Retro Game Review: Indigo Prophecy

Originally published at Examiner.com

Do you ever get the feeling that you are late to the party? Like four years late to the party? Yeah, so that is how I feel about Indigo Prophecy, an adventure game, developed by Quantic Dream, that came out in September of 2005. to generally positive critical response The rest of the world knows the game as Fahrenheit, which is a far better name, and a lot of gamers have already experienced it for what it is but for some reason I never gave the game a shot. Regardless after being somewhat hooked in by a recent retro quick look on GiantBomb, I decided to give the game a go being as it is readily available from certain online retailers for a economical price point.

Indigo Prophecy is at its core an adventure game and like any good adventure game, it is only as good as its story. Fortunately Indigo Prophecy offers up an engaging and adult plotline, the likes of which you may experience in a Hollywood thriller. As the game starts out you witness Lucas Kane unwillingly committing a murder in a diner bathroom. As you gain control of Kane you begin a mysterious adventure that spans three main characters (Kane and a pair of New York City detectives) and will take you through one of the best stories in a game ever.

The story from the get go deals with paranormal forces, thus making Indigo Prophecy a sort of paranormal thriller but it also deals with the subject matter in a serious way, something that most games either do not try to do or flat out refuse to do. Its refreshing to see something that could have been presented in such a cliché and gamey way done with such attention to detail that the world and characters feel reel. The fact that the characters have actual interactions that have little to do with progressing the main story but rather provide insight into the characters themselves is something that I believe I have still, to this day, not seen replicated so well..

But let us not forget that Indigo Prophecy is a game and an adventure game at that. The adventure genre was one of the most popular genres when I was a kid but Indigo Prophecy is not an adventure game like you may remember from your childhood, it contains no combining of the empty mayonnaise jar with a set of old jumper cables, and the puzzles seem logical and relevant to the actions going on on screen. Puzzle solving though is such a minor part of Indigo Prophecy though as most of the gameplay revolves around dialog choices and quick time events. If there is one thing I dislike about Indigo Prophecy it is the moments in the game where you as the player are tasked with pressing an arbitrary set of buttons in a specific order to complete a section of the game. Basically these parts feel like an awkward version of Simon Says (and it looks like it too).

The Simon Says parts just feel out of place and tragically focus your eyes away from what is taking place on the screen, which is a great shame because the comparison to film can also be drawn between the games presentation as Indigo Prophecy is displayed much like a movie would be. Indigo Prophecy does what so many other games over the years have tried and failed to do, it places you in control of an actual movie and while that has been a bone of contention with people when it comes to other games, here it is done near perfectly well.

Oftentimes gamers, critics, even those not involved with the gaming industry in any fashion criticize games for being a children’s medium, Indigo Prophecy completely proves that games can be smart, mature and fun all at the same time. Honestly having just played it I am surprised that so many more recent and popular titles are still struggling within the medium to make their titles more mature when a perfectly good example of how to tell a legitimately adult story is so easily at hand.

In any case, Indigo Prophecy can be downloaded through Steam or the XBOX Live marketplace and you can probably still find copies of it in your local game store and you really should do so because it is a special game and it will help get you hyped for Quantic Dream’s next game, the Playstation exclusive, Heavy Rain.

Film Review: Avatar

There are a select few filmmakers that I hold in the highest of my regards. James Cameron is one of those filmmakers. For essentially my entire film-going lifetime his films have captivated my imagination while bringing me hours upon hours of enjoyment. For the last 12 years though Cameron has been off the blockbuster radar as he pursued his dreams of being an underwater explorer, making a trio of undersea documentaries. However it was only a matter of time before he returned to Hollywood and attempted to wow us once again and his return has brought Avatar.

To say that Cameron had a lot to prove with Avatar is an understatement. As stated earlier, he has been away from the Hollywood machine for 12 years, the budget for the film reportedly topped over $500 million and Cameron spent a small fortune of his own (upwards of $20 million) developing an all new camera that would allow him to provide the most realistic 3D ever produced. And how exactly does Avatar perform? Well that is a mixed bag. On one hand Avatar is a technological marvel that may very well make good on its promise to change the way movies are made, on the other its a generic hodgepodge story that borrows from a half dozen other films, including some of Cameron’s own.

Avatar takes place on the world of Pandora, a beautiful moon of the gas giant Polyphemus. Pandora happens to be a ripe source of the valuable mineral Unobtanium (yes it is called that and yes it sounds just as ridiculous in the film when it is discussed) and thus a human corporation has set up shop colonizing the moon. The moon however is inhabited by a indigenous species of humanoid known as the Na’vi and they are not exactly receptive to the humans infringing upon their land and conflicts have erupted on a regular basis between the humans and the Na’vi.

In an attempt to diplomatically solve the differences and learn more about their culture the Avatar program was started. Avatars are genetically engineered Na’vi with the ability to link up with a human controller and so enters Jake Sully. Sully (Sam Worthington) is chosen to head to Pandora as an Avatar controller in place of his recently deceased twin brother. Sully however is not a scientist like his deceased twin but rather an ex-Marine who lost his legs while serving. This does not make head scientist, Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver), a happy camper which generates a rift between Sully and the science crew. Once that rift is created he is quickly enlisted by the commanding officer of the private military group running security on Pandora to be their inside man and provide some much needed intelligence into the Na’vi. Sully agrees to provide the intelligence but soon grows to love the Na’vi, their culture and specifically their princess Neyteri (Zoe Saldana) and is forced to decide where his loyalties really lie.

If the story sounds like something you have seen before, it is because you most likely have in any number of other films but that doesn’t mean that Avatar is worse off because of it. Despite recycling themes from a variety of different films Cameron is able to make it completely engaging and entertaining. Yes, some of the dialog is cringe worthy but for the most part the writing is good, the acting is solid and of course it just flat out looks amazing.

Oftentimes there are movies with huge production budgets and while watching it you wonder where the money went (Superman Returns comes to mind), Avatar looks so beautiful that while I can’t specifically justify spending half a billion dollars on a film, I can certainly see that the money went to good use. A lot of arguments have been made against using so much CG in films: that it diminishes the human touch, that films just can’t feel real, or that CG created characters just lack that something extra; Cameron kills all those arguments with Avatar. Pandora has a depth that only real locales have ever had in a film before, the Na’vi are all completely computer rendered and for the first time ever in a film where I felt that the CG was lifelike, the certainly move as would be expected but most importantly they are able to convey emotion.

Are there problems with Avatar? Sure. The story is weak, predictable and generic. There are a couple lines of ham-fisted dialog. And at times the film feels directed at kids, despite having some mature subject matter, but ultimately none of these issues should sway you from seeing Avatar in theaters because this is truly a big screen movie. It was designed from the ground up to be a film going experience and boy what an experience it is.

4 out of 5

Scientific Fact. Because I Said So…

Once again, the age old discussion has come up about inverted controls over on a blog at IGN (ConceptWhat’s Blog). For those that do not know what inverted controls are it is when, while playing a game, you use down to look up and up to look down. Basically it makes your user controlled character control like a Boeing 747, which is fine if you are controlling a Boeing 747 in something like Microsoft’s Flight Simulator, or maybe a TIE Fighter in the classic PC space combat sim, TIE Fighter. It is however incorrect to use this control scheme whilst attempting to shoot Nazi’s (or your villain of choice) in the face with a projectile weapon.

If I want to aim at something that is above me, I do not point down. It makes perfectly logical sense that if I was going to aim at something on my screen, be it on the PC or a console, that I would point at the target and not away from it. Yet still we have boneheads making absurd statements that inverted controls are the “right” way to play a game.

According to Princeton University Wordnet definition of invert it means: reverse (turn inside out or upside down)

When you drive in reverse you are driving backwards, this is fine if the action you are performing requires this (ie. reversing out of a spot) however if you were to attempt to drive in reverse down the highway a police officer would more than likely pull you over a give you a citation for being a moron. Thus I conclude that using inverted controls for an extended period of time (read as any time where you are not flying a plane or space ship) makes you a moron. Its scientific fact, because I said so.

A Blast From The Past

For some reason this came up today in casual conversation but it is still damn funny.

Random Question of the Night

When does the decade officially end?  This year or next year?

Hell Week Is Over

While almost everyone has been lazing about eating turkey (blech!), watching football, playing games and generally having a good ‘ole time, I have been stupidly attempting to produce 11 articles, including seven reviews, and a podcast over the course of the last seven days. But it is over now and the last one (my review of New Super Mario Bros. Wii) is in with the editor. I have provided links to the rest of this weeks insanity below.

Game Review: Modern Warfare 2
Game Review: LEGO Rock Band
Holiday gift guide for gamers: Wii edition
Game Review: NHL 10 – which was not published September 24th like the article says
Holiday gift guide for gamers: Playstation 3 edition
Game Review: Halo Wars – which was not published in March like the article says
Holiday gift guide for gamers: XBOX 360 edition
Game Review: Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War II – which was not published in February like the article says
Holiday gift guide for gamers: Portable Edition
The Perfectly Sane Show – Episode 6
Game Review: Assassin’s Creed II
Game Review: New Super Mario Bros. Wii – awaiting publication

The Perfectly Sane Show – Episode 6

Not that anybody missed us but well we are like a bad penny that always turns up eventually.

The new episode is live over at Vagary TV.

In this episode we attempt to talk about Modern Warfare 2 and Andy wants to create a game where you kill Santa Claus while Jon single-handedly sets back race relations by 150 years. I honestly can’t believe I hang out with these dudes, let alone record an irregular show every once in a while.

This show is like a shart don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Music in this episode:

Spoilin’ For A Fight – AC/DC

Fire Your Guns – AC/DC

Gone Shootin’ – AC/DC

Subscribe to us on iTunes, E-mail comments (or questions) to pefectlysaneshow@gmail.com or friend us on the IGN Blogs.

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If you are wondering why the show cuts out abruptly during the first segment it is because I messed up something with the recorder and the recording went FUBAR which is why a couple points of the show make no sense. Oh who the hell am I fooling, nothing about this show makes sense.

I Love the Muppets

I grew up watching the Muppets and still love them to this day. The below video just makes me want a new TV series and movie more.

Perfectly Sane TV – Modern Warfare 2

Last night after recording the podcast we decided to try something new and recorded ourselves playing through some of the missions in Modern Warfare 2’s Special Ops mode. Enjoy.

Episode six of the podcast will be live tomorrow.

Game Review: Modern Warfare 2

Originally published at Examiner.com

Let us not be shy about it, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was one of the biggest games to ever be released. The game garnered mass critical and commercial success on its way to becoming one of the most played online titles of this current gaming generation. So it goes without saying that the sequel to that game would garner a feverish hype train that it would have to contend with. Now the game is here and it has a whole lot to live up to.

Modern Warfare 2 picks up five years after the events from the Call of Duty 4 and things have only gotten worse since your squad eliminated the Russian terrorist, Imran Zakhaev. For those that have not played Call of Duty 4, or for those that may be a little hazy on the previous games storyline, will be caught up early on by way of opening credits that recap past events. It tuns out Zakhaev’s death allowed Vladamir Makarov to seize power and Zakhaev is looked at as a martyr of Makarov’s “New Russia”. Terrorism runs rampant throughout the world and the task force headed up by the United States and Britain, Task Force 141, is once again put into service to covertly take care of things.

Early on in the game things go sour for the United States and then the story kicks into high gear. The level where all this happens has garnered quite a bit of publicity, both good and bad, from mainstream media outlets and gaming press alike. The level, entitled “No Russian”, puts gamers in control of a character who is participating in a terrorist attack on a Russian airport and innocent, unarmed civilians. It should be noted that gamers never have to kill, or even fire upon, the civilians and the level is meant to set up the next phase of the story, in fact they do not even have to play the level if they do not want to.

This all brings me to the only real problem with Modern Warfare 2’s single player campaign, the quality of the narrative is poor. It feels as if the game designers had some excellent ideas culled from various action movies and then handed those set pieces over to the team of writers headed by Call of Duty 4’s head writer Jesse Stern. The overarching narrative feels very disjointed and the emotional shock that the “No Russian” level was attempting to garner has instead been met with disgust, derision and in some cases apathy. Sure some may be feel the intended effect but the scene just does not have the emotional tug that the nuclear explosion from the first had.

The fact that the story unfolds primarily in game and in between levels via radio transmissions does not help matters. While it is commendable that developer Infinity Ward would rather the player experience the story, as opposed to being told the story, with such a convoluted script that spans multiple continents and features a bevy of characters, certain plot points can get muddied very easily.

However you feel about the story, it is not the real reason to play through the single player campaign. The real reason lies in the six hours of amazing, non-stop, tense action. The single player campaign plays like a Michael Bay film and by that I mean an action film on steroids. The action hardly ever lets up long enough for you to catch your breath, let alone digest the over-the-top storyline. The game is filled with exhilarating snow mobile escapes, boat chases, stealthy infiltrations, and even an assault to take back the a famous home in Washington D.C., and if you are not awed by the intense action throughout you may very well not have a heartbeat.

The single player game will only keep you occupied for roughly six to seven hours but the game packs a pair of other game modes that should keep you playing well into the next year, if not longer. The first of these modes is Special Ops. Special Ops pits players in series of various situations with different tasks to be completed, like eliminate a certain amount of enemies or reach a designated area in a certain amount of time. Some of the missions take place in environments from the single player campaign, while others will place you in locales from Call of Duty 4 or completely new ones.

The most interesting aspect of Special Ops though is that it can all be done co-operatively with a friend. Be forewarned though, to unlock all the missions in Special Ops one must venture above the Regular difficulty and venture into Hardened or Veteran, hard and harder respectively, so pick your partners wisely because teamwork, or the lack thereof, will effect the outcome of your missions.

All that leads us to the final piece of the puzzle, the shining jewel of Modern Warfare 2, the Multiplayer. Filled with sixteen maps, numerous game modes, challenges to complete, and weapons to unlock the multiplayer mode in Modern Warfare 2 is set to reign supreme as the single best multiplayer shooter on the market.

Veteran players will feel right at home and begin working their way through the expansive leveling system, while those new to the online battlefield may start out a little overwhelmed. That said new players will never feel like they are not progressing as Modern Warfare 2 finds ways to positively reinforce gamers at every step moving them ever closer to the next unlockable weapon or attribute changing perk.

Speaking of perks, Modern Warfare 2 continues the path set forth by its predecessor Call of Duty 4, offering up an expansive list of attribute changers that will help gamers and hinder their opponents. New perks, like Bling, allow players to modify their weapon choices with multiple attachments while others, like Hardline, will allow for Killstreak rewards to appear slightly faster. Killstreaks also have received a face lift and are now fully customizable and in addition to customizable Killstreaks are the all new Deathstreaks. Deathstreaks have been designed to help players who are having a hard time staying alive do just that.

All in all the competitive multiplayer aspect of the game is one of, if not the most, expansive set-ups found in any game on any system to date and it may very well keep people playing for the next year or two while developer Infinity Ward works on the inevitable Modern Warfare 3.

By now you should have come to the realization that the game plays wonderfully but you may be wondering how it looks and sounds? Whereas Call of Duty 4 was mired with a lot of dull color schemes, Modern Warfare 2 is a vibrant looking game and is arguably one of the best looking games on both the 360 and PS3 to date. Character models and animations all look wonderful and it is all done with a super steady frame rate, something that the prettier looking Killzone 2 on the PS3 could not do. The music, with themes done by Hollywood composer Hans Zimmer, voice acting and weapon effects are equally impressive, especially if you have a decent surround sound set up.

Modern Warfare 2 is an impressive piece of software that will undoubtedly keep many gamers occupied for quite a long period of time. If there is a hiccup in the game it is the single player. Clocking in with about six or seven hours of playtime, gamers looking for an expansive single player experience instead of a multiplayer one may feel a little put out. However when looked at as a whole though there are few games that can come close to what Modern Warfare 2 has delivered and gamers owe it to themselves to give it a try.