if only I could do it all over again
I finished Shadow of Destiny for the PS2 the other night. Published by Konami, it was a first generation PS2 title directed by Junko Kayama. Her previous credits include the lead scenario writer for the PSX Suikoden games.
The premise is simple yet maddeningly complex: the player must travel through time to prevent his own death. There is a catch, however: you can't choose whatever time you want to go back to. Instead, the time periods which are only made available to you based on their relevance to your current predicament. What makes this connection "relevant" or not often seems arbitrary, though as the plot unfolds the connections between time periods become more apparent.
The game is set in the German village of Lebensbaum, any time from modern day to the 14th century. The plot is winding and incestuous, often relying on circular logic and narrative sleight of hand. As outlandish as the plot becomes, the characters are, with only one real exception, down to earth, ordinary people who one way or another wind up wrapped up in a clusterfuck of time travel. There are small moments of family drama, personal tragedies, and casual slices of life. Though the voice acting is occasionally awkward and hammy, the characters are well articulated and nuanced, if not always entirely natural. Because of this, the game always feels grounded and real even when the plot becomes seemingly incomprehensible.
The game's presentation is really breathtaking. Lebensbaum, as it's depicted in past and present, has got to be one of the most meticulously arranged and detailed environment I've ever encountered in a videogame. There's nothing too impressive going on technically: polygon counts are low and special effects are sparse, though the framerate remains at a consistent 60 fps. However, the texturing and object placement are extremely detailed and varied, and the art direction is similarly focused. It's possible to play through the game many times and still miss minor details in the game's environments. With this aesthetic sensibility firmly in place, it's without a doubt one of the most gorgeous looking video games I've ever played. Objects on screen are perfectly laid out as if the environments were designed with every possible viewing angle in mind.
The score is also hauntingly beautiful, evoking subtle moods ranging from placid summer afternoons to anxious, paranoid nights. Depending on where you are and what music is playing the game can be either invitingly beautiful or hauntingly surreal, and often both at once.
Because the game paints such a compelling portrait of individuals and settings, it makes the actual somewhat frustrating gameplay a little easier to bear. The game relies far too strongly on cutscenes to communicate its plot, so much so that some chapters consist almost entirely of watching cutscenes, and then making a brief set of (often blindingly obvious) decisions that alter your fate. Often between cutscenes the plot has made so many twists and turns and introduced so many new characters and settings that it's difficult to remember what you were supposed to be doing to began with. Other chapters are a little more pleasant, giving you a chance to explore the village and gather information if you like, and a few are even challenging and force you to do some lateral thinking.
The gameplay is in a standard adventure game style; the puzzles tend to be simple if a little obtruse, and every now and then you must fall back on trial and error techniques to figure out exactly what you need to do.
After finishing the game, I'm at a loss as to whether or not it's absolutely brilliant or completely retarded. This is the sort of game that lives and dies by its writing, and this game's plot makes Mullholand Drive's narrative seem logical and continuous. There are apparently something like 5 or 6 possible endings; I got the worst one. Perhaps I'll be able to understand the inner game's workings better if I figure out how to view the other endings.
I recommend playing it, however, because it's got a very strong and original concept that takes advantage of the unique strengths of the medium. In addition, it's probably one of the most beautiful games you'll play on this or any other platform.
Look for some kind of review/analysis in the March issue of Gamer's Quarter.
The premise is simple yet maddeningly complex: the player must travel through time to prevent his own death. There is a catch, however: you can't choose whatever time you want to go back to. Instead, the time periods which are only made available to you based on their relevance to your current predicament. What makes this connection "relevant" or not often seems arbitrary, though as the plot unfolds the connections between time periods become more apparent.
The game is set in the German village of Lebensbaum, any time from modern day to the 14th century. The plot is winding and incestuous, often relying on circular logic and narrative sleight of hand. As outlandish as the plot becomes, the characters are, with only one real exception, down to earth, ordinary people who one way or another wind up wrapped up in a clusterfuck of time travel. There are small moments of family drama, personal tragedies, and casual slices of life. Though the voice acting is occasionally awkward and hammy, the characters are well articulated and nuanced, if not always entirely natural. Because of this, the game always feels grounded and real even when the plot becomes seemingly incomprehensible.
The game's presentation is really breathtaking. Lebensbaum, as it's depicted in past and present, has got to be one of the most meticulously arranged and detailed environment I've ever encountered in a videogame. There's nothing too impressive going on technically: polygon counts are low and special effects are sparse, though the framerate remains at a consistent 60 fps. However, the texturing and object placement are extremely detailed and varied, and the art direction is similarly focused. It's possible to play through the game many times and still miss minor details in the game's environments. With this aesthetic sensibility firmly in place, it's without a doubt one of the most gorgeous looking video games I've ever played. Objects on screen are perfectly laid out as if the environments were designed with every possible viewing angle in mind.
The score is also hauntingly beautiful, evoking subtle moods ranging from placid summer afternoons to anxious, paranoid nights. Depending on where you are and what music is playing the game can be either invitingly beautiful or hauntingly surreal, and often both at once.
Because the game paints such a compelling portrait of individuals and settings, it makes the actual somewhat frustrating gameplay a little easier to bear. The game relies far too strongly on cutscenes to communicate its plot, so much so that some chapters consist almost entirely of watching cutscenes, and then making a brief set of (often blindingly obvious) decisions that alter your fate. Often between cutscenes the plot has made so many twists and turns and introduced so many new characters and settings that it's difficult to remember what you were supposed to be doing to began with. Other chapters are a little more pleasant, giving you a chance to explore the village and gather information if you like, and a few are even challenging and force you to do some lateral thinking.
The gameplay is in a standard adventure game style; the puzzles tend to be simple if a little obtruse, and every now and then you must fall back on trial and error techniques to figure out exactly what you need to do.
After finishing the game, I'm at a loss as to whether or not it's absolutely brilliant or completely retarded. This is the sort of game that lives and dies by its writing, and this game's plot makes Mullholand Drive's narrative seem logical and continuous. There are apparently something like 5 or 6 possible endings; I got the worst one. Perhaps I'll be able to understand the inner game's workings better if I figure out how to view the other endings.
I recommend playing it, however, because it's got a very strong and original concept that takes advantage of the unique strengths of the medium. In addition, it's probably one of the most beautiful games you'll play on this or any other platform.
Look for some kind of review/analysis in the March issue of Gamer's Quarter.
posted by A. Toups at 14:42
1 Comments:
Any particular insights for the exray factory?
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