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.

Impressions #25: Dead Space 2

Some time ago, I had written about my experiences while playing Dead Space 3 with a partner. At the time, it was free on PlayStation Plus, so I had no monetary loss from the experience. Going on record, I said that the game was so terrible that no matter how good the franchise may or may not have been before it, any interest I had for the series was irreparably destroyed. In more recent history, a couple of conversations with friends of mine, who were fans of the franchise, convinced me to give earlier games a try. So, when Dead Space 2 went on discount during a sale, I bought it. Now that I have had the chance to start going through games on my backlog, I went ahead and played it from start to finish. This week, I talk about my experience with it.

The first thing I noticed when playing Dead Space 2 is how the game benefits from the inclusion on specific ammo types. Due to how Dead Space 3's weapon crafting system was implemented, ammunition was universal. Every weapon took from the same ammo pool. Assault Rifle or Plasma Cutter shots could just as easily be used in a rocker launcher. This gave the player no incentive to switch weapons over the course of the game. I had one weapon that I built in the first 3 hours, that I kept using until the end.

Going back to Dead Space 2, I noticed an immediate difference in way weapons and ammo contribute to the overall experience. Unlike its successor, Dead Space 2 gives every weapon in the game its own distinctive ammo type. Plasma Cutter shots cannot be used for the Line Gun, and vice-versa for each pairing of weapons. Furthermore, ammunition for any one weapon was fairly scarce, even if, as a whole, there were more than enough bullets to go around. As a result, the game frequently demanded that players change weapons and tactics to both suit the necromorphs out on the field and the weapons which they have ammo for.

An element of resource management is created as a result, and not just in ammo conservation. Though money to spend on equipment is plentiful, at least on Normal difficulty, it is no less finite. Wasteful spending will get punished later on. In the event that a given player wanted to stick with one weapon for longer, it was still possible to purchase more ammo for it. However, this would mean that money is not spent on purchasing Power Nodes and armor. Power Nodes have two uses. First, they can used at workbenches to upgrade both Issac and his weapons. Second, they can be used to open locked doors that contain large supply caches and schematics which unlock new items in the store. Each of these resources feeds into the other resources in some way. The need to constantly balance the use of equipment, Power Nodes, and money is a large source of the game's tension, which was lost in the translation to Dead Space 3.

Back when I played Dead Space 3, my partner and I talked through almost the entire game. With our constant bantering, to both coordinate our movements and comment on the game, any attempt to raise tension was completely lost. Furthermore, if either one of us died, the other was quick to resurrect them, reducing the game's ability to provide any form of challenge. It felt more like an action-heavy third-person shooter than a game attempting to play with my emotional state. Neither one of us felt like the game was particularly scary or difficult.

Now, while I would hesitate to call Dead Space 2 scary, it is an extremely tense game. Enemies can, and often will, come out of nowhere. Even after a player defeats all of the necromorphs in an area, more will begin to spawn if they linger too long before proceeding onward. As a result, the player is rarely ever truly safe unless they are near a save point and/or vendor. Even when opening a locked door with a Power Node, the player will often be ambushed on their way back to the main path. When the need to carefully use resources, this further compounds the tension of the game. The player knows that they need to collect resources, but spending too much time doing so will require them to spend what was just gathered. This generates a delightfully nerve-wracking balancing act between the player and the designers.

Even better, the enemies both demand that the player is both swift and accurate. As many people are already aware, the primary enemies in the Dead Space franchise are the necromorphs. Unlike typical video game foes, they can only be defeated by dismembering their limbs until they are unable to move anymore. They are also fast, moving quickly into melee range. This results in a need to move quickly, while precisely aiming to slice body parts off of enemies. Failure to remember this will result in the use of copious amounts of ammunition and health kits. With a limited inventory, complications arise if the player is not careful.

While not bad for the game, this created difficulty for me towards the end. I found myself dying repeatedly to the same encounters. After a certain number of deaths, tension gives way to frustration. I will not deny that in the interest of avoiding said frustration and saving time, I began to start switching to easy mode for some battles and then switching back to normal after the battle was over. I would be willing to believe that this had more to do with my lack of skill then the game, but it is nonetheless important to make note of.

Lastly, the levels feel like they had a lot more variety in this game then in Dead Space 3. Most of Dead Space 3 felt very same-y, due to the fact that most of it took place in a tundra, while the rest was in a few sci-fi industrial buildings. Combined with the need to backtrack often, it was difficult to ascertain one area from another without the use of the game's path-finding preventing players from getting lost.

Though most of Dead Space 2 also occurs in sci-fi industrial hallways, the game does use set design and lighting to add variety. Medical areas have all sorts of first-aid and medical equipment scattered throughout the area. Churches and theaters have lush red carpets and candle-lights and engineering bays will have mechanical equipment. Furthermore, the games makes good use to lighting by giving different areas their own colors. With these few additions, players are given a sense of progress and forward movement as they continue the game's story.

Speaking of, the story makes a little more sense than Dead Space 3's nonsensical tale of confusion and scatterbrained characters. The main cast had a clearly defined motive for wanting for wanting to prevent the villain from continuing his research. Furthermore, their relations feel a bit more natural, with both protagonist Issac Clarke and deuteragonist Ellie Langford go from grudging working together to something resembling more of a close friendship. Although the villain's ultimate plan and motivation are at best vague and at worst nonexistent, the relationship between the primary cast is strong enough to carry the game's writing.

Playing through Dead Space 2 hammers home exactly how much of a step back Dead Space 3 must have been to franchise fans. I can only imagine the disappointment of people who went from games like this to whatever they turned its successor into. That said, I can really see why fans of slower, more tense experiences flocked to Dead Space. There is a lot to like with the franchise. What really astounds me is that it is clear Visceral Games know how to create good experiences. So what on earth caused such a terrible transition. I would have loved to be a fly-on-the-wall when they designed each game.

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

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.

The Texture Pop: Episode 28: I Love The Texture Pop Podcast. It's So Bad.

This week, the group is together once again. We even manage to keep the cast small and succinct for once.

Also, this was another week without any viewer questions. If you would like to send us a question, comment, or something you'd like us to read on the air, please send it to us at thetexturepop@gmail.com.



0:03:10 Gaming News
Spider-man will be a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe
To sum up this entire conversation, this move is great for fans of the Spider-man property, and arguably mutually beneficial to both Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios. After all, it means that Sony can stop wasting their time and money on a franchise they clearly can't handle while giving Marvel the tools they need to succeed.

Peter Molyneux and Godus have been under fire this week.
Not only is the above-linked Eurogamer article a major part of this story, but so it the Rock Paper Shotgun interview.
I don't see Peter Molyneux as a bad person, or even as a "pathological liar." What I see is someone who has fantastic ideas on how to develop great video games, but without the talent or skill required to realize these visions. As a result, he gets himself into all sorts of trouble. Don't get me wrong, he has to accept responsibility for his mistakes. However, I can understand the thought processes behind how those mistakes were made. In the future, people should be significantly more guarded about what he says and donating money to him.
With a publisher cracking the whip and helping him stay on schedule, this can work. However, since he's now an independent publisher, he no longer has the luxury of having someone come and edit his vision down to something manageable.
In regards to the RPS interview, while I do understand the reason for his disdain towards Peter Molyneux, it does not justify the unrepentantly nasty tone. Quite frankly, it makes the site look bad. These questions do need to be asked, but there are significantly more appropriate and more professional ways to ask them.

Jon Steward is going to leave The Daily Show
This arguably marks the end of an era in history. Tons of people my age turn to The Daily Show to satisfy a lot of need with regards to both news and comedy. It is going to be hard to replace him.



0:25:57 Garrett discusses his week in rapid fire.
And there was a lot that he did.



0:43:10 I played and beat Contrast
If you liked Portal, you'll probably like Contrast. It's a short game that does not overstay it's welcome. Furthermore, it used its light/shadow mechanics in the very interesting way. Not much more to say about it.



0:45:02 I played and beat Outlast.
It's a decent horror games. You will get a few good scares at the start and the gameplay and premise are good enough to get you through the whole game. However, it will not stand out in your mind. It fails to leave a more lasting impression.



0:55:20 Chris got sick of Yaiba.
It was only a matter of time. Honestly, it's better this way.



0:57:50 Chris played Brandish: The Dark Revenant
I don't know what is more shocking: The fact that a game is going out for the PSP or the fact that I really want to play said game. After seeing gameplay videos, and looking at gameplay videos, it looks pretty good.
While I don't generally enjoy bare-bones dungeon crawlers without much story, it looks fun enough (and portable enough).



1:17:25 Sam talks about his week without Twitter.
The article about it is here and worth a read. He had a nice little mini-discussion on the subject and there were some interesting points brought up.



1:24:30 Sam watch Fifty Shades of Gray.
Despite how awful the movie had to have been, we actually had a really interesting discussion about the use of BDSM in fiction. It's used a lot, and often it does not reflect how people with that particular kink act in real life. Sam and I disagree a bit about how, or even if, the problem can/should be rectified, but it is an interesting conversation nonetheless.
I also mention sexplantions, which is a really good web series done by Dr. Lindsey Doe that helps teach people like you or I, who aren't as well-read in this subject, a bit more about sex and romance than most educational sources will teach you. For anyone curious about these kinds of topics, but not brave enough to ask professionals about it, it is worth checking out.



1:36:30 Wrapping Up
My Diablo 3: Ultimate Evil Edition article is here.
Interactive Friction is here.
Sam's Twitter article is, once again, here.