Viewing entries tagged
animation
Not long after I'd finished playing Stray, someone asked me if it was any good, with the implication being that this was nothing more than a meme. It's no surprise that any game featuring a cat as its main character would garner a lot of internet attention, but I tend to stay away from those kinds of things and hadn't seen a single meme during my time with the game. Thankfully I was able to respond with the clarification that this is indeed, more than just a meme.
When I was younger, I had dreams of writing and drawing my own comic book (or 'graphic novel' if you will), but it always seemed like more work than I was willing to put in. I wasn't the fastest artist in the land and producing that much art regularly and quickly enough to keep the whole thing moving was a bit overwhelming. Although, I'm not one to be put off so easily, and I tried out a few alternate methods, which came with their own levels of success and complication.
I know it might not seem like it at times, but I try to keep these posts stacked into the positive column a little more than the negative. After all, I often want to share the joy a game can bring instead of the pain, so even though I have been known to complain here and there, I like to think that the overall vibe of this blog is one of enjoyment and optimism. However, just saying that kind of gives away how much of a big old "but" might be coming along in this particular post.
Are all games art? Or are art games actually games? How much art makes a game art instead of a game? At what point does a game with great art become nothing like a game, leaving only the art? What if the art is split between visuals and music, while the game focuses on generic elements, overshadowed by the art? When does a game become art, or when does art become a game? After all, games are an artform, but they rarely contain beautiful art.
I know a lot of people out there like to tick a lot of boxes with their games. It's why we have games that shove in as many collectables and modes as possible, with no regard to their quality. On the other hand, it's why I've often heard people complain about games that focus too much on a single element, even if they pull it off superbly. Why then, does everyone love Gorogoa so much?
These days there seems to be a regular turnover of silly little games that end up doing the rounds on every YouTube and Twitch channel you can find. Most of the time they're just thoughtless meme games that allow whatever personality to act like a bit of an idiot for the entertainment of others, so I tend to avoid paying attention when these kind of games surface. I never felt compelled to play Goat Simulator, and I doubt I ever will. So why did a short little game about a goose catch my eye?
Welcome back to the land of beautifully realised, small-scale, narrative gaming excellence. I'll never ceased to be amazed at how a great little game can stick with you far beyond an average big game. Then again, we all know that sometimes good things really do come in small packages.
Normally I wouldn't bother talking about a visual novel, as most of them follow the same kind of format. The only things that generally matter for me in the genre, are whether the story is interesting enough, and if the art is any good. In fact, I think the latter might be all it takes to get me interested.
Lately it might seem as though the only innovations made in narrative game design, have been from the so-called 'walking simulator' end of town. A lot of games enhance their narrative side by removing gameplay elements, which sometimes works, but often ends in boredom. However, keeping in gameplay doesn't automatically fix the problem.
Across all forms of media, a reboot can be a risky undertaking. The good ones revitalise an idea and bring it up to date with modern techniques and technologies. While the bad ones leave fans of the original betrayed and wronged for having their beloved art bastardised into something else. Unfortunately it seems like a lot of reboots fall into the bad category, but I actually enjoy rebooted video games for a number of key reasons.
For the longest time, I didn't have a console in the house to play games on. Since the SNES I had been a PC gamer, but when the shiny new Playstation 3 was released, I knew it was time to dive back in. One of the first games I played on this fancy new generation was Ninja Theory's hack and slash Heavenly Sword. It was the pinnacle of graphics, but suffered from a short campaign with uninspired combat. I didn't care at the time, because I was blown away by the experience, so continuing the journey with Enslaved: Odyssey To The West couldn't go wrong.
Remember those old Apple Mac computers that were cutting edge in the mid-90s? They had this native program where you could put a bunch of clip art style images on a page and make them interactive and animated. I spent too much time making basic hidden object games when I was in school, but the process was satisfying and really allowed for some creative thinking. Now imagine that same type of game, with the modern power of an engine like Unity and you'll get the idea behind Hidden Folks right away.
