May 6, 2011 | The Clarion
Arts & Life
Page 7
The best games... that I have ever played
By Alex McCracken
Staff Writer
We pick up where we left off last week with a continuation of “The best
games ...that I have ever played. ”
“Final Fantasy VI”
I didn’t grow up with the NES or even the Super Nintendo, so when
older gamers try to turn me on to the old guard of video game classics.
I’ve never really been impressed. Their lot is typically short, blunt, and
requires a considerable amount of nostalgia to remain relevant in the fifth
console generation .This was not the case for “Final Fantasy VI,” which
has, hands down, one of the best stories a video game has ever told.
It’s is a straight up Japanese RPG. You got your player characters, you
got your monsters, you got your experience levels, and you got your loot.
But what you will appreciate the most is that this is one of the last times a
game in the series has had an effecting sense of humor, the dwindling lack
of this trait in later titles has since turned the series into a bit of a joke; a
derivative, spiky-haired, angsty joke.
Its characters and their presence that make this game a unique ride and
to just clack out their traits and personality would not do them justice.
Mainly because that by themselves they really aren’t anything special, but
their various and brilliantly written musical themes give them a unique
voice that’s reinforced by a story that not only carries weight with it’s cast
of thousands, but with the game play itself
FFVI is available on the Gameboy Advance... and certainly not on the
Visual Boy emulator (www.emulator-zone.com/doc.php/gba)
“Resident Evil 4”
Many times, it takes a while to publish a game. Sometimes four years,
sometimes six. RE4 falls under the latter and it was a red flag for a lot
of reasons. For one, the franchise is one of the video game world’s most
profitable, making sure that whatever went wrong, Capcom would throw
all the time and money necessary at it to make it work.
When games take this long, it usually means they went in the wrong
direction—for a of couple years. And if those titles ever get released they
'Syria'
from page 4
lives, and in fact, many pro government
demonstrations have occurred there. Damascus
being overall stable has made me feel relieved
about the safety for my family and I hope things
will stay peaceful there. I still have plans to
return home next week, and I hope the situation
there will improve.
I must admit, it is surreal for me seeing Syria
fall into chaos, because living there for 15 years
has been relatively peaceful and stable. And it
has been like that for the past 30 years. I find it
hard to believe the images of Syrian people being
killed in the streets and destruction occurring.
Not this much unrest has happened since the
early 1980s in Syria. Although back then, the
uprisings there were not as widespread and were
mostly conducted by Muslim Brotherhood that
ended up getting crushed by the government
with brute force.
Fortunately, the chaos in Syria has not reached
to the magnitude of what has been currently
happening in Libya... yet, and I hope it will never
get that bad in Syria. As I mentioned before, I
hope tensions in Syria will calm down while I
am there throughout the summer If things really
got out of hand there, my family and I will have
to end up fleeing from the country and seek
refuge in America, since me, my brothers, my
father, and even my mother, even though she is
Syrian, have U.S. citizenships. But I hope this
situation will not occur because that would mean
that my father will end up lo sing his j ob in Syria
and we will end up losing our home.
But for now, I will stay optimistic and hope
for the best in Syria. And many people I know
from Brevard College have wished me and my
family luck. Perhaps when I return to Brevard
College in the fall for my semester I might end
up telling people the wild adventures I had in
Syria over the summer
get an “E” for effort at best. See Alan Wake’s lukewarm reception as an
example.
Yet, “Resident Evil 4” is a glorious exception to the rule. Not only were
they going in the right direction the whole time, but they managed to create
one of the longest, scariest, most repayable shooters under the sun.
There’s a corny story about rescuing the American president’s daughter
from a Spanish cult of zombies, but I don’t really care about it and neither
should you, instead focus on how jaw droopingly long it is. Survival horror
games are a twelve hour romp in the best of times. RE4 takes at least 17
and it never runs out of places to take you, guns to buy, and zombies to
kill... again,I guess.
So for staying as fresh at hour one as it does at hour 20. “Resident
Evil 4” holds a very special place in my gamers’ heart, as well as my
nightmares.
RE4 is available on the Gamecube (who the hell has a GameCube?)
PS2andPC
“Bioshock (1&2)”
I’m putting both these games in one slot just like I did for my number one
pick. Because it’s sequel is not so much a sequel as it is a companion piece,
correcting the former’s short comings, while having a few of it’s own.
But let me make my self clear. The world of the “Bioshock” series is
an artistic triumph directly on par with either Namia or Middle Earth.
Not in the high fantasy sense, lord no, but as one of the most creative and
intricate fictional worlds ever brought to life. And in my humble opinion,
one of the best.
In 1944 during the aftermath and confusion of the second world war, an
electrical engineering magnate disappears along will thousands of other
artists, businessmen, and philosophers. The magnate, Andrew Ryan, had an
impossible dream: a world without government. Or rather, a world where
personal achievement was valued above all else, the ultimate meritocracy;
welcome to Rapture.
“Bioshock” is the video game adaption of the philosophy of Ayn Rand.
If you haven’t read any of her work. I’m not going to waste your time
explaining obj ectivism to you. Suffice to say, the world of rapture has some
very bitter and critical things to say about it. It reduces Rand’s philosophy
to a laughable ideal, without belittling the
people that believe in it. It goes to great lengths
to explain why the citizens loved and believed
in Rapture, while simultaneously portraying
them as drug addled mutants.
But what kind of game is “Bioshock”?
That’s a good question, and the simple answer
is that it’s a bunch of different kinds. It’s a
shooter first and foremost, but with collectable
powers and abilities it becomes an impromptu
role playing game. I say you shouldn’t try to
bottle why “Bioshock” is a blast. Let its moldy
art deco mystery wash over you, and maybe by
the end, you’ll have some extra ammo against
the special Rand nut in your life.
The Bioshock games created a world that
grabbed me by the throat and never let me go.
It’s a place that’s dripping with purpose and
meaning as well as blood, mold, first aid kits,
and anti-parasite propaganda. I recommend
it to anyone over the age of eighteen.It’s a
cultural milestone and it’s that powerful.
“Bioshock” 1 &2 are available on PC, Xbox
360 and PS3