Shallow Depths

If there's one thing that annoys me more than fishing mini-games, it's game mechanics based on real-time instead of game-time.

Having worked through at least some of my Monster Hunter Tri obsession, I returned to Nier this week. Of course, my carefully laid out plants had withered and died while I was away. There is no real need for this. Nothing else in game changes while it's turned off. No one dies because I'm not there to save them, and no one gets annoyed when I leave their errands incomplete for weeks or months. It doesn't really make sense for just one element of a simulation to keep going while the simulation is turned off. It's just a cheap trick to keep me playing, and I don't appreciate it.

I enjoy games, and I hope they can enrich life. But I don't want them to dictate to me how I should spend my time. As someone who often flits between a few games at a time, I don't understand why I should be punished for my preferred gaming behaviour.

Plants in Nier are, thankfully, a minor part of a larger whole. I'm giving up on farming for the moment and focusing on the game elements I do enjoy.

A friend of mine described far worse experiences with Animal Crossing, where events change with the system clock, and the game's inhabitants will get annoyed if you fail to switch on and let them visit at 4 pm next Tuesday, or etc. I know those kinds of games can be addictive, but that's just getting ridiculous. It feels like design decisions based on incorrect stereotypes. Something like (1) Gamers are all kids; (2) Kids have no responsibilities, so can spend all day playing Animal Crossing. Or maybe it's something about getting people so hooked they won't bother giving money to your competitors.

There is no way of escaping the passage of real-time in MMOs, thanks to their community of actual people. My days of weekly WoW raiding and the time preparing for those made juggling committments challenging. More casual play was certainly possible, but I most enjoyed keeping on top of the game as best I could, and helping run a guild. At the time, I was happy to make that choice, despite sacrifices in other areas of life. But it wasn't a decision made lightly, and it certainly isn't an option available to everyone. It's inexplicable to me why anyone would want to replicate that committment in games where it isn't required.

Over-developed anxiety can have some odd side-effects.  Normally, I'm most anxious about social situations and my issues are not too obvious in other contexts.  But sometimes I do have anxiety spill over into gaming, in the form of unreasonable fear of character death.

Games are often designed to build tension, and that works incredibly well on me.  It's taken me a long time to really feel capable and willing to play some game genres.  I remember trying a demo of Unreal briefly in high school, which put me off just with atmosphere and shock tactics before I even reached the first enemy.  I thought escaping the crashed prison ship was cool and interesting, I just couldn't quite overcome my own apprehension.

In Beyond Good & Evil I just started to experience the stealth sections.  The enemies are not very smart, and if I'm spotted all I really need to do is run away and hide for a few seconds.  It's still early on, and the difficulty level isn't very high.  This didn't stop me from becoming somewhat anxious about loading it up again, knowing I've a lot more tense sneaking ahead of me.

It's difficult to predict which games will have this effect on me.  Monster Hunter is a very dangerous game, but doesn't trigger much anxiety in me.  Bioshock has a lot of atmosphere and is really pushing my buttons, despite death having very limited consequences.  I think a lot of stressful games are worth the trouble, and I will eventually get past my issues.  Just sometimes it takes me a little while to work up to it.

I do continue to get better at pushing past my anxiety problems.  Which is cool, because I was missing out on a lot of worthwhile experiences.  I also think there is a level where I don't want to get better at turning off those impulses.  I want to be able to feel something and get involved in what I'm playing, and that is currently very easy for me.  I am at least very glad of that much, even if it means sometimes having to turn a game off to calm down for a little while.

There is a good reason for how quiet I've been this week, I promise.  More on that soon.

I visited some friends yesterday to try out some Band Hero.  I have managed to avoid the rhythm game trend thus far and so I'm a bit out of my depth with them.  I would have expected a party game to be a bit more accessible for a newcomer like me, though I can certainly see the fun that could be had with enough time to get the hang of things.  I wasn't feeling brave enough for singing, and the guitar felt slightly awkward in my little hands.  I probably had the best time on drums, but I was keeping to beginner mode where it doesn't matter at all which drum I hit.  Some things really do bring out the newbie in me.

There are a bunch of games that are not recent but I've heard good things about and would really like to try.  One of these games is Beyond Good & Evil, which I just aquired and spent a bit of time with today. I'm enjoying it so far, and I agree with comments I've seen about Jade being a good example of a female game protagonist who kicks some arse without being hyper-sexualised.  That is really quite refreshing.

On gender, I found this article interesting.  Their introduction takes a while to get going, and probably focuses a bit much on some specific games.  I haven't read the actual thesis, but I hope it's a bit more well-rounded.  I was interested by what they actually did, which is altering some of the character models for Team Fortress 2 to make them female instead of male, and then surveying a bunch of people about their impressions of the designs.  Essentially, they conclude that there is scope to include different builds and genders in character design while still having these be well-received (and presumably marketable?).  Food for thought, at least.

I've been very excited about the upcoming release of Rebecca Mayes' first album "The Epic Win".  The official release date is May 28th, but it is already available for download.  Check out her videos on the Escapist for an idea of what to expect.

I've spoken before about how I wish more people would discuss games from their unique viewpoint.  It's difficult to think of a better example.  From game reviews to discussions of game culture in general, Rebecca Mayes unashamedly puts forward her own perspective.  I find her vision valuable and inspiring.

It's difficult to pinpoint my favourite album songs.  I really appreciate the important message in 'The Mirror', reminding us not to be downtrodden by poor body image.  I love seeing my favourite game series in song ('UFO', based on Silent Hill: Shattered Memories).  I love seeing games I probably wouldn't appreciate in themselvses turned into something beautiful ('Revenge' from Wet; 'Shadows' based on Velvet Assassin).  Pacifist ideas are utilised in tracks such as 'Don't Shoot Them' (Resident Evil 5) and 'Batman's Tea Party', which may seem strange in an often violent medium like gaming, but it's all part of the individual character and appeal.

When looking at games in this way there seems to be a lot to critisise.  Issues involving body image and idenity; violence and power dynamics; disconnection from physical reality and so on.  These issues are all present and commented on.  But overall I get a feeling of beauty and hope.  I am always happy to see more of gaming's unique voices, and involving music is definitely a bonus.

Monster Hunter Tri has been interfering with my writing, my work, my personal hygiene... okay, maybe not quite that extreme.  There is a point, though, where games become something like obsession for me.  I think it's always been that way.

As a kid, I grew up without a console in the house, and we didn't get our first PC until I was in high school.  But I have a good memories of visting and playing Sonic the Hedgehog with my neighbours and sister.  We did get obsessive about it, as was pretty much required to finish games then.  I lacked experience, and so spent a lot of time watching rather than playing.  But I remained very much involved.

We sat for many hours, engrossed and determined to progress in spite of the lack of save files.  If you watched us you may have considered us zombies, with our eyes unhealthily glued to the screen.

We approached everything with that same level of persistence, though.  On another week you might have found as equally engrossed in bike riding, or tree-climbing contests.  It's easy to over-react if lacking broader context.

I have access to many games now, compared to about three games we had to choose from then.  This might increase the risk of obsession, but really I find it's a rare game that really tempts me to those extremes.  I know from experience these phases do pass, and balance is restored to life.

Monster Hunter Tri is currently dominating my play time.  This is no real surprise, as I love Freedom 2 and Freedom Unite on PSP, and have been anticipating this instalment for some time.

I'm used to reviews of Monster Hunter games being faintly depressing reading.  Many of them mention its popularity in Japan, and then go on to complain about design flaws that make it inaccessible to a western audience.  It gives the impression that the unenlightened Japanese must all somehow like badly designed games, while "we" know better.  Meanwhile, some fans get angry and complain the reviewer doesn't know what they are talking about, and lacks the skill to be a hunter.... only using angrier language.

The English-language reviews are looking slightly more favourable this time around, although there was a particularly confused muddle of a review on Crispy Gamer.  Warning: link includes some fairly homophobic statements.

Tri seems to be a slightly more accessible introduction to the series than the PSP games.  And that must help a lot when you are a professional reviewer without sufficient free time to let a game swallow your soul.  From my perspective, though, it's very faintly disappointing.  I don't get the same feeling of depth I'm used to.  But it's possible that having played previous games I'll never quite get that same feeling again.

That said, this is still Monster Hunter, and I am a definitely a hunter willing to follow my calling.  I also expect Tri will grow on me once I start fighting bigger wyverns.  The first ten hours or more of a Monster Hunter game are really quite different from the later experience.  It's focusing on the really big monsters where things really start to get fun.  Tri is certainly one of the prettiest games on Wii, and well worth a look if you are after a challenge.  I really recommend a classic controller, as the motion controls look like an awkward recipe for RSI.

I've been thinking a lot about why I find Monster Hunter so compelling.  Most of the games I discuss here are story-driven experiences.  MH games are action-driven, and expressing what is enjoyable about that doesn't come as naturally to me.  I'm accustomed to just accepting Monster Hunter's awesomeness (for me at least) without having to think too much about it.

I mentioned depth, and it's depth and scale that probably hit me initially.  My first experiences as a new hunter felt like I was gradually scratching at the surface of something greater, as I slowly accumulated knowledge and skills.  Every tier felt more epic than the last, to the point where I wanted a bigger word than "epic" to describe the experience.

The learning curve is very steep, and goes on for a long time.  This may have been moderated a little in Tri, though I haven't played far enough yet to comment properly.  I've put in over 500 hours across Freedom 2 and Freedom Unite, and still definitely consider myself an intermediate hunter at Hunter Rank 7 out of 9.  I still have an awful lot to learn.  It's that learning that makes repetition something other than grinding.  It's not a mindless experience like easily slicing through simple enemies in many other games.  It's a gradual building of expertise as I try to better learn a monster's "tells" and more efficiently take openings and evade attacks.  There is some grinding for rare items I could do without, but grind isn't as big a part of the experience as many people suggest.

Real-time skill-based combat is also what makes me shake my head in disappointment whenever a reviewer complains about the lack of a lock-on feature.  That does not belong here, and combat is far more satisfying without it.

Another element of being a hunter is the sense of community.  Considering the PSP games had no online play, there is a pretty amazing online hunter community.  Many of the experienced hunters really do pass on their knowledge for the benefit of newer players.  I tend to be a bit of a lurker in those communities, and gained a lot from that.  There are some great guides available for newbies.

A new Wii game means a lot more beginning hunters, and I'm currently a bit wary of online multiplayer.  I don't know what sort of players I might encounter, and I've heard some horror stories.  At Australian times the servers may be pretty quiet anyway.  I'm seeing how much I can achieve solo for now, and I guess I'll worry about possible multiplayer later once the Tri community has settled in a little.

As a concept, hunting monsters is not a particularly sophisticated idea.  But it's very well packaged simplicity.  I've never put much thought into this concept, though as an ecologist I do sometimes wonder how prolifically those wyverns must breed for the numbers to stay so high while being hunted heavily.

One thing that did disturb me slightly in Tri was a new technique for harvesting Kelbis (small herbivores).  To get a good quality horn it's easiest to stun the creatures and carve the horn while they are still alive.  As a gameplay mechanic that adds some new diversity, but as an idea it disturbed me.  I have no issue with the idea of sustainable hunting for resources, but that seemed far less humane.  I could assume the horn contains no nerves and that the procedure is painless, but it would still be likely to alter the animal's place in their social hierarchy.

I have probably really over-thought this.  Treatment of a virtual creature does not actually have any of those potential consequences.  I find it unlikely that game violence will generally translate into real-world violence, and this is really the same idea.  Maybe it shouldn't have disturbed me, then, but it was an unfamiliar virtual experience, and that made me more conscious of it.

Nier brings up some interesting thoughts about character design. I imagine game designers are in a slightly difficult position in this regard. If they keep to the standard formulas they may be accused of being generic and promoting inappropriate gender stereotypes. But as soon as they try something different the "weirdness" of a game's characters may reduce its popularity. I happen to like weirdness, but my opinion doesn't have much relevance to financial success or failure.

Nier actually manages to fall into both of these categories at once, with an odd mixture of original and generic. It is not exactly an achievement I admire, but I do find it fascinating.

The first interesting thing about Nier is its protagonist. In Japan there are two versions of the game. The international version is based on Nier Gestalt, and features an older man trying to save his daughter. In Nier Replicant he is replaced with a younger, more effeminate man, and is trying to save his sister instead.

In the context of Japanese RPGs it's the original, older character who breaks the mould. But in a western context he's closer to the more masculine game protagonists we are accustomed to. I've seen arguments in both directions about which version is more of a "sell out". Overall, these designs are both created for different (but rather standard) markets. Replicant's style is not to my personal taste, but I can't make a very compelling argument for one version over the other.

A little disturbingly, when I started playing Nier I didn't notice just how buff the protagonist was. Mostly because I had recently being playing God of War, and in comparison to Kratos he looks relatively normal. That says some worrying things about a game's ability to make me normalise unrealistic body types. But hopefully only in a virtual context -- I do truly love the natural diversity among human bodies, and wish more of that variation was emulated in virtual spaces.

What I do really like about our Nier Gestalt protagonist is his lack of beauty. While he is very well built, he lacks the completely idealised version of male attractiveness seen in most games. I really appreciated that element of his design, but I am probably in the minority. Venomous forum threads call him the "Caveman" and argue there is no place for ugly protagonists in gaming. I disagree, because I think it's growing diversity that will strengthen gaming. Some people are thinking far too small about the purpose of gaming experiences, and I can only hope these ideas fade in time.

Not to mention the assumption in those ideas that everyone can come to a shared understanding of what ugliness and beauty are. That seems pretty crazy to me.

I do have quite a love for masculinity. By which I really mean the real world spectrum of actual masculinity, rather than the hyper-aggressive video game archetypes we are often fed. Game power dynamics and ultra-violence tend to skew these concepts horribly. I applaud a game including an "ugly" protagonist for at least being slightly different, but it's a little sad I can't celebrate character diversity more broadly.

 When it comes to female design, Nier is not exactly improving gaming's image. The scantily-clad JRPG stereotype is blatantly on display. There is a reason for it, and Grimoire Weiss mocks her horribly for fighting monsters in her underwear. In other words, the purpose of this sexualised character is partly as commentary on these kinds of characters in general. But ultimately she's still marketable eye candy. I anticipate some incredibly brave and disturbing cosplay.

Kainé is an interesting character, though, and perhaps worth giving slightly more thought to. She fits her stereotype far less well as soon as she opens her mouth, releasing a viscious torrent of swearing and insults. That hyper-aggression normally reserved for male characters is placed in a female character here.

Note that I mean female in the sense of personal identity. I am aware that physically Kainé is a hermaphrodite. I'm not sure if that even gets much of a mention in-game, but people do like to make a dreadful fuss about it. It saddens me that intersex individuals are thought of as such freak shows.  As much as I would like to be happy about the inclusion of these themes, I'm forced to admit it probably has more to do with hinting at futanari porn than any well-meaning attempt at gender diversity beyond the usual binary.

The other game I indulged in over the ANCAC Day long weekend was Nier.  I doubt it's going to be a widely popular game, but I like it.

The game begins in a decaying city in the year 2049.  Our protagonist is desperately trying to defend his sick daughter.  It felt rather poignant to me, and I found myself caring about their plight.  Wielding a length of pipe and fighting wave after wave of monsters in the snow, I felt a bit like I was experiencing a cross between Silent Hill and God of War.

Nier is a bit of an odd fish, and seems unwilling to let me get too comfortable.  So, naturally the next thing that happened was jumping 1,300 years into the future, where the game-proper begins.  I guessed this was a case of reincarnation and history repeating itself, though it could be time travel for all I currently know.  I expect things will be revealed in time.  I have to say, I was a little bit disappointed at this point.  I found the earlier setting significantly more compelling than the village we were transported to.  But I was prepared to run with it.

We are soon introduced to Grimoire Wiess, a magical floating book who should hold the key to curing Nier's sick daughter of the mysterious and fatal "black scrawl".  The book practically drips sarcasm, and is wonderfully voiced.  The banter between Neir and Weiss is one of the game's highlights.  The soundtrack is also excellent, and adds a great deal of atmosphere.

Nier is a sort of post-modern game mash-up.  Though the core is formed from RPG and action-adventure, it includes sections of (or homages to) many other genres, including 2D platforming, survival horror, rail shooter, and even text adventure.  This tends to get it accused of being a jack of all trades, and master of none.  I have to admit though, I hadn't really noticed those shortcomings.  Perhaps because I've been more focused on the overall vibe, and themes.

Occasionally, a story will touch upon something very relevant to me, and that increases its impact.  One of the minor themes that has come up a few times involves the choice between promoting an unpleasant truth and a happy lie.  That hits very close to home for me, for reasons too personal even for Personal Gamer.  Suffice to say seeing people kept in the dark for their own good really bothers me, and I'll always give people the right to their own pain.

There are other themes I've found interesting, but I'm not delving too far into spoiler territory for a newly released game.

I find this a difficult game to comment on, because it already seems to comment on itself so thoroughly.  I'm a side-quest completist, and I have been prompted to question my behaviour because the game seems to be openly mocking me for it.  Errands which may have seemed reasonable when playing a 14-year-old in other games suddenly seem demeaning as a man in his 40s.  And Weiss is quick to point out how pathetic it is.

It's true that side-quests are where the grind is found, and this may be a more exciting game by ignoring those in favour of the main story.  Also, there is fishing.  Fishing mini-games really are one of my pet hates in gaming.  I probably deserve to feel mocked for doing the fishing quests even though I know it isn't something I enjoy.

Really, there is a large element of choice here about how you prefer to play these kinds of experiences -- quick and action-heavy, or broken up with some fishing, gardening and fetch quests?  The difficulty seems forgiving enough that grinding is not really required.