Video Games – Page 4 – Colin McMahon

Simple Yet Brilliant: Poker Night 2

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Colin McMahon

Every now and then a company has an idea. An idea so brilliant yet so simple that everyone wonders: how did no one else think of that? Whether it is a correct to a common annoyance or simply streamlining current technologies into greater convenience: sometimes ideas just work. Today I’ll be talking about one such idea. Poker Night 2 from Telltale Games. Yes, a poker game. Don’t switch websites, let me explain.

Who out there is a fan of sports video games? Okay next question: are you actually that good at sports? For myself, I was a huge fan of Madden long before I ever played football (and when I did, I was nowhere near as talented as those pixels). Point being: you don’t have to be a professional athlete to enjoy sports games. Indeed that is a huge part of their charm. Does it help to know the game: yes. That’s it though, and even then it’s just a rule set. Gamers figure those out all the time.

“But Colin, poker is not a sport.”

No it’s not. For all the competitiveness and talent required, poker is a game that anyone can play with a deck of cards. So why am I hocking a poker video game at you? True anyone can play regular poker but Poker Night 2 is a high-stakes poker simulator. I don’t know about you but I don’t have $20,000 of real money to throw down every time I play. Even if I did, I’m such an addict that I’m glad the dollars in Poker Night 2 aren’t real. Oh, did I mention you play against fantastical characters from your favorite shows, movies and video games?

The cast of Telltale's Poker Night 2 — The cast of Telltale’s *Poker Night 2.*

That’s right. In this game you’ll match poker skills against Brock Sampson (the Venture Bros.), Claptrap (Borderlands), Ashley Williams (Army of Darkness) and Sam (Sam and Max: Freelance Police). Oh and GLaDOS (Portal) is the dealer. Try playing against these people in real life. Rest assured, everyone besides Ash speaks with their correct voice. I should mention that, despite lack of Bruce Campbell (seriously what else did he have to do?), Danny Webber does an excellent impression and most of the time I couldn’t tell.

Anyway, this is a brilliant idea. Who can honestly say they’ve never fantasized about being friends with a fictitious character (Dinobot from Beast Wars and I are besties, if only in my head). While you might not be friends in this game, you’re still playing poker with some awesome people. Is it all make believe: of course. Thank god for that because I’ve gone through $500,000 dollars against these assholes so far.

Every character is brought to life with their exact personality from the original source.

Telltale should be commended for their effort here. I should say right now that I am not an expert poker player but I have played games before in real life. While you play in a fantastical setting, the game does appear to be a fairly good and realistic poker simulator as well. Again I won’t say that it’s the best (I’m not a tournament player or anything so I don’t know) but it felt like I was playing poker – and that is an accomplishment.

Like every good idea, there is room to grow. I don’t know about anybody else but after a few hands, I was already picturing who I would want in the next game. Oh, I should also mention right now that, as of this moment, I have not played the first game, Poker Night at the Inventory, yet but it is a video game that has my interest.

Telltale's Poker Night at the Inventory, right to left: Max (Sam and Max: Freelance Police), Strong Bad (Homestar Runner), Heavy (Team Fortress 2) and Tycho (Penny Arcade). — Telltale’s *Poker Night at the Inventory*, right to left: Max (*Sam and Max: Freelance Police*), Strong Bad (*Homestar Runner*), Heavy (*Team Fortress 2*) and Tycho (*Penny Arcade*).

Maybe this only appeals to geeks, but I can’t wait to see what additional characters come into being in the later installments. I am also rooting for this series to be financially successful enough to warrant said future games (in case you hadn’t picked up on that). Here are just a few ideas for Telltale, if they are listening. I have included my top three for each category (note: feel free to skip the following paragraph, it is pure fanboy wishful thinking).

Movies: James Bond (obviously), Agent Phil Coulson (probably the easiest character to get from the Marvel Cinematic Universe), and Indiana Jones (again, obviously). Television shows: Sterling Archer (as good as Brock Sampson was, this guy would be better), Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch’s likeness from Sherlock would be wonderful to take money from), and Bender (another obvious choice). Telltale games (so far each Poker Night has featured at least one character from Telltale): Guybrush Threepwood (the original Captain Jack Sparrow), Bigby Wolf (good way to promote their new Fables game), Gerry Harding (just to give the poor characters from Jurassic Park: the Video Game some redemption). Valve Corporation (each game has also featured at least one character from Valve): Anyone from the Left 4 Dead series… that’s easy. Video games: Jack (really anyone from the Mass Effect Trilogy crew would be awesome – except Jacob.), Andrew Ryan (cause Bioshock‘s intelligence needs to be taken down a peg), Duke Nukem (he needs to be redeemed as well). And last but not least – misc gaming world celebrities: Yahtzee (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation), Korey (http://spill.hollywood.com/), and the Angry Video Game Nerd (http://cinemassacre.com/).

People are already making such crazy dreams a reality - thanks to the wonder of modding. — People are already making such crazy dreams a reality – thanks to the wonder of modding.

There is a criteria for their selection. Part of the reason why Poker Night 2 works so well is that you believe every one of these characters would actually play poker. During development, Telltale had originally intended to put up someone other than Sam. The first plan was to include either Doc or Marty from Telltale’s Back to the Future video game. Really though – could you see Doc or Marty gambling and drinking? Ouch, right in the childhood. Their next plan was to use someone from their recently released The Walking Dead. God, how horrible would you have felt taking money from one of those poor bastards? The point is: Telltale has a plan for these games.

Wonderful gameplay mechanics include unlockables that can change the cards, chips and even whole backgrounds.

I only have one idea for improvement going forward. If there is a Poker Night 3, it would be nice to increase the table. Maybe six opponents instead of four? Or a pool of six and four are chosen every time that way conversations are less likely to repeat (it does happen fairly fast, although I’m still hearing new stuff after several hours). Other than that: more unlockables, more challenges and increase the poker simulator (if it even needs it – I don’t know).

This is a great idea. Bring together fantastical characters who we admire and enjoy and make us all poker buddies. Well played, Telltale, well played.

Available now on Xbox Live, Steam (for Windows users) and PSN. Go buy it, you won't regret the decision. — Available now on Xbox Live, Steam (for Windows users) and the PlayStation Network. Go buy it, you won’t regret the decision.

Thoughts? Comments? Am I full of shit or onto something? Let me know now in the feedback section of this article.

If Grand Theft Auto IV was a Ten, Saints Row the Third is at least an Eleven

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Colin McMahon

Let’s take the clocks back to 2008, more specifically April 29, 2008. Grand Theft Auto IV, the juggernaut, the first true successor to Grand Theft Auto III, the first Rockstar title on the then new generation consoles (that people cared about, sorry Rockstar Table Tennis), an all around huge deal. Everyone was excited an with good reason. Not only was it a new Grand Theft Auto but it was receiving such enormous critical praise. A+ from 1up.com, 10/10 from Edge magazine, 10/10 from Game Informer, 10/10 from IGN, 10/10 from Gamespot… I could keep going but you get the picture. Grand Theft Auto IV wasn’t reviewed as a good game or a great game, it was billed as a perfect game. So yeah, people were understandably pumped. Then it came out and we all got our hands on it and it was… good.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed what I played of Grand Theft Auto IV but that’s just it: I didn’t even beat this game. The story wasn’t strong enough to pull me in and motivate me through it. Well, it might have been if not for all the bogus side quests that filled Grand Theft Auto IV. I’m talking the whole character reputation system: the fact that you had to keep doing really stupid things with cousin Roman, a character who was spectacularly annoying. Seriously, it’s GTA IV, I didn’t spend 60 bucks to take Niko’s idiot cousin bowling. But the game is full of such instances and really, none of them are that fun.

The problem caused an abrupt shift in tone. Grand Theft Auto IV had a dark, at least semi-serious tone with gameplay that was anything but. Ever tried to drive around the city without crashing into anything? It’s really hard, much harder than killing thirty gangsters in a firefight or flying a helicopter. in other words, almost as hard as bowling. Yeah GTA IV operates under different rules than the real world, certain things are just harder to do.

Scenes like this were common and prevented any serious tone.

Now did this make Grand Theft Auto IV a bad game? No, it was still really fun and possessed many gameplay mechanics that were cool to fool around with. I have very fond memories of the multiplayer in GTA IV. My point is: it wasn’t perfect yet the “critics” bilked it to us as such. This is not the only time this has happened. Like it or not, there’s a lot of money that go into AAA games and sometimes part of that dough is spent paying off the reviewer. I’m not just being paranoid. Gaming sites like Giant Bomb were founded because of this occurance (Jeff Gerstmann, the founder, was fired from Gamespot for giving Kane & Lynch: Dead Men a bad review when he wasn’t supposed to).

So let’s fast-forward a few years to late 2011 and the release of Saints Row the Third. For any out there who don’t know, the Saints Row series is very similar to the Grand Theft Auto series. Both are large, open-world sandbox games that pit the protagonist in the role of someone constantly subverting the law. The difference: GTA IV tired to be serious while Saints Row the Third features Burt Reynolds as Mayor Burt Reynolds. Also while GTA IV made you do bowling and dating side missions, Saints Row the Third is happy to give you a tank and let you rampage to your heart’s content. Point is: Saints Row the Third knows exactly what it is and it all the more fun for it.

Now, what kind of reviews did Saints Row the Third get? Pretty positive. The game posted an 84 overall on metacritic and gamerankings. It did not, however, have any notable 10/10 reviews. This is fine because Saints Row the Third is not a perfect game by any stretch (there’s several bugs involving your “homies” that can really screw up missions). It is, however, a far more even experience than Grand Theft Auto IV, featuring more engaging gameplay and a much more consistent tone.

You can ride a hoverbike and be chased by a laser-shooting jet cause why not? — You can ride a hover bike and be chased by a laser-shooting jet cause why not?

So where’s the love? Nah, I’m just kidding. It’s better that games like Saints Row the Third get rated as they deserve and not as the marketing dictates. Luckily we have moved away from the days of constant 10/10 reviews for AAA games. Does it still happen? Sure but not nearly as frequently. This is a good sign that we, as consumers, have grown more intelligent in our approach to game reviews. Here is a good piece of advice: don’t believe any 10/10 reviews. That implies perfection and I don’t think I’ve ever played a perfect game.

You can also jump kick a guy in a hot dog suit. Yep.

So if you have any cravings for a GTA-style game to hold you over until Grand Theft Auto V‘s release, do yourself a favor and play Saints Row the Third. It is an example of a superior game with inferior dollars. While it may not have been a AAA release like Grand Theft Auto IV was, it still has something that game didn’t. Well it has a lot of things that game didn’t, ninja gangsters for one thing. And there’s not a bowling alley in sight.

No Roman, let's not. — No Roman, let’s not.

Thoughts? Comments? Am I full of shit or onto something? Let me know now in the feedback section of this article.

Marketing Method: Bethesda Softworks

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Colin McMahon

Video games, am I right? For many people out there, is there any product you would more eagerly shell out your hard earned dollars for? Most of us (myself included) love video games. The best ones are immersive, thought-provoking and wildly entertaining. Sure they cost sixty bucks but for hours of content. Few companies do a better job of backing that up than Bethesda. Think about the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, how many days did the average player sink into that? Bethesda Softworks, the video game publisher in charge of both the Elder Scrolls and Fallout series, is a top-of-the-line video game publisher. Most of their hits are really hits. We’re talking a AAA company. So why am I talking about them then: mainly to use as an example to reflect a much larger critique on the entire video game industry. My criticism is simple. Do you love Bethesda games? Can you not wait for Fallout 4 or the Elder Scrolls VI to come out? Well you should. You should wait. In fact you should wait until a year after they are out.

Now hold on there, we’re all eagerly awaiting Bethesda’s next big thing so why am I urging patience? Surely as fans, it is our job to go out there and show our monetary support for the video games we want. Yeah, Bethesda’s fans are very good to Bethesda. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has sold at least ten million copies (as of last July). There was even a super awesome collector’s edition released for all the true Dovahkiin out there. Here, take a look at it below:

This is cool looking product. I mean dragon statue, that’s it right there. More exactly, however, this collector’s edition included the following: a making-of-Skyrim DVD, The Art of Skyrim official book, a statue of Alduin (everyone’s favorite dragon to kill) an official copy of the Skyrim map and a free passcode entitling the diehard, day-one buyer to all of the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim‘s upcoming dlc (downloadable content for those out there who don’t know the lingo) for absolutely no charge. Wait… scrap that last part. Only people who waited got that. Oh and they also only have to pay forty dollars: http://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2013/03/12/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-game-of-the-year-edition-listed-by-amazon-dated-for-june-2013/.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Game of the Year Edition, all dlc included for only two-thirds the price of the original game. This is not the first time Bethesda has done this. Indeed they have a very good track record since Morrowind. Oblivion, Fallout 3, and Fallout: New Vegas have all received a “Game of the Year Edition” that features every piece of dlc included in addition to the discounted price tag. Is Bethesda the only publisher pulling this trick: no. Is it unfair to the fans: yes. Is it our fault that they do this: yes.

Yeah true, so the person who waited doesn’t get the Alduin statue but really – what do you do with that? I’m curious to know. Really it just becomes a dust collector. The same can be true for any so-called “collector’s edition”. None of them ever include a free dlc pass (yes I acknowledge that some of them include codes for day one dlc but that’s it). Instead they all include stupid things that look cool enough to prompt a purchase but then are usually regretted upon later.

Collector's Edition: check. Good Edition... still waiting. — Collector’s Edition: check. Good Edition… still waiting.

Bethesda is very guilty on both these fronts. They love to release collector’s editions and they love to release Game of the Year editions. They are entitled to do this and they should so long as both options are financially rewarding. This falls on us as the market. We have to change how we purchase games. The way the market is structured now: day one purchasers always get the short end of the stick. For a culture that works on hype and generating excitement, all logic in the video game world demands patience.

For my part, I have become wise to Bethesda’s game. I paid twenty dollars for Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition and do not regret that purchase. I am now also planning to purchase the Game of the Year edition for Fallout: New Vegas. Doing so will allow me to play the entire game (all dlc included) and not experience the glitches that were reported by all day one purchasers. This is not fair but it is economical.

Bethesda was behind the Doom 3 BFG Edition, which included Doom 3, both of its expansions as well as the original Doom and Doom II. — Bethesda was behind the *Doom 3 BFG Edition*, which included *Doom 3*, both of its expansions as well as the original *Doom* and *Doom II*.

Now you can counter this argument. For instance, not everyone buys dlc. This is true and there is definitely enough game for your buck in Bethesda games without paying for additional hours. So really my whole point with this article is to continue to encourage informed decision. This is an era of recession and economic uncertainty. If you still want to buy Fallout 4 on day one, more power to you, but understand that you will not be making a financially logical decision. Kudos to you though for supporting the video game industry. It’s great that Bethesda’s fans are so awesome to Bethesda… but shouldn’t Bethesda be awesome back to their fans? No, they shouldn’t. Companies are not our friends, they exist to make money so that they can continue to provide the products we desire. It’s our job to be smart about it, it’s our job to be smarter than publishers like Bethesda.

Thoughts? Comments? Am I full of shit or onto something? Let me know now in the feedback section of this article.