Mirror's Edge

     Mirror's Edge was a phenomenal game because of its art style, combat system, and gender neutrality. The game's aesthetics were simple and elegant. The silver reflection of the skyscrapers against the white landscape created an environment that felt perfect, too perfect. The all too perfect landscape meshed well with the game's story. 

     I admire the combat system in Mirror's Edge because of how difficult it was to master. The game is not a standard shooter in which you mow down an endless horde of less than intelligent enemies. The enemies in Mirror's Edge strategize, form counter attacks, and are nearly impossible to sneak up on. As a "runner" you are not compelled to charge head first into bottle with guns blazing either. You instead must master an array of well timed disarms and aerial maneuvers to outlast the enemy. 

     Finally, the game's gender neutrality is refreshing. The player controls a female character who is strong, swift, and interesting. She is interesting in the sense that she has a unique back story, not because she contains hypersexualized qualities. The strong female role combined with a combat system that is not overly violent make for an experience that girls can enjoy just as much as boys. 

     The beautiful art style, non traditional combat system, and respectful use of female characters in Mirror's Edge create one fun and memorable game.

Gender Inclusive Game Design by Sheri Graner Ray

   

     As a relatively new participant in the world of video game design, I have not been subject to the history of the industry's gender inequality problem. There are things I have noticed as a video game player through my years. When I was growing up not many females played video games. It was just thought of as an activity that girls did not have interest in. Later I would find out that some girls did play games, but only a few games appealed to them. Games that were rich in story, had some sort of fantasy element, and weren't overtly violent (Crash Bandicoot, Cool Boarders, Final Fantasy, etc.). Other games like BMX XXX, DOA Beach Volleyball, and Duke Nukem didn't exactly invite women to come play games.

     What I have noticed more recently is that more females are in fact playing video games. My little sister can't stop playing The Sims, my girlfriend plays 2048 and various logic puzzles to no end, even my mother calls me up when she is stuck on Bejeweled! More women are buying video game consoles, couples are gaming together, and the recent boom in mobile games is making it easier for everyone to play games. DID I MENTION THAT MY MOTHER IS GAMING?! All of this inclusiveness in recent years has me excited for the future of the video game industry. Games will get better and will become more accessible.

Video Game Storytelling by Evan Skolnick

     Video Game Storytelling is a fantastic read for anyone and everyone involved in video game development. Evan talks about a lack of respect for the narrative craft in the game industry. Video games take months/years to develop, yet narrative integrity is something that is often overlooked until late in the development process. Evan argues that for a game to feel whole, narrative design should be planned for and implemented from day one, because it is not just a game's writer that impacts the story but everyone on the development team.
     A well-rounded story is my favorite part of any entertainment medium: movies, books, tv shows, plays, etc. I scrutinize games even more than other forms of entertainment, because in games you aren't just witnessing the hero's journey, you are living it. A game can have great gameplay, but if the story doesn't add up then it will not resonate with me (see my write up of Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor). That is why I place games like Morrowind, Knights of the Old Republic, The Darkness, and The Legend of Zelda in such high regard.
     Evan does more than argue for the appreciation of the narrative craft in video games, he teaches you the basics of video game storytelling so you can develop better narrative in your games even if your team can't afford to hire writing professionals. Evan's first lesson is about conflict and how it is the fuel for any good story. This is an excellent starting point, and one that feels quite obvious after reading about it. Everyone in a story is trying to do something. What makes a story engaging is when someone is trying to do something and it interferes with the thing that someone else is trying to do. I will be sure to use conflict as the heart of my future games.
     I have a feeling that Video Game Storytelling will be kept in my arsenal of game design tools for years to come as a reminder that it is my duty to make games that are not only fun to play, but engaging to play through from a story telling perspective. Thank you Evan for sharing your knowledge.

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor

   

     My latest video game conquest took place in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, in the land of Mordor to be more specific. Only Shadow of Mordor did not feel like a Tolkien tale, and that's because it was not meant to. It was much too dark for that. The story focuses on a ranger named Talion who is charged with guarding the Black Gate of Mordor. Upon the Dark Lord Suaron's return, Talion and his family are murdered. Talion does not stay dead for long as he is possessed by a wraith who you later find out to be Celebrimbor, the smith who created the Ring of Power. You play the game under the impression that you and the wraith were bound together as part of a curse that only defeating the Back Hand of Sauron can reverse. Later you realize that Celebrimbor chose you as a host and is using you to take revenge on Sauron. The game ends in a cliff hanger in which the player is left wondering whether he really accomplished anything or had just been used by the Dark Lord himself.

     Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor has me torn. On one hand, the gameplay was phenomenal and on the other, the story felt rushed and short. The game did not end with a warm and fuzzy feeling, which is okay, but it also left me thinking "what just happened?" It seems as though the main campaign was meant to lead the player to a series of clues which would tell the true nature of his body's ghostly occupant. If this is true, then the apex of the story should be the point in which you learn the truth about Celebrimbor's past and future intentions. By the time this point comes along, you are given enough clues to guess it for yourself. There are just too many coincidences for the game's central conflict to be that much of a mystery. At this point in the story you learn that Celebrimbor has been using you, and continues to use you for the rest of the game to defeat the Black Hand of Sauron. What bothers me, aside from being able to guess the story's big mystery before it happens, is that after you fulfill the wraith's desires, you do not know what becomes of Talion. The ranger starts out as a victim who is not yet permitted to die and be with his family, and ends with a red glow in his eye uttering the words, "The time has come for a new ring." What does this mean? Did Talion forfeit all control of his body to Celebrimbor? Is Talion himself drunk on power now? Did the Black Hand not really die, but bind with Celebrimbor and Talion instead? WHAT'S GOING ON!?

     The entire main quest took me 18 hours, but it could have probably taken 12 if I spent less time exploring. In my opinion, this is way too short for a new age open-world game. Much more time could have been spent introducing other NPCs and letting the player discover substantial plot twists. Even the boss battles felt short and unsubstantial.The final two bosses of the game take less than ten minutes to defeat and neither feature a true battle. I was severely disappointed that I did not get to put all the skills I had mastered throughout the game to use in the final battles. After all, the player spends a good amount of time customizing weapons and training to learn new abilities throughout the game.

     Shadow of Mordor was a very fun game to play, but much too short and weak in the story department. Some DLC that further explains Talion's transformation at the end of the game could help the overall experience. Monolith/WB have a great track record for developing games with fun and challenging combat dynamics (see Batman), but I would like to see them spend more time on story and character development like the developers at BioWare. In the end, I do not regret playing Shadow of Mordor, but I do regret buying it.