Raj Agrawal

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Retrospect – Lucrative Game Deals Of The Past Few Years

June 29, 2012 by Raj Agrawal Leave a Comment

Gaming is a very expensive hobby. Most games today sell for $60, and most of these games last for 10 hours. Earlier too gaming was expensive, but the games were longer, and provided more value for money. These days, most games are shortened under the pretext of providing the ultimate experience, which completely manages to hide itself while playing the actual games. Hence, it is important to appreciate those companies which try to pack in more in the development of their games, so that spending 60$ on a Dvd seems worth it. So these are some of the best deals to have been released in the past few years.

Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory

Splinter Cell Chaos Theory

I got this game for 40$, and this is the one game that I would never like to sell. It features what is probably the best Splinter Cell campaign, along with an awesome co-op mode and a versus mode. The campaign is an amazing mix of tense action and a good story. It lasts for a good 12-14 hours, and provides plenty of great set pieces. The versus mode features soldier vs spy action which builds up tension no matter what side you play on. But the star of the show is the co-op mode. The co-op mode features a number of unique missions which encourage co-operation and group thought rather than random traversal of the map. The co-op missions last for a good 6 hours, and combined with the single player campaign and the versus mode make up for an awesome package.

The Uncharted Series

Uncharted Trilogy Pack

The Uncharted series is undoubtedly one of the best game series ever created. Featuring edge of the seat action, brilliant set pieces, top of the line graphics, and great dialog, they make for experiences that Michael Bay can only dream of creating. All games in the trilogy have been widely praised and have become instant classics. As such, a pack which combines all three and sells for 60$ is a must buy and probably provides more value than any other deal out there.

Metal Gear Solid

Metal Gear Solid HD collection

Metal Gear Solid is probably the best stealth action franchise out there. It features great stories, outrageous characters, funny dialog, a legendary protagonist, and unforgettable boss battles, some of which can last for hours. The HD collection, available for the PS Vita, Xbox 360, and the PS3 is probably my favorite game collection of the lot. The Xbox 360 and the PS3 versions contain MGS2, MSG3, and MGS: Peace Walker, whereas the Vita version replaces Peace Walker with the original Metal Gear Solid. The transition from the previous generation of consoles to the current consoles is mostly bug free, and works pretty well. Overall a great deal for anyone wanting to play one of the best videogame series of all time.

The Orange Box

The Orange Box

No best deals list is ever going to be complete without the Orange Box. Valve have the tendency to outdo themselves, and they really outdid everybody’s expectations with the Orange Box. Containing Half Life 2, Half Life 2 : Episode 1 and 2, Team Fortress 2, and the critically acclaimed Portal, this will go down for many as the best deal of all time. Team Fortress 2 is considered by many to be the best multiplayer game out there, and Portal has become a brand in itself. That is the quality of games packed into just one 49$ box. I’m convinced – Valve can do no wrong.

The God Of War Series

God of War collection

Kratos has always been in my top protagonists list. He is more ‘gray’ than any protagonist i’ve seen, and this “I’m flawed because I am human” attitude of his combined with his rage is what makes him awesome. The original God of War introduced him to the world, while the sequel expanded upton the first game with some awesome set pieces. Packing these two games for the PS3 is probably the best chance one will have to experience these two gems. So if you have a PS3, and if you haven’t played these games before, buy this deal as soon as you can. It’s worth it and will set you up perfectly for God of War 3.

Unless Square Enix decide to pack all Final Fantasy’s into one box, I don’t think many deals out there will surpass the ones mentioned above. But hey, that’s just me. I’m sure I must have missed so many others, that many of you might have played.

Filed Under: Gameology Tagged With: god of war, half life, metal gear solid, portal, uncharted, valve

Games And Developers We Probably Won’t See At E3 2012

June 1, 2012 by Raj Agrawal 1 Comment

E3 is a gamer’s one stop shop for all the latest and greatest game announcements. It’s a platform which is used by developers to market their games, and to get the hype meter going. Having seen it’s good days and bad days, it has survived and is here again to satisfy our gluttony for new announcements. But as with any given year, there are always companies that choose to abandon the show in favor of more customized and personalized announcements. And it seems like 2012 will not be an exception to this rule. So lets look at some of the games and developers we might not see at E3 2012.

Kingdom Hearts 3

kingdom hearts 3


We know its coming, and we’re waiting very very patiently, but the chances of KH3 making an appearance at E3 are rare. Square Enix have been very tight lipped about this one, and you know what they say about secrets – “the biggest ones are always the most exciting”. Here’s hoping we can get a first glimpse as soon as possible. An E3 appearance will be an epic surprise indeed.


Epic Games
epic games

This one is on the fence. The numerous sites that have listed the E3 attendance list make no mention of epic games. Or maybe they’ll shock us all by showing Unreal Engine 4, which might just be the highlight of the show, provided it happens!


Half Life 3

half life 3

The game which everyone wants is the one which always alludes us. Valve don’t have a great track record of showing their presence at collaborative events, and Half Life always abides by this rule. The only time i’ve seen Valve take center stage in such an event was to show their support for the PS3 at Sony’s conference. And even that was because of the backlash that some of their PS3 comments got. So no, I don’t think Half Life 3 will see the light of day at this years E3.


Blizzard

blizzard

This does not even need mention, but its here anyway. Blizzard always showcase their games and make their announcements at Blizzcon, and hence never make an appearance at E3. With a new MMO in the works, there surely is something very interesting cooking in their studios, but we won’t get to see it this year.


Metal Gear Solid 5

Metal Gear Solid 5

No, i’m not implying Rising, or Vengeance as they call it now. That will be present at E3, but that’s not a true Metal Gear title. I’m talking Snake, who i’m sure everyone wants to see. It is confirmed to be in the works, but it probably might not make it to E3. If it does though, that announcement alone will get me off Diablo 3.


These are the primary highlights of what we might miss at this years E3. I’m sure I must have left out a few other notable mentions, but these are the ones which are lingering round my head. If any of these prove me wrong, it will be a great day for gaming indeed!

Filed Under: Gameology Tagged With: blizzard, diablo, half life, metal gear solid, valve

Can Video Game Storytelling Ever Match A Good Movie?

January 19, 2012 by Raj Agrawal Leave a Comment

Games are not often considered the best medium to tell a good story. Whenever you, irrespective of whether you’re a gamer or not, think of a good story, it usually stems from a favorite book or movie. It is often the case that when we play games, we hardly pay attention to the world, the history of the game world, and how you fit in into all of it. Stories stem from the mind’s ability to create a situation where there is a prologue, an epilogue, a start, an end, and everything in between. When you think of a game, you think about graphics, sound, action, interaction and then the story, which sadly for the majority of games out there is an afterthought.

A good story doesn’t necessarily ensure a good game, but it does serve as a time well spent when other mechanics may fail. Not many games have been able to mix story and gameplay into a good gaming experience, but those that have, have become masterpieces. And that is what separates great games from masterpieces most of the time – the story. Below is a list of games I have played which have blended a good gaming experience with a good story. Most of these games will be known to the majority, for obvious reasons.


Bioshock

bioshock
Bioshock

This is the first name that came to my mind when i thought of writing this article. Bioshock is one of the few games which has its entire game mechanics built around the story. The big daddies and their relationships with the little sisters, the underwater dystopia, the civil war over the fight of adam, all talk of a fantastic idea gone tragically wrong. And this is what brings out feelings of sadness as you explore the world, feelings which are seldom experienced while playing games.

Metal Gear Solid

metalgear-solid
Metalgear Solid

Okay, anyone who has ever owned a Playstation console will agree with this one. The metal gear series is one of the few series of games which has blended fantasy and tactical action with a gritty and gripping story, and blended them so well. A testimony to the greatness of this series are the cut-scenes, some of which can last for an hour. But you don’t see many people complaining about them, do you?

Half life

half life
Half Life

Out of all the game characters I love, the one I pity the most has to be Gordon Freeman. The guy almost brought the world to an end, and although it was more of an accident, he now has to shoulder the responsibility to free it of the combine. And what primary weapon does he get to meet this task? – a crowbar! And the poor bloke doesn’t ever complain about it. It’s not a very original story; alien invasion stories stopped being original a long time back. But its told very well; so well in fact that you will start empathizing with the characters and feel bad about them as the story progresses.

Portal

portal
Portal

Valve is addicted to making characters that find themselves in hopeless situations but don’t ever utter a word to show their discontent, and portal is another shining example of this. Portal has one of the most unique stories ever told in any medium of entertainment. What starts as a puzzle game will probably end up shocking you and leaving you disturbed. The second game loses its shock factor, but makes up for it for an even better story, which provides us with a better insight of the world of Aperture Science. For all the unique puzzle mechanics that this game boasts of, it’s the story that has made it the masterpiece that it is.


These are just a few examples of video games which can tell a good story. Games such as the Zelda series, GTA series, heavy rain, grim fandango, planetscape: torment, Baldurs gate, all have amazing stories which up the immersion factor by several notches. Which brings us back to the all important question – Can video game story telling match its movie counterpart? I would say not yet. Movies have had that 100-150 years head-start in which they have evolved in the way stories are told and characters are portrayed. Movies like Schindlers list, the Shawshank Redemption, the godfather all exemplify great stories with great acting, something which games haven’t achieved yet.

Videogames have characters, yes, but none of them are as fleshed out as characters in movies. We haven’t seen a videogame counterpart of heath ledger’s joker or hannibal lecter in a video game; such characters make the story come to life, and videogames just haven’t reached there yet. But they’re getting there, that’s for sure. With games like L.A. Noire and Mass Effect, which have changed the way people have conversations in video games, we’re getting to the point where conversations and cut-scenes will have as much of an effect on the player as blowing up the town of Megaton in Fallout 3 has. Stories are an important part of video games, but only when stories and characters occupy a more pivotal role in video game design, only then can we make a fair comparison. And with games like Uncharted doing exactly so, I don’t think that time is far off.

Filed Under: Gameology Tagged With: Fallout, half life, mass effect, metal gear solid, portal, uncharted, zelda

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