Back in the Saddle(?)

Eleven months?!

Last year I started this blog for a few different reasons: I wanted to add my voice to the cacophony of video game commentary on the internet, I wanted to exercise my writing ability and just get something down on some sort of page, but most of all I just wanted to prove that I could do it.  Well, as it's painfully obvious, the whole operation was a bit of an epic failure on my part.

If I think back on the last year there were a few different reasons this blog didn't really do the things I wanted it go.

First, I found I didn't have the time to dedicate to writing the weekly post that I had set up as a personal goal.  Between work and classes I had one day off each week.  The last thing I wanted to do with my twenty-four hour rest period was think up a topic and obsess over it for the rest of the day.  As the year went on the amount of coursework I had to get complete increased exponentially, to the point that I was well and truly burned out by the end of the year.  The good news is that I officially graduated last year, so now I have a lot more free time (too much free time in fact) to try and commit myself to a blog that no one reads!

The second reason my attempt to blog failed is that I unnecessarily dedicated myself to only writing about video games.  Sure, I love video games, but I don't play nearly enough of them to produce any sort of significant written output.  In the last two months I've played two new games (Assassin's Creed Brotherhood and Dead Space 2) and replayed another (Uncharted 2).  Before December I couldn't tell you the last game I sat down and finished (I have started and given up on countless PC Games - Curse you reasonably priced steam sales!).  I have interests other than video games, so why I chose to hamstring myself in such a way is baffling.  I love to read, I love movies and television, I'm an uneducated fan of music, and there are plenty of topics of interest in the world on which to comment.  So, long story short, it's time to expand.

The final, and most important reason, that this blog failed is that I underestimated my unlimited capacity for procrastination and laziness.  I am the king of making excuses and wasting time.  Do you know how long I've been thinking about writing this blog entry?  Two weeks!  It took me two weeks to sit down and write the blog post about trying to write blog posts, that's how bad I am.  At least twice this week I've had trouble falling asleep because ideas I wanted to write about were rattling around in my head.  Do you know how many of those ideas have been put to paper?  None!  My ability to procrastinate is so profound that I will literally sit around bored out my mind, aimlessly searching the internet, just because I can't be bothered to do anything.  Procrastination has even affected my ability to properly look for a new job.

This is a scary realization.  What's even scarier is that I recognize this massive personal defect and I still haven't done anything about it.  So, this blog entry is meant to serve as a kick in the pants.  I'm not going to promise that I will blog on a regular basis, but sitting down and writing this all out is definitely a step in the right direction.

Let's just hope I can avoid the two steps back.

Review: Final Fantasy XIII (Playstation 3)

Final Fantasy XIII is the newest title in one of the most popular JRPG franchises in the world.  Available on the Playstation 3 and XBox 360, Final Fantasy XIII boasts a fast-paced battle system, massive summons, and new world to discover.  The only question now is: Is it any good?  Let's find out.  Grab your sword and get ready to save the world (again).

First Impressions: Final Fantasy XIII

Most JRPGs are slow to get going, that's why you always hear people say, "Don't worry, it gets good after that."  What other genre would we give such latitude to?  I personally give JRPGs 8 hours to hook me, if they haven't done it by then it's usually a good bet that they never will.  I've been playing Final Fantasy XIII for around 15 hours now and I'm ready to weigh in with a few thoughts (minor gameplay spoilers up through Palumpolum to follow):

The [Personal] History of Video Games: JRPGs

Final Fantasy VII made me a gamer.  No, it wasn't the first game I played, but it was the game that made me serious about playing them.  I remember being in awe of the TV Spots that were shown with its release, I had never seen such a thing, they seemed so epic (I probably shouldn't have shattered that illusion by looking them upon youtube).  The first time I played the game was in 1999 when I visited a friend who lived in North Carolina.  He didn't own the game, his brother did, and I spent a disproportionate amount of my two week vactaion trying to beat it.

Bioware and the Art of Sex

The problem with sex in video games is that more often than not it reinforces stereotypes about gamers.  Despite all the claims of maturity, sex is still primarily presented in an exploitive manner meant to titilate the prepubescent boy within.  I say 'boy' because games are still primarily marketed towards the male consumer (unless the pale skin of Kratos get you excited, I suppose).  Even when men are presented as objects of desire, the element of attraction is usually grounded in some aspect of the personality rather than physical appearance.  Look at the perspective male romances in Mass Effect 2: Two of them are aliens and, depending on your tastes, not particularly attractive ones at that.  Whether you find Jack or Tali attractive, it's hard to deny that their character designs have some degree of sex appeal.

Review: Heavy Rain

Heavy Rain, the latest "interactive drama" from developer Quantic Dream, is a game where narrative is king.  With compelling characters, intense set pieces, and a branching storyline, Heavy Rain puts the player in a position where every action has consequences.  Building upon the ideas of Indigo Prophecy, Heavy Rain seeks to create an emotional experience that shouldn't be missed.

Setting the Stage

I come to my senses in a restroom, covered in blood.  I don’t know how or why, but a man is dead…and I killed him.  Hailed as an “interactive movie” by creator David Cage, Indigo Prophecy is a supernatural thriller that attempts to bring the best of cinema to video games.  While certainly cinematic in its presentation, the real strength of Indigo Prophecy is in its ability to construct a realistic world that immerses the player in the lives of the characters as a minute level.  It’s perhaps a little ironic that a game that wants to make a movie-like video game excels in what makes video games so unique: their capacity to directly involve the player in the world before them.