In which the gaming obsession starts off the year with a vengeance
Alright. I tried. I really did. You can ask anyone (namely Prof. Ulol Kimil), and he would vouch for you on the effort I made not to succumb to a pool of video game obsession for the first Cranky Corner column of the year. Heck, I even tried an epic ballad to start off a new year.
But there is one thing that I've learned out of all this, and the more one represses this obsessive urge to fangirl, the more blatantly impossible it becomes. Ergo, there's no going around the subject about video games, and instead of talking about just THE ONE GAME TO RULE THEM ALL (aka Skyrim, hem hem), I'm going to elucidate the fantabulousness of other graphically-enticing stories.
The fangirl in me aside, there is a point, I suppose. The point is that 2011-2012 promised a slew of various games with great story as well as beautiful graphics. With the technology that we have now, is there really any wonder how concept art can wonderfully mesh with computer engineering technology and imaginative writers?
Obviously, I'm not going to cover all genres of video games. I'm a particular person who likes certain kinds, and heck, I even like fighting against zombies in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. But being the fantasy nut that I am, I tend to stick to role-playing games with some evidence of detailed plots and, well, options that include swords, sorcery, and thieving (among other things).
This year, there were numerous amounts of games--yes, I mean it, numerous--that I wanted to play, and even more numerous that I started playing and thought to play the sequels of. There were some games I thought were okay, others that blew my mind, and even more that I just got addicted to for some reason. Anyway, here's the set that made my 2011-2012 top list.
Cassie's Favorite Acquisitions of 2011*
Kingdom Hearts
Yes. I am aware that this is a relatively old game, but I did get this as a present, and frankly, I kind of love this game. This SquareEnix-Disney collaboration mixed characters from the Final Fantasy series with Disney characters and worlds. Sora, the main protagonist, has to figure out why he's no longer able to return to his home. Meanwhile, Donald and Goofy are searching the worlds for their missing king. The three unite in order to further their goals, and it really is much fun getting from one kingdom to another.
As old as the game might be, it's still rather fun. The music is catchy; well, it's Utada Hikaru, and I love her. The worlds incorporated the Disney stories, particularly a couple of Disney princesses, to boot. And the villains, well, the villains were just plain amazing. I mean, come on. Jafar? Hades? Maleficent? But, of course, the best part of the game has to be gummi ships. I always love customizing gummi ships, no lie.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadows
A reboot franchise! I've actually not played any of the previous Castlevania games, so this one makes a pleasant appearance on the list. The game tells the story of Gabriel Belmont, a holy knight whose sole goal is to protect innocents and destroy the dark, supernatural evils appearing all over Earth (the time period being 1047). With the help of his wife--who is a spirit--Gabriel journeys across the land in order to find means to destroy the Lord of Shadows.
To be honest, I'm still not quite sure how the whole story is going to unfold, though from the looks of what the previous Castlevania games were about, I'm pretty sure Dracula is at the crux of the story somewhere. But a few things always intrigued me about this game. The animation and graphic work is fantastic, of course. The voice actors are surprisingly well-known; Jason Isaacs and Patrick Stewart make voice appearances (though I won't spoil who). Then of course there's the promise of Baba Yaga, which is probably the one character I'm most looking forward to meeting. Here's hoping the meeting is not a disappointment!
Assassin's Creed: Revelations
This is the third--and final--installation of Ezio Auditore da Firenze's story. But this is not just about Ezio's adventures as an assassin, oh no. Things are much more complicated than that, especially when the story of Revelations begins in the present time. The gamer follows Desmond Miles, a descendant of Ezio Auditore, who is lost within his own mind. In order for Desmond to save his mind from utter destruction, he must reconcile the past of his assassin ancestors--namely that of Ezio and the legendary assassin, Altair.
That said, the story is complicated and much more confusing than most. However, Revelations had one important thing going for me: the scenery. My first Assassin's Creed experience was probably Ezio's storyline (Assassin's Creed II), and while I found the view of Florence, Venice, and Rome to be quite stunning, it was certainly Constantinople that brought about my ardent love for the third game. When I saw that Revelations would mostly take place in Constantinople, I was utterly overjoyed, and my mind was reeling at the imagination of seeing the Hagia Sophia and the Galata Tower. Obviously, I wasn't disappointed when I finally started playing, that's for sure.
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Hem hem. Need I say any more? But perhaps one needs more of an explanation of why Skyrim truly is epic. Number one: the vast high fantasy world with a rich mass of history and races. Number two: the mother-frelling DRAGONS. The gamer plays as a Dragonborn (or "Dovahkiin" in the dragon tongue) in the northern world of Skyrim, a nation experiencing a civil war, 200 years after the Oblivion Crisis (which was the event of Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion). Throughout the game, the Dragonborn travels all over the country and has the option of getting involved in town quests, exploring ruins and amassing wealth, or just plain picking flowers and stealing coins.
Bethesda's games have so much freedom, it's a wonder how anyone could finish the game without going off on a tangent and completing some other--and probably more fun--quest. That's what I've loved so far in the previous games I've played by the same makers. And I've certainly clocked quite a number of hours on Skyrim already. It really is a beautifully rendered high fantasy world (come on, the makers created a separate dragon language just for the game), and seriously, just by looking at the sky, you could see how much detail the creators underwent in order to make the world come to life.
*Note: I say "acquisitions" because they did not necessarily get released in 2011. In fact, these are just games I managed to obtain somehow over the year and greatly enjoyed. I know there must be a billion million games I could be recommended into playing, but I'd need double the hours in a day to be able to do so. These games are not necessarily all G or PG-rated. So please, please take them in stride. Thanks!
