Afrika – “For a Brighter Sunrise”

Videogames are usually about action, about competitive confrontation and about the glory of victory. “Afrika” may be a videogame, but isn’t about either of these, it is about mere contemplation. As an intrepid wild-life journalist, you’re invited to journey to the mythical African landscape, bearing the task of shooting stunning pictures of animals in their natural habitats. The game’s inner matrix shows strong simulation character, transforming it into a living encyclopedia of naturalist and realist aesthetic ideals. You’ll find these in the uncanny precision of the camera control (like for like for each of the real-life SONY models), but also in the scientifically correct animal behavior, and naturally, in the indescribable scenic beauty, brought about by graphical and animation works of art that eschew any comparison whatsoever with its contemporary brethren (save but one or maybe two rare examples).

In “Afrika”, you’ll find pleasure in the smallest, most meaningful of details: from the careful study of each species’ habits, to learning how to shoot  the camera professionally and artistically, or by simply inhabiting the atmospheric surroundings. There is really nothing like venturing into the hot savannah in a jeep, as Hokoyama’s riveting soundtrack lunges your safari towards the horizon with a cheerful, upbeat orchestration, and then slowing down, stopping by the shade of a century-old tree,  relaxing, holding your breath, camera steady in hand, waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting for that special moment, delighting yourself in the mellow gaze of animals’ gracious movements, their soft fur caressed by the Sun’s warm orange hues, lulled by the now serene, almost quiet soundscape: the gentle water creeks… the mild breeze blowing… the leaves rustling softly… the rhythmic sound of your feet in the earthy gravel as you step closer, slowly… slowly…  and then, click. Interactive bliss.


The remaining ludic logic is “Afrika’s” Achilles’ heel, awkwardly imposing goals and structure in a work that begs a free environment for playful exploration. Nothing however, that can impair the single most important experience the current generation consoles can offer. Its provoking nature starts to explain why it has been so consistently overlooked in the west: there was no European release, and in the US the title was met with ridicule and harsh criticism. A work that focuses solely on taking pictures of animals seems dull, boring and uneventful for a generation brought up to think entertainment a synonym of rifle in hand and shooting down the animals/monsters/aliens/nazis/terrorists. Creative musings and aesthetic appreciation are pleasures thought to belong elsewhere, somewhen in the times of yore, amongst dead media such as photography, painting and sculpture. And some still wonder why videogames are so infantile!

For here is “Afrika”, a game that forfeits all populist and commercial conventions, that is innovative and unique for its time and that shows qualities unheard of in years. Sure, it is slow paced, relaxing and demanding of the player, but that is the only way in which one can relate with and uphold its finest qualities. Consider this: could there be any engagement with Africa’s lavish setting, its awe-inspiring atmosphere, its charming fauna and flora, if one were forced to be on frantic combat mode, gunning down ferocious animals, jumping by trees or looting corpses? Of course not, and proving that is the lack of any emotional gravitas in popular mainstream titles. Daisaku Ikejiri and Rhino Studios should have received multiple awards for upholding the classicist virtues of meditation, beauty, nature and peace, in a form of expression governed by senseless violence and immature escapism. And yet, such is but a fleeting dream, and all remain trapped in the most insidious of logics, unaware of the true value and potential of our beloved interactive art. Death death death win win win pleasure pleasure pleasure more more more again again again… ad eternum. It is saddening to consider that the old war games, battle games and conquest games have, once again, overshadowed one of the finest artifacts of our time, in this medium of ours that needs it so much, now more than ever. For a brighter sunrise, don’t let this continue. Go play “Afrika”.

overshadowed
2010
10/17
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CATEGORY
Miscellaneous
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Status Update – “The Network”

To all those three persons who naggingly insist on reading this blog (hi mom, hi dad, hey bro!), I apologize for not updating it as much as usual (pardon the cliché). Whilst you wait for new articles (simmering as I write these very words), I would consider following me on Facebook (just head to the ‘About Metagame’ page for info), since I have come to the realization that it does serve a point. Meaning, I can write low quality junk about all sorts of things there, and people can read that and praise how special and gifted I am by pressing the like button… or you can just use the comment page to send me to hell and go **** ***** or tell me how I’m a dirty *** of a ***** and so forth. I know, you love me dearly. Thanks mom! Meanwhile, there is an “Afrika” article hitting the fan. Sniff… yeah, almost there.

Cheers!

2010
10/16
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CATEGORY
Miscellaneous
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Alan Wake – “The possible videogame for the possible medium”

Almost ten years ago, a group of a dozen or so aspiring programmers and designers delivered one of the best full-on action games of its period. “Max Payne” was penned with the fatalist atmosphere of a noir pulp tale and enacted with the frantic vertigo of a John Woo gunfight, a video game worth remembering for its success in compromising a virtuous literary dimension inside the cramping coordinates of a populist genre in a populist medium. Where “Max Payne” was a love-letter to noir, “Alan Wake” is an homage to classic horror thriller. Ellroy and Miller now pave way to King, Lynch, Hitchcock and Serling as master references, in a clear play of reverence and idolatry for pop tropes and genres. The ability, as in the past, lies in the careful weaving of these elements into an aesthetically cohesive experience; these citations are neither shallowly absorbed into meaningless minutiae nor regurgitated compulsively, instead acting as founding pillars to the game’s universe.

Narrative is still the center piece, with a dense plot following Alan Wake – the writer whose horror novel suddenly comes to life – acting as driving engagement to the experience. However, unlike most videogames, the storyline never lets itself become trapped in the cutscene vortex, leaving a lot to be explored in actual gameplay, by employing several contextual mechanisms to establish character, atmosphere and texture. Which is great, since due to some immaturity in cutscene production, “Alan Wake” ended up pretty poor in terms of facial animation and aesthetic cohesion when it comes to non-interactive segments. Counterweighing this glaring flaw are the superbly well crafted interactive portions. The naturalist representation of the American Northwestern landscape, with its dynamic weather and shadowing systems, is an aesthetic and technical tour de force. It is an absolute delight to immerse yourself in some of the most enticing fictional spaces in media: you get to drive around the misty mountains as in the opening of the “Shining”, watch the green pinewood forest lulled in the warm sunlight as in “Twin Peaks”, or bravely venture into the dark brooding woods at night armed only with a bright torch’s raycast as in the “X-Files”. The writing (by Sami Järvi) and voice-acting help dig deeper into these environments, and once again, bear a quality comparable to film’s high standards. And in that vein we can’t help but compliment the more ambiguous psychological profiles of the characters, which despite fitting basic film archetypes and falling back on some clichéd dialogue, effectively evade videogame hero antics and the stylistic overkill of “Max Payne”.

But it would be dishonest for us to claim that “Alan Wake” is not disappointing. It follows a bit too closely on the footsteps of its predecessor, and in a clear sign of videogame’s stagnation, shows little evolution in its ground language and delivery; it has been a wasted decade and the game suffers from it. Though it is moody, sharply scripted and paced, filled with insightful narrative details and brimming with twisted variations on its basic motives, it still tends to enter the action game strut of repeatedly shelling out combat with monsters. While this is clearly meant to afford some ludic appeal, it bars deeper exploration of its aesthetic and semantic dimensions. The game’s greatest achievements – the intimate scenes between Alan and his wife, the open exploration of the wide rural landscape and the psychedelic nightmare trips into Wake’s psyche – end up underdeveloped in favor of the old shooter routine. The experience eventually loses steam and never achieves the heights it initially hints at: Lynch’s bizarre and King’s emotional candour are never fully explored, and some of the final scenes in the game are as linear, shallow and explicit as what we have come to expect from videogames. It’s a shame, because it is clear from the immense care to detail that there is enough talent in Remedy to try and push the bar in similar ways as “Heavy Rain“, or maybe even come close to something like the original “Silent Hill’s”. Yet in the end we only get treated to what is, for the most part, a “Resident Evil 4” look-alike.

Notwithstanding, once the feeling of wasted opportunity dims, it’s hard not to give credit to Remedy for, once again, subverting the rules of the industry in their own benefit, and delivering another shining example of a poignant literary tale, subtly masked as a dreary dumb action game for the mainstream audiences. For in these dark times, one dares not ask for more.

score: 4/5

2010
09/28
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CATEGORY
Review
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No More Heroes – “Dada”

Suda Goichi’s follow up to his chef d’oeuvre “Killer7” reminds me a bit of the DuChamps’ urinal, “Fountain”. Like it, it is a bold exercise in terms of statement and subversive underpinning of its mediums’ status quo, but also like it, it’s as uninteresting an artifact as the very object of its criticism. “No More Heroes” is a post-modern parody to videogames and videogame players that screams hi and lo its scathologic humor, characterizing players as nothing more than geeky “Star Wars” otakus with ravaging libido and masturbatory tendencies, their sole goal in life being limited to getting laid for the first time and becoming no.1 in their “game”. Their “game” being killing everyone and everything, whilst torrents of shiny coins and blood are thrust to the air and a barrage of points accumulates in the score tally. That and engaging in the most mindless and meaningless of repetitive activities, such as mowing lawns and catching coconuts from falling trees. In Travis’ world, everything is devoid of any purpose that goes beyond the blind pursuit of that ever elusive chink chink of falling coins… just like in videogames. Every character in the game talks valiantly about the pleasure of the win as if referring to some perverted form of sexual arousal, and the shame of defeat as if the greatest vex known to man. Videogame pop iconoclasm is imbued in the world, lest any less observant player not understand that it is his world that Suda is laughing at. All these elements amount to a strong statement on the vacuity and brash masculinity of the ‘ludus’ mindset and its preponderance in the interactive medium.

However, no matter how clever and relevant Goichi’s auteur ramblings may be, he didn’t manage to make them inside the realm of an interesting video game. Unlike for example, Tale of Tale’s delightful works, Suda did not design a video game that boldly defies and honestly revokes the medium’s tropes and clichés. For someone with such an eloquent discourse, he simply was not capable of distilling it to a videogame that is worth remembering by all those who would sponsor his ideals. “No More Heroes” is as daft as its main protagonist, and as shallow and menial as the very medium it so foolishly mocks. Apart from the occasionally stylized visuals (distant from the virtuosity that characterized “Killer7”) and the briefly entertaining wii-gimmicks, there is really nothing to engage with here, except the crude game mechanics that we’re supposed to laugh at. But we wonder exactly who is it that is willing to make fun of himself for hours without end and play what is essentially a boring video game about boring videogames? Someone who enjoyed Kitano’s ventures into the medium, perhaps? We digress, the point is that “No More Heroes” might have served as a flagship for the sort of criticism videogames are in desperate need of, and though that goal seems far from obtained, it is still one of those rare games that invite a meaningful debate. We could never have written a critique such as this for a typical mainstream game, because Suda is, at least, intent on a thoughtful discussion with his audience, and not just on mindlessly entertaining it. Nonetheless, the product of that intent is as captivating as a urinal. Goichi would do well in looking elsewhere to promote his vision.

2010
09/08
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CATEGORY
Miscellaneous
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Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker – “Redacted”

Hideo Kojima lacks boundaries. His creativity, japanimation roots and desire to please crowds run wild and he always ends up going overboard. “Peace Walker” bears that burden from the get go, for after swearing and promising and vowing never to lay his delicate hands on Snake ever again, Kojima goes on to design yet another “Metal Gear Solid”. Just what everyone needed! Not content with his succumbing, he doubles the folly, and for the first time, creates a game for a portable console. However, in theory, “Peace Walker” could have been the right opportunity for Kojima’s redemption. Here was, by necessity, a technologically constrained videogame, released in a secondary platform, which meant a smaller budget and also less commercial and fan pressure. All would appear to in favor of more creative leeway for Kojima to suck some life into the decrepit halls of the Big Boss lining… but do we get anything more than a half-living recollection of past “Metal Gear Solids”?

Initial impressions are misleading. The return to the time-period and setting of “Snake Eater”, allowed Kojima to remain in familiar territory and to revisit his team’s greatest aesthetic accomplishments. In a technical tour-de-force, the natural environments of  the third “Metal Gear” return once again and are made a delight to simply inhabit in, just sinking in the glorious atmosphere of those opressive hot jungles, barren mountain-tops and eerie dense forests. Exploring them has also become more accessible this time around, for after previous “Metal Gear” debacles, Kojima adopted a very slick control scheme which is only hindered by the lack of a second analog. These were small signs that platform limitations were actually pushing Kojima in the right way – focusing on a more immersive, relaxed, aesthetically evocative experience.

However, past the initial moments, imposed limitations start to push the game to new territories which we simply cannot abide with. It starts when it dawns on you that “Peace Walker” is less of a stealth game as much as it is an action game. Looking to ease in the game design for new players and make it more accessible for byte-sized, on the go gaming, the difficulty level was diminished to the point in which you can fly by the game’s levels by simply crouching and shooting tranquilizers left and right, barely pulling a sweat or employing any degree of tactical reasoning. There are very few penalties for not being stealthy, thanks to the game’s AI’s being as near-sighted as incompetent. Further underlining this contemporary action vibe are the only remnants of a challenge, the game’s bosses: massive beast-like gears, whose gameplay segments feel like grinding battles with mechanical replicas of “Monster Hunter”. “Monster Hunter”. “Metal Gear Solid”. We refrain from further comments. The final blow in this exercise is directed towards Kojima’s remaining saving grace: his narrative antics. For “Peace Walker” all the chit-chat about political intrigue, conspiracy theories, eccentric characters, etc. has been completely stripped of context and side-lined to a generic batch of audio files which you can listen in between missions. People always said they hated codec talk! Even Kojima team’s glorious real-time cutscenes are replaced by Ashley Wood’s handrawn vignettes, which though impressive and worthy of merit on their own right, still feel displaced in a “Metal Gear Solid” game.

Alas, once again Kojima bows down to the mob, and offers everything the masses pray (and prey) for: more action, more combat, less stealth, less talk. If any more proof needs to be put forth of this populist stance, let us end with a mention of the asinine addition of a casual Facebook-like meta-management game, in which you click, click, coins drop, drop and experience blows up, up, with players coming a-back, back for another fix of endless bars filling, filling and numbing pleasure rising, rising. Sure, everybody rants about Facebook and Farmville, but when something like this comes along in a “Metal Gear”,  suddenly it becomes not only acceptable as it is applauded with big cheers by reviewers, for being extremely addicting and fun. This free reward based gameplay – zero-gameplay, as we would coin it – has zero-substance, zero-challenge, zero-narrative, and despite this, it is slowly becoming the new icon for the current state of videogames. Hideo Kojima, who should know better, didn’t fight this new paradigm one bit. He knelt,  begged, and then apologized for ever having wanted to make decent videogames in the first place.  He is defeated, without vision, without ideas, without soul, and above all, without courage, even in the one fleeting moment of his god-forsaken career in which he was awarded a tiny bit of freedom. He is a prisoner of his past and he will never be free.

score: 1/5

2010
08/29
POSTED BY
CATEGORY
Review
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