Need for Speed: The Run - Trailer directed by Michael Bay

And then it EXPLODES AGAIN!

Oh, Michael Bay. Honestly, there weren't as many explosions as I was expecting. Usually he has a ratio of 2 explosions every 30 seconds, and this trailer was well below the quota. But in all seriousness, using Michael Bay to direct a trailer (I'm not even really sure what that entails for a video game trailer) was an interesting, and not necessarily good, decision. First of all, did they create scenes that Bay had in his mind for the trailer? Did they show him every cutscene and other scenes and he could pick and choose what he wanted? I guess I'm confused as to how this makes the trailer any different from the others, except with the addition of a lot more slow motion. We know the story from the others, not much more new content (or any) has been revealed soon.

The game drops in a week, and I feel like I don't know as much as I should about the actual gameplay, or how the story is executed. This prompted me to take a look at an actual gameplay preview, and it looks like the game will be extremely linear. There are ten stages, and you have a goal of getting to a certain position (you start in 150th and work from there) before you reach your destination. Passing people and doing other generally awesome things will net you driver experience and upgrades, but that's pretty much it. And much like the trailers, there will be a couple on foot instances.

I'm very interested in this game, don't get me wrong. But people who are only going to see this trailer on TV or something and not research the game might be a little put off by it. It's an epic, awesome trailer, but it suffers from Dead Island syndrome. Awesome trailer, but the game is not going to be exactly like it. Even Michael Bay can't fix that.

Sunday Ramblings: A musical tribute to Super Smash Bros. Brawl

I will be humming this all week, and I apologize in advance

 

The creativity of people will never cease to amaze me. I am a firm believer that video game music can can easily be one of the best parts of the game itself. And in some unfortunate circumstances, it is the best part of the game (I'm looking at you, Tetris). Some songs have become staples in the video game community, and have even propelled themselves into the mainstream in some cases. Super Smash Bros. Brawl has one of those theme songs that have become a staple in the community, and this choir has definitely taken notice to it.

They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery, and if that is so then the composers of the Brawl theme should be blushing their faces off. This is perfect, a beautiful arrangement and honestly it could have been the real theme if they added some percussion to it. This isn't their only cover on the youtubes, you can check out their page at http://www.youtube.com/user/VideoGameMusicChoir. 

What's your favorite video game theme song? Got any cool covers or medleys that are worth listening to? Leave it here!

Saturday Special: The Flawed Protagonist

We've all got a little darkness in us...

Seriously... BO-RING!

“Bowser took the Princess again!? Are you $^&@# kidding me? Ugh, fine, I’ll be right there.” Mario slams the phone on the hook, knocking empty beer bottles onto the floor. He stumbles out of his bed and opens his blinds to expose the haze of early afternoon, exposing himself to light for the first time in days. He takes a swig from his bottle of whiskey, looks at his disheveled overgrown mustache, and walks out the door. Once he finally can get his kart started, he swerves off to try and save the day once again. 

Not exactly the Mario that you’re used to, is it? Gamers are used to classic characters like Mario and Link to be pillars of perfection, triumphing over evil without even breaking a sweat. However, a different kind of protagonist has risen to take prominence in the video game world, and that character is way closer to the Mario described above than the one that we’re used to. Not only has a more flawed protagonist become part of mainstream video games, but some people would rather play as a character with serious inner turmoil.

“I think having a flawed protagonist allows for a better gaming experience,” said Bill O’Connel, an avid gamer from Boston since the late nineties. He noted that the first time he ever experienced a character that wasn’t the typical golden boy was in Grand Theft Auto III, released in 2001 for the Playstation 2. Grand Theft Auto III literally changed the face of video game culture because of its shocking explicit content. You control Claude, a seemingly mute guy who gets screwed over by his now ex-girlfriend in the middle of a bank heist. You’re left with nothing, and have to shoot, beat, and drive your way back to the top and get revenge.

Now that's more like it

Claude represented a character that people were not used to playing. You could take drugs, solicit prostitutes for extra health, steal cars, and use a whole wealth of guns to shoot literally everyone, including innocent pedestrians and police officers. While Claude was not the first character in the “anti-hero” category, but he was the first that made departing from the righteous path mainstream, and the flawed protagonist has only become more prominent. 

It seems as though being good has become too boring for gamers, and they are consistently choosing to play characters with flaws for the extra depth that they provide to the story. O’Connell agrees, saying he would rather play the bad guy trying to do the right thing rather than the goody two shoes fighting evil. “Having main characters with these types of backgrounds opens the gamer up to more exciting storylines and a better experience. I'd rather play a game as a scumbag mobster with a heart of gold as opposed to a squeaky clean Mario type.”

Seriously, you wouldn't mess with him.

Another reason why the anti-hero has risen to be a popular kind of character to play with is how human they feel, at times we can identify with their flaws. Evan Sigel, a gamer and film maker from Los Angeles thinks a flawed protagonist is essential in a person being truly immersed into a game’s plot. He says, “The ‘flawed protagonist’ is a pretty common motif. It's what makes heroes interesting and real. People are flawed, and in order to be immersed in a story, we need to empathize with the protagonist.” Sigel distinctly recalls his experience with another game produced by Rockstar: Red Dead Redemption. “He's the classic flawed protagonist, trying to right the wrongs of his past. He does the right thing, most of the time. And what's fun about a RPG like Red Dead Redemption of course is letting those character flaws guide your actions as a player sometimes: to save the stranded wagoners... or rob them blind?” 

Apparently if you're mean,
your eyes will glow red.

Cooper Heinrichs, a gamer from Boulder, Colorado agrees with Sigel, “After so many classic hero stories, having a flawed protagonist adds to the content of games by providing a fresh perspective, and possibilities for an interesting story.” Heinrichs cites Mass Effect 2 as the first game where he truly appreciated the flawed protagonist because you had the choice to make your character good or evil. “Kicking people out of skyscraper windows, shooting precious art, and just generally telling everyone in

the galaxy to go to hell was just incredible.”

The characters featured in these games don’t necessarily get the girls, they don’t receive fame and glory for their actions, typically they aren’t even appreciated (or hated) for saving the day. They are beaten, bruised, and spit on by the rest of society for all of the things that they do for other people. And it seems as though gamers want to keep controlling them. 

Devil May Cry: HD Collection - Debut Trailer

Here we go again, this time in HD!

Continuing the HD remake trend, Devil May Cry is coming back in a big way with a high definition collection of its own. Cue tons of cult followers celebrating in whatever way DMC fans may celebrate. Then cue their collective groans after they see that the Xbox will be getting the collection as well. Seriously, what's so bad about games going to other systems? It's a business after all, and Devil May Cry is no Halo/Uncharted so seeing it on a different platform isn't that weird. 

Anyway, there isn't much new going on here. All three Devil May Cry titles that originally debuted for the PS2 are all in one package, with some fresh HD graphics. It's yet to be seen if any actual gameplay mechanics will be changed for the remake, my guess is they're either going to take the "best" control scheme and adapt it to all the games, or change nothing.

What do you think of the HD remakes coming out? What games would you like to see get an HD facelift? Leave it here!

Tom Clancy's Rainbow 6: Patriots Target Gameplay Video

Well that was... wow
  

First of all, watch this whole video. 6 minutes and change might seem like a long time for any kind of first look gameplay trailer, but it's worth it. Classy move on the developer's part to release the target gameplay before some other (I assume) jerk does it, shows a lot of credibility from them. It should also be noted that the footage we see in the trailer is not what the real thing will look like, just what they wanted the concept to be like.

Despite this not necessarily looking like how the game will turn out, I have one word: wow. That was an intense six minutes, and I especially enjoyed being able to play from the perspective of the victim and the people who are supposedly keeping the innocent people safe. We don't know who this terrorist group is, or if they were even going to make this guy blow himself up when he got to times square. But the Rainbow 6 guys cut through the terrorists like a hot knife through butter and ultimately made a decision that saved more lives than it cost. 

The shooting looked smooth and tight, although I will say it looked like the sights on the sniper rifle had some magnetic properties towards the enemies. New footage for the actual gameplay can't come soon enough. 

Grand Theft Auto V - Debut Trailer

The wait is finally over

Is anyone really surprised that GTA V is taking place in Los Santos (Los Angeles)? I wanted to see a new city, so I honestly went into watching this trailer expecting to be disappointed, and this was not the case. The city looks gorgeous and being a new resident of LA LA land myself, I saw a lot of locations that looked familiar. The San Diego Freeway, Muscle Beach, the downtown skyline, and the Vinewood (Hollywood) sign, just to name a few. If Rockstar can give LA the same treatment it gave to New York City, then we're looking at the most detailed and epic GTA yet, and that's exciting.

Our protagonist's identity remains a mystery for now, but we at least got to hear (and kind of see? I'm not really sure) him in the trailer's narration. He sounds latino in the first couple lines, but as the trailer goes on he sounds more Goodfellas wise-guy. There's also a recurring character, the first time we see him is looking out over downtown LS, then again with a gas mask and gun, and one more time driving a car away from the police. But then again we see a latino-looking guy running from the cops, so who knows at this point. All I know is that someone is coming to Los Santos looking for a better live for himself and his family (oh hay, Niko Bellic) and it obviously doesn't go according to plan.

The little details in this trailer make me feel as if this will be a super detailed, and therefore awesome GTA title. First of all, THERE'S A DOG IN THE FIRST SCENE. We've never seen animals in a GTA before (no, bigfoot does not count and is also not real) and I really hope that animal life will be added. Imagine running into a mountain lion in the hollywood hills? The city also feels very alive, and it seems as if Rockstar is trying for a more diverse crowd of pedestrians and vehicles, which is always a good thing.

What do you think of the debut trailer? What little things did you notice that make you even more excited to play? Leave it here!

Also, gamepro did a really awesome shot-for-shot analysis of the trailer with some great speculations. You can see it at their website.

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Launch Trailer

Bring on the remakes, baby

Out of nowhere, HD remakes have become a new trend in gaming. We've seen 3DS ports of Star Fox 64 and Ocarina of Time, Ico and Shadow of the Colossus go to PS3, and now Halo is getting a fresh makeover on the Xbox 360. I for one couldn't be happier about it. Halo may not have started the FPS movement, but it sure did launch it into the glory that we know today.

The first part of the trailer is actually all footage from Halo: Reach because Halo: CE is essentially a direct sequel to the latest Halo title. As Noble 6 you helped the Pillar of Autumn off of the doomed planet, and during the credits you see the ship approaching the first Halo. If I just spoiled some of Reach for you, get over it, you must live under a rock.

The second part shows the original Halo as we knew and loved it, just with super awesome graphics that come with the Xbox 360. The campaign is completely intact and the original maps will be available to play in online multiplayer (Hang 'em High, anyone?). One of the cooler features of the game allows the player to switch back and forth between the old original graphics and the current visuals, making it really interesting to see what they've changed. Halo, you had me from hello. Now get in my Xbox.