Missing Baird: When Bigger is Not Better

I suppose the appropriate thing to do is to provide a spoiler alert before divulging details of the Battlefield 4 campaign. And there it was. But really, is anyone worried that any of the game's plot will be revealed to the detriment of game players? Don't. To be honest, I've played through the campaign twice now and I'm still not really sure what happened because none of it seemed to matter.

To be fair, I will accept my share of the blame for not paying attention. But the game very much runs through the checklist of "what a gamer expects in a military shooter." There is the male camaraderie in an elite unit, frequent use of the f-bomb, a tortured interrogation, exotic locales, a couple of "shocking" decisions to be made, and huge set pieces. The last of which leads to a "thrilling" end of the mission sequence of falling... and falling... and falling.

Really? Before game's end, matters seem more silly than anything. I appreciate the effort of the moment but not the effort, or lack thereof, to create the moment. The thing is, there are only seven total campaign missions and three of them end like that?!

But there are other things, "throwaways" that reek of going through the motions. In the second clip, when the trams falls, you'll note Dima. As best I can recall or retell, Recker (the protagonist and player's character) and Irish get captured by the Chinese. There is the interrogation with first person view of electric shock and when Recker comes to, he finds himself in a cell with Dima -- a scarred fellow with accent, shank, and a plan to escape the prison in the cold mountains by crushing a hole through the decaying, concrete walls of the prison. And so Recker helps Dima, meets up with Irish, joins up with Hanna who didn't really betray you and shoots the group's way to the tram. The "helo" from hell shoots the tram down and Dima dies a free man.

The scene cuts to off-screen dialogue by the ship's commander wondering about the whereabouts of "Tombstone" squad and the next mission finds Irish, Hanna and Recker in a vehicle in a desert, two days later, without food or water in the meantime. Luckily, Hanna and Irish have a chance to talk things over where they develop an increasing amount of respect for the goals they both seek, the pasts through which both struggled, whatever they may be. Nice.

The story seriously continues like this right up to the very end... and end.. and end. Yes, the game has three endings and there are chivos associated with each. Again, Recker, Irish and Hanna find themselves in quite the predicament. Sent out to destroy the enemy warship, Recker, Irish and Hanna must choose how to sink the boat when the explosives malfunction -- the rub being that each choice requires a sacrifice. Both Irish and Hanna want to sacrifice themselves for their own reasons, reasons of which I'm not completely sure. I understand Irish thinks it important for Hanna to help her people through whatever future awaits. Take too long to choose, and the Valkyrie, the ship you went through all the trouble of saving, sinks with Tombstone member Pac aboard.

How it plays out is an option is chosen, a brief voice over recalls happier times, or sadder, and the credits roll. Then, the mission is restarted and the next option is chosen, the chivo earned, and the credits roll. And then the third option is chosen, etc. It does not have to played like that, but why play through the whole thing again? The final campaign mission is fairly short so getting to that fateful moment requires the blasting of a few dozen non-descript enemies.

"Trust is earned." Don't trust Battlefield 4 campaign for anything more than a by-the-book, over-the-top, trite run through the motions that means little but a chance to earn chivos and find collectibles. I guess for me, that's enough.

Posted with Blogsy

Bravely Default: What's In a Name

Next week, Square Enix and Silicon Studio is releasing Bravely Default in the U.S. for the 3DS.  And though my experience with JRPGs is very limited, I must say, I'm pretty excited about the prospect of this title.  So much so that it may be a Day One purchase for me... despite what seems to be a wholly uninviting game title.

I have never played a Final Fantasy.  There.  I said it.  And so who knows what I'm getting myself into.  The Demo, however, provided an enticing enough peek to have piqued my interest and the largest portion of that comes down to the "Bravely Default."

I generally think of RPGs as basic turn-based affairs.  Picture Pokemon and choosing an action and watching it play out as my action and then my opponent's, in whatever order determined by the vast amount of statistical advantages and disadvantages.  When there is something added to that basic formula, I find myself intrigued.  In Jeanne d'Arc, there was an element that would allow you to continue turns based on finishing off a character -- think whittling away enemies HP and allowing a super-character to come through and clear a map on a single turn.  In Eternal Sonata, there was a timer and action limiter coupled with a light/dark dynamic that made the battle system new and original.

In the Bravely Default demo, the player chooses from a number of options for his four-member party.  The choices include standard attack and abilities/magic as well as "Brave" and "Default."  The twist in gameplay involves choosing to pass essentially under the "Default" option.  The party member assumes a defensive posture and does no action for that round.  "Brave" allows the opposite.  In other words, instead of passing on a turn, selecting "Brave" allows an additional action.  Whereas a turn usually allows only one move, "Brave" will let a character stack moves.  The flexibility is found within each party member, can allow for use of items in addition to attacks/abilities, choosing different targets to attack.  A cool consequence is that "Brave" can be used before saving attacks under "Default" with the penalty of foregoing future turns.  Of course, if those turns are not needed, no harm done.

The way that plays out is say I encounter a monster and want to dispatch it quickly.  I can "Brave" it with each character, four turns for four characters - 16 actions in one round.  Pwned.  Where this battle system becomes even more interesting is in boss battles.  There becomes a give and take with how to approach a multi-round affair.  Even in the demo, I discovered that the baddies get to use Brave/Default system as well which can turn out really well or poorly for my party.  And thus the name Bravely Default.

I am excited about the game and whether I get it Day One or down the road, it is definitely on my radar and may mean even more playtime for the 2DS.

Schadenfreude: What Is It Good For?

No one wants to be on the losing side.  I cling to my HD-DVD player, not that it's hooked up or anything, but because I have some forty-odd discs, fallen soldiers in the post-DVD format war.  While I certainly purchased movies for content, there was a part of me that wanted to support the format, the Xbox tie-in.  And then Disney chose Blu-ray and the rest is history.

In the last couple of weeks, I've seen the stories: PS4 has won the next gen, Microsoft pays video bloggers to endorse Xbox One, Vita is on a slow death march, Iwata must go.  I understand anyone can post an article these days and I understand that certain topics equals clicks to websites.  In fact, I understand the desire to follow the links, to read about how your purchase was the right one, to see your "enemy" sometimes trip over its own feet.

But what does victory mean?  Do we really want the other to fail?  What does that mean for gaming as a whole when there are less options?  What benefit do we get if there is one console?

Fool Me Once
I downloaded the Battlefield 4 update this week.  I am happy to report that it seems the multiplayer has settled down a bit.  Though it's not always the easiest to find games to get into (and don't ask me to explain how to balance teams), it seems like we were able to get into the games we wanted.  Searching the Conquest servers got us into a Conquest game.  Actually, I do like how Xbox One sends notice when a party member enters a game.  The games themselves also seemed to run smoothly.  While I have heard pre-teen complaints about lag over games of Domination, I did not notice any shenanigans to report.  My k/D remains woefully short of 1.0 but I am pleased to say my win/loss ratio seems to be trending upwards.

But with progress comes pain of growth?  It doesn't seem like it should have to be that way but that way it is.  When I turned to Campaign, I realized my progress on the hardest difficulty was lost.  I'm not sure how much I completed, but I thought I finished at least six missions.  Talk about deflating one's morale.  While completion of the levels didn't feel impossible, it was a long time investment that I am not sure I want to make again.  The other day, I ran through a couple of missions on the normal difficulty, and while considerably easier, I don't know that I find the story so compelling as to make me feel like I need to do this.  Especially with so much else to play.

I'm hoping some of these issues are ones of up-porting Battlefield 4 from last gen to next gen.  It does make me cautious of what we get when Titanfall is released.

I Know Kung Fu?

I understand the complaints with Ryse. While pretty, the gameplay could be seen as repetitive. The story is every gladiator movie after... well... Gladiator. The microtransactions for co-op armor suits and purchase of "gold currency" to upgrade executions is a woeful reminder of where games are heading. It is not a system seller nor kid friendly. It is good fun.


In fact, it has been my go-to game on the Xbox One. I have logged lots of miles in Forza, especially with the challenges, and Battlefield 4 should provide a multiplayer outlet until Titanfall if not Plants v. Zombies. Ryse has been the most entertaining and satisfying experience from the launch lineup.


Yes, the dialgoue can be trite and overwrought, but who doesn't like that? I loved 300 and was pleasantly surprised at the Starz Spartacus series. In embracing the over-the-top spectacle of Rome and its bloodthirsty masses, if I view the material seriously, then perhaps that's the wrong starting point. If I find myself asking others whether they're not entertained.. ARE THEY NOT ENTERTAINED?!?! <<spit and throw sword disgustedly toward the blood-soaked earth>>, then I'm in a much happier place.


Yes, the executions are quick time events. Yes, they do not overly penalize you for missing the event. Yes, that's perfect. So I was most skeptical with Ryse when first debuted at E3 (I think) and the executions were repeated QTEs with a big blue "X" on the screen, followed by an equally big yellow "Y," leaving one to ask the same. Thankfully, that system was replaced. Executions go into "bullet time" and instead of the button prompts on-screen, the outline of the soon-to-be-departed/dismembered/disemboweled flashes blue or yellow. The executions, when known, use the same sequential pattern depending on position and numbers of hits.


So the consequence of missing the QTE is the lack of a bonus. Bonuses range from health regeneration, XP increase, focus increase, and damage increase (?). I found on a second playthrough, that the bonuses can actually mean a lot, especially the health regeneration. The execution is still performed when I miss and after repeated cut-scenes of Unchartered for missed QTEs, I'm fine with that. Especially given the number of exeuctions actually performed in the game. Make no mistake, there's a lot killing going on.


As to the gameplay itself, working through campaign is largely a combination of X and Y to attack enemies. Rinse and repeat until the baddies' health is low enough for the execution QTE. There is a block, dodge and heavy attack also in the arsenal and at times, with as many enemies as one can face, there's a fair bit of challenge.


The criticism leveled against the campaign rests largely with the "monotony" of similar enemies, wave after wave. Same appearances, same attacks. Fair I suppose. What it makes me think of though is a next gen Kung Fu. While we should expect some advancement from some thirty years ago, to recreate that feeling of fun, I suggest is more important. Though gruesome, there is some enjoyment when you get to the bullet time executions. At times, it serves as relief from the onslaught of rushing attackers. At others, it serves the "I need this bonus." Despite knowing what the combinations often are, the timing and tension of perfectly executing does excite and most importantly entertains.


I enjoyed Ryse and continue to play it. I look forward even more to a sequel. Perhaps it's not a reason to get an Xbox One, but if you have an Xbox One, you should play Ryse with no hesitation.

Posted with Blogsy

One Is the Loneliest Number

Admittedly, I don't need a next generation console, but it's pretty nice having one.  I have enjoyed my time with the Xbox One and I will say it has firmly entrenched itself as the center of my entertainment system.  And while not completely perfect nor always the most efficient, I enjoy moving from app to app, game to Netflix, music to TV, with relative ease.  With Titanfall coming sooner than one might think, the number one priority for Microsoft at this point should be re-establishing what made Xbox Live such an advantage in the first place, creating and connecting with my community.

Remember when the Xbox 360 came out and the tag line was to "Jump In"?  Remember when cross-game/app party chat was readily used, notifications would pop up when a friend wanted to play with you?  Of course, if you're still on your 360, remembering is but a power on away.

This morning, I started up the Xbox One, headed into Netflix and went about my business with no idea that Ivan was on playing Battlefield 4.  Sure, from Netflix, I could discover that he was online and playing with a mere three steps: 1) "Xbox Go Home"/guide button push; 2) "Xbox Go to 'Friends'"/left window; and (after a brief loading of the app and info) 3) select "Friends" option to wait and see who's online.  I guess alternatively, I could use my Xbox One app on my phone or tablets.

It really does not make a whole lot of sense.  While I appreciate some fantastic, "next gen" features like the cloud -- the ability to race against friends' drivatars instead of AI in Forza is as big a game changer as I've seen -- losing ease and accessibility has meant not racing against friends who were actually online at the same time.  Funny, because that's one of the things I thought the Vita did really well, created a multiplayer feeling even if you weren't playing with or against anyone else at that time.  In Powerstar Golf, it is the very embodiment of the issue itself: there is no simultaneous multiplayer but the player gets a ton of information in comparison to friends and others on each shot if desired.  It's almost a hyper-level of information, but it almost emphasizes the isolation of single player.

I'm not sure if it's because I haven't utilized the "favorites" option for friends, but I'm not particularly looking forward to going through and changing folks status either.  I think Pez had mentioned that maybe the lack of notifications as become a necessary by-product of the increased friends list.  Of course, there's the follower distinction too but you know, I don't really want to be bothered with that.  I want to play games with my friends, is that too much to ask?

I Don't Need No Stinkin' Next Gen

2014 may be the year the next gen really takes off, but if there's one thing I learned since November 22, 2013, it's that great games are great games, regardless of hardware.  That's not to say I haven't enjoyed the Xbox One.  It has certainly taken up residence at the center of my entertainment console.  I did eventually reconnect the Xbox 360 to play Disney Infinity and Mass Effect 3, but neither have received much play time.

Gearing up for the midnight launch, I packed up my Vita and DS to assist with the long wait in line.  Cold as it was, I started getting ghosting on the Vita touchscreen so I went ahead and went old school, super old school in fact.  I fired up some Tetris DS and followed it up with some Japanese import wackiness in Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan! (the precursor to Elite Beat Agents).

The thing was, it didn't matter that the games were as old as they were, they just played well.  Familiar but challenging, combining fast reflexes and catchy tunes, the games brought a smile to my face which, in part, was nostalgic, but equally, or more so, engrossing.

After a fun trip through Ryse and miles driven in Forza 5, I received a 2DS for my birthday along with Pokemon X.  Pokemon, though the newest version, remains fairly true to its original gameplay.  There are new Pokemon and types and graphics, but the game still pits your Pokemon with others, and before I knew it, the hours are starting to pile up as I work to catch them all.  The game brings back some favorites and again, I find myself smiling as I head into battle with Pikachu and Charizard.  I feel my body tense after using the pokeball and seeing it shudder once... twice... three times.  I think my Pokedex is in the eighties. I have two gym badges.  More hours to come.

Finally upgrading to current gen Nintendo handheld, I got a chance to check out the Virtual Console and downloaded a couple of NES classics.  Punch-out! (featuring Mr. Dream) and Mega Man 2.  The NES was MY first console.  I got one for Christmas in 1985 and the rest was, as they say, history.  But as much as I have enjoyed fighting my way to Dr. Wily or guiding Little Mac to the heavyweight crown (still having trouble with the Bald Bull "bull charge," third bounce I thought), when we celebrated our family Christmas, my nephews, possessors of 3DSs, 360, and now PS4, were equally attracted by the challenge of the old games.

I am looking forward to the new generation of games as much as the next guy.  But great games are great games.  I even downloaded Candy Crush Saga for my new tablet.

To Infinity and...

Beyond... way beyond. I'll confess, I was on the fence with Disney Infinity. I wasn't quite sure what to expect outside of a money sink. And while there is certainly that aspect of it, I will say this, I am in love with Disney Infinity.

I will say as a disclaimer, I admit I am a bit of a Disney wonk. It's not like I write for Orlando Attractions magazine exactly, but I have three sets of Mickey ears (regular plastic, Sorcerer''s Apprentice, and groom set). I love going to Downton Disney to head to the pin trading hut. I have the Oswald the Rabbit DVD collection.

So, of course, Disney Infinity seemed like an obvious choice. That said, I can't say how much I've been impressed by this game, specifically, the Toy Box. So, of course, there will be immediate comparisons to Skylanders -- collectible toys placed on a portal. That's not untrue. Others will say we're dealing with Minecraft lite. The popular analogy goes "Minecraft is to Legos as Infinity is to Duplos." Though I haven't spent a lot of time in Minecraft, I don't believe that to be an untrue statement either.

I actually held off on the launch release purchase because it seemed a bit too much. $75 for a starter pack. Restrictions on multiplayer (must use like-themed character for the playsets, i.e., to play Pirates of the Carribbean in co-op, you must have Jack Sparrow with the starter set and either Davy Jones or Barbarossa). Power discs only purchased through blind packs. Missions reserved for particular characters. Two additional playsets ($35 each) for Cars and Lone Ranger. My wife actually wanted to surprise me when I suggested the purchase and so she went ahead and ordered through Amazon. Except it never came.

After a week or so of waiting, I was champing at the bit. I'd read all the reviews (74 on Metacritic), started visiting the forums. But still, the game was stuck in constant "shipping" status, and not "shipped." In fact, I ended up purchasing not only secondary characters for co-op missions to play with the wife, but I was convinced by the Best Buy saleperson that in doing price match, I coud get the two additional playsets for buy one, get the other 50% off. Who was I to say "no?" Already, I had some $90 invested in the game and I had yet to actually get the $75 starter pack. At least I hadn't purchased any power discs... yet.

After realizing the delay on our Amazon order was because of the Infinity portion, I got the green light to go ahead and purchase the game in-store and I jumped at the chance. What can I say? The characters were gorgeous.

The craziest thing is -- between Pirates, Monsters University, and The Incredibles, these aren't even the Disney movies that I love. While I appreciate what Pixar has done, these titles are no Lion King or Aladdin or Little Mermaid, let alone Cinderella, Dumbo, or Snow White.

The first big test came when my wife and I fired up Infinity for the first time and played as Mr. and Mrs. Incredible. While the game is listed as 6+, in terms of age, I guess that doesn't necessarily take into consideration the dual analog stick noob. Not that my wife hasn't played video games, but she didn't quite get the hang of using RS to control the camera. Even still, we had an enjoyable time running through a bit of the Incredibles playset though things were certainly a bit hectic.

After she went to bed that first night, I did spend a little bit of time in the Toy Box, just to get my feet wet. And that is where I realized just how much potential this game had. Prior to actually obtaining the game, I had already discovered Chad Liddell's tumblr site. I had caught a glimpse of all the game could do.

The thing is, the game's playsets are fairly straightforward, non-challenging runs through already created worlds. I have seen descriptions of Incredibles (Crackdown lite), Lone Ranger (Red Dead Redemption lite), etc. The comparison, I think fair and accurate, had the playsets as Lego game difficulty equivalents. Easy, perhaps, but what you got was the fun without the frustration. The Toy Box, however, is where the game, in theory, could and should shine.

As a prelude, the game does offer essentially mini-games under the "Adventures" label. They are games that showcase just what all one can do in the Toy Box and it really is pretty amazing. Toy Box offers creation tools for any number of gametypes. While I can't say I have experience let alone expertise with all that it has to offer, the gametypes range from very competent kart racers to arena battlers/horde type modes to platformers. Today, for example, I ran through not only the kart races but also a forced top-view "off-road" gametype, a la Ivan Ironman Stewart's Super Off Road.

I know some have complained about what you can and can't do straight away, and certainly I do see some bit of frustration with not being able to have all of the tools at one's immediate disposal. In fact, it was nearly a week before I finally "unlocked" the start/finish line to create my own races.

That said, it really is not too difficult to run through and be able to secure the items needed to let your imagination run wild. I've probably played less than a couple hours worth of the actual playsets, run through the "Mastery Adventures" (the in-game tutorials to give an idea about the Toy Box potential), and earned gold or silver medals for the "Adventures."

The thing is, what you can create is more than competent within each gametype. I have spent the most time in various race modes and they all seem to handle extremely well. The games offer straight-up races or "battle races" with weapons, pre-race and in-race boosts, and even drifting.

Toy Box allows one to tie objects together, to use "logic" where one action begets another. In the shot above, I had not only the start/finish line, but also a race gate. I was able to connect the gate such that upon crossing, I was able to shoot fireworks from the containers on the right, get the crowd to cheer and move in the stands. And it all took fairly minimal effort.

The Toy Box offers no less than the following "Creativi-Toys:" stopwatch, replayer, enemy creator, vehicle weapons creator, skychanger, respawner, checkpoints, teleporter, activation areas, triggers, cannons, turrets, tripwires, spikes, automatic doors. Probably the biggest tell-tale of potential the Toy Box is the capability to create a logic gate.

It can be as easy or complicated I guess as you want. I was chatting with my sister-in-law last week and her three daughters have spent some time with Infinity. Creating things was not quite intuitive -- probably made even more difficult with the Wii.

The thing is, the walking about the Toy Box world itself can be pretty magical. I've unlocked some "set pieces" to populate my Toy Box including Cinderella's Castle, Spaceship Earth, Pride Rock, the Haunted Mansion, the Matterhorn, and the Cave of Wonders to name a few. With the power discs, I've unlocked the Sugar Rush theme, Rapunzel's birthday sky, Abu as an elephant mount, and the Nemo seascape sky. How could I not love this game?

Posted with Blogsy