I've noticed in our discussions as of late on here we're frequently talking about pricing, sales, game length, value etc. but rarely take the time to just out and out gush over the best gaming has to offer. I like to think I'm fairly objective in my discussions on video games. I'm aware of my biases and work around them when I discuss games. After all, I don't say, "Bioshock is shite", I say, "I find Bioshock uninteresting because it strips away far too many RPG elements in order to streamline the action and I just don't like First Person Shooter mechanics". I'm aware when games are good, even when they're something I can't stand... I'm also aware when games are bad, poorly structured, or just outright broken at times; but I love them all the same. There are very few games that I feel this close to, and yes... you can smell a patented TC list coming, (seriously I don't do it on purpose). There are just a few games though that I genuinely feel so engrossed in that I can't help but appreciate them as art peices.
Alice: Madness Returns - This is a decent game, probably worthy of a solid 6/10, (that's like a 8.5/10 in video game media land). It's a great 3D platformer with brawler elements that I can appreciate on many levels. The main draw for me though is the Wonderland setting. I love Wonderland and it's design, it makes my imagination come to life and I relate to the imagery. Perhaps it's my own drawn out, drab, lifestyle; living largely house-bound, spending day after day in my bed with little to do than contemplate yet with the internet, my mind, and I think it's fair to say, and active and capable intellect to keep me company. I relate to the way Alice reflects on her past and present with both her concious and subconcious mind and this game so beautifully captures this.
DmC: Devil May Cry - What can I say... I'm a massive fan. The Devil May Cry series is one I've loved from the start, (Ok, 2 was a bit crappy), but this remake/reimagining is better in every single concieveable way. I can see why it got poor reception, especially in USA, as it's quite clear about it's anti-Republican, anti-Conservative messages but wow it does it all so well. Sure the graphics are a little rough and lack polish, and the gameplay is a little simplified compared to DMC3 but that's a good thing. The only people who could complete DMC3 where me and a crazy obsessive Korean guy... and with my muscles slowly atrophying, it won't be long before I can't either. The depiction of magic, the world of limbo, etc. is so well realised though I'm basically ripping it off in my pen and paper Shadowrun game. It's level design is inspired and serves to make the game flow all the better. The biggest draw are the characters. Dante is muted and relatable, still sarcastic and brash but to a reasonable level now unlike over-the-top Dante of old. Kat is sympathetic and cute, and while a trope character at times, is fantastically utilised. Virgil is a beautiful example of corrupted morals, righteous indignation, pent up vengence, and layers of good and evil. Both fiercly compassionate and sadistically cruel, he is such a perfect depiction of a Nephilim; and no he's not ruined forever. The people who spout on about how he has "zero honour" and is "irredemable" based on one single act *cough* AngryJoe *cough* need to stop projecting their moral values onto the characters. He's complex in ways few characters in literature, let alone video games, manage to be... and that's rare. Lastly there's Mundus who is a brilliantly written and decidedly human level demonic force; and it makes him all the more terrifying. He's disturbing and moreso here than ever before because he's close enough to real life that he feels like a genuine force for evil rather than a cartoon villian. In the end this franchise went from being an overblown animé with awesome and engaging gameplay, to being a well written, thought provoking, politically charged, cult classic with roots in classic literature and film (see '1984' and 'They Live'), with awesome and engaging gameplay. Fantastic.
Mass Effect - Oh wow, what a fantastic experience. This is a game that honestly drew me in first time so much so that I've completed it through three times now and I'm starting to want to go at it again. This is what I consider 9/10 material (which is probably about 12/10 in video game media land). The only sci-fi franchises to have this level of depth of world are Star Wars and Star Trek, and they have films, TV shows, books, comics, and video games spanning decades. Mass Effect managed all this with ONE GAME!!! That is impressive. I found myself actually reading all the logs I found, talking to all the NPCs, exploring every inch of the worlds I visited. While this game may not mirror society or be as self-reflective as DmC above, it's one of my all time favourite games for being exactly that. A game... and a superb one at that. This is what I want in escapism, it's a space opera in interactive form and I find it so very moreish.
Spec Ops: The Line - Ok, like DmC, this could get a little long-winded. This game is actually pretty average and by the numbers gameplay wise, and that is an intentional design choice. Thankfully this game is third person as my dislike of first person perspectives in gaming would have ruined this for me. I get simulation sickness it seems. This game is here because it makes me question my morality without it even being on. My past actions make me question who I am and how I feel about humanity. The fact that I leave it incomplete so close to the end makes me wonder why I'm hiding. The desire to re-start and do things differently makes me question what it is I regret and what that says about me as a person. My reluctance to replay this game as it feels like a singular experience, and to replay both cheapens the actions, but magnifies the moral questions I ask... it's the video game equivalent of a bucket of cold water to the face. If you've played Spec Ops: The Line and haven't learned something about yourself you're either too immature/stupid to get it, or you're playing it wrong. This game is a stark mirror risen in front of the player and it shows you more than you'd ever imagine such a media could. Then there's the outside commentary, the outright parody of the medium of video games and the critique of the power fantasy of gaming. The harsh light reflected on the glorification of violence and war, the misrepresentation of it all for entertainment; so subtly is this played that it's genuinely impactful. The depictions of post traumatic stress and the effects of war on the psyche are inspired, and it's highlighting of mental illness and the limits of humanity both for the characters and the player are inspired. This game gave me nightmares more than any survival horror ever could. It is incredible.
OK... so those 4 are pretty awesome but here's the big guns.
THE ENTIRE FINAL FANTASY LIBRARY! Well, the good ones at least...
I'm a Final Fantasy fan and I'm proud of this. Final Fantasy 9, 10, 4, and 6 are all impressive games and easily deserving of as much if not more focus than those above, but I don't think I have the time and I know no-one will read that much.
For me there are two outstanding games. Final Fantasy 7 and Final Fantasy 8. These two games have molded my view of gaming, media, and fiction. Their characters and worlds are so rich that I could spend literally hours talking about the imagary in the sorcerers of FF8, or the environmetalist message in FF7. These games feel completely without parallel and that's saying something. The depth, particularly for PSOne games, is so impressive I'm genuinely shocked it's still yet to be beaten. Of the games above, only Mass Effect comes close for games I can be lost in... sure the other three are good, but they'll keep me going for a month at most. Mass Effect may keep me going for 3 months. I've literally spent years on each of these games... particularly 8 which I've completed 5 times, including a master run where I played with junction limitations. It's system is admittedly broken and so easy to manipulate, especially with the monsters leveling with you which makes things interesting. That said, part of me wonders if the system only seems broken because I know it so well; it's entirely possible the only people who know FF8 better are the people who wrote it. FF7 on the other hand I've played through multiple times, got as far as the final showdown but have never actually completed it... I'm currently playing it now on the Vita and intend to finally truly complete this game
Perhaps this thread is little more than an excuse to simple form the fanboy circle and announce to the world how awesome everything is, but I can honestly say that this franchise to me, is the single most significant peice of media I've ever encountered. It's helped me form my opinions, tastes, and ideals. I've grown attached to the characters in these stories moreso than some real people. These are truly special to me.
So. Does anyone else feel that way about a game? Does anyone have any games they feel deeply connected to or that have helped shape them as people. I'm expecting certain franchises to appear, (in fact I'll put money on someone mentioning Ocarina Of Time within the first 10 posts). I think the games we define ourselves with are an indication of who we are as people and they help inform us on the kind of person we want to be, particularly as children when it guide us to become the adult we aspire towards.
I look forward to hearing about games that are special to people here, and I'm admittedly looking forward for an excuse to go in depth on Final Fantasy as I'm sure there are others as attached to these games as me.
