RE:View: Risk - The Script

Through an unlikely set of circumstances, I seem to have found myself in possession of a 3 page comedy sketch entitled Risk, with no clue as to who wrote it or how it ended up in a partly torn, partly burnt mess on my front door. With the possibility of this being a leak of a first class comedy writer's highly confidential new project, I had no other journalistic option but to provide an honest and objective review of the mysterious text...

At its core, Risk is based around the classic board/strategy game of the same name, employing tedious sketch tropes into two characters, who very much exist within a one dimensional range of personality. Whilst 'Josh' takes the game way too seriously (cliché war movie dialogue galore), 'Charlie' undermines his silliness with a dry and generally puzzled disposition.

Although peppered with a heavy handed slab of nauseating post-modernism, the actual pacing of Risk isn't too bad, and manages to weave from mediocre joke to mediocre joke with a decent control over escalation: a common sketch convention, which in this case sees us go from Josh walkie-talking with his troops on the board to him spouting lines from Apocalypse Now while being tied to a chair, prisoner-of-war style. From a writer's point of view, it demonstrates at the very least a potential of sustained humour, but from a production perspective, it's hardly a surprise that this script has yet to have been made. Sudden costume changes? Alternating lighting patterns? Precise dice throws? Whatever comedic credit it had built up is squandered by this frankly amateur approach to practicality.

As for the characters, Risk's anonymous writer chose not to stray far from the norm. The 'Sane Guy/Insane Guy' setup is undoubtedly a favourite among troupe legends such as Monty Python and The Kids in the Hall, and is used here in a predictable but no less humorous manner. The problem comes in trying to picture actual actors to bring the schizophrenic dialogue (i.e. sometimes zippy, other times clunky) to life. It's no mean feat, with lines like " I've lost too many damn men to give up now!" and "Dude! You just SPAT on my carpet!" requiring a certain tongue-in-cheek seriousness that only the likes of BriTANick are capable of delivering convincingly. And based on the inexperienced vibe of the writer, it's likely the actual sketch would have relied on hokey performances from disinterested friends.

It's a shame, because when I first read the script I'd thought it to be a quite decent first attempt from a budding writer who was destined for greatness. But upon reflection, it's no wonder I'd found it in the state of tear-stained ruins that it was -- an over eagerness for production and characters had obviously meant that no self-respecting human being in their right mind would want to be immortalised in such a mess, therefore causing the unknown writer to cry themselves into a beautiful metaphor of first-world depression.

1.5/5 Stars

ATR

RE:View: Journey

"Are video games art?" is a question I frequently see posed all around the web. The debate in which whether making something built for interaction is merely entertainment or an actual crafted product of creativity has raged online for a while now, with neither side quite trumping the other. But if Journey, the latest downloadable PSN title from thatgamecompany of Flower fame, is anything to go by, then the battle is substantially over. Journey is quite simply a marvel.

 You play as an unnamed robed traveller, Journeying across a desert wasteland to reach the distant mountain top and fulfill your mysterious destiny. That's it. No back-story, no cutscenes, no dialogue. You're just plopped into this dazzlingly bright world, and told to move in that direction. But it works, delightfully so. This is the kind of game where the less you know the better, so you can fully experience what happens around you as you play.

Thankfully, the back-drops in which you do this are of a very high-class level. Sun flares magnificently off the camera and illuminates the lush sands and stones for which to explore. And whilst the desert-based adventuring quickly changes to some surprising, even vaster and often unsettling climates, the visuals evolve along with it and help to truly immerse you in this odd, mysterious world.


In terms of controls, Journey is again kept bare-bones simple. Move, Fly and Shout are your three options as you navigate your traveller through the game. As you go along, you'll encounter strange creatures and tapestries in an asian-like language, that when brushed pass give you the limited ability to fly swiftly into the air to reach higher-places and glide over the terrain.

The Shout button gives you a personal insignia to broadcast and
interact with things within the world

But the greatest thing throughout Journey is the subtlety in which it takes players along the, well... Journey. As you progress, a little more is learnt about the world around you, and why the pilgrimage being undertook is being undertaken. You won't even notice it while playing, until you take a step back and realise you've been immersed within this game for the last couple hours and are absolutely with it. Naturally, the touching and ghostly score that accompanies the entire game does a lot to help accomplish this, coming out of nowhere at times with what you'd expect to hear in a big dramatic epic. The way it guides you without ever speaking a word is something to really respect in the way of both storytelling and game-making, that unfortunately is becoming less and less common in the age of the FPS and Action Orientated gaming.

And while roaming, you may notice another traveller join you on the unspoken quest. Not an NPC, but a real person, somewhere in the world playing Journey at the same time and in the same place as you. Seamlessly you are hooked up together, with no names given and no means of communication other than the Shout button, a single communication beacon to tap for a response. For me, this was what made the game truly magical: the ability to connect to another human being, watch and react to their little movements on screen, without having any preconceptions or information on who they are. Wondering around with someone like this increased the experience of Journey furthermore, because then everything just felt so real.

Companions

 We had a connection, a shared motif to play. But that's it. And so we Moved and Flew and Shouted together in a graceful harmony of what Journey really stood for. Hell, when one partner left me at a particularly dark part in the game, I was physically saddened and scared for the prospect of carrying on alone. When playing with another, there was this thrill, a sense of being that I'd never had with a game before. And then I reached the glorious final moments of the game, which were as harrowing as they were tremendous, due to me being alone and burdened with actual emotion within myself. It was madness, yet it was beautiful.

And when thinking about Journey, that seems like what it's all about: The Beauty. To give players a ride of awe and wonder with the game's presentation and experimental flow of story, to immerse them with the toppest of notch scores and brilliant execution, and then force them to feel the experience extend past the controller and screen, with the euphoria of an unseen connection whilst all these mechanics merge together to invade the mind and heart.

So when reaching those final few moments of the game, watching the credits roll and then presented once more with the start menu, I just had to stop. I had to think, to reflect, to be. It was quite a shock to have to do that at the end of a video game - I'd only ever experienced that "stare into space and absorb what just happened" moment when finishing an important book or film, but never a game. So you tell me, "Are video games art?"

If you own a PS3, if you can access the Store, and happen to have £10 free, then I believe you owe it to yourself to get Journey. As memorable as it is enjoyable (which is a seriously large amount), Journey is a modern masterpiece in gaming, and proves that you don't need guns and action to have a good time with your console. More than just a game; it's an experience, one that I doubt you'll find anywhere else for the short time it takes to finish. But of course, it's not about the destination...

A real game changer.

5 Stars

ATR

Battlefield 3: Beta Impressions

Overhyped, mayhaps?

The public beta for the highly anticipated Battlefield 3 launched earlier last week, and after a good few hours of hands on time with the demo (via the Xbox 360 version), I think I'm ready to share my thoughts and opinions of the so-called "COD Killer".

   The Beta contains one map, with one game type on, and provides players with an uncapped level limit within the four available classes to go nuts on. The map in question, Operation Metro, is based on a French metro line and the outlying areas. The gametype, Rush (which BF veterans will be accustomed to), has the 16 player attacking team destroying each base to move up to the next one, until all bases are destroyed (in this map's case, it's 5). The 16 player defending team meanwhile, must whittle down the attackers' 100 lives and prevent them from destroying the bases. Simple stuff.

     The map however, is somewhat lacking in "Battlefieldy-ness". By which I mean, it doesn't really contain the core things that Battlefield typically represents itself with, and what sets it aside from the likes of Medal of Honour and Call Of Duty. When entering my first match, I was expecting tanks and helicopters, maybe even a jet or two, to tear up the landscape with. Instead we get... nothing. No vehicles what so ever; not even a quad! Seeing as the vehicular aspect is one of Battlefield's biggest selling points, this really is quite the surprise.

Click To Enlarge

  Then there's the sudden disappearance of the great destructible environments that previous installments have prided themselves on. Don't get me wrong, they're still in there, towards the back end of the map, but it's very minimal all things considered. But still, the close combat corridors of a bombed out tube station provide real tense firefights between the dark, flamelit rails, and can usually more than make up for the sloppiness of the open ended park area at the start of the map.

Thankfully the core gameplay has stayed relatively the same from Bad Company 2. You pick from 4 classes; the heavy MG "Support", sniping "Recon", medical capable "Assault" and of course the "fix 'n' blow up" style of "Engineer". Each has a distinct feel to themselves, and gives a nice tactical element to the play, especially when teaming in a 4-player squad with spawning capabilities.

  New additions to the gameplay include the ability to go prone (very handy when going stealth) and lay down 'suppressing fire' to blur opponents screen. Although only minor features, these make for a more immersive and realistic experience, as you make a slow progressive crawl behind enemy lines or fire off suppressing rounds to cover team mates making a run for the base.

'Prone' to a little sniping, are we?

On the graphics side of things, I can't help but feel a little let down, and there's a good reason for it. You see, all the gameplay we've seen thus far through trailers and such have been taken from the PC version; a system harbouring graphical capabilities well beyond that of regular current gen consoles. And so, as the lack of detail and pop-in texture filters the screen, the sting of deception is naturally felt.


 Connectivity problems are to be expected and getting into a game with the squad you actually joined with is near enough impossible. More than a few times I've had the "loading screen of death", where by quitting and restarting is the only way out. Bugs are unfortunately commonplace throughout matches, with all manner of 'Under The Maps' and a rather hilarious Inception-esque glitch where all dead bodies slide slowly across the floor in a strange, unannounced gravity vortex.

The new Giraffe gametype was a blast

Of course, this is all in the Beta stage, and so most of these problems should be ironed out by the release of the full game at the end of the month (that is one of the main aims of a beta, after all). It just frazzles me why they'd pick such an uncharacteristically Battlefield map to basically sell their game upon. The logical answer is that they're trying to appeal to the Call Of Duty crowd, who just want to shoot at each other with no added gimmicks - but it's those very gimmicks that makes BF the preferred choice in many a gamers' collection.

Although it will undoubtedly sell  millions of copies, this beta has got me a little worried; has Battlefield 3 been overhyped? Can it really overcome the shortcomings of the beta to become the game it's been anticipated to be? Only time will tell; not much mind, as you can expect it to hit shelves (and swiftly leave them to become sold out) October 28th (UK).

ATR


More Games!

RE:Commend: Jetpack Joyride

I'll be kicking off the new RE:Commend (or just "Recommend", for you non-gimmicky types out there) feature with a sweet new iOS (meaning iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad) game that rockets itself ahead of the rest. Jetpack Joyride is the latest iTitle from Halfbrick, the team behind previous Appstore hits such as "Monster Dash" and "Fruit Ninja". In this 69p gem, you'll be steering the good ol' Halfbrick Mascot, Barry Steakfries, through a precarious laboratory full of coins, lazers and awesome power-ups.

   Taking a new spin on the classic "Helicopter Game", this Joyride has you cruising around in crazy jetpacks (machine gun, bubbles, rainbows) to level up through a series of challenges and collect coins to purchase new jetpacks, clothing and power-ups, and ultimately reach the furthest distance. I've wasted a good couple hours (or so the game log says) to this since it was released a couple weeks ago, thanks to its awesomely addictive nature and "just one more" style setup. So if you happen to own a certain iDevice then get downloading, and be prepared for this to become your new go-to game!

DOWNLOAD NOW
ATR

Trailer Tuesday: Games Special 2

As if I haven't said it enough already, the San Diego Comic-Con was on last weekend, and that means new game trailers to go along with it. So, like I did with the E3 ones, I've compiled a lot of them for your viewing pleasure.

First up, Battlefield 3:

Showcasing a new map based in and around the Paris Metro system, as well as tooting their own horn about awards, this trailer has me pumped for the explosive, vast and awesome multiplayer the game has to offer when it releases October 28th.

Zelda returns to Wii! Could this game make me pick up a Wiimote again after all this time?

After over 3 years in development, Star Wars: The Old Republic is finally nearing, and here's a trailer showing off the different classes the new MMO has to offer. I call Smuggler/Jedi! Hey, there should be Jedi Smugglers! *Jots down idea for future writing*

Trailer Tuesday: Games Special

Okay, so I know E3 (annual gaming conference) was last week, but as I was without computer, the slew of new trailers for some awesome new games had to be postponed until this week. No breakdowns, because there simply is not enough time, but maybe a few comments on a select few. Here we go:

Oh Agent 47, how I've missed you. Can't wait to see Hitman hit the current gen after a few years of inactivity, and shall definitely be reminiscing the good times with my Dad (He played, I watched/gave strategic commands).   

The Uncharted series seriously makes me wish with I had a PS3...

And there's more!

RE:View: Stacking

Russian nesting dolls.
 In a game.
 About child labour.

 Now I wouldn't blame you if you thought I was joking here. Seriously, the setup sounds ridiculous, right? Surely it can't work! Well, I'm not joking, because this is Stacking, the latest downloadable game from Tim Schafer's "Double Fine" studios, the creators of such titles as Brutal Legend, Psychonauts and The Secret of Monkey Island. An adventure-puzzler game at it's core, Stacking is a cute and approachable game that leaks charm out of all and every orifice with increasing style and fun.

  The premise: You play as Charlie Blackmore, youngest of a large family and the smallest doll in the industrial age of the world. But when the Blackmore father goes missing, the family comes in to debt and the evil Baron forces the children to work to pay it off, with the exception of tiny Charlie. So, embarking on an epic adventure which will take him on the likes of shiny zeppelins and grand cruise-liners, Charlie sets out to free his poor siblings from the dastardly clutches of the Baron, with the help of his rather odd ability to control other dolls by hopping inside them.

 From the off, the story sounds rather depressing with it's themes of child labour and debt, but luckily it's counteracted by the tongue-in-cheek humour used to portray the sadness, along with the silent-movie type cut-scenes that add charm and style to the presentation and narrative. Seeing the various dolls perform goofy animations a top some witty dialogue can often be a joy to watch and helps to distance itself from the heavy topics previously mentioned.

Childish but irresistible laughs

 
 In between these sometimes lengthy and frequent cut-scenes (which may frustrate some impatient players), is of course the gameplay. As you roam around the dainty little diorama settings, you're given various objectives, involving some sort of challenge you must overcome. But it's how to go about these challenges that brings the main gameplay mechanic forwards; stacking. As the smallest doll in the world, naturally you're not going to solve these trials alone. So, to get by, Charlie must hop into other dolls, all with their own unique abilities, and use their certain talents to complete the objectives. For example, to get a guard away from his gate, you can hop into the alluring female doll and use her powers of seduction to lure him away, allowing you to unstack and sneak through. But it's not that easy, as you need to stack into a doll exactly one size larger than your current one, so you can't go straight from little kid to heavyweight boxer in one fell stack.

A classic problem

 These challenges can then be revisited in a number of different ways, allowing re-playability and forcing your brain to think of several different solutions at once. You can move on after you've found an immediate answer, but I often found myself trying to find all solutions before continuing. However, if you do get stuck there is a helpful hint system, which, while handy, can ruin the puzzle aspect of game at times, as it's easy to abuse and the cool-down time is a joke.

  The scenery you find yourself stacking around is full of vibrancy and life, even though the things inhabiting it are essentially inanimate, wooden objects. The sweet cartoon style works well in this lavish world of wackiness and slap-stick, and the sluggish camera doesn't hinder the views too much, giving the player an incentive to explore the landscape to see all. Plus the sound is a quiet delight with some sweet little fanciful music and well matched sound effects to compliment the overall fun.

The visuals are definitely a treat 

  Though short, the experience definitely gives you 4-5 hours of enjoyment, especially since there are plenty of unique dolls to find and "Hi-Jinks" (little mini-challenges that are doll specific) to conquer once the main story has finished. Whether or not I'd revisit it after I'd achieved 100% is yet to be seen, but with no other modes outside of the story it's quite unlikely. But hey, it's a downloadable title, so what do you expect? At 1200 Microsoft Points or £10 on PSN, this is an absolute steal and an entirely unique experience that you wouldn't get anywhere else.

Summary:
+ Cute and Charming
+ Unique Gameplay
+ Nice Sounds and Visuals
- Short and Easy
- Lengthy Cut-Scenes (Impatient)
- Sluggish Camera

Stacking: 7/10

Well that was my first (kind of) game review. I hope you enjoyed it and yeah, I know I ripped all the pictures off of Gamespot. So what? Sue me. Wait, no, don't to that... I certainly enjoyed my time with the game and I hope this review might prompt you to want to try it as well. Remember, there's always a free demo for downloadable titles, so give it a go if you've got the time.

Before you go, please vote on my latest poll to have your say on what movie I review next. You've got until around 10 AM Saturday (British time) to have your say, so get them votes in now! Thanks for reading and I'll see you all soon, or at least my words will. Stay safe now!