Posts Tagged ‘The Path’

The gaming audience has expanded in the last decade. From the pastime of children and cool/geek dads, games have widened their reach to embrace almost everyone. Whether it is annoying you with Mafia Wars invites on Facebook, or quietly playing Sudoku on an iPhone, the chances are each of your friends spends at least a small percentage of their life ‘gaming’ (even the sporty ones you think looks down their nose at you).

Casual gamers (or non-self identifying gamers) of course make up a vast proportion of the gaming populous, people who use social games as a mild distraction between emails at work. But the expansion of gaming’s acceptance isn’t limited to these ‘uncommitted’ groups. The children who used to play are now professional people and, contrary to the protestation’s of their mother, they never grew out of gaming.

See, everyone plays games.

As gamers aged their interests outside gaming diversified, and they wanted this reflected in their games. New genres emerged to appeal to these new demographics. Games designed to cater for ever facet of life could be found. Social, party and casual games all bought the hobby out of the bedroom and in to the public consciousness. Even traditional games started to see a change, with mature titles (in the literal sense of the word, not gore and oversized boobies) starting to gain visibility along with the stereotypical ‘kiddie’ diversions.

A mature development community, eager to stretch their creative legs, met this audience. From the big budget boxed titles to smaller downloadable titles, more variety and risks began to be seen in the topics games addressed.

Scattered among this wealth of new titles are products that it would be hard to clarify as games in the traditional sense of the word. While some have argued that they are games because you can ‘play’ them, I maintain that they are more akin to interactive art. Programs that allow artists to create playgrounds, allowing the audience to interact with their vision in a manner no other medium could.

The Path touched and amazed me.

Which brings me to my memory of the last decade, my discovery of The Path. I had intended to make my decade memories less recent but I find it hard to ignore the impact one 2009 title had on me. I have written extensively about it already, extolled the virtues of the game and its developers (Tale of Tales) at length on numerous sites. Yet still I feel a need to revisit it.

Perversely I am sure I have spent more time writing about The Path than I ever did playing it, but that is exactly why I am so impressed by it. Like any piece of art it stays with its viewer after the experience itself is finished. It inspires conversations and debates for me to this day and now informs my outlook on the medium. These statements are by no means exclusive to The Path, but while most ‘games’ just affect my view of gaming, The Path that directly challenged my views of art and the world before it tried to entertain me.

To further elaborate on The Path would be a disservice to the developer/artists at Tale of Tales. To ask you see their work, its fragility and innocence, is the best compliment I can pay them (even if you only try the demo). If you do, pay attention to your character when she idle, to the artefacts on screen as you move through the world, think about what they were trying to convey through every element of the design, and the story they wanted to tell. If you feel nothing, then it simply wasn’t a piece of art that spoke to you; there will be some that do, if you continue to keep an open mind about the titles you consume.

Every Day the Same Dream is another thought provoking game.

I had always though games were capable of being art but The Path was my first experience with something committed to the feeling and message the designer/artist wanted to produce. Since then I have delved deeper, learnt of other games that managed to be just as thought provoking (such as “Every day the same dream”), but The Path was my first and continues to hold a special place for me.

In a year that has seen the industry losing momentum in the face of the economic down turn and many games moving in to Q1 2010 it is hard to pretend that this was the best year for gaming. It is a however year that saw a more constant release of quality titles through out the year than long term gamers have come to expect. It is a trend that looks set to continue; though I do with they would give me a little time to recover from the (still inevitable) Christmas rush.

Due to the general difficulty for me to importing Wii titles my focus has unfortunately slanted away from Nintendo’s device this year. This combined with the iPhone dominating my mobile gaming, it seem looking back that I may have missed a number of titles that some would consider key to this year line-up. But my time is not infinite, and nor are my pockets, so while I have tried a wide array of title some have naturally fallen by the way side.

All that aside I have played a lot of incredible games this year, and honourable mentions for those that didn’t make my top five should are in order. From the downloadable games of the year we have Drop 7 the iPhone, a title that took more of my commuting (and toilet) time than I would care to admit. But it really became worrying when I was choosing to play that over my PS3 and 360. Canabalt, again on iPhone should also be mentioned. A simple platformer with a one-touch interface that proved endlessly entertaining especially as updates arrived, slowly adding new twists to the simple formula. Lastly there are Trials HD on XBLA (which kept me entertained for more hours than banging my head against a brick wall theoretically should) and Pixeljunk Shooter on PSN (that arrived to lick my bleeding forehead).

Trials HD, the gaming equivalent of having your junk trapped in an elevator door.

‘Big games’ that didn’t make my cut has the best licence game of the year, Batman Arkham Asylum narrowly missing the five spot. Its fantastic use of the licence and mind-blowing Scarecrow sections were only slightly marred by its weak ending. Earlier in the year I was loving Street Fighter 4, a nostalgia endued two week coma followed, which could well have taken over the year had I had more local opponents to play with. Mad World for Wii was an incredible and entertaining little brawler that slipped in to wean me of my Street Fighter addiction. It brought some more content to Nintendo’s family machine, but never received the sales it deserved. The summer drought was more muted this year that in the past, but it was still there which gave InFamous a chance to shine as I played it to completion twice, thanks to its variety of missions making it constantly entertaining.

But enough of the preamble and games that didn’t make the grade, what did rise above the other flotsam in 2009? It is a somewhat fluid list, in that ask me tomorrow and it may be slightly different but these five (plus maybe Batman and InFamous) are the games that year have stood above all of their competitors’. So ignore the numbers and just take my word for the fact these are game you owe it to yourself to at least try.

5 – Resident Evil 5 (Multi)

Any who talked to me while I was playing RE5 would have heard me complain about indefinable flaws I found in the game. How it wasn’t scary, or a horror game and how it didn’t ‘feel’ like Resident Evil. I stand by those comments, for me it wasn’t as good as the original game or Resident Evil 4, but when those stand as two of the games dearest to my heart that isn’t as damning as it may sound. Resident Evil 5 kept me coming back for months. I earned every achievement, unlocked every… unlockable… and finished the game some seven or eight times.

Yes, characters still controlled like a tanks, but that is Resident Evil, there are only so many changes you can make before you should really just do something else (which for the record I hope they do now). Despite this the game remained fun with just the right mix of hammy acting to keep it entertainingly bad without being horrible. Combine this with the ability to dip in and out of stages at will and it kept me coming back for both solo and co-op play long after I would usually have put it back on the shelf.

My Chris what absolutely colossal arms you have.

4 – The Path (PC/Mac)

Beautiful, evocative and magical, you would be forgiven for never having heard of this (primarily) downloadable PC/Mac title. Taking inspiration from Little Red Riding Hood the game allows you to control one of seven girls on their adventurer to grandma’s house. There is little for the player to do but direct their girl on their journey to the house (or off into the forest), but left alone near items in the world they will interact and their story and personality.

Defiantly a more relaxed, almost passive, experience compared to most games it is really only for a select group who have an interested in narrative and expression in games. Those that fit this bill will find a Grimm Fairy Tale experience unlike any other title on the market.

On of seven Little Red Riding Hoods, heavier on the 'Red' than the 'Hood'.

3 – Uncharted 2 (PS3)

It is an over used expression but describing Uncharted 2 as cinematic is the only way I know to accurately describe it’s presentation. Some of the most breathtaking graphics and voice work yet seen on a home console combine with set pieces that would not be out of place in an Indian Jones movie to create an experience which is almost as fun to watch as it is to play.

Entertaining start to finish (and with a good multiplayer if you are so inclined) it no sits as a game that I will keep to revisit in the future in the same way I would a movie. It isn’t about the gameplay, which is the same rinse and repeat formula almost though out (bar the stunning train level), it is about the Christmas afternoon action movie. The film I used to watch as a kid that I now own on DVD and keep on a shelf, just to give me a warm fuzzy feeling when I look at it.

Drake looking intense. I don't remember why exactly.

2 – Dragon Age: Origins (PC)

Released the latest of my top five Dragon Age Origins has the advantage of being the freshest in my mind, but having pumped neigh on forty hours into the game in the last three weeks I can declare this one of the best of the year. It isn’t pretty, the game went into development some time ago and the engine seems to have only undergone some mild tweaks since it began. Its lack of visual pizzazz however is more than made up for by hours of unique dialogue delivered by its superb cast. It sucks you in, constantly surprising you with incidental dialogue from both your own party and those around you as you walk through the world making it feel alive.

The incredible thing for me was how it managed to engage me in the minutia rather than the grand story. You quickly find yourself living for your party, the group you collect from various miscreants you meet on your travels. Each reacts differently, and not always predictably, to your choices. A positive act to one will repulse another and you find yourself trying to tailor your answers to appeal to a favoured party member. It is basically the ‘paragon’ and ‘renegade’ options from developer Bioware’s other big title Mass Effect, but applied on an individual level. More than any overarching morality system could this granular system judgment by individuals highlights the uncertainty of choices, how the game offers no right or wrong, just choices on your quest for a greater good.

My dog, I called him Flopsy.

1 – Demon’s Souls (PS3)

Number one spot (today at least) goes to Demon’s Souls. A PS3 exclusive that has managed to constantly draw me back in. Set in a desolate world, devoid of any real life it is cold and lonely. Despite this it has beauty, not only in the graphic fidelity but also in the design. It is grand and somehow tranquillity when you are not besieged by the soulless abominations that lurk behind every corner. It is an environment I may never want to go there on holiday to but it perfectly fits the fantasy medieval setting.

It is a game that is usually challenging, often punishing and at times seemingly impossible. Progress is slow, but rewarding and even at its most devious you feel like you can make progress, if you just grind a little harder. Of course if you are in need of help there is the interesting online component. Uniquely Japanese in its implementation it allows you to be constantly sharing your world, without every really having to share the experience. In the game you spend most of your time a spirit, but when you resurrect you are able to summon other spirits in to your world to help. Despite this there is no voice, no communication beyond a boilerplate set of comments that you can leave scattered on the ground. It’s co-operative, intelligent but ultimately just serves to make you feel more alone.

Not a game for everyone, but a game for me, and it stands as one of the few games this year that is continually on my mind and will keep me coming back well into 2010.

He looks tired for a reason.

That’s it I guess. I am already remembering games I have forgotten, games like PSN’s Shatter, but if I didn’t remember them then I guess they don’t really count right? Either that or I could just keep adding to this for the rest of 2010 in the hope of suddenly finding some ‘right’ answer to the question “What was your favourite game this year?” The truth is though, I don’t think that epiphany would ever come, because there are just so many good games. There are so many in fact that I can honestly say if I stopped buying games right now it would easily be 2011 before I cleared my backlog. Guess I won’t be doing that though so here is to a costly year of 2010 gaming, kicking off for me at the end of January with Mass Effect 2.

Dan is taking over. Really there is very little I can do. He swept in here with his fast-talking, smooth segueing ways, and now he is calling the shots. I will continue as a figurehead of the site only. All hail our new master.

Here hit discuss our recent visit to ‘Game Japan Festa’, plenty of news, and of course the games we have been playing.

Hopefully the coup will be unsuccessful and Darren will be back for a ‘normal’ show in time for Christmas. In the meantime keep your self entertained with this hour and a half of edited highlights. Enjoy.

 The DanFuss Show. [92:56m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

If you have been reading the site for some time you will no doubt have realised by now that I am a lover of the survivial horror genre. Well, I would have loved to write something specific for the festivities, but unfortunately I have been far too busy. Luckily however two (maybe three by now) of my reviews were recently posted on Gamepeople where I am now contributing reviews to their Scared Gamer section. Here are snippets to all three and links to the two that are up. Keep an eye out for the third, partly to support me and partly because it’s a review of the fantastic Demon’s Souls the game which makes me want to quit writing to give me more time to play.

The Path

The Path, Tale of Tales (PC, Mac)

“The Path asks a lot of its audience, demanding that players completely submerge themselves in its world and characters. All horror games require an element of role-playing from their audience. If a title cannot draw the player into its fiction then there is no hope of eliciting the base instinctive emotion of fear. In The Path the realization of this immersion is especially challenging due to the nature of its characters and the open narrative structure, but if you can get past these obstacles you are rewarded with unsettling tales of lost innocence.”

Check it out here…

Resident Evil 5

Resident Evil 5, Capcom (360, PS3)

“I squint as we step into the searing Africa sun. Chris Redfield and I have done this before, but that was twelve years ago. It was a different age then, filled with surprise and wonder at what Capcom had created for us in their game, Resident Evil. Now, as we approach Resident Evil 5, we are older, cynical and prepared for what lays ahead. We move forward, cautions but confident.”

Check it out here…

Demon's Souls

Demon’s Souls, Atlus (PS3)

“Demon’s Souls is a game that forces the players to edge their way forward an inch at a time. Every turn is a new opportunity for death. Be it from stumbling upon an over powered enemy or fall down a hole; trial and error is a necessity. Death proves only a minor setback, only robbing the player of souls (experience), which can be recovered if you find the bloodstain that marks your last resting place. Yet the game even makes this feel like too much of a risk to take, ensuring caution at every turn.”

Check it out here…