Deja Fu

Downloadable Content, or DLC for short, is going to be the death of me. Just when I thought my wallet would stop springing leaks every few weeks, a veritable slew of content for games I’ve finished is being released.

First, Lionhead releases Knothole Island for Fable 2. This adds an island off the coast of the mainland with new quests, clothes, and weapons to collect. Then, Bethesda releases a small expansion for Fallout 3 – Operation: Anchorage, which adds a nice quest where the player attempts to defend an Alaskan base against a Commie invasion. Bethesda also has two more expansions which be released in the coming months. Finally, Criterion plans on releasing a series of content packs like the Legendary Cars pack, in addition to the free updates they’ve already released. In the works is the first of a series of islands with more stunt areas as well.

We won’t even discuss the number of songs released for Rock Band, or Guitar Hero.

This seems to be a growing trend and I approve. These are all great games and more content for them is quite welcome. I only hope they get spaced out a bit more and they continue to cost a relatively small amount. It would appear to be a nice revenue stream, but my guess is only if it isn’t abused. Epic charging $0.55 fora video showing me the location of a collectible in Gears of War 2, when I can get the same information from YouTube is pretty dumb.

-K

Straight from Criterion, the makers of Burnout Paradise comes the announcement of the Legendary Cars Pack. It’s four cars added to the game, and rumor has it they will cost money this time around, but when you see what’s in store, I think you’ll agree it will be worth it.

Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever seen another company put so much effort into improving a console game as Criterion has done. As a result, they’ve got one loyal customer for some time to come.

-K

Good games are rare things all on their own. For example, of the hundreds of titles available for the XBox 360, I own maybe twenty or so and have played less than a hundred (Gamefly rules!).

So when a truly great game comes along, it’s definitely memorable. The thing is that those games usually come from a studio where a collaborative effort (sometimes guided by an auteur) is the main creative force. Budgets are usually in the millions. The man hour count alone would stagger most people’s imaginations.

Then a game like Braid appears and the entire world is turned upside down.

Braid is a puzzle/2-D platformer and the creation of indie developer Jonathan Blow, which takes these tried and true staples of the arcade game and, with the added mechanic of time reversal, a compelling, well-written story (that resonates emotionally, not just intellectually), beautiful art and a haunting soundtrack, transcends the genre to become something close to art, rather than just entertainment.

As I’ve seen in other reviews, to talk about Braid’s content or mechanics too closely is to spoil enjoyment of the game itself. It really should be experienced with as little known about it as possible. The game does use time as a mechanic, that can be said, and it does so in a way that evokes comparisons to Alan Lightman’s Einstein’s Dreams. If you know the book, you’ll know to what I am referring.

The game itself is short, about six hours seems to be the average, and some of the puzzles can be frustrating until you figure out the key, but there’s nothing here to prevent anyone from completing the game. It all works and once you figure out a puzzle, you’re left feeling triumphant and clever, which should always be the case.

At the moment it’s only available on the XBox 360 via XBLA, but I’ve read a PC version will be released early in 2009.

One way or another, you should make a point to play this game. Experiences like this are rare and should be enjoyed and there are much, much worse ways to spend $15.

-K

As if you needed any other reason, here’s the debut trailer for what promises to be one of the cooler games in 2008 – Lego Batman.

Oh yeah.

-K

Last night I finally finished Assassin’s Creed, a game set during the Third Crusade. You play Altair, an assassin who has been sent to strike at the leadership of three key cities (Acre, Damascus and Jerusalem). Along the way, you discover your missions have far more ramifications than you had imagined.

That’s not a lot of plot summary, but frankly any more reveals too much. I will say the story is well-written, coherent and (reasonably) historically accurate. All things which make for a nice cinematic adventure.

Assassin’s Creed is beautiful. It really shows off the power of the XBox 360, especially when displayed in HD. Altair’s movements are wonderfully animated as he runs, climbs, jumps and fights. However, the crowning achievement is the creation of cities that are teeming with life and activity. No empty streets here (in fact, that can get frustrating). People are everywhere, going about their business and contributing to the immersion.

The game also employs an “awareness” feature where people notice your actions and react to them. If you start shoving people out of the way (which you are allowed to do), then the guards will give warnings, or attempt to stop you. Just like the police. If you’re being chased, ducking around a corner and hiding in a haystack might be enough to throw off their scent and “reset” the encounter. When you consider the entire game takes place during the day, then stealthily killing your targets is all that more challenging.

The most common critique is the repetitive nature of some activities in the game. There’s merit to these claims. On occasion, fighting yet another group of guards because you saved a citizen from their abuse can get a bit old. However, this is countered by the sandbox nature of the game. You’re not put on a linear path. There is a story and you much complete certain objectives to advance it, but for the most part the order in which you complete the objectives is completely up to you. This is extraordinary for a game of its size.

Even the assassinations themselves can be done how you choose. You can stealthily approach the victim, hoping to stab them with a hidden blade and walk away unnoticed, or you can just draw your sword, hack them down and dare all the guards to challenge you. You do get an achievement for a stealthy kill, so make sure you do at least one of those.

To sum up, Assassin’s Creed is a beautiful sandbox in which to act out your part of a larger story, steeped in history from the Middle Ages and wonderful in its degree of control given to the player. People who need their decisions made for them, or who only know how to walk a straight line need not apply. The rest of us can enjoy.

-K