Link Out (26/1/09)
January 26th, 2009
Not only am I back in the writer’s chair, I’m back home in Australia with the better half of my summer holidays layed out in front of me. In fact this whole year is shaping up to be significantly lighter on the workload which I am hoping will result in great things for the blog in 2009.
While my posting frequency has been on a downhill slump for the past few months, everyday away from home I’ve been thinking of new blog ideas and different ways to apply those ideas to my understanding of games. Now, with the time and energy to kill I want to start processing those ideas into what I hope to be a solid representation of what I have in mind for future writing. I feel that my experience abroad should prove to be a pivotal asset to the future of this blog too.
While I might have not been writing everyday, I’ve certainly been staying glued to my favourite publications and writers for the past stretch. So it’s time again to share my personal picks.
IndieGames.com Best-Of 2009 Feature
Indie games have the been the meat of my gaming diet over the past couple of months. Leaving most full production, paid for games sitting on the wayside. I’ve fallen in love with the fresh, passionate approach that drives the development of these games. You probably don’t know it, but about 4 years ago I co-developed a game with my twin brother, sold a few copies etc etc. Having done a little of this, I get great satisfaction out of seeing the work of others. If you’ve ever been interested in trying indie games for the first time, the 2009 list is an invaluable starting resource and where I started early last year (it goes back to 2006 too). No doubt I’ll be writing about these games as I continue to play them.
Faith From Mirror’s Edge Fan-Designed For Asian Tastes
Woah, this one has been sitting on the back burner for a few months! Basically the article features a Photoshoped version of Faith, re-designed for the tastes of Asian consumers. Between the two versions the only differences are that the eyes and breasts which are both largened. I’m a little confused though, as far as my understanding goes, wider, open eyes are considered beautiful in Asian culture but breasts are fine no matter what size the bust. It couldn’t be the other way round either, since it is still a mix match between the two nuances. Maybe the breast thing is a Japanese quirk that got blanketed as Asian, I dunno, sorry for bringing it up. >_<
To All The Scouts I’ve Loved – The New Gamer
I hate the thought of plonking down $AUD100 (convert that into American dollars why don’t you?) for a shiny, new release title, especially when I can download an enjoyable indie rhomp for free. Still, back around the Christmas period, Valkyria Chronicles was the only new release that piqued my attention. In fact, I am dying to play this game, what seems to be a hybrid of my dearly lovely SRPG favourites (Fire Emblem, Final Fantasy Tactics) with it’s own adhering qualities as mentioned in this brilliant critique.
I haven’t read all of these articles yet, I’ll admit that (it’ll happen in due time) but this conglomerate of well written articles is easy to recommend. There’s a whole bunch of articles swimming around regarding the recent internal changes with the 1UP Network, but I feel this one is the only one that does them all justice.
Eurogamer’s Top 50 Games of 2008
A slightly different take on the game of the year awards, churned out by all publications come the end of the year. More like an open forum for the staff to discuss their experiences with each title. It’s pretty refreshing due to the actual discussion and contrast of opinions taking place, a lot of clever, non-snarky humour too.
Retronauts 61, and why 4 means death in Japanese
An interesting rant of sorts by Jeremy Parish over anti-hollywoodisation of the games industry, our graphical ceiling and the opposing polarity of “casual” and “hardcore”, all referenced appropriately with the Dragon Quest series. Lots of interesting points made. Korey over at You Are Lose also ponders the significance of high end graphics for games built on far simpler ground.
Little Big Planet Play Through – Brainy Gamer
Michael Abbott from the Brainy Gamer wrote a pleasing three part series covering the experiences of him and his family members playing Little Big Planet together. Unlike the dump of dismay that fell upon this title near a few months back, Michael’s experience is much more colourful and captures what I interpret the essence of the game to be very well.
This link was forwarded to me from the nice guys over at Video Games Blogger and good on them for doing that. While perhaps not as organized or interesting as it could have been, this video managed to make me chuckle a few times and is essential viewing for crazy MGS fans like me. There are obvious spoilers for the series here.
Other Links
‘New’ Gray Nintendo Logo Is For U.S. Too
RPGs or everything else, but not both
The Convenience of Chinese Ethnicity in Games?
November 22nd, 2008
I remember a few years ago I was watching an interview with Jackie Chan, and one of his comments struck a chord with me. He mentioned that in movies, particularly western movies, the Asian guy never kisses the girl. That’s quite interesting isn’t it? Interesting because he is dead-on in that cultural archetypes and shape media. No one really wants an Asian guy to pash the lovely American actress now do they? Well at least not in western films.
That’s one good example of how culture affects media in the most subtle of ways, beyond the posh British waiter and clichéd American hero. Here is another, much similar to the last. What do all of these female video game characters have in common?
Ada Wong (Resident Evil), Lian Xing (Syphon Filter), EVA (Metal Gear Solid) and Chun-Li (Street Fighter)
That’s right they are all Chinese, well the good bits.
Obviously many attributes have been toned down, while others have been toned up to fit the appropriate audiences. I mean, skin is nice and white, the orientation of the eyes are relaxed, bust is increased and clothes are not particularly Chinese in style (even by contemporary Chinese fashion). These women (excluding Chun-Li) all seem like American born Chinese instead of native Chinese.
A question to you readers, do you think that these characters quantify as culturally authentic and not characters retooled for the western audience? Judging by their appearance, accent, behaviour and so forth. Furthermore, is this perhaps a responsible thing to do and what are the implications of it?
I will share my ideas in another post..well still deciding to respond or to leave it as food for thought. (Yes, that’s right dolling them out in desperation).
Link Out (7/11/08)
November 7th, 2008
Is Sarsaparilla not the drink of Gods? I love the stuff; it’s one of the only consumables that I’m addicted to, along with breath mints. Unfortunately, no mild addiction will save me from my woeful state of disorganization.
Maybe that’s harsh, but I just can’t seem to keep it all together over here (China). I spend the mornings in class and by the time that is finished my energy reserves are all exhausted. Then I have to meet with people, do homework, read the news, play games, write for the blog, phone home and find a moment of solitude to drink my sars before the landlord barges in to talk over the top of me. It’s the foreign language which is crippling my juggling act, I tell you!
Well there is the part whinge, part excuse as to why things are quiet around these parts. This months recommendations on the other hand are fantastic, grab yourself a sars, some mints and start reading.
Games That Defined The History of the PlayStation (PS1) – RacketBoy
Another great feature by Racket and his crew of merry helpers – of which I am a part of. The article is a good reminder of the overall diversity of the Playstation console and how it pulled together players from multiple niches under the one house. Even though the article is already huge in size, many titles were reasonably left out, a good testament to the console’s software muscle. Try to guess the entry I wrote.
Good Game is a weekly TV series in Australia centered around video games. Even though I am away in China, I can still download episodes through the ABC website each week. Actually, the ABC’s online services means that I’ve been watching more Aussie TV than Chinese. God bless cultural resistance.
In anycase, take a read, it’s definitely reassuring to have such an enthusiastic and yet such professional program about video games on TV. You might also find this interesting.
Matt Hazard: The Legacy You Never Knew – Moving Pixels
I often like to razz on video game marketers basically because they are our masters and we are their obedient, money-spending slaves. In this case though, I have to give a shout out – and hey, a free, pitiful plug – to this recent marketing wizzardy.
Video game censorship and the art of horror – News.com.au
Some fruitful, concise and on-the-mark writing by Ben Croshaw, featured in a prominent location. The way the article and all of its various conclusion are wrapped together is quite marvelous. A fantastic argument is put across which highlights the credibility of this medium, exactly the sort of writing we need.
Korean Gamer Makes Video Criticizing Chinese & China – chinaSMACK
This is pretty messy actually. Basically this Korean kid made a video expressing his frustration and disgust of Chinese gamers. While some of it is clearly derogatory, with more being awkwardly translated, there is quite a bit of weight in the observations he puts forth. Most of which I can actually agree with or at least deem reasonable. Read the comments of the Chinese people too, speaks worlds.
Metal Gear Solid 3 Review – Action Button
After my recent spat at the the current state of games previews, with the inclusion of some fond memories of MGS3, I was pleased to come across this from Action Button. This site always writes something interesting about games, even if sometimes it is a little schizophrenic in its approach. You have to applaud them for two things though; writing with some flair and actually discussing the merits of the game.
And the Rest…
Just a quick dump of the rest of the pack. Iroquois Pliskin puts into words how Call of Duty 4 makes light of the many complexities of warfare. Mitch Krpata highlights all thats wrong with the attitudes surrounding this year’s seasoned pickings with a simple conversation log. Ars Technica gets serious about games and finally someone writes something that isn’t completely one sided about Wii Music. Oh and I love this video too. Good stuff
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