E3 2013 Winners

I know this is about a week late, but I just got a keyboard for my iPad so I can finally update from home!  This is the list of games that we simply can't wait for.

1)  Final Fantasy XV  -  This game has me beyond excited.  Everything about it has me excited; from the graphics, music, summons, to what I could catch from the story line, and the fact that the characters are adults.

Some may dismiss FFXV as not being a true Final Fantasy, but I think these people are too quick to judge.  We know very about the combat system.  In the in-game footage, you can see what looks to be a character stats hub and what appears to be an Active Time Combat system.

SqureEnix gave us no release date, but my best guess is that this game is at least two years away.

2) Metal Gear Solid 5 - I must admit, I had written off the MGS series.  For some reason, the futuristic games (2 & 4) never appealed to me, but I can't say the same about this one.  This game looks incredible.  The scene in this trailer where snake is in the take looks absolutely photorealistic.  As does when he's riding the horse.

The more I hear, the more I like.  One if the producers said, if MGS 4 was a movie, then MGS 5 is a TV show.  To me, that is perfect.  I always wished video games were paced more like TV shows, to give the story more room to grow and to give the narrative more room to explore.  Think about how much deeper the Star Trek series can get (especially DS9) compared to the Trek movies.  Movies are basically all action, with little emotional attachment, where TV shows can, in-depth, explore complex character relationships.  

3) The Witcher 3 - I must say, I've never heard of this game.  I don't know what a Witcher is.  But seriously, watch this demo.  The graphics are stunning, and I love the setting.  LOTRS style RPG? Yes, thank you.  I'm amped for the next generations of video games, and this game personifies why.

The Xbox One, NSA, and Privacy

Details on the Xbox One were released yesterday, and it seems people aren't thrilled.  Compared to video games today, the XBO places serious restrictions on what we can and cannot do with "our" video games.  Digital surveillance is a major issue in American politics today, and just today the topic has received major attention.  I love video games because they are a fantastic escape to the imagination,  and usually I will keep politics away from this blog, however, these two worlds are meeting in a big way right now, so I'm going to analyze the issues that face this industry and our society.

First, "owning" a video game is uncommon today.  You may think you are buying a video game when you buy a video game, but in reality you are renting a license.  These big companies want as much control as possible, and they don't want you modifying, pirating, or distributing their games without their permission.  I understand that piracy is an issue, and developers and publishers deserve to make a profit, but I feel they don't see the pitfalls of being too controlling.  These restrictions are extremely harmful to the culture that can form around a beloved video game.  Take for example the culture that resulted from the freedom of access in games like Half-Life, Starcraft, Neverwinter Nights and The Elder Scrolls series gave the user.  The developers essentially gave the end user all the tools and code that they used to create the game.  Perhaps the developers didn't have much choice at the time, but regardless people put a lot of energy into these games, tweaking and designing levels, and developing a sense of ownership too.

It's tricky to balance giving access - on one hand the company sees little money from the mod community, and on the other people become passionate and deeply involved in these games. The developers will see improved hype, sales, and loyalty on the sequel.   I'm sure EA makes a lot of money selling Call of Duty multiplayer maps, but, I argue, it be equally beneficial in terms of brand loyalty to open up their games.

How many of us have fond memories of trading video games with our friends, or taking a fist full of old games down to Game Exchange (or whatever) and trading them for a new title.  As a child I found Chrono Trigger in mint condition at a pawn shop for $12.  Kids in the future won't have the opportunity to feel that sort of excitement, at least with Xbox One games.

The Wii U doesn't have these sort of restrictions, but if Nintendo could go back and redesign its system, would they?  Sony hasn't announced their used game policy either.  After the shitstorm Microsoft has endured, Sony would be fools to follow suit.  If all game companies adopted polices that mirror Microsoft's, which is one day likely, I'm afraid it would choke out the fun, creativity, and childlike excitement that comes with video games.  In short, people don't like being told what to do with something they feel is theirs, even if technically it isn't.

Another huge mistake Microsoft is making, in the name of control, is requiring a broadband internet connection.  20% of Americans, and countless others around the world, simply don't have access.  Soldiers overseas, many of whom are passionate gamers, rarely have broadband.  Some college dorms will not let students hook up game consoles to their broadband internet.  This is one issue I see resolving itself, as I believe the free market will force Microsoft to realize it's seriously fracturing its consumer base.

Finally, there is the always operating Kinect, which I have major issues with, especially after this week's press release.  For the XBO to function, it is mandatory that the Kinect is plugged in and functioning on your system.  They say it's not always watching you, or listening, but it will hear you whenever you say "Xbox, on" to turn the system on.   So, we know it has to capacity to always listen.  This announcement coincides with the news this week, which is that basically everything you have ever done digitally is in government hands.  Microsoft says "Privacy is our #1 priority," but that doesn't fly with me anymore.  If there is data out there, you can safely bet that the government will find a way to it, all in the name of "public safety."  What's to keep the government from forcing Microsoft from turning on the Kinect if it deems you suspicious?

2013 is the year that our digital rights either die, or are earned.  As it stands, we, as citizens of America and a digital world, have a serious fight on our hands.  Let me say that the government can and does add a lot of good for us on a daily basis.  However, our country has this terrorist mentality where we see terrorists all around us.  Do you know what kills more people than terrorists?  Texting.  That's right, terrorists wish they could kill as many people as texting and driving kills.  I'm not saying that there  aren't bad people out there who want to murder us, but usually their own incompetence gets in their way.  Most terrorists are idiots, and I mean that literally.  The government doesn't want our data for public safety they want it to make their job is easier.

I am disappointed in Google, Apple, and the other tech companies for not fighting for us more.  I was foolish to ever be surprised that they would ever willingly turn over our data.  I remember when Google swore that our data was sacred to them; that they would never turn it over until it was absolutely necessary.  Now there is a story that YouTube (Google) is complying with British government to remove protest videos.

Me, you, and everyone: we need to demand that our rights be protected.  Make a ruckus.  Honestly, the only politician I see fighting for us is Elizabeth Warren.  Vote the rest of them out, and don't ever vote for a Democrat or Republican.  To the Libertarians and Liberals who have become disenfranchised with the Democrats: we need to work together in the areas of common interest: privacy, police power, drones, and the separation of corporation and state.

Replay Review: The Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening

Link's Awakening is another classic brought back to life on the 3DS eStore.  It was 1998 when I last played this game, and it has aged gracefully.  One thing that sticks out to me in this game vs other Zelda titles is the humor and Nintendo in-references.

The game takes place soon after the events of A Link to the Past.  Our hero is on board a ship during a turbulent thunderstorm, and becomes shipwrecked on an island.  Upon awakening, he discovers that in order to leave the island he must wake the the Wind Fish, who can neither fly nor is a fish.  The adventure takes him on a journey to discover the 8 magical instruments which will wake the Wind Fish.  This is the first game where music plays a pivotal role, and is also the first appearance of the ocarina, which plays a bigger role in future stories.  

This game is funny.  It never felt like a chore to speak to the NPCs, because they always had something humorous to say.  "Why are you asking me, I'm just a kid?", was a common response when speaking to youngsters.  The boss monologues were often funny as well, adding a bit of personality to each level.  This is also the only game in the series, as far as I can tell, where all the bosses have something to say.  

The Mario references in this game were particularly brilliant.  This game, like Mario 2, takes place in a dream, and some of the characters are brought over, like the Mario 2 end boss, Wart.  Mario also makes an appearance, in all but name only.  Marin is obviously Mario, as he's a plump mustached man, who eats a mushroom and turns into a raccoon.  Luigi, Peach, Kirby, and goombas all show up as well.  The game goes as far to include Mario-like underground areas, complete with trippy music.  

Like many old school games, this one is hard.  Lord help you if you miss the Yoshi doll at the beginning.  Some of the enemies later in the game hit hard too, zapping 4 hearts with a single hit.  Upon completing the "Color Dungeon," I chose the offense tunic, but regretted that choice in the later dungeons.  The seashells are quite well hidden, as I only found 14 out of the 28.  There were a few occasions that I had to google where to go next.  

Verdict: This classic handheld stands up today.  It's a unique Zelda adventure, made in a time before Nintendo solidified what a Zelda game was.  For around $5 on the 3DS eStore, it's a worthy investment.  9/10

As I Live and Breathe...

Greetings, fellow geeks!  I'm excited to welcome you this here shiny new blog, Analog Love Song.  In this corner of the web we like to discuss topics related to all things geek, including, but not limited to, gaming (both video and board), comic books, music, TV shows and movies.  Lets face it, if there is a thing, there is a geek who likes it.  

My name is Ben, and I've been a gamer since I can remember.  I got my first system, the NES, when I was only a few years old.  This was when games were games, and only the tough and patient beat games.  If you were lucky, a game would give you a save passwords, which were 28 digits long and scribbled in a notebook.  Ergonomics were a fantasy.   Video games were only just becoming mainstream, and I consider myself lucky by being raised in this era.  I loved and played most classics, including Mario 1, 2 and 3, Kid Icarus, anything Mega Man (2 & 3 being my favorite), Double Dragon, Zelda 1 & 2 (I still remember my parents buying me The Adventures of Link), Dig Dug, Duck Tales, Bubble Bobble, Metroid and Castlevania.

I grew up, and so did video games.  The SNES generation came along, which is the one I look back on most fondly.  Gaming in this era became more refined as it broke the restraints of 8-bit.  Just as the NES era gave us different genres like RPG, platform, adventure, fighting and racing, the SNES era perfected them.  The SNES's rich, lush graphics and excellent sound chip allowed developers the freedom to explore the creativity this medium employs.  This is also the generation where Nintendo, and other Japanese studios, hit their stride as developers, which extended into the PlayStation days.  Today, many people are frustrated with Nintendo because, looking back, it's easy to see the bold, unbounded creative force Nintendo once was.  They made creating hits, like Mario World, Yoshi's Island, Zelda: A Link to the Past, Mario Kart, Super Metroid, and Star Fox look easy.   Favorite games of this generation also include: Chrono Trigger(!), Mario RPG, Pilotwings, Donkey Kong Country 1 & 2, Earthworm Jim, Mega Man X 1, 2, and 3, and Turtles in Time.

I had an old school GameBoy, but I didn't use it much, as I didn't like the screen. It was awful.  I don't see how they were considered portable gaming.  You couldn't play it in the car.  You had to sit directly under a light, not move, to see the four shades of green blurring across the screen.  The GameBoy Lite was a vast improvement, but it wasn't until the GameBoy Color that I got into the handheld.  Favorite handheld games - Links Awakening, Pokemon, and Kirby's Dreamland.

We enter the N64 era.  One of my most cherished memories was playing Mario 64 for the first time at Toys'R'Us.  This game is a serious classic (I wish they would HD it and rerelease it).  I also have fond memories of playing Pioltwings 64, Turok, Shadows of the Empire, Ocarina of Time, Mario Kart 64, Star Fox 64, Blast Corps, Goldeneye, Banjo and Kazooie, Killer Instinct, and all the WCW and WWF games (I was a wrestling geek back then too), especially No Mercy, which was the pinnacle of the wrestling games.  As good as the 64 Bit era was, it was also the era that Nintendo began to lose steam, particularly in the later years of the system.  Yoshi's Story left me sorely disappointed, as did Donkey Kong 64.  I feel Nintendo made a mistake by choosing cartridges, as 3rd party developers began to prefer CDs because video was becoming more important.  

I was a dedicated Nintendo gamer until I first played Final Fantasy 7.  FF7 was a magical game, with graphics out of this world, and a soundtrack I still listen to.  Looking back, it perhaps wasn't a huge surprise that I changed my preference, as I wanted to play games from my favorite RPG company, Squaresoft.  I was amazed by the PlayStation graphics and sheer amount of creative titles.  MGS, FF7, 8, 9, Mega Man Legends, Chrono Cross, Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Ape Escape,  Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Skull Monkeys, Xenogears, Parasite Eve, Brave Fencer Musashi, and Dead or Alive occupied my evenings.  Playing these classics today is still charming, as the graphics haven't aged well, but the fun factor is still there.

Suddenly, I had two loves in gaming: Nintendo and Sony.  However, I was growing up and found myself playing more mature games, rather than Nintendo games.  Everything changed when Halo came out.

I remember watching the tech demo for Halo, well before Microsoft bought the rights.  I was super excited, and when I learned Microsoft bought the rights, I preordered the Xbox.  I had the Xbox and Halo on day one, with an extra controller.  Two days later, my friends had chipped in and we had 4 controllers. Every day after school we would get together and play for hours.  I had played first-person shooters before (usually Half-Life mods) but none as beautiful, or with the physics of Halo.  This game seriously blew me away.  Other Xbox games I played: Knights of the Old Republic, Halo 2, and Fable.

I remember being a freshman in college and playing a lot of Gamecube, particularly Super Smash Bros. Melee.  I liked the Gamecube.  Wind Waker was my favorite game for the system.  Super Mario Sunshine left me somewhat disappointed.  Nintendo began its descent at the end of the N64 era, and during the Gamecube era.  I don't know why, but 3rd party developers just didn't make games for Nintendo anymore.  The other systems were viewed as more mainstream, and Nintendo was becoming niche.  However, there are some real gems for this system, such as Metroid Prime.  Favorite games for Gamecube include: Twin Snakes, Metroid Prime, Wario Ware, Rogue Leader, Soul Caliber 2, the Resident Evil Remake (truly scary), F-Zero GX, Pikmen 1 & 2, Eternal Darkness (Can't wait for the successor!), and Resident Evil 4.  Looking over this list, maybe the Cube was way better than I give it credit.

I planned on blowing off the PS2 during this generation, between having an Xbox and Gamecube, but the system had the exclusives.  Games I played include: Metal Gear Solid 3, God of War, ICO, Prince of Persia, Final Fantasy X, the Ratchet & Clank Games, the Jax Series (with the first being my favorite), Katamari Damacy, and SSX 3.

I have a hard time escaping the paradigm of consoles while overlooking handheld systems and the PC, so I'll play catch up.  I appreciate the GameBoy Advance.  The elegant silver backlit, foldy system is where my love of handheld gaming began. The Castlevania games, in the style of Metroidvania, blew me away.  I also played the Golden Sun series, Mario Kart Super Circuit, Metroid Fusion & Zero Mission, and Mario and Luigi Super Star Saga.  I never got on board with the DS, although I am catching up on the games I missed out on.

My family got their first PC in 1996, so I was a little late to the party.  Games I played: Warcraft 2, Starcraft, Half-Life, and Age of Empires 1 & 2.  As great as these games are, my biggest love affair was with Team Fortress Classic.  I suspect I sunk more hours in this game than any other single game.  With TFC I entered the incredible, and addicting, world of online PC gaming.

Now we enter the next generation of consoles, the era of motion control and much better graphics: the Wii/PS3/Xbox 360 era.  I was getting older, and my taste demanded gore and FPS.  I basically wanted the PC experience on a console.  The Wii didn't impress me at all, and for once I didn't get the Nintendo system.  It was the lack of HD graphics that killed it for me.  I also needed to play online, which the Wii didn't offer.  I passed on the PS3 too.  It was late to the party, expensive, ugly, and its online capabilities were lacking.  It didn't have many exclusives that impressed me with either. With the Xbox, I knew I was getting the new Halo.  The only game that rivals my time with TFC is Halo 3.  Playing this game online was always great fun. On the 360 I played: Halo 3, Reach, Wars, and ODST, The Orange Box, Mass Effect 1 & 2, Dead Space, Gears of War, Modern Warfare 2, Arkham Asylum, and Bioshock 1 & 2. 

As strong as Xbox 360 started, somewhere along the way it began to fall off.  Personally, it had something to do with their online store, indie games, and their focus.  I can see a particular type of gamer loving the Xbox, and that's the type who is super content with Call of Duty and Madden.  These are both quality francises, but my tastes demand creative diversity.  Xbox didn't take many creative risks, and it seemed the makers were more concerned with creating a multimedia hub, selling Xbox live subscriptions, and making war games rather than taking creative risks.

It didn't help that I began to suffer FPS fatigue.  After Halo Reach, I knew I was done with the franchise; it wasn't exciting anymore.  The PlayStation Network was beginning to eclipse Xbox Live as the premier gaming service.  And, little did my conscious mind know, I was beginning to desire old school games again, which the Xbox Arcade was lacking.  I finally sold my Xbox last Christmas, and purchased a Wii U.

So far, the Wii U is straight. I like Nintendo Land, Mario U and the Rayman Demo is tight.  The system, at this point, as an investment.  I think they have their online store set up right, with good incentives to get indie developers making games.  These short $15-$20 games are increasingly becoming more appealing to me.  However, the Wii U isn't currently occupying much of my time.  I wish, in this downtime, they would fill their eStore with classic content.  I don't understand why they are sitting on that goldmine.  Hire a few coders to port classic games to the Wii U, please.  I can't wait for Pikmen 3, Wind Waker HD, Rayman Legends, Game and Wario, Earthbound, Super Luigi U, and Deux Ex.

A system that is occupying much of my time of late is the 3DS.  First, the eStore is flooded with amazing content.  I love having every single Mega Man title on one system, as well as Zelda 1 & 2, Link's Awakening, and Seasons & Ages.  And a graphically enhanced version of Ocarina of Time!  That game is seriously beautiful.  The 3D updates of old NES games is sweet too.  For the 3DS I've been playing: Fire Emblem Awakening, Mario 3D Land, Mario Kart 7, Kid Icuras Uprising, Star Fox 3D, Final Fantasy Theatrhythm, and Pokemon White.  I'm looking forward to playing Donkey Kong 3D, Luigi's Mansion 2, and Animal Crossing: New Leaf.

The other system that I feel really took off is the PS3.  I'm definitely late to the game on this system, but I'm making up for lost time.  Their online store is the best in the business; they have almost all the classics I know and love, but also a thriving indie developer scene.  Lately, I've been going back and replaying old PS 1 & 2 classics, like HD Jax and Daxter, Beyond Good and Evil HD, Xenogears, and Crash Bandicoot.  The PSN exclusives are also wonderful, like Flower and Journey.  Full PS3 games I've played are Rayman Origins, Blood Dragon, Ratchet and Clank Future 3, Borderlands 1 & 2, and Ni No Kuni. Ni No Kuni is actually the game that pushed me over to purchasing the system.  It's simply stunning! I'm looking forward to playing Tomb Raider, Guacamelee!, Bio Shock Infinite, and The Last of Us.

I don't want to leave out the recent PC games I play: mainly Civilization V, and I'll get Fez soon enough.

There you have it, my qualifications to talk and analyze video games.  On this blog, I will review video games and analyze video game events.  E3 is starting next week, and I am beyond excited for it.  I can't wait to see what Nintendo has waiting for us.  I'm excited for new PS4 IPs.  I'm curious to see if Xbox One can redeem itself.  See you soon!