Over at Gamers With Jobs (an intelligent and articulate group of guys, but thankfully never all-knowing), co-founder Sean "Elysium" Sands is commencing a "Horizons Broadening Project - 2009."  Once a month he'll be going out of his way to play a videogame genre that he wouldn't normally.  Hey, you can't like everything in the first place, so I certainly don't judge.  Sean picked out Birth of America II for his project in January; it's one of those games where "deep" is an obvious understatement when it comes to descriptors for the level of strategy-building involved.  He'll play for a month and then do a write-up. I'm not nearly so committed, but I'll humor the idea for now.

To follow suit with the "deep" strategy genre, one that I've never dipped my toe into (sorry, Sid Meier, your games are so easy they play themselves after a while) I picked up Europa Universalis III - Complete.  The original is about a year old, but the Complete version comes with the In Nomine and Napoleon's Ambition expansion packs. This game is no joke.  Even the tutorials--which are so vague that they have the gall to provide "hints"--assumes I've already had four cups of coffee and roll with an IQ of 120 or greater.

Deep breath, Randy.  You can do this. 

I've only had time to dabble for a few moments in the full-length singleplayer campaign, so I hopped around a few times just to get a feel for my options.  The results were less than flattering...

As England

Without Cassus Belli (justification for an act of war), my allies in Portugal were disgusted with my decision to invade Ireland, even though my advisers were whispering into my ear that Ireland was incapable of ruling itself, and so it was my duty (divine right) as England's ruler to bring it under the Crown.  I sieged one of Ireland's southeastern townships, and after 427 days of pounding on their walls, that city fell to my cannons--or actually, fell to eventual starvation and disease.  But not before France sent an emmisary with a warning for me to cease and desist--which I didn't--so France handed me my hat and kicked me out of my satellite colony in Southern France.  Confused by this turn of events (and since I haven't gotten all the rules down yet), the Irish city I waylaid sued for peace and bought their town back for 45 ducats, a paltry sum.  Plus, my people would've been feeling the initial effects of war fatigue, but I'd hired Geoffrey Chaucer to be one of my righthand men, and his literary skill--sheesh, he was something of a national treasure--must've been like bread & circuses for the unwashed masses.

As Maya

Another time, I ruled the Mayan empire in Central America's Yucatan Peninsula for a few rounds.  I managed to marry off a daughter to the Mixtec people's of Central Mexico, and ally myself with the Aztecs of Northern.  Then I sat stagnant, unsure of how to advance my nation's economic and technological bars.  With nothing more than 1,000 troops at my disposal and a daughter married off to a powerful rival, I retired early and, due to my inactivity, was declared a "mad" ruler.

As Spain

Before that, I took control of the Spanish crown, and quickly declared it a heresy to speak out in any way, shape, or form against God, Jesus Christ, or the Holy Scriptures.  My advisers thought this was a brilliant move, then told me to erradicate every trace of non-Christianity from the Iberian Peninsula (modern day Spain).  I marched thousands of troops south to face a city full of Moors.  Those Sunnis up from Africa soundly curb-stomped my face into the Rock of Gibraltar.

This game is nuts.  I've cracked open maybe 5% of my options as a national leader.  The learning curve on it is more like a learning Mt. Fuji.  If that makes sense.  I'm excited to grow more--even if the game insists I learn through its school of hard knocks.

I like to tell Chuck that the reason I don't post very often is that there isn't anything truly new and different out there that isn't getting coverage. When an amazing new game comes out, every site under the sun is slapping you upside the face with their coverage. (Of course, GamingNexus has the best, least biased coverage out there.) So, when something very different lands in my inbox, I can't ignore it or Chuck will discover the truth: I'm just lazy. (I think he's on to me, but don't tell him you read that. K?)

That truly interesting item is the Lippi Selk'Bag 1. The Selk'Bag is essentially a wearable sleeping bag. It sort of looks like a "onesie" snowmobile suit like you'd wear as a kid, but it has feet, and you can zip up to completely cover the hands. It uses a dual zipper system for a large flap in the front to make getting in and out of the Selk'Bag easy. Secondary zippers allow for openings to adjust for overheating. Zippers at the knees with a mesh inset allows your legs to breathe. The inside has the same feel as the outside, a sleeping bag like material that won't absorb any sweating you may do.

Lippi is marketing this to gamers in addition to the outdoors types. Whether you're on the couch at 2 AM playing Halo or waiting outside Best Buy all night for the next big game to drop, you won't need to worry about carrying a lot with you to stay warm and comfortable. There are two different thicknesses (one for indoor/outdoor, the other for more extreme temperatures), and my review of the Selk'Bag 1 should provide a pretty good idea of what you would get out of either model.

I'm going to be putting it through its paces indoors and outdoors over the next couple weeks.

 

Last week Microsoft unveiled a new user created application from its XNA community that was nothing more than a glorified screensaver of a Hi-Definition fireplace.  While on the surface it is cute and seems like it might be a funky little add-on, it quickly became apparent to me that the Xbox 360 Virtual Fireplace was nothing more than a bending-of-the-rules money grab by Microsoft and the person who developed it.  The tipping point came when the $5 price tag was revealed.

Now, I know (and have made) all the arguments about “just don’t buy it” and “it’s not hurting anyone”, but the piece that is disturbing to me is that it was user created out of the XNA community.  The same XNA that proudly proclaims on their main page (XNA.com) that XNA is “a community all about games - created by you, played by everyone.”   To answer the question before it is asked, the word “games” was highlighted by the good admin at XNA.com, not by me.  I would love someone to provide a great explanation to me where a $5 HD fireplace falls into the “games” category.

The minute someone in the XNA quality control department allowed this non-gaming application to slide through the process was the same minute Microsoft exposed Xbox Live Marketplace to the shady dealings that have plagued the AppStore by Apple.  Does anyone remember the “I’m Rich” app?  While this is only one non-gaming Application, how long before we start seeing a flood of junk hit Marketplace because every schmuck with an XNA dev kit thinks he can make a quick buck by creating a screensaver or something?  In my opinion, the QC staff at XNA needs to be reprimanded for breaking their own rules and letting this junk slide through.  Then again, they opened the door to Pandora’s Box, so maybe their penance is to have to review every non-gaming submission that comes their way.  If I’m Microsoft, I quickly remove this application from the XNA system and Marketplace, or create a brand new genre for useless money grabs like this.  I'm interested to hear feedback on this topic, please leave it in the comments section or the GamingNexus forums.

This last weekend I got a chance to spend a little time with the Bioshock add-on rooms for the PS3.  This PSN download consists of three extra scenarios, completely unrelated to any plot points in the main game, but each of them have quite a bit of fun and challenge, and were a pleasant way to spend a few hours. 

The first scenario, A Shocking Turn of Events, is a puzzle-based event.  A Little Sister is trapped atop a Ferris wheel somewhere in a Rapture amusement park, and it’s up to the players to rescue her.   To start things off, players have no weapons or plasmids (and are, in fact, trapped in a room without any).  Through some (often unconventional) means, players must solve puzzles to power the Ferris wheel enough times to free the little tyke.  With the bonus presence of a few of Rapture’s denizens, and some severely limited offensive capabilities, this presents a fun little challenge.

The next scenario, The I in Team, is also primarily a puzzler.  Here players must defeat a Big Daddy to rescue a little sister.  The problem?  No weapons or offensive plasmids are available throughout the entire puzzle.  This one was probably my favorite of the three outings, allowing me to out-think rather than out-gun that behemoth. 

The final room, Worlds of Hurt, is simply a meat grinder.  A gauntlet of eight rooms is in place, full of many of Rapture’s meanest, and the players have to fight their way through.  Players start out with nothing, but soon can outfit themselves with whatever arsenal of weapons and plasmids they choose.  Ammo and hypos are limited, of course, so this is in no way a walk in the park.  And the best part?  There’s no Vita-Chamber for resurrection.  Simply brutal.

The add-on pack is probably best for those that have completed the game, or are at least well-versed in all the ins and outs of Bioshock.  None of the challenges are terribly lengthy, but players can re-try to get better times (or on higher difficulties in the Worlds of Hurt), and there are some special collectables for those completists out there. All in all, the add-on is a fun way to burn an afternoon revisiting the joys of Rapture.  The more Bioshock we get, the better, in my mind.

Guns and Roses is one of my favorite bands of all time.  For me, no band has burned brighter and flamed out as spectacularly as the band headed by Axle Rose.  The album was always there to get me amped for football games in high school and the discs were almost with me when I was in college.  I remember waiting in line at the college music store at midnight to pickup Use Your Illusion I and II during my freshman year in college.  I remember being struck by the diversity of the music on the albums and how well put together the music was. 

Unfortunately that was the high point for the group as they one more album before going their separate ways while Axel worked on Chinese Democracy.  This was in 1993 and the album was finally released last month, nearly 15 years later.  Personally I had low expectations for the album as most things that go on that long are abject failures as the industry passes the artist away.  I was hoping for a semi-decent album that might trigger some resonances of earlier years but nothing more.  After buying the album and ripping it to my Zune I fired up the CD and you know what.  It kicked ass.

Let me rephrase that...it kicked f**king ass.

The music was clearly Guns and Roses sound but modern and almost timeless like the rest of their music (Sweet Child of Mine could be released next week and still hit the top of the charts) Sure the album isn't perfect but it's damn good and it manages to maintain the classic sound and feel without feeling dated.  The release of the album got me me thinking about Duke Nukem Forever as the two are linked in my mind.

I've been pretty harsh on the game over the last year or so but Chinese Democracy is giving me pause and a little hope.  Maybe 3D Realms will be able to deliver the mind blowing game they've been promising since 1997.  Maybe they'll be able to give us a relevant hero, solid multiplayer, and maybe even deliver on the unbelievably high expecations that people have set for the game.  That's a lot of maybe but it's enough to help move my cynicism meter a few notches back.

Another question is how will reviewers react to the game when it's released.  Chuck Klosterman sums up my feelings a bit in his review of Chinese Democracy by stating:

"Reviewing Chinese Democracy is not like reviewing music. It's more like reviewing a unicorn. Should I primarily be blown away that it exists at all? Am I supposed to compare it to conventional horses? To a rhinoceros? Does its pre-existing mythology impact its actual value, or must it be examined inside a cultural vacuum, as if this creature is no more (or less) special than the remainder of the animal kingdom?"

I'm not sure there's even an objective way for anyone to really review and rate the game given the full on history of the game.  Anything short of a B+ rating would be considered a critical failure.  Given the games decade long development you have to wonder how many copies the game would have to sell to be considered a commercial success.  I'm not sure if this really matters to the folks at 3D Realms but you would have to think they (and their backers) would like to get some kind of return on investment from the game.  Honestly, I think even seeing the game on store shelves would rank as major accomplishment at this point given the history behind the game.

Blather aside I'm hoping we see the game in 2009 just so we can all move on with our lives.  I'm nearly at the point where even talking about the game induces a vague pain in my lower back and I'd rather just get the thing over and done with no matter how good or bad the game is.  I do think now that there is a slim chance the folks at 3D Realms could deliver a good game now that Axel Rose has delivered an album that trumped expectations.  I just hope George Broussard doesn't use the same hairstylist.

The Prince can’t find his ass with both hands.

To be more specific, he’s looking for his donkey, Farah, and hasn’t been able to locate her.  And despite the Prince’s “Dude, Where’s My Car?” banter, it isn’t long before Princess “Don’t Call Me Princess” Elika comes along as a bona fide Daxter to his Jak.  Or Clank to his Ratchet.  I’m not sure which.  But she serves as a foil to his frat boy yearnings and sitcom sense of comedic timing.

Give yourself an hour with these two and you’ll stop rolling your eyes at the loquacious rhetoric, instead embracing the growing warmth between their cold shoulders.  The Prince isn’t interested in disclosing his past, while Elika exhibits textbook knowledge of the gods, magical and natural balance, and geographical history.  The Prince moves across inhuman environments with fluency, tempered between times with a workman's wit, while Elika comes in with the no-game-over-screen saves if the Prince’s stellar parkour training stutters a bit.

Give yourself that same hour to acclimate to the Prince’s controls.  I came for the artwork, but I’m staying for the momentum.  Altair in Assassin’s Creed is not 100-percent comparable to the Prince after you’ve taken him through some trial and error.  Ubisoft Montreal often equated Altair’s movements to that of a car:  You held down a trigger and “steered” through the environments.  That equation seems fair enough, but I’d offer that Altair’s “car” was an automatic – while the Prince’s vehicle is a stick shift.  In Prince of Persia, deft but patient thumb presses are required to navigate.  And though his initial steps in any direction feel like they’re in quicksand, the Prince dutifully leaps, wall-runs, ceiling-runs, slides, climbs, and shimmies at a formidable pace.

It feels fantastic when you’re dialed in, using Elika’s magic to enhance your jump across a cavern, then digging your claw into the cliffside to slow your descent, springing towards the opposite wall and coming to a two-point landing on a sand-dusted platform.  It also feels fantastic when you wall-run along a chasm lost in darkness, grip a wall-ring to extend your wall-run further, skitter across a patch of ivy to reach some horizontal wood railing, then run along the ceiling to a nearby vertical post.

But strangely enough, as fantastic as those moments are the first time through, they get even better on a repeat run.  This time, armed with the slightest bit of foreknowledge as to what obstacles approach, the parkour gets tighter, your movements more calculated, and Elika comes to your rescue far less often.

I was, admittedly, quite intimidated before I picked up Prince of Persia today.  I went into it knowing that I may very well not possess the hand-eye coordination to make this a valuable purchase for me.  And after playing the demo of – and being severely discouraged by – the fall-and-fall-again Mirror’s Edge, I thought that the Prince was also here to kick ass and chew bubble gum.  Thankfully, the Prince didn’t run out of bubble gum.

With frequent breaths to take between acrobatics, there’s also plenty of time and space between sword fights.  They operate on a set of timed combos; and while I’m too lazy to learn the myriad combos already available to me (Normal combos, Elika combos, Lift combos, Acrobatic combos, Throw combos and Aerial combos) the early stages patiently taught me one or two that have served me well in the one-on-one combat.  I can get lazy quickly when that many combos are at my disposal – there’s something to be said for Fable 2’s one-button combat, to be sure – but the fights are so beautifully animated that I’m starting to sneak peeks at that combo list again, hoping one or two more will sink in.

The only moment of confusion I had was in the open-world but not-quite-open-world map.  Paths spoke out in four directions from a central hub, and given the advice to essentially “go wherever you want to go” I went entirely too far in one direction right off the bat.  Prince of Persia wanted me to taste each direction, get a little bit of each level’s spice on the tip of my tongue:  Not charge whole-hog in one direction with a completist attitude driving my compass.  I wanted to sweep the map from one end to the other, west to east, no fog of war left defogged.  But that strategy won't work.  And Elika, along with her little magical “follow me!” comet that leads the way (when asked) to objectives, won’t automatically turn you around.  I was simply told “pick another destination” on the branching map, when in fact only 4 of the 24 other destinations were honestly viable.

But the journey is still young, and though there are imminent fast-travel options back to already-visited locations, I’m enjoying the journey as much as the destination.  Clearing the land of a black corruption unleashed by a dark god – since the good god is pretty much on vacation– makes for thirsty work with plenty of free-running left to do.  And when it comes to companionship, even though I can’t play a Fable 2 game of fetch with Elika (or emote with her in any other way), it’s great to be splitting the mileage along with a driving partner.