One Year Update

This marks one year since I started putting my thoughts into words and posting them online. In that time I have posted fourteen pieces on different topics that interest me. Originally, when I started this, my goal was to post once a month for an entire year, just to see if I could do it. I honestly did not think it would be possible to do so. Apparently, it was.

As it turns out, I really enjoy writing. I have a bizarre, specific set of interests, and I develop strange opinions about these interests. Although I don’t spend a lot of time (read: any) editing my work, that does not mean they are any less important to me. I feel like anyone reading these can get a better inside look at who I am.

I said in a previous post that I would write about things that interested me. Until now, that’s included mainly music, sports, and video games. Not the most academic of pursuits, to be sure, but still a lot of fun to write. So, a year later, I hope I have been able to share some of my interests with you, even if they are over things you might not care much about. Essentially, I want my writing to be fun for both me and you. And it’s certainly been fun for me.

Now, the goal will be to keep writing once a month, for as long as I can. Maybe more often, if possible, though I doubt I’ll be able to make it another full year. If I do go another year, that would be great! I imagine the topics will be very much the same as what they have been. I’ve already got some ideas going and some pieces started. And I have my magnum opus already written, but I’m saving that for last.

If you like what you have read so far, I seriously cannot thank you enough for reading them. It means so much to me to hear your comments and critiques. Please continue to read and let me know what you think! Feel free to share my writing with anyone else you think might enjoy them. Thank you.

Destiny and Fate: The Future of a Franchise

Destiny is a weird game. If possible, the months leading up to its release made it an even weirder one. And it really shouldn’t be. There is nothing so dramatically groundbreaking in Destiny to garner the response it has received. But I think this is what makes it so weird: its adherence to traditional games makes it so non-spectacular compared to the massive amount of anticipation that it originally held. That said, it was a fully competent game, and I had a lot of fun playing it.

The expectations leading up to this game were incomparable. For many people, Destiny was a viable reason to step into the new console generation and purchase a shiny, new Playstation 4 or Xbox One. The reputation as a system-seller was bolstered by the incredible marketing scheme. With a television ad that read something along the lines of: “From the creators of Halo and the team that brought you Call of Duty…” how can a game go wrong? The appeal was there, and everyone seemed excited. When it came out, though, the enthusiasm evaporated like a popped balloon.

This seems due, in part, to the fact that because the game was so anticipated, it simply could not match the hype. Common complaints were that it was not the game consumers were promised. This is a bit unfair, as no one had a very clear grasp about what the game was before its release. This is akin to reading a synopsis and watching a trailer and comparing about the direction of a film. A second complaint was that the game was too repetitive, that the overall content was lacking. This is a little more fair; no one wants to do the same things over and over again. The final complaint is that the game does not really take off until after the main points of the story are finished. This is very fair. Destiny is not the kind of game where a large amount of time needs to be dedicated to truly get the game. It is a game where the player shoots a lot of aliens.

Not to be swayed by the negative critiques, I was still very interested in trying it out. I should first make three very important points to bear in mind which likely affected my experience with the game. First, I played the game on an Xbox 360, an obsolete piece of equipment barely worth a dime. (Just kidding, I still use my 360 a lot and plan to get a few more years out of it.) But it does make me much less qualified to mention how great it looked. Second, I rented the game. I know what you’re thinking: here it is, 2014, and he’s renting games and playing them on outdated consoles. Whatever. I rent a lot of games these days because I’d rather pay $7 than $60. But having a game for only three days does rush the experience and force me to get to the end a lot quicker than I probably would like. Finally, because my time was limited, I never once took the game online to play with or against other users. I payed my $7 to see the campaign, and I was happy with that. That said, I know I missed a quite a bit of content that I will probably never see.

What expectations I had for the actual gameplay, I’m slightly ashamed to admit, I got from the trailer. Reductively, it looked like a fair mix of Halo and Call of Duty. Since Halo is a personal favorite, I was prepared for this type of combat. I was not disappointed; the gameplay was quite fun, as I could only hope from the experienced Bungie team. I had a great time traversing the map and taking out aliens. Getting around a large map was not a hassle, as easy as hopping on a vehicle and driving¹. And I should mention that the views were absolutely gorgeous (on my Xbox 360).

Prior to release, a highly emphasized feature of the game was the diversity of the equipment that could be picked up by the player to use. This came across well. While they included possibly too much equipment, it was exciting to pick up a new and better weapon and have to learn how to use it. This learning of new equipment forces the player to be adaptive. Furthermore, characters are continually progressing to a higher level where, obviously, they are better prepared to combat tougher enemies. All of this customization and player growth took a different approach to a modern first person shooter like infusing a bit of Borderlands. This sense of progress was rewarding.

I also found the main mission design to be well made. Following objectives, the player runs through several locations before arriving at a final battle against a large enemy (or large group of enemies). What made the levels great, though, was a feeling of tension not often achieved in an FPS. Hitting the final battle gives a sense of no-turning-back in each level. Playing by myself, there were times when I needed to slow down and work through waves of enemies. Being impossible to rush through made the game feel much more skill based, and finishing a level often brought a sigh of relief.

As I said, I did not even have online access to the game when I started. I did not have the time to invest in getting good at playing against other players, and I just wanted to see the main game anyway. So you can imagine my surprise when I entered the world to find dozens of other players running around with me. I thought something was wrong, but it turned out non-online users could still work together on certain missions, a point that was not made clear to me when I started. As it turned out, this lead to some of the better moments in between missions. Randomly throughout the level, events would emerge that would have to be completed by a group of people: defend this place, take down that enemy. These pseudo-online moments gave me a pleasant reminder of working cooperatively with friends back in school.

While the gameplay was quite good and I had a lot of fun running through the missions, Destiny was certainly not without complaints. For one, the missions, which I commended earlier, were ultimately forgettable. In the moment, they were great; but taken as a whole, they failed to make a satisfying arc. There was a break after each mission, so that there was never a sense of ongoing progress. The missions only linked by their locations. After each mission, the player is given the option to select a new planet or game-type to play. Each mission! Or the player can go back to another world, watch a video cutscene, or replay an old level without knowing if it’s already been completed. While I realize this is to give the option of going out to attain higher levels and be better prepared, jumping back out into space each time completely destroyed the continuity².

Again, the biggest complaint about the game was that there were not enough new locations to visit. As a result, this did make for some repetitive scenarios. Basically, there were four different locations to explore, three planets and one moon. Divided among ten hours, these four places grow a little stale. The transition to a new planet is certainly a breath of fresh air. Furthermore, if you are in need of some quick powering up, one way to do so is by completing inane extra missions about hunting aliens, collecting materials, or just standing in one area for a few seconds. When these are interspaced with the main missions at each place, it begins to feel like you are doing the same things over and over again, regardless of the change in scenery (which is pretty, on my Xbox 360). All of these side steps supposedly benefit the ongoing story, but they never seemed to ultimately lead to anything substantial.

Not that I think a continuous narrative would have fixed the problem completely. The story was convoluted, yet empty of much meaning. Not for lack of trying, I could not really follow what was going on, and so I did not really care what was happening. Part of what made Halo so great is that the enemies were clearly defined and there was an overarching goal at the end. Not so in Destiny, at least as far as I could tell. Enemies were bland and the goal was unclear. I was surprised to have even finished the game when an option (an option!) to view the credits came on screen after the final mission. From what I’ve read of the story online after finishing the game, it sounds like it will be dealt with better, ahem, in the sequels. One of the cutscenes near the end heavily implied the emergence of a grander villain.

For better or for worse, I found myself wondering if the Destiny franchise is going to be like Assassin’s Creed. The first game in the Assassin’s series was released in 2007 to high hopes for something new. While the game was impressive, people soon complained that the gameplay was repetitive, and that missions or areas were not different enough to be engaging. Looking back now, it is remembered as a fairly weak entry in the series. It was, however, the launchpad for a now-annualized series that certainly has its ups (the excellent Brotherhood) and downs (III). What if Destiny turns out to be the same thing? I, for one, enjoyed the first Assassin’s Creed, but I found the later ones to be much improved. It has already been confirmed that we should expect a decade from this franchise; is it wrong to hope that Bungie will learn from the flaws of Destiny so that 2 and 3 will be something great?

In the end, I really enjoyed my ten or so hours with Destiny. Of course, it is not without its faults, but that happens. It probably did not sell as many new consoles as the developers envisioned. But taken separately from all the superfluous space travel and lackluster story, the gameplay was just fun and the vistas looked amazing (on my Xbox 360). Looking at all of the gameplay options in between levels made me think that maybe this first entry in the series was just trying to do too much. For something with a name like Destiny, we will have to see what the future holds for the franchise.

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1 Driving is something that is difficult to pull enough in an otherwise decent video game, apparently. It’s fine in Destiny.^↩
2 Also, jumping out into space made for some long loading movies that looked cool but were tiring after the first dozen.^↩

Foxygen, Musical Ambassadors

Earlier this year, Foxygen, the two-piece band from California released their fourth album, ...And Star Power, to generally positive reviews. To be honest, I have not listened to the album enough. I tried it a few times and liked what I heard, but I would not say it was an extraordinarily lasting experience. Again: there was nothing wrong with it, but it did not immediately stand out for me. Listening to it, however, reminded me that their previous album was absolutely incredible.

Released in 2013, the obnoxiously-titled We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic is nine tracks that sound like they were lifted out of the previous century. Many reviews state the comparisons between this album and early Velvet Underground albums, statements which are totally valid. At times, singer, Sam France, carries some of the guttural tones reminiscent of Lou Reed with elements of the avant-garde. The Velvet Underground are often cited as one of the most historically influential bands in music, and the results are pleasantly apparent here. I had to continually remind myself that Foxygen was from California, not the New York scene that tends to produce Velvet facsimiles.

There are hints of sixties pop and rock music all over this album, not just from the Velvets. Some songs sound like Beatles; I hear bits of Fleetwood here and there. There has been obvious care to preserve the sounds of classic equipment, for example, in the instrumental track “Bowling Trophies” which serves as the midway point in the album. Even the enigmatic cover looks like something that you could unearth at a used record shop. I hesitate to use the word, “retro,” a meaningless word that has been so bastardized that it is now a smug fashion statement, but the album is truly an honorable evocation of classic pop.

That said, the title of the album may be more accurate than I thought (although still just as troublesome to say aloud). As France howls on the titular track, they are the 21st century. Perhaps their roles as ambassadors is to connect modern music with pop music of the sixties. Not to say we necessarily need more homage to classic pop, but it is welcome when done correctly. Many artists may attempt this link to earlier musical roots, but Foxygen does it quite neatly here.

The positives of this album are not limited only to its resemblance to music of decades past. That makes it seem that this album is unoriginal: not so. Beyond its influences, the album is simply a joy to listen to. Fairly short, it packs a lot into 35 minutes, feeling longer and more full. The sultry “Oh Yeah” is counterpointed by poppy love songs like “San Francisco.” The single, “No Destruction,” is one you can put on repeat. The final three songs create a sort of cerebral trilogy that could function as an EP by themselves. In short, the album is a fine-tuned collection of songs, reverent to decades-old music, but easily enjoyable by today’s listeners.

The production on the music is amazing as well. Throughout the tracks, it is easy to forget that this is a two-man band. Naturally, invaluable backing musicians are impossible to discredit, but the work is mostly done by France and Jonathan Rado. The songs sound full while retaining a sharp, clear tone. From backing strings to electric organs, there is a lot of music to unpack.

Foxygen’s newest album will probably continue to grow on me; in the meantime, Peace & Magic proves a near-perfect example of a classic pop revival. Whether you are a fan of rock music from yesterday or yesteryear, this release will be a pleasure to experience.

On Alan Wake

Anytime Steam rolls out one of its amazing sales on video games, like many people, I browse through and pick up way more than I need. And why not? If you can pick up a title for an incredible 90% off, you would be crazy not to buy it, right? Well, I know I’m not the only one who does this. Spending habits notwithstanding, one such game that I found at this price level was the collection of action/horror games featuring fictional writer, Alan Wake.

I did not know much about the game other than seeing some generally positive reviews upon its original release. The story seemed interesting, and the gameplay sounded different enough to be intriguing. So, when it flicked across my screen (for less than three dollars), I decided to pick it up. It didn’t hurt that I was reading some Stephen King at the time and had recently finished the stunning TV series Twin Peaks. This game seemed like a personal can’t-miss.

At any rate, I bought it, and like so many games from sales, put it away for a later time. That time came one winter night when I decided to install it and sit down with it for an experience. I did it correctly: I waited until it was dark outside, put on headphones, and took it in. I was in for a disappointing time. I played through the first of six episodes at a mind-numbingly slow pace. The enemies were annoying; controls were frustrating. There was a story there, but it was hidden behind too many discouraging battles. I finished the episode and went to bed feeling that I had bought a dud. At least I wasn’t out much.

Several months later, I decided to give it another shot. I had never uninstalled it, because I knew I would never go back to it if I had. And since it was the week before Halloween, and since I am a living stereotype, I thought I would try the survival horror game one more time. I opened it up and--at the risk of sounding like a “casual”--turned the difficulty down from ‘Normal’ to ‘Easy.’ That was exactly what the game needed. Now, I understand the desire to challenge yourself and play through a game on the hardest difficulty. Finishing something like Halo on ‘Legendary’ feels great; but Bioshock or The Last of Us on ‘Normal’ feels just as good. That’s because for a game driven by an engaging story, sometimes minimizing the gameplay is necessary to get to it.

This should not, however, excuse the gameplay. The game makes some innovative choices involving using light as a weapon, but at time even just a few of the simplest enemies were more annoying than they were worth. I did not feel a sense of accomplishment moving from location to location. Instead, I just felt relief that one more part of action was over. This is all too harsh, though. Lowering the difficulty was enough to make it manageable, and I even began to appreciate some of the light-as-weapon mechanics. As you progress, there are even some simple puzzles that need to be solved using various lights to combat the darkness.

But again, this is not a game you play for the action; you play it for the story. It absolutely lived up to the Stephen King-in-Twin Peaks level of anticipation I had pre-determined. The action revolves around the titular Alan Wake, a mystery writer who visits the quaint, mountain town of Bright Falls in order to clear his head and do some writing. The setting of the game is just gorgeous. Even on my four-year-old PC, the sun setting over the mountains looked incredible and added to the sheer scope of the game. But of course, disaster strikes. Wake’s wife is kidnapped, and the town is not as it appeared. To reclaim his wife, Wake must deal with the terrors of the town as well as his own enveloping madness. All of this sounds like clichéd horror--and it is--but it actually does work well during the hours you spend in this world. It is not all psychological fear, though. There are some well-placed moments that jump out at you, especially in a dark room with headphones on.

The episodic qualities of the campaign do wonders for the storytelling. Each episode is essentially a self-contained series of scenes that ended with cliffhangers, making it feel like an intense serial story. By the end, I was interested enough to play through the supplementary bonus episodes which I rarely do. While maybe not quite as good as the aforementioned Bioshock or The Last of Us, the story is certainly worth seeing. I was invested in the lead character, and the setting provided the perfect foil to Twin Peaks. 

As I played through the story over the course of a week, I was actually not surprised by how much I was enjoying it. It was the enjoyment I had originally expected when I purchased it. The first time I tried playing must have just been an anomaly. So, if you have some spare time and care about video games with something interesting to tell, Alan Wake is a good one to start with. Turn the lights out, put on headphones, and enjoy the vacation to Bright Falls.

On LeBron James

I have absolutely nothing to add to this discussion that has not already been said. But I think this just speaks to the fascination of this story: every single sports outlet has covered this to such an extent that every conceivable facet has basically been mentioned. From owner Dan Gilbert’s flight to Miami investigated by Internet sleuths to LeBron’s hairline (or lack thereof), everyone--not just NBA fans or even sports fans--has a bizarre interest in this story. So, while I have nothing new to say, I just think it bears reminding just how big this saga has been. In a sports world dominated by unbelievable happenings, I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility to call this the biggest sports story of the decade.

Everyone already knows the facts. Arguably the best active player in professional basketball follows the trail of money to South Beach, Florida, leaving his home city of Cleveland behind. In a heinous series of decisions that came across as tremendously arrogant, James went from being well-liked to a character of pure villainy to Ohio and most of the surrounding region. When things got tired in Florida, he picked up and announced he was returning home four years later, and sentiments of vitriol turned immediately to bliss. As highly reductive as possible, that is basically what happened. But like I said, you do not have to follow basketball at all to have been aware of this.

When it was becoming more and more apparent that LeBron was returning to Cleveland, my friend and I discussed the moves over breakfast. We tried to come up with some accurate analogy to describe the events, and it is honestly impossible without delving into the world of fiction. Comparing this to another situation in sports simply cannot be done. My friend offered the suggestion of Brett Favre. A face of the organization (check) leaving a city who adored him (check) to play for a rival team after a series of terrible choices (check). This is a good example, but it does not come close to the scale of James. For the state of Wisconsin, it’s easy to forgive Favre when you inherit a top-tier replacement quarterback in Aaron Rodgers and win a Super Bowl three seasons after Favre’s departure. When LeBron left, he took with him all hope from the Cavaliers organization.

Another viable comparison is Albert Pujols leaving the St. Louis Cardinals to join the Los Angeles Angels. Another similar story, franchise player and one of the best hitters in the league sees more money available in another town and leaves a successful team behind to a general sense of resentment. But like the Packers, did not stay down for long, replacing Pujols with Carlos Beltran and returning to the postseason the following year and the World Series the year after that. By no means were the Cardinals left in disaster. After five straight seasons in the playoffs, the hapless Cleveland Cavaliers managed a .311 win percentage without James.

The disaster in Cleveland was not limited to just basketball; the city was nearly riotous. Gone was the probability that Cleveland would receive a major sports championship since 1964. James jerseys were infamously burned. Dan Gilbert made some extremely regrettable comments, which childishly claimed that Cleveland would be more successful in LeBron’s absence. Even if someone in Ohio in 2011 did not follow basketball, they certainly felt the effects.

As much damage as he did in leaving the city, coming back had the exact opposite effect. When James finally did announce his return, the response was incredible. All of the media coverage was so positive--his apologetic letter and patching up with Gilbert--that it looked like he did everything right. I predicted it would not take long for Cavs fans to forgive and forget, but it happened much quicker than anyone expected. The joy in the city was palpable in every video shown of people cheering and crying and hugging in the streets. Watching season tickets sales sell out immediately. Even the “Wine and Gold” scrimmage attracted 17,000 screaming visitors, after four years of the arena barely filling 80% capacity. LeBron means so much more to this region than just basketball.

As the 2014-2015 NBA season is dawning later this month, many people say that LeBron is the only story they really care about this year. The sense of goodwill towards the man, the team, and the city is totally overwhelming. Even as an outsider, I find myself rooting for Cleveland sports, as long as they are not across Lake Erie in Detroit. The fact that LeBron did not shock the world and opt to play for the Pistons notwithstanding, I could not be more pleased with his return to the Cavaliers. With one move, he undid a lot of the mess he caused. Along with everyone else, I will eagerly watch him play what will probably be his final years in Cleveland. Let a new era of the King begin.