Halo 3

If you didn’t know, Bungie.net has been offering video rendering of clips in your file share in Halo 3 if you have a Bungie Pro Subscription and have enough render minutes. I decided to try out the feature because you can render them in 720p which would look very nice for any videos that I wanted to make in the future. I renewed Bungie Pro and purchased 50 render minutes for $5. That sounds great doesn’t it? But there is a catch. If you are going to render your films in 360p it is a 1 render minute for any film 1 minute or under. For 720p it is 5 render minutes per minute. So, basically, you can record 10 clips for 5 bucks which isn’t really worth the price in my opinion. It would be more cost effective to purchase a HD capture card in the long run.

I used up most of the minutes with some average clips and put them in a video for your viewing pleasure. I’m going to be playing more social slayer for some easy montage clips. Make sure to watch in HD! Oh, also, the tribute is more of a joke about someone I extremely dislike. If you ever meet a girl named Brett Barrington… just do yourself a favor… turn around and walk quickly in the opposite direction. :p
 
 

Original

Seemingly, I am one of the few people on the planet that hasn't been raving about the release of Modern Warfare 2 earlier this week. I am in an even smaller minority of people that pretty much 'haven't given two **** about it.

Now, you may think I am a few sandwiches short of a picnic for saying this but it's not the first game that I haven't 'got'. By that I mean that I haven't understood why certain titles are so hyped by the press and games alike. Don't get me wrong, I love video games, have done since I was a kid, but there are some 'classics' that have come along that have been very similar to the genre of games I've been playing at the time and yet I have failed to see the appeal.

So, I have compiled a very small (but concise) list of all the games that I have come across in my gaming life that I simply haven't understood why pretty much everyone would give their Granny's right arm to have a glimpse at. These are the games that I have given the highest accolade of…'meh'.

Final Fantasy VII

Even though the first Final Fantasy game in the series was released since 1990, it wasn't until the 7th instalment that people really sat up and took notice. For one, it was the first Final Fantasy to feature 3-D graphics and in doing so, put it streets ahead of it's ancestors. It also helped sell loads of Playstations as initially it was only available on that console. The soundtrack - epic and the gameplay was groundbreaking. Not for me though, I never could get my head around the appeal of FF VII as the whole world went mental for one guy with a massive sword and beating enemies in turn based combat.

On the face of things, it all looked great. At the time of release, I wasn't really into RPG's, having only played around with a few early adventure titles which had RPG elements. But even now, with my experience with World of Warcraft and its competitors…I still couldn't understand why FFVII had sold over 10 million copies worldwide. It's not just the seventh one though, I've NEVER been able to get into it and when I told people of this plight they looked at me as if I had two heads. 'Maybe it would be better on the PSP with slightly better graphics?' I told myself. Why did I ever think having it on a tiny screen would make it BETTER?! Madness, I tell thee.

Legend Of Zelda

Another confession here, folks. I don't, and never will like anything to do with the Legend of Zelda. From it's cutesy, flute wielding pansy protagonist (which as a matter of note, I never wanted to aspire to) to the endless searching through bush after bush after sodding bush for that illusive heart when I know I'm just going to lose them all trying to cross that gap which is just…too…far…away.

Once again, the whole catalogue of Zelda games were in the same vein of similar games that I loved in the adventure category, but I just couldn't get my head around that once again…the world went mental from what is basically the Nintendo version of the Final Fantasy Series but without the turn-based jiggery pokery that made me so mad so very, very often.

Metal Gear Solid

This is a different choice than the last two titles that I have mentioned so far. In those, I liked the elements and other games in the surrounding genres. However, I cannot stand stealth games (which is probably why Gears of War appeals to me so much) and never have. The reason for this is that I think I'm just too damn lazy to wait and hide for that illusive guard to forget that I was ever there after I went into the first level with all guns blazing. Don't get my wrong though, after all the hype got too much for me…I gave it another shot with my sensible trousers on and still got frustrated with Metal Gear Solid. They don't call it Solid for no reason, y'know.

And finally...

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Ooooooh, either this is a complete surprise to you or has been blatantly obvious, but alas, probably one of the games that I am the most annoyed that I don't 'get'…is Modern Warfare 2. This is 'hype-not-getting' in it's purest form, folks.

Once again, I love First Person Shooters; if you look at my collection you will that it's clearly my favourite genre. Not only that, but I have loved a lot of the Call of Duty titles that have preceded MW2, but since they have split and formed Infinity Ward the Modern Warfare series has failed to spark my interest. Or maybe getting killed all the time over Xbox Live was the final nail in the coffin. I admit, I haven't played this game yet, but the advertising around it has failed to spark my interest to play it. The feel of the series since Call of Duty 2 has never appealed to me a much as the later games. In its first DAY of release it's manage to reign in over $910 million in the US and UK alone. Am I missing something here, or is there something wrong with me?

There we have it, I hope some of you understand why I haven't been able to get my head around what everyone else seems to be dribbling over around me and I wonder if you have felt the same at one point. Saying that, there are a load of there games and series' that have been brilliant. The Halo's, World of Warcraft and pretty much all the Street Fighter's I have loved, but as I have demonstrated, we all have different opinions and you can't hate on someone just because they haven't gone the same way as the general populace and followed the norm. Are they any games that I've missed out that you just simply haven't understood the mega-hype? Let the world know in the comment section below.

Maybe I haven't given these games enough time, should I sit down with all the above and really commit them to my subconscious and give into the mass peer-pressure. No. I have no inclination, as they failed to grab me at my first exposure to them, and therefore I am perfectly happy continuing to love the games that have.

*EDIT* I wish to make it known the readers of this particular blog is that my commentary is merely on games that I have played (or even owned) in the past that have, through various means, failed to grab my attention as much as other games in the series or genre. It is not a commentary on the subject of over-hyped games at all, it is merely trying to get some insight as to why I haven't 'got' the games that so many others have.

Let me be honest with you. This episode is long, but for good reason. We talk about Uncharted 2, Brutal Legend, Forza 3, Dirt 2, Dissidia: Final Fantasy, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, the new South Park game, Wet, and an Xbox Indie Game called Bailout. We also tell you what we've been up to the past few weeks and give a big serving of news.

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FFVII

Halo 3

Other News…

My last post indicated that it may be a while before I could pull together another blog post.  Well with my Saskatchewan Roughriders not performing so well today I am making a little bit of time to catch up with all the games that have crossed my path as of late:

 
Borderlands…Game of the Year:  Perhaps, to early to tell, but this game is amazing.  The more I play the more I realize that Borderlands is truly something special.  What has added to that as well is that I picked up the super-thick strategy guide which shows so much of the game’s depth.  This game will likely be a staple in my 360 collection for years to come.  Also the game’s theme song has burrowed deep into my head!

 
Forza Motorsport 3:  Speaking of Games of the Year, Forza 3 will play heavily in my game rotation for some time to come.  While I am pretty early into my career, the game has really shone for me in it’s online modes.  Firstly there was some racing and drifting in the Japanese mountains with my friends, then later I jumped into some matchmaking with random gamers and had a blast in some R1 cars, even winning a couple of races, finally I had some crazy ‘Cat and Mouse’ adventures with some more game friends.  What has also captured my imagination with this game is the Photo and Replay modes.  I have spent a significant amount of time just dabbling in those areas alone.  Turn 10 has really out done themselves this time.

 
Halo 3 ‘Action Sack’:  I wound up playing in this matchmaking group with my nephew and his friends the other day and actually found it to be quite fun.  Since ODST has been pushed to the wayside in the face of all the new great 360 titles it is good to keep my Halo chops up.  On a slight downside Halo note for myself, the Halo Waypoint portal is unavailable for me right now under the 360 Preview Program.  I really wanted to have a look-see at that waypoint.  One more Halo note, I now have the Halo Encyclopaedia!  The only hitch is that it is a Christmas present.  I can’t wait!

Fallout 3:  Again speaking of Games of the Year, I picked up the Fallout 3 Game of the Year strategy guide.  While I already have the Collector’s Edition guide, I wanted to have all the info surrounding the DLC.  So this guide has that plus improvements to the guide itself including an improved Bestiary and Weapons guide.  And because I picked it up at Wal-Mart I got it super cheap!

Torchlight:  A little PC talk never hurt anyone.  I downloaded via Steam this past week the ‘Diablo-esque’ Torchlight.  I finally got to play it this morning and found it to be, while not original, a whole lot of fun.  This game will be my pallet-cleansing game when I need a break from the 360.

I really could go on, but I will give you a break.  Go play all those great games, some of which I haven’t even got to speak of like the Force Unleashed re-release and the GTA IV expansion.  Another time for sure!     
 
SUPERGHOST's Haunted House of Xbox

The video game industry is an ever-growing industry in this world. Probably no one in the past could've guessed that it would surpassed the movie industry in the amount of money each made. But there is a lot more underneath. Your average consumer will think that all that gaming consists of is big titles like “Halo” and “Call of Duty. But no, there is a lot more. In my mind, there are three categories that video games fall in: indie games that are free but you can donate to, indie games that you need to buy, and commercial games.

There are plenty of indie games that are available for free on the internet. But you also have the option to donate to the developer so you can help out the developer. A good example of an indie game you can donate to is Jason Rohrer's game “Passage”. “Passage” is a little 5 minute game. But in those 5 minutes, some amazing things happens. Basically, this game is about life. There are so many little symbols throughout the game that point towards a life-like situation. In this game, you control your character (and a wife, if you choose). If you choose to take along the wife, your points as you progress will double. But you won't be able to move in some areas. It is truly a risk and reward situation and shows how being married can be limiting. In the beginning, the right side of the screen is blurry, as in your future is not certain. But as you move through this maze of sorts, you progressively grow older. Once that happen, the right side clears up, but the left side gets blurry, as in you're forgetting your past. Towards the end, if you take the wife, she dies before you do. It is obvious that your old, decrepit, avatar has little time left. Even though the graphics are pixels, the player can tell that he is saddened by his loss.

Now a normal video game player might not think this is any special. But of course it is. There is no video game out in stores that are as moving as this game potentially is. Was I moved? Of course I was! Now here is the sad fact: Jason Rohrer has to work for Cambell's Soup to feed his family. And we pay $60 for a game at a store for the chance that it might be good... but we won't donate $5 to a developer that makes a product that deserves it.

This leads to the second category of games: indie games you have to pay for no matter what. With the growth in digital distribution services (such as Steam, Xbox Live Arcade, and Playstation Store), there have been a bunch of indie developers making games for this platform. A good example of this is Jonathan Blow's game “Braid”. During the game's three year developmental period, Jonathan Blow put $200,000 of his own money to make this game happen. Most of the money went to hiring David Hellmen to do the artwork. Good thing that he did, because this game is basically art. Everything has a watercolor-esque look to it. But this game was the first indie game to appear on services such as this. “Braid” was immensely popular and many developers followed in their path. That is probably the most important part of “Braid” is that it proved that you don't need to be a big corporation with a big team to be a success.

Which has us move on to my third category: commercial games. These are the games that you go to basically any store and buy from the counter. These are the games you see a twelve-year boy cry to his mommy to get. The absolute prime example for these types of games is Bungie's cash cow “Halo 3”. This is the pinnacle of commercial games. Not because it is any good (because in my opinion it is not). But because it made so much money. According to Giant Bomb's Halo 3 page, “Halo 3 was released on September 25, 2007, and quickly became one of the Xbox 360's first system-sellers, making an astounding $300 million during the first week of its release and going on to eventually sell over 8 million copies.” What confuses me is that this game has diminished in quality compared to the games before it in the series. In fact, you can say that about a lot of commercial games. I feel that a lot of games are basically the same. They are all basically a macho man's dream, full of guns and gore.

So this leads to my classification of these categories. If I were to rank them based on which will be more relevant in the future, indie games you can donate to would be on top, followed by indie games for pay and then commercial games. Why do I say this? I say this because, a long time from now, I will remember the artistically relevant games that cost a very minimal amount that the many power-fantasy that people buy for too high of a price. Games today (like Halo 3 and Gears of War) are just mindless entertainment and are completely juvenile. Games like Daisuke Amaya's game “Cave Story” have proved that games don't need to have big budgets or huge teams developing the game to be a stellar title. It had a low budget and one person doing the whole game!

In conclusion, I prefer indie games because they aren't mindless and boring. Commercial video games are all turning into the same thing. Imagine if all the big movies from here on out were romantic comedies. Would anyone seriously enjoy that? I'm pretty sure no one would. This is why indie developers deserved your cash more than the big corporations of the world do.

This week's "What We've Been Playing" features discussion on Borderlands, Brutal Legend, Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising, WWE Smackdown! vs. RAW 2010, A Boy and His Blob, Dead Space Extraction, and plenty more. We follow that up with some gaming news and answer a few user questions while we're at it.

We end the show with another "Sausage Dump" and discuss such TV shows as Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Battlestar Galactica season 2.0. I end my dumpage with a revelation on how the film Black Dynamite shows that M&Ms inevitably turn to little dicks. We hope you enjoy the show and don't forget to rate/review us on iTunes.
 

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• Podcast: DF #79: Smacking Down Borderland Midgets