Half Life 2 - Xbox 360, PS3, PC

There’s something Half Life 2 does effortlessly that few games do well: It marries tenderness with technology.
In the movies this is nothing new. George Lucas once made us care about real characters struggling for freedom in a fantasy world with his first trilogy. Even the beauty-and-the-beast love story in the original King Kong was as impressive as the ape effects.
These are special effects movies that make us feel something more than excitement. It has long been a criticism of video games that they look great, but they typically don’t have the ability to make us feel anything. “Half-Life 2” and its subsequent episodes are among a new generation of titles that are changing how we feel about video games. It is not only among the best games I’ve ever played, but it is touching as well. There are moments of pure, character-driven drama. Since the drama unfolds in-game (not in cut-scenes) you’re always watching it unfold as a character in the scene. When one character hugs another in the middle of the game you can walk around them and watch from all angles. When a character is in distress or pain you can zoom in on their faces and watch them feel these emotions. It’s hard not to feel it, too. For this, I consider these games monumental achievements.
Aside from making you feel something for a change they are exciting and beautiful, to be sure, with plenty of action and physics-based puzzles to keep even expert gamers busy. I’ve always been a fan of this series for its intelligent sensibilities and complete lack of ego. The two extra episodes go a long way to propel the art of gaming both in play and narrative.
If you don’t feel something while you’re playing through the Half-Life 2 saga, maybe you should see a therapist (or a priest), because this game has a lot of heart.
You’d have to be a zombie not to notice.
By Victor Paul Alvarez
valvarez@eastbaynewspapers.com

Super Mario Land - Nintendo Game Boy

I think I was six years old when my father bought me my first game console, the Nintendo Game Boy. While browsing the game store for my very first video game, I was overwhelmed by the huge selection. I chose to play it safe and went with a big name title: Super Mario Land. Maybe this is a phenomenon of every kid’s first video game, but I played this game to death. I must have beaten the game at least a hundred times and I challenge anyone to show me a secret passage or a hidden block that I have not yet uncovered. And after all this, I still find myself occasionally dusting off the old Game Boy Advanced (my original console has since died) to play this classic.
In this 2-D platformer, our lone hero Mario must travel through the four regions of Sarasaland to save Princess Daisy from the evil alien Tatanga. Each region is divided into three parts for a total of twelve levels. After defeating the boss at the end of a region, there is a cutscene where it appears that our hero has rescued Daisy. I was always confused as to why Daisy would then transform into a monster and hop away. I figured out later on that what was actually being depicted was Daisy being kidnapped by the monster. But hey, at that age, storyline took a back seat — I was more concerned about kicking 8-bit minion butt.
One of my favorite things about this game is the distinct flavors of each region in Sarasaland. Mario’s adventures take him to a spider-infested cave and an Egyptian pyramid complete with fire-breathing lions and booby traps. He travels underwater in a submarine and traverses the sky in a plane. One of the more outlandish levels is when Mario goes to Easton which resembles East Asia. The background is pasted with bamboo and the soundtrack is distinctly Chinese. In that level, Mario must face off against vampires, although they are not the vampires that Westerners are familiar with. Instead these are the zombie-like vampires of East Asian folklore that hop around and suck people’s life essences instead of their blood. It’s amazing to me that the developers at the time were able to come up with such eclectic characters and colorful worlds for a monochromatic game.
As technology advances, gamers will be treated to more eye candy and increasingly creative ways to play. But we must remember that gaming is an evolutionary process and today’s bleeding edge titles owe much to their pixelated ancestors. I can tell you that I derived as much, if not more, joy from playing Super Mario Land as I have from playing some of today’s best titles.
By Pei Xiong Liu
pliu@wesleyan.edu

Conan – Xbox 360, PS3

The nice thing about writing a daily column about great games for an entire year is that it gives you the freedom to include some games that may not have made a tougher selection criteria. Readers of this blog know our criteria is simple: If the author thinks it's a great came and can support that belief, than it is a great game.
Conan is a game I found great and I know I'm in the minority. I'm hoping this column changes some minds.
Before I graduated to Hemingway and Bukowski, my introduction to macho literature was Robert E. Howard. The prolific writer’s most famous creation is Conan, a barbarian thief and conqueror. His god is Crom. His sword is his sidekick. He despises magic and he loves women. Many women.
Howard killed himself at the age of 30 in 1936 after hearing that his dying mother would never recover. He walked out to his car and shot himself in the head. His mother died the following day.
Some 70 years later his most famous creation continues to captivate. Howard would likely approve of the game’s faithfulness to Hyboria, the fantasy world he created for Conan. From the opening screen the game world looks and sounds just right. Though I prefer the musical score from the “Conan the Barbarian” film, the music in the game is spot on. (However, Howard would be furious to find that halfway through the game Conan starts wielding magic. Conan doesn’t do magic. He hates it, fears it, swears against it. By Crom I tell you Howard would not like the game developer’s inclusion of magic abilities to diversify the gameplay. They do their best to weave a story that has Conan using magic against his better judgment, but still …)
The magic heresy aside, the gameplay in Conan is surprisingly deep for what is essentially eight hours of cutting bad guys in half with a variety of swords and axes. This is not new territory. Anyone who has played the fantastic God of War games will be quick to point out that Conan is a distant second in this genre. However, the Conan canon is simple and the game is faithful to that simplicity. You will kill thousands of henchmen in this game and fight an interesting variety of beautifully rendered — and sometimes impossibly frustrating — level bosses. You are rewarded for your hack and slash handiwork with new combos and moves. With a ton of attacks at my disposal, I still managed to stick with a handful of trusty moves. My favorite plan of attack was to throw barrels and objects at the bad guys and then use dual swords to hack repeatedly at their torsos until limbs and heads were severed.
Surprisingly, it doesn’t get old (probably because the game is relatively short.)
Oh, and the game is packed with naked women. When you discover an abandoned slave girl chained to a tree you can either free her or simply leave her there. Free her and you are rewarded with a little nudity and horrible one-liners from the vixens — such as: “Now crush me with your love.”
Of course, this game is not for kids.
It’s violent, mindless and (probably) sexist. But, in my opinion, having young girls play games such as “Barbie: Mermaid Adventure” is likely more damaging to them than having little boys wield swords and see breasts.
The game is challenging enough that hardcore gamers will want to plod on and win the final (and most frustrating) boss battle. But it also has the “pick up and play” appeal that many gamers appreciate. For me, I was happy to visit Hyboria, embody a childhood hero and turn off that part of my brain that tells me diversions such as this are not propelling me forward as a decent human being. (Those may have been my wife’s exact words.)
So much mediocre sword and sorcery stuff is floating in the popular culture pool that people are often quick to dismiss Conan – the books and the fantastic first film – as more of the same. But Conan is one of the great ones, and I believe the game suits him perfectly.
By Victor Paul Alvarez
valvarez@eastbaynewspapers.com

No Mercy - Nintendo 64

It’s been years since I watched professional wrestling. I had a passing interest in it during the late 90s when I had no girlfriend and plenty of time on my hands. The guys I once mocked for watching grown men slap each other around became close friends I still know today. My epiphany came one evening when I stopped by Steve O’s house (he’s a diehard, lifelong fan). I caught a few minutes of a monologue by The Rock. It was hilarious and I was hooked.
For awhile.
I don’t watch anymore but I have saved one integral piece of that time in my life: No Mercy for the N64.
No other game tops No Mercy in the fun category. Of course other games are as fun as No Mercy, but I doubt that any of them can top it. The computer AI is excellent, but nothing beats slugging it out with a few friends of similar skills. The character customization is primitive but deep, so you can easily fill the ring with four avatars that look like you and your buddies. The moves available are extensive and the “pick up and play” nature of the game allows even newbies a shot at the title. I never took to any of the wrestling games that have been released since No Mercy. I’m told that some of them are excellent, but I’ve got the only grappler I need.
Check it out. You will not be disappointed.
By Victor Paul Alvarez
valvarez@eastbaynewspapers.com

Retro Game Challenge - Nintendo DS

An 80s love letter to retro gamers and anyone who likes a challenge, Retro Game Challenge was a delightful surprise. When you use words like “sweet” or “thoughtful” to describe a video game it’s usually for titles that feature ponies or Italian plumbers who save princesses. When talking about XSEED’s Retro Gaming Challenge, these words refer to the game’s personality and sensibilities as much as its characters.
It may be because I’m a child of the Atari 2600 and NES, but I found the overall attitude of this game refreshingly warm and thoughtful. It is a power ballad written to 8-bit gamers like myself who long for the days when high scores were everything and extra lives made a difference.
Older gamers often defend the early games for their brilliant use of innovative gameplay in the absence of mindblowing graphics and memory. We say those things, then we let our NES and Genesis gather dust in the shadow of our new consoles. We may miss the simplicity of game’s past, but we rarely go back and visit them. That’s where Retro Gaming Challenge is brilliant. Instead of licensing a bunch of 8-bit classics and bundling them with a goofy storyline, XSEED has managed to produce faithful – and deep – clones of classic 8-bit genres and presented them in a compelling way that begs to be played.
Retro Game Challenge is based on the original Japanese TV series, Retro Game Master. The game takes you back to the 1980s, where you play as a young boy forced by the evil “Game Master” Arino to test your gaming skills in a variety of retro-style video games including shooters, racing games, platformers and an epic role-playing game. Once you master Arino’s challenges, you can return to the beginning to play any of the eight games in their entirety.
The interface – which has you sitting in front of a TV and picking games (and magazines filled with cheats and tips) from the living room bookshelf – is cool and nostalgic. The in-game magazines provide cheat codes to help you warp through complicated levels, but they also offer a virtual history lesson on the video game industry. The fake ‘80s news stories cover actual trends and milestones in the industry from the ‘80s, including the meteoric rise and fall of new game releases.
It is the clever presentation and the game’s ability to take you back in time to your misspent youth jamming cartridges into a game console that sets the game apart from the simple retro release compilation games.
But it’s all about the games in the end. If they were no fun to play, the charm would wear thin quickly. Luckily, the games are fun and the charm doesn’t fade.
By Victor Paul Alvarez
valvarez@eastbaynewspapers.com

Dead Space - Xbox 360, PS3, PC

From the creepy atmosphere to the engrossing story, Dead Space will hook you as soon as you press start. Not only does the game provide a refreshing new franchise in a sea of sequels, it’s also an absolute blast to play. Nearly everything about the game works, from the strong story to the creepy atmosphere and over-the-top gore, Dead Space is a well-conceived hybrid of what gamers have come to love about action games.
Dead Space is a third person shooter that relies on a dismemberment mechanic to take down foes.
The story is quite good, but it’s up to the player to flesh it out. The emphasis on atmosphere lends itself to creating an organic and engrossing story that rewards the gamer based on their involvement with the world around them. There are a number of audio clips that can be found scattered throughout the infested ship, which help players piece together the mystery of what happened on the doomed Ishimura.
In his quest to rescue a loved one, Isaac (you) will do whatever it takes to bring down the alien infestation and save those in danger. Isaac is a mining engineer with an unconventional arsenal. Instead of standard guns you will have saw and bolt guns at your disposal, among others. And your enemies aren’t the typical target practice you’ve come to expect from shooters. While your character controls much like Leon from Resident Evil 4, a simple shot in the head won’t do it this time around. You must dismember your opponents, which adds to the gory and adrenaline-filled experience. There is no HUD (heads up display) creating a truly cinematic experience. Isaac’s health is displayed on his back in the spine of his space suit and any menu is displayed as a hologram projection in front of your character. You are never pulled out of the action and that sense of urgency in battle situations adds to the horror.
Dead Space may not be on par with the superb Bioshock, but it’s close. Hopefully this game can be an inspiration to other developers to create something new that pushes the envelope in both gameplay and story.
By Alex Osborn
life@eastbaynewspapers.com

Warlords - Atari 2600

Think about this the next time you’re crushing the Chimera or halving the Horde: Warlords did it first.
Well, not first. Not even best. But to the people who remember waiting in line for machines to open up in arcades Warlords was one of the visionary games that brought people together before the word “multiplayer” was ubiquitous. A lot of games in the golden age were multiplayer. Pong could not be played without an opponent when it was first released as a bar novelty. Through the years kids would gather around cabinets such as Gauntlet and TMNT along with a ton of side-scrolling beat-em-ups and lose quarters together. But it was the 1981 release of Warlords for the Atari 2600 that got people together in front of the TV for 4-player action. Other multiplayer games came before it, but none of them hold up as well. Instead of beating a buddy in Combat or besting one person’s score in Pac Man, Warlords let you lay the smackdown on three people sitting right next to you.
And it was fun.
In the game you defend yourself from three other players - preferably human. Each player occupies a castle that they defend with a shield. It’s been a long time since I read the instruction manual for the Atari 2600 version, but I believe each character represents one of four brothers fighting endlessly over the fortune of their dead father, the king. Cool. The object is to chip away at your opponents’ castle until you can strike them dead. When this happens, their “ghost” can be seen wandering the fortress.
None of the upgrades or Atari classic compilations have really done justice to the game. To be played right, you need an Atari 2600, a copy of “Warlords” and two sets of working paddles. Luckily, all those things will cost you around $50 on eBay.
Believe me, it’s worth it. The sad truth is that many classic games are simply not fun to play anymore. Our memories of most games are often better than the games themselves. But as we get farther away from the classic era of gaming, I think it’s important to remember not only the games that made a difference, but the ones that are still fun to play.
Warlords is just such a game.
By Victor Paul Alvarez
valvarez@eastbaynewspapers.com

Pure - Xbox 360/Playstation 3

Pure filled a gap that had been vacant for too long. It’s a fun racer – an absolute blast of a game that takes itself just seriously enough to be a first class title but not so serious that it gets mired in too many technical details. It’s an arcade racer, yes, but it has a ton of customization and options that elevate it way above some of the previous entries in the genre.
The name says it all: Pure is pure fun and excitement and should not be missed.
But how about some details, yes?
Once fired up Pure will want you to build your own ATV. There’s a “quick-build” option, which tempted my lazy nature. I’m glad I decided to build it myself. I typically bore of endless customization options in racers, but Pure is straight forward and enjoyable. I put together and crimson and gold beauty that I called “Stark 1,” sealing my geek reputation once and for all.
Then I was off to the races.
“Pure” allows you to pull off some great tricks without much difficulty but demands serious skills to reach the higher levels of trick insanity. It also forces you to balance your desire to pull of super-human moves with your taste for victory. Pull off some nice tricks and you’ll be rewarded with the boost you need to win the race. Use the boost and your trick set will be limited. Boost sure makes winning easier – but the more you risk, the greater your reward.
You decide.
By Victor Paul Alvarez
valvarez@eastbaynewspapers.com

God of War - Playstation 2

Some books keep you up at night. You plan to just read a few pages, or finish a chapter, but you end up reading into the early morning because you must know what happens next. This is also true of only the greatest of video games, and few compare to God of War.
You are enchanted from the beginning. The menu screen turns into the opening cinematic - Kratos committing suicide by jumping off a cliff into the Aegean Sea - as soon as you press play. This always impressed me. You knew right away you were playing a quality title, one that took everything - presentation included - seriously.
There's been as much ink spilled about this game as Kratos has spilled the blood of his enemies. If you're reading this you probably know the game beautifully blends intense action and fighting with puzzles, platforming and character building. The story is that of Kratos, a former captain in the Spartan army who sets out to kill Ares after the god tricks him into killing his own family. I won't pretend to be able to add some new wrinkly to the legend.
But I can tell you this:
I missed the PS2's lifespan almost completely. (I'll admit it, I'm just not a Sony guy.) But I knew I was missing out on some of the best titles ever made and decided to buy a used PS2. My wife and I had just bought our first house. The basement, or cellar, was an unfinished dungeon with cement floors and walls. I promptly placed an old couch down there along with a 10-year-old television and my Atari 2600. It seemed a perfect place for the PS2 (the big version) when I picked one up. God of War was the first game I bought. Despite having a shiny new Xbox 360 hooked up to a massive HDTV upstairs, I found myself spending the next week in the basement playing God of War. How could a game this good be on a system this old? How did they make the controls so intuitive, the fighting so deep and simple at the same time? Who wrote this terrific story and who are the voices behind these compelling characters?
The blood of my enemies splashed across the screen as I mulled these questions in the back of my mind. When I finished the game it struck me that God of War will likely remain one of the finest representations of what this medium has to offer. It has the courage to showcase relentless violence with no apologies. It features as compelling a story as you will find in popular fiction or film. Finally, it is presented as a piece of art built from the ground up by people who care.
God of War is what the Phoenix Games Project is all about. It is part of the canon of gaming.
By Victor Paul Alvarez
valvarez@eastbaynewspapers.com