Shallow Depths

A while ago I tweeted about the browser game Loved. I said it felt like being challenged by a thirteen-year-old, and isn't nearly as clever as it thinks it is.

Having only just played Loved I was in the mood to be snarky and defensive. It seemed like the game's creator was getting off on making me dance to his tune. I felt dirty and tried to rebel, which only made things worse.

It's worth noting that this isn't quite a criticism. It's a game that set out to prompt a reaction, and clearly it worked on me. Maybe a little too well.

Alexander Ocias interviews quite well, though having a face to put to the name creeps me out a little given how I reacted to his game. Nice to see a small-time Aussie developer getting so much coverage though.

I do agree with Ocias about hand-holding and huge tutorials in a lot of recent games. The number of manuals and tutorials in Mario Galaxy 2 is beyond ridiculous. Perhaps the Mario team think I have zero intelligence? I guess I am fairly used to that, though Galaxy 2 took it to new extremes. Loved, on the other hand, seemed to question my willpower and identity. That's a new experience and it wasn't at all comfortable.

I am clearly demonstrating here that dismissing something may just mean it got to me, and I don't want to be further defeated by admitting it. Normally I pride myself on being quite open and honest in my game writing, even if that's just a quick tweet. I'll happily admit when something scared me or became too difficult. But my identity is something I will never, ever concede.

It took a little space after playing Loved not to feel so threatened by it. Violated, even. So, I dismissed it and forgot about it, until I saw that GameSetWatch interview. I feel silly about it now, because I clearly took it far too seriously. It's embarrassing to admit to just how disturbing my gut reaction was. I'm an independent sort of person and rarely let anyone tell me who I am or what I should do.

Perhaps the worrying thing was actually being forced to question that certainty about my individuality and choices. After all, there is always some illusion to being free and unique. I am shaped and influenced by all kinds of things. I don't enjoy reflecting on the idea that I'm the creation of others instead of entirely my own person.

No other game has ever done that to me, so I both condemn and salute Loved for that.

News today is that I have a guest review of Sleep is Death on Game People. Game People is a site aimed at providing intentionally anecdotal and subjective game reviews from different types of people. So, I fit in there and am intending to write more reviews for them in the future. This will (and has been) impacting my post frequency here, but isn't the death of my blogging by any means.

Sleep is Death was a strange game, and I'm feeling a bit mixed about my review of it. That is perhaps appropriate, since I was also pretty mixed about playing it. I'm very glad not all games require quite so much work from me.

I'm not used to having an editor, so it feels a bit odd reading occasional altered sentences and slightly different emphasis. I can certainly benefit a lot from editorial input, but it will take some getting used to. I have been enjoying myself, though, and it's always nice to get some recognition and be invited to write something.

I have often pondered the character dilemma in computer RPGs.  Either you are given a fixed character to play, with a relevant story but less personal input.  Or, you create your own character but the story needs to be generic enough that their personality doesn't matter all that much.  Basically, Planescape: Torment versus Baldur's Gate.

Sure, the moral choice systems and character development have improved over the years, but personality and story options remain fairly limited.  That doesn't make these games terrible, and it's something I would generally accept.  If I want a more customisable experience I probably won't look to computer games for that.  But can that flexible story actually be achieved in video gaming?

April 16th is the release date for Sleep is Death, a new independent game by Jason Rohrer.  It's a storytelling game, or perhaps more accurately a set of tools for collaborative storytelling.  The two-player experience involves one controller who sets up the game world and scenes, and one player who chooses the actions of their avatar.

I'm a pencil-and-paper roleplayer, and already quite comfortable with a GM (or controller, if you like) generating a game world and narrative, as well as my potential role as a player in shaping that story.  I have to wonder how SiD differs from what people like me are already doing.  Is there something more to this than simply adding some basic graphical tools for a process that is already occurring in many homes and online communities?  And do those graphics really add something valuable to the storytelling experience, beyond the pictures and sensations we can already create in our imaginations (with effectively zero limitations, I might add)?

There is an attempt at answering the question of "How does this differ from playing a game like Dungeons & Dragons?" in this article.  It seems pretty inadequate to me, so if anyone can link to better discussion I'd love to to read it.

(1)  Turns have a time limit, making the game less about planning ahead or goal setting, and more about on-the-spot improvisation.

Okay, I will admit this is different (although I have played in games where we sometimes introduced a time limit for player turns).  I don't necessarily agree that it serves the experience, though.  I'm just not the sort of person who can easily think fast.  I find that even in a more relaxed pencil-and-paper roleplaying environment I feel under pressure to make decisions and can't always keep up.  If I am limited to 30 seconds my character is probably just going to stand there gaping at the world.  "Cha is paralysed with indecision" doesn't create a particularly compelling story.

I will admit that a common issue when roleplaying is staying focused, and keeping the story moving.  A time limit on your turn is one potential way to deal with this.  But I really hope that 30 second time limit can be changed, because otherwise you are limited to fairly frantic storytelling experiences.

Also, that thing about planning ahead and goal setting?  My best roleplaying experiences have been when I had a good sense of the character I was playing, both in terms of personality and their goals.  Without that sense I may be able to fly by the seat of my pants and create something, but I find it a huge barrier to immersion.  I have more satisfying storytelling experiences when I have time to create deeper underlying motivations, and follow their development.

(2)  It removes the awkwardness and embarrassment of face-to-face roleplaying.

Wow.  All I can really say here is that someone has clearly had some very different experiences to me.  The social aspect of roleplaying seems to be one of the most important parts for many of my friends.  While it can sometimes be a struggle to get people to focus and take something seriously, I don't think embarrassment has much to do with that.  In my experience it's more likely to be that some people are easily side-tracked into gossip and anecdotes.

This also ignores the large number of online text-based roleplaying communities that currently exist, and might solve this problem just as well.

---

The other glaring difference between SiD and most roleplaying is the number of players.  As I mentioned before, I don't always think fast.  And in a multiplayer roleplaying group I usually have someone else to pick up the slack if I am unsure of how to proceed.  There is also a lot more scope for interesting interactions with all those personalities bouncing off each other.  One player and one controller is far more limited.

Now, I'm not saying that Sleep is Death should necessarily conform to my personal preferences when it comes to collaborative storytelling.  It likely has different goals.  But, having established some of what it isn't likely to do for me, I have to wonder what it is... and whether I'm can find anything valuable here for me personally.

If the tools are good enough, I imagine this might really assist beginner GMs.  I might snobbily consider it a training ground for my concept of "real" collaborative storytelling.  I could potentially use it to improve my quick decision making.

The idea of graphical tools as aids to collaborative storytelling is an interesting one.  I potentially think of SiD being for text-based online roleplaying what a battle map with miniatures are for pencil-and-paper gaming.  Some of us are a bit resistant to the battle map.  It harks back to a wargaming heritage, and "playing by the numbers", which makes the whole situation seem very artificial.  That said, it can be valuable for giving people some sense of their environment.  So, I can appreciate that having some simple graphics could really help some people to properly imagine a scene.

That sort of idea has a lot of potential.  But I suppose I'm concerned about something that may appear to facilitate creativity while also placing limits around it.  I have this unfortunate habit of wanting to push against those limits.  It's also very difficult to find the people who would make really good controllers.  The popular reviewers have been lucky enough to experience SiD with Rohrer as controller, and I'm sure he knows how to spin a decent tale.

Overall I'm pretty sceptical about the whole thing, and wonder if my roleplaying goggles are causing me to miss something.  If anyone does try out this game I would really love to hear about your experiences.

The thing about a new console is the sudden exposure to a bunch of new games (often just new to me, but never mind). So, I've been working on speed-reviews, for the fun of it.

In alphabetical order...

Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice (PS3 exclusive)

This is more my partner's interest than mine. I understand Disgaea games are valued for their stories, humour and playing with stereotypes (and the fact that the level cap is 9999). It's not my sort of humour, the stories don't interest me much, and the gameplay is unashamedly repetitive. That said, I am enjoying this more than previous Disgaea games, and turn-based can be good when my brain is tired. Also, there are War Slugs, so that wins points.

Eternal Sonata (also available on XBox 360)


I was attracted to this game purely on concept. The story takes place in a dream sequence that Chopin has on his death bed. It also includes interludes about Chopin's life, the first of which was about his relationship with George Sand, who seems a very interesting woman. Eternal Sonata is a very pretty game, in an anime, non-realistic way. And the music is of course very beautiful. The people and places are all named after musical terms. Beyond that it's probably a fairly standard JRPG, but I'm enjoying it despite the fact that they usually drive me a bit mad (mostly due to linearity and annoying repetitive special attacks).

flOw (Also available on PSP, or as a Flash game here, at least for a couple of creatures)


flOw is a simple game, but it works. I think it's probably much easier to control in the flash version than using SIXAXIS, but that wouldn't be nearly as much fun. You are an aquatic micro-organism, and your goal is simply to eat, grow and evolve. It can be quite relaxing to float around "om nom nom"ing away. Though some of the creatures you encounter also include some challenge - things that run away quickly, or fight back etc. It's the sort of game you can either play aggressively and try to reach your goal, or just sit back and enjoy a sort of interactive screen saver. There is no actual death of your organism possible and trickier things can usually be skipped.

Flower (PS3 download exclusive)


I'm a little bit in love with this game, though there is a bit of debate about whether it is actually a game, or perhaps more of a technical demonstration. It probably has to be experienced - screen shots and descriptions don't do it proper justice. Flower is something of a successor to flOw, though you are now a breath of wind in a 3D landscape. Your aim is to pick up flower petals, and you will gradually build up a long trail of them. I think of it a bit like being a nature spirit tasked with making flowers open, though I doubt that was the intention. There is a potential for using this as a relaxation game, and happily whooshing about the landscape. It also takes some interesting turns, but I don't want to spoil it.

Folklore (PS3 exclusive)


This is probably the PS3 game I was most enthusiastic to track down, and was glad I did. In order to solve the mysteries in a small, Irish town it is necessary to travel to the netherworld and recover the memories of the dead. Different realms are based on concepts of the afterlife: the pleasurable faerie realm; a war zone created by modern people who experienced a violent death; the Endless Corridor representing the concept that nothing exists after death; and so on. Combat occurs by capturing, training, and controlling "Folks" (the creatures of these realms). It takes a bit of getting used to, but it works (arguably training folks gets a bit tedious, though I personally enjoy this sort of thing). Using SIXAXIS to suck the souls out of creatures is fun and appropriate, if sometimes hard work.

LittleBigPlanet (PS3 exclusive)


Cute, fun and has a great soundtrack. Things are made even cooler by Stephen Fry's narration. I also appreciate games with good co-op mode. LittleBigPlanet is also surprisingly challenging in places - cute does not equal easy. I found the level creator a bit cumbersome, but the scope of potential creations is huge. You could have a lot of fun with this as an engineering-geek.

Motorstorm: Pacific Rift (PS3 exclusive)


I don't play racing games often, and probably never would have gone near this if I didn't get it for free. But, occasionally I do enjoy racing around and I guess this is my current-generation replacement for Powerslide. I like my racing games to be fairly unrealistic, and this fits by allowing me to tear through jungles, fall into lava and so on. It has a fun range of vehicles, from big trucks through to motorbikes. And each track has multiple pathways, with the best option varying for the different vehicles. I can't comment on how it compares to any other current racing game, but it's a bit of fun.

Noby Noby Boy (PS3 download exclusive)


It's a $AU7 download, so I would have had to really hate this to feel ripped off. It is extremely strange though. Even stranger than I expected. There is no real goal - just stretch and eat things. It's kind of cute, but again in a very strange way. I'm not sure what more I can say really. I do appreciate the idea of playing around with less goal-orientated games though. It is probably another thing that is better to just play instead of trying to explain it.

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (PS3 exclusive)


I am actually a terrible person to review this. Every now and then I get the urge to buy a game with a lot of shooting or other action in it, even though I know my skills in this area are probably not going to be up to the task. That said, so far I'm getting by. After fighting with camera-angles in Tomb Raider that tempt you to risk leaps-of-death this is a rather nice change. And the scenery is pretty. I would probably prefer something with more puzzles and less action, though.

Valkyria Chronicles (PS3 exclusive)


Mixing genres sometimes results in a horrible mess, but I think this successfully pulls off a combination of RPG, RTS and FPS. All of the potential troops have personality. This necessarily means some of them are annoying, but I'll still take that over commanding a bunch of anonymous mooks. The strategy is interesting and the challenge level is good. The setting feels a bit ridiculous (JRPG issues surfacing again), but once you overlook that and run with it it's well worth it.