Behind The Wheel Of Gran Turismo 5: Product Placement

As I briefly alluded to in the overview to this series, Gran Turismo 5 can be approached in three different ways: as the latest installment in the franchise, as a game that competes with other racing properties, and as a product whose development has been long and arduous. Depending on these approaches the qualities and flaws change, as does the general impression one can derive from it, making GT5 not only a complicated beast but one that deserves analysis from all angles. Today, we focus on the product side of the equation.

As it stands, Gran Turismo 5 is a quality title. It brings the renowned franchise into the modern-day, high-definition era with lush visuals, features that were requested for years (weather, night racing, etc.) and even 3DTV support, given Sony’s recent push in that domain. Like previous entries in the series Gran Turismo 5 is at the forefront of technology and fidelity, pushing the PS3 like no other game and standing out as a culmination, of sorts, of everything Sony wanted to achieve with their black beast. Or, so Sony would have you believe.

In reality, Gran Turismo 5, while impressive, is also quite disappointing and it’s the features I refer to above -- the very things that get mentioned when trying to demonstrate GT5’s supposed superiority over its competition -- that make it so. There’s no denying that graphically, Gran Turismo 5 is beautiful, the cars and tracks shining (literally, in some cases) like never before, demonstrating the power of the PlayStation 3. Add in the weather effects, in-car camera view and day/night transitions and you have an awe-inspiring racing game that not only shows how far we have come, but why we should have made this progress to begin with. It’s not consistent, however, and the game can be quite ugly and jarring at times, too.

A good example of the jarring graphics. This WRC car looks good... until you notice the inside of the front wheel.

The obvious issue is the difference between the cars. Gran Turismo 5 has a wealth of cars that is arguably too many but respectful in the way it celebrates car engineering as I alluded to when discussing my games of 2010. Within its 1000-plus lineup exists what Polyphony call Standard and Premium vehicles. Premium cars come with all the bells and whistles, featuring immaculate replications of stunning cars such as Ferraris and Lamborghinis with meticulously detailed interiors, the ability to drive them using the in-car view, and more polygons than should be allowed for each car. There are about 200 of them, and they truly are a sight to behold. The Standard vehicles, on the other hand, are appallingly low-res and look, frankly, terrible. Their windows are tinted so interiors don’t have to be modeled; it’s impossible to drive them with the in-car view; and their shapes are nowhere near as smooth as the Premium selection, featuring jagged edges, blurry lines and a generally rough appearance. They scream Gran Turismo 4 fidelity rather than the pristine presentation of GT5, meaning that yes, they are essentially last generation cars. Considered separately the difference is irrelevant and, as a flaw, can be mostly overlooked, but every time you do an event in a Premium car and then need to switch to a Standard one, the contrast is jarring and the game jolts you back into reality, reminding you that you’re playing a videogame. Basically it’s the uncanny valley issue rearing its head again but instead of taking you out of the immersion of another game, here it just stuns you momentarily before you remember the pathetic difference between cars and resume racing. The contrast -- ugly as it is -- isn’t the problem here; instead, it stands out as inexcusable because of how long Gran Turismo 5 was in development, and because it is at such incredible odds with what the game and, indeed, the franchise has always tried to be: the pinnacle of graphical progress.

The cars aren’t the only area of the game where this discrepancy lies, however; tracks also contain jarring differences that are not only baffling, they impede on the enjoyment of the game. As gorgeous as the Madrid street circuit or the High Speed Ring are, it means nothing when tracks like the Top Gear Test Track, Laguna Seca and Circuit De La Sarthe (Le Mans) have flat, blurry textures, 2D ‘paper’ trees* and crowds with boxy heads and faces. Seeing the aforementioned Premium cars zoom around while the grass looks like it has been filled in using Microsoft Paint is not only an insult to the game’s credibility and Sony/Polyphony’s strong focus on leading the way with technology, it strongly affects enjoyment of the game seeing what feels like something from the PlayStation 2 era featuring so prominently on the PS3. When you consider that the Top Gear track in particular gets showcased on the game’s main menu screen sporadically, it’s simply inexplicable. Had Gran Turismo 5 released when it was originally supposed to way back in 2007 or even in 2008, the problem wouldn’t be as apparent and it wouldn’t be such a scar on an otherwise pleasant racing experience. Since it came out in (late) 2010 instead, after so many other racing games upped the ante and matched -- if not outclassed -- the GT franchise visually, the issue is appalling and a severe letdown to those who were expecting it to, like every other installment in the franchise before it, once again lead the way and pioneer, pushing the graphical -- not to mention photo-realistic -- limits possible in the virtual space.

Changing focus now, the aspects that were heavily marketed are a letdown as well. As nice as it is to finally have inclusions such as damage and weather, it’s beside the point if they’re not executed well or come across as if their implementation was rushed. Strangely, damage doesn’t even exist until you’ve reached a certain level (40, to be precise) in the game meaning that only the dedicated are going to get to experience the addition, despite the incessant requests for it to be included over the years. Casual players and those who just want to drive some exquisite cars around some lovely locations won’t get to see the damage modeling the way it was intended -- where bumpers and the like can come off -- and instead will only get to see the unrealistic (and, it has to be said, jarring given the otherwise impressive visuals) bounces and bumps -- with no visible affect to the presentation of the car -- that the Gran Turismo series is synonymous with. They might, if they’re lucky, start to see some scrapes and scratches if they make it past level 10 or so but, like the entirety of the damage model anyway, it will remain cosmetic at best and doesn’t change the experience of playing the game. Speaking of which, this superficial damage -- one of the biggest touted features in the lead up to the game’s release -- isn’t even the best we’ve seen in the genre, once again disappointing anyone who expected it to live up to its predecessors’ prestige. Weather and night racing were the other big elements celebrated before launch, the suggestion being that they were new to the series and included to satisfy those wanting them ever since Gran Turismo 4. They’re not new, however, with night racing existing in every single installment since the original game in the Super Special Stage courses, and wet roads (read: no dynamic weather, that is new) also appearing along the way as well. What this means is that the former is false advertising -- though admittedly, racing as day transitions to night is new and absolutely stunning too -- in terms of how its implementation was implied, and the latter already catered to the difference wet driving can have on the gameplay experience, people (and seemingly Sony too) have just appeared to have forgotten about it. So that makes both features not new, then, though to their credit they are what they should have been from the get-go, alleviating some of the issues that this attempt at marketing arose. That doesn’t make them perfect, however, with night’s appearance looking blurry at times -- particularly while watching replays -- and rainfall being 2D like the trees, not to mention inconsistent (in terms of density) with what you see fall on the windscreen in the in-car view, or the water spray from the tires as a vehicle passes. It’s minor and, personally, I’d much prefer the idea that these additions were finally implemented than for them to be perfect, but it’s worth mentioning anyway, especially considering Sony and Polyphony’s strong focus on trying to be at the forefront of fidelity and innovation. Other games have done it better but they don’t want you to realise it.

Beyond that, elements of the game’s handling physics (which I will explore in a future post); the omission of classic tracks such as El Capitan, Seattle and New York; and archaic problems such as invisible walls (particularly on the Top Gear track) make for a confusing product, one that is so inherently amazing whilst, at the same time, a disappointing and lackluster experience. Gran Turismo 5 is undoubtedly the best game in the series but its flaws are bizarre, its handful of last generation (or worse, beyond) design choices are baffling, and, overall, as a product released in 2010, it’s a game that’s not only a letdown, it’s an inexplicable disappointment.

Why that is remains to be seen; why the game is so good is something I’ll reveal in the next post of this series.


*To be fair, Gran Turismo 5 isn’t the only game to feature 2D ‘paper’ trees. They can be found in its main competitor Forza 3, as well as in games such as Alan Wake. No matter which game they exist in, I always shudder when I find them as it certainly breaks the immersion during play.

Games Of The Year 2010 #1

I was flicking through an older issue of EDGE recently when it dawned on me that, despite only being just over a year old, 2009’s games feel like a long time ago and in some ways, from a different period. They aren’t, obviously, but I suppose it’s the sheer quantity of games that came out in the past year that leaves the impression that the likes of Left 4 Dead 2, Modern Warfare 2 and Uncharted 2 all came out ages ago. Right from the get go 2010 started with a bang, three games coming out that sought attention instantly -- perhaps due to the satisfaction that there were actually things to play after Christmas, instead of the usual dull period everyone is accustomed to. Bayonetta, Darksiders and Mass Effect 2 all came out in January, opening a year that, seemingly, had big-name titles in every single month that followed. It was an incredibly packed year -- we knew it would be as we approached it in 2009 -- and while a lot of titles were probably a let-down in the end, there’s no denying that the general quality we saw in 2010 didn’t just raise the bar for the medium as a whole, it exhibited a shift in the way games were perceived in general -- a step in the right direction. It gets said every time we see GOTY awards but I think it would be fair to say that 2010 was the best year for videogames yet, due to many reasons, so going forward it will be interesting to see how long it is until the bar is raised again. There seems to be a pattern where every three years or so the standard increases with 2001, 2004 and 2007 being sublime examples. Anyway, despite always hesitating with these things I’m here once again with my own nominations for last year’s best games. Unlike most other outlets however, I decide to go ahead with my picks for Games Of The Year because of two reasons: it highlights the games I’m interested in to you guys, allowing you to get to know me a little better; and it lets me explain why I’d like certain elements of these games to be pursued in the future, for better or for worse. It’s an approach that I find interesting simply because I can revisit my thoughts at any time and see if other developers have taken on board some of the great things that were demonstrated in 2010’s games, and it is one that I hope you will enjoy as well. Last year I celebrated Forza 3’s comprehensive dedication to car culture; Uncharted 2’s creation of characters that seemed like friends or companions rather than AI constructs; and Flower’s wonderful, serene combination of emotion, wonder and discovery. This year, I have even more games to look at, starting with the first handful below.

Mass Effect 2

Of all the games I had to pass up on last year -- including titles that were important to me such as Metroid: Other M and Mafia II -- Mass Effect 2 was the one that I deeply regretted. I loved the first game but for some reason forgot just how much, meaning I was interested in the sequel but believed I could ignore it -- a big mistake. I knew ME2 was a quality game due to the critical and commercial acclaim it received, but I still felt comfortable casting it aside until hype started to surround the release of the PS3 version. I played the game’s demo and was instantly reminded of a world that is exactly my kind of thing: a game set in space featuring cool planets, aliens and science fiction. Suddenly, I had Mass Effect fever and since I did actually own the game thanks to a friend who purchased it on my behalf, I immediately requested that he send it to me so I could finally play it. I wasn’t disappointed.

Where the original Mass Effect introduced us to the universe of this new and wonderful franchise, allowing us to learn about its species, planets, politics and personality, Mass Effect 2 allowed us to finally inhabit it. This distinction is small in comparison to the refinement and iteration the game received -- particularly in its mechanics -- but is still crucial in explaining why Mass Effect 2 is so damn compelling. By letting us exist within the universe rather than merely see and hear it, the game does what so many other recent titles have done so well: take us to places we can’t physically visit in reality. When you boil it down the world of BioWare’s space opera is nothing but an illusion -- just as every other game is -- and its characters, locations and general fiction don’t exist, but when you play Mass Effect 2 you truly feel like you’re traversing the galaxy, interacting with these still new and foreign -- but now wonderfully familiar -- species and ultimately learning about a universe that is not only worlds apart (literally) from Earth, but is characterized by a scope and scale that humanity’s home planet just cannot compare to. In the end it may just be a game, but the way in which it puts us in a setting that we’ve only seen and heard of before makes it one of 2010’s best, if not one of the best ever. Incidentally, I'll have more in depth coverage of BioWare's two games in the near future.

Red Dead Redemption

This belongs on the list for so many reasons that have already been discussed elsewhere and, of all the games to have come out in the past year, is easily the one that stands out the most. However, despite its amazing quality it didn’t make as much of an impact on me as I was perhaps expecting and as such, it doesn’t compare to some of the other games you’ll find in my choices. My overall impression of the game could be hindered by the way in which I always feel like I am fighting to enjoy it -- mostly due to outside elements such as a massive spoiler which turned me off the game for a while and my inexperience with the Western genre -- but, whatever the cause, it’s worth mentioning here.

Having said that, I have thoroughly enjoyed Rockstar’s latest and still find surprising new things each time I play, so it’s definitely deserving of a nod here as well as the adoration and respect it’s receiving elsewhere. Red Dead Redemption, I think it would be fair to say, blew everyone away in terms of how effectively it translated a common genre from another medium into our very own, its production values and ability to capture the Western feel being unparalleled in the industry. If anyone was going to achieve such a feat though it was going to be Rockstar, so while its extreme quality was a surprise, the achievement is not. What is a surprise is just how real it all feels while playing. Like Mass Effect 2 the best thing about RDR for me is its ability to not just show us a Western game, but to put us in one and allow us to experience what that is actually like. We’re not observing as John Marston hunts, rides into the sunset or pursues Bill Williamson, we are doing those things and, no doubt, having an absolute blast along the way. We’re not being shown the likes of Armadillo, Blackwater or Mexico, we are visiting those places ourselves, existing within those spaces just as much as -- if not more so -- than the people who actually live there. It’s a distinction that, once again, not only separates RDR from everything else but elevates it to a level that few games can match and is my main reason, I believe, for loving the game as much as I do. I appreciate the things attempted with the narrative (well, what I’ve experienced of it so far anyway) and the advances and refinement demonstrated by the mechanics, but it is Red Dead Redemption’s space and my ability to exist inside it that makes the game one of the best to have come out of last year.

Gran Turismo 5

I find it slightly amusing that now Polyphony Digital’s latest is finally out, everyone has forgotten just how long it took to come. For so long -- years even -- people whined that Gran Turismo 5 was taking too long and jokingly stated that it would be the racing genre’s very own Duke Nukem Forever (and, on that note, look how that turned out…) but now that it is here no one cares and the game has, mostly, been put behind in favour of others. This could be down to the general disappointment that Gran Turismo 5 became, being nothing more than a refined, high definition version of what has come before, or it could be as a result of the always looking forward mentality that gamers and the industry so easily portray, but whatever the reason it’s as amusing as it is ironic and interesting to observe. Personally and not surprisingly given who I am, Gran Turismo 5 hasn’t been forgotten and in fact is a game constantly on my mind despite having not played it in a while. Its release brings about so many intriguing things to consider, not least of which is its dedication to the passion for and celebration of the automotive industry.

More than anything else, Gran Turismo has always been about the cars: the speed, the technology, the thrill, and the engineering. This is evident in Gran Turismo 5, too, right from the opening clip. You can have your racing and celebrity drivers; in Gran Turismo, the cars take center stage and nothing else. Whether it’s a small, slow and agile car like the Mazda MX-5 or a supercar like the Pagani Zonda, each car has the chance to shine in Gran Turismo and each car is worth a drive. The original game brought with it the moniker of ‘The Real Driving Simulator’, a phrase that implied that no other game gave you a realistic simulation of what it was like to drive these cars, fast, around the various circuits. With Gran Turismo 5, that definition changes and instead represents what it means to simply drive: nothing more, nothing less. Sure, the driving is still done on the track and the game is still structured the same as it ever was, but after GT’s competition stepped up and, in some instances, overtook the successes of Polyphony’s famous franchise, the ethos changed and, upon doing so, changed the series -- a move that was necessary, and one that separates the game from anything else. It may go unnoticed when the game’s graphics, quantity of cars and tracks, and new additions such as NASCAR, WRC and weather effects take up all the attention, but the difference is there, subtly, and defines Gran Turismo 5 as a shift in the franchise. Whether this change proves to be successful remains to be seen, but it is this passion and celebration of cars that puts Gran Turismo 5 on my list, and makes me excited to not only revel in such adulation in the months to come, but excited for what the next installment will bring too.

Alan Wake

When I previewed this game, I made sure to be clear on just how important its emphasis on telling a good, mature story was to me. Now that I’ve played it and can reflect on my thoughts, I’m delighted to see that it delivered on my expectations.

Alan Wake was a disappointment to a lot of people. Its long and arduous development period, combined with exaggerated hype, ensured that people wanted more from the game than it was probably capable of delivering, ending up in a fair bit of criticism as it fell short. That’s not to say Alan Wake is a bad game -- far from it in fact -- it’s just, people expected one thing and ultimately got another, and this left a lot of people feeling unsatisfied. From its somewhat strange collectibles to the linear level design -- a direct conflict to the open-ended structure it was originally revealed to have -- what we got with Alan Wake wasn’t what we thought it would be, and yet, somehow, it was at the same time. Right from the start Alan Wake promised to tell a decent, mature story, featuring characters that we could relate to and a setting that was both awe-inspiring and natural. The final product delivered on all these fronts, telling a tale that while not new in other mediums was certainly new territory for games; using characters who, despite the supernatural elements of the game, were grounded in reality; and gave us a small, quaint town in Bright Falls in which we could inhabit, get to know the locals and, in my case, ultimately fall in love with. On this last point, the game dropped the ball a little by focusing so much on the light/dark mechanic, setting most of the game at night and ensuring that I couldn’t fully enjoy the beauty of Bright Falls, but this point is minor and I still came away satisfied with my visit. Even more enjoyable was the story, its realism -- even if inaccurate in terms of its depiction of a writer -- resonating with me where so many other games fail. Instead of flair and spectacle, Alan Wake had a sense of elegance and poignancy to it, something that was enhanced by the subdued nature of its tale of a couple trying to get away from their everyday life for a break, and by the laidback, happy attitudes of Bright Falls’ residents. Sure it has a strong element of supernatural, perhaps horrifying spectacle, but despite its prominence in the overall story -- particularly in the later stages of the adventure -- it can be overlooked when considering the realities demonstrated in the game, and what they mean for games going forward. It wasn’t the best story in gaming and the ways in which it was told were inconsistent, but the fact that it was telling a story in the first place makes it a game that I didn’t just enjoy, but one I hope is considered in the future as more and more developers shift their focus away from the bombast and flamboyance, and towards the potential of interactive storytelling.

Donkey Kong Country Returns

How do you take a series of games that, while fondly remembered, hasn’t been relevant for well over a decade and whose genre has moved on in a multitude of ways since? Donkey Kong Country Returns is how, and Retro’s latest game is a demonstration of how to take a quality product of years ago and give it the modern sensibilities necessary to make it successful today.

The Donkey Kong Country trilogy was an amazing series of platformers that gave Mario a run for his money more often than not, if not in design than certainly in personality. They took a character that, while well-known, didn’t have the popularity the Italian plumber did, changed his perception from antagonist to lovable brute, and set him forth on adventures of bananas, evil crocodiles and the constant need to spell his (last) name. What followed was a fanbase and, as the years progressed nostalgia, leaving anyone who tried to revive the franchise with a lofty reputation to live up to. If you were going to choose anyone to give it a try it would be Retro Studios and, fast forward to the game’s release, you have a product that doesn’t just allow people to indulge in the familiarity of a series that they hold dear, but one that brings it to the modern era and establishes it amongst its more recent peers. And it is that word, modern, that summarises everything that’s good about Donkey Kong Country Returns: you’re still playing on a mostly 2D plane, going from left to right, collecting bananas and coins and jumping on the heads of your foes, but you’re doing it with better graphics and sound, and with level design that has had years of refinement and experimentation, rather than levels that emulate from one source. It’s a reinterpretation of what it means to be a Donkey Kong Country game, whilst still being a Donkey Kong Country game and as such it gave everybody what they wanted: it brought the franchise into the current times and made it relevant again, pleasing Nintendo; it let people relive their childhood whilst also experiencing a new direction for the series, pleasing the fanbase; and put the series -- and thus, Retro’s talent -- on par with its peers of today, pleasing the Texas based studio. It is everything you could want from a reboot and the example of how it should be done should any other developer, and any other franchise, decide to attempt a similar thing in the future.

***

So, the possibility to visit places that we can’t in reality, a loving nod to and respect for all things automotive, and a demonstration of how to make something from the past important in the present (and, I hope, the future). An interesting, if eclectic, mix of games then, all worth playing and worth considering. You may have noted that I have been fairly quiet about these titles despite expressing my love for them. This will change in the near future as I have a lot to say on each of them, and will be posting those thoughts up as soon as I can.

Stay tuned for part two tomorrow.

Silent But Deadly

Resident Evil 5 is a controversial entry in the long-running franchise, dividing its audience by iterating on the fabulous additions its predecessor Resident Evil 4 brought to the table whilst also taking the series in a direction that is a far cry from its original roots. Action and spectacle are the order of the day, leaving scares and a general feeling of eeriness by the wayside. Co-operative play was the game’s central focus, and while what that means is the subject for another post, the end result is a fun, impressive installment in the franchise that just isn’t scary, period -- not a criticism in its own right, but when considered alongside the franchise’s history, it is definitely something worth contemplating.

Contrast and compare this with Alan Wake -- a game which I’ll have more about soon -- and its emphasis on atmosphere and ambience to create an eerie, uneasy experience where you never know what to expect, what will happen and, more importantly, when. Alan Wake’s model is the more commonly seen amongst today’s supposedly scary games, the genre’s reliance on atmosphere in particular reaching varying degrees of success. This is the model that Resident Evil established itself on, and while that series used cheap “Boo!” scares to scare its players, it still paved the way for games like Alan Wake. Both Resident Evil 5 and Alan Wake are loud games, then, in that there’s always a haunting score or chilling sound effect to be heard, and disturbing, omnipresent darkness or growling, menacing enemies to fight. The moments of silence are quickly punctuated by the sounds of the unknown, and the vividly black darkness soon gives way to sudden bursts of light, usually at the same time as an enemy overwhelms you with its attacks. It’s visceral, it’s definitely immersive, but it’s a model that is arguably overdone and loses its impact over time. Something less frequent than loud, moody survival horror games are titles that use silence to create their tone, and cleverly placed aural and visual assets to achieve moments of uncertainty: moments of fear.

I’ve been playing an absolute legend in videogame history recently, its re-release on the Xbox Live Arcade allowing me to finally experience the game fully rather than in short, minimal bursts. Doom II is one of the grandfathers of the first-person shooting genre, its classic status deserved for a multitude of reasons ranging from its impeccable level design to the stupid fun that can be had with its double-barreled shotgun. One element of the game was an unexpected surprise, however, something that I couldn’t get a decent grasp of back when I played it at school or at friends’ houses; Doom II is bloody scary, so much so that I’d argue it is more creepy and daunting than any of the games we see released today. It was scary for the players who got to experience it back in its heyday, and it is scary now, in 2010, when technology’s incredible progress means that the game should have been surpassed years ago.

But it is not scary in the traditional sense, the horror that we normally associate with the Resident Evils and Silent Hills of the world. Instead of haunting sounds and disturbing imagery, Doom II is violent and distinctly alien, the endless onslaught of Cyberdemons and Imps keeping things fast, frantic and inherently fun. Yet, I would argue, the game is the complete opposite of the slow-burn scares of more recognized survival horror games: it might be fast, it might be furious, but it’s also silent and that simple fact makes it far more creepier, freakier and terrifying than any zombie, monster or creature found in a more common horror game.

Silence is something I think is overlooked in the videogame industry and it’s somewhat ironic that a game that was released years ago exemplifies why it should be used more often. When you play Doom II, you do it because you want to shoot some aliens using some pretty damn awesome weaponry, but as you do you enter a world where the mere sound of an Imp that you can’t see; the sudden roar of a Cacodemon as he edges ever closer to you; or the punctuating sound of a Zombieman’s gunfire, gets to you, putting you on the edge of your seat and instilling an overwhelming sense of fear inside you.

Another game achieves a similar result, but again for different reasons. Instead of the lingering atmosphere of the typical survival horror, or the imposing dread of Doom II, Limbo is scary because it is weird; frightening because it is strange; and irrevocably eerie because it is brutally sadistic. Taking full advantage of a minimal presentation and design, and creating its own unique atmosphere through its clever use of silence, Limbo uses things like the harsh reality of death and pensive misery to convey its horror. It’s a game that has more in common with someone’s fear of spiders than it does their fear of an unknown and violent, monstrous enemy; it uses real life objects we take for granted like electricity and elevators to send chills more disturbing than the sight of a beheaded alien down our spines, and it uses the monotonous sounds of baby birds chirping and water dripping to give life to an otherwise dead and gloomy environment. It’s more harrowing than it is horrific; more morbid than malevolent; and more gothic than gruesome, but it’s still just as peculiar and alarming as the best of them, and it achieves its terror through a use of silence that is more black than golden.

But really, that’s little surprise. Death should be the scariest prospect of them all and by reveling in it, Limbo, Doom II and other games like them communicate a sense of fear as effective -- if not more so -- than the omnipresent and overwhelming atmosphere that most horror games provide these days. Loud and proud or silent and sinister -- both have their place and both have amazing power when it comes to making a player hesitate. It’s just a shame the two see such a vast difference in popularity.

A Trio Of Impressions

Three brand new videogames have held a firm grip on my attention lately, two of which are all the rage right now -- Alan Wake and Red Dead Redemption -- and another which is seemingly praised by the community but has otherwise been overlooked (perhaps because of the supposedly bigger titles) ModNation Racers. All three were anticipated by me for various reasons and now that they are here, it has been interesting to not only see if my excitement was justified, but also how I have responded to their remarkably different but thoroughly compelling approaches to entertainment.

All three have inspired some thoughts I will elaborate on in future posts but in the meantime, here is what I have gathered from my initial hours of play.

ModNation Racers

It saddens me, in a way, to admit that I have barely played this, but simultaneously sounds absurd as I've already played it for well over five hours. The first of the three to arrive, ModNation is perhaps the quietest of the bunch: a nice combination of racing, creativity and personality that is easy to enjoy in short bursts or in longer sessions, but doesn't seem as significant as the other two. Observing the general response people are having to these games reveals that, but I suppose I'm guilty of it too as I haven't touched it since that first session.

But what a session it was! Not only did firing it up allow me to discover a riveting kart-racer, it also pleasantly surprised me with just how easy it was to explore and, more importantly, enjoy every facet of its offerings. Sure it was heavily marketed as an accessible game, its track design tools yielding results far quicker than level creation in LittleBigPlanet, but even so I underestimated the game and perhaps as a direct result I'm enjoying it a lot more. It has already been neat stumbling across recreations of real-world race circuits as well as ones yanked straight out of other games, plus it brought a smile to my face to see Mario and Luigi standing on the podium of the game's ModSpot, where all of the game's modes are accessed and, when online at least, interactions with other players can take place. All in all my first time with the game showed me that it is right up my alley -- as I suspected back when it was announced -- and I definitely look forward to spending more time with it in the future. If only I could pry myself away from...

Red Dead Redemption

One of the reasons I listed as key in my anticipation for this game was the way it could potentially use its space to convey an immersive, believable world, and after spending a decent amount of time with it, I'm happy to report that it has achieved that and has done so with ease. But I suppose I shouldn't be all that surprised; Rockstar are renowned for their attention to detail and intricate design when it comes to capturing a theme, period, era or all of the above. Whether it's in the school yard or a bustling city, they always manage to achieve a certain atmosphere and ambiance, and it's certainly no different in Red Dead Redemption. I realise that might sound a little hyperbolic but I definitely think that is one of the company's best attributes, regardless of whether the games that exist within those spaces are any good or not. Speaking of which, being such a large game, I hesitate to try and grasp my opinion on it until I've played more, so more thoughts in the future.

One thing I will admit though is that the game has been incredibly overwhelming. Not only have I had to learn new mechanics, dynamics, characters and locations as you would in any new videogame, I've had to do it all whilst also learning about what a Western is all about. As I also mentioned in my anticipation post, I am completely new to any thing and all things Wild West, having never experienced the genre before playing Red Dead Redemption. Living under a rock as I do, everything Rockstar's latest game has presented to me so far has been completely new, and that's why it has been a touch overwhelming. I've handled it -- it's not the kind of thing that you can't handle -- but it has still been interesting as I've reflected on everything I have experienced so far. The good news is that my curiosity for the Western has been piqued and I'd like to play more, so that's precisely what I will do. For months, I suspect; because games like these are more like secondary lifestyles than simple experiences -- but I'll elaborate on that in another post.

Alan Wake

Despite my intrigue with Red Dead Redemption and indeed the incessant conversation, praise and post-hype that surrounds it at the moment, Alan Wake has been the most enjoyable game of the trio so far. I'm reluctant to think about why that is, however, as I'm uncertain if my desires to play it -- lasting as long as the game was in development -- are influencing my opinion or not, but that's something to contemplate once the game is finished.

What I can say is that I really appreciate the more realistic characters I've come across so far; the sheer beauty that Bright Falls exudes (at least, during the day) and the genuine scares it has induced in me thus far. If you will recall, I wanted it to scare me or keep me on the edge of my seat, to tell me a compelling story, and I wanted Bright Falls to be a place that I enjoyed visiting -- omnipresent darkness be damned. So far, at the conclusion of the game's third episode at least, Alan Wake has achieved all of this, but we'll see how things go as I continue on.

Despite my messy, rambling impressions of each game so far, there's one conclusion I can offer after spending time with these games: I have a good understanding of what I want in the videogames that I play, and these three have delivered that superbly so far. I'll explain what I mean by that after I've played the trio some more.

Preview Power: Alan Wake

[Part of a series of smaller posts that I'll be doing about various upcoming games. I don't jump on board the hype train too often, but when I do I like to think that there's a pretty significant reason for why, and in this series I will attempt to explain my anticipation for each game.]

In just a few days Alan Wake will finally come out. After years of waiting for it to not just be released but to be revealed in more detail, it would be safe to say that anticipation -- my anticipation -- is running pretty high right now. Here is a game that I’ve been interested in ever since it was announced, with the few pieces of information known about the game before E3’s (re)reveal last year piquing my curiosity and suggesting to me that it was worth keeping an eye on. So before I savour the moment next week, just why is the game on my radar?

So far this generation there hasn’t been that many games focused on scaring players. Despite the odd exception, Survival Horror doesn’t really seem relevant anymore or a priority for the various developers out there. I won’t say too much because I plan to elaborate in an upcoming post, but Alan Wake seems like a game that will scare me, and that alone is enough to put it on my radar. From what I’ve heard, it’s not just cheap scares ala early Resident Evil titles; the game really seems to emphasise the eerie, its light and dark mechanics adding to the isolation and hesitation that such an atmospheric experience should deliver. I don’t expect a thrill ride nor do I expect a game where what you don’t see is scarier than what you do; I just want a game that puts me on the edge of my seat, gets my heart pounding and draws me in through my uncertainty with what I will come across next.

Another reason I’m anticipating the game is due to its more realistic approach to story-telling. Yes it is a bit cliché, the idea of an author’s stories coming true nothing we haven’t seen before, but in the context of videogames where the fantastical is apparently more important than anything else, its emphasis on a more believable setting with characters who seem like they might be easy to relate with is enticing to me. Strangely enough, I actually kind of view the game in a similar light to that of Heavy Rain -- I was looking forward to that for a similar reason, its attempt to tell a mature tale with engaging characters eventually delivering an experience I’ve already covered elsewhere -- so it will be interesting to see if Remedy can deliver on my expectations like Quantic Dream did.

Lastly and what probably won’t surprise anyone anymore, I am also eager to see how it uses its space. The changes between a linear and open-world and then seemingly back again for the final product has been intriguing to me, and I’m interested to see how it has finally turned out. The town of Bright Falls also seems interesting, its idyllic, picturesque environments something I’m eager to explore. From what I’ve heard from a few people who have already played the game, its structure sounds not unlike BioShock’s Rapture: a linear experience that still contains a nice amount of exploration -- and considering how much I love that franchise, I see absolutely nothing wrong with that if the vibe I’ve picked up on is correct.

All in all, Alan Wake has been on my radar for as long as it has been in development, so it goes without saying that the day I get to finally put it into my Xbox 360 will be an exciting day indeed. Can’t wait.