10/06 Update: Since we no longer write for the Edmond Sun, this section is temporarily housing our podcast links for our iTunes feed. All of the columns are in the archives menu if you feel like exploring. These columns (as well as the 'releases') come from weekly content that we write for the Edmond Sun, out of Edmond, OK (though we live in Chicago). This page contains the archives for said column, many of which are in their pre-published, unedited state. Some titles and editing by Brendan Sinclair. Column Archives: Best of 2004 CoversationFriday, January 07, 2005 Nick: So Tom, my sworn enemy of opinions and co-writer, what was your most enjoyable gaming moment of last year? Tom: With all the fancy new sequels and huge budget titles, my favorite moment came from a very unlikely place – Psi-Ops. Picking up people with the power of my mind and whipping them around the room was probably one of the most entertaining things I have ever done in any game. Nick: That's actually pretty understandable, considering how much I enjoyed doing just that in the demo I played. I've also got to give props to Midway for improving a lot last year, with some more potentially good stuff coming this year, like Area 51. If they get any better, they just might be purchased by EA. Tom: It's funny you should mention Area 51 now. I was actually going to include a special feature on that for next week's 2005 preview column. Bolded and underlined with the headline "Games You Should Avoid At All Costs". Psi-Ops was so surprising because it came from Midway - a company known more for their gore-over-gameplay fighting system in Mortal Kombat and the baffling tree-cutting simulator Timber. Nick: Well I'll pretend you're just misinformed about A51 and move on. What was your biggest disappointment? Mine was probably Fable when it came down to it, because while I thought it was a very good game, it had way too many problems to be great. Considering it was one of the reasons I bought an Xbox, I can't help but feel let down. Tom: Well, you took the obvious one. I can't believe I actually spent 20 hours playing that game. To diversify some, I'll throw another title into the pyre: Second Sight. No, I haven't played the finished version, but that would hardly change my strong feelings on the game. This is a title that revolves around a man with psychic powers (like Psi-Ops) but they don't let you pick up living people and throw them around the room. I don't care if it has a good story and interesting characters, I want to make people's heads explode! Nick: Well said. I think all but the most thespian of gamers would agree with you. Tom: Speaking of thespians, who do you think was the best new character to emerge this year? Nick: Well, that new Fear Effect game was cancelled, so I can't think of any other lesbi...oh, you said thespians. Well, as far as character in general, C.J. from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was really well-developed, and the customization you can have on him really helps you get into the game. In fact, I ended up having the most fun with characters I developed myself, like Röck the surly barbarian in Champions of Norrath. If I had to pick a specific one, I suppose I'd go with everyone's silent-but-awesome green Prince of the Cosmos from Katamari Damacy. Tom: I can't believe you mentioned Katamari Damacy's prince but left out the King of the Cosmos, the most eccentric video game character I have ever seen. My favorite new character I could actually control would be the purple Pikmin in Pikmin 2. Sure, the white guys could poison enemies, but all you need is a few sumo purple dudes to take down any enemy. So which character was so laughably bad you couldn't believe they made it in the final version? Nick: I'd like to say their take on Catwoman, from Catwoman, but I suppose that's cheating. Probably that weenie plant-man boss from Neo Contra who has no backstory but still intimidates the daylights out of your character for some reason. Tom: You keep stealing my thunder. As forgetable as Neo Contra is, it gave birth to a few of the worst characters I have ever seen. The worst would be Lucia – she's a cyborg, yes, but the game wanted you to have feelings for her. At least I think it did; the main character (who is human) had some sort of creepy relationship with her. Anyway, the voice actress who played her decided to speak as slowly as possible - Stephen Hawkings explaining the universe to kindergardeners slow - So when she's giving her drawn-out death speech you just want to curb-stomp her and move on with the game. These questions are making me seem much too violent. What was the most childish aspect of a game that gave you joy this year? Nick: Man, remember the talking, Kaizer hat-wearing, robot-flying dog from Contra? Anyhow, as for your question...probably blowing up legions of aliens and robots and alien robots in Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal. The whole series is designed around childish joy it would seem, with the technical wizardry and fantastic game design skills to make the shell of it thrilling for anyone. It's rumored that Insomniac is working on a first-person shooter for the launch of the Playstation3 now, and if it's anywhere near as good as R&C I just might have to buy three copies. I know your answer to your last question would be Psi-Ops again, so I'd instead like to know what game had your favorite art design and overall look of the year? Tom: Wait a second, there was no childish joy in Psi-Ops. Do you remember the part about making heads explode? My favorite childish moment would be in Donkey Konga. The game is great because everyone likes playing bongo drums, but has one of the worst setlists around. The topper? Diddy's Ditties, where you actually drum along to kids singing the Itsy Bitsy Spider. And, yes, I am 23 years old. As for your question, my favorite art design was clearly the hand drawn, 2D cartoon that is Alien Hominid. The game has so much personality it's like watching a Saturday Morning Cartoon from my youth (I'm a cranky old man and I say new cartoons are lame). Nick: I guess my childhood was a bit rougher than yours. Anyhow, not that you asked, but I think my favorite graphics on a technical level this year were either Burnout 3 or Ninja Gaiden. The first just felt ludicrously fast, with eye-searingly intense wrecks around every corner, while the latter just had gorgeous character models and lighting, er, around every corner. What companies did you feel had the best/worst years in regards to the image of gamers? Tom: Well, the obvious answer is Topheavy Studios, which made The Guy Game. But no one actually bought that, so no harm done. My vote would once again be Rockstar. Maybe it's because I don't like the Grand Theft Auto series anymore, but I just hate the idea that the average American thinks all gamers are hooker-hating psychos. I like to dispose of humans by throwing them into walls, thank you very much, not running them over with a car. How crass do you think I am? There probably aren't many developers that give gamers a good name. Maybe Konami? People seem to love losing weight through Dance Dance Revolution. We should turn up the juice on this feature some - what was the worst game you played this year? Nick: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battle Nexus. It wins handily, I might add. It's just a culmination of every facet of terrible game design, and a perfect example of how to completely and utterly destroy a once-respectable license. The first game was bad enough, but this one is beyond insulting - moronic camera, woeful controls, lame gameplay, and terrible, terrible sounds bytes. Having my character spew some lame, badly written/acted line at me every time I pick up an item is about the last thing I want to partake in. Tom: Well, I'm throwing Killzone out for the worst game I played. At least we were both smart enough to only play demos and not pay actual money for these monstrosities. The most important part of any first person shooter is the actual shooting. If that isn't fun you're better off dipping the game in chocolate and trying to feed it to dogs. Nick: Well, MY dog likes Killzone, as do I. Tom: You also think GTA:SA is the best one player game ever and the higher-ups at EA should be allowed to live. Nick: They certainly deserve a good torturing, yes, but I'd spare them their lives. And with that, we're out! |
