Master Control Program - CHUD's Video Game Column

Good job, Russ. I look foward to more installments.

Welcome, Russ. Glad to have a column on the front page, and it's a well written one. Concerning EverQuest 2- go ahead and spill the beans. Don't worry about Sony. We won't tell anyone, we promise.

I think combat games are beginning to push the boundary between "entertainment" and "training simulation", and FSW is obviously the clearest example of the trend. It's similar to what happened with the "flight sim" genre. Originally filght sims were games that put people, most of which would never fly an airplane, into an imaginary cockpit that kinda-sorta operated like the real thing. The physics were simplistic, the controls weren't entirely realistic, and the visual and aural experience required a lot of imagination. Now the genre has advanced so far that both civilian and military pilots practice on MSFS2004. I know of aeronautics research programs, designing flight control systems, that use Flight Simulator to test their designs. Can you really "play" MSFS any more?

One interesting result of this realism is the near-vertical learning curve. Picking up MSFS for the first time, without any actual flight experience, is strangely nerve-wracking. I crashed all the time. Every time I crashed I thought of the last time I flew, and I promised myself I would never complain about turbulence or a rough landing again. And the pilots... whatever they're getting paid, double it.

Applying that to the combat sim genre, I believe that both the complexity and the realism in these games is going to reach a critical point soon, where we'll see the market react in some unusual ways. If war is really hell, and if these games keep getting closer to the real war experience... aren't they eventually going to be hell to play? And if they don't convey the real horror of war, isn't that dangerous in another way? We'll have an experience that's exactly like real war... but without the guilt, the terror, the fear, or the moral ambiguity.

And maybe we've already passed that point. Something we keep hearing from the troops in Iraq is "it's not like a video game". Meanwhile, from the video game marketing machine we hear "it's like the real thing". Hell, we even have a game called "Real War". Kind of a mixed message, eh?

great review, im very much buying full spectrum warrior, was gonna buy it today but ran out of time

I have a hard time playing war game myself sometimes. Especially if you read designer interviews, because they all say the same stuff: "Our goal was to make the game as a realistic and intense an experience as possible. We think it's a lot of fun."

I think about that when I play WWII games or the likes of FSW, and I find it hard to stomach. It's prevented me from ever playing Battlefield Vietnam. I mean, do veterans really play these games and pretend they were back in the fray? Is that really an enjoyable thought? I simply can't see how it could be.

I have no problem with violent games, and even war games, up to a point. But when a game tries as hard as it can to put me in the shoes of a real soldier in a real war where a lot of real people died, and then tells me to kick back and enjoy myself by blowing some people up, it's borderline revolting.

Wow looks like i'll be picking up FSW one of these days. Great read nice job Russ.

I look forward to playing full spectrum. as far as future columns, I think one aspect that should definitely be covered is the ESPN/Madden war this coming august.

Good article, though I'm definately going to rent FSW before buying. I'm sure its brilliant, but the length of the game and the things I'm hearing about it getting repetitive are....unsettling.

As far as realism in war games, i've got no problem with it. The more "authentic" they wanna make it, the better. I hope they hurry up and peak, though. I'm getting sick of war games (of pretty much any genre) really fast.

- Fate

Welcome, Russ. I couldn't be happier to see that CHUD finally has its own Video Game column.

Looking forward to the next.

Yeah, great article. I'm looking forward to future installments. Here's a thought: if you're going to do one game at a time, please consider having a bullet list of titles to avoid. It seems as though every game review site I've ever seen gives the majority of titles very high praise. This makes it near impossible to gauge the relative suckiness of most titles. Per your review, FSW sounds like something "new" and interesting (rather than another rehash of Medal of Honor like MOHIII), and best of all, I found your review helpful and fun to read.

Good luck.

Great stuff, well written and with a wry sense of humor. Looking forward to reading more.

Now that there is a video game column, is there a reason to leave CHUD? I think not! Welcome, Russ!

Even though I'm not into FSW type stuff (too much) great collumn and great to see it on CHUD finally! The merging of two of my favorite things!

Ditto the Gaming Column love. Welcome aboard Russ! Looking foward to lots of video game love on the main site!

The problem I had with Full Spectrum Warrior was that the challenge was not so much in keeping your guys alive (tangent: it was morbidly funny to see someone take one to the face in that matrix slowdown only to be patched up and ready for more in less than five minutes of downtime), the real meat of the game was flushing out those gunmen. So what's the problem with that? Well, they were always in the same friggin place. Once you knew that, it wasn't rocket science to make a map of every hostile you'd encounter.
The Fun in the game came late, as a paticularly EVIL crossroad has a sniper, literally, on every corner inside buildings you can't get clean shots at. Manuvering through that killzone was a bastard and a half.

I dunno what I was expecting from this game, but it only half delivered on it. Slick, for sure, but it really didn't rock the house Col. Kilgore built.

The real army simulator mode can be accessed in the game using the code:
HA2P1PY9TUR5TLE
It's the bizzaro mode after whomping the normal version, as even some of the HUD and control schemes are different.

Oh, just to make it known, the AI of your team glitches at some really inopertune moments. Someone may be spraying bullets ten feet in front of them and they pretend like the bullets only make them stronger. It was like commanding a unit of nothing but Blithes (a Band of Brothers riff).

Anywho, just some random remarks. Good luck with the new column!

Thanks for the encouragement, everyone.

Ockham - duly noted. So you mean that I should include things like the fact that the only gasbag more bloated than Shadow Ops: Red Mercury is the one currently carrying Jackie Chan and Buena Vista into the shameful sunset?

Twitchreflex - I can see how learning where the gunmen are could turn some of the game into a mere meory challenge. If I remember correctly, one reviewer (at GameSpy or IGN) was wishing for a random enemy placement option, which would really be a help. I still thought the basic experience was great, though.

Sphinx - your last two paragraphs are exactly what I'm thinking about. Add in typical game morality, where the enemy is generally the enemy because the game says so, and realistic war games seem like pretty terrific/terrifying propaganda.

Good article, I'm looking forward to reading more from you in the future.

A great article. Why I never noticed it until now...who know's.

Dito to the other comments about looking forward to more of your writing.

Another week, another great column.

I've had Spidey 2 (on XBox) for a week, and I overall agree with your comments. The large-scale design of the game is brilliant... colorful, huge, and lively clock-work world, non-linear gameplay, and web-swinging, a gameplay mechanic which transorms New York City into the jungle-gym of the Gods. On the other hand, the small scale detailing disappoints, from the low-res textures to the throw-away mission design. I can enjoy this game in short, 30-minute bursts. Pop it in, beat some cons, deliver some pizze 42 blocks up-town, take an aerial tour of Harlem, and shut it down. Any more than that and it starts to drag.

That's one of the problems with being a game reviewer... you generally don't have time to take things slow. Some games just shouldn't be played in marathon sessions, and this is one. It's like being a wine-taster, but instead of swishing and sipping a small glass you must chug the whole damn bottle. And then attempt to give a reasoned and nuanced opinion.

The source of Spidey 2's flaws is (probably) time and budget. Time, because the release date is non-negotiable in Hollywood licensed products like this. And budget because so much of the cost of the game is simply purchasing that license. That's the same set of problems that face every movie-licensed game (at least, the ones that are designed to be released on schedule with the film). I feel that Treyarch has built a great foundation for a game. The technology behind the clockwork world is impressive, the money-based levelling system is inspired and well implemented, and the web-swinging is Godly. What they needed was another 6 months or so to really polish things up, to cram the game with more creative and fun content. It's all the little stuff that's missing- quirky side missions, really innovative uses of Spider-Man's powers, a more creative implementation of the Peter Parker alter-ego. A-list titles are A-list because they receive that extra care... a few more coats of wax, and viewed from the lofty heights of Ninja Gaiden, GTA or Metal Gear: Solid, Spider-Man 2 is unimpressive. However, compared to other movie-licensed games it shines, the best of a sorry bunch (along with Chronicles of Riddick and LOTR: Return of the King).

Great column. I've had the Spider-Man 2 game at my house all week and have yet to get a chance to pop it in. I'm excited for it.

I keep hearing about City of Heroes. I was hoping for a more in depth discussion of it so I checked out the official thread. I read the whole thread. No dice. Mostly just Chewers saying "I'm online!" or "what else should we do with our CHUD group?" It sounds like a lot of fun, though.

Loved the article

Fantastic article there, Russ. I really feel like I have a good idea of not only what's good, but also what's no so good about each topic covered. From your article, both City of Heroes and SM2 sound like great ambience games for when I just want to run around and be a superhero (as opposed to something really involved like Star Wars: KOTR). Looking forward to reading your next article. Thanks.

I met this Russ guy over the weekend. I think he was hitting on me the whole time. Not that I wasn't interested, mind you.

So, no Tales of Symphonia discussion? I'm interested to hear what you think of that one, Russ. I'm thinking of picking it up, but am on the fence. I was hoping to get your insight, as a CHUDgamer.

The I HATE bees article was great, AND hilarious.

Is this the thread where I spooge all over Slater's Playstation Portable article? Because I've got the spooge on tap and I'm just looking for the target.

Good article, Russ.

The latest EGM complains about the analog "knob" thingie that the PSP uses in place of an analog stick, saying that it feels floaty and awkward. Agree? Disagree?

In some ways, yeah, it is floaty. I don't know that I'd go with awkward, though.

When I thumb down on a Dual Shock 2 analog stick, I expect a certain resistance, and the PSP knob doesn't have that. So it's a little weird at first. But it's responsive and, when you take scale into account, does seem to have enough tension that relying on it for hairs-breadth control (or something similar) won't be an issue. Will there be a learning curve? Yeah. But anyone with the adaptibility of the average rhesus moneky should make the leap pretty fast.

Cool. EGM seemed kind of hung up on the issue, but I hadn't seen it mentioned anywhere else.

Great article, Russ. I thought the comparison of PSP to PS2 and DS to GC was quite brilliant.

Nice write-up on the PSP, Russ. None of those EA games look too tempting, but those were some pretty-assed screenshots. I didn't know about the video compression on the memory sticks, either. This thing is shaping up to be a porno addict's best friend.

So far the launch lineup is better than that of the DS, but not by much. But it's all stuff that's had barely a year to gestate, and I'm sure once we get people really concentrating on the device we'll quickly see cool shit.

For what it's worth, though, I really can see myself carrying Tiger Woods and MVP onto a plane for a little action.

And then, as you say, there's the whole porn addict angle. No public washroom will be safe once this thing is released.

That's quite a write-up for RE4, Russ. Glad to hear that Capcom really put a lot of thought and work into re-creating this title. I really only gave the MB Thread on this title a half glance since I, too, was disappointed in the sequals. Not sure how they chose to have it on Gamecube first and then ported to PS2 later, but your review suggests that the game really fits the Cube's controller. Based on the review, I'm tempted to pick up a Cube for this and Metroid 2. Thanks for the honest articles. Great work.

Poopmetal.

http://chud.com/mastercontrol/1421

Why didn't they rename the Philosopher's Stone as the Sorcerer's Stone for the US release?

How many hours did you have to suffer through? I mean a bad film is usually only about 90 minutes, but a game goes on...

also: why review THIS game? How did it land in your estimable lap?

We review anything the publishers send our way. Same as with the DVD reviews.

Mean, nasty publishers. Interestingly, for me, bad games seem to hurt more than bad movies.

Quick on the spot prediction: will any good star wars games be relased this year?

Carl's the authority. But the first level of Republic Commando was pretty cool.

I'm sure the Episode III game will be just as shitty as the last two, though.

Russ, great job on your Oddworld review. I haven't had a chance to get very far into the game, but as an old fan of the series, you summed up a lot of my feelings perfectly. Thanks for saying what I was thinking.

Thanks - I really want to go back and play the earlier games now to see if they hold up to memory. But I can't find the two Abe games, dammit! Don't believe I would ahve sold them, so I'm digging through boxes like a rat.

More Control!

Good to see somebody else who has heard Tobin's work. I love the Chaos Theory soundtrack. Manic, orchestral and quite fitting with Splinter Cell's themes. Also liked the work done with Black Monday (which I had the opportunity of renting last week. It was "merely okay".). I wonder how that'll translate with the game.

Speaking of which, MP3.com has the whole soundtrack available for streaming in their "Music For Games" promotion, if you're interested in previewing it.

Oh, nice. I never think to look @ MP3.com. Glad other people have checked that disc out, since I find new things to like with every listen.

Fear Factory

I'm glad Russ mentioned some of the great music that's being written for games.

I'd like to point out Fear Factory. They're one of my personal all-time faves as a band, and they've been doing more and more scores for games. One of their releases -- Hatefiles -- has a bunch of the vidgame tunes... Terminator 3, etc.

I just heard today they're also scoring the next Clancy title. Rainbow Six?

Russ - sounds a bit lame, but I just want to say thanks for the latest MCP SotU re the next generation of consoles... I'm happy someone took the time to put the big three up against each other as I'm struggling to keep up with the latest PR updates, fake/real design specs and campaigns of misinformation on this darn interweb thing.

Appreciate the effort - cheers mate.

MCP - Sly 3
MCP - Ratchet: Deadlocked
MCP - Jak X

Of those three, I'd say Sly 3 has got my attention. Deadlocked looks to be a fun arena game although I'm a bit disappointed they've decided to establish it as "darker is better". Jak X could be fun if the TRAILER is any indication. Good job as usual, Russ.

Here's hoping that the next generation allows Insomniac, Sucker Punch, and Naughty Dog to move on to some new things.

Thanks for linking those - after I put the last one up, I rushed downstairs to listen to the Primer commentary...

Sly 3 is definitely the front runner, but I can't emphasize how much fun I had with the co-op in Ratchet. It was a blast - easily the best time I've had recently with a multiplayer game. I'm hoping the qualities that made it so much fun make it to the final release.

(Edit: and that trailer link is good - I need to remember to put those in previews, when available.)

http://chud.com/mastercontrol/2495

The week's news roundup, minus the whole 'The 360 is clear!' thing until there's some better confirmation...

Good wrap-up, Russ.

Incidentally, I just finished the latest draft of the screenplay that's been consuming my life, which means my schedule is again clear for game reviews. Expect Devil May Cry 3 this weekend, followed by the smaller releases. I can also write up reviews for Doom 3 and Psychonauts if you want. Just say the word.

Sorry again about the delay. Things have been...weird.

Russ - What's the down-low on Jade Empire? You recommend it whole-heartedly, but I'm hesitant to pick it up because the original KOTOR left me cold (I know I'm in the minority on that one). I like to play games. I don't like "Choose-Your-Own-Adventure" stories in game format. With that, should I still be picking up Jade Empire?

It's certainly more open, and the combat is much more complex, which alleviates some of the 'choose your own adventure' aspect.

But when you get right down to it, I think that 'CYOA' thing defines just about every RPG in video games. In that respect, it's definitely a part of Jade Empire, too, though here the moral paths are a little more grey and offer more than two choices.

I think it's a better story with more interesting characters than KOTOR, and the combat is certainly better. Hope that helps.