I am happy for Take-Two. With the unbridled success of Grand Theft Auto IV, they will be able to keep an EA take-over at bay for a little longer. This videogame has exceeded the wildest expectations, with review scores nearing the much-coveted 10 score.
And to be fair, the game looks amazing: New York Liberty City has never looked so crisp. What’s even more astounding is that the feeling of a living and breathing city has succesfully been captured in a videogame. Driving around, a player instinctively knows what the good and bad neighborhoods are, since even the population differs from one block to the next. Truly a remarkable feat.
But with regards to gameplay, I still do not understand why this game get so many high marks. In essence, there has been no revolution in gameplay since the original Grand Theft Auto: drive from A to B in order to achieve an objective, stay out of the way from the police, and have a free-roaming city-space at your disposal.
I understand that this game resides within it’s own genre with regard to gameplay. Likewise, racing games will not ask you to jump platforms. But I really think it is a missed opportunity.
Consider that what is the foundation of the game: the open city-environment. As mentioned before, great strides have been made in making this environment a self-sustained universe, where the virtual populace goes about it’s own business. The player is merely a small and almost insignificant speck inside this space. There is a real opportunity to expand the gameplay horizon with genre defining situations.
You have the gamespace, why should it not incorporate more gameplay genres and features?
Reviews
40
Army of Two
As I lay dying on the concrete floor, J. rushes over. He grabs me by the collar and drags me out of the path of the flying bullets. When we are safely arrive around a corner, he stabs a needle in my chest, enabling me get back on my feet again. Signaling that I am ready again, we dive around the corner; guns blazing, side by side, right into the path of enemy fire.
It is good to have a friend by my side.
A lot has been written about Army of Two, EA’s latest offering for the xbox360 and the PS3. A lot has been said about the juvinile dialogue, the emphasis on tough-but-cool characters, and the presentation of said characters. The target audience for this game falls clearly in the male teenage camp.
In addition, more has been written about the less-than-stellar AI, the lack-lustre single player campaign, and the non-skippable cutscenes. And lets not forget the comments about the non-skippable cutscenes, the occasional drop in connection, and the drab level design.
And yes, it is all true. But the reality is that Army of Two shines when it is played like it is supposed to be played: with a friend at your side.
Whether through splitscreen or over xbox live, the fact is that this game brings out the best in camedarie and bonds people like no other game currently available. As such, it is a testament to the notion that playing games brings people together. With this in mind, Amry of Two transcends from a ordinary shooter to a shared experience.
To be honest, I had already given up on videogames. The latter years saw the emergence of a trend which, I fear, will continue for some time. I call this trend emulated realism, where digital environements try to emulate reality as close as possible. This emulation not only applies to environmental representation, but also to physics and manageble objects. In short, whenever a videogames tried to look “real”, it also tried to fullfil the expectations the player has when confronted with this reality. These expectations ususally come in the form of the ability to handle or interact with every object the player is presented with, an the ability to roam through the environment on his own accord. Some examples of these games are GTA: San Andres, Halo 2, Half-Life 2, and the host of MMORPG’s whom by nature are defined by their ability to have their players roam through their fictional worlds.
(more…)
.
Speed.
Adrenaline-inducing, nerve-wrecking speed.
A glace at an indicator makes me wince as it displays the current miles per hour: a whopping 140.
I focus back on the traffic, twisting my car through the small streets of some unknown American city. I nervously glance at the tall buildings which rush by in a blur, at the same time avoiding the oncoming traffic. Maybe I should have stayed on the right side of the road. So far, so good; I haven’t crashed yet.
(more…)
