Opinion: Are Graphics Too Important Nowadays?

Inevitably, one of the main advantages of this gen over last is the graphical potential of the respective consoles; with enhanced technology and more advanced tools, developers are now able to utilize stunning character models, environments and Hollywood-like special effects on both the Xbox 360 and PS3. While these graphical capabilities arguably help to immerse us gamers into the experience more than ever before, a certain question remains: are graphics too important in this generation of consoles? It could be argued that many games are criticised harshly by gamers because of their graphics, ignoring what is seemingly more important: the gameplay. I don't feel as though this is necessarily the case amongst professional critics, as it's essentially their job to judge games in all aspects; not just in the graphics department. But from my experiences on various gaming forums, there's reason to suggest that too great an emphasis may be placed on graphics.

Graphics can both enhance and undermine a game's reputation. In terms of the latter, I think that Halo 3: ODST serves as a recent - and prime - example of a game being criticised on the basis of its visuals. In many ways, I agree that these criticisms are warranted; people naturally expect a progression in all aspects, and although ODST is essentially an expansion - although the rumoured price would suggest otherwise - it could be argued that it looks too similar to Halo 3. On the other side of the pond, it looks to me as though the game plays pretty great. But is this really been pointed out by its critics? Not from what I can tell. It looks as though the main criticisms have stemmed from the game's visuals rather than its gameplay, but perhaps that's warranted in many ways. As for graphics enhancing a game's reputation, Killzone 2 instantly springs to mind. I'm in no way suggesting that Killzone 2's gameplay isn't up to scratch - it wouldn't be scoring a 91 on Metacritic if that was the case - but I think it's fair to say that an incredible amount of attention was paid to the game's stunning visuals, with its gameplay hardly in the spotlight. Fair enough I guess - when a game looks that good, it's hard to give much thought to anything else. But in the build-up to the game's release, I don't remember hearing too much about anything else besides the game's visuals. If you look at Metacritic and other review sites, the majority of the 'top' games - in terms of review scores, at least - boast great graphics. While there are exceptions on the list, it does seem as though graphics play quite a significant role in determining a game's quality. So, do graphics give too much of an edge to certain games? Are they used to separate the 'good' from the 'great' - and is that fair? Would Killzone 2 have been held in such high regard had its graphics been somewhat less spectacular? Sure, all purely hypothetical scenarios, but it's something worth considering.

But there's plenty to suggest that gameplay - quite rightly - still dictates quality. Coinciding with the previous argument about ODST, it would seem that Halo 3 has shown that graphics aren't the be all and end all in games this generation. Despite what, in my opinion, are far from outstanding visuals, Bungie's title remains the number one played game on Xbox Live, leaving the more graphically outstanding games such as Gears of War 2 lower down on the list. What's that down to? A fine online structure and fun, addictive gameplay. It's probably accurate to say that very few people have bought - and loved - Halo 3 for its visuals; instead, its gameplay and multiplayer have been responsible for the game's incredible success. Equally, Left 4 Dead - which remains one of my favourite games this generation - is hardly a graphical showcase; I think it's fair to say that the Source Engine is starting to shows its age a little bit. But that didn't stop the game earning a very respectable score of 89 on Metacritic. Once again, the graphics weren't really important; a fabulous co-op experience and fun gameplay were responsible for Left 4 Dead's success. So, two very successful games this generation - in terms of both sales and reviews - have shown that graphics are not always a determining factor of success.

I think that, looking at the evidence, arguing that graphics are too important is slightly wide of the mark. I still think gamers acknowledge that graphics are just one part of the jigsaw in solving the puzzle of making a great game; they don't make or break a game. I do, however, believe that graphics have become more of a key component in games when compared to last gen, with scrutiny from gamers now being shared almost equally between gameplay and graphics. I think it's a natural occurrence that has come as a result of advanced technology and, consequently, more possibilities. Tetris was never going to be criticised during its time for simple visuals; the N64, which provided enhanced graphics when compared to previous consoles such as the SNES, still placed a greater emphasis on fun gameplay; and the graphical capabilities of the PS2 and Xbox meant that gamers started paying a little more attention to the standard of a game's graphics. With increased opportunities comes increased expectations, which is something that I'm sure will once again be the case with the next generation of consoles. So overall, I don't think graphics can be considered too important an aspect, but it's become more increasingly important nonetheless. I mean, if your game looks anything like Killzone 2 or Gears of War 2, it can only help.

Do you think graphics are too important nowadays?

¡Happy Fourth of July Folks!

For my fellow Americans celebrating Independence Day, here are some things you should take note of in the manner of fours.

Reasons Why Americans Are Celebrating It
* An old man made a patriotic speech about freedom
* The elementary school history text book said so
* Everyone else is doing it. Any different and you’ll be a communist
* People can finally set the local park district on fire

The Wrong Reasons Why Americans Are Celebrating It
* In response to the chronologically earlier holiday, Cinco de Mayo
* They’ve seen it in a similarly named movie on FOX
* It is a social event where Dan can finally hook up with Anne
* The air conditioner is broke and you must go outdoors

Do's
* You can finally pig it out at the BBQ and not be embarrassed
* Circle around someone making burgers
* Hypothesize how a firecracker jacket would fare
* Eat one of those red, white, and blue colored popsicles


Don’ts
* Drink so much beer to the point where you can no longer distinguish your baby child from a box of M-80s
* Blame it on the Chinese when the police seize
* Drive your brand new car over some fireworks lain on the middle of the street
* Watch a similarly named movie on FOX

Swine Flu: The Media Are The Real Swines

There's nothing quite like the end of the world, is there? Nations were put on red alert when it was first revealed that a deadly virus - (in)appropriately labelled 'swine flu' - had broken out in Mexico, with hundreds of deaths reported to have occurred as a result of this new variation of influenza. Inevitably, the virus could not be contained, as it spread across the globe to most major countries such as America and the United Kingdom. In unsurprising fashion, sales of face masks sky-rocketed, national newspapers declared the end of the world for the upteenth time, and the general public were left confused: just how potentially serious could swine flu be?

Of course, it's not like the media to blow things out of propor- oh, wait. It is. I was sceptical when the news first broke out. I remained sceptical when the WHO - could they have picked a more ridiculous acronym? - raised the threat level up a couple of notches. And I still remain sceptical with the news that it is now officially a pandemic. Don't get me wrong, it's only logical that officials are treating this situation with the utmost seriousness, but people are being given mixed signals about the severity of the virus; the 'let's remain calm' demeanour of the experts is clashing with the 'we're all gonna die!' message being signalled by the media. If we look at the experts' analysis, there's been nothing to suggest that the virus will mutate into a more deadly form; the majority of swine flu-related deaths have occurred as a result of underlying health problems; and, although the number of cases have escalated, its severity is very much being contained. I'd like to think that the majority of people listen to the experts, but that's not always the case in a media-driven society.

The topic of swine flu has only recently come back into the media spotlight, after spending a bit of time in the shadow - whether it will remain centre-stage is questionable. Who knows? Its severity could still heighten as we enter the winter months, and the number of deaths that occur without underlying health problems could yet increase. It's pretty clear that this is once again a case of the media making mountains out of mole hills, but can you blame them? After all, crisis sells. So it's no surprise that the media are blowing this one out of proportion, but what is important is that the general public keep a level head and acknowledge who is really in the know. The WHO have said that the situation is of 'moderate severity', experts have played down the seriousness of the virus and the statistics currently suggest that we don't have too much to worry about. But as long as the media exists, people will panic. Those swines... oink oink!

Flight 626 is Missing

And days after the tragic plane crash of Yemenia Flight 626 off the coast of Comoros, it goes missing. Where are you, Airbus? Where did you go? No, literally speaking, it went down at 11° 18′ 59.34″ S, 43° 19′ 37.15″ E.

But after surfing major news sites around the web, I’ve noticed that Flight 626 is no longer part of the headlines. Actually, Flight 626 isn’t even in some of these sites’ top five stories. By no means is this a measuring contest, but for weeks, Air France Flight 447 top the headlines. We get titles from “Black box not found” to “Black box continuously not being found.” Yeah, that sort of coverage. I understand that we can never construct a full image on how the plane went down, but from that three week span, anyone with information about anything will make news. “Passenger #123 took a coffee break days before disastrous flight, stay tuned for more.”

I guess the people are just interested in the mysterious aspect of Flight 447. “Are there survivors?” “How did it crash.” “Anyone want to make LOST references?” It sells, at the cost of 228 lives.

And let’s go back to Flight 626 that happened just a few days ago. “Oh hum, they recovered the vitals of the plane, carry on.” Look. Just because the story is no longer a scavenger hunt doesn’t mean that it is any less important. There’s 152 dead and a scarred-for-life little girl. Nothing to see here folks, mystery solved! Of course, I beg to differ.

And while Flight 626 disappears from the headlines (I hear N. Korean is trying to be friends with the United States these days), I will bank money that it will make a comeback. Whether it will be days from now where they’ll say “black box found,” to the month’s “more bodies recovered,” to the year’s “anniversary of plane crash,” Flight 626 will surface again. When it’s relevant.

A Tribute To The King of Pop

I'm a bit late to the party with this one, but I would like to pay a brief tribute to Michael Jackson, who sadly passed away last week.

It's easy to remember MJ for his recent court cases, accusations and bizarre actions, but I don't think that should ever come in the way of the fact that he was a truly gifted musician. The world's been going 'Whacko Jacko' since his passing, rushing to music stores to buy his albums and singles. As for me? I simply rewatched some of his greatest moments in music via Youtube and just sat there in awe of his genius. From his first performances as part of the Jackson 5 to the music video of Thriller - which remains my favourite Michael Jackson song and one of my favourite songs of all time - you just know that, whatever 'it' is, this guy had it. Okay, so it wasn't all fun and games throughout, but that's the life of the celebrity. I think he is one of only a few acts whose music will remain timeless - and that's the biggest compliment I can pay him.

So, from me, I just want to say: RIP, the King of Pop.

Trine - Demo Impressions

I think it's fair to say that downloadable games have grown increasingly popular recently. Personally, ever since a little beauty known as Braid was released last year, I've been paying more and more attention to the release of such titles. So, just imagine my delight when Trine was announced for release on PSN and PC later this year (although the recent news is that an XBL version is also in the works). The first trailer had me intrigued - 'LittleBigPlanet meets Lost Vikings' is what many initially said, which can only be a good thing surely? Trine went under the shadow slightly for quite a while but, during E3, Frozenbyte announced that a demo would be released in due course. Well, on 25th June, the Trine demo became available for download via Steam and various other sites. Being the curious lil' chap that I am, I decided to c-c-c-check it out.

The demo wastes no time at all, launching you straight into the story. One of the first things to admire is how well executed the cutscenes are; an artistic set of images is combined with charming narration to move the story along rather nicely, although it's clear that the story itself isn't the main focus here. The vibe from the cutscenes and story is very much something many would associate with your typical light-hearted, childhood tales. Of course, it'd be innaccurate to suggest that the story is going to sway gamers either way - it's more of an afterthought, really - but it's a nice touch that adds to the overall experience. I don't want to spoil the story for those who care about it, but let's just say that the three main characters - a thief, warrior and wizard - find themselves... stuck... in a bit of a tricky situation. That certain situation comes in handy for us gamers, as we're able to switch between each character on the fly.

Each character has his/her own tutorial at the start, so you can get to grips with their basic abilities. The first character you get to try out is the thief, whose basic abilities are a bow & arrow and a grappling hook. The thief is incredibly accessible in terms of controls, with the WASD keys used for movement and the mouse used for her abilities (left-click fires an arrow, while the right-click is used for the grappling hook). While each tutorial is unsurprisingly simple, it serves its purpose, while also offering an insight into the types of puzzles you'll be encountering later on. The wizard was next, and his abilities were rather intriguing; not only can he move certain objects (namely crates), but he is also able to draw boxes to help solve the puzzles in each level. In fact, the wizard essentially acts as a cheerleader for the game's physics-based gameplay, with his magical abilities paving way for some truly creative situations. These two abilities are controlled by the mouse, which comes in very handy. Indeed, it's hard to imagine whether the wizard's abilities will be as easily controlled through a controller - that's something we'll have to find out if and when a PSN/XBL demo is released (or we could just wait for the full game). Last up was the warrior, with his tour-de-force approach proving useful for... well, smashing things. His abilities were admittedly the least interesting out of the three but, like the other two characters, he was very easy to control, with a left-click of the mouse swinging his sword and a right-click raising his shield.

So, with the three tutorials out the way, I then had the chance to try an actual level out. One striking aspect of Trine is the flexibility in completing the various puzzles set out before you in each level. Whether you use the wizard's spells to conjure up crates, grapple onto ceilings with the thief or, you know, smash things with the warrior, each puzzle can be completed in a large number of ways. This alone ensures some replay value, as you keep coming back to levels to solve each puzzle in a different way - I even played the demo several times over, just to try out different methods of solving certain puzzles. The physics-based nature of the gameplay - the game's main attraction in many ways - also adds another dimension to the gameplay, with there being a sense of unpredictability when facing up to enemies or trying to reach the other side of a bottomless pit.

Within each level there are a large number of green bottles to collect - 50, to be exact. These bottles are 'experience'; collect enough of them, and you can level up each character and add to their abilities. The demo is very limited in this regard, but you get given a glimpse of the kind of upgrades you can implement in the full game, such as multiple arrows for the thief or the ability to conjure up more than one crate with the wizard. The upgrade system itself - from what I could tell - does seem to have a lot of depth to it, which should ensure that the gameplay mechanics still feel fresh as you progress through the game.

Overall, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't impressed with what Trine has to offer. A charming narrative, combined with simple controls and versatile gameplay mechanics, means that Trine looks set to be quite the downloadable gem. I haven't even mentioned the graphics yet, but they don't need much of a mention - to put it simply: Trine is an absolutely gorgeous game. I initially played it on the higher settings before switching to a lower setting (due to framerate issues), but it was certainly enough to conclude that this game classifies as one of the most beautiful looking platformer games ever to exist.

The revealed price of $29.99 (via Steam) has raised a few eyebrows, and rightly so - it's certainly pricey for a downloadable game, although rumour has it that the singleplayer campaign will last 7-8 hours (not to mention the co-op mode). It's hard to know at this point whether Trine will be worth the purchase; while it's an undoubtedly charming game, whether there will be enough twists and turns to warrant its price tag is questionable. But, for now, Trine has a lot of potential. Let's hope this is an exception to the rule that 'three's a crowd'...


Trine is due to be released on PC and PSN on 3rd July 2009, and is scheduled to be released later this year on XBL.

Welcome!

Well, I guess it'd be best just to start off with a simple 'welcome'. I don't think there's much point in explaining what kind of entries will be posted here, as it's covered pretty well in the 'About Us' section, but I guess it's worth mentioning a little bit about my interests. I'm not as big a gamer as I used to be, but I do still have a significant amount of interest in video games. I personally own an Xbox 360 and a Wii (don't ask), but I play games on my laptop as well and do have access to a PS3 (via my very generous mate). It's easy for people to say they don't have any bias towards a particular console, but I'd like to think I'm fairly open when it comes to games - I'm a fan of games in general really, whatever console they're on.

But my interests go beyond just games. I'm a big fan of films, from the chick flicks to the action blockbusters. I personally love movies which intend to provoke some kind of emotional response, or attempt to promote a positive moral message. FYI: my favourite film(s) of all time is undoubtedly The Lord of the Rings, and I don't think that will ever be topped. This is just a snippet of the kinds of things I'm interested in - not that I'm into dirty stuff or anything like that - so check out my profile if you really want to know more about me.

Anyway, here's what you should be expecting in the coming days/weeks. My first ever 'proper' post will be impressions of the demo for the upcoming downloadable game Trine, which was released a few days ago. I'll be posting quite a few video game-related entries, as there are many topics within the gaming world which I'd like to share my view on. Other than that, I can't really say that I have a set list of certain topics I wish to discuss; I just write what pops into my head, unless it's entirely inappropriate.

Finally, I'd like to mention that my current 'partner in crime' is Canterbury; he's a good friend of mine on many various forums, and I'm personally very glad that he's accepted the offer to write some articles on here. Expect some great blog entries on a variety of different topics from him in the coming weeks.

So, that's that really. I've been waiting to start a blog for a very long time, but hadn't previously had the time or the willpower to do so. I'm hoping the dedication will pay off and that there'll be some interesting discussion taking place in the coming weeks.

Over an' out. <3