With the end of the year in sight, one cannot help but give in to tradition and present some kind of look back on all that has gone on over the last twelve months.  2008 was a year that hit some really high highs, and some really low lows, and I’m not just talking about in gaming.  Fortunately, we’re only here to talk about the games, so that makes things a little easier.  With that in mind, let’s see what our Spectacle Rock team thought about the year that was…

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Christmas day has come and gone, and with it presents have exchanged hands, too much food has been eaten, and the post-Christmas Day laziness has set in.  Over the last week, I’ve put many more hours into Persona 4, and it has continued to be a very enjoyable experience; currently, though I’m only about 12 hours in, I’d actually say it edges out P3 by a small margin.  I’ve also come to the endgame of Mother 3, but haven’t quite finished it off yet; I expect to do so within the next few days.  Inspired by a friend, I’ve also picked back up Civ 4 and have spent far more hours than I should have playing it late into the night (the addiction is no joke).  Other than that, I’m looking to start up designing a new Team Fortress 2 map, so it’s time to pull out the sketchbook and do some initial designs.

-Joel

1. The Impossibility of the Internet

I did not think I would ever play Mother 3, but I did. The window for a real release by Nintendo had come and gone several years ago and every time I checked on the fan translation efforts, they were either mired in drama or seemed hopelessly far away from completion. I had made my peace with it, was content simply to imagine what it might be– the way I had a fever dream once when I was a little kid about playing Super Mario Bros. 3 years before it was released, with mutated Tryclydes and Shyguys that would chase you through mazes.

But — all things are possible given the Internet and enough time, and so I’ve played Mother 3. I am curiously happy about this, the same way I would be if I ever got to experience zero gravity. There are some things you simply don’t expect to ever do.

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I have always had a soft-spot for post-apocalyptic fiction.  From movies to comics to games, if something is set after the end of the world, I’m usually willing to give it a shot.  Sometimes this turns out for the best, such as when I find something I enjoy like Jericho. Sometimes it doesn’t go well at all and I end up spending $9 to watch something like I Am Legend.

I trace most of this strange love of mine back to a little game called “Wasteland.”  Released back in 1988, Wasteland was an RPG in the mold of Bard’s Tale, but set in an America destroyed by nuclear war.  As a team of Desert Rangers (the law and order of the wastes), you wander the shattered lands of Nevada solving problems, saving lives, and kicking ass. I played the hell out of Wasteland, trying to make my way through it with various teams and skill sets, seeing what worked out the best. And, for years, Wasteland stood alone in terms of RPGs sharing the post-apocalyptic setting.  There were rumors of sequels (and one sort-of sequel called Fountain of Dreams, but we won’t talk about that…), but for the most part Wasteland was a lone oddity in a world of swords and sorcery.  That is, it was alone until the mid 90′s, when Black Isle Studios released what most called a “spiritual successor” to Wasteland.  That game, of course, was Fallout.

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The fine people over at Good Old Games today released Beneath a Steel Sky, totally for free.  BaSS is an excellent point-and-click adventure game in the “classic” style, and if you enjoy being insulted by robots, you will certainly enjoy this.

I’d recommend giving it a try.

Much like the title says, I’ve been spending the last couple of days crawling into TVs in Persona 4.  I’ve only put about 5 hours into the game so far, but I have to say they kept up the standard that 3 set and then some; the music is brilliant, so far all the characters are likable, and the fight system is excellent.  I’m not far enough in the story to make any comments on that, but the groundwork that I’ve been seeing so far is intriguing…I just hope that they don’t force Yukiko as a love interest, because I totally want my guy to go after Chie.  I’m also still plugging away at Sonic Unleashed, which has been a lot of fun.  Finally I’m still working my way through the nuked-out underside of DC in Fallout, but my character’s apparent inability to kill even the smallest of robots has hindered my progress.

-Jeff

I as well entered the world of Persona 4 this week, though I’m only at about the two hour mark thus far; I lost some play time when trying to figure out where the cords for PS2 had gone… it had been a while.  In other games, I finally finished up Fallout 3 – with that completed, I can finally sit down and write my full review of it, and trust me, I have a lot to say on the subject.  During my train ride to work, I’ve been making my through World Ends With You, and have been quite satisfied with it so far.  My one complaint is that the combat controls can be a little wonky at times, but I guess that’s just the nature of touch screen.  Also, since I bathed myself in warm fuzzy Doom memories the other day, I’ve got a real itch to play Doom II; time to load up some DOSbox…

-Joel

Moral decision making is not one of those things people tend to associate with video games. Shooting, racing, twenty-minute unskippable summoning sequences: those are things that immediately pop to mind, but not soul-searching ethical quandaries. And, for many years, that was entirely understandable – Eating the ghosts in Pac-Man had no visible ramifications, and as far as the player knew, none of the spaceships they shot down in Space Invaders had any family to worry about.

Most early games were about fun, simulation, or escapism. They were also, more importantly, incredibly linear in general. Linearity, by its definition, does not offer much in the way of choice, and choice is ultimately the engine that allows moral decisions to make themselves known in games. Choice is what starts to allow a player to break out of the lines and start to delve into questions of Good and Evil and everything in between. Pen and paper RPG systems such as Dungeons & Dragons had their built-in systems of alignment, and these were easier to play out when a human being was running the show as dungeon master. If the players chose to follow a path different than what the DM planned, he could simply adapt. Video games, it was felt, either couldn’t, or shouldn’t, have to worry about player choice.

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But, nevertheless, DOOM turns 15 today. It’s been a decade and a half since a lone Space Marine first decided that he was all that stood between the legions of Hell and the conquest of Mars.  With a shotgun and chainsaw, he fought his way into Hell, and into our hearts.

DOOM was a big leap forward from it’s FPS predecessor, Wolfenstein 3d, and with a rockin’ soundtrack and explosions a-plenty, there were few gamers (especially of the teenage boy persuasion, such as myself) who could resist.

For me, DOOM also holds a special place as the first FPS I ever played multiplayer; a friend of mine who worked in the school library smuggled a copy onto a couple of computers there, so after school we could all hang out and use the pre-assembled LAN to our heart’s content.  Thank goodness the librarian didn’t care.  DOOM taught me some valuable lessons about trashtalking and telefragging.

Anyone else out there have any warm and fuzzy DOOM memories?  Share them today as we wish it bon anniversaire.

Picture this: you are on a large continent and you have just finished capturing two enemy bases. As your flag flies over them, you crest a modest hill to see a short bridge connected to an island. As your forces gear up to renew their attack, the enemy across the waterway is preparing for a counter offensive – In a few short minutes upwards of 600 or more people are going to converge on this singular bridge and base.

Welcome to Planetside’s battle for Gunuku.

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Spidey, Spidey, Spidey…  Of all the comic book heroes that have had games made of their exploits, yours are probably the biggest mixed bag in terms of quality.  Ever since i was a little kid, the idea of a Spiderman videogame seemed like a no-brainer;  After all, who wouldn’t want to go swinging around buildings, beating up bad-guys, getting the girl – it made a young nerd’s heart leap.  So it was with great excitement that I went over to a friend’s house after being told he had a Spiderman game for his Commodore 64.

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