Dialogue Tree

The Game Awards 2019

December 17, 2019 Scott Thurlow Dialogue Tree

The annual, and let’s be honest—rather blandly named, The Game Awards were recently held, and winners handed their trophies. Which in turn means it is time to compare and contrast my thoughts and picks for the year against the actual recipients after the dust has settled. As is my tradition, I focus on a few select categories of particular interest with the sub proviso of having been able to play what I could up to this point. So let’s dive in, shall we, starting with as always the main event and working down:

Game of The Year

My pick: The Outer Worlds

Winner: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

2019 in my opinion was a better year overall vs. 2018, which in theory made this choice for the best a difficult one. The Resident Evil 2 Remake was my top contender for most of the year, until…The Outer Worlds dropped and Obsidian delighted me in revitalizing the genre, showcasing what a great studio can do in their area of expertise without outside meddling/influence. RE2 remains a very strong second, and at this point is probably the best remake/remaster of beloved classic game. Control would be a solid third, as Remedy delivered a really well done story in an intriguing world with fun gameplay to boot, and I’ve recognized it for such numerous times below. Death Stranding for its pedigree coming from an industry veteran and true auteur was indeed an interesting experiment from an academic standpoint, nevertheless I claim it doesn’t have quite enough going for it to warrant the number one spot, and instead stands as more of an honorable mention. The Outer Worlds just had everything I enjoy about a game from a trusted stalwart developer and so while perhaps biased, is still my choice. Sekiro actually taking it is a little of a surprise, even it seems within the other industry punditry, but I’m not hugely against it, so congrats to FromSoftware for taking the top prize.

Best Game Direction

My pick: Control

Winner: Death Stranding

To me this one was a three-way standoff between Sekiro, Control and RE2. Death Stranding, as divisive as it also might’ve been, was per above unmistakably Kojima’s vision from start to finish, but again that doesn’t equate an auto-win here (at least for me.) RE2 as mentioned is indeed a brilliant remake, but via the fact that it is such somewhat disqualifies it for me, as the original template was mostly already in place. Sekiro advanced the formula codified by FromSoftware and retains their core identity while branching out a bit from the more familiar areas. Control though had excellent world-building married with strong thematic elements that translated very well into the overall direction, and is my choice for this one. TGA disagreed though and did give it to Death Stranding, which as I said is fair, as the game was certainly the creator’s vision realized and Kojima being allowed to make his game his way is something to be celebrated in the current climate.   

Best Narrative

My pick: A Plague Tale: Innocence

Winner: Disco Elysium

Strong contenders here, and as always I look most closely at the narrative component of games more than anything else. Given that, and my glaring caveat regarding having been unable to play Disco Elysium, (although I very much wanted to and am anxiously awaiting the console port next year) I would thus hand this one to Plague Tale, largely due to it being a relatively under the radar title from the AA sphere and wanting to recognize the work being done there in the face of AAAssholery. I think it is the closest in recent memory to creating the gripping melding of story and gameplay that God of War achieved last year, making one actually care about the characters involved and wanting to see their journey through. It is a tale most worth experiencing. The others are no slouches though, and I would (obviously) give an easy second place to Outer Worlds. Death Stranding is strange and distinct in the way only Hideo Kojima can be, but again that doesn’t necessarily translate into the best (or most coherent) narrative. In an alternate universe Disco may have won out had I gotten to it, but Plague Tale is where I stand. In this world, Disco did take it, which only really makes me to play it all the more.

Best Art Direction

My pick: The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening

Winner: Control

This was also an excellent year for visually appealing games, with top-notch world-building being a noticeable thread throughout. With that, the redesign of Link’s Awakening is so striking that I think it’s almost a no contest. I may have brushed it off in other categories for its remake status, but here is where it shines and I will give it all due credit. Runner up would be Sekiro for its light-fantasy feudal Japanese stylings, followed by Control, although I think Control’s merits were as mentioned more noticeable elsewhere in other areas. TGA kindly disagrees again though, but in this case I’m more than happy to see it given to Control, since I do want it to be recognized more for its creativity.

Best Score/Music

My pick: Devil May Cry 5

Winner: Death Stranding

I only “heard” a few of the titles in this particular category, so I can’t speak to many. Death Stranding’s subdued and ethereal country-esque soundtrack did technically accompany the desolate and picturesque landscapes fairly well, but was also sort of forgettable after the fact. Cadence of Hyrule, being essentially a rhythm game, ostensibly has a cool soundtrack, but again didn’t actually play it. From what I did, I would’ve given this to DMC5, with its over the top rock-gothic bombast matching perfectly to the frantic and (ahem) devil may care style of action that was always a joy to hear blaring while slicing up demons and hellhounds with panache and flair. Death Stranding sweeps in again up though, and despite some small cries of favoritism, (as it is well-known TGA producer Geoff Keighley is good friends with Kojima) I’ll reluctantly say it’s acceptable enough here.  

Best Performance

My pick: Matthew Porretta as Dr. Casper Darling, Control

Winner: Mads Mikkelsen as Cliff, Death Stranding

I adored pretty much every performance on the list, with all of the nominees turning in some great roles. Death Stranding double killed with two nods from high profile actors not normally known for game acting, and portraying two very different characters in the same game. Meanwhile Courtney Hope and Ashly Burch were wonderfully charming playing their respective characters, some of their best work yet and it’s tough to pass them over. Even so, I think Matthew Porretta absolutely owned the role of the unsettlingly enthusiastic and enigmatic paranormal scientist Dr. Darling in Control, and as I’m always a fan of the unsung underdog, his performance takes the crown in my eyes here. That leaves me feeling ok-ish about Mads for Death Stranding winning again. I will say that I do believe his performance was more impactful than Norman Reedus’ in the game, so it’s still fine I suppose, but I stand by Mathew deserving a piece of the limelight for an underrated role.

Best Independent Game

My pick: Disco Elysium

Winner: Disco Elysium

Kind of had to take a total mulligan on this one, as I technically didn’t play of the titles, although am familiar with all. I saw a friend’s daughter play Goose at a party, and while amusing, I don’t think anything beyond its fundamental novelty/meme generating factor is enough to say it’s the best indie game. Katana ZERO is the kind of retro-style title I’m usually into, but exclusivity reared its annoying visage again and it was only on PC and Switch. What I will say is from among these, Disco Elysium is the title that is most in line with my tastes, and having read a bit about its development and the team involved prior, is on paper (and by default in practice) snagging the win. So due to that, if only by de facto, TGA and I are on the same page and I’m glad to see an indie game that’s up my alley taking the third of its four total awards (the fourth was relatedly Fresh Indie which I haven’t covered.)

Best Action Game

My pick: Metro Exodus

Winner: Devil May Cry 5

ApexLeg and COD are automatically disqualified in my book for this, so sorry if you’re a fan of either, but they don’t count for me. Gears 5 was good, but not great. That then basically leaves a battle between DMC5 and Metro Exodus, but I think Metro wins out for having a bit more substance to it. DMC5 has a fantastic style and is a great amusement park ride (more traditionally “action-y”) but Exodus has more going for it in terms of overall presentation and depth, and is the best in the series to date, so for those reasons gets the win from me. DMC5 being declared the winner is perfectly kosher, as I said it was a close second, and I think it does deserve attention for being perhaps the best title in its own series, even if I felt Metro was slightly better suited.

Best Action/Adventure Game

My pick: Control

Winner: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

It still grates on me and I continue to harp on that the fact that there are distinct categories for this one and the above, but that’s the world we live in I suppose. Therefore I gave myself some tunnel vision glasses and attempted to judge this one by what I consider a pure “action/adventure” title, although for sure every game in contention here could have easily had a shot. In that light and for sheer entertainment/fun value, Borderlands 3 delivered a bounty, and was a blast to play from start to finish without diminishing what put the series on the map and made it enjoyable in the first place. RE2 absolutely raised the bar for remakes and was simply a great game unto itself, one that I have a long and cherished history with. The same is true of Link’s Awakening, and if I had a Switch I would’ve 100% checked that out too. But with both being technically remakes, I like to award originality, so that said, in the end I went with Control. Remedy reliably creates another unique and eerily quirky world to discover and journey through with empowering character abilities. Sekiro taking it here from TGA is perhaps a signal for it also winning GOTY in retrospect, yet I’ll more staunchly stand by Control being what should have won.   

Best RPG

My pick: The Outer Worlds

Winner: Disco Elysium

Ran into a bit of a speedbump here, insofar as I mentioned that while I heard amazing things about Disco Elysium, and it popped up and ending winning other categories, I didn’t get a chance to experience it firsthand, so unfortunately was unable to comment on it personally. Monster Hunter: World won last year, however it’s just not my thing. The same goes double for FFXIV and KHIII, I’m sure fans enjoy them, but I was always going to pass on them. I would also add that I think GreedFall was snubbed, as it’s a fantastic new/original IP in the genre, and one which I’ll gladly tout given a chance. From the list though, and on the crest of my my overall enthusiasm for Outer Worlds combined with already handing it GOTY, I’ll have to cop-out just a little and award it the spot here too. Disco grabs it in actuality here, yet another reason for my enthusiasm in awaiting the port next year to get my hands on it and see whether I may retroactively change my opinion.

There you have it, The Game Awards vs. my personal picks from the select categories above for 2019. Overall I disagreed more on average than other years and my biggest takeaway is that The Outer Worlds and RE2 got big time snubs by not winning a single category. That’s why I suppose I’m writing this here and not on the board of judges. In any case, stay tuned to the channel as the GDC awards will follow, and of course we’ll be doing our own lists on the show after the new year. Until then, thanks for choosing Spacer’s Choice, it’s not the best choice, but TLS is. Cheers!  

Telltale’s The Walking Dead: The Final Season: Upon a Sinking Ship

April 4, 2019 Scott Thurlow Dialogue Tree

Warning: Major spoilers ahead for The Walking Dead: The Final Season

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As some may be familiar with by now, and as covered on our industry wrap up a bit earlier, Telltale games spectacularly and unexpectedly imploded last year, shuttering the studio and leaving the fate of The Walking Dead series that put them on the map originally in question. It took many by surprise, not the least of which were the developers themselves. In the initial fallout, it was unclear if the series would be finished at all. Two episodes had released prior to the closure, but the future after that was unclear. After a period of uncertainty, Skybound Games (who were creative directors on previous seasons) stepped in to assist and provide an outlet for the core team to finish the latter two episodes.

While we may never quite know the details and what the exact situation was at the studio during its dying days, in its wake there were various accounts floating around from those who did have a front row seat to provide some insight. Based on what emerged from some of that, I argue the final parts of their flagship title can be said to contain some interesting possible parallels to the real-life conditions surrounding its creation.

So, what follows is perhaps emblematic of my patented brand of over-thinking/analyzing (which is my job anyway) but I did notice some striking similarities in many of the interactions and situations in the swansong season to what might very well have actually been happening behind the scenes during and after Telltale’s downfall. Obviously it’s helpful if you’ve played the final season to its conclusion or are least familiar with the main characters and overall story, but even if not, I shall attempt to lay out a broad overview and then make my case. Spoilers ahoy:

The setup for the final season is: Clementine (the original child protagonist, now teenager) and her adopted-by-default (i.e. zombies ate his parents) sidekick/son AJ (age 6 or 7) are trying to find a home and some semblance of safety in the walker-infested world, all while simply struggling to survive day-to-day. Clem is attempting to impart some semblance of a moral code to AJ on top of this via player decisions and discussions with him. During an early bog standard escape sequence in episode 1, the two of them end up stumbling upon a secluded former ‘school for troubled youth’ which is now being operated as a sort of bastion in the wastes by said youth.  

After some perfunctory introductions and the obligatory friendly/mistrustful dichotomy, there is the meandering ‘relationship building’ that inevitably comes along with encountering a new group throughout episode 2. Following that, Chandler’s Law is invoked: raiders show up, kill a character or two, and kidnap some others (one being a possible love interest character.) The remainder of the episode more or less entails the kids squabbling among themselves about how best to go about the rescue mission, with the player as Clem offering her expertise and advice on the details. Eventually a plan is hatched and the stage is set for the daring attempt in the next episode.

Now we arrive at the elements that sparked this think piece. Because of the timing of when episodes 3 and 4 were produced, I argue they encapsulate the possible mindset and mood of the handful of developers, programmers, artists and writers who were thrown the lifeline by Skybound after Telltale’s demise to complete them, which are reflected in the action and setpieces of the story. Clem and co.’s plan is to lead a large herd of walkers to use as cover, sneak onto the raider base (which so happens to be a battered but functional ship sitting in the nearby harbor) and rig it with homemade explosives to cause a big enough ruckus to free their friends.

During the course of the assault however, the team is found, captured, and threatened with conscription into the raider forces. All seems lost and their dreams of a successful reunion are crushed. Clem of course manages a breakout just as the bombs go off, everything goes to hell, and episode 3 culminates with the sabotaged ship exploding and capsizing in the waters, while everyone scatters in the chaos. This moment is the closest mirror in my estimation to the team’s experience. The major characters are left desperately trying to escape a burning, sinking ship, wondering about the fate of their compatriots as well as their own immediate survival. All of this to me is clearly a not-so-subtle metaphor for the studio as it collapsed, and the sense of upheaval its abrupt closure surely must have imparted.   

Episode 4 opens directly in the aftermath, as on the shoreline beyond the ship, the horde of walkers waits to devour Clem and AJ and anyone else caught in its path. This could reasonably be said to represent the mass of fans who clamored for the finish they felt they (mostly) deserved, and/or the scary prospect of having to now find work in an industry notorious for mistreating its employees for the developers. Trapped between a rock and hard place, the duo narrowly manage to evade both perils, only to be confronted with a surviving bandit who proceeds to almost chop off Clem’s leg, slowing their escape down significantly and causing her to (finally) get bitten as she hoists AJ to safety while fleeing.

Battered and in double mortal danger, it looks as if Clem is about to finally succumb to the harsh world she strived so hard and sacrificed so much for to endure to this point. She tells AJ to leave her behind (or optionally shoot her) and to continue to live and survive for her. We then cut to the school, see the surviving kids prospering, and are now controlling AJ as the PC. We wander around the yard, check in with some of them, and are just about ready to accept the fact that Clem’s gone and AJ must continue without her guidance.

Until moments later, when Clem appears alive and well, sporting crutches and an amputated limb. AJ and her sit down together and share a moment of relief about the newfound stability and ostensible permanent home they’ve found. The series ends on a cautious note of hope, with the slow roll reveal of Clem having survived the ordeal and settling into her new position as de factor leader of the school, while AJ embraces his budding maturity, adding a touch of sweet to the bitterness that preceded it. Much like how Skybound swooped in at the eleventh hour and enabled at least some of the Telltale survivors to finish the project, saving it from the fate of going quietly (and undignified) into the night.

As I stated earlier, whether any of the above aspects were intentional, and to what degree, is certainly up for debate and interpretation. But I maintain that if art is indeed in some manner a reflection of the circumstances of its creation, then the examples above serve to provide a sort of conduit, in my perception, to the attitude and experience of the artists who produced it during a time of unease in their lives. In any case, I found it fascinating upon ruminating on it after finishing the final episode, and felt compelled to convey the observation. But for anyone out there who has also played and completed the final season, what do you think? Drop some thoughts and comments if you are so moved. In the meantime, I will remain on the lookout for instances to apply my eager over-analysis to in the coming games on the horizon.        

-Scott Thurlow

Game Developers Choice Awards 2019: Winners

March 28, 2019 Scott Thurlow Dialogue Tree

The GDC winners for this year were announced about a week back, and so it’s back to me to check in with my predictions and see how I fared. Let’s just press start and go into it then:

Best Audio:

My pick: Red Dead Redemption 2

GDC: Celeste

Wrong on all fronts to begin with it seems. I had RDR2 or God of War taking this one, although in my brief defense as mentioned in my predictions, I was fairly unfamiliar with a few games on the list, Celeste being one of them. So I can’t say whether it was truly deserved or not, but I will congratulate it, while still saying one last time RDR2’s soundscape is sublime.

Best Debut:

My pick: Florence

GDC: Florence

A sort of default win for me, since I didn’t actually play any of the titles on the debut list this year, but had heard significant buzz/praise for Florence at the time of the nominees announcement, and so gave it the best odds to win purely based on that. Hopefully this coming year I’ll be able to check out more new/fresh releases and have more insight when 2020’s GDC rolls around.

Best Design

My pick: Into the Breach*

GDC: Into the Breach

Another backdoor-ish victory. Though I had assessed it might be a struggle between the three big AAA heavyweights; Spider-Man, God of War and RDR2, I did also state that Intro the Breach has a chance based on the high praise it received regarding design in the turn-based strategy sector, so I’ll count one for me, and give it the credit it seems it earned.

Innovation Award

My pick: Return of the Obra Dinn

GDC: Nintendo Labo

Not too sure how to feel about this. Obviously I missed the mark, but I’ve always had reservations about Nintendo’s Labo initiative. Not that I’m vehemently against it, it’s just that attaching a bunch of cardboard gewgaws to a controller etc. seemed odd to me as an idea for a “game.” But apparently it was fun/interesting enough to the community to win here. Although my pick Obra Dinn did take down…

Best Narrative

My pick: Spider-Man

GDC: Return of the Obra Dinn

This was a tough one, as I wanted Obra Dinn to be recognized for sure, just perhaps in a slightly different spot. Still, I’m not upset by any means it nabbed the nod here. Spider-Man might have been my personal choice, but Obra Dinn is a worthy pick and I still recommend checking it out. That only leaves us with…

Game of the Year

My pick: God of War

GDC: God of War 

At least my winning streak continues when calling GOTY, and really I don’t see any other choice but to put the masterful new iteration of the journey of Kratos (and his boy) in the top spot of the year. The GDC correctly agreed and of all the titles in this year’s running, this one was the most deserving of the recognition and heaps of praise it garnered. It is truly a milestone in modern games, and if there is any small sliver of positivity in the industry, it’s that more games will take notes from God of War and push themselves to the heights that it did. 

That about wraps-up the GDC 2019 winners. You can check out our own picks and thoughts on best (and not best) games of 2018 here. See you in 2020 for the next round of awards. 

 

Resident Evil 2 Remake: That RE You Like Has Come Back in Style

February 8, 2019 Scott Thurlow Dialogue Tree

Already in this new year I find myself having a bout of déjà vu, in a good way. Back in early February of 2017, I wrote a piece on Resident Evil 7 and how it had, in my opinion, achieved a much-needed revitalization of the long-standing survival horror franchise. It sold quite well and was acclaimed by both reviewers and the fanbase. Following on the heels of that success, now almost exactly two years later, the 2019 remake of Resident Evil 2 has already shipped 3 million copies in its first week (and counting) and is garnering equal if not higher praise than RE7. I thus am in turn compelled to add onto the laurels lavished upon Capcom, and how they resurrected and reimagined such a well-known and beloved title.

I had been enthusiastically looking forward to the RE2 remake since it was announced. You see, the 1998 original is one of my all-time favorite titles, my first foray into the series and real exposure to the genre during my tender teenage years. RE2 was the game that showed me that the medium could be scary, gory, nerve-wracking and intense while containing at least a solid story framework, if not the most well-written. Indeed, the campiness of some of its elements was always part of its charm, especially with the more limited and rudimentary cutscenes/acting for the era, but it contained real horror as well; mainly due to the mechanics of managing resources against increasingly bizarre and difficult enemies (and more of them as you progressed) combined with the iconic fixed camera angle style, trying to solve oddly themed puzzles while knowing danger and death were always lurking around every new corner, and even some old ones.

RE2 kept you on your toes every step of the way, so that the moment you let your guard down for a second could mean the end. It also had the novelty of having multiple characters and storylines that intersected and overlapped, creating a much bigger tale than what it seemed on the surface. And the music, the goddamned incredible music my friends, added such a haunting layer to the already nail-biting atmosphere. The point is, I fell in love with and played the shit out of that game, even though I was never quite able to finish all the scenarios back then. Noob, I know, but it didn’t stop me from trying and retrying Leon A/Claire B and vise versa.

Fast forward to today, and although it’s been over 20 years at this point since I touched the original, the underlying feeling it imparted to my gaming sensibilities is hard to overstate. RE2 literally changed the way I viewed games and introduced me to a whole new side of them. It was the genesis for my predilection for horror games in general. I have to give RE2 all the credit it deserves for its impact both personally to me and to video gaming as a whole. So it was with more than a little excitement that I knew the remake would be the first game I played in 2019. And holy hell, is it just as good if not better than ever.

Before I go into specifics, I must state that this is what a ‘remake’ should be. A new bar has been set which all other remakes/remasters/what-have-you should and will likely be measured against. RE2 takes everything at the core that worked in the original, and updates/reinvents them to play and feel like a polished and slick as fresh blood modern horror title. It is the opposite of a lazy and cheap reskin, slapped together for some quick cash, and truly does the original justice. RE2 is a game that can equally be enjoyed by newcomers and longtime fans alike, as it feels both familiar and fresh in all the best ways. With that, allow me to touch some of the things it does to achieve this, but be aware, that may entail possible spoilers…

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Firstly, as mentioned above, what often made the original so unsettling was the fact that the camera angles served to heighten the fight-or-flight response provoked when encountering enemies upon initially entering an area. For the remake, the style was switched to a more RE4/standard third-person over the shoulder view. This works wonderfully since the cramped, tight corridors, hallways, stairwells etc. are perhaps more claustrophobic than previously because of it. RE2 manages to recreate the classic dreadful uncertainty without sacrificing playability/visibility. The mix of lighting/shadows alongside the superb sound design (which of course is a hallmark of any great horror) is an absolute masterpiece. Creeping cautiously around barely-lit corners, shining the small cone of your flashlight to catch a glimpse of a licker (the skinned-alive-looking exposed-brain-for-a-head-and-no-eyes-creatures) or hearing the menacing click-clack of its claws as it crawls along the walls is just as heart-pounding as it was in 1998. With the benefit of modern gen graphics/animation, it’s all the more unnatural and terrifying.

In fact, even the ‘bog standard’ zombies are a credible threat, again due to their design. They have a stilted, unpredictable movement pattern which in turn creates fantastically harrowing moments when trying to either combat or flee from them. Headshots don’t instantly drop them either, they’ll take a few bullets to the dome to even stagger and usually more on top of that to put down for good. Or you could always try some targeted dismemberment to incapacitate them, though this has risks of its own…and even if you think you have permanently dealt with them, creating a safe passage or clearing out a room, that still isn’t a guarantee. It’s again incredibly effective for preventing a sense of safety or complacency in the player. While it can sometimes seem unduly punishing, I assure you it isn’t actually unfair. If you stay alert and careful, it is completely doable, and they can reasonably be dealt with throughout. Just don’t get cocky, kid, as they can easily overwhelm a heedless player.  

Another aspect that’s been kept but modernized to a degree is the extent of puzzle solving/item-acquiring to advance through the main landscape of the police department and areas beyond. One of the more famous features is that in universe, the setting of the Raccoon Police Dept. was converted from an old museum, thus explaining why there is such a preponderance of ancient art/relic related baubles to collect, combine, and shove into various receptacles to open up the next section. It may seem to be a bit of an artifact of older game design, but it still works well in the remake, and since they are now parsed down a bit/made less obtuse, it doesn’t feel as much of an annoying slog and backtracking fest as it once could’ve. Integrated into that is a new map system that shows clearly what areas have been looted fully and what items are left to collect in each and every room.  

Those are a few of the major highlights regarding the positive changes in direction and design contained in the remake. In general, the main beats of the original Leon/Claire storylines are kept in, (locations, character encounters, boss fights etc.) however the remake does slightly shift exactly when they occur as well as streamlining them into two full campaigns vs. four, in addition to throwing in a few completely new inclusions/surprises. Though there are only slight changeups in the interactions and timing once you’ve seen the entire story from the intial A/B perspectives, it’s still possible to play the reverse order. Finally on top of that, the classic challenges like obtaining high grade rankings and other unlockables/mini modes all here intact, which adds to the replay factor. (Personal note: I’m attempting to platinum trophy this one, and nowadays any game that entices me to do that has earned high marks indeed.)

If there are nitpicks to be had, I would say perhaps a few instances of the boss fights in particular can have an archaic feel, specifically in terms of the size of the arena/enemy versus the player, but again once you get a handle on it, it’s not all that egregious. My other complaint is mostly due to the extra content that could’ve been included in the base game but instead is being sold separately as microtransactions (or is packaged with the deluxe edition.) While I admit I shelled out an extra three bucks to install the original score and effects, the new remixed versions are pretty great unto themselves. But, I fell prey to my nostalgia, and wanted to hear those eerie chords from so long ago reverberate through the station. As I said, small things in the grand scheme, but as a quick PSA for anyone out there on the fence or considering which version to get.

All in all, I maintain RE2 stands as one of the best survival horror games ever made, and the remake definitively proves that. It recaptures everything that was great about it 20 years ago, and updates the obsolete elements to be in line with the highest standards and expectations of the current generation. No matter your history (or lack thereof) with it, RE2 is a true treat either to return to or to experience now for the first time. It is a must-play for any fan of the genre. Here’s to hoping Capcom can keep up this momentum (and if the rumors are true, they are working on remaking RE3: Nemesis next.) Until then, I’ll see you in the ruins of Raccoon City, and watch out for Mr. X.

-Scott Thurlow

Game Developers Choice Awards 2019: Nominees/Predictions

January 11, 2019 Scott Thurlow Dialogue Tree

Time marches on, the new year has arrived, and thus the GDC has announced their nominees for the upcoming awards in March. And as I’m no exception to being a slave to time, I also once again will go over certain categories, (i.e. the ones I’m personally most interested in) giving my thoughts and predictions on them. Before I dive in though, just a quick reminder that these are distinct from The Game Awards previously covered (and in general thought to be more “credible” since the GDC is a peer-driven developer organization/event.) There is considerable overlap here, and I’m going to be sticking closely to my picks made for TGA, lest my own credibility wanes. However I am also nothing if not cynical, and so throughout I’ll be laying out both what I think will win vs. what I think should.

Let us start then as I have before (since time is also a flat circle) with the nominees for Best Audio. I chose Red Dead Redemption 2 and I definitely stand by that here. It is simply the most fitting soundscape to accompany the epic journey within the setting. Some standout tracks match perfectly to both big setpiece scenes as well as outside missions for whatever outlaw hijinks one gets up to during the course of exploring the Old West. I’m fairly certain the GDC will agree, but if not, I would point to God of War getting the win for the sweeping Norse score that compliments the story and action quite well.  

For Best Debut, I’ll reiterate that I’m less familiar with this year’s titles, as my gaming was mostly dominated by huge open world AAA titles in 2018. Nevertheless, I’ve heard some solid buzz around both Florence and The Messenger, and checked out some gameplay footage of each. Moss, being a VR title, might have an edge (though there is a separate category reserved for solely VR games) and does look quite impressive. My assessment is that Florence probably has the overall advantage, but again given my surface-level knowledge here, I can’t say with as much confidence, and could see myself being way off on this one.

That will bring up Best Design which is always one of the tougher ones to call. At the outset, I would say it’s a fairly even three-way standoff between the “big ones”– God of War vs. Spider-Man vs. RDR2, (which actually would be fucking cool to see as a fight in a game unto itself) any of which stands a decent chance and I’d be ok with. But in somewhat of a dark horse/sleeper pick, I could definitely see Into the Breach nabbing this one, since it was able to inject some unique slants and mechanics into the standard tactical/strategy isometric genre, making it feel fresh in what is often a crowded market.

Next onto the Innovation Award, and off the bat I disagree with even including RDR2 here. For all its strengths, it remains a ‘Rockstar game’ at its core. And while that does mean fantastic production value and quality storytelling, it isn’t particularly innovating so much as perfecting its long-established formula at large. Thus I’m completely discounting it from this category. What I would choose (in a bout of déjà vu) is Return of the Obra Dinn for its spin on the puzzle/detective-em-up as well as its stripped down, stark and striking visual style to go along with the mystery. Tetris Effect has significant goodwill swirling around it too, and would be a good second choice.

Best Narrative has become more and more my main category to keep an eye on since it’s one of the biggest aspects of interest to me in videogames. Again, sticking to my earlier stance, I’ll take Spider-Man because of how well it balanced the line between established lore and setting up its own high-caliber story within that framework. This though is where the RDR2 juggernaut may rear its head and the GDC will comply by feeding it the award. God of War can also earn this one easily, which would be more than acceptable as it still remains my pick for…

…Game of the Year. As I said, God of War in my estimation was the most complete and impressive experience as a whole. While the other titles here are not miles behind it by any means, GoW delivers the most on almost all spectrums of a game overall, and stands out as to how the medium can mature and change. It manages the feat of keeping the core elements of a widely respected and popular franchise/character intact, while expanding and growing the property in a positive direction, all without sacrificing integrity or cowing to short-sighted industry trends. Still, I can see it coming down to one last knock-down drag-out bout between it and RDR2, which for one last time I am not against winning here, I merely purport that GoW is superior in execution, if only by a narrower margin than it might seem.

Combing quickly through the list of honorable mentions, less stand out this time around, but even so I’d give credit to: Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, Far Cry 5, Detroit: Become Human and Where the Water Tastes Like Wine (and please let’s get a port of that for consoles!)

That’s all for the 2019 GDC predictions. Check back in March (and of course when our own Games & Gaming Culture top games episode releases) when the winners are finalized and I tally my score. Until then, cheers,

-Scott Thurlow

The Game Awards 2018

December 10, 2018 Scott Thurlow Dialogue Tree

This year’s Game Awards have just come and gone, and so it is time of course to insert my thoughts about the nominees and winners, in some of the categories of main interest to me at least. As usual, my standard disclaimer of I played what I was able to play stands, but will of course comment on other titles I’m at least familiar with, even if I wasn’t able to get hands-on time checking out. The full list of nominees and winners for all categories is available here over at the official site.

So let’s start as normal with game of the year and work down. The picks in this category were much stronger I thought than some previous years’. There was some very tight competition among the titles and I happened to play 4 out of the 6 total (For full disclosure these were: God of War, Spider-Man, Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, and Red Dead Redemption 2.) I might as well mention here too that a good chunk of these titles shared nominations across a number of the other categories, making it a bit tough in general to decide which ones deserved the win within each specific category and/or how far the mileage goes to saying the same ones deserved multiple spots. All that said, let’s dive in:

Game of the Year
My Pick: God of War
Winner: God of War

As I said, a tight race, many of my close associates thought I would put Red Dead Redemption 2 sight unseen here, but (in what may be its own article later) I had my issues with it, specifically regarding a number of its mechanics. Spider-Man was a very strong contender, but in the end God of War edges them both out, as it was the most complete package overall, merging story and gameplay masterfully, and here is rightly recognized by the Awards for its achievement in that.

Best Game Direction
My Pick: Red Dead Redemption 2
Winner: God of War

The caveat that game of year and this category are essentially one and the same largely remains, as evidenced by God of War taking both. But in this case I would’ve actually given it to RDR2. Rockstar has always had stellar production value and the argument that their games, or at least many of the scenes, are directed on the caliber of Hollywood movies absolutely holds true in this instance. Without going into spoilers, that also bleeds over into plot, which as mentioned in the introduction, then itself bleeds over into narrative! But in any case, it would be my personal pick here, while Spider-Man and God of War would be the close runners-up.

Best Narrative
My Pick: Spider-Man
Winner: Red Dead Redemption 2

Another struggle to pick a clear winner, as there are certainly cases to be made for all. Detroit: Become Human was a noble effort, but I felt fell a little flat in its presentation and wasn’t as nuanced as it could’ve been in spots, particularly regarding its lofty attempts at analogous contemporary themes, and thus loses some of its impact story-wise. My instinctual reaction was, and still is, to hand this one to Spider-Man since it unfolded as a great original story; remaining true to all the characters and circumstances that are familiar to fans, while also being quite accessible to those who aren’t as versed in the lore. It was as good (or better) as some of the best Spider-Man tales, comic or otherwise, and that I think is the main reason it should get this spot. This time, RDR2 and God of War battle it out for a photo-finish second place, and thus I have no complaint with RDR2 winning here.

Best Art Direction
My Pick: Return of the Obra Dinn
Winner: Return of the Obra Dinn

Bit of an odd duck category, as the question probably is: what’s the difference between this and direction as a whole? My answer usually points to the aesthetics if not graphical quality of a game, versus its overall design. Given that, I’m initially tempted to give it to AC Odyssey, as while the world of ancient Greece was gorgeously realized, (not to say the worlds in the others weren’t quite beautiful, or at least fitting as well) I think the uniqueness of Return of the Obra Dinn shouldn’t be overlooked, and do check it out if you can, as it’s one of the most intriguing styles I’ve seen recently; and it seems The Game Awards (obviously correctly) agrees.

Best Soundtrack/Score
My Pick: Red Dead Redemption 2 (Woody Jackson and Daniel Lanois)
Winner: Red Dead Redemption 2 (Woody Jackson and Daniel Lanois)

Apologies to keep repeating this, but it’s an inescapable fact that any one of the titles could have taken home a win here. Bear McCreary’s work is well-known in this and other media, and the epic Nordic inspired score for God of War was fantastic. Similarly, the version of adrenaline pumping orchestral sweepings in Spider-Man by John Paesano added a lot to the feeling of inhabiting the world and being the character. Yet I think it’s the alternating badass and mournful Western/country tunes from Woody Jackson and Daniel Lanois in RDR2 that truly match the nature of the setting, seamlessly conveying the outlaws vs. lawmen mood, along with the highs and lows of the story throughout its entirety. I’ll mark this a double-kill, as the outlet and I agree here too.

Best Performance
My Pick: Melissanthi Mahut– Kassandra in AC: Odyssey
Winner: Roger Clark– Arthur Morgan in Red Dead Redemption 2

Again, I wish all of these voice actors were officially recognized because every one of them turned in an amazing performance. Yuri Lowenthal as Peter Parker was natural and convincing as hell, while Christopher Judge’s older and (somewhat) more reserved Kratos displayed both the authority central to the character and a vulnerability not previously present in his personality. Forced to pick though, I would have to hand it to Melissanthi Mahut as Kassandra in AC: Odyssey for the range and charm she brought, whether in serious moments of the plot or in more light-hearted/romantic portions, as it really went a long way to making her one of the best protagonists in the series to date. Roger Clark’s Arthur Morgan as the actual winner is perfectly fine, as his role as the character is multi-faceted and praiseworthy indeed.

Best Indie Game
My Pick: Return of the Obra Dinn
Winner: Celeste

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to play many of these this year, as the major AAA titles took up the lion’s share of my gaming time. But from what I’ve gathered of each, it seems Dead Cells was highly regarded as new entry in the Metroidvania genre, while Into the Breach was touted as an equally well-done tactical turn-based strategy title. So admittedly by default, my limited pick is Obra Dinn, which combined its aforementioned striking art style with a murder mystery/detective puzzler. Kudos to Lucas Pope (whose prior title was Papers, Please in case anyone forgot) for delivering another quirky but quality indie game. Since I’m not very familiar with the real winner, Celeste, I’ll simply congratulate it and move on.

Best Action
My Pick: Far Cry 5
Winner: Dead Cells

No interest in Destiny or CoD (who were among the nominees) for years, but I do still enjoy the Far Cry franchise, and quite liked 5 (despite some story shortcomings as I laid out in an earlier post.) Dead Cells being the actual winner leaves me sort of neutral; it’s fine I suppose, congrats to it as well and maybe when/if I get some more free time I’ll give it a go.

Best Action/Adventure
My Pick: God of War
Winner: God of War

I will keep saying this until The Game Awards and perhaps pundits besides myself in general do something about it: I think having separate categories for “Action” and “Action/Adventure” is a completely absurd, if not meaningless distinction. However, as they insist upon the separation, it was between AC: Odyssey and God of War, and to maintain some shred of integrity, I’ll go with God of War, since I already claimed it as game of year. So chalk up another alignment between myself and the Awards, which I’m satisfied with.

Best RPG
My Pick: Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire
Winner: Monster Hunter: World

Woefully, I was unable to get to any of the major RPGs this year (debuff on me, I know I know.) Monster Hunter: World was hugely popular, critically and commercially, although a title I personally wasn’t interested in, but it looks like everyone else loved it enough to hand it the spot here. So to cop out, and because of familiarity with the developer and cast involved, I will lame-duck hand it to Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire; a title which I very much wish to play, and will hopefully carve out some time in the next year to do so.

So there we are, another year, another award showcase complete. Overall I’m mainly content with how it went down, some very deserving titles earned their wins, and for one final time I’ll reiterate that many could’ve easily swapped spots and still would’ve been fine. The GDC awards should be coming up next, so keep an eye out for that and my obligatory armchair analysis. Until then my friends,

-Scott Thurlow

Play to Pay: The Machinations of Microtransactions & the Lure of Loot Boxes

November 14, 2018 Scott Thurlow Dialogue Tree

Below is the transcript of my talk given at the 2018 Mid-Atlantic Pop & American Culture Association.

Check out the full episode here at the Games & Gaming Culture section of the site.

 

Play to Pay: The Machinations of Microtransactions & the Lure of Loot Boxes

Welcome everyone. Today I’ll be speaking about microtransactions/loot boxes in games; covering a brief history of their origins, some of the tumultuous developments over the past year or so, and finally an accounting of where they roughly stand now, with a dose of my own opinions thrown in.

First, a broad trajectory of the current situation can be traced back to the rise of free-to-play mobile games. Traditionally, these games offer an initially complimentary but limited pool of resources, usually enough for a tutorial on their use. Once these are spent, they proceed to encourage and/or outright entice players to buy more of the premium currency du jour in order to either: progress faster, skip an arbitrarily imposed time-limit that otherwise prevents the accumulation of further resources, or some combination thereof. This model was sustainable due to the fact these games are, as a tautology, free at the outset and the MTX are by and large optional, ancillary to playing and enjoying a given game, albeit at a slower pace.

There’s a sort of scale or hierarchy attached to MTX. Games like: Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds, Fortnite, Warframe, Paladins (and many others) offer a multitude of items and cosmetic options via various packages and tiers, but at the end of the day, are restrained to supplementary aesthetic elements, with no direct impact on gameplay.

Moving into the sphere of AAA releases with MTX, what’s usually pointed out as the obvious contentious aspect are that these are full-priced games containing baked in additional purchases, some of which contribute to heavily unbalancing the core experience, both in terms of single player and multiplayer. The most prominent example being Star Wars: Battlefront 2. And the reason for which brings me to what is often the most maligned mutation of MTX: Loot boxes. Arguably the most insidious form, as they’ve been compared to (and in fact declared by some regulatory bodies to be synonymous with) gambling.

Loot boxes employ the tactic of preying upon the psychological predilections most akin to addiction. Their construct is that instead of paying what may or may not be deemed a reasonable price for a known quantity or item, the player purchases an essentially random generator. Rather than outright buying something specific, you buy the possibility of getting it, or conversely getting something that is entirely undesired/worthless, again depending on the given game and the utility or rarity of items in the possible pool.

A recent Australian study conducted showed a link between that portion of the population with addictive tendencies to, predictably, being more susceptible to loot boxes, providing some hard evidence that these companies are knowingly exploiting a certain portion of the audience in the name of the almighty dollar.

There are certainly other avenues to consider on top of the above. For example horror stories have circulated of children running up credit bills on in-game/in-app purchases, which I’ll just mention one notable instance of: In the spring of this year, Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, a by all accounts cheap cash grab mobile game; the nature of which was highlighted in a widely shared section wherein the player’s character model was shown being graphically strangled by a vine, which could be countered by buying more ‘energy’ to escape. Perhaps more egregious since a majority of the audience were largely tweens and younger. The end result was these kids asking their parents for real money to prevent their digital avatar from being horribly digitally murdered. Now that’s admittedly on the extreme end of the scale, but I think it goes to show just how far some companies will go to squeeze more cash from their user-base with dubious and tasteless tactics.

Returning to BF though, as it became the galvanizing factor for the backlash after the beta released last October, when a large portion of players voiced their concern, verging on outrage, precisely because it was based on paid loot boxes and thus randomization of upgrades, unlocks and progression; making them doubly a gamble, and creating the possibility of wildly unbalanced matches, depending on how much players were willing to spend on pulling the slot lever of the system, which by design the game enticed them to do constantly. Understandably due to this, many expressed extreme displeasure with these circumstances.

In response, publisher Electronic Arts held an AMA reddit session. Shortly after providing the community with…unsatisfactory answers, the thread infamously became the most downvoted response in the platform’s history and remains so to date. Since, as it turns out, pissing off both Star Wars fans and videogamers, which have significant crossover on the Venn diagram, at the same time is a bad idea. Indeed EA was known for similar behavior prior, but this was the watershed moment that catapulted the controversy and rippled across the industry and beyond.

In the fallout of that debacle, EA was forced to walk back their original “vision” and completely remove loot boxes for the release version. But the damage had been done, and the stain spread to other high visibility titles attached to well-known IP which followed suit. For example, Middle Earth: Shadow of War removed loot boxes well after (6 months) the initial sales window, and eventually the entire marketplace option. The ESRB [Electronic Software Ratings Board] in Feb. 2018 added a label on games that contained MTX, and that was pretty much the extent of their contribution and stance. Sort of like nutritional information: may contain gluten or high fructose corn syrup or what have you, without actually weighing in or taking a side, and basically washed their hands of any other responsibility.

As the issue continued to persist and reverberate both within the industry and the public awareness, that was the point when government entities began to step in and directly attempt to mandate, classify and curtail these practices. Just some of the highlights include: Hawaii House of Representatives member Chris Lee stating in a press conference regarding BF: “This game is a Star Wars-themed online casino designed to lure kids into spending money…it’s a trap!” Elsewhere, in June, Valve was forced to disable item trading in two of their games: CS: GO and DOTA2 due to the Dutch gaming commission labeling loot boxes and the ability for players to trade items from them as gambling.

In August, Activision-Blizzard was forced to remove them from Overwatch and Heroes of the Storm in the Belgian region due to their classification as gambling under local law there. Publisher 2K ran a “petition” asking customers in the region to lobby the government on their behalf in response to having to remove loot boxes from NBA ’19.

Belgium/The Netherlands seemed to emerge as one of the main battlegrounds between regulatory commissions and publishers, as in September EA outright refused to comply with an edict to remove loox boxes from the latest FIFA, putting themselves in direct violation of the established ruling, and currently in the process of being taken to court over it– proceedings are still ongoing. EA was also forced to disclose odds on FIFA premium lootboxes, revealing some of the most desirable top-tier rewards have a less than 1% chance of appearing, which seemed to only confirm suspicions about their validity and nature. Also in Sept, Finland joined in with scrutinizing loot box practices regarding CS:GO in relation regional lottery laws. Shortly after that, 15 other European gambling committees, along with the state of Washington, began investigating loot boxes and possible injunctions against them. The issue has been the hot-button topic of the videogame industry over the past year and persists to this day. We’ll likely see more conflicts between publishers who make games with MTX/Loot boxes vs. their customers and regulatory bodies in the future.

Nevertheless, at this point it looks like the tide is turning against them. After the furor of BF and related titles, the consumer pushback combined with pressure from various entities that imposed stricter limitations on MTX/loot boxes to hold the worst offenders accountable, and at least in some instances forced them to curb the practice, which of course I advocate as a positive development, and will hopefully continue to be the case going forward.

So, thanks again, and of course for an additional 50 red gems, you can get a chance to win this talk in epic and legendary versions as well.

-Scott Thurlow

Far Cry 5: Big Bombast, Scant Soul

April 17, 2018 Scott Thurlow Dialogue Tree

[Contains spoilers]

 

Far Cry 5 was born in controversy long before it was released. The original promo art caused a bit of a stir and was accused of both provoking and encouraging some kind of vague alt-right sentiment and/or being an indictment on the state of American society. This backlash against it died down pretty quickly in the aftermath (as such things often do) and was mostly forgotten by the time it actually did release, a few weeks back. Having recently completed the campaign of FC5, the first thought that comes to mind is–if only it was indeed intending to tackle and sustain such a thorny and timely topic on any but the broadest of lines. Now that I’ve experienced it firsthand, I have a number of items to discuss, so let’s pile into the pickup and get to it.
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Game Developers Choice Awards 2018: Winners

March 29, 2018 Scott Thurlow Dialogue Tree

So this year’s GDC Awards have come and gone, and the winners have been posted. I’m a little late to the game this year, as we’ve been busy at TLS with some redesigns and remodeling etc (on this very site) some of which are still in progress. Still, I would be remiss if I didn’t look back and compare/contrast my predictions with which games took home what awards. With that said, let’s go down the list and see once again how my K/D ratio played out.

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Game Developers Choice Awards 2018: Nominees

January 9, 2018 Scott Thurlow Dialogue Tree

It’s been exactly a year and the GDC Awards have announced their latest nominees. In what is probably now a tradition, I’m going to comb through the list and pick out a few categories and entries that lay within my particular myopic games purview.

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