Uninteresting S#!% #1

By jakob187 May 25, 2010 10 Comments

IN THIS BLOG: 

• Red Dead Redemption
• Alan Wake

 
Hey, folks!  I decided to skip out on doing a blog last week (as I pointed out...on my blog?), mainly because I didn't have anything to really write about.  I could've written a day one impression of Red Dead Redemption, which I picked up while inebriated after a couple of hours at the local watering hole.  Actually, had it not been for the fact that Mickey and the crew over at Hemingway's know how to mix a damn good Johnnie and Coke (let alone seven of them), I probably wouldn't have threw down the $60 for the game.  Therefore, Rockstar owes Hemingway's a debt of gratitude for getting my money out of my wallet. 
 
Also, some of you may notice that my blog has a title that sounds like it'll be...*GASP*...appropriately titled and no longer carry the witty banter titles that I typically may or may not be able to come up with?!?!  ZO NOES!  I'm still working on the banner image (because these things just never work out the way I'd like them to), but as it stands, yes - my blog now has a title.  I felt that in order for me to write the best that I could, I had to have some more structure and organization.  Why is the title censored?  Well, I'll be honest with you - I hate it when I see forum topics on the front page of the site that has cursing in them.  I don't know, it just drives me nuts.  In turn, the title says everything it needs to:  that most of what I have to say is an opinion that doesn't necessarily match others, that what I talk about is relatively uninteresting in most regards, and that there will be profanity at some point.  Therefore, I'm sorry to now disappoint the readers that oh-so-loved my titles.  Get over it and read on...
 
SOMEBODY POISONED THE WATER HOLE!!! 

If you're an avid fan of Westerns, whether it be in movie or pulp form, Red Dead Redemption can seem like one of two things from a distance:  either it's the Godsend that will show how viable the Wild West era can be in a video game, or it's the one thing you just don't want to see get fucked up so someone else has a chance of making a good Western game.  Don't get me wrong - Gun was pretty decent for what it was, Red Dead Revolver was alright, and even Samurai Western had its moments.  However, nothing has really captured the West.  It's a difficult piece of mature storytelling, as you have to hit a good balance of storytelling while still offering that look into life during the era.  Rockstar, being the masters of the open world game, have set a new bar in excellence with Red Dead Redemption, blending together elements of many different genres in order to offer an absolutely magnificent game.  It has its problems, but those problems are greatly outweighed by the game's overall greatness. 
 
This is not a game for those with short attention spans, as you will NEVER get shit done.  As you start going towards your next story-driven mission, you'll quickly say "ooh, hey, a deer".  This leads to a domino effect that quickly sees you working your way into all the meta portions of the game, like the different challenges for hunting this much of a certain animal or collecting that much of a certain herb.  It's fucking mind-blowing how much shit there is to do in this game at times, but it's more surprising how well all of this stuff continually integrates into the world that Rockstar has created.  As you travel along the plains and prairies, you'll find random people out in the middle of nowhere being chased down by coyotes or prostitutes in town being cut up by a random John.  You might even find times where a stagecoach is being attacked by bandits and moments when a stranger is just wanting a friendly wager on how many birds you can shoot in a given amount of time.  All of this does something that few other games can TRULY do - it blends you into its world.  It makes you feel as though there is a full-on living and breathing world surrounding you. 
 
So you get it, right?  Red Dead Redemption plays pretty well, and it's pretty damn incredible.  So let's go over the problems with the game: 

• Poor checkpoint system leads to frustrating moments where your death will result in losing a minimum of 30 minutes worth of progress at any point
• Rockstar still needs to learn what a "pivot" is in character movement
• Relies too heavily on auto-aim, which may be fine for the single player...but in multiplayer?  Really, guys?
• Cover mechanic is sub-par and could've used some more refining
• Server instability leads to frustrating moments where a posse can't all connect together
• Weapon locations on maps can lead to crazy side imbalances (I'm looking at you, Tumbleweed multiplayer map!!!)
• Numerous glitches and bugs (of which I've experienced none)

 
By no means is Red Dead Redemption a perfect game.  However, it is definitely the kind of game where these issues can be overlooked due to the sheer amount of fun and greatness that the game holds.  If you want a game where you can finally feel like part of a well-built world...where it feels justified to dump WoW-like time sessions into a game...then Red Dead Redemption is definitely a game you need to own.  This is easily a contender for Game of the Year in my book, and with all the hopes that the multiplayer holds for me, it seems like a game that can have a steady life to it. 
 
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO USING A GODDAMN NITE LITE, PEOPLE? 

Yesterday, I made yet another splurge dive and decided to pick up Alan Wake, but I didn't go for just any version.  After at least five years of development behind it, I felt that I wanted the most out of the package that I could get.  Therefore, I snagged a copy of the Collector's Edition.  Not only does it include the game, but it also came with the game's soundtrack (which is excellent), a making-of Bonus DVD, and a book called The Alan Wake Files.  I haven't read it yet, but I've been told by other folks who've played the game and read the book that I should complete the game before diving into its pages.  It all comes packaged in a high-quality cardboard box that looks just like a book.  Actually, when I bought this package, I was afraid that the cashier forgot to give me the game because it looked incredibly convincing!  Kudos to you, Microsoft and Remedy, for putting together such a nice package. 
 
But lest we forget, there is a GAME attached to all of this.  Alan Wake has already become legendary for being "the little vaporware that could".  Upon its announcement, it was met with massive hype and huge expectations.  Has it lived up to those expectations?  Well...in order to answer this question, we need to look at the game itself. 
 
Alan Wake, for those who aren't aware, is part third-person shooter and part cutscene heaven.  I'm not a fan of cutscenes - I hate them.  They may tell the story, but it's a lazy way of storytelling to me.  However, Alan Wake's cutscenes are top-notch and feature a great sense of cinematic depth while also making sure you are aware that you are still playing a video game.  When you aren't being given cutscene after cutscene, you'll be working your way through the woods surrounding the quiet little Midwest town of Bright Falls.  Yeah, of course...NOTHING bad could come from this.  >.>   <.<   Shit hits the fan pretty quick, and Alan Wake just throws you right into the mystery.  Whoever wrote this game deserves a goddamn Pulitzer, folks.  It's tense, it's strong, and it's well-told.  Very few thrillers, especially ones delving into the supernatural and/or mystery genres can lounge back and cruise along like Alan Wake does.  As for the shooting, you have a flashlight and a small assortment of guns that you'll come across.  There are a bunch of enemies called The Taken, and you'll gotta shine light on them to break them from the darkness before plowing into them with your gun. 
 

There are little subtleties that shine through to show another well-developed world.  Alan Wake has atmosphere thicker than molasses, as the fogs will roll in and the leaves on the trees will rustle in the wind.  The game looks great for the most part, but it's the minor things like how Alan carries a hunting rifle or how someone will hold their hands over their eyes if you shine a flashlight in their face that really sell the world well.  I actually started thinking of all kinds of random shit to do, just to see what kind of reaction I would get from people.  For those who play it, try stuff and see what happens.  It feels like Remedy has done a lot to really build a solid world. 
 
WITH THAT SAID...this game has been in development for five goddamn years.  Five...loooong...hyped years.  Given that the game is right now looking like it'll be about a 7-10 hour affair on its first playthrough (just speculation, I'm on Episode Five right now), five years for 7-10 hours is a bit lean.  Add to that this little fact:  it's still just a third-person shooter that feels like a more capable version of Resident Evil and Silent Hill.  It feels as though they spent five years working more on the character development than they did on the game itself.  That's great and all, but when you've worked this long on a game, there should've be a reason that the combat starts becoming repetitive.  Worse yet, when your game is in development for five years, I should not be traveling in my truck on a long trail in Episode Three...and then my truck hits an invisible glitch spot on a bridge that I have to cross...and it forces the back end of my truck to sit on top of the railing to where my back tires are off the ground...and the truck is rear-wheel drive only.  T_T  Oversights like these...after five years of development...  *ugh* 
 
Despite the fact that this game really does boil down to "a third person shooter with a really good story but repetitive gameplay after a while", the world and atmosphere is what makes this game solid.  There's nothing particularly bad about the mechanics of the game, but it feels like some extra attention could've been paid to some other areas, like how to make someone's eye socket not look like a diseased hooker's vagina. 
 
That's it, folks.  Until next time, piece!!!

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