In the next few days, Sam and I will begin our second season of Interactive Friction. But before we do that, we thought it would be nice if we wrapped up a few loose ends surrounding Far Cry 3
What Blood Dragon really demonstrates is how fun the core mechanics of Far Cry 3 can be when the developers just let loose and have fun with the whole thing. Unlike vanilla Far Cry 3, Blood Dragon has a lot of heart behind it, even if it does have parts where it falls flat on its face.
Stylistically, the game does well by invoking the style of a bygone era. I love the color palette this game chose to use, because it stands out among many of the other games, The whole glowing-things aesthetic also provides contrast with other games.
There are also a lot of design decisions that are really nice. Since this is a smaller game, it makes sense to unlock many of the skills that took Jason so long to get at the start of the game. The linear leveling system helps avoid bogging down the player with choices that aren't that important. All sorts of other minor details really give it its own style.
The rest of our commentary stands out on its own, so I'll let the video speak for itself.
Before we close, I would like to make an announcement. Season 2 of Interactive Friction will be posted on Monday, March 16, 2015. The game we will be playing is....
A Let's Play Series is born! Welcome to Interactive Friction: Tomb Raider!
Showing posts with label Far Cry 3. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Far Cry 3. Show all posts
Saturday, March 14, 2015
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Interactive Friction: Far Cry 3: Episode 18: Easy Choices
This is it. As of this posting, we have completed our Let's Play of Far Cry 3.
Overall, Far Cry 3 is not a bad game. As Sam and I have repeatedly stated over the course of this series, the game itself is extremely fun to play. The gunplay and stealth mechanics are both solid, and the upgrade system gives off a clear sense of progress. The variety of weapons and gameplay styles also makes it such that every player will be able to go through the game in their own unique way. (Like the example of Sam not using shotguns, while I relied heavily on them.)
At the same, there are deep-reaching, fundamental flaws. In the course of playing through this game, we hammered home just how unbelievably awful this game's story is. Jason's motivations for pressing on after saving his friends is never clear. As players, this means that we don't really understand what the whole point of it all is. There are also just so many missed opportunities in this story. Not only could they have done more with the premise, but the characters themselves do not take opportunities to complete their objectives when presented with them. All of these problems could be fixed with just slight chances, and a little editing.
Our main villain, Hoyt, could also have been much more threatening. On paper, he should be a scary villain. However, he has several problems going for him. The first one is that he is trying copy the same routine that was done by Vaas in the earlier sections. Since Vaas's performer did so well in that performance, he just doesn't stand up. Furthermore, the game keeps telling us that we need to wait for the right opportunity, but the story demands that we pass by 4 separate chances to take him out.
This could by letting him be a little less manic. Instead, he could have worked as a more subdued antagonist, acting a little more coldly, with a more plotting manner. And, in order to avoid the problem of us being in gun/shiving distance, they could have put some distance between us during the initial meeting, by placing in a large, auditorium-style area. Instead of the office scene, we could have had someone give us a message, or be contacted through the radio. There are just too many problems with Hoyt as it stands.
Now, when it comes to the final scenes of the game, I actually felt a fair degree of catharsis when the illusions of Liza pointed out just how stupid it is that Jason thinks he's a legendary warrior because you have weapons and a magical tattoo. That Jason is ultimate just living a deluded fantasy. In a way. this could also be seen as a admonishment of the player, which makes it more interesting. However, Jason deserves his punishment.
This came out before we got wise to Ubisoft's tendency, in their big budget games, to use the same formula. Once you are aware of that formula, it is hard to not see it. It is not a particularly bad games, and nor is it particularly good. However, it does work on a basic level. As I said in my final comments, this feels soulless. The process in which Ubisoft develops video games is far too diffuse for anyone to really inject their identity into it. I like Ubisoft games, but they could be so much better than they are right now.
Lastly, for those of you who are curious, posted below is a YouTube video of Sam taking the alternative ending path in Far Cry 3. There is none of us talking, and it exists mostly for completion's sake. Though interesting in its own right, I strongly feel like Jason wouldn't go for it given his established character.
And thus ends our adventure in Far Cry 3. However, this is NOT the end of Interactive Friction. Sam and I have already decided on our next game. We will be taking a short break between seasons, but don't be surprised when you see us come back in due time.
Overall, Far Cry 3 is not a bad game. As Sam and I have repeatedly stated over the course of this series, the game itself is extremely fun to play. The gunplay and stealth mechanics are both solid, and the upgrade system gives off a clear sense of progress. The variety of weapons and gameplay styles also makes it such that every player will be able to go through the game in their own unique way. (Like the example of Sam not using shotguns, while I relied heavily on them.)
At the same, there are deep-reaching, fundamental flaws. In the course of playing through this game, we hammered home just how unbelievably awful this game's story is. Jason's motivations for pressing on after saving his friends is never clear. As players, this means that we don't really understand what the whole point of it all is. There are also just so many missed opportunities in this story. Not only could they have done more with the premise, but the characters themselves do not take opportunities to complete their objectives when presented with them. All of these problems could be fixed with just slight chances, and a little editing.
Our main villain, Hoyt, could also have been much more threatening. On paper, he should be a scary villain. However, he has several problems going for him. The first one is that he is trying copy the same routine that was done by Vaas in the earlier sections. Since Vaas's performer did so well in that performance, he just doesn't stand up. Furthermore, the game keeps telling us that we need to wait for the right opportunity, but the story demands that we pass by 4 separate chances to take him out.
This could by letting him be a little less manic. Instead, he could have worked as a more subdued antagonist, acting a little more coldly, with a more plotting manner. And, in order to avoid the problem of us being in gun/shiving distance, they could have put some distance between us during the initial meeting, by placing in a large, auditorium-style area. Instead of the office scene, we could have had someone give us a message, or be contacted through the radio. There are just too many problems with Hoyt as it stands.
Now, when it comes to the final scenes of the game, I actually felt a fair degree of catharsis when the illusions of Liza pointed out just how stupid it is that Jason thinks he's a legendary warrior because you have weapons and a magical tattoo. That Jason is ultimate just living a deluded fantasy. In a way. this could also be seen as a admonishment of the player, which makes it more interesting. However, Jason deserves his punishment.
This came out before we got wise to Ubisoft's tendency, in their big budget games, to use the same formula. Once you are aware of that formula, it is hard to not see it. It is not a particularly bad games, and nor is it particularly good. However, it does work on a basic level. As I said in my final comments, this feels soulless. The process in which Ubisoft develops video games is far too diffuse for anyone to really inject their identity into it. I like Ubisoft games, but they could be so much better than they are right now.
Lastly, for those of you who are curious, posted below is a YouTube video of Sam taking the alternative ending path in Far Cry 3. There is none of us talking, and it exists mostly for completion's sake. Though interesting in its own right, I strongly feel like Jason wouldn't go for it given his established character.
And thus ends our adventure in Far Cry 3. However, this is NOT the end of Interactive Friction. Sam and I have already decided on our next game. We will be taking a short break between seasons, but don't be surprised when you see us come back in due time.
Friday, February 20, 2015
Interactive Friction: Far Cry 3: Episode 17: It's Combat
In this episode, we leave behind a swath of bloody, sexy violence in our wake.
People may be able to defend Jason's decision to not kill Hoyt at the meeting with all the nameless, faceless mooks. I'll eviscerate all of those arguments, but they can be made. In the office scene in this episode, there is absolutely no excuse for Hoyt's neck not being cut open by a machete. He has no weapon, no guards, and the only other person in the room is on your side! There is no possible excuse for this blatant oversight in the plans both Jason and Sam.
The other major scene in this episode is the interrogation. It might be because I am an avid consumer of fiction, but I just wasn't particularly moved by this scene. The actors deliver pretty good performances, the animation is solid, and you can see the fear in Riley's eyes. At the same time, it felt like the game was trying to tug at heartstrings that have yet to be established. I can't feel particularly bad for a character that I do not honestly know. After all, aside from the acid trips and the intro cutscene, we have seen nothing of Riley before this.
As for the rest of this episode, I don't have much to say about it. They are serviceable missions that do their jobs, but that's about it. Unfortunately, it is mostly just combat. We've already spoken a lot about the game's combat, so any further conversation is pretty pointless. Because of this lack of conversation, we just start shooting the breeze at this point.
Missed Hoyt Assassination Opportunities: 4
The other major scene in this episode is the interrogation. It might be because I am an avid consumer of fiction, but I just wasn't particularly moved by this scene. The actors deliver pretty good performances, the animation is solid, and you can see the fear in Riley's eyes. At the same time, it felt like the game was trying to tug at heartstrings that have yet to be established. I can't feel particularly bad for a character that I do not honestly know. After all, aside from the acid trips and the intro cutscene, we have seen nothing of Riley before this.
As for the rest of this episode, I don't have much to say about it. They are serviceable missions that do their jobs, but that's about it. Unfortunately, it is mostly just combat. We've already spoken a lot about the game's combat, so any further conversation is pretty pointless. Because of this lack of conversation, we just start shooting the breeze at this point.
Missed Hoyt Assassination Opportunities: 4
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Interactive Friction: Far Cry 3: Episode 16: Bugged Out Bridge
We died a few times too many in this episode, so Sam edited a couple of deaths out in post to make it a little more watchable. Also, we had one scene where I commented that a flashing light was "Seizure Inducing." Sam kindly edited this out too because we obviously don't want to cause anyone seizures.
I really liked the first mission of this video. It's cool to be able to fully explore an area and get a true feel for enemy movements and positioning before you engage. In terms of play, this makes it one of the most interesting missions in the game. All stealth requires a bit of planning and tactical thinking, but the disguise gives you even more freedom to do so. It is actually a shame that they only utilize this mechanic on a single mission.
I think the fact that we encountered so many small, but noticeable bugs in this section. from Sam's animations to the ultra-bloom, and even the guy falling through the bridge, is indicative of Ubisoft spending less time on this second island's content than the first island. Even the content itself feels derivative of the early content, without being too original except for a few missions.
This could be for any number of reasons. First, studies have demonstrated that not many people actually finish the games that they play. Statistically speaking, most players likely would not have even seen this section of the game. This would naturally lead designers to focus a bit more on the segments at the beginning. Furthermore, designers are just more naturally inclined to start with the beginning missions, and keep going from there. Either of these thought processes would explain why this second island got less attention spent on it.
As for the story itself, there is not much to comment on. This is all pretty clearly filler. We've already established that there we do not need to do this to kill Hoyt. By all rights, he should be dead and we should be at the grand finale. But it that doesn't convince you, the opening to the next episode will.
I really liked the first mission of this video. It's cool to be able to fully explore an area and get a true feel for enemy movements and positioning before you engage. In terms of play, this makes it one of the most interesting missions in the game. All stealth requires a bit of planning and tactical thinking, but the disguise gives you even more freedom to do so. It is actually a shame that they only utilize this mechanic on a single mission.
I think the fact that we encountered so many small, but noticeable bugs in this section. from Sam's animations to the ultra-bloom, and even the guy falling through the bridge, is indicative of Ubisoft spending less time on this second island's content than the first island. Even the content itself feels derivative of the early content, without being too original except for a few missions.
This could be for any number of reasons. First, studies have demonstrated that not many people actually finish the games that they play. Statistically speaking, most players likely would not have even seen this section of the game. This would naturally lead designers to focus a bit more on the segments at the beginning. Furthermore, designers are just more naturally inclined to start with the beginning missions, and keep going from there. Either of these thought processes would explain why this second island got less attention spent on it.
As for the story itself, there is not much to comment on. This is all pretty clearly filler. We've already established that there we do not need to do this to kill Hoyt. By all rights, he should be dead and we should be at the grand finale. But it that doesn't convince you, the opening to the next episode will.
Monday, February 16, 2015
Interactive Friction: Far Cry 3: Episode 15: The Worst Part of the Game
This episode is the beginning of the end of Far Cry 3. In a related note, it is also the WORST part of Far Cry 3.
Sam made a very interesting point in this episode. If all we needed to do was to just steal a uniform, it would be simple to just shiv the guy at the entrance, then dispose of the body. We would have absolutely no need to sneak into the heart of the base. Everything after we got passed that first guard was a complete waste of time.
I mean, technically we also obtained the information that some guards in the evil drug and human trafficking organization are morally bankrupt and funneling money from under their boss's nose. However, we would have no indication that we could get such information before we were pulled aside by the guard.
And another thing that I didn't think about when recording the episode, why would the guard pull us over in particular? What about us would single us out as particular corrupt enough to join him? Did he have a relationship with the person we stole the uniform from? If so, how did he not know he weren't that guy and what are the odds we would get that guy's particular uniform? That in and of itself is an unlikely series of contrivances. On top of the fact that Hoyt is here and we just happen to say "Oh, I dunno. Let's sneak in for no reason." makes this section just the most painfully stupid piece of writing in this game.
Speaking of Hoyt, dear god this is dumb. We talked about it at length in the episode, but I cannot possibly emphasize enough exactly how stupid it is that Hoyt doesn't get stabbed. Again, the plot should have been over well before this, but this really underscores how much this second section of the game is pointless filler. (For the record, our first chance to kill Hoyt occurred in episode 7.)
So, in summery, the sheer staggeringly-massive amount of contrivances is so high and the random chance that all of these factors would fall so nicely into place is so low that, even without the inclusion of Hoyt in that section, this mission does not make sense. It stretches plausibility so much that Jason would have to forge a contract with the Old Gods in order for me to believe it.
Missed Hoyt Assassination Opportunities: 2
Sam made a very interesting point in this episode. If all we needed to do was to just steal a uniform, it would be simple to just shiv the guy at the entrance, then dispose of the body. We would have absolutely no need to sneak into the heart of the base. Everything after we got passed that first guard was a complete waste of time.
I mean, technically we also obtained the information that some guards in the evil drug and human trafficking organization are morally bankrupt and funneling money from under their boss's nose. However, we would have no indication that we could get such information before we were pulled aside by the guard.
And another thing that I didn't think about when recording the episode, why would the guard pull us over in particular? What about us would single us out as particular corrupt enough to join him? Did he have a relationship with the person we stole the uniform from? If so, how did he not know he weren't that guy and what are the odds we would get that guy's particular uniform? That in and of itself is an unlikely series of contrivances. On top of the fact that Hoyt is here and we just happen to say "Oh, I dunno. Let's sneak in for no reason." makes this section just the most painfully stupid piece of writing in this game.
Speaking of Hoyt, dear god this is dumb. We talked about it at length in the episode, but I cannot possibly emphasize enough exactly how stupid it is that Hoyt doesn't get stabbed. Again, the plot should have been over well before this, but this really underscores how much this second section of the game is pointless filler. (For the record, our first chance to kill Hoyt occurred in episode 7.)
So, in summery, the sheer staggeringly-massive amount of contrivances is so high and the random chance that all of these factors would fall so nicely into place is so low that, even without the inclusion of Hoyt in that section, this mission does not make sense. It stretches plausibility so much that Jason would have to forge a contract with the Old Gods in order for me to believe it.
Missed Hoyt Assassination Opportunities: 2
Friday, February 13, 2015
Interactive Friction: Far Cry 3: Episode 14: Titular Stealth Mission
First off, I want to point out that this is 200th post on this blog. Honestly, when I started out in 2012, I didn't think I'd stick with it this long. Nor did I believe I'd really have a chance to get good at it. Thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way, and I hope you continue to do so in the future.
Now, in this episode, we begin our trek into the second half of the game. More importantly, I teach someone who writes articles as a hobby how to correctly use the word "titular."
I love the stupidity of the scene at the start of this episode because of how stupid it is. Jason is basically telling his girlfriend Liza, "I'm comfortable being a completely selfish monster, and I can only do that by staying here." Then, Liza basically allows him to do it without even questioning it for a minute. This only makes sense if she's secretly trying to kill Jason (and I would have to respect her for that), or if Jason already showed signs of being this much of an unrepentant bastard before they landed on the island. Otherwise, it comes off as just plain silly.
And Sam brings up a good point. If Jason and company left, what would Hoyt do? Citra might try to stop him, but Jason's apparently (somehow) become a good enough warrior to fend them off by himself. Hoyt, at this point in the story, does not even know what Jason looks like. Sure, we can look him up, and send his men after him in the states, but that's far too many resources to spend on someone who is not even a problem anymore. It further strengthens our argument that the story should have ended there.
Despite being the worst part of the game, we do end up getting the best mode of transportation here, which is the wingsuit. Even though I am a harsh critic of this game, I have to admit that the wingsuit is extremely fun to use. Jumping off a cliff and gliding through the air just feels good to do.
The other good thing this section does is introduce us to Sam. Aside from Vaas and Liza, Sam is one of the best characters in the game. He's a tough looking German dude and knows it. Basically, he utilizes commonly-assumed stereotypes of tattooed German's to infiltrate Hoyt's operation and make people assume he's tough shit. In actuality, he's working for the CIA in an attempt to take down the whole operation. The setup alone gives him a lot more depth than most of the other character's in the game. On top of that, he's given some good lines and his voice actor sounds like he's enjoying the role. You'll see as we go on what I mean by that.
Aside from that, most of the major story beats on the second island will be disappointment after disappointment. It's pretty much all downhill from here.
Now, in this episode, we begin our trek into the second half of the game. More importantly, I teach someone who writes articles as a hobby how to correctly use the word "titular."
I love the stupidity of the scene at the start of this episode because of how stupid it is. Jason is basically telling his girlfriend Liza, "I'm comfortable being a completely selfish monster, and I can only do that by staying here." Then, Liza basically allows him to do it without even questioning it for a minute. This only makes sense if she's secretly trying to kill Jason (and I would have to respect her for that), or if Jason already showed signs of being this much of an unrepentant bastard before they landed on the island. Otherwise, it comes off as just plain silly.
And Sam brings up a good point. If Jason and company left, what would Hoyt do? Citra might try to stop him, but Jason's apparently (somehow) become a good enough warrior to fend them off by himself. Hoyt, at this point in the story, does not even know what Jason looks like. Sure, we can look him up, and send his men after him in the states, but that's far too many resources to spend on someone who is not even a problem anymore. It further strengthens our argument that the story should have ended there.
Despite being the worst part of the game, we do end up getting the best mode of transportation here, which is the wingsuit. Even though I am a harsh critic of this game, I have to admit that the wingsuit is extremely fun to use. Jumping off a cliff and gliding through the air just feels good to do.
The other good thing this section does is introduce us to Sam. Aside from Vaas and Liza, Sam is one of the best characters in the game. He's a tough looking German dude and knows it. Basically, he utilizes commonly-assumed stereotypes of tattooed German's to infiltrate Hoyt's operation and make people assume he's tough shit. In actuality, he's working for the CIA in an attempt to take down the whole operation. The setup alone gives him a lot more depth than most of the other character's in the game. On top of that, he's given some good lines and his voice actor sounds like he's enjoying the role. You'll see as we go on what I mean by that.
Aside from that, most of the major story beats on the second island will be disappointment after disappointment. It's pretty much all downhill from here.
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Interactive Friction: Far Cry 3: Episode 13: The Best Part of the Game
In this episode of Interactive Friction, we hit the best part of game... after we go through Citra's bullshit.
It truly is a shame that we had to go through this really shitty dream sequence before we have to experience some of the best this game offers in terms of storytelling. It is a boss battle that lasts about twice as long as it needs to. On top of that, it is easy to figure out and not particular fun to fight.
Then, it's followed by one of the most uncomfortable "sex" scenes I can remember. Citra really creeps me out in this scene, and I'm not sure if that's intentional or just me being prudish or something else.
But after that, we finally get to the best part. Vaas, the best part of this game, goes out in a blaze of glory. The little hallucinations they give you right before Vaas's final scene are a really, really nice touch of subtly in story telling. Even before that, the whole scene has Vaas just pointing out the absurdity of one lone, rich, white boy taking on a literal army of pirates and their commander. In this one mission, we have a lot of small things coming together.
Not only does it represent the end of the best character in the game, but also the true transition of Jason Dilweed from a rich, white, douchebag to a rich, white, monstrous douchebag. His friends no longer matter, only the bloodlust. Again, there is potential. Must could have been done with these ideas, but that's the story of Far Cry 3. Far Cry 3 is a host of things that "had potential" and "could have done"s. In the end, what is an Ubisoft game, but a miserable little pile of unused potentials.
It truly is a shame that we had to go through this really shitty dream sequence before we have to experience some of the best this game offers in terms of storytelling. It is a boss battle that lasts about twice as long as it needs to. On top of that, it is easy to figure out and not particular fun to fight.
Then, it's followed by one of the most uncomfortable "sex" scenes I can remember. Citra really creeps me out in this scene, and I'm not sure if that's intentional or just me being prudish or something else.
But after that, we finally get to the best part. Vaas, the best part of this game, goes out in a blaze of glory. The little hallucinations they give you right before Vaas's final scene are a really, really nice touch of subtly in story telling. Even before that, the whole scene has Vaas just pointing out the absurdity of one lone, rich, white boy taking on a literal army of pirates and their commander. In this one mission, we have a lot of small things coming together.
Not only does it represent the end of the best character in the game, but also the true transition of Jason Dilweed from a rich, white, douchebag to a rich, white, monstrous douchebag. His friends no longer matter, only the bloodlust. Again, there is potential. Must could have been done with these ideas, but that's the story of Far Cry 3. Far Cry 3 is a host of things that "had potential" and "could have done"s. In the end, what is an Ubisoft game, but a miserable little pile of unused potentials.
Monday, February 9, 2015
Interactive Friction: Far Cry 3: Episode 12: The Definition of Pretentiousness
Now that all the filler is out of the way, Sam and I are free to finish the best part of the game, before moving on to the worst part of the game.
We have a pretty lengthy discussion on PMCs in video games. Without delving too much into politics, I think it would be difficult, but not impossible to tell a story involving a PMC without that organization being secretly evil. There is a very good reason why PMCs are generally frowned upon in polite company. I'd be interested in seeing developers try that, but one cannot deny that there's a huge risk in doing so.
Another topic we talk about is game endings. One of the things that I have noticed, particularly in the last generation of gaming, is that a lot of games tended to end a lot later than probably should have. I truly think that ending the game at the point before Jason even gets the chance to confront Hoyt would have been a lot better. Not only is that last half (or third) of the game a massive drag, but Jason dying as a result of his falling into madness is an extremely appropriate end to his character arc. As we mentioned in the episode, Bioshock suffered a similar problem after the grand reveal.
We said that this part is the high-point of the story. We're actually a little wrong. It's not this episode that serves as the strongest part of the plot, but the next episode. It actually makes use of some more subtle writing and use of metaphor to convey the overall point of the story. But we'll get to that next time.
Another topic we talk about is game endings. One of the things that I have noticed, particularly in the last generation of gaming, is that a lot of games tended to end a lot later than probably should have. I truly think that ending the game at the point before Jason even gets the chance to confront Hoyt would have been a lot better. Not only is that last half (or third) of the game a massive drag, but Jason dying as a result of his falling into madness is an extremely appropriate end to his character arc. As we mentioned in the episode, Bioshock suffered a similar problem after the grand reveal.
We said that this part is the high-point of the story. We're actually a little wrong. It's not this episode that serves as the strongest part of the plot, but the next episode. It actually makes use of some more subtle writing and use of metaphor to convey the overall point of the story. But we'll get to that next time.
Friday, February 6, 2015
Interactive Friction: Far Cry 3: Episode 11: Disco Boss Fight
In this episode, we finally complete the pointless filler missions, and get back to Jason being a complete tool.
It sure is convenient that good ol' Bambi decided to betray us in this section. Otherwise, we would not have been able to give it to Citra to actually progress the story in some way. Actually, that might have been an interesting opportunity. After getting Bambi's dagger for him, another mission or two to either take it from him or convince him to hand it over to us.
Alternatively, we could left the island and not given a shit because we essentially completely our main objective of getting all of our friends back and get off the island. Riley (to our knowledge) is dead, so we have every living party member with us. By all rights, we should be gone.
However, Jason does not want to leave. He suddenly decided that he wants revenge. There's nothing inherently wrong with that. Unfortunately, there's no real lead in to his decision. A scene or two of him talking with Liza, or hell even Citra, about taking revenge and/or killing Vaas/Hoyt, As it stands, it takes less than 5 minutes for him to go from "My brother is dead." to "Let's kill some folks." If that was just what put him over the edge, and he was already contemplating it, that would be one fine. It's just, they could have done some form of foreshadowing.
Back to the topic of Buck, it really doesn't make sense for him, to betray us. What exactly does he hope to gain? It's not like he was particularly happy to keep Keith, and he knew we were pretty good at wasting pirates. It just seems like an unnecessary risk, and any future business transactions he undertakes of this nature will be compromised, because the other party has no reason to trust him.
There's only so much stupid that a plot can hold before I start to wonder whether or not the editors are as high as our friend Oliver seems to be. I'm just not sure how it came to this.
It sure is convenient that good ol' Bambi decided to betray us in this section. Otherwise, we would not have been able to give it to Citra to actually progress the story in some way. Actually, that might have been an interesting opportunity. After getting Bambi's dagger for him, another mission or two to either take it from him or convince him to hand it over to us.
Alternatively, we could left the island and not given a shit because we essentially completely our main objective of getting all of our friends back and get off the island. Riley (to our knowledge) is dead, so we have every living party member with us. By all rights, we should be gone.
However, Jason does not want to leave. He suddenly decided that he wants revenge. There's nothing inherently wrong with that. Unfortunately, there's no real lead in to his decision. A scene or two of him talking with Liza, or hell even Citra, about taking revenge and/or killing Vaas/Hoyt, As it stands, it takes less than 5 minutes for him to go from "My brother is dead." to "Let's kill some folks." If that was just what put him over the edge, and he was already contemplating it, that would be one fine. It's just, they could have done some form of foreshadowing.
Back to the topic of Buck, it really doesn't make sense for him, to betray us. What exactly does he hope to gain? It's not like he was particularly happy to keep Keith, and he knew we were pretty good at wasting pirates. It just seems like an unnecessary risk, and any future business transactions he undertakes of this nature will be compromised, because the other party has no reason to trust him.
There's only so much stupid that a plot can hold before I start to wonder whether or not the editors are as high as our friend Oliver seems to be. I'm just not sure how it came to this.
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Interactive Friction: Far Cry 3: Episode 10: Jason Dillweed and the Temple of Filler Missions
You're probably wondering, "Why did Google lead me here!?" Those of you not wondering that are probably asking "Why is this so damn late!?"
Well, we forgot to record last week. Sam and I thought we had a backlog of episodes to go through. As it turns out, we did not. So, we got together on Monday (which is when this should have been posted), to record a new batch of episodes before we got too far down the hole.
I'm also not entirely sure what happened to my audio during this recording session.
Anyway, this episode has more filler missions.
Do you know how every Let's Play series will inevitably have that one episode where nothing substantial happens, and as a result the commentary feels a lot like repeated what was previously said.
This was that episode.
What I want to talk about instead is the way that writing about games fundamentally alters the way people like Sam and I play them, since it came up in our discussion. Before I started doing stuff like this, I would just go through games and think "Oh, I liked that." or "Oh, that was bad." What changes when you start making this kind of content is that you instead beginning to think less about what emotions you feel as you play (which are easy to discern). Instead, the focus shifts to why the game elicits those reactions from you. That, to me, is what distinguishes a critic from a more, and I hate to use this word, "casual" consumer of video games.
Anyone can do it, it's just a matter of actively trying to shift one's mode of thinking. There's nothing inherently special about people who criticize media beyond their willingness to just go out and do it, especially in this day and age.
Well, we forgot to record last week. Sam and I thought we had a backlog of episodes to go through. As it turns out, we did not. So, we got together on Monday (which is when this should have been posted), to record a new batch of episodes before we got too far down the hole.
I'm also not entirely sure what happened to my audio during this recording session.
Anyway, this episode has more filler missions.
Do you know how every Let's Play series will inevitably have that one episode where nothing substantial happens, and as a result the commentary feels a lot like repeated what was previously said.
This was that episode.
What I want to talk about instead is the way that writing about games fundamentally alters the way people like Sam and I play them, since it came up in our discussion. Before I started doing stuff like this, I would just go through games and think "Oh, I liked that." or "Oh, that was bad." What changes when you start making this kind of content is that you instead beginning to think less about what emotions you feel as you play (which are easy to discern). Instead, the focus shifts to why the game elicits those reactions from you. That, to me, is what distinguishes a critic from a more, and I hate to use this word, "casual" consumer of video games.
Anyone can do it, it's just a matter of actively trying to shift one's mode of thinking. There's nothing inherently special about people who criticize media beyond their willingness to just go out and do it, especially in this day and age.
Friday, January 30, 2015
Interactive Friction: Episode 9: This Is Some Magical (Bull)Shit
In this episode, we dive headlong into a vat of terrible, terrible filler. Naturally, this makes us spend almost an entire episode talking about Final Fantasy.
I want to stress that there is nothing inherently wrong with these missions in terms of gameplay. They are actually very fun to playthrough. Everyone wants to be Indiana Jones, after all.
The problem is that they just do not fit into the story. So far, Jason has been established as being someone who is willing to kill or cripple anyone who gets in the way of his friends. Every time he acts out of line in this section, Buck (and I had to Google that name) calls up his cronies and asks them to torture our friend Keith. So, Jason would probably have shot Buck stupid and forced him to lead him to Keith. It's hard to argue that Jason wouldn't, since murderous rage is the entirety of his character arc.
It's also difficult to justify how Buck didn't get the dagger by now. He works for Hoyt, the soon to-be-revealed main bad guy. It should be simple to get his men, which he apparently has if he can call them up to torture Keith, to get this dagger for him. Barring that, Hoyt has an army of disposable pirates that are fully-capable of doing the job. Really, it just shows incompetence on Buck's part.
Which is why this segment of the game feels so poorly justified. Not only does Jason not have a compelling enough reason to take this quest in lieu of more direct options, but Buck also doesn't have a compelling reason to outsource this quest to Jason. Also, remember that we needed this dagger to get Citra to help us find our friends, which we will have once we finish this quest.
It's a huge mess, probably better left cut out of the campaign.
I want to stress that there is nothing inherently wrong with these missions in terms of gameplay. They are actually very fun to playthrough. Everyone wants to be Indiana Jones, after all.
The problem is that they just do not fit into the story. So far, Jason has been established as being someone who is willing to kill or cripple anyone who gets in the way of his friends. Every time he acts out of line in this section, Buck (and I had to Google that name) calls up his cronies and asks them to torture our friend Keith. So, Jason would probably have shot Buck stupid and forced him to lead him to Keith. It's hard to argue that Jason wouldn't, since murderous rage is the entirety of his character arc.
It's also difficult to justify how Buck didn't get the dagger by now. He works for Hoyt, the soon to-be-revealed main bad guy. It should be simple to get his men, which he apparently has if he can call them up to torture Keith, to get this dagger for him. Barring that, Hoyt has an army of disposable pirates that are fully-capable of doing the job. Really, it just shows incompetence on Buck's part.
Which is why this segment of the game feels so poorly justified. Not only does Jason not have a compelling enough reason to take this quest in lieu of more direct options, but Buck also doesn't have a compelling reason to outsource this quest to Jason. Also, remember that we needed this dagger to get Citra to help us find our friends, which we will have once we finish this quest.
It's a huge mess, probably better left cut out of the campaign.
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Interactive Friction: Far Cry 3: Episode 8: I'm Done Having Fun
This is the part where the game artificially pads itself out by adding missions to the main story that do nothing to advance the plot.
There really is no other reason to have Oliver's rescue by a sniper section aside from the designers making it so. Honestly, what I suspect happened is that the designers had already created this segment, and the writers had to find some way to tie it into the rest of the plot. Sometimes, that style produces gems like Uncharted 2. More often than not, it creates segments like this.
It doesn't help that the Sniper Rifle you get in this section is one of the worst weapons in the game. Even the basic sniper rifle is more accurate that the one you receive in this mission. I'm not sure why they did that either.
As for the topic of Jason Dilweed's friends, it's so sad that they have a lot of personality in their backstory, but that never comes up in the main plot. It's such a wasted opportunity. The writers could have used those details to give us some attachment to them. Then, when Jason begins his descent into madness, they could contrast with Jason's new personality, to further highlight how far down Jason stoops. That would've been so interesting, but they didn't do that. That's the problem with this game. The writers missed so many great opportunities.
There really is no other reason to have Oliver's rescue by a sniper section aside from the designers making it so. Honestly, what I suspect happened is that the designers had already created this segment, and the writers had to find some way to tie it into the rest of the plot. Sometimes, that style produces gems like Uncharted 2. More often than not, it creates segments like this.
It doesn't help that the Sniper Rifle you get in this section is one of the worst weapons in the game. Even the basic sniper rifle is more accurate that the one you receive in this mission. I'm not sure why they did that either.
As for the topic of Jason Dilweed's friends, it's so sad that they have a lot of personality in their backstory, but that never comes up in the main plot. It's such a wasted opportunity. The writers could have used those details to give us some attachment to them. Then, when Jason begins his descent into madness, they could contrast with Jason's new personality, to further highlight how far down Jason stoops. That would've been so interesting, but they didn't do that. That's the problem with this game. The writers missed so many great opportunities.
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Interactive Friction: Far Cry 3 Episode 7: Landmine Marathon
In this episode, we have an escort mission, because of course we do.
I make fun of the flamethrower mission, but it's actually a really fun mission. There's just something cathartic about setting flame to things. Of course, in real life, breathing in all the fumes from these drugs would result in the world's best high, but I'm glad they didn't go for that level of realism. Going this mission while dealing with Jason's trip would be a extremely unfun.
Towards the middle of this episode, we talk about needing Tapir Hides for an extended loot rucksack. Before we started the recording session, we went out to collect hides and create an extra weapon holster and extended rucksack. However, we got mauled by a tiger after we created the sack. Since we didn't save or reach a safehouse in that whole 30 minutes, we lost both upgrades. We weren't even in a mission at the time. It's strange because even by the point Far Cry 3 was released, designers knew that this kind of lost progress is unforgivable. There's really no excuse.
As for the escort mission, you all already how bad those things are. I don't need to detail what went wrong with this mission.
Missed Hoyt Assassination Opportunities: 1
I make fun of the flamethrower mission, but it's actually a really fun mission. There's just something cathartic about setting flame to things. Of course, in real life, breathing in all the fumes from these drugs would result in the world's best high, but I'm glad they didn't go for that level of realism. Going this mission while dealing with Jason's trip would be a extremely unfun.
Towards the middle of this episode, we talk about needing Tapir Hides for an extended loot rucksack. Before we started the recording session, we went out to collect hides and create an extra weapon holster and extended rucksack. However, we got mauled by a tiger after we created the sack. Since we didn't save or reach a safehouse in that whole 30 minutes, we lost both upgrades. We weren't even in a mission at the time. It's strange because even by the point Far Cry 3 was released, designers knew that this kind of lost progress is unforgivable. There's really no excuse.
As for the escort mission, you all already how bad those things are. I don't need to detail what went wrong with this mission.
Missed Hoyt Assassination Opportunities: 1
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Interactive Friction: Far Cry 3: Episode 6: We're Still Running Everywhere
This week, we bring you a mandatory stealth mission. Because of course we do.
Let us recap what is going on in the plot so far. First, the island our protagonist and his douchebag friends skydive over is run by a group of evil pirates. When we escape, we arrive at a camp where we are given a tattoo, and told that we are the Ultimate Warrior. Using this pretense, we are attempting to rescue our friends.
Then, we decide that it would be best to petition the natives to help. To that end, we talk to their leader, Citra. After spending a few minutes trading insults, see agrees to help after we take an acid trip, acquire a missing dagger, and truly become the Ultimate Warrior. When we look for the dagger, we discover that we need to get the help of a CIA agent to track down sources of information about the dagger. We go even further than that later, with a whole Indiana Jones-inspired expedition questline.
Shamus Young once wrote a piece about how games tend to do this, in response to Neverwinter Nights 2. In essence, what we are doing in order to, theoretically, make our end game easier is takes significantly more time and effort than it should realistically take to just complete our main objective. After all, our goal is to save our friends and get out. Instead of sticking to that, we are embroiling ourselves in a conflict which does not exactly further our self-interest. It's not as bad as the example Shamus is talking about, but it is related and definitely the sign of filler content.
We also talk a lot about tailing mission at the tail end of this episode. As many players of the Assassin's Creed franchise, also by Ubisoft, will know, tailing missions tend to be extremely poorly paced. More often then not, the tracked subject will take a super-convoluted path to their objective, ignoring a much more direct and simpler path. At the same time, the move at a snail's pace, meaning that you have to as well. Even if we know where he will go, we fail the mission if we just head directly there.
Let us recap what is going on in the plot so far. First, the island our protagonist and his douchebag friends skydive over is run by a group of evil pirates. When we escape, we arrive at a camp where we are given a tattoo, and told that we are the Ultimate Warrior. Using this pretense, we are attempting to rescue our friends.
Then, we decide that it would be best to petition the natives to help. To that end, we talk to their leader, Citra. After spending a few minutes trading insults, see agrees to help after we take an acid trip, acquire a missing dagger, and truly become the Ultimate Warrior. When we look for the dagger, we discover that we need to get the help of a CIA agent to track down sources of information about the dagger. We go even further than that later, with a whole Indiana Jones-inspired expedition questline.
Shamus Young once wrote a piece about how games tend to do this, in response to Neverwinter Nights 2. In essence, what we are doing in order to, theoretically, make our end game easier is takes significantly more time and effort than it should realistically take to just complete our main objective. After all, our goal is to save our friends and get out. Instead of sticking to that, we are embroiling ourselves in a conflict which does not exactly further our self-interest. It's not as bad as the example Shamus is talking about, but it is related and definitely the sign of filler content.
We also talk a lot about tailing mission at the tail end of this episode. As many players of the Assassin's Creed franchise, also by Ubisoft, will know, tailing missions tend to be extremely poorly paced. More often then not, the tracked subject will take a super-convoluted path to their objective, ignoring a much more direct and simpler path. At the same time, the move at a snail's pace, meaning that you have to as well. Even if we know where he will go, we fail the mission if we just head directly there.
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Interactive Friction: Episode 5: Why Can't We Be Friends?
In this episode, we actually make some very piercing commentary on this game. This is probably our most insightful episode yet, and it's definitely one of the best.
I actually really like the idea of Liza's character. She's by far the most grounded of all the characters in the game. She understands more than anyone else the sheer gravity of the situation at hand.
The problem is that we aren't in a real world scenario. We are playing a video game. As a result, there is some dissonance between her being a real person, and Jason being a goddamn video game hero. This could have been really interesting if the game acknowledged a bit more, but it almost feels like an accident.
The ultimate problem with Far Cry 3's story is that the premise could have been used to write any number of excellent plots. However, the game takes almost none of these opportunities. Liza and Vaas both take turns pointing out that Jason is ostensibly a rich, white boy pretending to be an action hero (in their own way), but this becomes less and less of a plot element the more the game goes on.
The conversation Sam and I have in this episode really doesn't need me to tell you this. It stands out on its own. If there is only one episode of Interactive Friction that you watch, it should really be this one.
I actually really like the idea of Liza's character. She's by far the most grounded of all the characters in the game. She understands more than anyone else the sheer gravity of the situation at hand.
The problem is that we aren't in a real world scenario. We are playing a video game. As a result, there is some dissonance between her being a real person, and Jason being a goddamn video game hero. This could have been really interesting if the game acknowledged a bit more, but it almost feels like an accident.
The ultimate problem with Far Cry 3's story is that the premise could have been used to write any number of excellent plots. However, the game takes almost none of these opportunities. Liza and Vaas both take turns pointing out that Jason is ostensibly a rich, white boy pretending to be an action hero (in their own way), but this becomes less and less of a plot element the more the game goes on.
The conversation Sam and I have in this episode really doesn't need me to tell you this. It stands out on its own. If there is only one episode of Interactive Friction that you watch, it should really be this one.
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Interactive Friction: Far Cry 3: Episode 4: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dilweed
In this episode, we finally fixed the audio issue that we were having before. Now, our audio should be balance. Also, this episode is longer than we intended as not much of note happened in the beginning episode. The same thing occurs towards the end, which is why we fast-forward through a lot of it.
Since we brought up first-person driving in this episode, I want to take a second to elaborate a bit more on why I disliked it in this game.
The only reason I bring it up now is that shortly after the time of this recording, I played Deadly Premonition: Director's Cut. That game also had first-person driving, but I didn't mind it as much as I did in Far Cry 3.
I can think of a few reasons for this. First, Deadly Premonition's driving feels a little slower than it does in Far Cry 3. While that seems counter-intuitive, it means that in DP, I have an easier time seeing where I am going while driving. Also, it is still significantly faster than walking.
Meanwhile, in Far Cry 3, the cars go so fast that the scenery, at least for me, just zooms passed me. This makes it much more difficult to navigate,
Another reason I can think of is that Deadly Premonition allowed you to have conversations in the car, which passed the time. Although car rides were not that long, the conversation made them zoom by even quicker. In Far Cry 3, there is nothing to pass your time.
I'm curious to hear what people have to say about first-person driving. If you have some thought leave a comment either here or on the YouTube comments. It is probably best that you use the later because if you fill out the comments wrong on Blogger, it has a tendency to eat your comments up.
Since we brought up first-person driving in this episode, I want to take a second to elaborate a bit more on why I disliked it in this game.
The only reason I bring it up now is that shortly after the time of this recording, I played Deadly Premonition: Director's Cut. That game also had first-person driving, but I didn't mind it as much as I did in Far Cry 3.
I can think of a few reasons for this. First, Deadly Premonition's driving feels a little slower than it does in Far Cry 3. While that seems counter-intuitive, it means that in DP, I have an easier time seeing where I am going while driving. Also, it is still significantly faster than walking.
Meanwhile, in Far Cry 3, the cars go so fast that the scenery, at least for me, just zooms passed me. This makes it much more difficult to navigate,
Another reason I can think of is that Deadly Premonition allowed you to have conversations in the car, which passed the time. Although car rides were not that long, the conversation made them zoom by even quicker. In Far Cry 3, there is nothing to pass your time.
I'm curious to hear what people have to say about first-person driving. If you have some thought leave a comment either here or on the YouTube comments. It is probably best that you use the later because if you fill out the comments wrong on Blogger, it has a tendency to eat your comments up.
Saturday, January 17, 2015
Interactive Friction: Far Cry 3: Episode 3: Jason in Wonderland
We continue our playthrough of Far Cry 3 by sneaking onto a ship wreak after tripping our on drugs.
This is one the first drug-induced hallucinations that we will experience in Far Cry 3. It also happens to be one of the most pointless hallucinations in the game. Very few things of note actually happen during the scene. My gut feeling says that they only had it to introduce the concept of psychedelic mushrooms on Rook Island before we got into the more intense trips later in the game. Even still, I think just having a drug dealer on the island is introduction enough without Alice in Wonderland nonsense.
We also get the scene where Jason's dead brother Grant shows up in his vision, telling him that he's good with a gun. If done with a bit more of a subtle hand, then it could have been a very interesting start down Jason's path to madness. As it stands, like with the beginning of the game, it is done with such a heavy hand that it feels like the writers are insulting my intelligence.
Later on, these hallucinations will be a bit more important to the story, but they also their own problems as well, which we will see later in the Let's Play. For now though, while that mission only took 5 minutes, it really does not seem to serve a large purpose beyond introducing drugs.
It is also interesting how quickly this game goes by when we are only worrying about the main story, and almost completely ignoring the side content. Games developed by Ubisoft tend be like that, I've noticed. Most of the game's reported length comes, for better or worse, from all of the side content that liters the game world. In our own playthroughs, Sam and I didn't get to the stealth mission in the boat until about 5 hours into the game. Considering that we are barely over an hour into the playthrough, that means most of my time was spent capturing towers and outposts, because I did none of the other side stuff until I needed the mission-exclusive hides for crafting.
This is one the first drug-induced hallucinations that we will experience in Far Cry 3. It also happens to be one of the most pointless hallucinations in the game. Very few things of note actually happen during the scene. My gut feeling says that they only had it to introduce the concept of psychedelic mushrooms on Rook Island before we got into the more intense trips later in the game. Even still, I think just having a drug dealer on the island is introduction enough without Alice in Wonderland nonsense.
We also get the scene where Jason's dead brother Grant shows up in his vision, telling him that he's good with a gun. If done with a bit more of a subtle hand, then it could have been a very interesting start down Jason's path to madness. As it stands, like with the beginning of the game, it is done with such a heavy hand that it feels like the writers are insulting my intelligence.
Later on, these hallucinations will be a bit more important to the story, but they also their own problems as well, which we will see later in the Let's Play. For now though, while that mission only took 5 minutes, it really does not seem to serve a large purpose beyond introducing drugs.
It is also interesting how quickly this game goes by when we are only worrying about the main story, and almost completely ignoring the side content. Games developed by Ubisoft tend be like that, I've noticed. Most of the game's reported length comes, for better or worse, from all of the side content that liters the game world. In our own playthroughs, Sam and I didn't get to the stealth mission in the boat until about 5 hours into the game. Considering that we are barely over an hour into the playthrough, that means most of my time was spent capturing towers and outposts, because I did none of the other side stuff until I needed the mission-exclusive hides for crafting.
Friday, January 16, 2015
Interactive Friction: Far Cry 3: Episode 2: Now, I Will Teach You The Takedown
We have been made aware of the audio issue where Sam's audio is significantly quieter than my own and that of the game. This episode was recorded before that issue was made apparent, so we didn't fix it for this. (It will be fixed for Episode 4 and all episodes following it.)
We spend some time in this episode interacting with the game's hunting and crafting systems. Like I said in the episode, this is one of those acceptable breaks from real world logic. In the real world, you could use pretty much any animal hide to make the pouches, quivers, and holsters that you would need to hold everything. Leather is leather, no matter what the source is.
However, the game requires you to use the hides of specific animals to create specific holsters. The obvious reason for this is that it would otherwise be far too easy to just craft all the holsters in the beginning of the game. Since different hides are required, the designers can better control your progress in this area. Furthermore, it means that the player, as Jason, needs to grow in skill, to the point where no animal in the jungle is a threat to them. You earned that 4th holster, because you successfully killed a bull shark to get it.
Besides, most players probably won't even question it, so it's not a huge deal regardless. Even still, things like the distinction between Boar and Pig hides further stretch the credulity, even when you give the gameplay concession that you need different hides to create different holsters.
The whole element of gunfire not ruining the hides of your hunts is also another concession just to make the game more interesting. Otherwise, your arsenal would be limited strictly to the bow and melee weapons when hunting. Unlike other games, the bow is pretty much your only non-firearm ranged weapon. You get no throwing knives, crossbows, traps, or anything of the sort. If firearms couldn't be used to hunt, your entire weapon selection would be worthless.
The other major crafting items you obtain are the special leaves. All of the plants in this game are divided into colored leaves. Green leaves are used for medicinal purposes. Yellow leaves produce drugs that improve your hunting abilities. Red leaves are used to make combat enhancing drugs. Blue leaves are used in drugs that improve exploration. And lastly, White leaves are used in the creation of "Special" drugs. I have never actually seen a recipe that requires the use of white leaves, but I imagine they would have some pretty powerful effects. If anyone has any information in that regard, feel free to comment either here or on the YouTube comments of the video.
With those leaves, you can make some pretty powerful drugs. For example, a few green and blue leaves can be combined to make a drug that lets you breath underwater for a short while. As with the hunting, these drugs are an acceptable break from real world mechanics. In the real world, these drugs would be extremely useful. Such knowledge to create this drug, would be coveted by athletes around the globe. Still, these drugs need to have powerful, noticeable effects or players wouldn't use them.
I do not have a problem with hunting mechanics. I just find it interesting to analyze how designers try to keep in the real world, and what concessions they make for the sake of player enjoyment. It's something to think about.
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Interactive Friction: Far Cry 3: Episode 1: Work on Your Shooting
Welcome to this new joint venture between myself and my cohort Sam Callahan, from The Texture Pop. Those of you who watched shows like Spoiler Warning, or my first such venture, Disclosure Alert, already have an idea of what this will be.
Like those shows, this will be using a Let's Play format to discuss the many elements of the game. These discussions are completely unscripted, off the cuff conversations, based on what is going on in the game. Spoilers for the game are to be expected as a result. For example, if we end up talking about the game's ending just because that's where the conversation is going, we're going to just let the conversation takes its course.
Our first game, because it's a game that both of us wished to cover, is Far Cry 3.
Now, without further ado, we present the premiere of Interactive Friction.
I'm going to be honest, the intro cutscene already really made me dislike the protagonist, Jason Brody, and his friend. The kind of people who go out and party all the time, drinking heavily and preforming dumbass stunts, are not the kind of people I like to associate with in real life. I am sure that they aren't bad people, but they annoy me.
Another thing I want to mention about the primary cast is that it seems like it would make more sense for Grant to have been the protagonist, instead of Jason. After all, he's a trained soldier for the US Military, back from his tour. He would have already known how to kill, and it would be more fitting for him to be treated as a warrior. Jason's shift from nobody to warrior is so abrupt that it strains credibility.
On the other hand, Vaas serves as an extremely interesting secondary protagonist. You could be forgiven for thinking he's the real villain, but he's not even the second-in-command. The actual villain is significantly less interesting, which makes the second half of the game really unsatisfying.
Another noteworthy thing that we talked about in the episode is how little sense it makes for a slavery/ransom operation this big, who took so many large, noteworthy targets, to remain operational. If they have stayed in Rook Island for so long, they would have been invaded and stopped by various governments long before it got this large.
We also meet Dennis in this episode. This whole scene with Dennis leads to a whole bunch of problems. He gives Jason a tattoo, then says that since he was given a tattoo, he is going to become a legendary warrior. Then, he gives Jason a machete and money for a pistol, because why not.
There's also a fun fact with the line "You have the right to take my life, but know that I will also take yours." Originally, Jason was going to go for a pistol he already had on him before Dennis pointed that machete and spoke that line. In that context, the line makes sense. Now, it feels out-of-place, even when you consider how dumb the rest of the scene is.
Like those shows, this will be using a Let's Play format to discuss the many elements of the game. These discussions are completely unscripted, off the cuff conversations, based on what is going on in the game. Spoilers for the game are to be expected as a result. For example, if we end up talking about the game's ending just because that's where the conversation is going, we're going to just let the conversation takes its course.
Our first game, because it's a game that both of us wished to cover, is Far Cry 3.
Now, without further ado, we present the premiere of Interactive Friction.
I'm going to be honest, the intro cutscene already really made me dislike the protagonist, Jason Brody, and his friend. The kind of people who go out and party all the time, drinking heavily and preforming dumbass stunts, are not the kind of people I like to associate with in real life. I am sure that they aren't bad people, but they annoy me.
Another thing I want to mention about the primary cast is that it seems like it would make more sense for Grant to have been the protagonist, instead of Jason. After all, he's a trained soldier for the US Military, back from his tour. He would have already known how to kill, and it would be more fitting for him to be treated as a warrior. Jason's shift from nobody to warrior is so abrupt that it strains credibility.
On the other hand, Vaas serves as an extremely interesting secondary protagonist. You could be forgiven for thinking he's the real villain, but he's not even the second-in-command. The actual villain is significantly less interesting, which makes the second half of the game really unsatisfying.
Another noteworthy thing that we talked about in the episode is how little sense it makes for a slavery/ransom operation this big, who took so many large, noteworthy targets, to remain operational. If they have stayed in Rook Island for so long, they would have been invaded and stopped by various governments long before it got this large.
We also meet Dennis in this episode. This whole scene with Dennis leads to a whole bunch of problems. He gives Jason a tattoo, then says that since he was given a tattoo, he is going to become a legendary warrior. Then, he gives Jason a machete and money for a pistol, because why not.
There's also a fun fact with the line "You have the right to take my life, but know that I will also take yours." Originally, Jason was going to go for a pistol he already had on him before Dennis pointed that machete and spoke that line. In that context, the line makes sense. Now, it feels out-of-place, even when you consider how dumb the rest of the scene is.
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
The Texture Pop: Episode 21: Legal Podcasting
The Texture Pop turns 21 episodes old this week. As everyone knows, 21 is the legal drinking age in America. As a result, we took the podcast on its first wild party.
That might explain what happens every episode. In other news, Garrett is back, but still kinda sick.
0:00:00 Introduction
Title drop already.
We'll get to the Far Cry 3 stuff later.
0:02:50 Viewer Questions
"What are some of your favorite overlooked games?"
Dark Cloud 2 is definitely my favorite overlooked game. It takes from so many genres: RPGs, Action-Adventures, Rogue-likes, and Simulation games. It blends them all together so well that it's amazing.
Wild Arms 3 is another. WA3 does a lot to fix many common problems with JRPGs. Spells have a minimum amount of MP needed to cast them, but they are otherwise free. Characters use Vitality to recover HP after a battle. And there are also the random encounter cancelling mechanics I talked about in the cast.
I'd also like to mention Shadow Hearts as another overlooked game. We've talked about it in previous podcasts. Sam's pick of Atelier Iris reminded me of Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis, which I like for similar reasons.
I love questions like this, because they give me opportunities to gush about games I loved from back in the day. You should also pay attention to what the rest of the cast thought. Their picks were as interesting as mine, and it shows you what kind of games we all play.
"Do you guys have an old-school genre of video games that you wish to make a comeback?"
The only things that came to mind are non-Nintendo 3D Platformers. Even then, I'd only like them to make a comeback as smaller, $10-15 budget titles so that they maintain what made them great. This was a difficult question, as there were often many reasons why old genres died out. If they were $60, they'd have to be something like Mirror's Edge, with very high production values.
"Is there anything you'd like to see/not see in the new StarFox game?"
I had nothing to add here. StarFox isn't really my area of expertise.
0:34:50 We give Garrett space to better explain his Game of the Year choices from last week.
Since he wasn't present to do so himself, We tried to do it in his stead, but none of us believe we did his picks justice.
I'm going to let this part stand on its own.
0:42:25 Gaming News
PlayStation Network and Xbox Live got hacked on Christmas Day
The worst part of the whole thing is that the entire reason for the hack is that the hackers thought it was funny. There was no statement to be made. There's no good reason for hacking into a network anyway, but that just makes it hurt that much more.
It is also interesting to note that Sony was hit much worse than Microsoft. Sony really does not seem to have a solid grasp of cyber-security. They should probably get on that. After all, this is far from the first, or even the biggest, hack they've had in recent history.
Hatred reinstated on Steam Greenlight
Since we didn't talk about it last week with the Game of the Year stuff, we talked about it on this episode instead.
I think an interesting debate over the open-garden versus closed-walls approach to marketplace curation. There are merits to both approaches, but Steam doesn't really adhere to either philosophy. Were they to show more consistency, I would be okay with their decision. It's the inconsistency that is the problem.
The argument of censorship is another thing entirely. This isn't censorship, end of discussion.
1:06:50 Sam played Destiny (on Xbox One).
Such is our fate.
It's a good shooter, with solid mechanics. There's just nothing to do with those mechanics.
And nothing to the story at all, except the stuff that you have to look for online.
1:20:00 Garrett has been sick with the flu.
And it sucked. (This is mostly why he couldn't make the podcast for a while.)
1:25:20 Garrett saw Frozen on Ice
And we also talk about me watching the movie, since I did that this week. It's a Disney movie. I don't need to say anything else. I am a sucker for Disney movies, so I loved it. People who dislike Disney movies won't like it either.
I like how it subverts typical heroic and villainous roles by making the Ice Queen the hero and the stalwart knight the villain.
We also detour to discuss movie theaters and other things movie-related.
The Destiny video we talked about during this segment is here.
1:33:00 Garrett talks computers and Steam Sales.
Windows, computer parts, the works. Not much more to add here.
On the topic on Steam Sales, this current sale (as of the time of writing) hasn't really been that great. My wallet has been mostly safe. I bought a couple of things, but nothing worth talking about here.
But Chris did...
1:37:30 Chris played The Walking Dead: Season 2.
And he highlights the two biggest problems of the new season.
First, the new cast doesn't really stand out all that well from every other group of survivors in a generic zombie apocalypse. They don't feel as interesting as the original group from the first season.
Second, we have already wisened up to the Telltale formula, where none of your choices made a difference. It is more of a movie where you affect the tone of the interactions, for better or worse.
1:43:50 Chris had Christmas Oreos.
So we talk Oreos briefly. It took him a whole three days to do it.
1:46:20 Chris discussed his Christmas haul.
Dragon Age: Inquisition
Wolfenstein: The New Order
Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag
The Ratchet and Clank HD Collection
$10 Nintendo EShop Card (for Megaman X on Wii U)
Guilty Gear Xrd
Not a bad haul. A lot of quality games in this assortment.
1:48:10 Chris played the Ratchet and Clank Collection
It is interesting to see how those games evolved over the years. The first game is easily the worst of the three, and they got so much better over time. Even as the worst, it's still a great Ratchet and Clank game. As they series went on, the developers learned many lessons about both characterization and gameplay. You can see it in the design. The thing we talk about with Ratchet being a huge jerk was one of the biggest problems. Like we said, they performed this same routine better in Tools of Destruction.
The Going Commando/Up Your Arsenal Developer Commentary LP can be found here.
We also discuss HD re-releases in a general sense in this segment.
1:58:50 Chris also got Gears of War: Judgement
He didn't play it, so we didn't discuss it. However, we get into a really interesting conversation about the class of games that exist purely to milk a successful franchises. Games like Gears of War: Judgement, God of War: Ascension, and Halo 4. We all know why these games exist, but it doesn't make it any less annoying.
2:01:10 Chris played a bit of Assassin's Creed 3.
This is, by far, the worst main series Assassin's Creed game. He just finished the best part of the game, and it's all downhill from there.
I absolutely cannot wait until he gets through Sequence 8. Everything after Haytham's segment was bad, but that segment in particular was awful.
The mission design was bad. The story was bad. The protagonist was boring. It is so terrible. Hearing Chris complain about the game will be Catharsis.
2:05:20 I played more Persona Q.
The biggest issue by far with the game is its pacing. It is about the same length as Persona 3/4, but it is purely dungeon-crawling. You can take breaks to talk to the people in your team, which coincidentally happen to be the best parts of the game.
The combat isn't even a problem either. It's fun. The reason the pacing is so bad is because every single floor in the Labyrinth is a massive puzzle that takes about 10 minutes to solve, but about an hour to draw a complete enough map that you can solve it.
2:07:30 I beat both Wolfenstein: The New Order and Far Cry 3.
Which I wrote an article about here. I took a lot from the conversations Sam and I have had in the past when I wrote that.
I spent most of this segment complaining about Far Cry 3, because the story of the game is a bunch of horseshit. Both games play very well. I'd easily recommend them both, but Far Cry 3 grinds my gears. Vaas was easily the best part of the writing. Once he left, the wind was blown right out of the game's sales.
I find the discussion here, comparing Tomb Raider to Far Cry 3, to be very interesting. There are many parallel's between those games. And overall, I found Tomb Raider much more palatable. Having said that, there are merits to both games.
2:22:30 I started my Holiday Movie Binge.
Inception
It wasn't anywhere near as trippy as people said it was. Still, it's a great movie. Leonardo DeCaprio and Ellen Page pull off great performances.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
If you like video games, you'll get a huge fan of the film. I really liked it. Micheal Cera plays a great maladjusted mid-20s dude.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
I like the difference in tone this movie had to other Marvel movies. It's a bit obvious in terms of social commentary, but overall I loved it. It's still a superhero movie, but a much more "grounded" one.
Frozen
See above.
Thor: The Dark World
Tom Hiddleston is a great Loki. There really is no other person I would have in the role. Aside from his performance, the movie isn't bad, but it is not as good as the other Marvel movies.
The LEGO Movie
I really enjoyed this movie. Up until the plot twist, it is a very cute movie with great, if obvious, social commentary. Once the plot twist is revealed, it becomes a very emotional story. The movie does so many things right that I would easily recommend it. Everything is awesome!
2:44:30 Wrapping Up.
My Wolfenstein/Far Cry 3 article is here.
Sam's itch.io article is here.
That might explain what happens every episode. In other news, Garrett is back, but still kinda sick.
0:00:00 Introduction
Title drop already.
We'll get to the Far Cry 3 stuff later.
0:02:50 Viewer Questions
"What are some of your favorite overlooked games?"
Dark Cloud 2 is definitely my favorite overlooked game. It takes from so many genres: RPGs, Action-Adventures, Rogue-likes, and Simulation games. It blends them all together so well that it's amazing.
Wild Arms 3 is another. WA3 does a lot to fix many common problems with JRPGs. Spells have a minimum amount of MP needed to cast them, but they are otherwise free. Characters use Vitality to recover HP after a battle. And there are also the random encounter cancelling mechanics I talked about in the cast.
I'd also like to mention Shadow Hearts as another overlooked game. We've talked about it in previous podcasts. Sam's pick of Atelier Iris reminded me of Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis, which I like for similar reasons.
I love questions like this, because they give me opportunities to gush about games I loved from back in the day. You should also pay attention to what the rest of the cast thought. Their picks were as interesting as mine, and it shows you what kind of games we all play.
"Do you guys have an old-school genre of video games that you wish to make a comeback?"
The only things that came to mind are non-Nintendo 3D Platformers. Even then, I'd only like them to make a comeback as smaller, $10-15 budget titles so that they maintain what made them great. This was a difficult question, as there were often many reasons why old genres died out. If they were $60, they'd have to be something like Mirror's Edge, with very high production values.
"Is there anything you'd like to see/not see in the new StarFox game?"
I had nothing to add here. StarFox isn't really my area of expertise.
0:34:50 We give Garrett space to better explain his Game of the Year choices from last week.
Since he wasn't present to do so himself, We tried to do it in his stead, but none of us believe we did his picks justice.
I'm going to let this part stand on its own.
0:42:25 Gaming News
PlayStation Network and Xbox Live got hacked on Christmas Day
The worst part of the whole thing is that the entire reason for the hack is that the hackers thought it was funny. There was no statement to be made. There's no good reason for hacking into a network anyway, but that just makes it hurt that much more.
It is also interesting to note that Sony was hit much worse than Microsoft. Sony really does not seem to have a solid grasp of cyber-security. They should probably get on that. After all, this is far from the first, or even the biggest, hack they've had in recent history.
Hatred reinstated on Steam Greenlight
Since we didn't talk about it last week with the Game of the Year stuff, we talked about it on this episode instead.
I think an interesting debate over the open-garden versus closed-walls approach to marketplace curation. There are merits to both approaches, but Steam doesn't really adhere to either philosophy. Were they to show more consistency, I would be okay with their decision. It's the inconsistency that is the problem.
The argument of censorship is another thing entirely. This isn't censorship, end of discussion.
1:06:50 Sam played Destiny (on Xbox One).
Such is our fate.
It's a good shooter, with solid mechanics. There's just nothing to do with those mechanics.
And nothing to the story at all, except the stuff that you have to look for online.
1:20:00 Garrett has been sick with the flu.
And it sucked. (This is mostly why he couldn't make the podcast for a while.)
1:25:20 Garrett saw Frozen on Ice
And we also talk about me watching the movie, since I did that this week. It's a Disney movie. I don't need to say anything else. I am a sucker for Disney movies, so I loved it. People who dislike Disney movies won't like it either.
I like how it subverts typical heroic and villainous roles by making the Ice Queen the hero and the stalwart knight the villain.
We also detour to discuss movie theaters and other things movie-related.
The Destiny video we talked about during this segment is here.
1:33:00 Garrett talks computers and Steam Sales.
Windows, computer parts, the works. Not much more to add here.
On the topic on Steam Sales, this current sale (as of the time of writing) hasn't really been that great. My wallet has been mostly safe. I bought a couple of things, but nothing worth talking about here.
But Chris did...
1:37:30 Chris played The Walking Dead: Season 2.
And he highlights the two biggest problems of the new season.
First, the new cast doesn't really stand out all that well from every other group of survivors in a generic zombie apocalypse. They don't feel as interesting as the original group from the first season.
Second, we have already wisened up to the Telltale formula, where none of your choices made a difference. It is more of a movie where you affect the tone of the interactions, for better or worse.
1:43:50 Chris had Christmas Oreos.
So we talk Oreos briefly. It took him a whole three days to do it.
1:46:20 Chris discussed his Christmas haul.
Dragon Age: Inquisition
Wolfenstein: The New Order
Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag
The Ratchet and Clank HD Collection
$10 Nintendo EShop Card (for Megaman X on Wii U)
Guilty Gear Xrd
Not a bad haul. A lot of quality games in this assortment.
1:48:10 Chris played the Ratchet and Clank Collection
It is interesting to see how those games evolved over the years. The first game is easily the worst of the three, and they got so much better over time. Even as the worst, it's still a great Ratchet and Clank game. As they series went on, the developers learned many lessons about both characterization and gameplay. You can see it in the design. The thing we talk about with Ratchet being a huge jerk was one of the biggest problems. Like we said, they performed this same routine better in Tools of Destruction.
The Going Commando/Up Your Arsenal Developer Commentary LP can be found here.
We also discuss HD re-releases in a general sense in this segment.
1:58:50 Chris also got Gears of War: Judgement
He didn't play it, so we didn't discuss it. However, we get into a really interesting conversation about the class of games that exist purely to milk a successful franchises. Games like Gears of War: Judgement, God of War: Ascension, and Halo 4. We all know why these games exist, but it doesn't make it any less annoying.
2:01:10 Chris played a bit of Assassin's Creed 3.
This is, by far, the worst main series Assassin's Creed game. He just finished the best part of the game, and it's all downhill from there.
I absolutely cannot wait until he gets through Sequence 8. Everything after Haytham's segment was bad, but that segment in particular was awful.
The mission design was bad. The story was bad. The protagonist was boring. It is so terrible. Hearing Chris complain about the game will be Catharsis.
2:05:20 I played more Persona Q.
The biggest issue by far with the game is its pacing. It is about the same length as Persona 3/4, but it is purely dungeon-crawling. You can take breaks to talk to the people in your team, which coincidentally happen to be the best parts of the game.
The combat isn't even a problem either. It's fun. The reason the pacing is so bad is because every single floor in the Labyrinth is a massive puzzle that takes about 10 minutes to solve, but about an hour to draw a complete enough map that you can solve it.
2:07:30 I beat both Wolfenstein: The New Order and Far Cry 3.
Which I wrote an article about here. I took a lot from the conversations Sam and I have had in the past when I wrote that.
I spent most of this segment complaining about Far Cry 3, because the story of the game is a bunch of horseshit. Both games play very well. I'd easily recommend them both, but Far Cry 3 grinds my gears. Vaas was easily the best part of the writing. Once he left, the wind was blown right out of the game's sales.
I find the discussion here, comparing Tomb Raider to Far Cry 3, to be very interesting. There are many parallel's between those games. And overall, I found Tomb Raider much more palatable. Having said that, there are merits to both games.
2:22:30 I started my Holiday Movie Binge.
Inception
It wasn't anywhere near as trippy as people said it was. Still, it's a great movie. Leonardo DeCaprio and Ellen Page pull off great performances.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
If you like video games, you'll get a huge fan of the film. I really liked it. Micheal Cera plays a great maladjusted mid-20s dude.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
I like the difference in tone this movie had to other Marvel movies. It's a bit obvious in terms of social commentary, but overall I loved it. It's still a superhero movie, but a much more "grounded" one.
Frozen
See above.
Thor: The Dark World
Tom Hiddleston is a great Loki. There really is no other person I would have in the role. Aside from his performance, the movie isn't bad, but it is not as good as the other Marvel movies.
The LEGO Movie
I really enjoyed this movie. Up until the plot twist, it is a very cute movie with great, if obvious, social commentary. Once the plot twist is revealed, it becomes a very emotional story. The movie does so many things right that I would easily recommend it. Everything is awesome!
2:44:30 Wrapping Up.
My Wolfenstein/Far Cry 3 article is here.
Sam's itch.io article is here.
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