The final Harry Potter movie premiered at midnight today. I’ll admit that I haven’t followed the movies very closely - while they are well done, I’m very picky about my book to movie adaptations. I haven’t seen the first part of the seventh yet, so I imagine I’ll see both parts together with my sister when they come out on DVD.
This is significant to me because the first book came out in 1997 in the UK, 1998 in the US. I was about 9 or 10 when I started reading them. My grandfather got me a copy of Prisoner of Azkaban before it was released in the US. I hoped for a Hogwarts letter when I turned 11. From book one, I was an obvious Ravenclaw. I was the first person in my family to read each of the books. Now everybody in my family has read all seven books, down to my 11-year-old sister. My other sister attended the midnight premiere, much as I attended the midnight book release for Order of the Phoenix eight years ago.
The Harry Potter saga, in book and movie form, has spanned the latter two thirds of my life. It is one of the series that has shaped my own imagination and writing, along with The Lord of the Rings and Pullman’s His Dark Materials. I still wonder sometimes if Hogwarts (or its American equivalent) just somehow missed me.
Two months from today I turn 21, which is considered a passage into adulthood, despite the fact that I’ve been a legal adult for the past three years. I graduate from undergrad in May, going on to grad school or an actual job and who knows what else. In many ways, I was the ideal age for Harry Potter, because, especially in the latter books and earlier movies, he was my age. As I read each book, the characters were growing up with me, going through so many of the same situations, even if they have magic on top of all of it.
In particular, I’ve always identified with Hermione, and she was one of the first smart female leads I ever encountered, and I appreciate that her hair is as unruly as mine. (I jokingly cite Emma Watson’s hair after the first two movies as the reason that I don’t watch them.) She was such a pivotal character to the story and the right kind of role model for a geeky young girl with bushy hair of her own. Especially in fantasy, there are very few strong female characters. It's a model that we're breaking out of, it's just that "classics" are lagging behind the curve as women come into our own. (Watch Star Wars again sometime and realize that Leia would have made the better Jedi.)
References to Harry Potter pervade our culture now. Yesterday my boyfriend asked me “Do you solemnly swear you are up to no good?” The term “Muggles” is frequently used to describe people who are uninitiated. (On that note, we’ve decided I’m a geocaching Squib, since the rest of my family has gone and I haven’t.) Thanks to the books, fantastical creatures such as the basilisk have been brought back in to the modern awareness. My little sisters jumped from there into a study of mythology.
My mother showed me the ad that Alan Rickman took out to thank J.K. Rowling for the journey. She convinced him to take the role of Snape before he was given much character in the books. I think many fans of the series can agree with him about the need to be told stories. I cried at every death, held my breath at each battle. I read the extra books, kept up on the lore and the world.
Growing up is a strange thing. I think we worry about it a lot, but no matter how much we fret, it happens and can often surprise us. I’ve often thought that when I “become an adult” I have to get boring, but I’ve come to realize that adulthood is what you make it to be. And if I still want to keep the magic of Harry Potter alive in my life, I can. Harry’s journey didn’t end with the seventh book, not really, and neither does mine. Harry had the advantage of skipping straight to the epilogue. I get to live my life all the way there.
So congratulations to J.K. Rowling, for living every author’s dream. Thank you for the world I spent quite some time growing up in, thank you for the characters I could relate to as I grew with them, and thank you for proving that adults and children alike can still believe in magic.
Mischief managed. For now.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
Choosing is hard
There is so much out there in the world to be learned and done and seen and enjoyed, and I'm never going to have the time for it all. That's one of the hardest things to accept about the world. And it's hard for me to prioritize what I want to do and what I want to learn because there's just so much of it.
Case in point: I play, to varying degrees of ability, eight different instruments, five or six of which I would actually play in front of people. I also conduct, which, I've discovered, is a somewhat comparable skill. And yet I want to learn more. I've fallen more in love with strings lately and wish that I could play the fiddle. Then I remind myself to learn the instruments I already have.
I've written about this before, to an extent, discussing the concept of the "Renaissance soul." I've been thinking about it again because there's not much for me to do at work, which has given me time to doodle and read interesting articles, like this one about a crazy awesome computer virus. Computer security is fascinating. I learned a little bit of assembly code and the basic concept of a few injection attacks in some computer science courses. I'm hoping that in the spring I can take the course on viruses.
And roller coasters. I rode some this weekend, and they're awesome! Everything about them, from the design of the track, to the chains and brakes, to the steel (or wood) that holds them up, to their construction in the winter offseason, is really nifty. That would be a cool job too.
I feel like I'm often either torn on what to do with myself because there are simply so many options or too lazy to pick any of them. When I get these crazy bursts of energy, I'm not sure how to constructively focus them. Sometimes they are focused (like right now I want to play trombone, but sadly, I don't have one) but often it's just a jittery sort of energy that demands I do something. I suppose right now I'll put it to good use by doing the laundry...
But the amount of knowledge in the world is so incomprehensibly vast! It's amazing! There are so many technical things that I'm never going to understand because I don't have time to learn it all. Even subjects that you may scoff at and believe there's no way that can have a lot of depth can have incredibly complex histories or mechanisms or underlying chemistries. Wild stuff. Maybe I like writing because it's a good way to learn some of this stuff, or at least pretend that I know it when writing about characters who do. It's a good way to live vicariously.
Sometimes I think about immortality and how cool that would be, not because I fear death, but because then I would have the time to master everything. At the same time, though, human knowledge is constantly expanding, so maybe I wouldn't be able to even then! But I could get a much larger chunk of it. Probably even reach the limit of my brain's capacity... I wonder how many GB, TB, etc., our brains can hold. It would probably depend on the compression and file format... :-)
This is really rambly. But that's the kind of mood I've been in. Now, off to laundry.
Case in point: I play, to varying degrees of ability, eight different instruments, five or six of which I would actually play in front of people. I also conduct, which, I've discovered, is a somewhat comparable skill. And yet I want to learn more. I've fallen more in love with strings lately and wish that I could play the fiddle. Then I remind myself to learn the instruments I already have.
I've written about this before, to an extent, discussing the concept of the "Renaissance soul." I've been thinking about it again because there's not much for me to do at work, which has given me time to doodle and read interesting articles, like this one about a crazy awesome computer virus. Computer security is fascinating. I learned a little bit of assembly code and the basic concept of a few injection attacks in some computer science courses. I'm hoping that in the spring I can take the course on viruses.
And roller coasters. I rode some this weekend, and they're awesome! Everything about them, from the design of the track, to the chains and brakes, to the steel (or wood) that holds them up, to their construction in the winter offseason, is really nifty. That would be a cool job too.
I feel like I'm often either torn on what to do with myself because there are simply so many options or too lazy to pick any of them. When I get these crazy bursts of energy, I'm not sure how to constructively focus them. Sometimes they are focused (like right now I want to play trombone, but sadly, I don't have one) but often it's just a jittery sort of energy that demands I do something. I suppose right now I'll put it to good use by doing the laundry...
But the amount of knowledge in the world is so incomprehensibly vast! It's amazing! There are so many technical things that I'm never going to understand because I don't have time to learn it all. Even subjects that you may scoff at and believe there's no way that can have a lot of depth can have incredibly complex histories or mechanisms or underlying chemistries. Wild stuff. Maybe I like writing because it's a good way to learn some of this stuff, or at least pretend that I know it when writing about characters who do. It's a good way to live vicariously.
Sometimes I think about immortality and how cool that would be, not because I fear death, but because then I would have the time to master everything. At the same time, though, human knowledge is constantly expanding, so maybe I wouldn't be able to even then! But I could get a much larger chunk of it. Probably even reach the limit of my brain's capacity... I wonder how many GB, TB, etc., our brains can hold. It would probably depend on the compression and file format... :-)
This is really rambly. But that's the kind of mood I've been in. Now, off to laundry.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Writing is Easy
Yes, in the past couple months I have come to the conclusion that writing is easy. Stringing words together into coherent, useful sentences is a piece of cake when you've been doing it for most of your life. Storytelling, an extension of writing that involves coming up with characters and plots and making the reader care about them, is a little bit harder. It something I enjoy and have spent some time doing and I'm reasonably good at it.
Editing, on the other hand, sucks. It's really hard. You have to get nitpicky about comma placement and sentence structure. You have to evaluate whether things have been properly explained. You have to add scenes to clarify and delete scenes that are unnecessary. You have to get other people to review your work and tell you what works and what doesn't. It's a lot of hard work.
I'm on this subject because I've spent two months working on a short story for an anthology. I wrote it and was pretty happy. I was then told that my climax sucked, which I had to admit was true. I rewrote that and was told that my character didn't make sense. I spent a couple weeks trying to eke out one more scene to explain her. It started as a good story and the editing has pushed it to be better, but it's still not quite where it should be. Time for more work.
When I was younger, writing was easy. I came up with things and wrote stuff and thought it was pretty good. But until now, I've never taken the extra step towards editing. That's where writing really becomes work. It's a step well worth taking though, and my story has been polished to a neat shine. Just a few more tweaks and then I'll submit it and see what happens.
Five weeks left in summer. I'm still deciding how to make the best of it.
Editing, on the other hand, sucks. It's really hard. You have to get nitpicky about comma placement and sentence structure. You have to evaluate whether things have been properly explained. You have to add scenes to clarify and delete scenes that are unnecessary. You have to get other people to review your work and tell you what works and what doesn't. It's a lot of hard work.
I'm on this subject because I've spent two months working on a short story for an anthology. I wrote it and was pretty happy. I was then told that my climax sucked, which I had to admit was true. I rewrote that and was told that my character didn't make sense. I spent a couple weeks trying to eke out one more scene to explain her. It started as a good story and the editing has pushed it to be better, but it's still not quite where it should be. Time for more work.
When I was younger, writing was easy. I came up with things and wrote stuff and thought it was pretty good. But until now, I've never taken the extra step towards editing. That's where writing really becomes work. It's a step well worth taking though, and my story has been polished to a neat shine. Just a few more tweaks and then I'll submit it and see what happens.
Five weeks left in summer. I'm still deciding how to make the best of it.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Sports
I was never an athletic child. Rather, I was a bookworm. My parents had to take books away from me to make me go play outside. Aside from a three-year stint in rec soccer, I didn't get farther than gym class.
Sometime while I was in middle school, my dad started following Manchester United, and I began watching soccer. Because it was the only game I ever really played, it's been my favorite to watch. Soccer has a fluidity and momentum that I love, not to mention the fact that it's got a set time limit. When you get two good teams playing, the Beautiful Game truly shines.
So other than that, I'm a total band geek. I started out as a flute player and after a semester in college, I decided to learn the trombone. I became a much-needed commodity and was asked to play at a lot of different sporting events. This, combined with a superfan friend in the section and the fact that they pay me for some of the games, led me to a new appreciation of sports.
After seven years of attending every home football game at my school, I decided to actually try to understand football. Basketball came a little easier, as it has more parallels to soccer in its fluidity and motion. I also started going to volleyball, lacrosse (men's and women's), and field hockey games with the band. (They only asked us to play at two women's soccer games, which made me sad.) And as I write this, I'm watching my school play baseball, a sport I'm still convinced I'll never understand, much less enjoy watching.
What I've determined is that, while I don't always like or understand a given sport, I really like watching sports when I have a team to follow. I've only picked up all these new sports to watch my college teams play and cheer them on. Any other baseball game I wouldn't care, but each of these pitches I'm hoping for something good for us (and right now I'm praying for a miracle to keep us in this). My favorite is when I'm in the stadium, but I'll settle for watching the TV with some friends. Tonight I'm all alone, and I'm still wrapped up in the drama, even if I forget to watch every pitch, which isn't something I ever thought I'd say.
Maybe I'll be able to keep following my school teams after I graduate. After all, I'll feel a stronger connection to them than to any pro teams. Hopefully following the teams or even just knowing the lingo will help me keep up at the water cooler in a male-dominated workplace. I do like guys' reactions when they learn that a girl not only knows a thing or two about sports, she's open to learning more. :-)
Sometime while I was in middle school, my dad started following Manchester United, and I began watching soccer. Because it was the only game I ever really played, it's been my favorite to watch. Soccer has a fluidity and momentum that I love, not to mention the fact that it's got a set time limit. When you get two good teams playing, the Beautiful Game truly shines.
So other than that, I'm a total band geek. I started out as a flute player and after a semester in college, I decided to learn the trombone. I became a much-needed commodity and was asked to play at a lot of different sporting events. This, combined with a superfan friend in the section and the fact that they pay me for some of the games, led me to a new appreciation of sports.
After seven years of attending every home football game at my school, I decided to actually try to understand football. Basketball came a little easier, as it has more parallels to soccer in its fluidity and motion. I also started going to volleyball, lacrosse (men's and women's), and field hockey games with the band. (They only asked us to play at two women's soccer games, which made me sad.) And as I write this, I'm watching my school play baseball, a sport I'm still convinced I'll never understand, much less enjoy watching.
What I've determined is that, while I don't always like or understand a given sport, I really like watching sports when I have a team to follow. I've only picked up all these new sports to watch my college teams play and cheer them on. Any other baseball game I wouldn't care, but each of these pitches I'm hoping for something good for us (and right now I'm praying for a miracle to keep us in this). My favorite is when I'm in the stadium, but I'll settle for watching the TV with some friends. Tonight I'm all alone, and I'm still wrapped up in the drama, even if I forget to watch every pitch, which isn't something I ever thought I'd say.
Maybe I'll be able to keep following my school teams after I graduate. After all, I'll feel a stronger connection to them than to any pro teams. Hopefully following the teams or even just knowing the lingo will help me keep up at the water cooler in a male-dominated workplace. I do like guys' reactions when they learn that a girl not only knows a thing or two about sports, she's open to learning more. :-)
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
E3 Press Conferences!
Ah, summer. No school, no homework, no worries. Except that I have a job again, but this time I'm living away from home. I suppose I had to pretend to grow up sometime.
However, summer also means the onset of another Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3)! I've kept up with this the past few years as I've gotten more into gaming, but this is the first time that I've had a chance to actually tune into the live webcasts. (Yes I was at work, yes I still did work in the other windows, and yes my boss saw me.) So now it's time for me to act like I actually know what I'm talking about and imagine that I could be important enough to legit cover E3 someday. Here are my two cents on the video game happenings of the last two days:
Microsoft
... is in an intense love affair with the Kinect. Really, I don't think they talked about a single game that didn't use it. It opened with a dramatic gameplay demo of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, with impressive graphics and an interesting mission setup. Now, I'm not really a huge fan of FPS games, but it will be interesting to see how this offering plays out against EA's Battlefield 3 (more on that later).
Mass Effect 3. This is what I'm excited about. The neat thing that they demoed here was some voice connectivity - you can say the dialogue options instead of just selecting them, which does make the conversation more immersive, though that's just a cute little gimmick. The cool thing is that you can voice command your squad in battle. The demonstrator showed us: "Garrus, move up. Liara, move up. Liara, Singularity." Pretty cool, but not convincing enough for me to buy an Xbox/Kinect.
The motion control they showed with Ghost Recon in Gunsmith was nifty - explode the gun and by motion or voice, switch out parts. Or simply tell it to "Optimize for range" or "Randomize." The problem is, when he switched to the shooting range to test it out, he just looked plain stupid, hunched over like he was holding a gun, opening his back hand to shoot. Proof that hardcore gamers still need controllers.
The Kinect Funlabs looked cool but gimicky - neat from a technology perspective and amusing for a little bit. Mostly I see them as the offerings of an advancing industry and little more. They're also excited about TV for Xbox (no price announced yet), voice-controlled Bing searches, Beacons for interacting with your friends, cloud saves for games, and lots and lots and lots of Kinect.
Overall, I felt the conference fell flat if you're not that excited about the Kinect, no matter how hard they're trying to woo hardcore gamers. We're still waiting on the next step that will bring motion control to a new level in videogaming, from a gimmick for family games into something that vastly improves the realism of hardcore games.
EA
Oh man, Mass Effect 3. I haven't played the first one, it being Xbox and PC exclusive, one of which I don't have and the other I don't game on well. I'm partway through the second one (I'm not actually sure how far) on a friend's PS3 to take advantage of the DLC. I have found it to be a thoroughly immersive game with detailed character interactions (my favorite is flirting with everyone), interesting fighting styles (love me some biotic powers), and replay value. The opening trailer and gameplay for Mass Effect 3 had me bouncing up and down at my desk.
First off, it's gorgeous. And so exciting. The Reapers finally making it to Earth? A full-blown Galactic War? All the old crew back? This is a highly anticipated title, and EA/Bioshock seems poised to deliver. March 6, 2012. This may be one I buy right off, or at least pitch in with my friend for a copy.
EA Sports had some cool announcements. SSX looks pretty cool, with race, trick, and survival modes. The mountain ranges are modeled off NASA satellite imagery, which is geektastic, and they promise you can play on every major mountain range in the world. Madden 12 was promoted by some famous football players I didn't recognize, and seemed like a solid member of the series with no particularly exciting innovation.
Maybe it's just because I'm a soccer fan, but FIFA 12 was definitely the crowning moment of the EA Sports segment. Promising tactical defending, precision dribbling, and a much improved player interaction engine, the game promises to be much more true to the Beautiful Game. It looks like it really will make skill and positioning even more important, both for attackers and defenders, which means I might want to learn more buttons than just shoot and slide tackle. The video promoting it included such favorites of mine as Wayne Rooney and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, which made it even cooler. The other neat announcement was the online Football Club, which lets you play and connect online at no additional charge. I was intrigued by the feature where you can choose your favorite team (Man U!) and connect with fans around the world, taking on challenges to replay real-life matches and uphold or change their courses to put your team at the top of the tables. Pretty sweet.
Need for Speed: The Run looked nifty - some sexy shots of super-powered muscle cars and introducing some out-of-car chase scenes. Star Wars: The Old Republic, an MMORPG that's not likely to make me a convert to the genre, showing little more than an extended trailer, though it's a hard genre to play demo. The Sims Social, not gonna lie, was a little creepy to me. I've had fun making friends in the Sims and all, but the trailer was just... odd. I don't plan on asking guys out via fb and living out a date through a fb game. When my bf's away, we use Skype. [I feel I should note a general apathy toward the Sims and bias against fb games, so I will refrain from judging it too harshly before it actually debuts.]
Insominac shared the stage to announce Overstrike, which I know little about other than the trailer, but it looks like a fun romp. The characters look like fun, and I appreciate the use of two badass female characters who seem actually more than just a pretty face. The wry humor and potentially fun fighting style I think can make up for lack of a compelling plot. There are some times I turn to video games to beat things up and have a laugh while doing it.
Ah, Battlefield 3. Whereas Microsoft opened their conference with their wartime FPS holiday offering, EA saved theirs til last, to serve as the piece de resistance (though I'm still hooked on that Mass Effect trailer). The most exciting part, to me, is the new Frostbite 2 graphics engine. The environment is rendered in gorgeous detail and the game seems able to utilize a greater interaction with it. Cover is realistically blown to bits by gunfire and grenades. The game feels very immersive and seems easy to follow objectives. The marketing battle is already a storm, and the sales will speak for themselves this holiday season.
Overall impression: EA had the strongest conference, introducing many strong games with an ease of presentation. They had me excited about genres that I don't even play, with the exception of my lukewarm reception of the Sims fb edition. They majorly pushed Origin the whole time. The website seems to be the new source for their store/download system as well as a vehicle to push out videos and trailers, as well as a networking tool for chatting with friends while you play. At any rate, it's the place to go now for all the trailers they showed during E3, and it will be interesting to see how Origin takes off.
Ubisoft
This conference was just... awkward. I don't feel that they had a single good presenter out on the stage, and I wasn't terribly impressed by most of their offerings. The main framework for the conference was their 25-year anniversary, which was interestingly played in flashbacks to see how far our technology has come, each introduced with a strange sound-effect-and-arm-waving transition effect by the main presenter. (I did feel bad for the guy, I wanted the audience to react more for him, not that I could blame them, but they were a tough crowd.) I did miss swaths of this due to coming back from work, being on the phone, and difficulty with the streaming going in and out, but I will review what I saw.
I tuned in towards the end of the Far Cry 3 trailer, a series I know little about and am thus not able to comment extensively on, though it looked pretty. Next up was Brothers in Arms: Furious Four, which looked like a game more suited for a 13-year-old boy than any other demographic, except perhaps all boys, since most of them are 13 at heart anyway. The game is built around gratuitous, goofy, almost cartoony violence, but since you're cutting down Nazis, it's okay. Not a title for me, but the intended demographic will eat it up.
Next up is an adaptation of the Adventures of Tintin movie, which I know very little about (there's a real theme to me and this press conference...). It has a clean cartoon visual style and looks like a fun, honest platformer - a nice change from the shooter-obsession that we've seen so far this year. It looks like a fun romp with more planning put in than most movie-game adaptations. And Peter Jackson was saying something about it that I missed due to a housemate coming home, but that's pretty good news for me.
Following that was a real gameplay demo of Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, showcasing multiplayer. The game uses what they call "augmented reality" which looks like it could bring something interesting to a rather worn and repetitive genre. It made me think of Splinter Cell (another game I haven't actually played) as they scanned through walls to check for enemies lurking behind them.
Two presenters with thick French accents took the stage to talk about Trackmania, which I didn't find to be a terribly compelling presentation. It mostly looks like ModNation Racers but less cartoony. They also mentioned "Shootmania" and "Questmania" with no further details than the names, but the simplistic naming convention does give one a pretty good idea of what the game will look like. Out comes another awkward and heavily accented presenter to kick around some Raving Rabbids on the Kinect. They demoed another party game where people stand in funny positions to fill a silhouette. The game takes a picture that it can then upload to facebook, so you can finally rival all those other embarassing photos clogging the internet. It looks like a fun party game for a bit, but I don't think it has much lasting potential. Just Dance 3 looks to be basically that, which has some appeal due to the ease of its multiplayer. I do like the lack of required peripherals, as both of my family's DDR pads are on the fritz. Looks like some good fun, especially if you let go of how goofy the dance moves actually are. Also, Katy Perry still bothers me a lot.
Rocksmith looks really interesting. I've been saying from when my brothers started plotting to buy Rock Band that we should forgo the game and become a real rock band. While we did wind up buying the game and I've had tons of fun playing with them, here is a game that seeks to build an actual skill, and I must say, I'm intrigued. I've been trying to teach myself guitar (instrument #8, for the record), but it's proving difficult to me. Rocksmith takes any electric guitar as its controller and seeks to increase the difficulty as you learn more. They pointed out that it provides not only an amp, but the effects provided by pedals, which can be expensive, allowing you to play around and learn in a fun setting without too much monetary investment (aside from the obvious costs of the guitar and game, but who's counting?). Anyways, I'm interested to see how that one performs.
They closed out the conference with their most anticipated title, Assassin's Creed: Revelations. This is a series I've never played, though I have played the similar Prince of Persia titles that they also publish. It's got impressive graphics, the looks of an interesting storyline (even without knowing the previous two games), and some cool gameplay. All in all, it appears to be a title that fans of the series will rightfully anticipate.
Overall, I felt that Ubisoft had the weakest conference. I was greatly bothered by the awkward presenting, though I swear I have nothing against foreign accents. Assassin's Creed was the only announcement that really stood out to me, though I did go into the press conference not knowing any of the other titles they'd talk about, so perhaps I'm not the best person to review it.
Sony
Sony is actually vying for Nintendo's spot in my attentions, as I've bought myself a PS3 and the only Nintendo console I have access to away from home is my sister's old, beat-up first-gen DS. I did appreciate that they opened the press conference with a discussion of the hacking of PSN, which they needed to do. I have felt that Sony has handled itself well in the attack, though I wish I had heard from them earlier, rather than getting the info that my information had been stolen second- and third-hand first.
On to the actual games! Woohoo Uncharted 3! I'm happy to see it looking like the same fun romp the first two games were, with both chicks back (though the eagle eyes over at IGN have spotted a wedding band on Elena's hand! oh noes!). I still need to get around to beating the second one, but I have found them to be enjoyable romps, even though the stories aren't particularly compelling. Looks like fun!
Resistance 3, starting the trend of Sony trying to push the Move system, which is even worse for me than Kinect, as it offers nothing more than the Wii does and has always felt like it came late to the party with the same present as a cooler kid. At this point, I'm a little tired of seeing more shooter games that don't seem to offer anything new and whose predecessors I've never played (although that is my own fault). Same with God of War 3 and Sly Cooper- not much for me to say, since I don't know the series. Also, Starhawk, which looked cool even though I haven't really figured out what it is, and Bioshock: Infinite, yet another acclaimed series I've never played. Looked really good though. Dust looked cool from the online tie-in perspective, and they did snag it as a PS3 exclusive.
Ico and Shadow of the Colossus on PS3 is something that I'm really excited for. I've never played either game, but I have heard enough ravings about it to know that it's a good investment. Having the two together with updated graphics seems to me like it will be worth it, rather than picking up an old PS2 version for cheaper (especially considering that my PS3 isn't backwards compatible, so I'd need to play at home).
Sony really pushed Move and 3D, even announcing a conveniently dorm-sized 3D Playstation-branded TV, selling with a copy of Resistance 3, a pair of glasses, and a HDMI cable for the astonishing price of $499. As someone who is having to go back to wearing glasses full-time because my eyes hate contacts, 3D TVs have not really excited me. They're a gimmick that I don't feel will last - Avatar looked pretty in theatres with this technology, but I think I'd get sick trying to play a game in 3D. Technology-wise, I was fascinated by the idea of split-screen co-op instead being layered-screen co-op, where you and your friend actually see different images on the screen. Can't wait to hear how that one works in practice, and I'll definitely be looking up the science.
Kobe Bryant came out and played their NBA game, which was pretty funny. It didn't make the game look any more exciting though.
Sony's big reveal was the PSVita, the actual name of the codenamed Next Generation Portable. It features two touch-screens, on front and back, as well as the familiar buttons of the PSP. I'm not a big handheld gamer, but this system has me tempted to try it again. It will be offered at the surprising $250 for the non-3G and $299 for the 3G-enabled version. (The audience's lukewarm reception (read: laughter) of the AT&T partnership announcement was both telling and hilarious. Hey Sony, ever heard of a thing called the iPhone?...)
I was blown away by the gameplay demo for Uncharted: Golden Abyss. It looks like the console versions of the series and seems to easily integrate both touch and button controls, so the player can use what they are most comfortable with (are you hearing this, Microsoft?). They also demoed ModNation Racers, LittleBigPlanet, Street Fighter (featuring Cole from inFamous, lol), Ruin (which is pushing for carrying the game everywhere to defend your lair at any moment... :-/). Trailers for a lot more games make the PSVita a very tempting option, even to someone who doesn't often play handheld games.
Overall, Sony had a good press conference with some promising titles and very surprising price points for both the PSVita and their surprise 3D TV bundle. I'm most excited for Uncharted 3 and Ico/Shadow of the Colossus, but there are lots of other titles here for fans of their particular series. Nothing too groundbreaking was shown, outside of the new hardware of the Vita - most everything this year is a sequel to something else...
Nintendo
Right from the beginning, Nintendo stole my heart with a live orchestra playing a medley of Zelda tunes to a 25th anniversary tribute video. I'm a huge Zelda fangirl and a music geek, so this was right up my alley and I'm waiting with bated breath for more news of the symphonic concert tour and the upcoming CD releases to complement my already extensive ZREO collection. Miyamoto coming out and asking the orchestra to play some of the shorter, recognizable themes was also fantastic. Skyward Sword is looking good and that's a title I'm definitely going to get, sucker for the series that I am.
Then we're on to a lot of content for the 3DS, which has generated mixed reviews so far. Everyone's excited to see Ocarina of Time rebooted for the handheld, and they also announced Mario Kart, Luigi's Mansion 2, and the ambitious Kid Icarus. There's an impressive list of titles lined up for it, but it's gonna have some major competition against the Vita, so they'll really have to prove the system with these new titles. A few of these have me curious about the system, but the hardware has not impressed me like the Vita has, and I have traditionally loved Nintendo, it being my only gaming company for a long time.
And finally, the unveiling of Project Cafe, Nintendo's major edge over its competitors as far as surprise and innovation this year, and it's the Wii U. I think the name is silly, but the name Wii is still silly so there was very little they could have done to improve upon it. I haven't figured out how I feel about the new controller they debuted. I like that there is both a tablet and buttons, and they've shown functionality that could have some really cool applications for creative game developers. Engadget's hand's on says the controller feels comfortable, so I'm still waiting patiently to see if it's going to be all that. The ability to switch your game onto the controller's screen is pretty nifty, and the interaction between the controller's screen and the TV seems like it could have some neat applications. The actual console will support much better graphics (1080p) and processing than the Wii (is that thing really five years old now?). A new Smash Bros title has been announced, along with Pikmin, so I'm likely to wind up getting one of these too.
Nintendo for me had the best conference just because I'm a Zelda nut and the orchestra was a really nice touch. There were some very promising offers for the 3DS, but I'm still not sold on that particular gimick. The Wii U is a very interesting and innovative take on the console side of things, which we've come to expect from Nintendo since the Wii. It will be up to developers in the early days of new console adoption to see if the system will appeal to the hardcore gaming crowd that mocked the Wii.
All in all, it's looking to be a safe yet exciting year for videogames. On the hardware side, the Vita and 3DS bring exciting new options to the handheld realm, and the Wii U looks to change gaming yet again with its tablet screen controller. On the software side, it's sequel after sequel and shooter after shooter. Many trilogies are finishing up, so perhaps developers will turn to different styles and more innovation next year? Probably too much to hope for.
Titles I'm looking forward to are, in no particular order: inFamous 2 (released today!), Mass Effect 3, Skyward Sword, Uncharted 3, Ico/Shadow of the Colossus. The Vita may woo me back to handheld gaming, though I should probably get a real job before I get too excited about many more games. I'm excited to see how some of these titles play out against each other and how the new hardware shows.
However, summer also means the onset of another Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3)! I've kept up with this the past few years as I've gotten more into gaming, but this is the first time that I've had a chance to actually tune into the live webcasts. (Yes I was at work, yes I still did work in the other windows, and yes my boss saw me.) So now it's time for me to act like I actually know what I'm talking about and imagine that I could be important enough to legit cover E3 someday. Here are my two cents on the video game happenings of the last two days:
Microsoft
... is in an intense love affair with the Kinect. Really, I don't think they talked about a single game that didn't use it. It opened with a dramatic gameplay demo of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, with impressive graphics and an interesting mission setup. Now, I'm not really a huge fan of FPS games, but it will be interesting to see how this offering plays out against EA's Battlefield 3 (more on that later).
Mass Effect 3. This is what I'm excited about. The neat thing that they demoed here was some voice connectivity - you can say the dialogue options instead of just selecting them, which does make the conversation more immersive, though that's just a cute little gimmick. The cool thing is that you can voice command your squad in battle. The demonstrator showed us: "Garrus, move up. Liara, move up. Liara, Singularity." Pretty cool, but not convincing enough for me to buy an Xbox/Kinect.
The motion control they showed with Ghost Recon in Gunsmith was nifty - explode the gun and by motion or voice, switch out parts. Or simply tell it to "Optimize for range" or "Randomize." The problem is, when he switched to the shooting range to test it out, he just looked plain stupid, hunched over like he was holding a gun, opening his back hand to shoot. Proof that hardcore gamers still need controllers.
The Kinect Funlabs looked cool but gimicky - neat from a technology perspective and amusing for a little bit. Mostly I see them as the offerings of an advancing industry and little more. They're also excited about TV for Xbox (no price announced yet), voice-controlled Bing searches, Beacons for interacting with your friends, cloud saves for games, and lots and lots and lots of Kinect.
Overall, I felt the conference fell flat if you're not that excited about the Kinect, no matter how hard they're trying to woo hardcore gamers. We're still waiting on the next step that will bring motion control to a new level in videogaming, from a gimmick for family games into something that vastly improves the realism of hardcore games.
EA
Oh man, Mass Effect 3. I haven't played the first one, it being Xbox and PC exclusive, one of which I don't have and the other I don't game on well. I'm partway through the second one (I'm not actually sure how far) on a friend's PS3 to take advantage of the DLC. I have found it to be a thoroughly immersive game with detailed character interactions (my favorite is flirting with everyone), interesting fighting styles (love me some biotic powers), and replay value. The opening trailer and gameplay for Mass Effect 3 had me bouncing up and down at my desk.
First off, it's gorgeous. And so exciting. The Reapers finally making it to Earth? A full-blown Galactic War? All the old crew back? This is a highly anticipated title, and EA/Bioshock seems poised to deliver. March 6, 2012. This may be one I buy right off, or at least pitch in with my friend for a copy.
EA Sports had some cool announcements. SSX looks pretty cool, with race, trick, and survival modes. The mountain ranges are modeled off NASA satellite imagery, which is geektastic, and they promise you can play on every major mountain range in the world. Madden 12 was promoted by some famous football players I didn't recognize, and seemed like a solid member of the series with no particularly exciting innovation.
Maybe it's just because I'm a soccer fan, but FIFA 12 was definitely the crowning moment of the EA Sports segment. Promising tactical defending, precision dribbling, and a much improved player interaction engine, the game promises to be much more true to the Beautiful Game. It looks like it really will make skill and positioning even more important, both for attackers and defenders, which means I might want to learn more buttons than just shoot and slide tackle. The video promoting it included such favorites of mine as Wayne Rooney and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, which made it even cooler. The other neat announcement was the online Football Club, which lets you play and connect online at no additional charge. I was intrigued by the feature where you can choose your favorite team (Man U!) and connect with fans around the world, taking on challenges to replay real-life matches and uphold or change their courses to put your team at the top of the tables. Pretty sweet.
Need for Speed: The Run looked nifty - some sexy shots of super-powered muscle cars and introducing some out-of-car chase scenes. Star Wars: The Old Republic, an MMORPG that's not likely to make me a convert to the genre, showing little more than an extended trailer, though it's a hard genre to play demo. The Sims Social, not gonna lie, was a little creepy to me. I've had fun making friends in the Sims and all, but the trailer was just... odd. I don't plan on asking guys out via fb and living out a date through a fb game. When my bf's away, we use Skype. [I feel I should note a general apathy toward the Sims and bias against fb games, so I will refrain from judging it too harshly before it actually debuts.]
Insominac shared the stage to announce Overstrike, which I know little about other than the trailer, but it looks like a fun romp. The characters look like fun, and I appreciate the use of two badass female characters who seem actually more than just a pretty face. The wry humor and potentially fun fighting style I think can make up for lack of a compelling plot. There are some times I turn to video games to beat things up and have a laugh while doing it.
Ah, Battlefield 3. Whereas Microsoft opened their conference with their wartime FPS holiday offering, EA saved theirs til last, to serve as the piece de resistance (though I'm still hooked on that Mass Effect trailer). The most exciting part, to me, is the new Frostbite 2 graphics engine. The environment is rendered in gorgeous detail and the game seems able to utilize a greater interaction with it. Cover is realistically blown to bits by gunfire and grenades. The game feels very immersive and seems easy to follow objectives. The marketing battle is already a storm, and the sales will speak for themselves this holiday season.
Overall impression: EA had the strongest conference, introducing many strong games with an ease of presentation. They had me excited about genres that I don't even play, with the exception of my lukewarm reception of the Sims fb edition. They majorly pushed Origin the whole time. The website seems to be the new source for their store/download system as well as a vehicle to push out videos and trailers, as well as a networking tool for chatting with friends while you play. At any rate, it's the place to go now for all the trailers they showed during E3, and it will be interesting to see how Origin takes off.
Ubisoft
This conference was just... awkward. I don't feel that they had a single good presenter out on the stage, and I wasn't terribly impressed by most of their offerings. The main framework for the conference was their 25-year anniversary, which was interestingly played in flashbacks to see how far our technology has come, each introduced with a strange sound-effect-and-arm-waving transition effect by the main presenter. (I did feel bad for the guy, I wanted the audience to react more for him, not that I could blame them, but they were a tough crowd.) I did miss swaths of this due to coming back from work, being on the phone, and difficulty with the streaming going in and out, but I will review what I saw.
I tuned in towards the end of the Far Cry 3 trailer, a series I know little about and am thus not able to comment extensively on, though it looked pretty. Next up was Brothers in Arms: Furious Four, which looked like a game more suited for a 13-year-old boy than any other demographic, except perhaps all boys, since most of them are 13 at heart anyway. The game is built around gratuitous, goofy, almost cartoony violence, but since you're cutting down Nazis, it's okay. Not a title for me, but the intended demographic will eat it up.
Next up is an adaptation of the Adventures of Tintin movie, which I know very little about (there's a real theme to me and this press conference...). It has a clean cartoon visual style and looks like a fun, honest platformer - a nice change from the shooter-obsession that we've seen so far this year. It looks like a fun romp with more planning put in than most movie-game adaptations. And Peter Jackson was saying something about it that I missed due to a housemate coming home, but that's pretty good news for me.
Following that was a real gameplay demo of Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, showcasing multiplayer. The game uses what they call "augmented reality" which looks like it could bring something interesting to a rather worn and repetitive genre. It made me think of Splinter Cell (another game I haven't actually played) as they scanned through walls to check for enemies lurking behind them.
Two presenters with thick French accents took the stage to talk about Trackmania, which I didn't find to be a terribly compelling presentation. It mostly looks like ModNation Racers but less cartoony. They also mentioned "Shootmania" and "Questmania" with no further details than the names, but the simplistic naming convention does give one a pretty good idea of what the game will look like. Out comes another awkward and heavily accented presenter to kick around some Raving Rabbids on the Kinect. They demoed another party game where people stand in funny positions to fill a silhouette. The game takes a picture that it can then upload to facebook, so you can finally rival all those other embarassing photos clogging the internet. It looks like a fun party game for a bit, but I don't think it has much lasting potential. Just Dance 3 looks to be basically that, which has some appeal due to the ease of its multiplayer. I do like the lack of required peripherals, as both of my family's DDR pads are on the fritz. Looks like some good fun, especially if you let go of how goofy the dance moves actually are. Also, Katy Perry still bothers me a lot.
Rocksmith looks really interesting. I've been saying from when my brothers started plotting to buy Rock Band that we should forgo the game and become a real rock band. While we did wind up buying the game and I've had tons of fun playing with them, here is a game that seeks to build an actual skill, and I must say, I'm intrigued. I've been trying to teach myself guitar (instrument #8, for the record), but it's proving difficult to me. Rocksmith takes any electric guitar as its controller and seeks to increase the difficulty as you learn more. They pointed out that it provides not only an amp, but the effects provided by pedals, which can be expensive, allowing you to play around and learn in a fun setting without too much monetary investment (aside from the obvious costs of the guitar and game, but who's counting?). Anyways, I'm interested to see how that one performs.
They closed out the conference with their most anticipated title, Assassin's Creed: Revelations. This is a series I've never played, though I have played the similar Prince of Persia titles that they also publish. It's got impressive graphics, the looks of an interesting storyline (even without knowing the previous two games), and some cool gameplay. All in all, it appears to be a title that fans of the series will rightfully anticipate.
Overall, I felt that Ubisoft had the weakest conference. I was greatly bothered by the awkward presenting, though I swear I have nothing against foreign accents. Assassin's Creed was the only announcement that really stood out to me, though I did go into the press conference not knowing any of the other titles they'd talk about, so perhaps I'm not the best person to review it.
Sony
Sony is actually vying for Nintendo's spot in my attentions, as I've bought myself a PS3 and the only Nintendo console I have access to away from home is my sister's old, beat-up first-gen DS. I did appreciate that they opened the press conference with a discussion of the hacking of PSN, which they needed to do. I have felt that Sony has handled itself well in the attack, though I wish I had heard from them earlier, rather than getting the info that my information had been stolen second- and third-hand first.
On to the actual games! Woohoo Uncharted 3! I'm happy to see it looking like the same fun romp the first two games were, with both chicks back (though the eagle eyes over at IGN have spotted a wedding band on Elena's hand! oh noes!). I still need to get around to beating the second one, but I have found them to be enjoyable romps, even though the stories aren't particularly compelling. Looks like fun!
Resistance 3, starting the trend of Sony trying to push the Move system, which is even worse for me than Kinect, as it offers nothing more than the Wii does and has always felt like it came late to the party with the same present as a cooler kid. At this point, I'm a little tired of seeing more shooter games that don't seem to offer anything new and whose predecessors I've never played (although that is my own fault). Same with God of War 3 and Sly Cooper- not much for me to say, since I don't know the series. Also, Starhawk, which looked cool even though I haven't really figured out what it is, and Bioshock: Infinite, yet another acclaimed series I've never played. Looked really good though. Dust looked cool from the online tie-in perspective, and they did snag it as a PS3 exclusive.
Ico and Shadow of the Colossus on PS3 is something that I'm really excited for. I've never played either game, but I have heard enough ravings about it to know that it's a good investment. Having the two together with updated graphics seems to me like it will be worth it, rather than picking up an old PS2 version for cheaper (especially considering that my PS3 isn't backwards compatible, so I'd need to play at home).
Sony really pushed Move and 3D, even announcing a conveniently dorm-sized 3D Playstation-branded TV, selling with a copy of Resistance 3, a pair of glasses, and a HDMI cable for the astonishing price of $499. As someone who is having to go back to wearing glasses full-time because my eyes hate contacts, 3D TVs have not really excited me. They're a gimmick that I don't feel will last - Avatar looked pretty in theatres with this technology, but I think I'd get sick trying to play a game in 3D. Technology-wise, I was fascinated by the idea of split-screen co-op instead being layered-screen co-op, where you and your friend actually see different images on the screen. Can't wait to hear how that one works in practice, and I'll definitely be looking up the science.
Kobe Bryant came out and played their NBA game, which was pretty funny. It didn't make the game look any more exciting though.
Sony's big reveal was the PSVita, the actual name of the codenamed Next Generation Portable. It features two touch-screens, on front and back, as well as the familiar buttons of the PSP. I'm not a big handheld gamer, but this system has me tempted to try it again. It will be offered at the surprising $250 for the non-3G and $299 for the 3G-enabled version. (The audience's lukewarm reception (read: laughter) of the AT&T partnership announcement was both telling and hilarious. Hey Sony, ever heard of a thing called the iPhone?...)
I was blown away by the gameplay demo for Uncharted: Golden Abyss. It looks like the console versions of the series and seems to easily integrate both touch and button controls, so the player can use what they are most comfortable with (are you hearing this, Microsoft?). They also demoed ModNation Racers, LittleBigPlanet, Street Fighter (featuring Cole from inFamous, lol), Ruin (which is pushing for carrying the game everywhere to defend your lair at any moment... :-/). Trailers for a lot more games make the PSVita a very tempting option, even to someone who doesn't often play handheld games.
Overall, Sony had a good press conference with some promising titles and very surprising price points for both the PSVita and their surprise 3D TV bundle. I'm most excited for Uncharted 3 and Ico/Shadow of the Colossus, but there are lots of other titles here for fans of their particular series. Nothing too groundbreaking was shown, outside of the new hardware of the Vita - most everything this year is a sequel to something else...
Nintendo
Right from the beginning, Nintendo stole my heart with a live orchestra playing a medley of Zelda tunes to a 25th anniversary tribute video. I'm a huge Zelda fangirl and a music geek, so this was right up my alley and I'm waiting with bated breath for more news of the symphonic concert tour and the upcoming CD releases to complement my already extensive ZREO collection. Miyamoto coming out and asking the orchestra to play some of the shorter, recognizable themes was also fantastic. Skyward Sword is looking good and that's a title I'm definitely going to get, sucker for the series that I am.
Then we're on to a lot of content for the 3DS, which has generated mixed reviews so far. Everyone's excited to see Ocarina of Time rebooted for the handheld, and they also announced Mario Kart, Luigi's Mansion 2, and the ambitious Kid Icarus. There's an impressive list of titles lined up for it, but it's gonna have some major competition against the Vita, so they'll really have to prove the system with these new titles. A few of these have me curious about the system, but the hardware has not impressed me like the Vita has, and I have traditionally loved Nintendo, it being my only gaming company for a long time.
And finally, the unveiling of Project Cafe, Nintendo's major edge over its competitors as far as surprise and innovation this year, and it's the Wii U. I think the name is silly, but the name Wii is still silly so there was very little they could have done to improve upon it. I haven't figured out how I feel about the new controller they debuted. I like that there is both a tablet and buttons, and they've shown functionality that could have some really cool applications for creative game developers. Engadget's hand's on says the controller feels comfortable, so I'm still waiting patiently to see if it's going to be all that. The ability to switch your game onto the controller's screen is pretty nifty, and the interaction between the controller's screen and the TV seems like it could have some neat applications. The actual console will support much better graphics (1080p) and processing than the Wii (is that thing really five years old now?). A new Smash Bros title has been announced, along with Pikmin, so I'm likely to wind up getting one of these too.
Nintendo for me had the best conference just because I'm a Zelda nut and the orchestra was a really nice touch. There were some very promising offers for the 3DS, but I'm still not sold on that particular gimick. The Wii U is a very interesting and innovative take on the console side of things, which we've come to expect from Nintendo since the Wii. It will be up to developers in the early days of new console adoption to see if the system will appeal to the hardcore gaming crowd that mocked the Wii.
All in all, it's looking to be a safe yet exciting year for videogames. On the hardware side, the Vita and 3DS bring exciting new options to the handheld realm, and the Wii U looks to change gaming yet again with its tablet screen controller. On the software side, it's sequel after sequel and shooter after shooter. Many trilogies are finishing up, so perhaps developers will turn to different styles and more innovation next year? Probably too much to hope for.
Titles I'm looking forward to are, in no particular order: inFamous 2 (released today!), Mass Effect 3, Skyward Sword, Uncharted 3, Ico/Shadow of the Colossus. The Vita may woo me back to handheld gaming, though I should probably get a real job before I get too excited about many more games. I'm excited to see how some of these titles play out against each other and how the new hardware shows.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Fight vs. Flight
So the time has come again for my residential college to play Humans vs. Zombies - it's like a huge game of tag that also simulates post-apocalyptic survival/hunting. :-) (see www.humansvszombies.org for more info).
I've decided not to play this time round because I have way too much going on to be constantly afraid of leaving my room and always watching over my shoulder. I also am unable to not take the game seriously. I saw my friend fend off two zombies last night, and my heart rate was up. I'm more concerned for his in-game survival than he is! Which is why it's probably healthier that I'm not playing.
The interesting thing about playing this game is that it taught me about myself. I've been musing over it a lot, and it's sparked a short story idea that I've been working on fleshing out a little. While human, I snuck around a lot, using the fact that as an engineer, all my classes take place in a small cluster of buildings to my advantage. I only had one real run-in with a zombie. Two of my friends and I were attacked outside of the dining hall near our dorms - all three of us managed to tag the zombie behind the door, but there were still two more and a fourth jumped out of the doors that we had just come out of to surprise us.
I found out in that moment that I am not the hero. I don't really know if I have it in me. I have good survival instincts - my first thought was that I wanted the brick wall to my back to cover my blind spots. But did I tell that to my friend, who we nearly lost to the zombie who leapt from the door, a deception I had anticipated in moving away from it? No. Every muscle in my body was screaming at me to run, which is what the other of my friends did. I thought enough to cover her escape up the stairs, at which point the OZ himself came after me.
Now this guy is really tall and lanky, and luckily I had the presence of mind to remember as I gained the high ground, "Oh, crap, he lunges for the ankles!" and I managed to hit him in the head as he reached up the steps in his signature battle move.
And so we return to my inability to separate real life from a game. I was in this moment entirely caught up by the premise of the game - that we were a small band of humans being beset by a band of (intelligent) zombies on our way back to safety. My heart was racing, my muscles were tensed, adrenaline was coursing through my blood. An extreme reaction, but it was exciting.
Everyone wants to believe that they would be the hero, the rallying point, the main character in the movie. I do consider myself a good leader, and did somewhat believe that that would extend to the "battlefield." But I learned that it didn't - I froze instead. I couldn't think of others (except, oddly, to cover one person's escape), but I could react well in the course of battle and was constantly aware of where each known opponent was.
Then a few days later, in a momentary lapse of concentration, I was tagged. An hour later, I switched my armband to around my neck, discarded my sword, and took up the role of predator. And took to it entirely too well. This happened late in the game, and between the lack of humans willing to leave their rooms and the number of things I had to do, I didn't get much hunting in, but I did aid in the "band practice massacre" so that no human left alive. There was the other thing I learned - in the situation where I was the predator, where I had no real risk except of starving if I didn't feed, I took to the hunt too well, even immediately turning on my friends.
Again with the reality separation issues: I felt that hunger when I watched my heavily-armed human friends leave a safe zone. My muscles coiled in an insane desire to chase them down, even knowing that I would fail alone, particularly because they were expecting a pursuit.
According to my friends, I'm the evolutionary reason why humans survived: a sense of self-preservation rather than heroism tends to keep you alive. I'll take it. And hey, since I had so much fun as the undead, maybe that's not too bad either. I think it's more fun to play as a zombie, since you have no restriction other than starving and I do enjoy the hunt. But I get more of a sense of accomplishment from surviving each day as a human - every time I got in my door for the night and breathed a sigh of relief, I smiled because I had made it another day.
It's a fun game that I recommend to everyone! I hope to play when it comes up again in the fall. Perhaps if I train in battle more before then I'll react better when it comes. And maybe I'll just be a survivalist. But either way, I'll enjoy the game. :-)
I've decided not to play this time round because I have way too much going on to be constantly afraid of leaving my room and always watching over my shoulder. I also am unable to not take the game seriously. I saw my friend fend off two zombies last night, and my heart rate was up. I'm more concerned for his in-game survival than he is! Which is why it's probably healthier that I'm not playing.
The interesting thing about playing this game is that it taught me about myself. I've been musing over it a lot, and it's sparked a short story idea that I've been working on fleshing out a little. While human, I snuck around a lot, using the fact that as an engineer, all my classes take place in a small cluster of buildings to my advantage. I only had one real run-in with a zombie. Two of my friends and I were attacked outside of the dining hall near our dorms - all three of us managed to tag the zombie behind the door, but there were still two more and a fourth jumped out of the doors that we had just come out of to surprise us.
I found out in that moment that I am not the hero. I don't really know if I have it in me. I have good survival instincts - my first thought was that I wanted the brick wall to my back to cover my blind spots. But did I tell that to my friend, who we nearly lost to the zombie who leapt from the door, a deception I had anticipated in moving away from it? No. Every muscle in my body was screaming at me to run, which is what the other of my friends did. I thought enough to cover her escape up the stairs, at which point the OZ himself came after me.
Now this guy is really tall and lanky, and luckily I had the presence of mind to remember as I gained the high ground, "Oh, crap, he lunges for the ankles!" and I managed to hit him in the head as he reached up the steps in his signature battle move.
And so we return to my inability to separate real life from a game. I was in this moment entirely caught up by the premise of the game - that we were a small band of humans being beset by a band of (intelligent) zombies on our way back to safety. My heart was racing, my muscles were tensed, adrenaline was coursing through my blood. An extreme reaction, but it was exciting.
Everyone wants to believe that they would be the hero, the rallying point, the main character in the movie. I do consider myself a good leader, and did somewhat believe that that would extend to the "battlefield." But I learned that it didn't - I froze instead. I couldn't think of others (except, oddly, to cover one person's escape), but I could react well in the course of battle and was constantly aware of where each known opponent was.
Then a few days later, in a momentary lapse of concentration, I was tagged. An hour later, I switched my armband to around my neck, discarded my sword, and took up the role of predator. And took to it entirely too well. This happened late in the game, and between the lack of humans willing to leave their rooms and the number of things I had to do, I didn't get much hunting in, but I did aid in the "band practice massacre" so that no human left alive. There was the other thing I learned - in the situation where I was the predator, where I had no real risk except of starving if I didn't feed, I took to the hunt too well, even immediately turning on my friends.
Again with the reality separation issues: I felt that hunger when I watched my heavily-armed human friends leave a safe zone. My muscles coiled in an insane desire to chase them down, even knowing that I would fail alone, particularly because they were expecting a pursuit.
According to my friends, I'm the evolutionary reason why humans survived: a sense of self-preservation rather than heroism tends to keep you alive. I'll take it. And hey, since I had so much fun as the undead, maybe that's not too bad either. I think it's more fun to play as a zombie, since you have no restriction other than starving and I do enjoy the hunt. But I get more of a sense of accomplishment from surviving each day as a human - every time I got in my door for the night and breathed a sigh of relief, I smiled because I had made it another day.
It's a fun game that I recommend to everyone! I hope to play when it comes up again in the fall. Perhaps if I train in battle more before then I'll react better when it comes. And maybe I'll just be a survivalist. But either way, I'll enjoy the game. :-)
Sunday, March 13, 2011
A little break
Well, I failed on that thirty-day-challenge there. And also at posting at all. We're halfway into the semester now, and six classes, concert band, basketball band, and Into the Woods have kept me very busy.
I just returned from spring break, which I spent with my boyfriend. I got to ride horses, learn to crochet, watch movies, cook a little, and generally relax. It was nice, but it's back to the daily grind. Lots of work to be done...
There are so many things that I want to accomplish, but I never feel like I have the time. Whenever class is in session, I have tons of work. Whenever I have a break, I'm so burnt out I just flop on the couch and don't get much done. (This past break was actually a combination of both... >> ) I'm not sure how to find the right balance between the two.
But for now, it's back to programming.
I just returned from spring break, which I spent with my boyfriend. I got to ride horses, learn to crochet, watch movies, cook a little, and generally relax. It was nice, but it's back to the daily grind. Lots of work to be done...
There are so many things that I want to accomplish, but I never feel like I have the time. Whenever class is in session, I have tons of work. Whenever I have a break, I'm so burnt out I just flop on the couch and don't get much done. (This past break was actually a combination of both... >> ) I'm not sure how to find the right balance between the two.
But for now, it's back to programming.
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