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Friday, February 12, 2010
First impressions of three big video games
Who has time to finish video games these days?
I certainly don’t, at least not some of the big triple-A-list titles that have resuscitated gaming after the flood of holiday games died down.
But I do try to partake as much as I can, even if I haven’t played far enough into any of these three games to offer you a full review. Here’s some first impressions of “Mass Effect 2” “BioShock 2” and “Bayonetta,” three of the more high-profile releases of January and February.
“Mass Effect 2” — Despite raves from hardcore gamers for the first game in the series a few years ago, I was doubtful this one would do as well since the first one seemed a little too brainy and narrative-heavy to spawn a hit “Halo”-sized franchise. Well, I was wrong on that score. The epic space role-playing/action game from BioWare is big, bold and expertly crafted, with fewer obstacles to get into its headspace than the first game, at least in my experience. I didn’t get very far in “Mass Effect” because I really didn’t like the combat system and my dislike of the combat system and inability to get past that made it impossible to complete the necessary missions in the game to progress.
“ME2,” on the other hand simplifies the gameplay to make it accessible to anyone who’s played third-person console shooters without dumbing down the (very complex) narrative or skimping on the games deservedly praised graphics, sound design and overall vibe. The dialog trees are still well-written and expertly voice-acted and animated. Everything just feels spot-on. All this becomes clear after just a few hours of gameplay.
It’s a game I want to spent weeks and weeks playing, a story worthy of getting lost in. Very few studios can pull off something as ambitious as this and the good news is that there’s still “Mass Effect 3” to look forward to someday.
“BioShock 2” — My sequel to my 2007 game of the year, this title has everything to live up, and almost no choice but to disappoint. And so it does. I loved the undersea ruin of Rapture and finished the first game feeling as if I’d entered a completely unique, fully realized world. The opening scene of “BioShock 2” and the first few hours feel like visiting your high school long after you’ve graduated: much of it still looks the same, but after a while you begin to feel you have no reason to be there.
That’s a crushing disappointment because the world created in the first game stands apart from the usual Marines In Space shooter paradigm, even though the actual gameplay is rooted in first-person shooter territory. Maybe it’s that the sense of mystery is gone or that the start of the game fails to draw you in the way the stellar plane crash opening of its predecessor did. Instead, you’ve got the Big Daddys, Little Sisters, Splicers and no real glue to hold them together in a way that makes for great storytelling.
I’ve read reviews that the game picks up and forms its own worthy storyline in the late-going, but I was hoping “BioShock” would stun and capture me from the first minute. That hasn’t happened and apparently I’m not alone. Yes, we had very high expectations.
The sequel was handled by a different studio than the original and, while that’s not an enviable task, it’s telling that when handed something as rich and as the “BioShock” universe, the developers fail to set the mood and capture the imagination in the early-going. That’s not a good sign.
“Bayonetta” — A new action/fighting game that’s not a sequel or completely derivative? Well, that’s news. Sega’s fighting game looks like something cheap and tawdry — an impossibly proportioned heroine who shoots with guns at the ready (oh, and also with guns strapped TO HER FEET!) takes out demons with stylish, over-the-top combos.
What’s surprising is how over-the-top the incredibly silly storyline is and how much fun the fighting is to engage with. The game doesn’t even try to make sense, nevertheless, there’s some amazingly silly storytelling going on and a sense of wild abandon in the combat, as in the game’s spiritual cousins “Devil May Cry” and “No More Heroes.” Blood gushes, Bayonetta (who, probably not by accident, looks like a tall, busty, butt-kicking Sarah Palin) prevails and the gamer goes away wondering, “What the heck was THAT?!” But not in a bad way. “Bayonetta” takes the worst cliches of action games and somehow makes them fresh and fantastical. That’s quite a feat.
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SXSW panel preview: Using Social Media to Score … a Job (Obviously)
Using Social Media to Score … a Job (Obviously) 5 p.m. March 12 Courtyard Brazos 2/3
We talked to Dave Peck, organizer of this Core Conversation, about some of the ideas he expects to cover.
Peck will discuss building your personal brand online. Your brand is your knowledge, your skill set, what you do best. You can’t rely on your resume to show that you’re an expert in your chosen area — your online presence has to back that up.
“I personally don’t have a resume,” Peck says. When people ask him for one, he sends to his LinkedIn page or his Web site. “They’ll learn more about me there than they’ll ever learn on a piece of paper.”
Your online presence more vividly shows who you are than a resume. If you’re a photographer, for example, you need a Web site of your work. It sounds like common sense, Peck says, but it’s a step he often sees people neglect. You may even want to use online videos — say, a cooking demo if you’re an aspiring chef — as a way to show your expertise. “You’ll come across more in a video than you will on piece of paper,” he says.
Your social-media activity also contributes to your career brand. People can learn about you from your conversations and links. Peck says a great way to make connections is to ask a question on Twitter or LinkedIn (where there’s a whole section for Q&A). He’s gotten strong response when he’s done this, and plenty of offers for help. And the people who answer will often go check out your resume.
Search Twitter for people who are looking to fill jobs in your field, Peck says. See what keywords they use. And don’t use social media just to connect with prospective employers, Peck says. It’s also a great way to deepen your ties with your current co-workers — who might then be more likely to remember you after they move on to a different job.
While you’re adding good stuff to your online presence, don’t forget to manage the stuff that could make you look bad. You’ve heard the cautions against posting boozy pictures, but it’s even more crucial now that our social media presence draws more attention than ever. Peck even knows of a company where employees communicate and conduct business over Facebook. Yes, they’re a hassle, but take some time with Facebook’s privacy settings or even create different profiles for different spheres of your life, he says
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