Some games I just can’t get into.
I got half way through Borderlands
2 before I realized I was just repeating the same things over and over
again and that I was wasting my time. I fared even worse with Skyrim - made it all the way to the
first village but ended up being shanked to death by the townsfolk just because
I had killed one of their chickens…
I just didn't feel like it deserved my time.
And this is coming from someone who plays A LOT of videogames,
finishes many of them and owns more games than he can possibly ever have time
to play. So yeah, I play games a lot – often to completion - but some games I
just cant get into.
Case in point: Resident Evil: Revelations, the HD re-release for PS3
of the Nintendo 3DS title. Played it for a bit – decided it wasn't for me. Fair
enough. That’s more to do with personal preference; it’s not a particularly bad
game (I still love Resi 4 and 5), I just didn't feel I have time for
it.
And then there’s Deadly Premonition.
Originally an Xbox 360 exclusive, this survival horror game was
later re-released for PS3 as a ‘Director’s Cut’ with enhanced graphics and
controls amongst other extras. Since the game had a cult following and a
reputation for an excellent offbeat horror story (heavily influenced by David
Lynch’s Twin Peaks), I thought I
would check it out.
…And no. Not for me. Despite the graphical overhaul this game still
looks ugly as sin. Awkward character models, blocky textures, shoddy effects. Even
some PS2 games look better than this!
But that's all forgivable if it plays well… except it doesn't
particularly. The character suffers from dated tank controls, the ‘improved’
combat is still abysmal and the gameplay consists of a lot of running/driving
around looking for clues and killing the occasional zombie. There are long
in-game cutscenes, insta-fail QTEs, a useless map and awkward menu system.
Is this whole thing a joke? It’s not the worst game ever by a long
shot but it begs the question – why would anyone want to spend time playing
this when there are so many other games out there that are more worthy of your
time? Was this really worthy of a 'Director’s Cut' re-release?
Well… the fans cry, The brilliant thing about the game is the
story! It’s worth playing through it just for that.
Okay, I accept that a good story, writing and voice-acting can
help elevate a technically inferior product into a effective game. The earlier Silent Hill games certainly are a good
example. But this? Really? Just watch this segment of ‘gameplay’, situated
a bit early on in the game shortly before I packed it in. Sure, it’s offbeat
and quirky but different doesn't
necessarily equal good. In my mind, gameplay is king and if a game is not
fun to play, even Shakespearean levels of prose can't save it.
Just having a good story in games is unfortunately not enough.
Books, films and TV series already have that one sewn up. Now I’m not saying a
game can't tell a good story – it just does so in a different way, integrated
throughout the gameplay experience and not simply just through cutscenes and voiceovers.
But… the fans continue, you didn't play enough of the game to make
an adequate judgement… the story gets really good later on! That may very well be the
case, but if it feels like a total slog just to get to that story then I really
don't have time for it. Especially true in this age of YouTube where you can just watch all the cutscenes if you really wanted
to, without having to bother to play the game at all. Or you could just go and
watch Twin Peaks.
Disappointed? Yes.
Slightly jaded? Perhaps.
But as we stand on the cusp of the new generation of gaming with the
recent reveals of the PS4 and Xbox One, we should be expecting more for our precious
gaming time.
Sometimes I feel people go on about ‘cult’ games just because they
are labelled weird and ‘cult’ and not because they are actually good games that
are legitimately fun to play. And besides, as much as people were harping on
about the excellent story in Deadly Premonition
I was yet to witness any of it within the few hours I spent playing it.
Perhaps I have grossly misjudged it and overlooked a classic. I just
don't have the time or the patience to find out.
11th June 2013
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