Goldeneye007 (Wii) Expectations

Golden Eye 007 has been announced for the Nintendo Wii.
The original set the standard and guideline for all future console first person shooters. Needless to say, Nintendo’s announcement holds huge expectations on a ground breaking first person experience. Though be aware that it is not a remake of the original Golden Eye but rather a reboot. In addition, even if this title is polished and highly acclaimed by all, can it live up to the bench mark of the original? In this article, we look into various issues dealing with Nintendo's reboot, Golden Eye 007.


Benchmarks in gaming set by Goldeneye
Can Goldeneye 007 impress like the original? The original Goldeneye(1997) for the Nintendo 64 set the standard for console first person shooters everywhere. It showed us how we can move in a 3D space in first person and it defined split screen multiplayer for console gaming. Goldeneye brought a benchmark to gaming as a whole that forever changed the industry; Goldeneye 007 (Wii) should not be expected to be as good as the original because it simply cannot be. The feeling of a new gaming element and experience can't be duplicated unless the Goldeneye 007 again reinvents first person shooters, which is unlikely. Entering with impossible expectations is only going to disappoint you; rather we should prepare for a polished system of today's conventions.

This game changed console FPS' forever

A remake versus a reboot
Goldeneye is a reboot more then a remake. A reboot is getting an existing universe/ product and building it from the ground up to create a new experience in that universe. A remake is getting an existing product and/ universe a remaking it for a modern audience as we remember it. Let me give examples of both. Batman Begins is the beginning of a reboot for the Batman movie franchise. It has no relation to the Batman movies of the 90's other then it's the batman universe; it has been reinvented. Perfect Dark for Xbox live arcade is remake: other then a few modern upgrades, it's the same game from 2000 ( for the most part). Game play, music, presentation, and the Meta-game remains the same: it is ultimately the same game. Goldeneye 007 will not play like the original you remember: the levels have been redesigned, the weapons work on a different damage scale, vaulting has been added, and characters have special abilities, etc. To some people a resigned is expected but some others do not like change. Understand games need to evolve. Goldeneye 007 is undergoing modern changes that the nostalgic might find disappointing. Going into the game understanding those differences between a reboot a a remake could prevent some disappointing feelings hardcore fans get between titles; such as changes from Halo 2 to Halo 3 or Super Smash Brothers Melee to Super Smash Brothers Brawl.

Perfect Dark XBL was an fantastic remake

Goldeneye 007 is based off the movie franchise and not the original N64 game.
This may seem oblivious but this forces exclusion of certain elements you may expect to be in Goldeneye 007. It has been stated that the complex will not be in the game. This is because Rare owns the complex and due to legal issues, the level can not be included. Now if the property of the complex can be withheld, it is same to assume rare can own all the levels in Goldeneye 64. Be prepared for radical changes in the levels you remember and love. Also, since the game’s system is being modernized, old levels my not be appropriate for the games design. Could the complex be brought back through a “reinvention?”. The story mode levels of the game are, I don’t see why not.

Goldeneye Wii looks to be very promising

We are all excited to see the return of Goldeneye to the modern audience. Without a doubt we are looking toward to an extraordinary title; I believe Nintendo will deliver. If we understand the mandatory changes that need to be made, we will have a stronger experience with the title; versus if we stuck to nostalgic expectations.

The Legend of Zelda and it's sense of exploration through breaking of established space

E3 is next week and we are all eager to hear about the new Legend of
Zelda title. Miyamoto has said he struck inspiration for the Legend of
Zelda from a childhood experience of exploring a cave he shouldn't
have. That deep sense of discovery came from the establishment of
a boundary and then the breaking of it. Zelda games have used the
technology of their time to establish a world in a space and then
broke it’s own boundaries to deliver discovery. Here I talk about how
some Zelda titles did so in their time, and how the new upcoming Zelda game can begin to deliver discovery as we remember it from our favorite Zelda titles.


The Legend of Zelda series uses our expectations of technology to give
us a sense of vastness. In games from the 1980‘s, moving from left to
right was common. The original Legend of Zelda game gave us 4
directions to explore with very little guidance. We had to discover
the journey of Link, and as we progressed, the sense of accomplishment was huge. Exploration was created by using current technology to like we have never seen before. Combined with a rich world, the Legend of Zelda series was born.

The original Zelda Immediately gave us a choice in which way we can go

In the mid 90’s, gaming was turning to a new world of gaming, 3D
space. While we saw plenty of 3D games before 1998, the game broke our expectations of what kind of space a game could deliver. A sense of deep exploration was created off our expectations of the technology of the time. Combined again with a rich universe and story, Ocarina of Time went on to be considered one of the best games ever created.

Link reaches Hyrule field. We are directed to the castle but it's so tempting to simply explore

People asked for a sequel to Ocarina of Time for years, and we finally
got one called Twilight Princess. Twilight Princess delivered a strong
story in the same universe as Ocarina of Time, but is often considered
inferior to its prequel. Elements of nostalgia or fanboyism? I think
not; rather, Twilight Princess came out with a smaller space for us to
explore over other titles we have already seen. Already accustomed to
the space sandbox style games could deliver, Twilight Princess fell
into a sense of linearity when compared to its predecessors.

Outside of the Vault we are directed to Megaton but it's so tempting to simply explore.

The new Legend of Zelda title needs to reestablish its sense of space
and exploration by using stronger technology to break the world we are used too. A Legend of Zelda game set in a huge world the size of
Fallout 3’s could be the ultimate 3D translation to what the original
Legend of Zelda gave us. Loose guidance with a story we could choose
to follow when we are ready. I want to get lost in the world. The
world I got lost in the original Zelda and in Ocarina of Time.

Final Fantasy 13 and Elements Story Telling in Gaming

   The Final Fantasy series has always been praised for its engaging worlds and the stories it creates within. Each Final Fantasy is very different from the previous one and engages the player into a different universe. The effectiveness of the series’ story telling comes from traditional storytelling tools and through using gameplay to have the player develop background and attachment to the characters of the story. Final Fantasy 13, while an amazing title, falls short both in storytelling and in game play, leaving me asking “why exactly am I still playing this?” Here I explain elements of storytelling and the tools of engaging game play to explain and clarify that feeling in your heart: Why is Final Fantasy 13 simply falling short to your Final Fantasy expectations?

The playable cast of FF13

Final Fantasy 13 is critically missing an element of storytelling
You know a good story when you hear one: you find it worth telling again. You know a good movie when you see it: you recommend it to a friend. In almost all forms of storytelling across any medium, a story almost always does the following in its first act:



--------------------------------------------
Act 1 Story Structure
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Inciting incident: What happens in the first few minutes of a story makes the rest possible. The listener is quickly told what the story is about.

Overture: The medium tells you the world the story takes place in.
This is our universe and world which we need to understand in order to understand the conflict our characters face in that world fully.

Kicker: A hint of the coming conflict in the meat of the story.

Double Kickers:  Another hint that is going to build the conflict of the story.

Rhythm:   A repeated motif or piece of dialogue. Its repetition lets the viewer understand change in a character or progression in story.

Plot point 1:
Conflict has occurred and must now play out. This is called the At Sea moment, and there is no turning back. The character is lost in a new strange place. The game gets momentum and we understand what our characters need to do. In Final Fantasy 13 this occurs when our characters become marked and are now fugitives.
--------------------------------------------


   Final Fantasy 13 opens up with an inciting incident, but does not give us proper overture or kickers. It makes the player question what is going on in the story. It isn’t until later in the game when the conflict becomes more clear and we begin to understand our character’s motivation. But without much more than a hint of motivation, what keeps us pulling through the first 9 hours of the game? The story tries too hard to keep a shroud of mystery over the characters by telling the story in reverse through cut scenes, and as a result, players suffer confusion due to lack of clarity about the world we are in. Because of this, the beginning of the game is often under-appreciated.

Gaming is different from movies and television 

because of it's interactive element. A story telling 

game needs to use that element to make proper use 

of its medium

Gameplay experiences can help tell the story and provide an experience

What makes game story telling different from any other medium is the player’s ability to make decisions that affect the story, or at least give the illusion of affecting the story. This allows the player to make connections with a character that other mediums cannot.  An engaging gameplay experience keeps the player playing and focused on the story of the game. In a Role-Playing Game you take the role of a specific group of characters and see the world through their eyes; there is a sense of attachment when you see your character grow and succeed in their world as you learn more about them. This sense of attachment can also make story plot points more intense. Infamously, Aeris is killed in Final Fantasy 7, but would it be remembered in the same fashion if she was not a playable character? When gameplay is affected by a story beat, the player is more likely to be affected emotionally by the incident.


In Final Fantasy 13, we are given control over one character at a time while the other two characters battle automatically. Because of Final Fantasy 13’s quick combat pacing, this was necessary because otherwise the player would not have enough time to make all of their decisions, similar to Final Fantasy 12. Unfortunately, this takes us away from our characters and puts a wall between the player and the characters. We don’t have true control over our characters, rather we dictate actions to them.
During each battle, we are given the ability to auto battle, which lets the game’s artificial intelligence pick the best course of action. The only decision the player really needs to make develops in the latter half of the game, a combat feature called paragon shift. And after each battle, your characters are fully healed and revived, leaving no consequences to taking damage or losing a character, unless the entire party is defeated. Not caring if your characters become damaged or even killed leads to a massive sense of detachment. The player is left feeling like the game can play itself better then they can.

Paragon Shifting is the most important decision you 

will make in battle

Gameplay is not developing the storytelling experience here. Ultimately, that is what gamers are used to and why negative reaction to the game was common. We play Final Fantasy for the story, and its gameplay prevents it from developing traditionally. Shouldn’t a player be able to take the role of a character in a role-playing game?  The players are left with the feeling that they are not playing a game but rather watching a movie. And if we are to accept we are watching a movie rather than playing a game, then why does Final Fantasy 13 not have an overture like all movies do?



Conclusion:


   Final Fantasy 13’s storytelling is affected by having an extremely poor overture. Most players do not understand the world and circumstance they are in until late in the game. It’s like watching a movie during Act 2. Do you know what is going on? It is true a player can read the log notes in the menu for a clear explanation, but a story-telling video game has the tools to show me and provide an experience. Why should the player have to pause and read text logs to understand what should be freely provided? The game play system of Final Fantasy 13 takes away from the story telling experience through how it discourages player attachment to the characters, circumstance and the world.  When a game’s point is to tell a story, it needs to find a marriage between elements of traditional storytelling and make use of the tools it had to enhance the story telling experience.


Edited by: Brian Mc Kay

A Return

After being missing in action, I am back.
I've been focusing on my MPT Degree and time got the best of me.


I don't need to remind you that this is a blog about Film and Gaming from an in-depth perspective.
This is not a review site; I want people to see visual medium in a different light after reading this blog. I want to help you realize why we are evoked with certain emotions and reactions from various pieces. Welcome back to Video Game and Film Analysis with CGC Grayfox.

Next week I start off with a dated article I had on my desktop for a while; A discussion about Final Fantasy 13 and it's elements of story telling. Following, We'll be discussing a mix of titles I missed an opportunity to talk about and thoughts about newly released tiles. Stay

tuned!

If you have any suggestions for debates or would like to simply bring an attention to a pieces' detail, send me an E-mail at: CGCGrayfox@gmail.com or simply leave a comment!

A Game I Wish: Star Fox Franchise

There’s been rumor of a new Star Fox game around the corner for Wii. As a huge fan of the series of course I’m excited but I feel that I am due for disappointment. Nintendo really hasn’t respected the Star fox series since Star Fox 64 and outside of Smash Brothers, Fox hasn’t made a high quality appearance since the mid 90’s.  Let’s take a look at the previous Star Fox games first, then I’ll illustrate what I believe will be the ultimate Star Fox game.

Star Fox 64
Star Fox 64 give us a 3D rail shooter experience and a cinematic narrative experience. through out our mission we literally are trying to follow in James Mc Cloud’s (Fox’s father) foot steps. Our performance in the game is Fox’s constant struggle to be like his father. The narrative is something we can all find a connection with; having to live up to someone or some expectation. It’s never easy. The use of sound was also mind blowing. With a fantastic sound track that would define the Star Fox series and voice acting that’s quoted to this day, no wonder Star Fox 64 lives as the most popular and true Star Fox game.

Fox stands Tall. A face of a leader

Star Fox Adventures
In an effort to save the 64 adventure game, Dinosaur Planet, Nintendo re-skinned the game into the Star Fox universe. This ladies and gentlemen was the beginning of the end. The game at one point clearly illustrates the decision to make this game a Star Fox game as the mood switches from vegetated exploration to rail shooting space battles. Some could consider it fresh to have Fox out of his Arwing but it left us wanting more of Star Fox 64. The biggest compliant about this game from me is how they changed Fox. His personality and who he was doesn’t reflect what we learned about Fox in Star Fox 64. He’s more childlike and outgoing in appearance and nature. We no longer had a fearless leader on the raise.

Fox's Furriest version. He's more comical then serious.

Star Fox Assault
A step back to the Star Fox 64 universe, this game gave us some rail shooter levels and the ability to jump out of our machines into new ones ( Land Master, Wolfen, another Arwing) or fight on foot. The mechanic was very interesting but failed to deliver on many technical notes. ( though it can be expanded on and made into something really amazing)  The voice acting returned but was exceptionally poor and flat. The sound effects were simply terrible. When you get hit, you wouldn’t really know. You just take the damage. Star Fox 64 made it clear when you took a hit, then you could begin to evade the danger. The narrative was mildly interesting but nothing too rich. The Multiplayer was surprisingly good but also broken. Ground combat was so poor that the best strategy was always run to the next Land Master, which was significantly better then the Arwing and of course on foot. Fox is constantly being told what to do this in this game. As a leader he isn’t making very many decisions. Really, his original character hardly shows in this game.

As some would call it.
Photoshop By:  Chris Hill

Star Fox Command

This DS game is 100% flying and adds a strategy element. The game play was a step up from Assault but the multiplayer was a step down with a hardly enjoyable dog fight game. The story continues from Star Fox Assault and tells the story of another war but most importantly Fox’s relationship with Crystal. This look into who Fox is is the first time we get it since Star Fox 64. It was hugely refreshing. This game concludes the Star Fox story line with definite conclusive endings to the end of the character’s life spans. Fox the whole time is longing for Crystal, who he’s losing. Again though Fox’s personality changes no longer reflecting who he was drawn as in any of the previous games other then the concrete facts we were given. ( Crystal for example). The various endings are all very interesting and makes me wonder f they are going to choose a seemingly conclusive ending and work off of it for the new Star Fox game or if they are going to reboot the series with a telling of the same universe.

Fox and Friends as seen in Star Fox Command.

The Ultimate Star Fox Game
The Narrative and game play of my ultimate Star Fox game will take a step back to the days of the N64. The game play will be course based and on rails using mostly Arwing with a splash of Land Master and Blue Marine. The new element of this game would be that while on rails the story mode will be 4 players from beginning to end with each of the characters ( Fox, Falco, Peppy, Falco) having there own rail flight path in the same combat space. Confusing? Consider how Time Crisis 4 was 2 players on rail. Both players are fighting in the game fight but from different angles. This Star Fox game would play similarly as the rails of each character assist and complement each other from beginning to end. It would give this generation an amazing 4 player experience. Also the completest would have to play the game’s level’s 4 times to get every experience in the game. Of course the game would be able to played on-line over a network. The key here to rebooting the Star Fox rail shooter is design for the on-line experience.

Star Fox as seen in the original Smash Brothers.

Fox as seen in the original Smash Brothers.

Consistently is lost even in the same title.

Heavy Critical Roll on Fox’s Character
The direction and narrative of the story would have to build of Fox’s leadership. That player would have the most difficult flights and the other 3 players would be at the mercy of his skill level. Having fox’s roll be difficult gives a sense of Fox’s growth as a character and your growth as playing as Fox. “Your being more like your father”.  Imagine if your ability to take down certain enemies in time would change your team mates flight path or causes them to become downed. It will cause conflict or trust between Fox and his wing mates. That would compliment the games narrative if you play alone or with others. The Dynamic Story experience for 4 players is entirely possible for the Star Fox Universe.

 

Fox as seen in Super Smash Brother's Melee.

Multiplayer Experience
The Key to the lifespan of a game in this generation is a strong multiplayer experience with support from the publisher. What I mean is consistent playlists, modes, patches, maps, balance adjustments. If you keep them coming back for more, the gamer’s investment in the game both in terms of money and time is respected and the publisher can also benefit by profiting off downloadable content and support. In any case, the Star Fox Multiplayer would be a build off the Star Fox Assault multiplayer in terms of Land Master, Arwing, and on foot combat. The experience can take a page from Halo with it’s multiplayer experience in terms of presentation. The biggest problem Assault suffered was the size of the environments. A system with the processing power to generate huge environments would be best to keep the fight from being over crowded. It would also make close combat and distance combat possible. It would be ,at default,  a elimination format like counter strike / Gear’s of War; First to 5 rounds wins. Teams would be 4 men in size ( Star Fox Team vs. Star Wolf Team style) and up to 16 players ( 2 random teams for the sake of multiplayer). Communication between your wing men and enemies will be done in the style of Star Fox 64. Your Character’s portrait will pop up and begin to move his mouth but your voice will be presented. The unique ability to contact your team mates and enemies separately as any time would be an interested factor in combat that would make this game unique.

Fox as Seen in Super Smash Brothers Brawl.

This is my favorite look since Star Fox 64.

Why It Can't Happen
The Wii is the biggest limitation for a game like this to exist. The on-line ability of the wii is so weak that it could never handle any of these ideas story mode and multiplayer alike. The voices can never happen as Nintendo has a big issue with privacy. The environments would also never be big enough to hold the experience of travel in the Arwing / Land Master without taking speed out of the machines. Finally, since the wii is presented in Standard Definition,  the draw distance would never be good enough to hold the depth needed for an immersive sense of travel. It would also limit the multiplayer experience’s combat. The best way to reboot the Star Fox series is with next generation technology. A lot of people consider this the age of High Definition but I argue the true tool of the next generation is the on-line experience. Unfortunately Nintendo can’t deliver either one.

Travelling Delay and Director's Study

I've been out town for the weekend. With limited Internet access and time this week's blog will be posting tonight or tomorrow. Thank you for your patience!

Edit:10/28/09
So then I got sick and I completely shut down Sunday. I return home to find out I have a mountain of school work to attend too.
 
First Director's Audition
Wednesday have my first real audition. Ill be auditioning 60+ actors and narrowing them down to a 2 person piece. The other 11 directors also have to cast 2 actors from that pool of 60 for their scene. All the scenes are from Sex, Lies, and Video Tape. The script is super bland but as an emotional piece there is tons of room for high director influence. It will be interesting to see how different everyone's project comes out even though we are all working with the same script.


Music Video Project
My current editing project is pretty interesting. We are getting random footage from where ever to make a 1min music video. Then we need to use that same footage to create another music video from an opposite genre. Aw, the transforming power of music!

Paranormal Activity: Why is it so terrifying?

Paranormal Activity (Oren Peli, 2009) has been the movie we’ve all heard talk about. Independently filmed on only 1 week in 2007 and made for less then $15,000, just how scary can you make a movie? The film doesn’t pray on surprise scares or jump outs but rather builds on so much that truly breeds fear. There are a few elements that make this movie “The Exorcist (William Friedkin, 2009)” and “Alien (Ridley Scott, 1979)” of this decade. The first is the use of the camera. The second is the bedroom door and 3D space. The Third is exploitation of expectation.

The Camera
Walking into Paranormal I was surprised to discover this was a movie that took the found footage approach of story telling. To clarify, that is the use of the camera as if it is in the hands of an amateur; often jerky in nature with shots frequently not in center frame. What the camera does is make the story extremely believable. Fully knowing that this film can not be fictional, you consider “Is it?”. We are accustomed that a documentary is a telling of truth and shot in a documentary fashion the story is given a sense of truth. The camera positioned during the course of the night scenes gives a very strong voyeur feel; We shouldn’t be there. The violation of privacy really makes us uneasy by putting us in a position we know as taboo. You don’t watch someone sleep! This grows a sense of nervousness. Don’t you just want to get out of there? We are at the mercy of the camera. Another strong element of the camera is Mica’s inability to keep the action in frame. Through out the day scenes we never find it a problem but during the night our view’s constrain adds even more to the discomfort. If you know there is someone you don’t know in your house but you can’t see them how does that make you feel? We want to look but we are never allowed too. Actually the only time we are allowed to see anything is when the camera is unmanned. Another emotion comes into play, vulnerability. While seemly amateur the camera’s movements does an amazing job of putting us out of our comfort zone, inducing us with strong mixed emotions of voyeurism, nervousness, and vulnerability.

 Now monster's from the bottom of the bed are clique but 

they weren't always. They are terrifying because they violated the 

boundaries we give our bedroom.

The Bedroom Door and 3D Space
Paranormal Activity did exactly what I consider the biggest bedroom taboo, leaving the door open. Why do we close the door? The Bedroom is a private place and you choose delicately who to let inside. Leaving the door open is a sign of invitation but who want’s to be there when you sleep? The destruction of boundary inflicts fear. Another element the door gives us is deep 3D space. We really aren’t used to having such a deep 3D space consistently in the film and gives our eyes to much to look at. You the viewer must explore. Your eyes move from the couple, the time code, to the open door over and over again waiting for an action. The first time audience never knows where too look. That’s why they all scream out of sync; some see elements before others. At what point do you realize the time-code was being fast-forwarded? Maybe you didn’t notice since your eyes were glued to the door. Or maybe you were watching the time code and didn’t see the dark shadow movement to the left. People scream but you don’t know why. Now you are dealing with confusion.The mind runs circles during the most still of scenes, looking for film direction, eye trace or anything that would ease you up on the impending action but you never get it. The Exorcist terrified it’s audience with similar functions. It destroyed the boundaries by doing what your not suppose to do; swear, vomit, disgrace the cross. In paranormal activity there were several taboo’s but the strong one was the open bedroom door. The feelings inflicted are the same but they change from generation to generation. The open door is the most powerful element in the film and is what is truly creating fear.

Shots are depth give us more to look at. Sometimes to much. 

How long did you look at this picture before you saw it?

Exploitation of Expectation
This film loves to play with expectation. The exploitation of expectation can also grow tension and suspense. Also this element is what will make a lot of viewers not like this film. Is there to much space? If all movies were made like this, yes but a rare exception makes the use of emptiness beautiful. Our first encounter with emptiness is the open door and the dark open hallway. We’re looking down this hall way for what feels like more then half the movie. Waiting. When we think it’s coming, it doesn’t. How does it feel to be waiting for something when your not suppose to be looking there anyhow? More boundary destruct breeds more fear. In other scenes when Mica explores the house for the noises or other strange occurrences, he looks in every room out the window and in every other location we do not want to know is there. Many of these locations have no function for the plot but it gives us more taboo and boundary destruction giving us suspense and fear. When are we going to see something disturbing? We never know. It keeps you on your toes. We see this famously used in the original Alien film. Maybe not so terrifying for us today because the creature has become an icon we all understand and know how to defeat it but when the movie first released the audience had to wait in empty dark space with uncertainty. Good horror share similar elements. The elements never change. Only what the generation fears changes.

Are are consistently being assaulted with discomfort, taboos and boundaries invaded.
There is a lot more to say about this movie but I hope I’ve given you a quick insight to what makes this movie so terrifying. It’s elements really ride parallel to the elements of our most famous horror films, the use of space, the destruction of boundary, and exploitation of expectation.