles I’ve played.

The only disappointment I felt upon replay was actually quite surprising. Ahh, Kratos. If only you could take a little more responsibility in your actions…That’s right, folks. I’m beefing the ultimate Beefcake. Admit it. Kratos is a bit of a whiner. He’s always blaming the Gods, “The Gods are what they made me,” or crying foul over godly pettiness. Come on man. Maybe you should keep the “why me” act to yourself. We get it. The Gods are Jerks (with a capital J). But how about a little mystery, K-man? I know that I complained about Samus giving herself away last post but I can’t help myself. It’s hard as a player to completely agree with a character’s decisions. This is not true about movies, where the audience has no chance of physical interaction or input on unfolding events. As a game player, I am looking for a certain amount of autonomy that I can’t acquire through books or movies. I can’t quite remember if Kratos complained as much in the first GoW. Maybe I am mistaken and Kratos was always the petulant but I feel as if his defiant attitude was not properly addressed in GoW II. I don’t think that straight up story play through is dated, I thoroughly enjoyed the story of Bayonetta. It’s just some of the script in GoW II tries a little to hard to say something when maybe actions are all Kratos needs to express his point.

Honestly, a game is as good as it plays and GoW II plays mighty fine. I think it holds its own against newer titles and am interested in playing it in a year from now to again re-gauge the experience. Now to convince Nik that the office needs a PS3 and a copy of GoW III….

A little background, I have always liked Metroid. I liked the side-scrollers and I liked the first-person shooters. I am the audience Team Ninja wanted to court. Also (on a lady level), I love Samus. I love Samus in the same way I love Ripley or Aeon Flux. Dangerous space ladies who go beyond pretenses. Women whom I look up to and would probably like to be in some Doctor Who-like alternative world type of way.

Metroid: Other M looked right. It was beautiful like the Prime series but also cartoonish, in a SNES type of way. I liked the opening movie except this tiny little tingle in my brain kept on distracting me. It was the hope that Team Ninja wasn’t about to explain the mystery of Samus away. Samus as a near-silent bounty hunter was interesting. One honestly didn’t know what she thought about some hairy situations and encouraged the audience to place their own feelings and attitudes on the proceedings. Take, for example, Aeon Flux as a near-silent character that received demystifying through over exposition in that awful Charlize Theron helmed Aeon Flux movie. In the comic and the MTV show, Aeon was silent and died in almost every episode. The audience could sort of guess her stance through her actions but the next move was unpredictable. It is more exciting to think that anything can happen, rather than think that a predetermined fate is set out for the character. In Samus’s case, should the player feel that they have to agree with everything the avatar represents by exposing the avatar’s psyche? Should the player feel that they have to play a game one way, with one set of morals? And what about those who thought Samus was a little more badass than some Papa issues and cute girl playing with the big boys? Should they believe in Samus the “princess” over Samus the “Ripley-type”?

If Team Ninja was creating a whole new character with this persona, I don’t think I’d have much of an issue. But Samus is a character that my generation grew up with and already had a set of characteristics that defined the Metroid series. So yes, Team Ninja, with it’s beautifully rendered yet horribly voice acted movies, has explained the mystery of Samus away. Bummer. Well, alright. But how does she play?

Pretty good. Not fantastic. Not oh my god, this is going to revolutionize the series but still, she plays pretty good. The action is frenetic and fun. The enemies (while a bit limited) range from one shot annoyance to strategy is key. Boss battles are fun and numerous. Although, I rarely died during boss battles due to the “focus” function. I didn’t have strong feelings either for or against the focus function. I liked not having to collect ammo but missed the tension of “am I going to make it?!?” that comes with defeating an enemy with just a sliver of life left.

What’s weird? Well, for one the shift between first and third person perspective was jarring. Why can’t I shoot missiles in third person? It would be so much more helpful during boss battles not having to switch, re-aim while not getting damaged if I could utilize all my weapons. But no. Gotta make it Wii-tastic. Even if motion-control really doesn’t add to game enjoyment, I bet Team Ninja had to shoe-horn some motion functionality in there somewhere for the powers that be. Another odd sensation is traveling in a 2D space without a joystiq. There were multiple times when I was pressing straight ahead on the D-Pad but Samus did this odd diagonal shuffle instead.

Even with these control issues, I was left wanting more game to play. I can’t tell if my desire for the gameplay to continue was out of annoyance that there wasn’t more to the game of if I was really enjoying myself.

I’m sure Nik and Tommy will chime in with their opinions soon. In the meantime, I’m looking forward to playing the new Zelda.

Metroid: Other M
Rating: B

Our newest Propaganda Lander video features some nasty foes: boulders, spears, fireballs and, the office favorite, homing missiles. Music by The Darkness and will not actually appear in the game…no matter how much we beg and plead.

Smashworx presents an exclusive peek into our development process! Here is the third movie of our current iPhone project Propaganda Lander. Check out the new ships! And Missiles galore! Music by David Bowie.