Month: November 2017

Uncharted is one of the most beloved game series of the last two console generations on both the PS3 and PS4, laying rightful claim in the eyes of many to be some of Sony’s best exclusive titles. Starting in 2007 and so far as we know, finally concluding as recently as August of 2017, this series has a decade long history of charming those who play it.  With such high praise, you may ask, what makes this so special?

It has a fun cinematic story, setting and tone

Fans of Uncharted and of video games in general will probably know that Tomb Raider and its lead Laura Croft is a natural comparison and inspiration. However, an even greater comparison would be to pop culture icon Indiana Jones. This is entirely intentional as both Indiana Jones and Uncharted are both heavily inspired by pulp adventure stories of the 1930s and 40s. Furthermore, Indy and Uncharted protagonist Nathan Drake are both swashbuckling, charismatic treasure hunters with a knack for history, daring feats, meeting beautiful women, crossing nefarious villains and dragging along witty and lovable sidekicks.

Fun, adventurous and downright charming, Uncharted is all about globe trotting tales that blend real history with myth, lore and legend. The series explores historical figures like Sir Francis Drake, Marco Polo, T. E. Lawrence and Captain Henry Avery, lost mythical cities like Shambhala, Libertalia, El Dorado and Iram, “the Atlantis of the Sands”, and hidden treasures like the Chintamani Stone and Avery’s pirate hoard. There’s not much more to say other than it’s storytelling is exciting and entertaining like a cinematic spectacle or an old school pulpy matinee that’s sure to put a big smile on your face. With its engaging, episodic stories, the series has a way of getting its hooks into you and never letting go.

Its music is sublime

The main themes alone reflect perfectly the tone and feel of the games. The main themes sound like a fun and rip-roaring romp. The combination of brass, string and percussion instruments pound and soar with the sound of triumph and wonder.  Music is essential to immersing someone into a full experience and Uncharted does this very well, displaying appropriate synergy with the action, the setting and the character moments.  If you’ve ever imagined having a cool soundtrack playing in the background of your life and if for some reason you also found yourself in a heated shootout in ancient ruins with rival treasure hunters or running through a thick jungle in search of adventure, this is exactly the kind of music you’d be hearing in your head. Check it out, it’s well worth a listen or twenty.

It has unforgettable blockbuster set pieces

Whether climbing a crashed train hanging off a cliff side in the Himalayas or holding on for dear life while hanging out of a crashing cargo plane high above a sea of Arabian sand, Uncharted does not skimp on adrenaline fueled and visually spectacular action set pieces. Great action scenes require a fine tuned balance between impending danger and visceral energy that makes the hero seem both extraordinary yet capable of harm, and boy do the developers at Naughty Dog know how to construct a riveting scene. Each entry in the series always has at least one iconic moment that is seared in the minds of gamers everywhere, and for a medium saturated with plenty of action, that’s an accomplishment worth noting.

It’s surprisingly funny

Somehow the humor in Uncharted lands far more than it misses. In fact, it was it’s good humor and charming wit that first endeared me to the series. Some moments elicit a hearty laugh while even the more cheesy moments get a smile and a soft chuckle simply for its self awareness. There’s no shortage of clever sarcasm, corny jokes and witty banter between characters to lighten the mood. The banter especially comes off light and natural as if it were nothing more than a part of natural conversation between good friends and colleagues.

The true heart of Uncharted is its characters

All of the above are more than worthy reasons to love Uncharted, however, I and many others would agree that the series is so beloved because we fell in love with the characters and became invested in their relationships. Action, beautiful scenery, music, lore and comedy are all well and good, but what makes a story truly special is the heart and soul within its characters. Nathan Drake is a witty, ambitious, swashbuckling, gun slinging treasure hunter with a heart for his friends and those in need. Elena Fisher is a feisty documentary reporter, travel blogger and eventual loving wife to Drake. Victor Sullivan is a classy con-man who took Nate under his wing when he was young and taught him the treasure hunter’s trade.

Nearly every character is given an intriguing personality and backstory and in a series of adventures about love, rivalry, friendship, pride, ambition and brotherhood and most of the stories work as well as they do because they’re personal for the characters involved. Each installment unfolds an ever deepening exploration of their growing relationships with one another and with the friends and enemies around them. It’s these endearing characters, their personalities, motivations and relationships that drive the story and truly make this series shine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..ncharted is a series that is a beloved gem in the pantheon of video game masterpieces.

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Many business practices that are unfriendly to the consumer have invaded gaming and to many people, it is gotten too serious to ignore.  Mobile phone gaming with free-to-play models have long been riddled with predatory and exploitative micro-transactions for almost as long as mobile gaming has existed, but console game publishers have also grown an increasing attraction to this instant gratification business model. The new game Star Wars Battlefront 2 from developer DICE and publisher Electronic Arts is especially and egregiously guilty, for which a massive internet backlash has recently erupted in a manner and magnitude that is arguably unprecedented for a video game in recent memory.  As a little green Jedi master might say, begun, the loot box wars have…

“I have a bad feeling about this…”

Video games, when done right that is, usually have a skill based progression system for advancing yourself in the game. The grind is a natural part of any skill based game, wherein the goal is to problem solve, practice, gain skill and reap your just rewards in a pure meritocratic system.

However, in an increasing number of games, of which 2017’s Battlefront 2 is only one example, progression is inherently linked to in game purchases which unlock prizes and upgrades. EA has essentially implemented a “pay to win” progression model wherein customers can purchase micro-transactions to get better upgrades and advantages without the effort, automatically unbalancing fair competition.

“No reward is worth this!”

It’s a practice that effectively creates a class system wherein the best is determined by those few who either can or regardless will habitually hand over more of their hard earned cash long after they already paid for the base game in order to acquire an unnatural competitive edge. Sorry, Master Yoda, but “do or do not, there is no try,” does not apply.

While you might consider just ignoring these micro-transactions, it appears that EA has made this game so unfathomably time consuming to progress normally according to those who have already played the game. Progress is also not determined by the individual’s level of skill and the rewards are so minimal by normal means that the consumer is de facto required to pay them more money through micro-transactions in order to have any chance of progress or competency.

Truly, no reward is worth this, and it seems that considering the millions of dollars already lost by EA due to many consumers trying to cancel their pre-orders en masse, millions of gamers seem to wholeheartedly agree.

“You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.”

Purchasing these loot boxes do not even guarantee that you even get exactly what you want. You see, these rewards are randomized, meaning that there is the possibility that you could pay money for the chance at winning big. Whether or not you win big or roll snake eyes is all a matter of luck.

The ultimate problem is that in spite of insistence to the contrary by some in the industry, these loot boxes are not only essentially gambling mechanics, they also happen to be legal for minors since loot boxes don’t qualify as “real gambling” on a technicality according to the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). Minors having the ability to engage in a form of gambling is a problem that not only plagues the largely toxic and lackluster mobile market but has ever increasingly infected console gaming with these kinds of exploitative and anti-consumer business practices by major publishers, much to the hobby and industry’s detriment.

While I wouldn’t begrudge anyone buying a game that looks fun to play, which this most certainly does, others have strongly suggested not to give a penny to the “scruffy looking nerf herders” at EA, and frankly, I don’t begrudge them either. Honestly, all I want to know is at what point did enjoying video games as a hobby require that I develop a life crippling gambling addiction?

The Last of Us is a third person action-shooter that is widely regarded as one of the greatest games of the last console generation. Some would argue it’s remaster is still one of the best game of the current one. The story takes you on a wild cross country road trip in post-apocalyptic America to hopefully save the world from the mutant cordyceps spore pandemic that consumed it. Joel and Ellie are the main heroes of the story and are as beloved by fans as they are complex.

Joel especially is a hard nut to crack. On the one hand, he’s a caring father and father figure and is fiercely protective, for which we’re meant to identify and sympathize with the character. This is firmly established in the opening scenes when he loses his daughter after going to painstaking lengths to keep her safe as the world crumbles around them at the onset of the outbreak in suburban Texas. Fast forward 20 years later to the time of the main story and you come to discover throughout the game that Joel isn’t exactly a saint.

Killing Robert

you find Joel as a smuggler, helping his “friend” Tess hunt down his other “friend” Robert to seek revenge and to get their contraband that Robert failed to deliver.  In fact, the rest of the plot only occurs because Joel helps Tess kill Robert in cold blood when they discover he sold their guns to a militia group called the Fireflies.  Joel wouldn’t have met fellow protagonist Ellie and they wouldn’t have taken their long trek across the savage wilds and perilous cities of the United States in order to save the world had Joel not first been an active murder accomplice…

Fool Me Once…

Adding to the list of shady things Joel has ever done, Joel and Ellie arrive in a seemingly abandoned Pittsburgh when in front of their vehicle approaches a hooded man hunched over and calling for help. Ellie asks if they should slow down, to which Joel coldly replies, “He ain’t even hurt.” Long story short, the man attacks their truck, they crash into a gas station and fight off half a dozen the hunters that lured them into their trap. In a brief exchange following the tense confrontation, Ellie inquires as to how Joel could have known that the the man was a threat and not a poor soul in need. Joel mumbles with a reluctant “I’ve been on both sides…”

What Wouldn’t a Father Do?

Let’s set the scene; Joel wakes up from a near lethal impalement injury in snowy Colorado, only to find his caregiver and daughter figure Ellie missing. A gang of cannibals are closing in on his location and it goes without saying that Joel eventually makes quick work of his assailants. However, if this story isn’t dark enough, Joel captures two of his would be killers and engages in “enhanced interrogation” to learn of Ellie’s location, complete with choking, stabbing and concluded with promising to set them free if he gets what he wants, only to kill them as soon as they do.  The scene is dark and tense, so much so that you could almost forget that he does what he does to find and save someone he loves.

All in the Name of Love

This story concludes when they reach the Fireflies, whose base the duo have been trying to find so that Eliie’s immunity to the spores might possibly be used to hopefully manufacture a cure. Joel, however, was not aware that to save the world, Ellie first has to die. Unwilling to see yet another daughter die, Joel tears through the facility, killing everyone in his path. He finally finds the sedated Ellie and whisks her away to safety. However, when Ellie asks what happened at the Firefly base, Joel lies and tells her that they couldn’t use her to find a cure. Ellie appears to accept the lie and story ends. To this day, it is one of the most thought provoking and conflicting endings to a game I have ever witnessed.

At the end of the day, Joel is primarily depicted as a sympathetic, broken man having not healed mentally or emotionally from losing his daughter and learning to love again through his protective relationship with the young teenager, Ellie, with whom he comes to develop a strong fatherly attachment throughout the course of the story. However, in spite of his fatherly virtues, combined with telling clues about his past and the myriad of questionable choices he makes for the sole purpose of protecting his new “daughter”, you can’t help but wonder where the line is between hero and villain or what really separates him from any one of the game’s antagonists. Regardless of one’s point of view, it’s these deep moral quandaries and complex character relationships that make The Last of Us one of the most moving and compelling story driven games to date and arguably one of the greatest games ever made.