Games Of The Year 2009: Flower

Communication is an interesting component of the human condition. Not only does it allow us to converse in our day-to-day environment, it also defines our interactions and our understanding of them.

Flower communicated with me. It spoke with me on a level that I'm unlikely ever going to be able to articulate, but what I do know is that it goes beyond the mere mechanics that make up the game; beyond the intentionally evocative experience it provides; and beyond the sheer joy and awe as I experiment, explore and discover within its suitably small yet entirely effective spaces.

It was a game unlike anything else I have played before and one I suspect I won't see replicated in the future. It was truly unique, and while some were skeptical about the developers' intentions -- thatgamecompany constantly discussed pre and post-release about how they were trying to instill emotions in the players that they were unlikely to find in other games -- the end result, for me, was a game that demonstrated crystal clear just why I play videogames, why I will continue to play them, and why I am blessed to be able to see the medium meet its potential as it continues to expand, evolve and establish itself alongside the other entertainment mediums we all know and love. The fact it achieved all that, and much much more, through simplicity and a theme that almost everyone would understand immediately, is just the icing on the already amazing cake. Pure, epic, natural, fun.

Games Of The Year 2009: Assassin's Creed II

Above: How not to play Catch-And-Kiss.

I almost didn't include Assassin's Creed II in my list this year by virtue of the fact that I have only just finished it and that I was still in the process of writing about it, but there's no denying that it doesn't deserve a nod.

Assassin's Creed II is a game rife with quality, with every aspect of it created with the overall experience in mind: The story of Ezio is fleshed out more cohesively than that of Altair's, making his desires for revenge more interesting and compelling; the fluidity of movement is more refined, allowing subtle yet effective maneuvers throughout the streets and rooftops that make up the game's cities; secondary quests and collectibles are tied into the main narrative, making them more fun to do or find, and less like a chore as a direct result of blatant attempts to extend gameplay; and the sense of place -- be it where you are within it, or the awe that stems from the beauty of the Italian Renaissance setting -- is a lot more fun to just be in, the discoveries leading to unexpected and fulfilling rewards.

To put it simply it's hard to fault, making it a remarkable improvement on the original, but the praise stops there because, while it's impressive, it's also exactly what the first game should have been. I liked the original Assassin's Creed, loved it even, but it did have its flaws. Assassin's Creed II fixes them, shows how enjoyable and fun the franchise can be, and not much more. As it stands, that's a good thing, but it's not the ideal thing. If it took Ubisoft two games to get their formula right, then let's hope it only takes one more to completely blow us away; to meet the incredible potential the franchise has; and to elevate the repution of the Assassin's Creed name to the level that the likes of Grand Theft Auto, World Of Warcraft, BioShock and Metal Gear Solid all share -- the absolute cream of the crop. That's what I would like to see. That is what I believe would be ideal.

Games Of The Year 2009: Trials HD

2009 was quite the year for games on downloadable services. Whether your platform of choice was the consoles or the PC, there were definitely some games worth playing, worth thinking about and worth discussing. As far as console titles are concerned, the two big ones were probably Shadow Complex and Flower -- both of which did some interesting things in the digital distribution space and gave way to some fascinating discussion -- but for my money there was another title that was as good, if not better, than those two.

Trials HD may have originated from the indie development scene on the PC, causing some people to scoff at the positive reception the Xbox Live Arcade release was receiving, but regardless of that there is no denying that the game was exactly the kind of thing digital distribution is perfect for, and I am definitely glad that I got the chance to play it. The best thing about Trials HD is definitely its accessibility: here is a game that is extremely easy because it uses just three buttons -- one for acceleration, braking and controlling the rider's balance -- allowing the physics to take care of the rest. Anyone can play this game and enjoy it instantly, its experience similar to dirt-biking or performing stunts on two wheels but distilled to its most basic level. The beauty lies in the progression of the game's levels: the initial levels being easy affairs that demonstrate precisely why the game is fun while the harder levels contain puzzles that are absolutely mind-boggling, making failure a common occurrence and ensuring that you will be retrying over and over again. Despite the repetition the game is never frustrating, the player usually at fault for any mistakes, making way for that elusive "just one more go" mentality that a lot of games strive for but unfortunately don't successfully manage. All in all, it is a game that joins the likes of Geometry Wars and Peggle as one that I play randomly but consistently, and besides, like it isn't cool being able to double-flip off a massive jump and crash into an explosive barrel.

Games Of The Year 2009: Forza Motorsport 3

[My apologies for the slight delay with this one. An unexpected interstate trip meant I had little time to get online. Thank you for your patience.]

I suppose it's no surprise for anyone who has been reading this blog for a while to see this game as one of my choices. In the short time that I have been blogging about videogames, I have intentionally tried to establish myself as someone willing to give the racing genre a more critical eye. For whatever reason, the genre doesn't garner the amount of attention or discussion that others do, despite the fact that it is one of the more prolific (in terms of releases) genres out there and generally one that people play for fun when they have a break from the next big FPS, RPG or blockbuster title. It's like the sports genre -- no surprise considering that, depending on which game you're talking about, racing is a sport -- in that, a huge amount of people play these games but rarely do they ever speak about them. It's a little puzzling to me as I've discussed here before -- Surely these games are just as ripe for discussion and analysis as your BioShocks and Fallouts? Apparently not... so far at least.

Anyway, Forza Motorsport 3 is quite simply the best installment in the franchise yet, iterating on everything the previous two games did whilst adding enough new features to not only justify the sequel, but open it up to more players as well. The biggest selling point for the game is how accessible it is now: despite being a simulation racing game at its heart, there's enough driving aids, options and mechanics (such as the rewind feature) to allow players of any skill level to enjoy Forza Motorsport 3. Such additions might be irrelevant to people like me, hardcore racing enthusiasts who eat these types of games for breakfast, but in terms of mass appeal they're worthy additions and as such, are notable inclusions to the formula. Some new and welcome tracks, the obligatory graphical upgrade, refinement of the game's already superb handling physics system and a fostering of a passion for car culture through its online community, tuning and painting options are just added bonuses for a game and franchise that has established itself as one of the best simulation experiences available on consoles. Whether it's the definitive racer -- the description overused throughout the pre-release hyperbole -- on consoles is up to you, but it certainly is the most comprehensive one. Car enthusiasts the world over can't wish for much more than that.

I'll have much more detailed thoughts and discussion on Forza Motorsport 3 soon.

2009's Best

Every year a multitude of publications post their Games Of The Year. In 2009, a lot of them are also reflecting back on the decade that was, reminding us what has come out within that time frame and demonstrating, even if unintentionally, just how far videogames as a medium have come. Ten years ago, the phenomenon that is Guitar Hero and Rock Band didn't exist; Nintendo's Wii and its dominance was unthinkable, as the company was the joke of the industry -- to some people at least -- thanks to the GameCube's clear and unfortunate last place in the console wars; Big name franchises such as Grand Theft Auto, Halo and Call Of Duty didn't exist, or were nowhere near as popular as they are today; and a little something called World Of Warcraft was nowhere to be seen.

Reading these nominations, reflections and opinions of a year and decade gone by has been amusing, while choosing my own games has been a struggle. Basically, I always thought the process was pointless -- the choices were always going to be subjective for one, and for two, no one's going to remember once the new year's games distract us with their flashy graphics, fancy mechanics and general splendor -- and beyond that, I could never choose anyway. Last year I thoroughly enjoyed the likes of Fallout 3, Burnout Paradise and Grand Theft Auto IV -- among others -- while in 2007 it was BioShock, Forza 2, Portal and The Darkness; How, just how, can one choose a favourite title amongst that lot? I always figured the answer was simple: one can't.

This year has been a relatively similar process, but then I started to think about it some more. I realised that my point of view has always been that of a gamer or consumer: someone who devours the games that pique the interest, enjoys them for what they are and then moves on, forgetting their relevance to the overall medium as soon as the next big thing becomes available. Meanwhile, the past two years, but particularly 2009, has seen my perspective evolve from just your average gamer to one who thinks about the medium: someone who contemplates the meanings of the games they play, who enjoys reading and discussing videogames in any manner you can think of and, obviously, someone who enjoys writing about them too. This blog wouldn't exist without this newer perspective of mine, but it does and now that I've established my little corner of the blogosphere, I thought it was time to change my previous way of doing things and offer my own games of the year. In doing so, I can reflect on the year that was, but more importantly, I can also offer a little insight for my readers by showing them the games I thought were relevant, important or interesting in 2009.

So, starting tomorrow, I will be posting the games that I believe were the year's best, and that I hope future games in development aspire to.

Australia's Inconsistent Videogame Classification, Revisited

Apparently too horrific for Australian adults...

Regular readers of this blog would remember a post I did in October about the inconsistencies inherent in Australia's classification of certain videogames. At the time, it was the banning of Left 4 Dead 2 that inspired my post but as I mentioned in it, so far the games that have been refused classification in this country haven't really concerned me. Regardless of this, just a mere two months later, some interesting developments have occurred.

First and foremost and as I expected, Left 4 Dead 2 was released in Australia. Valve, the developers of L4D2, submitted an edited version of the game while they appealed the banning of the 'proper' version. The end result was that the appeal was unfortunately unsuccessful, and the edited version was released at the same time as the 'proper' version in the rest of the world. Australia's Left 4 Dead 2 is a laughable excuse of a game, with Valve essentially neutering their own game to accommodate our classification guidelines. The edits are severe, with bodies disappearing as soon as, or even before, they touch the ground; blood and gore is basically non-existent; while footage of the game looks like it is taken from something in the Nintendo 64 era, just with higher production values. Certainly not an image any developer would desire in the high definition generation. It's a joke, but it's up to you as to whether it's Valve (for making such severe edits) or Australia (for banning the game in the first place) being the comedian.

Another game was recently banned here in the form of Rebellion Entertainment's Aliens Vs Predator. As is usually the case with banned games here, it was violence and gore that was the primary reason for AVP's ban, with the classification board deeming it unsuitable for minors. One look at the game reveals that yes, absolutely, it is not suitable for children, but adults should have every right to play it and simply could not after it was banned. All because our ratings system doesn't have a rating that complies with the type of content seen in such a game.

...While this is all fine and dandy. Bizarre, no?

I say "could not" for a reason; today it was revealed that an appeal of Aliens Vs Predator's ban, made by Sega the game's publisher, was successful, meaning that Australia will now be receiving the game when it releases next year, unedited and all. Just like the rest of the world. This is great news for anyone interested in the game, but its release is not something that concerns me.

What does, is that this decision by Australia's classification board to allow Aliens Vs Predator into our country with an MA15+ rating -- our highest one -- highlights the inconsistency I referred to in my previous post, demonstrating precisely how random it appears to be and how some games can get through fine, while others can't or get edited to a ridiculous state. The fact that it happened so soon after Left 4 Dead 2's joke of a situation only exacerbates the problem, and reflects upon Valve's edited game -- arguably more popular than AVP will be -- in a more significant way than the original banning did. One glance at both games, side by side, makes the differences between the two pretty clear, but to prove the point the pictures I have included in this post show you everything you need to see to understand what I am talking about. Aliens Vs Predator is clearly the more brutal game, so the fact we will be getting it completely unedited while Left 4 Dead 2 looks like a poorly made Nintendo 64 game is bizarre. The inconsistency is a joke and looks like it will continue into 2010.

The good news is, a discussion paper has recently been released to obtain public opinion on whether Australia needs an R18+ rating or not; the bad news is that regardless of this paper's outcome, a decision on the rating is still a fair way off, meaning there is every chance more games will be in the spotlight for their inevitable refused classification status. On a personal level, I am awaiting the day that it does involve a game I'm eager to play, but on an objective level, it appears the situation is only going to get worse before it gets better. As someone who enjoys watching the progress of the videogame medium as it continually matures, that is one seriously daunting prospect.

Living By The Creed #2: A Discourse On Assassin's Creed II

Welcome to part two of my mini-series covering the Assassin's Creed franchise, but mostly its recently released sequel Assassin's Creed II. Once again my good friend Joseph from PALGN is joining me, and in this particular exchange we discuss our initial thoughts about the game. We are both about halfway through and already the game has presented a wide range of topics to think about. Some of those are discussed below, but there are many more in my head. We've got a couple more exchanges after this one, but after that don't be surprised to see even more Assassin's Creed II coverage here. There just seems to be something about it that has put my mind into overdrive. Anyway, onto the good stuff.

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Steven: So Joseph, I have spent a few nights with Assassin’s Creed II, as I’m sure you have as well, so I figured it was time to discuss some of our initial thoughts and impressions of it. To change things up, I’ll go first this time.

The first thing I noticed with Assassin’s Creed II, when comparing it to the original game, is the difference in how Ubisoft have approached Ezio’s story when compared to that of Altair’s; effort has been put in to ensure that Ezio’s story is more involving and, arguably, the end result is a story that’s more compelling than Altair’s. As we discussed in our first exchange, I felt like Altair was a conduit at times for the main gameplay, with the narrative enjoyment coming from Desmond’s side of things instead. It is different here and I actually find myself interested in Ezio’s story. Part of that, I think, is how the story is introduced: the tutorials don’t just serve as explanations for the game’s mechanics; they also introduce you to Ezio’s family. More importantly, they allow you to interact with his family – from racing his brother to helping his mum as she visits a friend – and it is this short time that draws you into the overall narrative. Sure, bells and whistles aside it’s just a prelude to the main thing, but unlike the original Assassin’s Creed it does a better job of immersing you within the game, and that’s impressive.

It’s not perfect, however; these tutorial or ‘ease the player in’ missions as a whole take far too long and there are too many of them. Maybe it’s just me, but there is something wrong when 3 hours into the game, I am still being taught how to play the game or how to use a newly acquired item or skill. Sure, they’re designed to ease you into the narrative as well as new players into the mechanics, but then again, they’re not; I think it is the third mission that sees you racing against your brother, the endpoint being a marker that’s on a rooftop not far from where you begin. Despite having experience from the first game, I actually had to retry this mission because I was still getting (re)accustomed to the controls, as well as getting my bearings. The game, in my view, assumed I had played the first one and expected me to be more efficient with my skills as a result. I’ve noticed other, minor examples of this throughout so if I’m right and assumptions are being made, then that is in direct conflict with the amount of tutorial missions there are and the length they go for. Just something I observed and thought was odd.

I don’t want to discuss the characters or the narrative too much, as I’d like to play more of the game for one and I think it’s deserving of its own exchange for two, so let me change pace and mention the structure of the game as well as the design of the cities.

Another thing I noticed instantly was how easy it was to get my bearings. Maybe it’s a credit to the early mission design, maybe not, but so far it seems like the game’s cities (I’ll pause there to mention that I’ve only seen three so far: Florence, Monteriggioni and Tuscany) are designed a lot more fluidly than the ones in the original Assassin’s Creed, with more landmarks and distinctive buildings than before. It makes navigation down in the streets a lot easier which is nice because it’s not always feasible to be traveling across the rooftops. The immersion of these cities is as good as it was in Assassin’s Creed, if not better, with an atmosphere that makes them feel as if they are occupied with living, breathing people. It just exudes a sense of active, yet relaxed activity that makes them feel populated without being cramped, making it a joy to just walk around in but irrelevant when it comes to the proper meat of the game: the various missions and objectives.

There’s a lot more variety here, all of it breaking up the pace by changing things up and distracting you, and that’s a marked improvement over the repetition seen in the original. Throw in the emergent pace enacted by the player – the ability to do whatever, whenever -- and it keeps things fresh without being overwhelming. With all that said and done, however, I do get the feeling that it is perhaps a bit conservative. While I still enjoy climbing up to another viewpoint or racing across the rooftops in an allocated time, I do wonder if that style of play is going to get stale if it continues in future installments. Even the new additions such as the underground tombs aren’t as compelling as I feel like they could be. I mean, at the end of the day, all you’re doing is exactly what you can do outside: jump, climb, and run from one location to the next, usually because of a desired goal. To me, there’s not much difference between the hunt for another sarcophagus and an attempt to reach another viewpoint; one is inside, directed and a bit more passive, while the other can be approached from any angle but ultimately there is only one, maybe two ways to reach the top. Don’t get me wrong, as it is now it is enjoyable and I’m glad Ubisoft added these tombs – admittedly, I’ve only seen a handful – but if it continues in future installments then I’m not sure whether it is something I will continue to enjoy, that’s all. It just feels like what we’ve gotten is iteration on what came before – a good thing – wrapped up in a better structure that doesn’t get repetitive. Iteration is welcome, but so is innovation, and that is something I’d like to see alongside the main stuff in the inevitable sequel.

I have much more I could say about this game and it’s still only early days, but I’ll stop it there to allow you to respond and offer your own thoughts about your time with the game so far. So how are you finding it? I think it’s safe to say it’s an improvement upon the original game, but how much of one, do you think? Take it away.

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Joseph: Hi Steven. Much like you said in our previous exchange, I too seem to be noticing and liking the same things you are.

After watching some trailers for the game I immediately knew Ezio’s story would be much stronger than Altair’s. I like how the game opens up showing him as a cocky, obnoxious teenager who gets into fights and what not. But, you also get a sense of just how much pride he takes in his family – escorting his mother to the shops, looking out for his kid brother and sister, and of course the level of respect he displays for his father and older brother. I thought it made the tutorials a little more interesting as it introduced you to Ezio’s family and gave you a little more insight to their relationships, but as you said it did feel a little slow to start off with. In fact I felt the game didn’t truly pick up until Ezio had met up with his uncle, of course that isn’t to say the game was boring up until that point.

Again, I am simply enjoying walking around the environments and exploring my surroundings. The various streets and suburbs are definitely more recognisable this time around, arguably due to the inclusion of landmarks and other unique structures. If we look back at the original Assassin’s Creed, while the cities were huge and had distinguishable areas (rich/moderate/poor districts), you could easily get lost walking in the streets as everything looked the same. Churches were the same height and width, housing was identical on nearly every corner, and evening gathering spots looked like they had been recycled. In Assassin’s Creed II however, I’m seeing these marketplaces, prisons, unique housing structures such as apartments and villas, and churches that have distinguishable towers and courtyards. Ubisoft has clearly put a lot of effort into designing levels, and the result is an even more engaging experience than the original.

A few other things I’m enjoying at the moment are the economy and notoriety systems. When Ubisoft first announced these would be a component of the gameplay I was skeptical if it would suit the game’s atmosphere and setting, well, more so the economy system than the notoriety system. The economy system is a relatively minor feature actually. I mean, you’re rewarded money for completing missions, so it’s not like you have to do any mundane tasks such as chopping wood or bar tending (ala Fable II). But, I like how there’s a small emphasis on being careful how you spend your money. At the top of my head you have to restock throwing knives and poisons, as well as repair your armour, make regular trips to the doctor to heal yourself, and hire henchmen to do your bidding (I’ll touch on this a bit more later). Various armour and weapon upgrades become available later in the game, so by the time you spend your money doing the former, you won’t be able to purchase that stronger sword from the blacksmith. Or if you wanted to do it the other way around, you might not have sufficient funds to heal Ezio if you bought a new weapon. It’s not necessarily innovative to the industry, but it adds that extra element to what was already established in the original. As for the notoriety system, again it’s just a step up from the original and makes things feel a little more realistic. If Ezio committed crimes in a real-world city, chances are people would be on the look out for him. He wouldn’t be able to stay hidden for a few minutes then duck out I broad day light all fine and content with being in public view. I must admit though, I probably like the feature as it’s reminiscent of the Hitman series, only more refined.

I made a quick mention before about hiring henchmen (courtesans, thieves and mercenaries). Again, it’s something that isn’t new to the industry but adds to the Assassin’s Creed experience. I must admit, I have a bit of a soft spot for hiring the courtesans. The way they flirt with the guards, how crowds whistle and cheer as they walk by, and how Ezio is standing in the centre of the group like a pimp spending a night out on the town; it’s just plain good fun. Of course, when I’m scaling the rooftops the thieves are my companions of choice, although I have noticed they tend to be a little less mobile than Ezio and can sometimes end up a fair distance away from you -- certainly not good when you’re taking on enemy watchmen. The mercenaries are my least favourite. I don’t know why exactly, but it’s probably because they lack the style of the other two. That said, they do manage to help me out in sword fights by distracting guards long enough for me to creep up behind them and deliver a fatal blow to the neck. CLING! Got to love that sound effect.

As for your little comments about the tombs, if anything I think there aren’t enough of them. I can see what you’re trying to get at, but I actually like how Ubisoft has focused the gameplay mechanics in an enclosed environment. The tombs make the game feel a lot like a platformer, and I’m not too sure which ones you’ve explored, but quite often you have to race against a timer. An example is flicking a switch which causes doors to open, and your aim is to race through a specific route before they close. In the ones I’ve explored so far I’ve actually had to stop for a bit and think how I’m going approach the challenge. Some sections are definitely head-scratchers while others are a walk in the park, but it adds variety and is a compelling part of the game. Going by the achievement list though, it seems there are only six different tombs to explore, so hopefully the recently announced DLC will include a few more locations.

To simplify everything I’ve said, from what I’ve seen so far I am liking the minor additions to gameplay and how Ubisoft has refined some elements from the original Assassin’s Creed. I’m particularly looking forward to how the story progresses as it’s interesting watching Ezio grow from a cocky kid into a mature adult. It’s certainly an inspiring tale of manhood and revenge, which is something I’d like to touch on further in a future exchange.

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I hope you enjoyed our initial thoughts about Assassin's Creed II. In our next exchange, we will be discussing the weapons and enemies found in the game, as well as how the game implements its collectibles and the intriguing addition of Subject 16's strange videos. In the meantime, feel free to read part one of our exchange which discusses the original Assassin's Creed, and as always feel free to engage the discussion -- the more the merrier, as they say.