News from Boston. Old News, but News Nonetheless

I was silent for most of April; there was nary a post. The reason for this was I was gearing up for presenting at the PCA/ACA National Conference in Boston. The PCA/ACA stands for Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association. I presented on the use of perspective in games to portray female characters,  I.E. the first-person female player character.

Promotional image from Tomb Raider: Underworld.

It sounds all technical and academic-y, doesn't it? Well, provided I can remember my own argument, let me break it down. The way that the camera view is used in games directs the gaze of the player. This makes it so that the focus of the game can be said to be on either character or graphics-- something superficial, so to speak (third-person), or to be on gameplay or graphics (first-person). When featuring a female lead, in those rare times, the focus tends to be on third-person. This directs the player toward the fact that they are playing a woman. "Oh my, look! A GIRL! And she's got BOOBS!" tends to be the player's reaction. When games with a female lead are in first-person, it helps to focus the game developer and the player on the playing of the game rather than staring at a busty brunette. Though there's nothing inherently wrong with this busty brunette, having to portray a female character in a certain way due to social expectations &c causes game developers to portray a shallow character, perpetuating female stereotypes. First-person helps side-step these problems, and might be a helpful tool in character development for game developers.

Promotional image from Mirror's Edge.

Consider the differences between Tomb Raider and Mirror's Edge, for example. In some ways, very similar games. However, the ways they portray women are very different. Tomb Raider's focus is always on her body, especially in promotional art. I'm thinking especially of a certain photo shoot from the new Tomb Raider, where Alison Carroll (the model for Lara) lies around in a bikini with a pair of guns in hand. Mirror's Edge focuses on the game dynamic-- the constant motion of running, jumping, and vaulting. Consider also the differences in the portrayal of Metroid's Samus Aran between Metroid: Prime and Metroid: The Other M. At one point, Samus was kickass, yet somehow that disappeared when the game put more focus on third-person and thus had more need to develop a character who was female, and had all the pressures of the stereotypes associated therein.

The paper had more examples, more academic double-talk, forty-five slides, and some quotations from various people. I remember distinctly that there was a section on Mass Effect. However, any further suggestions for games with female leads in third- or first- person would be more than welcome. I would also appreciate book recs concerning the implementation of viewpoint.

Skyrim: Dawnguard

Do I need to post more than the link? Also, WTF. X-Box 360 gets this first? You people like to spit in the face of the group that's been with you since Arena, don't you?

Skyrim: Dawnguard

What will be in Dawnguard? Hints in the latest patches have things for snow elves and vampire animation upgrades. This article also offers a decent theory, and one that I am MORE than willing to roll with, since it involves going to Oblivion. If Bethesda could put some unique qualities into the Oblivion landscapes for the Skyrim crowd, I would be overjoyed. On the other hand, given that every fairly benevolent daedric prince is seen at a feasting table with very little other background, I have little hope that Bethesda will spend much time on that front. They don't seem to like offering variance in decor regarding daedra. Sigh.

[Skyrim] Daedric Days and Drunken Nights

This post is part of the "A Day in the Life" series, told from a character's view point. As I found it necessary to rekindle my addiction to Skyrim, this is Keah, nicknamed "Key" due to her life as a thief prior to being the Dragonborn. She is a Nordic-born Dunmer specializing in Sneak and Archery, with a penchant for Enchanting.

Finding myself heartily tired of dealing with Uthgerd's constant cries of "Skyrim for the Nords"-- does she not realize that I am, in fact, a Dunmer?-- I made my way into the Bannered Mare in Whiterun, where I was promptly challenged to a drinking contest. I found this proposition quite agreeable, though suspicious due to the man's insistence that if I won, I would get a powerful staff. Those promising you powerful weapons generally follow through only after a great deal of trouble.

My suspicions were correct.

The next day, I woke up in the Temple of Dibella, Markarth, being yelled at by a Priestess of Dibella for my conduct the night before.

I had never before journeyed to Markarth, and was a little panicked to find myself halfway across Skyrim. Uthgerd, though she had been with me the entire time, would not tell me what had happened, so I had to go on a journey all over Skyrim to discover what had happened. This was further made into a problem since I was already overburdened, due to having killed a dragon recently. I was forced to sell my dragon bones, since I had apparently left my horse in Whiterun before my drunken carousing and no carriage would carry me due to the weight I carried. After arriving back in Whiterun at long last, I began my journey, which led me back to Rurikstead and eventually, I was directed to Morvunskar. I ended up riding right into the middle of a dragon attack, where the bandits inhabiting the ruin tried to kill me instead of the dragon! Fortunately, I managed to survive, but it was a near thing. I managed to singe Uthgerd a few times with my Flame, though not always by accident.

 
After the battle and searching through the ruins, I discovered I was being strung along by a Daedra.

I was so relieved it was Sanguine and not a Daedra that wished me harm; the staff I got from him was also beautiful, powerful, and a wonderful addition to my armory. A Mer to be so addicted to enchanted weaponry is surely a sin in the eyes of my elven brethren, but I am a Nordic Dunmer-- I was born and bred in this land, and like the Nords, I believe in the power of a good brawl.

My Dunmer kin would disown me for saying so, but I find I don't care.

Though it was again night, I wasn't tired, and despite Uthgerd's exaggerated yawns, I pushed on to Markarth. I will forever thank Sanguine for introducing me to it-- the city is beautiful, and the Dwemer are one of the most fascinating peoples. I can only hope to learn more about them in Markarth.

However, at one of the first houses I passed, a Vigilant of Stendarr requested my help investigating it, since something strange had been occurring there lately.

I had never entered a more terrifying house. A voice lured me close, down into the depths of the house, where it spurred my companion into trying to kill me. I was forced to kill him instead, and found that the seductive, terrifying voice belonged to none other than Molag Bal, the Daedric Prince of Submission.

He had ordered me to kill the minion of another Daedric Prince, Boethiah, the Prince of Lies, Deceit, and Assassination.

I'm not certain what to do. In many ways, he's right: perhaps the weak should perish so that the strong my survive and thrive. That used to be the way that I viewed things, and I still don't entirely believe it to be wrong. But since gaining entrance into the Companions and learning that I am Dovahkiin, I wonder if there isn't a different way. Should the strong not protect the weak? I will find Boethiah's priest regardless and see what he has to say for himself. Perhaps something of this situation may be salvaged.

Two Daedric encounters in one day-- Markarth seems to be full of them! I wonder if it is something due to the city's culture and history, which are both complicated and somewhat worrisome, or due to the Dwemer ruins? Of course, it doesn't matter as long as some of the Daedra give me quests my honor doesn't refuse me. Then, they will reward me with enchanted armor and weaponry! But first, I will need to get the Jarl to allow me to purchase land in the city. I desperately need a house, and Markarth and Whiterun are my two favored options at the moment.

I traveled a bit around Markarth, waiting for the Jarl to start holding Court, and happened upon a band of Forsworn, who attacked me. Shortly after that battle was the point where I went native, donning feathers and furs. Why armor that covers so little seems to protect me better than my studded armor is beyond my comprehension. It must be enchanted somehow, though I can't detect any enchantments at all. A thought to ponder at a later date.

I adore Markarth, Daedra-infested or not. I may never leave.

[First Impressions] KoA, or When Did Fable and Skyrim Get Married and Why Wasn't I Invited to the Wedding?

If you have played any Fable game and you have played Skyrim, you have basically already played Kingdoms of Amalur: The Reckoning.

No, I'm not exaggerating matters.

There are skill trainers as in Skyrim (as well as factions-- and the Warsworn bear an uncanny resemblance in almost all ways to the Companions-- bards in the taverns, etc). The eye meter to see if you've been spotted while sneaking is similar to in Fable, thievery in general is very Fable-esque, which guards running after you regardless of whether you actually were spotted, and you can kill chickens. No, I didn't mean to. It was an accident-- I was trying to smash barrels, also a la Fable. Not that barrel-smashing is a Fable-only invention. It's just that the execution seems very like Fable, a nod-wink to "hey, go over and smash those barrels for loot!" that almost breaks the fourth wall. There is also a stat that counts chicken deaths, as in Fable: The Lost Chapters.

The writing is... poor. Extra poor. So poor it hurts my soul. I expected little better from something R.A. Salvatore took part in, but still.* A bandit who screws over the local gnome alchemist of Gorhart just spills his soul to you with only a question from you. "Yup, screwed this lady over. Ain't it grand? And here's my entire evil plan! Mwahaha!" Uh-huh. That was super realistic. The dialogue options also sometimes contradict themselves in terms of what, precisely, the character in question knows. One of the gnomes of Allestar Glade knew, somehow, that my character was from the Well of Souls, and then in the next option didn't know. The fact that the setting is the Faelands is also hilarious when from the author who became famous for his D&D elves; he didn't travel far from his comfort zone. Not that I'm complaining. The setting is kind of awesome, though at least partially, perhaps mostly, due to the graphics.

So if the game is extremely derivative-- it is-- and the writing isn't great, what keeps me from shutting the game, crying at money lost, and moving on?

KoA is basically Skyrim Lite, so that means that it's a fun game to play, with quests galore and various storylines to see to their ends. The most annoying thing about it is that Faith isn't leveled up the way I want her yet, since she and my Dunmer, Keah, from Skyrim could be twins given my playing style. (Roleplay-wise, Keah is colder and more willing to kill someone she doesn't like; Faith is a bit of a soft touch who steals for the adrenaline of it. She's also more more of a melee fighter where Keah doesn't like to get her hands dirty if she doesn't have to.) There are quirky side quests-- I'm just waiting for the one where I chase chickens-- and the setting is disgustingly pretty faerie land. But in a match up, the reason to play KoA would be the combat.

Combat in Fable III was pretty, though too easy. My character knew how to wield her weapons and did it well, and the magic animations were nice. That prettiness is added to a level of complexity that wasn't there in Fable III. In addition to blocking, the player can dodge, causing their character to roll out of harms way. This additionally gives time to power up for a charge attack. Different charge attacks have different effects and are linked to different kinds of weapons, which makes weapon-selection difficult at times. So far, daggers pwn all for me, since their charge attack enables Faith to move very quickly and no one can land a hit on her. This is even though they are the weakest weapon per hit. She lands so many hits that it's insta-win. Leveling up has given her a poison magic ability too, which can be sustained for a drain in total mp for the duration of a fight. The poison magic provides her with extra damage per hit, and if she has the Smouldering Daggers equipped, which have burn damage too-- well. Win.

Magic is something of a disappointment. Magic, as such, hardly exists in the game, and there are only a handful of spells. Instead, you have staffs and sceptres as two magic weapons that drain your mana when you use them. Though the fighting is nice to watch with these, as it is with everything, it's a little disappointment that bamf magic is more or less missing from KoA and the one spell the play has for early magic users is ye standard lightning. Maybe higher levels yield better spells, but there's still a very limited selection.

The other draw that KoA has is the same that kept me plugging away at Fable III. The collector in me just keeps going, "OMG epic loot! Epic loot! MUST EQUIP NOW." Meanwhile, my pack is getting far too full, and I already purchased extra room as it is. Next up, a house to store my loot in. Fable III suffered from an overabundance of special swords, guns, etc. KoA has just the right amount, so when the player actually gets a special weapon, it feels like something has been achieved rather than the game was scripted to give awesomeness away for free.

Hmm... note to future Kingdoms of Amalur games... please to give me guns? Magic guns.

*Please note at this point that I have not actually read R.A. Salvatore's work. I skimmed through, noted that there was a different tag following every bit of dialogue, and closed, never to actually read for real. (I.E. he said, she laughed, he retorted, she spat, he snarked, she bit out, he sighed, she screamed, etc.) When I picture R.A. Salvatore, who I know so little about, I picture pretty much any elven extra from Lord of the Rings. Brown hair, beard, and quiver at his back.

[First Impressions] Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Demo

After the trials and tribulations of starting a new job, moving, and etc., I'm finally back with my first impressions on Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.

Story

I'm taller! Mwahahaha!

I didn't have high expectations from something made by R.A. Salvatore, but the game's story seems workable. There's a war (the Crystal War) going on between the mortal races and the Tuatha, a cult from the Winter Court of the Fae, who are immortal. The player character is a man or woman who is raised from the Well of Souls by the gnomes. He or she has power over her own fate and is unwritten in the tapestry of the world. Essentially, the player is the world's wild card. It is the player's job to save the mortal races from the bloodthirsty Tuatha.

Graphics

This game seems to borrow heavily from Fable. A swear that a lot of the character animations-- the way that my character, Faith, moved, for example-- seem to be the same as the way my character from Fable III moved. The graphics are smooth, exaggerated, and nice; the color palette is lighter than in other RPGs and everything is brighter.

Combat System

It's so pretty... not snowy at all....

Fable again comes to mind. Fortunately, Fable: The Lost Chapters, for the most part, rather than Fable III. I'm fairly certain that the combat multiplier is extant in KoA, which was missing from Fable III. The game utilizes the middle mouse button to move from one weapon to the other, allowing the player to have primary and secondary weapons equipped. (I, of course, chose dual daggers and a longbow.) The magic takes up a separate space, and having played Fable III, where it didn't, I give a hearty THANK YOU to the world. You can see the slots running across the bottom of the screen in the screenshots. They're attached to the right mouse button, and by choosing the number, the player choose the spell. Mana replenishes automatically, but the player's supply is very limited and makes it so that strategy must be properly utilized. The player can both block and dodge, which have different associated stats and abilities. Also enabled are assassin stealth stabs and stealth long-range attacks. Bows have a limited number of arrows, which will eventually refill on their own. Weapons in the game are staffs, chakram, hammers, swords, and daggers, as well as magic. Combat animations are very nice, and special attacks that come about by charging the weapon (holding down the attack button) are nice to look at as well as interesting. And also, very similar to Fable: The Lost Chapters.

Roleplaying Capability

The character creation isn't unlimited, but offers a nice selection. The piercings the game provides are a little blocky and weird-looking, and don't quite sit right on the character, which I hope they either fix by launch time, or someone patches in for later. Given the bevy of weapons and armor that the player can choose from, as well as the different play styles that KoA will adapt to, roleplaying seems like it might be at a good point in KoA. I'm not sure yet whether the game has any morality inbuilt into it, I.E. whether I can play an evil character. There is pickpocketing, etc, but it's unclear as to whether there's a negative effect. I suspect that morality is in the game, but is judged by an unseen meter. If there were more dialogue options allowing a greater range of character expression, I would be happier, but it seems at least fairly solid as it stands.

The boss battle of the intro dungeon.

Conclusion

If Fable: The Lost Chapters were to have an honest successor-- and if that successor actually had the morality angle (need more definite information, KoA!)-- then I wish that KoA was it rather than Fable III. As it is, I'm happy enough that both games exist. KoA also seems to have drawn some from open-world titles, which makes it more expansive than Fable could ever hope to be, but is narrower and, at times, more charming (certainly less serious) than Skyrim. I will be glad to purchase KoA when it comes out on February 7th, 2012!

[Review] The Sims 3: World Adventures and Ambitions

As always, Xmas yields a bevy of new games: Darkspore, as well as The Sims 3: World Adventures and Ambitions. The two expansion packs also coincided with me finally getting the right updates/patches, so who even knows what was included in the games and what was included in the patches. @_@

The breast/muscle definition slider was interesting for the various feminist reasons always given for why breasts/muscles aren't a direct correlation to one another in terms of attractiveness. This was definitely part of the patch/update, as it was released with Late Night. The feminist argument why this isn't a direct correlation is that muscles are indicative of strength; big boobs are indicative of nothing and are cosmetic. However, I approve of the ability to have different body shapes. The fact remains that some people have larger breasts than others, which is why this argument can be discounted, in this particular case. Where game covers have scantily clad, big-breasted women-- that is objectification. Where a game includes the ability to make different body shapes, that's a different case entirely.

The patch also added in the scrapbook function, meaning essentially, memories are back. The notifications for it must be turned off immediately, as the constant popups interfere with gameplay. They still have yet to bring back the ability to write a story with screenshots and captions, which completely obliterates my enjoyment of The Sims 3 vs The Sims 2. *sigh*

World Adventures

World Adventures allows a Sim to go to another country, perform adventures (quests) and gain points on their visa. It quickly becomes tiresome. Sims occasionally have adventure-related wants (especially if they have the Adventurous trait), but the idea of filling a Lifetime Want that's adventure-related is boring and would entail little more than grinding. However, the new items and clothing released with this was nice, as well as the 1000 Sim Points that come with the expansion. The eyeliner that is available is also very nice, but there's a bug-- which no one has yet fixed-- where the eyeliner disappears for no reason, as if it doesn't exist. Thus, although I saw it once, now, no longer. Problem! It shares similarities with The Sims Medieval and The Sims: Vacation/The Sims 2: Bon Voyage expansion packs. It managed to make the vacations somewhat more interesting-- they were always some of the most boring expansion packs-- but vacations aren't interesting enough for Sims to have Lifetime Wants for them. Used as what it is-- a vacation-- having the adventures blended with the vacation is interesting. It's also nice how going to different countries is integrated with career opportunities.

Overall Rating: 2.5/5. It's an okay addition, but nothing special.

Ambitions

Ambitions is quite a bit nicer, with new buildings, laundry, and lots of functionality. I especially wanted this for the Professions-- different than careers-- where you can be a ghost hunter, private investigator, stylist, etc. That you can be self-employed now is very nice. Tattoos were released with this expansion pack, but I'm fairly certain that patches gave them to me beforehand. Either way, there are tattoo stations now and lots of downloads available for nicer body art than the game provides. The new hairstyles are very nice.

Overall Rating: 4/5. This expansion pack enriches roleplay experience in many ways.

PSP FAQ: All You Need To Know to Start Using a Playstation Portable

I have a confession to make.

I adore the PS Vita in all its shiny glory and potential. Yet the PSP was something I missed out on, due to lack of funds and a love of Pokémon over JRPGs. But then I started to hear whispers.

"Final Fantasy VII is in the Playstation Store," the whispers said. "You can get the old PS1 games for the PSP, all of the ones that cost 100+ nowadays."

"But the Vita is $300," I replied. "I can't afford it and the new computer that unfortunate circumstances resulted in my getting. The frequent bluescreening, the inability to play new games... I couldn't deal with my old computer, and that means no PS Vita until its price lowers."

"FFVII... FFVII...." The internet tempted me, but I prevailed.

And then came Black Friday, the blackest of all Fridays, the one where the lure of material things rises from the depths of Hell to seduce the weak.

I knew the PSP would have a major sale on this day, since it is on its way out the door now that the Vita is on its merry way. So after frequent, daily searching and scouring, I finally managed to land an extremely good deal on a PSP. It arrived in the mail, and I russled up a rare hard copy of Persona for it thanks to my friendly neighborhood GameStop, and then it occurred to me that Xmas is only a couple weeks away.

"I should probably wait," I muttered grumpily, and closed Media Go, Playstation's version of Steam, on my computer. I put the PSP materials in a box, and will be waiting until Xmas.

Along the way, I learned a few facts about both the Vita and the PSP that bear discussion, since it required lots of googling and different sources for me to figure them out. There was never one handy source for them, and that's my intention: to make one source for all the necessary information.

PS Vita Fact of the Day: UMD is not supported. This means that the PS Vita will not play your UMD movies or games. In other words, keep your PSP. Although the Playstation Store is good for game downloads, it's not comprehensive. Sony plans on offering a way to transfer UMD to their new format, but it will cost you. Have fun paying twice for your games, kids. Much better to keep your PSP.

Now, for a few PSP basics:

1) The PSP does not have a hard drive. For some reason, I was always under the distinct impression that it did, but this assumption was wrong. Like the PS2, PSP requires a memory card to save games. What the PSP uses is a Memory Stick Duo or Memory Stick Pro Duo. Both Sony and Sandisk make quality products for this. Do not get them in an actual store; they are far too expensive. The best deal is to get the Sandisk 4GB or 8GB from Amazon. If you have extra cash, go for a higher GB size, especially if you plan to download lots of games or store movies/tv shows.

2) The PSP does not come with a USB cable. To download anything from the Playstation Store, you will need a USB cable. The PSP must be attached to the computer while downloading and must have a Memory Stick Duo in at the time of download. The PSP uses a camera cable, with standard USB on one end and smaller USB on the other. I have a Sony e-reader USB cable; this works perfectly.

3) You will want headphones. Though the speakers are excellent, headphones are still the way to go. This is true of pretty much any gaming. Invest in a pair of Skullcandy Chops Buds for super portability and durability. All headphones will break eventually; Skullcandy's warranty is excellent and they will replace them, no questions asked, the moment you send them in.

4) The PSP is extremely prone to pick up fingerprints. I only handled mine briefly to put in the memory card and set it up, but it still bears the scars of my touch. Thus, you will probably want something like a silicone cover as well as a carrying case to keep the screen from scratching. Beware with the silicone cover that I linked-- although I don't mind the things warned in the reviews, you might, so read the reviews first. The crystal case or aluminum case might be more your thing. The PSP 3000 is also extremely light, so anything to give it more bulk is welcome.

And that concludes everything you need to know to get your PSP up and running! Enjoy your new portable gaming lifestyle.

I named the system Cherubim, to match my desktop Seraphim. What'd you name yours? :)