Modern Warfare 2

Spoilers, but you've already played this so it doesn't really matter.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare was sold with the promise that it was as realistic as you were going to get in a first-person shooter. While this may or may not be true and the story may have revolved around action-movie set-pieces, those set-pieces could be really compelling at times and we became (somewhat) invested in the characters. The Ghillie suit mission was especially a high point for the series. When Modern Warfare 2 came out, it was the highest selling game of all-time. It still may be, I'm not sure. It was a favorite of mine and my friends for a while and I have fond memories of playing it. My recent play-through of the campaign proves that you can't go home again.

The campaign is just so poorly put together. You play five different characters over the course of the single-player campaign and three of those characters die with one being gravely wounded. In the first Modern Warfare game, you played three characters and one of them died. When they died it was shocking and quite effective. When the three characters die in MWF2, it feels forced and really unnecessary. This is especially true of the astronaut portion where you float in space for a second and then get blown up for no real reason. I don't think they even name the poor guy. Even when the game is picking up steam, then completely break the tension when they switch to another character. For instance, there is a scene where you are an American soldier defending Washington DC from the Russians (because we are living in 1984 for some reason.) The helicopter you are in is shot down and you are being surrounded by the enemy. Ammo is running low. It looks like everything is lost and then...it switches to a different character. Granted, it shows how what happens afterwards came to be, but did it really need to be shown. It would have been way more effective if it had happened and then the player found out why. In fact, when the why is shown, it still doesn't make sense. I don't want to give it away despite the spoiler warning, but it all hinges on a character who is always portrayed as good allowing something bad to happen without anyone giving any real reason why. This is another common with the narrative; people do things that make absolutely no sense and then a bunch of people die. It's stupid and frustrating. I expect better from Lance Henrikson, Captain Anderson and the guy who played the sniper in Saving Private Ryan (they all lent their voices and, with the exception of Captain Anderson AKA Keith David I didn't realize it.) 

Strangely enough, the most interesting, fun and well-made part of the game is simultaneously the least realistic the invasion of America. I'm tired of the Russians as bad guys as much as anyone who doesn't masturbate to Red Dawn but the environments are so interesting, the missions are varied and, most importantly, the story is actually cohesive. While America is invaded, you play as one character, in one squad and you stay in an area that is both familiar and varied. It's not realistic, but games don't have to be and, often, shouldn't be. In a space where you can create anything, why would you create something exactly like the world around you?

So the single-player campaign with it's pointless deaths and poorly constructed narrative is fairly stupid. It doesn't matter, though, because people bought this game for its multiplayer. The single-player campaign is little more than a glorified tutorial meant to teach newbs the basic mechanics so as to avoid a Counter Strike-sized learning curve. Multiplayer used to be huge when I was living in a house with five other guys, but playing it again made me realize that it's really nothing special. Maybe its not fair looking back on this game after everyone who owns a game studio decided to steal their format, but especially after Call of Duty:Black Ops introduced wager matches, MWF2's multiplayer is lame. The killstreaks are still kind of cool and all, but at this point the only people left playing are the hardcore douchebags who couldn't move on when the new games came out. Even so, the matches are often glitchy with connection issues often cutting games short. The gameplay itself isn't particularly varied, with the regular deathmatch, capture the flag and territory holding matches that have been around since online games themselves. The guns are fun to shoot and all, but it's nothing special.

I realized that the reason my friends and I enjoyed those matches was because we were out on our own for the first time and could stay up all night with two walls of TV's constantly playing and shouting with each other. In the beginning, because Infinity Ward decided that beta testing was for chumps, the games were so glitchy and easily modded that the matches were all-out insanity matches. Hosts would pile thirty people only the smallest map so that every time the player spawned, eight people were below them. With no kill cap, a player could get sixty kills in a match. It was ridiculous, but it was fun. This is what made the game good and fun to play; friends and insanity. Once they lost those, we were left with uninspired multiplayer with a few bells and whistles attached and a single player campaign with a few good moments that were snuffed out by a stupid narrative structure, ridiculous plot twists and ethical problems. I forgot to mention the implied torture that one of the supposedly good characters engages in that is never mentioned and has no repercussions. So there's that. Overall, it's a really misguided game that made a lot of money because it is easy to play with your friends. I'm sure Modern Warfare 3 will sell plenty of copies, but I'll be too busy playing Skyrim to care. 

Eden of the East

Wow! Just wow. I just got done with Eden of the East an anime I started and finished shortly after my post on Torchwood. It was unbelievable. A definite must see. It's up beat it's dark there are serial killers and corrupt politicians. I have to give a big shout out to my buddy Dom for turning me on to this one its fuckin fantastic.

This anime is narrated by the lead character Saki Morimi a young Japanese girl who is just about to finish college and is taking a trip to America to celebrate. While visiting the White House in DC she meets a naked man running around with a gun and a cell phone named Akira Takizawa. Saki gives Takizawa her coat hat and scarf to cover himself up so he can get home then heads for the airport so she can go back to Japan. Saki however realizes her passport is in her coat pocket and ditches her bag to chase after him. By the time Saki catches Takizawa we've learned that he has no memory of who he is, he's in possession of several passports himself, and he's got a shit ton of guns in his apartment. Takizawa selects a passport at random and heads to the airport with Saki and the two of them head to Japan where Takizawa discovers that his phone can do anything he asks it to. Hijinks then ensue.

This show is exceptionally well done. From episode one you're left with a sense of wonder and mystic. Who is Takizawa? How'd he get this phone? Where can I get one? Surprisingly for an anime of this length you find out almost all of the answers to the questions you ask with few exceptions. Eden of the East is exceptionally well planned out there aren't any notable plot holes and all of the characters are likable or have some sort of redeeming quality. There are two movies as well which may answer the few lingering questions in your mind like who is Mr. Outside and who is the Supporter but I haven't watched them so I couldn't tell you.

Once again I'd definitely say watch Eden of the East its on Hulu. Its got a really interesting story. The animation is quite good. It's short so it isn't much of a time commitment On the whole its got to be one of the better animes I've ever watched. I want to say again mad props to Dom for this one.

Torchwood

Alright for all you Who fans out there this one is pretty enjoyable. While not as light and geared towards all ages as Dr. Who is Torchwood is still a decent show. Its certainly not for everyone not even necessarily Dr. Who fans. Torchwood is considerably darker with much less likable characters and more adult situations.

Torchwood follows the story of Gwen Cooper a police officer who accidentally stumbles upon Torchwood a secret section of the British government charged with fighting aliens and figuring out how their technology works so humanity can defend themselves against alien incursion. The head of this branch of Torchwood die hard Who fans will recognize immediately as Captain Jack Harkness one of the Dr.'s companions from the first season of the 2005 series. That fact is one of the main reasons I would recommend Torchwood to people. It gives you a much more detailed history on one of the Dr.'s more interesting and less well known companions. Along with them they have a cynical douchey medical officer and an odd Japanese computer genius. Although I would have to say that one of my favorite characters on the show would be Ianto Jones who does a little of everything (including Jack) because of his witty one-liners and snappy dressing if nothing else. This is a show that I would suggest you not get too attached to any of the characters except Harkness as he cannot die because this takes place after Rose brought him back to life at the end of Dr. Who 2005 season 1.

All in all I wouldn't necessarily say this is a must see but if you're bored and looking for something to watch give it a shot unless you like Jack on Dr. Who then I'd say go right ahead you get a lot more of his goofy over the top attitude and "futuresque bi-sexuality." If you do like the show or just want to know how it may conclude season 4 of Torchwood starts airing again November 14th 2011 so you've got about a month to catch up.

Minecraft

Some minecraft adventures with the guys at yogscast

enjoy

Portal 2

There is a part in Portal 2 soon after you escape from the Aperture Relaxation Center when the player as the elusive and, within the game, nameless character falls through a glass ceiling (Though a quick Google search will reveal her name to be Chell.) The player finds that they are in a glass cube. It is not hard to see that this cube is as high-tech as the facility it resides in, yet vegetation has grown  over it. The natural world is encroaching on Aperture Science at an alarming rate. The cube is mostly empty with just a a few things lying around. A portal opens up on a wall and, in case they didn't know already, the player knows that this is the cube where the first game started. It's obvious that Chell is right back where she started.

Portal 2 is a game that knows it's not in a vacuum and exactly what a developer can do within this new artistic medium. It's timely, dealing with issues of technological advancement for it's own sake, the blurred line between the natural and the artificial and, especially when looked at in conjunction with the Half Life series, the effects of a war between two corporations that have brilliant minds, unlimited money and no morality. They are aware they are making a game, not a movie, and use that to tell their story. Look at the very beginning of the game. Wheatley, played by Stephen Merchant who is one of my favorite actors and new favorite voice actors, tells you that you may have a little bit of brain damage. He tells you to speak. A giant A button with the message "Press A to speak" pops up on the screen. If you press A, you jump. Wheatley then tells you that you jumped , so try saying apple. Same thing; you jump. Wheatley then says that it'll have to do and the game moves on. This scene exists because it's hysterically funny, but also because it shows that Valve knows what they're doing. They rarely use cut-scenes or cinematics in any of their games; they tell the whole story from the first person perspective. They play with the medium because the medium needs to be played with. This game is a great game because it has something to say and knows how to say it without giving up.

Something people seem to forget about this game is how simple it is. There are, really, two active characters in the game besides the player; Wheatley, and GlaDos the big evil robot lady. Of course, there is also Cave Johnson (voiced by JK Simmons, who is also amazingly good,) but he is really just a recording. He is fantastically funny and informative, but he also isn't in the game beyond a few portraits and a gruff voice-recording. You could also argue that the turrets are characters, but they are more just obstacles to be overcome. So, again, two characters besides the player, who never speaks. Yet through darkly hilarious dialogue and through design choices they made with the world, Valve manages to convey all the meaning they need to. For instance, look the reoccurring theme of the blurred line between the natural and the artificial. To start with, Aperture is falling into disrepair and there is vegetation growing throughout the facility. Once Chell falls to the bottom, the old facilities are rundown and ravaged by age, not to mention surrounded by these massive caverns. Nature is reclaiming this area as well. Birds are even nesting down there. Wheatley is an AI, sure, but he speaks like a nervous human. He is all robot but he has a personality, something usually reserved for organic life. GlaDos embodies this idea more than anything else. She is an AI, but one derived from an organic consciousness (Caroline.) Though she is more monotonous than Wheatley, she still has a personality an plots revenge, something only humans and dolphins do. Then, there is also the fact that she is plugged into a potato battery for about half of the game. This is essentially an organic body for her. Even Chell has been augmented so that she can fall long distances without dying. There are more examples, but the point is that Valve is using the game medium to convey themes in a very subtle way. This is something lost in most games and for most developers.

Gameplay also holds meaning in this game. One of the most important things that video games tend to lack is a way to convey meaning that is unique to the medium. Valve uses the world's design and aspects of gameplay to make reflexive statements about the industry itself. Look at how Wheatley makes puzzles. All he does is cram two different test chambers that GlaDos made together to make one large test. One the first one that he makes, he even makes Chell run it twice because he's too lazy and stupid to make another one. This seems to be a very obvious statement about the lack of ideas in the industry. Wheatley takes the role of the designer or level designer who just doesn't care. The level doesn't matter, its a means to an end. There's also the introduction to the game I discussed earlier which pokes fun at the tutorials that most games start with. Then there's the conflict resolution button that Chell presses to stop the dispute between Wheatley and GlaDos, which is less meaningful but is using gameplay for comedy rather than as just something to do to make it to the next cut-scene.

This is what makes the game truly great, possibly even perfect. The gameplay and the narrative are inextricably entwined in Portal 2. One supports the other. You are always moving in this game; always doing something. The gameplay doesn't exist to advance the plot so much as it's where the plot lives. Everything happens within the context of the interaction between the player and the game. Wheatley can't hack anything until the player turns around. They could have easily had him just hack the door, but this works for the character and is tied to what makes a game a game. They use the unique tools that the medium gives them to tell a story that never could have been told in any other medium. The world is too deep for a film. It's too reliant on the actual senses for a book (would Cave Johnson be funny without JK Simmons' voice?) It's story is too tied into a player actually controlling Chell to be anything other than a game. That's the way it should be.