MLG Dallas

I am going to first admit that I am not a Starcraft player.
Or at least, I wasn't before yesterday.

This past weekend, I went down to Dallas to attend the first MLG Pro Circuit event of the year. It's an three day e-sports event where gamers compete in Starcraft 2, Halo: Reach, and Call of Duty Black Ops. Rows of computers and televisions were set up around a giant dark conference room lit mostly by the blue glow of those screens and a few dim spot lights, and people gathered in masses to play and watch.

Dr. Pepper was handed out for free (though by day three, I swearing off soda for the rest of my life), and Sony set up a few booths to show off their newest technology - primarily Socom 4 and the Move accessories, the 3D glasses/tvs, and the Xperia PLAY.

My friends and I played a co-op game with the Move guns, which turned out to be way more fun than expected (and I expected it to be pretty fun since my brother recently got Killzone 3 for the Move and I found out that I might suck at FPSs in general, but I totally kick ass at them when using the gun accessory), and later in the weekend I tried out the Xperia PLAY and 3D glasses, both of which, while nice pieces of technology, weren't really my thing.

But you don't come to see what few booths are set up, that's just kind of a bonus.
You come to watch the games.

At the very back of the conference room are five projectors and large screens set up for the main stage competitions - this is where the big games are held. In the center, three screens are dedicated to Halo: Reach. To the right of that is a screen set up for Call of Duty Black Ops, and to the left of Halo is what my friends and I came to watch: Starcraft 2.

Now, like I said, I didn't go into the convention a Starcraft fan. I went in as a Day [9] fan, who I've watched along with my friends who play the game regularly. Day [9] is the handle of Starcraft caster Sean Plott, a charming fellow and a very excellent speaker. Really, even if you refuse to play Starcraft, some of his shows are just great to watch to listen to him for the hell of it.

After some of the games Friday evening, my boyfriend and I were the first to greet Day [9] when he came out onto the main floor. He was just as friendly and sweet in real life as he is on his shows. He is also unexpectedly tall.

(Me and Day [9])

I'm 5'7". Not exceptionally tall, but no one would ever call me short. Except maybe Day [9]. Watching his videos, I probably would have guessed he was 6'0" max. Now I know the truth: Day [9], you slouch a lot. Haha.

Despite having very little interest in Starcraft at first, I quickly got swept up in the excitement. I learned a lot about the professional gamers quickly and got caught up in rooting for my favorites (I adore HuK <3).

I even made a new friend who was competing named Brad! (aka RedFang, aka Dr.NightOwl) It was awesome watching him play and even though he didn't win, he seemed to be having a blast, which made watching his game even more fun.

(Brad and me)

When he kicks ass next year, I've got this picture to show I was one of his first fans before he went big. :D

The whole weekend was just a fun experience. There were some issues on the second day with the internet connect causing lag - it got so bad that they couldn't show games on the main stage for much of the afternoon and evening, but the best part of the whole event was the atmosphere, and if you just stayed chill and let yourself be a part of it, it didn't really matter what you were doing.

The amazing thing was when you stopped to just look around and realize what exactly was going on. Yes, this was a competition, but it was also just a convention of people who all shared a love for these video games. Everyone was excited to be there, to be seeing other people who made playing video games their career and were amazing at it.

It's such an inspiring thing - to know that games have taken on this level of importance, maybe not to everyone in the world, but we're moving forward and it's wonderful. Seeing the dedication and love every single person in that convention center shared just made you proud to be a part of that culture.

And I will say, I learned a great deal about Starcraft this weekend. Primarily that I want to play, too. The strategy and focus involved the game is pretty thrilling. When I got back home yesterday, I promptly stole one of my friend's Starcraft 2 buddy passes, created my account and played a while, then went out and bought the full version earlier this evening. I suck at the game right now, but it'll be fun learning and playing with people. I'm generally not too competitive, but the Starcraft crowd seems friendly and welcoming, and I'd like to be a part of it.

All in all, though, the weekend was really great. If you ever get a chance to go to a live professional gaming event, definitely give it a try. It may not seem all that exciting at first, but if you relax and let yourself get involved, it's really incredible.

Who Ever Said Adventure Games Are Dead?

You are trapped in a cave. You must find your way out, get the treasure, and rescue the girl. You have a piece of sticky tape, a pipe, and a small plant. Go.

I love adventure games (also known as point-and-click games). I would dare to say I love them more than any other type of game out there. Where other really wonderful game genres struggle to hold my attention, adventure games can do so with little effort.

And so, when I found Gemini Rue, I was in bliss, and that bliss continued all the way to the end of the credits.

I'm not going to go into detail about what the game is about. There are plenty of reviews and summaries out already that you can look into that can do a much better job than I can. Just know that it's really great and you should check it out.

In fact, if you're not experienced with point-and-click adventures, you should check out quite a few titles - I'll list them at the end of this post.

You see, there's something charming about adventure games. Something that I think a lot of people miss out on and could appreciate if they gave them a chance.

These aren't high adrenaline, high speed games. Point-and-clicks are the kinds of games where you can sit back and have a cup of evening coffee while playing. They're thinking games, where instead of trying to gather skill points or headshots, you try to come up with ways to get into or out of situations. They challenge and change your perspective. You play one of these games long enough and suddenly you're looking at your own rooms in real life for possible items to use in escape plans or thinking up corny and witty responses in your conversations with friends.

You play adventure games for the stories and the puzzles - they're all about the characters/situations and logic (or lack of logic, in some cases).

Unfortunately, adventure games are not exactly the hottest things on the shelves. In fact, it's a little difficult to find any on the store shelves if the name Nancy Drew isn't included in the title (actually, these Nancy Drew games are pretty fun). In our fast-paced, short-attention-spanned society, people want games that move just as fast as they do or that can be played easily in random chucks on the go without a whole lot of commitment.

But Gemini Rue is solid proof that this is not a dead genre. The game has gotten some amazing responses so far. People are still making these games, and people are still playing them. It helps that wonderful companies like Telltale Games are re-releasing and producing new adventure games based on well-loved series such as Monkey Island, Back to the Future, Sam and Max, and (soon) Jurassic Park. And the DS has proven to be a nice platform for adventures, as well.

Many have thought adventure games were permanently put to rest after the Myst boom, but I think they've just gone into hibernation for a while, waiting for a time when the next "different" thing in gaming actually turns out to mean something classic.

If you're a veteran adventurer, don't worry, I think there's hope for us yet. And if you're a novice to this genre, well, keep your inventory bag close by, brew yourself a pot of coffee or tea, and check out some of these titles below (and the ones linked above). You're in for a different kind of gaming night.

• Beneath a Steel Sky (Free)
  
• The Last Express
• Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers
• Blade Runner (Might have to treasure hunt around to find this one. Absolutely worth it.)

"Multiplayer" Used to Mean Visiting People. In Real Life.

Figuring out how to start a topic is kind of a bitch, sometimes...

So, I've always been more of a single-player kind of gamer.

This isn't to say I don't like company when I play something. I love same-screen multiplayer games, and I'm a fan of watching other people play - especially horror games. Where I scream and throw the controller away from me in the middle of the intro movie, some of my friends have this sadistic ability to not only keep their character walking in a straight line while being hunted by some monster/ghost/zombie (whereas I simply walk straight into walls and become the most convenient target ever), they can also hold out long enough to see what happens AFTER something like this comes on the screen:


Apparently that image is from Siren: Blood Curse. I can't verify that because there's no fucking way I'm ever going to try this game, especially now.

But watching others play horror games in the moments before I run out of the room is a lot of fun, especially when it becomes something like watching a horror movie with the ability to affect the screen with your psychotic shouts of warning (provided your friend listens to you).

But I am completely off the topic I wanted to talk about.

Ignoring these more immediate multiplayer experiences, I'm more of a lone gamer. Which I've come to realize is like being a lone gunman in a town of mercenaries - no one really needs you, and you're not likely to get a whole lot of attention.

And that's kind of how gaming feels for me right now.

Online gaming is where the gaming community is right now - it's involving and ever-evolving, and I can see why people would prefer a game where they can experience a unique situation (unique in that the players dictate a lot more of what happens than single-player games allow) with their friends that they can later talk about with their other friends together, than the latest RPG or platformer that everyone would have to play individually by themselves in order to talk about.

I'm not saying no one plays single-player games anymore, but the online game gets way more attention. And if you want to really feel like you're a part of the gaming community (which I totally imagine as this amorphous blob of people who talk too much and say very little (...like me)), you have to be involved in the online experience.

Even games that are primarily single-player have been getting in on the online trend, like Metal Gear Online or the multiplayer feature of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood.

I'm sure there's something deep to say about the state of society and the increased popularity and demand of online games, but I'm not writing an academic paper and I have no credentials in such an area of research, so we'll just leave it at this vague acknowledgment unless one of you few readers wants to discuss some theories further in the comments section (DOUBTFUL. But please do, if you're interested. I would love it.)

Maybe it's just an avoidance of commitment that deters me from really enjoying an online game. I don't like for my hobbies to become obligations, and that's what online gaming feels like when other people come to expect or rely on my regular appearance.

Mostly, though, this whole realization of the importance of online gaming just makes me feel old (I'm not even 25 yet), nostalgic, and like I'm bringing anti-social behavior to a whole new level by not completely joining the MMO-masses.

I will say I do enjoy online gaming to a degree and will partake in it semi-frequently, but it's kind of like waving a white flag. I don't have a whole lot of choice if I want to be able to talk to friends about gaming after 1999. I reference games from before then all too often, as it is.

"You are not alone."

If you're wondering who the cutie next to the blog title is, her name is Ren and she's a character from the Wii exclusive Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon - a beautiful and sober game about a boy named Seto living in a desolate world where humans are an endangered species. The goal is to try to find the last few survivors in your area, just to avoid being entirely alone for the rest of your life.

I really feel like I should explore the games that the Wii offers more, because while the gems seem few and far between (I would hardly call random-Mario-title-2010 a gem), the ones you can find are usually elegant and slightly left-of-center - breaths of fresh air in a smoggy world of rehashed RPG and FPS games you can hardly keep straight.

I've had my eye on Fragile Dreams since rumors of its release first came out, but, being a Wii game and not getting a huge amount of hype, I kept putting off purchasing it in favor of other big titles, although every time I wandered into a game store, I would sigh dramatically and debate whether or not I should just cave and buy it.

And yesterday, after seeing it on a shelf at Gamestop for a very reasonable price of $20 for a new copy, I couldn't resist any longer.

Totally worth the purchase and the price.

Fragile Dreams is a mix of things: partly it's like playing through one of those quiet anime, like Kino no Tabi (Kino's Journey) or 5 Centimeters Per Second; partly it's an adventure game; and partly it's a survival horror game.

It's not as strange of a mix as it might seem. In fact, I'm a little curious why there aren't more games like this. (Maybe I just don't know about them?)

I'm only a couple hours into the game, but this is what I love so far:

• The visuals are really wonderful. Rich colors and high levels of detail. If you're going to have a game about the end of civilization, you've got to make the world interesting to explore, and Fragile Dreams does this well. Run down shopping malls, earthquake-shattered subways, abandoned artifacts from people's lives. What's really cool is that although all the text is in Japanese, hovering over the writing with your cursor will translate most of it for you, so you can see how normal this place must have been before disasters happened. Best part - the creepy drawings and graffiti all over the place left by past survivors. Adds to the atmosphere and kind of freaks you out when you wonder what inspired them.

• The spooks. Even though the people are mostly all gone, they left behind emotions of malice and despair which have manifested themselves as ghouls lurking around the world. At first you only see the jellyfish/metroid creatures floating around out to get you, but as you explore, the monsters get creepier and stronger. With only a small stick to defend yourself (until you find a stronger stick...), it gets pretty desperate at times.

• Personal Frame. And Seto. And that chicken guy. But really, Personal Frame is pretty great and I want to touch upon her separately. She's this little computer pack that you carry on your back and she offers you advice about your surroundings and your journey. She's got this adorable personality of wanting to impress you by having knowledge about everything to the point where when she accidentally helps you find a key, she stutters and says she knew where the key was all along and purposefully lead you to it. While this is endearing for the most part, it's starting to seriously creep me out. I'm growing cautious of PF possibly having a darker side, and I love her all the more for it. Also, her and Seto have some amusing exchanges, although I don't know if they were meant to be humorous.

• The Wii-mote. Finally, a game that uses the Wii-mote's features! The Wii-mote itself acts as Seto's flashlight and also controls the direction of the camera, so you actually have to aim your cursor around to move. At first, this was a little difficult to get used to, but it's not all that hard and once you do get used to it, it's second nature. The Wii-mote also acts as your ears. You hear various sounds around your environment through your controller and the closer you get or the better you aim your flashlight, the louder the sounds get, which result in this unique way of finding clues and creatures. It also adds to the creepy atmosphere since you can hear ghosts lurking before you can see them and you have to figure out if you're hearing them to the left of you or even on the other side of a wall. Best part - when you hold the Wii-mote vertically to your ear, Personal Frame communicates to you directly to give you clues and commentary about your current situation. The first time she warned me about earthquakes this way, I was absolutely delighted. This extra level of interaction with the sidekick character is just awesome and I want to see more games involve you like this.

Overall, my first impression of Fragile Dreams has been absolutely fantastic. I'm nervous that the game might lag story-wise in some spots, but PF has been pretty good so far at giving me objectives (get out of the subway station, find a stronger weapon, find the key) and it hasn't been a problem yet. (Which is good, because I've got a terrible attention span.) The camera could also be a little better - when the cursor hits the edge of the screen, the camera sticks, which is frustrating during a fight.

But despite the minor complaints, the game has a lot of potential and has already impressed me greatly. It's a nice change from getting bored of a game after the first hour - I'm actually excited to keep playing and see what happens next.

Searching for a Home Away from Home

There are times when I'll be sitting at home or driving through town or doing some random task at work when it'll hit me. This wave of nostalgia and homesickness. This desire to go back, to be somewhere familiar.

This homesickness isn't for a childhood house or even mom's home cooking (I eat that most nights since my parents live right down the street from me).

No, this sudden urge is to go back to some other reality, a place that can't be physically occupied but feels more like home than anywhere I've ever slept.

For me, there are a few: Balamb Garden. Shadow Moses. Hyrule (back in 1992). Amongst others.

Video games give us this opportunity to be other places, to be with other people, to BE other people, in ways movies and books can't. We can walk across the country and spend some time in our favorite villages. We can scope out our high tech apartment and feed our dog while taking a break from hunting Replicants. We can decorate our houses in ways we never would or could in real life, learn the back alleys of the neighborhood slums, stay at mysterious hotels, take a breather in secure diners while searching for our daughter in some hellhole town.

These locations become bases to us, safe places where the conflict of the game can't actively hunt you down. Your heart gets to take a break from trying to pound free of your ribcage. Your thumbs get to take a break from rapid-firing those controller buttons.

So when a game denies me this little space, I get very disappointed.

RPGs, adventure games, horror games, action games - most of these understand the need for a home base and deliver rather nicely.

But where I'd really love to have a "home space," a place to retreat when not questing or fighting, is in MMOs.

Why oh why oh why, do I not get a house in WoW or Guild Wars or FFXIV? I mean, I know the real reason is because it'd be damn expensive to have a house per a player, but come on, can't we get some sort of apartment complex where everyone gets at least one room? I know Guild Wars has guild halls, and those are cool, but let's give it a little more detail and individuality, hm? Allow us to throw our treasures in there and decorate.

Hell, Gaia Online gives members their own little houses to decorate. I think WoW should be able to afford some sort of dormitory. Limit the server sizes and give us a place to live, damn it. If people are going to be getting married in this World of Warcraft, you can't go denying them a threshold to carry/be carried over! I mean, obviously people aren't devoting enough of their lives to MMOs.

Seriously, though, while having a house in WoW may invite people to abuse and neglect their real-lives even more, I think many gamers would thoroughly and safely enjoy the feature.

I, for one - a novice WoW player and perhaps one of the least dedicated gamers on any WoW server - would love the feature. My main problem with MMOs in the first place is that the rewards for heavy battling aren't enough to keep me going. I got new armor? Awesome. I can make an amazing potion? Sweet, go me. Still nothing to really entice me to keep battling over and over.

Give me a house and make battling a way to get stuff to decorate it, though - I be on that all night, I be on that all day, baby.

It would be like an episode of MTV's Cribs - the WoW version. "And in this corner, I stable my own dragon mounts. They have 42-inch satellite televisions in here - got those from some Alliance member whose ass I kicked last week."

No, I'm just kidding, I totally play Alliance. Those Draenei are just too cute to say no to.

Anyway, home space is something MMOs really need to learn to utilize. In single-player games, homes provide small details that really build on the characters and give them a depth that wouldn't be possible without those spaces. We can see how they keep their personal space and that says a lot about a person a game developer is expecting us to spend 50+ hours with.

In an MMO, a game genre that functions largely on the ability for the player to feel like an individual that they've created and developed, having a home space would provide a whole new level of interest, and I'm sure the number of people who would play just to enjoy that "Sims" and "Farmville" aspect of it would more than cover the costs.