After a few setbacks forcing us to push the launch back 3 weeks, we’re finally approaching the finish line. The final PDF is being sent to the printers in exactly 18 days and Issue #1 of Forerunner will be released on Monday 29th February.
It will be available to buy online at readforerunner.com (new site & store incoming) & in the following cities;
(Stockists to be announced on the 29th)
London
Bristol
Nottingham
Brighton
Manchester
Berlin
Please contact [email protected] if you would like us stock in a city near you!
Self distribution, new website & a busy Christmas.
It’s that time of the year again already. I think this is the first christmas for all of us where we aren't able to just switch off, watch Home Alone & polish off a family biscuit selection or two. Its the day before christmas eve, we’re steaming ahead and we don't plan on stopping.
Recently we’ve been working out what shops we wanted to stock issue #1. The plan is to pack up our trusty Ford KA and self distribute the first issue up and down the country ourselves. We’ll be driving to London, Bristol, Nottingham, Brighton, Manchester, Glasgow & Edinburgh. We want to add to that list, so if there is any other cities you would like to see our first issue in (UK or Europe) get in touch! (universe(at)readforerunner(dot)com). Alternatively, if you live in the middle of nowhere or ordering online is more your thing you’ll be able to buy a copy on day 1 from our store on magpile, so keep your eyes peeled!
On the subject of online, our new site has finally been finished! Alex is in the process of polishing off a few little bits but it should be live at the beginning of January, alongside the first episode of our Issue #1 trip! We’ve got some really exciting online articles planned once Issue #1 has been released into the world, next year we really want to spend more time creating online specific content more consistently between magazine releases.
Apart from all that we’re still slogging away.
Hopefully you’ll be seeing a lot more of us in 2016 but for now...
This time last year we launched the first version of our site. A year later and Issue #1 production has begun! After coming back from America we all took a week off to get over jetlag (Ben slept a full 30 hours uninterrupted) and relish the last free week we will see for a very long time. Even though we’re now facing the inevitable crunch of getting the magazine out for February, there’s a real sense of excitement now that we’re finally at the stage where all we need to do is start to build these stories.
So, what happens now. Well, we spent last week flat planning the entirety of the magazine to start to get to grips with the visual flow & work out exactly what content is needed outside of our main features. Max & Ben are in full writing mode, our illustrator Jacob (@jerkcurb) is currently drawing everything he picked up on in America, Alex is starting the preliminary designs and I’m currently sifting through 20GB of photography and video content, needless to say the cogs are turning. We’re super excited to get the magazine out there for February 1st and we really hope people are going to like what we have to show! Anyway, back to work…
Sixteen days ago we left London to begin our trip up the west coast of North America; tomorrow afternoon we fly home. After a long day walking around Granville Island, catching up with John Warner from Over The Moon Games and trying what was supposedly “The Best Burger In Vancouver,” we’ve finally made it back to our AirBnB. The past two weeks have been the best and most challenging we’ve faced as a team. Getting around a foreign country on a shoestring budget is hard enough at the best of times, but throw in a tight time schedule and you’ve got yourself a challenge. With the exception of blowing our Uber budget in 3 days, Jacob (@jerkcurb) being interrogated by the Canadian boarder police and Ben nearly burning down our accommodation in Vancouver, the trip could not have gone any better. We’ve met some of the most amazing people along the way and their stories are going to make the first issue of Forerunner a very special one.
We’ll be posting here more regularly over the next few months in the run up to the magazine’s launch on the 1st February, so keep on checking back!
Forerunner will be travelling from Los Angeles up to Vancouver for the first issue of our magazine come 24th October. We will be meeting an exciting list of people, including John and Brenda Romero, Nolan Bushnell of Atari fame, the guys behind Shape of the World, and Samuel Claiborne, IGN's Managing Editor—plus more! Everything will be documented in words and video, and we’re also taking an illustrator, our friend Jacob Read, to draw-up the whole experience. The magazine is set for release in February 2016.
You can follow the journey by following us on Twitter, Instagram and Beme—the last one is interesting. Beme allows you guys to get involved. Download the app and search “forerunner” to follow us, react to our videos (click the top right hand corner of your mobile devices to take a selfie) and we’ll be putting the best ones in the magazine!
So Charlie decided to try his hand at writing on the blog recently, so I thought I’d do a short follow up, providing slight context to our seemingly lax attitude to work.
I’ve personally found it extremely hard recently. Our content, up until now, has been a combination of hard work on Charlie’s part (sourcing and organising), and pure luck. We’ve met some incredible people. Some have appreciated the niche we’re trying to provide, or at least shown a courtesy curiosity, while others simply enjoy our enthusiasm; we’re very enthusiastic. We plan, book and then go, and usually our articles materialise, although rarely on time; they turn up at some point anyway. As of recently, however, I think we’ve overstretched our ambitions. My Bangkok article, which should’ve been released sometime in July, is still yet to be completed. I would love to use working part time as my entire excuse, but it has also been down to a lack of planning; we had an idea, a rough schedule, and then just went. While I’m adamant It will be completed now that I’ve figured out the problems, and now that we’re in the office 9-5 each working day, it was thought up entirely on a whim—a genuine interest in the cafe cultures of Bangkok, but without thorough research and proper contacts.
I think, therefore, it should also be mentioned how much we’ve learnt from our (mainly my) mistakes. Our upcoming magazine is being thoroughly planned and researched and I can’t wait to get things properly underway. Be that as it may, we’re still just a team of 5, and I can only imagine things won’t go entirely to plan; but that’s what we want. Any hiccups, any mishaps and mistakes will be incorporated. We don’t like fourth walls; we just want you along for the ride.
— Ben, rambling.
After a year of working on Forerunner in our spare time, fuelled by blind passion and 29p soup, we’re finally taking the leap of faith and going “Full Time”. Even with our shiny new “Full Time” status we are still eating 29p soup and judging by our new found career choice we will be for some time. However we are incredibly excited to finally kick start the production for Issue 1 of Forerunner.
Up until now this blog space has housed our video game ramblings that don't really have anywhere else to go. The blog will still be the go to space on the internet for Ben to tell everyone how much he likes Bioshock but from now on you can also expect posts like this. Now that we’re finally in a position to get our first Issue produced, we want to share that journey with you, by you I mean absolutely no one as of now but hopefully that will change.
Anyway, if your thinking of starting your own publication or just want to read about what we’re doing keep checking back!
We listen to a lot of music in the office. It’s usually electronic stuff; Aphex Twin, Bonobo, Tycho and anything Thom Yorke. I personally owe a lot of my musical tastes to the sounds found in video games, from the opening theme of Streets of Rage, to the entire soundtrack of Timesplitters 2. Video game music, however, did not exist in a vacuum. Artists were experimenting with electronic noises and composing computerised chords prior to and alongside the coming of our favourite digital medium — sorry, Koji Kondo. We thought, in that case, it would be cool to do a little playlists of artists we think may have had some kind of influence on the tonal stratosphere of early-day video game composers. It’s only little, probably ill informed and most likely misses out a lot. Nonetheless, here it is:
Super Metroid is still an incredibly badass game, by all accounts. Last summer I took it upon myself to visit the classic, 20 years after it released on the Super Nintendo in 1994, and I was floored with how excellently it had aged. Before I dive into the sinewy musculature that makes Super Metroid so good, I want to document other classic games and my experiences with them. I have tried to play through many other classics that evaded me in my childhood, and few of them have I actually completed. Why this is, I do not know — but they didn’t grip me in the same way they did gamers back when they released. I am ashamed of this list, but honest is the best coping mechanism — here we go.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to The Past (1991)
I am using this game as my first experience intentionally — there is no reason why I should not have adored this game. Many claim this is the pinnacle of the Zelda experience, refined to perfection — everything a great game should strive to be. I attempted to play through A Link to the Past back in 2012 when I swore to myself I would complete every single Zelda game in the series (spoiler: that didn’t happen). I should note also that I have beaten every “core” Zelda game multiple times since Ocarina of Time, with the exception of Skyward Sword, which I have only completed once. Shortly before attempting A Link to the Past, I actually played through Link’s Awakening for the first time on my 3DS and adored the experience; having played Oracle of Ages and Seasons multiple times. The similarities between the three games allowed me to know exactly how the Link’s Awakening ticked.
I purchased a Super Nintendo cartridge of A Link to the Past, fully intending on experiencing the game as it was meant to all those years ago — this may attribute partially to the issues I was facing. For one, after I was an hour or two in, the sprites simply disappeared. I couldn’t see Link’s bizarre purple hair, or any enemies, or any NPCs, or anything — the world was absolutely empty. But even before technical complications set upon me, I was hopelessly lost, and my anti-guide mentality refused to allow me to look anything up. So, I left it. It now sits in a box at my apartment next to my SNES and a slew of shitty licensed games that I grew up playing, including but not limited to, SWAT Kats, Batman: Forever, and Scooby-Doo: Where Are You? (Tip: He should be in a trash can next to those other games) A Link to the Past WILL be completed before I kick the metaphorical bucket — I promise that more than any other title on this list.
Super Mario World (1990)
My attempt at completing Super Mario World is pathetic at best, and I wouldn’t even consider it an attempt. As Club Nintendo slowly and sadly withers before us, I had accumulated an unacceptable amount of coins and finally decided to cash some in (because I could never get that fucking gold nunchuck to match my gold Skyward Sword Wii Remote), and Super Mario World was my first pick. I received a code to enter on my Wii U that would allow for a free download, and once I saw the iconic title screen I found myself quivering with anticipation. In this situation, that was the problem.
I played for maybe twenty minutes combined, and I fully understand that is not long enough to judge a damn thing about any game, but I felt no desire to play anymore. I had more expectations for Super Mario World than I even did for A Link to the Past, and because of that there is absolutely no way I couldn’t have been underwhelmed. I had too much hope for this game to literally change my life, and it did not. The visuals were great, the music I recognized from my extensive time spent with Super Smash Bros., but that was really all I was taking away from it. The gameplay was nothing I haven’t played many times over, and honestly if I wanted to play a great Super Mario game, I already know I love Super Mario Bros. 3. I do not, in any way, feel as though Super Mario World is a bad game, and I plan on completing it at some point in my life, but right now is not that time.
Metroid 2 (1991)
Holy shit Metroid 2. Metroid 2 was the first 2D Metroid game I had ever played, having dabbled in Metroid Prime 1 and 3, and enjoyed that formula. Metroid 2, I did not enjoy. If anyone reading this has never played Metroid 2, it is a bizarre experience. It was especially queer for someone who was curious about the series but knew nothing of its 2D roots. The game lacks any colors on the Virtual Console, which is no fault to the title — it released for the original Gameboy after all. That said, it is simply not great to look at. My interest in the game lasted for maybe an hour for reasons beyond the visuals, which can be attributed to my general lack of patience as a gamer.
The game is hard, gives you no direction, and expects you to craft your own tale (ironically Super Metroid does the same thing, but I loved it). At my time trying to play this game, all these factors combined dissuaded me from appreciating the title. I remember wandering around and not knowing where in the hell I was, where I was supposed to go, or what I was even really supposed to do. I died multiple times, and that did it for me. Having never played the original Metroid, to which this game is a direct sequel, probably worked against me, I’ll admit, but at the time this is the only Metroid I had access to, and I intended on making the most of the situation. Unfortunately, that didn’t amount to very much at all. Again, this is another game I would love to come back to in the future, perhaps if I ever beat (or play) the original Metroid.
Final Fantasy (1987) & Final Fantasy II (1988)
I recently wrote a lengthy column discussing my experience with this particular franchise, noting many of the later releases I played, but I did not discuss my time with the original Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II. That’s because, like every other game I have spoken of thus far, there really wasn’t much time spent at all. I tried playing the games on the original Playstation when a dual collection called Final Fantasy Origins released, and I did not have a good time with that particular purchase. To begin with, the original Final Fantasy formula is the most purely distilled form of turn based combat I can think of, and at this point I had played more complex titles like Golden Sun and found the simple (and damningly difficult) gameplay to be lacking whatever I was seeking at the time.
I’m not sure which title this particular fight happens in, I think it’s the original Final Fantasy, but you fight a black knight (I believe referred to as The Black Knight) and he waxed my entire party time and time again. To a 10 year old, this sort of defeat is not overcome, it is merely set aside, just like my copy of Final Fantasy Origins was. Will I ever return to these titles? Probably not. I have been very curious about Final Fantasy IV, V, and VI, as many refer to those as the quintessential 16-bit RPG’s, before Final Fantasy to the 3D plunge. That said, I could see myself trying one of, if not all, of those three games, but not the originals — the Black Knight can kiss my ass.
Super Mario RPG (1996)
This is a strange game. That has always been my thought concerning this title, including my brief time playing it. Imagine showing a young boy (me), who has played countless hours of the original Super Mario Bros. 1, 2, 3, and even the impossibly difficult Lost Levels, this fucking RPG; complete with a detailed story, turn-based combat, and even the ability to get Bowser in your party. I would have slapped the taste out of your mouth if I wasn’t so skinny. Luckily, I wasn’t so sassy as a young child, so I didn’t strike my friend when he allowed me to borrow his copy of Super Mario RPG. I think Nintendo even knew how strange this must have seemed to its contemporary audience, to the point of adding the genre of the game to the title of the game — there is no confusion as to what this thing is.
Regardless, I had to see it to believe it. It’s important to point out that I did manage to play this years before Paper Mario and the Mario & Luigi series existed, making a Mario themed RPG completely novel at the time. You got a marshmallow creature in your party — named Mallow. That bit still baffles, but I won’t let it keep me up at night any longer. I played the game for a few hours, but (surprise) I couldn’t get into it, and I remember it being pretty difficult; I was also only seven or eight when trying to dig into it. This is a game that I would love to go back to one day — an anomaly of (at the time) an unprecedented scale, but fondly remembered for actually being a pretty kick ass game. How often does such a dramatic sidestep like that also end up being good? I’ll ask Sonic and get back to you (actually, I bet a Sonic RPG would be unbelievably better than anything Sonic Team has created in the last 10 to 15 years — Yeah, I said it.).
Super Metroid (1994)
Super Metroid is the only game on this list that stuck to me; and it did so with such power that I still think about replaying it all the time. My time spent with Super Metroid came last summer, and it is every bit as good today as it would have been upon its initial release. Perhaps the “wow” factor of the graphics and gameplay were slightly diminished playing it in 2014, but I found it to be mystifying. The ambiance of planet Zebes is creepy, eerie, and unsettling at all times; the deeper you delve into its labyrinthine chasms and corridors, the more horrors you find. And when I use the word labyrinthine, I do not exaggerate. Zebes is enormous, cryptic, and so wonderfully atmospheric that it begs you to press forward.
The world design would be outstanding on its own, but paired with equally perfect gameplay completes the package. The general gameplay loop is as follows: You find a new area, and explore it to the fullest of your ability, using whatever gear you currently have. Eventually you find a new upgrade for Samus’s iconic suit, allowing you to freeze enemies, jump higher, acquire more powerful missiles, etcetera. You then backtrack areas you have already “cleared” to find areas that were previously restricted and surpass them — it’s addicting. It has all the upgrading of an RPG but with crisp platforming and satisfying action-gameplay. And the story is handled much in the way that Dark Souls has been applauded for in recent years, without any explicit text indicating what is what, and so on. You piece the narrative together on your own accord, which allows for the gameplay to shine, uninterrupted.
The game is also unforgiving, like many games of the era, not giving the player the direction we have become so unacceptably accustomed to. On more than one occasion I found myself completely turned upside down and lost, deep in the bowels of Zebes; but I was enjoying myself so thoroughly that I never once got so frustrated that I had to quit, or even look up a guide (thank god). Through careful backtracking and paying close attention, I managed to squeeze through the areas I needed to, toppling bosses as they came and eventually conquering Mother Brain. There was a moment of revelation Super Metroid left in its wake, and it was something that none of the above listed titles managed.
Playing older games is not for everyone. The conventions of today are infinitely different than those of yesteryear, and many gamers have been trained to appreciate graphics and ease within games, and I admit I am one of those gamers — or I was. Playing games like Super Metroid have opened my palette wider than it would have been five years ago, and my enjoyment of Super Metroid was unexpected. My experience going back to old classics has been less than fruitful, and has usually resulted in disappointment, but Super Metroid lived up to all the glory that comes when discussing the game. I would say it is easily my favorite Super Nintendo game, and one of the best games I have ever played. So, if you’re reading this and wondering what in the hell the big deal is about Super Metroid, even after I have gushed about it all this time, do yourself a favor and pick it up on the Virtual Console. You’ll thank me later.
I’ve Never Completed a Numbered Final Fantasy, But I’m Stoked for Final Fantasy XV
Let me tell you why.
To clarify — I beat Final Fantasy Tactics Advance for the GBA when it released in 2002. I found the characters to be incredibly memorable, the world intriguing and mysterious, and the strategic gameplay to be incredibly engaging, challenging, and rewarding. I would have been ten when the game released, but I somehow managed to wrangle the 'tactical' formula and overcome it. When Final Fantasy was still booming and triumphant, this was not the case. Final Fantasy VII is often regarded as the peak of the series, it was released in 1997, when I was five. This five year old could barely read, let alone grind his way through a 70-hour long RPG. At the time I was content playing Super Mario Bros. on my SNES, and wandering aimlessly through Turok’s fog-infested jungles (the fog wasn’t there for ambience, mind you). Turn-based combat left me scratching my stupid head until I fell in love with Pokemon, at which point I figured it out. Pokemon was seemingly simpler than Final Fantasy, for me, anyway. I already knew all the Pokemon thanks to my obsession; their weaknesses, strengths, and so on. I also had, and to this day still have, a problem with random encounters. I recall trying to play Final Fantasy VII, and not knowing when battles were going to happen infuriated me. In 2012 I played through Chrono Trigger for the first time and absolutely adored it because of the way it handled enemy encounters - you actually SAW the enemies before you engaged them in battle - it was genius.
Along with my lack of know-how and age working against me, I simply never owned any of the Final Fantasy games. My PSone was rife with platformers: Spyro the Dragon, Crash Bandicoot, Gex, Croc, among others. The more 'hardcore' games evaded me, and I was never interested. To make matters worse, once Final Fantasy made the jump to Playstation 2, I did not. I have never owned a Playstation 2, in my youth I owned both a Gamecube and an Xbox - that meant no Final Fantasy X, X-2, or XII. In fact, I recall asking for a Playstation 2 around the time Final Fantasy XII released strictly to play that game because it looked incredible, and my gaming tastes were maturing. Unfortunately, I never received that particular gift, so I attempted to play the Final Fantasy game that was on a platform local to me, and that was Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles on the Gamecube.
Crystal Chronicles is an oddball of a game, and I don’t think there has quite been anything like it since. The turn based battle system was nowhere to be found, replaced instead with an action-based hack-n-slash system. Magic was still in use and you could select one of four classes to begin with, allowing for many customizable ways to play the game. Perhaps the biggest change to the formula, however, was that it was multiplayer. And god forbid Nintendo to allow it to be standard multiplayer; or taking use of the remarkably handy controller ports on the front of the Gamecube. Instead, each player had to have a Gameboy Advance, and an accompanying Gameboy Advance adapter to play. You could then play with your friends on this absurd journey that has you collecting 'myrrh' from trees in a chalice (that someone always has to be carrying, and while the player holds the chalice they cannot attack unless they set it down.) Needless to say, the game was strange, and not the typical Final Fantasy experience. It wasn’t until Final Fantasy XIII that I got my feet wet, and boy was that water chilly.
What is there to say about Final Fantasy XIII that hasn’t already been said? It has a completely convoluted storyline, a mix of mildly likable to absolutely detestable characters, a battle system that people cite to be the best part about the game, and striking visuals. It is also very, very long. Game length is currently a topic of much discussion with the recent release and critical panning of The Order: 1886, with many people pointing toward the game’s short campaign and questionable value. Final Fantasy games, by their nature, are lengthy experiences. RPG’s strengths come from leveling characters, learning their unique personalities, and often crossing a long, epic narrative; activities that all take time to do. But where Final Fantasy XIII fell flat for me was the amount of content you had to dig through before it 'got good' (or so people have claimed). The experience is shockingly linear for many, many hours. I use the term shockingly because I know in the past there was more exploration to be had in the Final Fantasy games than XIII offered. Despite all the polarization surrounding its launch and reception, my curiosity was piqued. XIII was the first core Final Fantasy to be a multi-platform release and owning an Xbox 360 allowed this to also be the first one I would play.
I perhaps played eight hours before I tapped out - I just couldn’t get into it. The characters didn’t do anything in particular for me, the story was a bit of a mess (as I had expected it to be) and I didn’t like the battle system. But what I did like were the same things I had always liked about the Final Fantasy series, studying it from afar; the world was gorgeously realized, fascinating and I wanted to see more of it, plus the monster and character designs appealed to me. Whether it was high fantasy, steam-punk, or a mix between the two, the series constantly nails its aesthetic, which is more than many games can say (insert obligatory Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children love here). But the off-putting gameplay and lackluster narrative proved damning enough to stop me in my tracks at the first reasonably challenging boss encounter. It has been years since I tried to play through Final Fantasy XIII… Where do I stand with the series now?
Ever since I witnessed the reveal trailer for Final Fantasy XV, I was hooked by its visual design alone — the game is striking to look at. The trailer showcased an insanely gorgeous scene involving the protagonist escaping from a castle-like building while all hell breaks loose. The trailer also showed off some gameplay, and it looked VERY different from anything I had seen before - it looked cinematic. And the recent demo release, Final Fantasy XV: Episode Duscae, verified my excitement. I have not played this demo, admittedly, but I have seen plenty of gameplay footage; enough for me to reinvest my hopes and dreams into a franchise I have no nostalgia for. The new combat system looks like it has taken a page from the Kingdom Hearts series while also resembling the more recent Dragon Age: Inquisition which is another game I wasn’t especially fond of, but respected it for what it was. Attack buttons are mapped out and allow for a more action-oriented experience. The characters look like pretty typical Japanese tropes, all having magnificent hair, but seemingly likable enough, too. The design of the enemies, as well as the world, all seem beautiful, and, best of all, there is a car… that you can drive around… and then kill monsters… with your in-game friends… as if you’re on some sort of badass, monster slaying road trip with your bros. As ridiculous an idea as that may seem, it is also wonderfully novel and I applaud Square Enix for trying something fresh with their most beloved franchise.
Final Fantasy XV is generating excitement in a series that has arguably been facing franchise fatigue for a long time now. All the sequels to XIII were met without much appreciation, and this new formula may be the kick in the ass the series needs to restore it to its glory days. The redesigned combat system is more appealing to mainstream western gamers, who have long since moved away from turn-based combat. The visuals are also taking full advantage of the 'new-gen' hardware of the PS4 and Xbox One, allowing for the best looking Final Fantasy yet, and one of the better looking games to be coming out, period. All of these factors are building hype for an ancient franchise that players feared had been on the wane, and I think this entry could be the one to sink its hooks into me deep enough to complete it — here’s to hoping.
I have a short attention span - always have. My typical experience of playing games when I was younger was objective orientated. Sure, I would relish a game’s mechanics and design, but most of the time I would go from A-to-B, follow the guiding arrow and do as I was told. Completing a game was all I’d think about. I couldn’t say I had really played a game unless it was ticked off the ‘I beat your ass’ list. Taking the easy, streamlined route was always best for me.
I was predominantly brought up on platformers and arcade games, where time is of the essence - be it a design choice or because of the little shits waiting in line behind me. Crash Bandicoot, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Arcade Game and the aptly named, Time Crisis were stand outs. Story, lore and world building were always second to timing jumps, shooting stuff and, of course, moving forward.
Unsurprisingly, I didn’t like Bioshock when I first played it. It was oddly paced, relatively clunky and I had no time for its Randian philosophies - not that I knew anything about Objectivism beforehand. I was 16 and (to put it mildly) slow-witted. There was a chaffing dissonance between Bioshock’s curious, non-linear setting and its narrative drive. I was being encouraged to play how I had always played video games, and to the forever memorable sound of “would you kindly”. “Would you kindly” complete the task at hand. “Would you kindly” follow the guiding arrow. “Would you kindly” keep moving forward. There I was, in one of the most fascinating environments in video games, rushing through like I had a train to catch. I was the butt end of an experiment, doing exactly what was intended of me.
Bioshock’s plot-twist was truly a revelation - It made me consider the medium in a way I hadn’t before. Objectives in games are there to drive stories and give players purpose; they offer structure. If every character in a video game had an existential crisis or, to be more specific, if Mario stopped and questioned why he was saving a princess who clearly can’t be seen in social circles with a plumber, we wouldn’t have many games to play. Objectives, on the other hand, can also be distracting. Video games have come a long way since our introduction to the two dimensional Mushroom Kingdom. We can now move freely, ignore beaten paths and completely escape in digitally realised worlds. Some games are more linear than others, but the player does have control.
I decided to play Bioshock for a second time in the end, paying attention to its story, ignoring the guiding arrow, and soaking in everything the counterfactual, Art Deco inspired world of Rapture had to offer. The destination was always going to be the same, but fuck me, the journey was awesome.
Call me biased, but I enjoyed my time soaking in the Neo-Victorian atmosphere of The Order: 1886
To clarify, I'm not saying The Order: 1886 is a spectacular game by any means, it certainly has its fair share of problems; the poor prologue and abrupt, unsatisfactory ending stand out as being particularly egregious. But it also isn't a bad game and in my opinion, not deserving of some of the derogatory appraisal that it has been getting. The Order has been maligned for its use of quick time events, derivative gameplay, lack of player agency and most frequently it's modest six to eight hour campaign length. Certainly, the complaints against The Order come in no short supply, but before you cross this game off your wish list entirely, allow me to add my two cents on why it's a game that might be more noteworthy than some critics would have you believe.
If you're anything like me you have been waiting since November 2013 for a game to truly impress you from a visual standpoint. Nothing has screamed 'next gen' until now. The Order: 1886 is unquestionably a step above anything else we have seen from the Xbox One or Playstation 4 thus far. While it might seem superficial to make a case for The Order's presentation, it's frankly exciting to see a game that excels in its graphical prowess. Ultimately though it's the by product of the graphics that have me quivering at the heels, it's the immersion.
Video games are a great tool for cultural archaeology, and in many ways The Order: 1886's London is a digital facsimile of our own Victorian counterpart. Developer Ready at Dawn go a step further by adding their own slant on our historical timeline and have done an astounding job at delivering a meticulous interpretation of 19th century London. It's an anachronistic spin on late nineteenth-century science and technology, but everything retains enough congruity with developing ideas and designs to keep a degree of authenticity and believability. This is bolstered by the games judicious use of investigable objects, which at first may seem trite, but many of them flesh out your surroundings, giving a sense of place and context. Newspapers, for instance, hint at ongoing political struggle or events taking place in the New World. Say what you will about the overarching narrative itself, but the main cast of characters and background lore provided me with a world that I was captivated by and wanted to learn more about - that's a good thing.
There's no doubt that The Order: 1886 wears it's technical accomplishments on its knight-endowed sleeves, but a game also needs to have gameplay, and this is where naysayers will argue The Order stumbles. Much has been said of the quick time events, but in reality, most of your time is spent surveying London's locales and shooting. They definitely spring up from time to time but they rarely outstay their welcome. In fact, I would argue a significant portion of them serve as contextual actions within the gameplay itself, not cutscenes interlaced with button prompts. Gunfights can also come across as contrived, while some of the game’s action sections even turn into a shooting gallery not dissimilar to Duck Hunt. Nonetheless, the shooting mechanics are solid and dare I say it, fun. Throw in some novel weaponry from Nikola Tesla and you've got enough rounds of stop and pop gunplay to satisfy an itchy trigger finger.
One area in particular that has been contested, even before the official launch, is the game’s value for money. However, in my mind it's arbitrary to condemn a game for having no multiplayer or, as some critics have said, 'lack of replay-ability’. It does a disservice to a medium which is desperately trying to grow by reviewing games in such a way, as it begins to label video games purely as monetary products rather than creative endeavours. Now bear with me here as I might be venturing onto controversial ground, but the fact is you might want to play the game again simply because you enjoyed the experience itself. You don't buy a book or a film because you want to glance at its extra features or because it's been retrofitted with bonus visual effects, so why is it the case that games have to be filled with superfluous content - I doubt you would have seen Charles Dickens stressing over the appendix of Great Expectations.
As far as the length of the game goes, six to eight hours might seem on the short side, but last time I checked that's a pretty standard figure for your average third person shooter. Focusing entirely on the negatives is to disregard what The Order does well in my opinion. In a world where we have been getting uncomfortably accustomed to bug-riddled releases, it's refreshing to play a game which has very little to no bugs whatsoever, and that's not to mention the lack of any loading screens. It's a seamless experience through and through.
While I could easily continue rambling on through a list of pros and cons for the game, to do so would be missing the point. It's clear that a lot of the criticism for the game comes as a result of misplaced expectations; people expecting a game that would usurp something like The Last of Us are almost certainly setting themselves up for disappointment. The Order is what it is; a linear, yet cinematic third person shooter, and a damn pretty one at that.
However you feel about the game’s balance of cutscenes and gameplay or otherwise, Ready at Dawn clearly had a vision and made the game they wanted to make. Whether you like it or not, that is something to be respected. There is space for all types of games in the gaming industry, which may seem strange to say about such a big budget release, but it holds true here. Ready at Dawn could have easily made another portable God of War game if they weren't feeling as ambitious - but they didn’t. Instead they opted to create a new intellectual property. The game certainly plays it safe in many ways, yet it truly excels in others. In any case, The Order: 1886 has had a slippery start out of the gates, but if the early sales are anything to go by it could still have a promising future, especially where the inevitable sequel is concerned. When the time comes for “The Order: 1887” hopefully Ready at Dawn will fully embrace the potential of this impending franchise.
- Max
Christmas Day, 2000. I see a big box under the tree. I go towards it and quickly scrape off the wrapping paper. The big box is black and on the bottom left corner the word PlayStation is on it. I’m excited, more excited than I think I’ve ever been at the time. I’ve heard of this thing and seen it at Walmart when wandering the toy section. When opened up the grey PlayStation box played things that were called video games. As soon as I learned what these were, I knew it was the type of entertainment for me. And the original PlayStation was going to be the start of that.
The first game I really remember playing was Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2. Sure, I played a little bit of Pokemon here and there and a lot of Goldeneye at a friend’s place, but this game was mine. Something that I could really get invested in. Pro Skater 2 was extremely influential on me as it got me interested in skateboarding and skateboarding culture. Looking back at it now, this game may have been one of the most important games in my life. I also made a lot of time for Spyro the Dragon and the Crash Bandicoot series, which were both huge games during my childhood.
Within the mid-2000s I got my PlayStation 2. More Tony Hawk games, Jak and Daxter, Ratchet and Clank and everything in between. Throw in lots of demo disks from those 20 dollar PlayStation magazines and that was the PlayStation 2 for me. The Xbox 360 was the console where I started to game more socially. Instead of sitting by myself playing something, I would play Call of Duty 4 and Left 4 Dead with friends from school. The cooperative and competitive experience of playing with others was something that I had never experienced before. To put it simply, I was kind of hooked. I haven’t unsubscribed from Xbox Live for over six years and still continue to play with some of the same people I played Left 4 Dead with.
Skyrim was an important game for me in my life. A renovation gone wrong, plus moving into a tiny condo with your family, plus your grandmother dying as well as getting ready to graduate high school and figuring out what you want to do with the rest of your life equals a terrible, stressful situation. With Skyrim I’d shut my bedroom door, turn off the lights, turn on the xbox, put on my head phones and immerse myself. For hours I’d run around Tamriel and seemingly do nothing but just hang out in this world and simply forget about what was going on in my life.
Around this time I also took even more interest in gaming websites than I had previously. IGN, GameSpot, Kotaku, Game Informer and more. I looked at these sites and realized that this was what I wanted to do. I’ve always loved talking about games and learning more about the process and the people behind them. Sometimes I even like it more than playing them. For me, E3 is one of my favourite days of the year just because it’s a whole day of talking and learning about games. To do this all the time and make a living off of it is a dream of mine.
Now, I’m at the point of my life where instead of reading these stories I want to be the one to tell them. I’m currently going to school in Toronto for Journalism and I hope that my education will help me tell the stories of others more effectively. My mission is to bring you the stories of the people in and around games.
As a child, I played games with friends in the same room. We would huddle around the Playstation or Nintendo 64 and television, our eyes fixated on the screen; but it was different from watching a film or program — we were playing together.
No matter the game in question, nor the amount of players it allowed to engage with it simultaneously, gaming was a social activity that I would partake in with my closest friends. We would switch out and take turns when playing Spyro and Crash Bandicoot, or if Mario Kart was on the agenda for the day we could all grab a controller to decide who was the best. Or, if it was a lengthier experience such as Ocarina of Time, where lives weren’t existent, we would just sit back and watch whoever our most experienced dungeon explorer happened to be. I always assumed playing games would be a social event that I could share, but as the medium and technology have progressed, so has the landscape shifted.
My first experience with Xbox Live involved a dial-up internet connection, Halo 2, and revelation. I was spending the night at my friend Tyler’s house, one I actively gamed with, when he described what exactly he was doing as he set up Halo 2. I had many ground-breaking game experiences with Tyler; my first matches of Starcraft, the first time I saw the original Halo, and even my first taste of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. I was about to bear witness to something so critical to the future of gaming and yet I had no idea. As he set up the cacophony of wires, he informed me we would be playing against other people online, not simply bots. It still didn’t click; I was 11 with limited exposure to the internet, and had no understanding of the infinite possibilities it provided. When we finished our first match I was slightly confused, overwhelmed, and amazed.
The immediate success of Xbox Live spelled the greatest shift in how we play games with one another to date. I am aware that PC gamers had been playing online together for ages at this point, but it wasn’t as relevant as console gaming, and Xbox Live brought online multiplayer to the mainstream. Suddenly there was the potential to play games with people from all over the earth, instead of having to gather up a group of friends for a LAN party. Matchmaking and lobbies became commonplace language to gamers as better experiences were crafted, and often a new title would release that would reassess how everything was done. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare was the next ground-breaking online experience, and one that has had as much impact on the medium as Halo, if not more.
Multiplayer games have branched out to mobile phones as well. Non-gamers, or very casual gamers at most, are likely engaging in online multiplayer, with titles such as Trivia Crack, Words With Friends, Quiz-Up, Draw Something, and literally countless others. Gaming is everywhere and the idea of playing with others instead of yourself is a common theme, and a popular one to boot.
I have dabbled in every kind of multiplayer experience listed, from online FPS to “couch co-op” with Rockband. My preferences lay less with a certain selection (local vs. online) but more with the type of game being played. I don’t want to play Rockband with a friend who is in another state; nor do I want to kick my friend’s ass in Super Smash Bros. while he isn’t in the room to watch me gloat. These games are by and large at the peak of their enjoyment when others are around. However, I do not long for the days of splitting a 20 inch television across its equator so I can share the experience with my friend (or god forbid — the Tony Hawk vertical split). Evolve, for example, is best played exactly as it is — five different players, on five different televisions, on five different consoles.
Where does this leave us? What happened to the hey-day of local multiplayer? The kind of gaming I grew up with? Ask Nintendo. Nintendo is one of the strongest voices for keeping this style of gaming alive. The Wii U has an abundance of great couch co-op experiences to find; in fact, many of there games are significantly more fun to play locally with friends compared to online, as Nintendo’s online infrastructure isn’t nearly as polished as Sony or Microsoft’s. Nintendo’s decision to focus on local multiplayer over online establishes them as the reigning party game champions, but overall it is a financial hindrance — I am in the minority of those who truly miss local multiplayer. Outside of Nintendo’s titles, the indie scene also seems to be developing new experiences that allow for local play; Towerfall: Ascension, #IDARB, and Nidhogg come to mind. All of these games focus on the frenetic energy of playing a game with another human being next to you to further enhance the experience. Local multiplayer isn’t dead; it’s just smaller.
Video games are as varied as they are popular — you can find something to play for any situation you may come across. If I’m hosting a party with friends, my Wii U will be at the forefront of my entertainment, with 8-player Super Smash Bros. as my go-to title. If it’s midnight and I really want to sink my teeth into a game or just play a pick-up match with my friends, the PS4 or Xbox One will suffice.
The memories I have of playing games with my friends as a child are those I cherish most. Everything has changed since 1996 when this was the norm; we have grown up, accepted responsibility, some have moved on from gaming entirely, and yet I still live in the past. My nostalgia for gaming often serves as a reminder of my passion for it; those memories I am recalling here may seem to a reader as just that — thoughts from the past. But, they are so much more. Video games have always been a common thread strewn through those I befriend and love, allowing common ground to exist and helping me maintain the youth that is slowly slipping between my fingers as the days drip by. The few memories I have of my younger brother before he passed away involve playing unremarkable Nintendo 64 titles together as children. I have memories of playing Call of Duty 2 when I first heard the news — coping by gaming. Sharing video games with those I love means more to me than words can express; I can only hope to meet more people, play more games, and create more memories before my time, too, comes.
- Chase
I followed Spyro through the crystal clear lagoons that included the 3 core Spyro games on PlayStation. The experiences were (and I argue still are) so pristine and wholesome, especially compared to what would come later. A few years ago, I went back and played Spyro 3: Year of the Dragon through to completion and it is still just as polished today as it was in 2000 (on October 25th of this year, that game will officially be 15 years old. If you now wish to begin crying and solemnly asking “Where did the time go? What has happened to me?” I will console you). But after that 2000 release, the spotless waters of Spyro’s pedigree began to muddy, and quickly. After the release of Year of the Dragon, Insomniac Games let Universal Studios have the rights to Spyro, deciding there was nothing more they could add to the “Spyro formula” themselves. In an interview regarding why the decision was made to let Spyro go, Insomniac Games' CEO Ted Price simply said, 'Spyro didn’t have any hands', and that severely limited the activities / gameplay mechanics that Insomniac could implement as well as Spyro's ability to develop as a character. So, Insomniac began development for the highly beloved Ratchet and Clank titles, and Spyro quickly began to deteriorate, just as all of the great PS1 platformers would.
I was only 8 when Year of the Dragon was released, so I had no idea what was in store for my little purple pal or the horrors he would be forced to endure. The following year, the Game Boy Advance released, and I was lucky enough to get my hands on one. What I was not as fortunate for was my first GBA game. This happened to be 2001’s Spyro: Season of Ice. I know what some of you might be thinking - "Chase, that game was not all that bad". And those people are not wrong; it certainly wasn't the worst Spyro game to ever see the light of day. However, the isometric design reminded me of another horrible game I had played that marked the end of a mascot’s era, and that game was Sonic: 3D Blast; one of the shining examples of “what the hell happened to Sonic?” And better yet, “what the hell were you thinking Sonic Team?”, questions better left unanswered I think. Alas, those are stories for another day. I do not believe I need to elaborate any further when I say that Season of Ice was the final Spyro game I ever played.
We go back to my first sentence, and Skylanders. I heard about Skylanders and Spyro and it piqued my interest in the same way that someone may have felt when they heard that Terminator: Genysis was actually in development - many why’s with little consideration and less care. And after everything I had seen Spyro go through I had to believe this would just be another ruse, to further guarantee Spyro’s already glaring name on the “failed mascots list”, somewhere between that sassy cat Bubsy and Alex Kidd. But what differentiated this game, was that it focused less on Spyro himself, and more on the cast that would star alongside him, there was also a significant focus on the devices that would make this whole ship sail - toys.
I was so turned off by the look of the package that Skylanders came in, coming with 3 or so characters, and a strange portal device that apparently linked the two things together - game and toy. Skylanders works in a very odd way. You plug this portal into your console, and then you place the toys you purchase on the pedestal and through the magic of NFC, (near field communication) the characters are transferred into your game and become playable! What a nifty little trick it was, and that was all I could see it as, a trick. A gimmick, if you will. Like the Xbox Kinect, or the Playstation Move, or the Nintendo Wii (I kid about the last one, the Wii was great, motion controls and all). But as I learned more about Skylanders, I began to understand how critical these toys were to the game. They were needed to progress through it, and of course they were fundamental to the overall success the series has experienced.
Without certain Skylanders of differing elements and abilities, parts of the game will be barred off to the player, with no access allowed unless you can get your hand on a new Skylander figure to help you progress. For a parent, I imagine this is a nightmare. Imagine your child continuously bugging you for more and more figures so they can keep playing this game. Then I thought about the unbelievable amount of money my mother must have coughed up to keep feeding me endless packs of Pokemon cards in my youth, and it clicked. I would have been all over this as a kid, given that it appealed to everything I loved - toys, collecting things, and above all else, video games. Mixing the three in such a way would have been volatile to my health as a child, and even more detrimental to my mother’s finances. But, I am an adult now, and some of my collector’s obsession has subsided. So as Skylanders continued on, I stood by watching, but never partaking.
Skylanders’ success cannot be understated; it now stands as a billion dollar franchise, likely more. And the pop-culture relevance is just as apparent in something so large. Last Halloween I saw advertisements for Skylanders costumes standing in the midst of juggernauts like Pikachu, Mario and Luigi outfits. And the most absurd part of this was that I actually recognized the characters shown. Without checking any sources I believe there was a fish-like character known as Fizz that was available, as well as a particularly disturbing bi-pedal Spyro costume that looked as though it may have manifested from one of my many inexplicably terrifying nightmares. I will take the time now to note that I do not like Spyro’s most recent redesign, but I doubt many Skylanders players even know of Spyro’s existence outside the brand, so my opinions are rendered null and void. When success is running rampant in the way that Skylanders currently is, it is a guarantee that the company will capitalize on it in any way possible. Given that Activision is the publisher, it is only fitting that Skylanders became annualized from the jump. And when a company finds an untapped money-pit, it is only a matter of time until someone else attempts to drill in the same vein. In this case, that company was Disney.
Disney Infinity launched in August of 2013, nearly 2 full years after the firstSkylanders game released. My initial reaction was that if any company could stand toe-to-toe with Skylanders in this hybrid-medium, Disney would be the ones to do so. They have a classic cast of characters, and an abundance of them to boot. With so many franchises to pull from they could create new figures and content for years to come. 2014 saw the release of a Marvel expansion, drawing from the disgustingly popular comic book fad that seemingly has no end in sight. And with a new Star Wars film releasing at the end of this year, and Disney’s (semi) recent acquisition of the license, I would place money on a Star Wars themed Disney Infinity to release this holiday season - they would be foolish not to. Everything that Disney Infinity does seems remarkably similar to Skylanders. I am sure the games feel incredibly different, along with the obvious differences in characters, art, and select game mechanics. But essentially these are 3D platformers that require the player to purchase toys and place them on a portal that uses NFC technology to unlock new content and progress. If I were to put a sinister twist in the whole crossover I would call the whole scheme a game built on “real life DLC”.
So, by holiday 2013, we have these two titans duking it out for the title of “toy-game-hybrid champion”. As far as total sales go, Skylanders sits atop the throne, but Disney Infinity is slowly gaining momentum, and with the addition of more content will only continue to do so. Looking back, what happens next is not as unexpected as I felt it was at the time.
When Nintendo announced their Amiibo initiative, I was pissed. For a handful of reasons, but mostly because of my unwavering love for Nintendo, and up until this point I was able to easily ignore this toy-craze that was sweeping the generations younger than me. The first wave of Amiibos that were announced (and are still releasing in waves at the time of this article) were all Super Smash Bros. related. This was even more irritating because I love Super Smash Bros., and this made the whole idea of needing these toys that much more prevalent in my mind. As I am writing these words now I have not purchased an Amiibo figure yet, but as they release Amiibos that are synonymous with the characters I play in the game, (Toon Link, Zero Suit Samus and Lucina) I will have to buy them. It should be noted, however, just how little the Amiibos actually do, when compared to the likes of Skylanders and Disney Infinity.
With an Amiibo, (as of the time of this writing, Super Smash Bros. is the main game that Amiibos work with, but others are coming) you can battle it in the game. So, if you have a Mario Amiibo, you can battle that Mario in Super Smash Bros. to raise its’ level, (to a max of 50) and as they level they get stronger. You then store that Mario’s level on that Amiibo and you can have it battle your friends' Amiibo to see whose is stronger. And everything I just said is ridiculous. Why in the hell would you not go to a friends' house and just play Super Smash Bros. by your damn self?! With your hands! It is like Amiibos are dogs and you are just dog-fighting for your own sick pleasure when you could just beat one another and the experience would be far more rewarding. There is no new content to be accessed through these figures, yet. But with the release of Mario Party 10, a new wave of Amiibos will change the effect that they have had until now; they will more closely resemble that of the characters in Skylanders and Disney Infinity.
So, you ask me, “Chase, what does this mean for the future?” and my answer is, a lot. Especially if you are a Nintendo fan, and unfortunately I am. Disney Infinityand Skylanders' figures are restricted to their own games, so if you wish to ignore all of these toys you very easily can, but first party Nintendo titles are already proving to be problematic with these figures. If all first party Nintendo titles begin pushing for Amiibo implementation then content barriers are going to begin erecting all over Nintendo’s games. Mario Party 10 is already guaranteed to have at least one level that will only be accessible if you have an Amiibo. And I think for the sake of my own sanity, I should describe my biggest Amiibo fear of all.
The “New” 3DS launches this February (in North America) and with it comes a slew of new features to the already popular handheld. These include a faster processor (awesome), a second stick for camera manoeuvrability (a little late, but awesome nonetheless), eye-tracking 3D (fewer mind splitting headaches? Awesome) and NFC technology onboard (not awesome) (There are other minute changes such as button coloration now mirroring that of the SNES controller (RGYB) because Nintendo are nostalgia hounds, which I am alright with). This means that Nintendo’s handheld games are going to be affected by Amiibos, inevitably. Now, for that biggest fear I mentioned. Imagine a Pokémon game that was based on Amiibo technology - because I promise Nintendo has. Where we reignite the Pokémon craze of the late 90’s and early 2000’s (not to the same calibre of course) because “Catch ‘em all!” translates to “Buy ‘em all!” all over again, and my wallet cannot survive this time around. Out of everything Skylanders, Disney Infinity or Amiibo related, that may be the most financially marketable sales pitch of all. And as an enormous Pokefan, I do not wish to be subjected to the onslaught that would bring, given that there are well over 700 Pokémon now. But you would not need every single Pokémon in this situation. And the second-hand market for figures like this are already insane. I have seen Skylanders figures selling for more than $200, and as people begin to catch on to Amiibos and more content/uses are developed for them, the second-hand cost of these will skyrocket as well.
As long as this proves to be a profitable endeavour for the companies pushing it, the toy and video game hybrid will only continue to grow. As of now, the market is not overly saturated with this type of product, so as I have said, for many gamers this is something that is rather easy to simply ignore. But the future could bring anything, and a favourite franchise could quickly accept this model, and it would likely make more money this way. For the ‘hardcore’ gamer, there are not too many threats right now, but it could happen. And I am aware that I am looking at this entire ideology rather negatively. Kids love it, so in that regard it is doing something right, but it is also so obviously a cash-grab (cash-snatch) and I cannot see past that. Although, against my best intentions, I am probably going to at least purchase some Amiibos soon.
For decades, video games were an enemy to toys, a competitor. Children began preferring to have these interactive experiences than simply play with a He-Man action figure, and I know this from experience. Blending the two together removes the choice from players, and instead makes the decision for them - you will have both, otherwise you will have neither. Prepare for more of this to come, the storm will get more violent before it subsides.
