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Author Topic: TEM's Biweekly Video Games  (Read 24090 times)

TEM

  • THE SOVIET'S MOST DANGEROUS PUZZLE.
« on: October 24, 2009, 10:37:04 AM »
Every other week I'll post about a video game. There's no restrictions to what game I might talk about, whether it be the week it's released or the genre the game falls into, which means my thread is the best of the video game thing threads!

Week 1: Introduction to Video Games.

Week 2: Killing Demons

Week 3: GOD OF WARAN

Week 4: Fun-size

Week 5: The Difficulty with Difficulty

Week 6: Defining Exclusivisocity

Week 7: The Downloadening

Week 8: MineCrap

Week 9: I'm Gonna Rip Out Your Eye And **** On Your Brain You Alien Dirtbag

Week 10: Skill Mastery

Introduction to Video Games and Critical Approaches 101 Section 003

This week I'll be discussing video games in general, instead of being all restrictive and only talking about one video game (like SOME people).

What is a video game? A miserable pile of cheat codes? NO THERE'S MORE TO IT.

Video games are artifacts created at first as curious novelties. Most people would be surprised to know that video games are only half a century younger than movies, give or take a few decades depending on when you want to set the mark of FIRST VIDEO GAME EVER. For the past few decades video games have become mainstream and are the prime artifact experiences of many millions of people's lives in the same way some people love books or movies. Just like movies video games were thought of as cool weird things, then they were pure entertainment, and now people are thinking that they are art sometimes. They are an amalgamation of music, photography, and film arts combined and infused with interactivity, giving people even further engagement into a thing. Though, much like movies, sound is secondary and not intrinsic to the definition of what a video game is. So back to the question:

WHAT IS A VIDEO GAME?

There's a screen you look at and you use some kind of interaction tool to influence and change what the screen is displaying, also it has to be electronic or digital some how. There is a goal in mind and your interactions affects the achievement or failure of the goal.

So now that you guys know all about video games, two weeks from now I'll talk about a video game or maybe a genre, who knows.

Attached Color Plate (wk 1): An art made by Instructor TEM that has to do with video games.
Attached Color Plate (wk 2): Demon That Has Been Handled by TEM
Attached Color Plate (wk 3): A picture of a God of War II poster.
Attached Color Plate (wk 4): Bullet Candy on Steam, an example of VG Candy.
Attached Color Plate (wk 5): Choosing a difficulty option in Left 4 Dead.
Attached Color Plate (wk 6): Super Mario World, formerly exclusive to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. See Week 6 Post.
Attached Color Plate (wk 7): A news bit about Halo: Reach's upcoming map pack. See Week 7 Post.
Attached Color Plate (wk 8): My feelings after ten minutes of play. See Week 8 Post.
Attached Color Plate (wk 9): A friendly reminder See Week 9 Post.
« Last Edit: February 09, 2012, 09:44:05 AM by TEM »
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WarpRattler

  • Paid by the word
« Reply #1 on: October 24, 2009, 10:44:29 AM »
being all restrictive and only talking about one video game (like SOME people)
Yeah, Glorb, get with the program.

Glorb

  • Banned
« Reply #2 on: October 24, 2009, 12:08:10 PM »
I forgot I even still had that thread.
every

TEM

  • THE SOVIET'S MOST DANGEROUS PUZZLE.
« Reply #3 on: November 02, 2009, 04:06:03 PM »
Demons and Why They Have to Be Killed

Demons and/or creatures from Hell are a recurring theme in video games. Why?

Because stuff from Hell or a comparable dimension of bad things are the ultimate realization of things that need to be killed. So?

Humans want to kill stuff and hurt things in various ways some times. Video games can satisfy that need by allowing you to attack stuff, and the best video games let you attack hell demons. This is a fact.

Examples of games with demons or otherwise hellish creatures:

DOOM, you play as a man on Mars with guns and you shoot demon-type creatures from a portal which probably connects to a Hell-like atmosphere.
Quake, you play as something that has sweet guns and you blow away evil dark things in different evil dark environments
Demon's Souls, you play as a person who slays demons and takes their souls.
God of War, you play as a dude who kills countless minions that crawl up from the depths of Hades.

All of these games are good games. The reason for this is that you slay various kinds of demonic creatures. But WHY is it so satisfying to kill these demons?

Demons are the ultimate representation of things it is okay to shoot in the face or slice in half.

Society will tell you that it's okay to shoot certain things and not okay to shoot others. Demons are on the top of the list of things it's okay to shoot. Other things that are near the top of this list (but below demons) are: zombies, Nazis, hostile extraterrestrials, and exploding barrels.

In summation: Go forth, and feel guiltless as you massacre the unholy wrath-bringers of hell, slayer of demons!
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WarpRattler

  • Paid by the word
« Reply #4 on: November 02, 2009, 04:30:24 PM »
All of those are awesome games, but you forgot Torchlight, in which you can shoot demons in the face and slice them in half at the same time.

BriGuy92

  • Luck of the Irish
« Reply #5 on: November 02, 2009, 08:43:41 PM »
You also forgot Painkiller, in which you shoot the blade with which you slice demons in half into said demons' faces.
Know the most important contribution of the organ Fund science girls type. It's true!

SolidShroom

  • Poop Man
« Reply #6 on: November 03, 2009, 05:58:34 AM »
You homos, he wasn't trying to give a comprehensive list of examples. He just wanted to explain why demons are a frequently used form for video game enemies, and he was successful.

« Reply #7 on: November 03, 2009, 08:27:54 AM »
TEM you forgot Diablo, where you kill the actual devil.

TEM

  • THE SOVIET'S MOST DANGEROUS PUZZLE.
« Reply #8 on: November 19, 2009, 10:31:37 PM »
God of War: The Game

God of War is a game where you are Kratos, an anti-hero styled after Greek mythological half-god figures. Kratos does battle with various beasts such as minotaurs, harpies, and the gods themselves.

Combat
It's cool and like a beautiful flowing ballet. It's like poetry with chains and blades on the ends of the chains. The various combos and moves add great variety and new lines to the poetry. The different combos have strategic value as well, this game is not a mindless hack and slash. As you play the game on higher levels of difficulty, the importance of strategic attacking, dodging, and blocking becomes more apparent. The quick button pressing events for special finishing moves are satisfying to pull off and awesome to watch when successfully performed.

Story
The game is epic, there aren't tons of plot turns or surprises, but it is a solid narrative. The story is inherently epic, and though it doesn't follow mythology precisely, it uses various characters, monsters, and locations effectively. The music is very well done as well.

Other Gameplay
Anyone that likes plaforman and puzzlan will love God of War. A giant chunk of the first game takes place in what is essentially a giant puzzle. As far as platforming is concerned, quick reactions and precision handling comes into play many times, a certain column of blades still haunts my dreams.

Conclusions and Thoughts
When I first played this game I hated it. Lizard Dude purchased it for me, and when I played it at first I thought it was a completely stupid violence fest. I came back to the game a second time, then 2 months later, I had purchased God of War II and they are now two of my favorite games. If you haven't played these games before, definitely grab the GoW Collection.

(DISCLAIMER: I haven't played Chains of Olympus, the PSP God of War game.)

0000

« Reply #9 on: November 20, 2009, 12:12:13 AM »
Oh, I'd say there are several great plot turns and surprises, a few of which blow your mind and one that makes you lol.

God of War is definitely in the highest echelon of all gamingdom. It is the nearly perfect action game in all aspects. If you haven't played them, your gaming experiences are sorely incomplete.

« Reply #10 on: January 04, 2010, 12:12:56 AM »
Hey! Where's the updates? I loved this wacky thread.

TEM

  • THE SOVIET'S MOST DANGEROUS PUZZLE.
« Reply #11 on: January 04, 2010, 11:56:22 AM »
Delicious Game Candy

Irresistible bite-sized bits of electronic fun; this is what describes "video game candy". Cheap, small, quick, fun, and usually acquired by digital means. The specific  limits of what defines video game candy can vary.

The game that can challenge one's notion of where candy ends and normal game begins is Portal. Normally retailing $19.99, this game is about two hours long for the first time player. Portal's length seems correct, but the normal price is a little higher than the normal bit of candy, myself feeling that 10 dollars is the limit. But when the game goes on sale, for perhaps 5 dollars, does it rightfully transform into the vg candy that it is? Another aspect that brings Portal at odds with its potential candy status is its high quality. While normally vg candy is fun, it usually isn't ground-breaking or brilliant, both of which are qualities Portal can be said to have.

Other less troubling examples of vg candy can be found on XBLA or Steam; they are everywhere like in candy shops.

The best source for vg candy, however, is the unknowable amount of freeware titles out on the internet. Free (or requiring a donation) bite-sized games are all over the internet, though to differentiate from flash games, you usually have to download them (and obviously aren't run with flash players). My favorite example of high quality, free vg candy is GRAVITY BONE.

The ultimate questions regarding vg candy is that of definition and allowance of variation. Where are the lines drawn: file size, price, game-play length, a combination of qualifications? And variation, is it to be allowed? If a short game goes on sale during a period of time, is it vg candy during that time? If an old game is now short in comparison to current games, and cheap, has it become vg candy?

Whatever your idea of vg candy might be, just be sure to do one thing. Once in a while, put down the 10 hour long action game, the 80 hour long RPG, spend 5 bucks, and enjoy a fun-sized bite of video game delight.
« Last Edit: January 04, 2010, 12:09:30 PM by TEM »
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« Reply #12 on: January 04, 2010, 04:28:30 PM »
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« Reply #13 on: January 04, 2010, 04:42:05 PM »
for the first time player.
As further WTD, you probably haven't even played it yourself.

CrossEyed7

  • i can make this whatever i want; you're not my dad
« Reply #14 on: January 04, 2010, 04:43:52 PM »
They're more savory than sweet, but Judith, Pathways, and Don't Look Back are pretty nice candies if you're into that kind of artsy stuff.
"Oh man, I wish being a part of a Mario fan community was the most embarrassing thing about my life." - Super-Jesse

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