pixel hunt issue 15

PS3 360 Wii PC MOBILE OPINIONS FEATURES www.pixelhunt.com.au www.twitter.com/pixelhunt

AUSTRALIA’S BEST gAMINg -zINE FULLY INTERACTIVE MAgAzINE ISSUE 15 MAY 2011

GRAVESITUATIONSDeath In Video Games

Welcome to Australia’s favourite gaming network, with honest Aussie editorial, grief-free servers and lively forums

the ultimate aussie gaming destination we love games.

2 minute reviewTerraria

uber reviewDirt 3

preview revealCall of Duty: Elite

http://games.on.net/

http://games.on.net/article/12621/2_Minute_Review_Terraria

http://games.on.net/article/12618/ber_Review_Dirt_3_PC

http://games.on.net/article/12684/Eyes-On_Preview_-_Call_of_Duty_Elite

3www.PIXELHUNT.com.AUAUsTrALIA’s bEsT GAmING -zINE

ISSUE 15 MAY 2011

Publishing Editor Dylan BurnsE-zine Editor Michael PincottWebsite Manager Matthew WilliamsE-zine Production Aaron SammutAdvertising Contact the Editor if you would like to advertise with Pixel Hunt [email protected] Dylan Burns, Anthony Capone, Tim Henderson, Annika Howells, Brendan Keogh, Jahanzeb Khan, Patrick Lang, Ken Lee, James O’Connor, Michael Pincott, James Pinnell, Alex Walker

THE gAME DOCTORA BLunT CriTiquE Of A BLunT CriTiquE Of GAME CriTiCiSM

18

cONTENTS

IN CASE YOU MISSED ITMAJin AnD THE fOrSAKEn KinGDOM

8QUESTIONS &

ANSWERSWiTH

PrOfESSOr PiXEL

17

BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTYWiTH AnniKA HOWELLS

14

WHAT WE’RE PLAYINgWiTH THE PiXEL HunT STAff

28

FEATUREninTEnDO 3DSSPECiAL fEATurE

20

KILL DEATH RATIOMArvELvS CAPCOM 3

24 CREATIVECHArLiE GETS rEAL

30RESET 5.0

EnJOYinG GAMinG

32OPINION

viDEO GAME Or viDEOGAME?

34

COVER: Daniel PurvisSUBSCRIBE: at www.pixelhunt.com.auFOLLOW: www.twitter.com/PixelHunt DONATE: if you’d like to show your appreciation for each issue, please donate via PayPal at www.pixelhunt.com.au. All proceeds will go back into making Pixel Hunt the most up-to-date, honest and (we hope) fun gaming zine available.

Pixel Hunt is actually a term that refers to video games that use a point and click interface like in so many adventure games. As such, Pixel Hunt the magazine is also interactive. Try clicking on items, such as the icons to the bottom of the page to turn to the next or previous page, the arrow to the top of each page will take you back to the contents page where each individual story is linked. Give it a go.

WHAT IS A PIXEL HUNT?NAVIgATINg THIS -zINE

COVERFEATUREDEATH in

viDEOGAMES

10


LETTER FROM THE EDITOR It’s That Time Again

I t’s been an interesting past month or so for gamers. We’ve

had Portal 2 released to great ac-claim after the controversial conclu-sion of Valve’s potato-powered ARG. Then there was the shutdown and pillaging of Sony’s Playstation Net-work (which at the time of writing is STILL down), and most recently the news that the releases of both The Last Guardian and Mass Effect 3 have slipped into 2012. But all of that pales next to the tidal wave of information that will come with E3, which begins just a few days after this e-zine is released.

I can’t help but be excited about

E3, even though I’ll be experiencing it via laggy online streams and haphazardly produced news stories. I’m glad that we’re finished with the past two years of spruiking Move and Kinect and can move on to bigger and better things. No doubt this year’s focus will fall to Nintendo’s still ambiguous Wii successor, Project Cafe. Rumours abound about Nintendo placing more focus on delivering HD visuals, about a controller that features a screen, perhaps a touch screen. I’ll try not to waste space here on idle speculation, but one ponders whether Nintendo’s shift to HD will be sufficiently

advanced to stay with the pack in the coming years, or whether it will find itself again as outmatched by its competitors as it does currently.

Staying with Nintendo, we’re now all living in a post-3DS release world, but one where nothing seems to have really happened yet. The hardware is impressive no doubt (although my 3DS is already afflicted with a stuck pixel). The poor launch lineup should start to remedy itself in the coming months with the Ocarina Of Time remake and the spate of inevitable Mario titles. Within the pages of this very issue you’ll find our dissection of

how the 3DS is faring so far.This year’s E3 will be a little bit

different for me personally since I’ll be observing as a gamer only. I’m stepping away from writing about video games for a while to focus on other projects, and so it is with great pleasure that I hand the reins to Patrick Lang as the new e-zine editor of Pixel Hunt. Patrick, along with our commander-in-chief Dylan Burns, will continue to bring you unique and independent perspectives on video games and what they mean to us. Excuse me, there’s some dust in my eye.

mIcHAEL PINcoTT | E-zINE EDITor

sTArT

cHEcK oUT oUr NINTENDo 3Ds

FEATUrE oN PAGE 20

www.PIXELHUNT.com.AU4 mAY 2011

lOOkING fORwARd TO

RAGErage is still a little ways off yet, but with its id Software pedigree and finely tuned post-apocalyptic aesthetic, we have every reason to expect another id fPS classic.

Developer id SoftwarePublisher BethesdaSoftworksPlatform PS3 / 360 / PCgenre fPSRelease 16 Sep 2011

OffIcIAl wEBSITE


http://rage.com/gate/?return=%2F

http://www.idsoftware.com/gate/?uri=%2F


PrEss START To PLAY

NOT THE NEwSwhile ‘real’ journalists cover ‘real’ stories, DYLAN BURNS and MICHAEL PINCOTT bring you the best damn fourth-hand sources and doctored press releases money can buy.

TRUTH TO SPECIALIST GAMES MEDIA BLACkOUT CLAIMS DRINkS NOw Off THE TABLE

Earlier this month, someone, somewhere, blogged that several (well, at least two) big publishers have made a bit of an unofficial official decision to phase out their support for specialist games media. There’s a news story right there, but in a shocking turn of events it has been revealed that the snubbing has had far greater ramifications for games journalists.

Brett Grunting, over at IdiotGamesNetwork, recently blogged the following. We warn anyone involved in the game industry, especially writers, that this contains information of a highly disturbing nature: “Well, shit. I was out with A-dawg the other night [well known PR representative who gives out free games] and I was like, ‘Bitch, where’s our drinks?’ and A-dawg told me that he wasn’t allowed to buy me drinks. Needless to say, I was completely shocked. I’d left my wallet at home because, you know, we were going out with PR… PR!”

As should be obvious, this will affect games journalists worldwide. Pixel Hunt has set up a 24 hour counselling service (1300-GAMEJOURNOWOES) that you can contact if you are affected by this shameless withdrawal of largesse.

REAL REASON fOR MASS EffECT 3 DELAY REvEALED

Although BioWare remained vague on the reasons for delaying their much anticipated conclusion to the Mass Effect trilogy from a late 2011 release into early 2012, information has come into Pixel Hunt’s hands as to the controversial circumstances behind the decision.

Our source tells us that BioWare employee Gerald Noyskin was recently hospitalised after emerging from his office in a deranged state, his eyes unfocused, his mouth foaming and constantly muttering ‘Shepard’ over and over again. Noyskin was in charge of ensuring continuity between player decisions carrying over between all three games. Fellow employee Simone Tyler shed some light on the situation:

“Mass Effect to Mass Effect 2, he was totally fine, totally on top of things. But the number of variations have gotten too large from Mass Effect 2 to 3, and the poor guy has driven himself insane trying to keep track of them all. After he was hospitalised we went into his office and there was just paper everywhere, all these weird notes about Rachni and Conrad Verner. And bags of Doritos. So, so many Doritos. He was the only one who knew what the hell was going on, and with him out of action, we’ve had to push back release of the game until he’s recovered.”

Pixel Hunt wishes Noyskin the best in a speedy recovery.


CRYSIS 2 DEvELOPERS APOLOGISE fOR ONLINE DEMIGODS

It’s a familiar story these days. You buy a nice new shooter, get home, create a login with the publisher, wait for the confirmation email, forget your password, reset it, get an error message, contact support, wait three days, log in, download the patch and then fire up some multiplayer - only to find that some shithead called XIcRuSHyoURDickx is basically a one-man, twitch-sniping army, killing you nanoseconds after you spawn. Going to another game doesn’t help, because he’s there too.

Crytek recently apologised for the crap online experience of PC shooters, but was quick to state that it wasn’t their fault that most people suck. “In hindsight,” they said, “maybe we should have catered for those who can’t slow down time and murder thirty nine opponents with a single clip, but the truth is that those awesome players out there help us pay the bills. At least we make our games super high-res - otherwise they’d move on to Xbox Live and PSN, and you really don’t want that.” Crytek later updated their statement to remove mention of PSN.

SONY: ‘PSN OUTAGE jOkES NOT fUNNY ANY MORE’

Pixel Hunt recently received a press release from Sony, that, well… let’s just do what so many gaming websites love to do and simply print it in full.

ATTN: GAME MEDIA OUTLETS

RE: PSN OUTAGE ‘HUMOUR’

‘It has come to the attention of Sony that many online

gaming websites are making light of Sony’s unfortunate

issues with the Playstation Network. We would like to state

officially that comments such as ‘It only does offline’ and

‘So where’s Kevin Butler?’ are hurtful, cruel and unfair. If

the mockery of our inability to keep your private information

secure does not immediately cease, we will not restore the

Playstation Network. Not because we can’t –we can, we

definitely can* – but because you hurt our feelings.’

Regards

Sony Computer Entertainment

PS. Stop sniggering!

*We’re kind of pretty sure we can

PRESS RELEASE

IN cAsE YoU mIssED IT

I t seems to me that this segment has become increasingly relevant

lately. I’ve written a lot over the past few months about how freakin’ quickly the game industry is mov-ing. So many games are coming out that even reading reviews of every new release isn’t enough to help you decide which games are worth your money.

I made a New Year’s resolution to myself for 2011 to try and be more fussy, to not get frustrated or feel pressured into playing almost every game that comes out. Apart from my review obligations, I’ve

kept to it, and I have a number of games that I’ve deliberately missed, with the vague thought that I’ll probably pick them up at a game sale somewhere down the track.

Majin And The Forsaken Kingdom was released last November and I managed to buy a cheap 360 copy from an online UK store. I’m not sure why it appealed to me, but I’d heard it was a decent enough action/puzzle platformer, and I can confirm that to be the case.

Majin is about your partnership with the eponymous beast – who

looks a bit like a giant koala. He is voiced incredibly badly, as most reviews note, but not to the point that it ruins the game. In fact, after a few hours I kinda grew fond of the big ol’ sook. You can tell the Majin to follow you or stay and more command options unlock over the course of the game.

Much like Zelda, there are distinct areas that reveal themselves as rather involved environmental puzzles, requiring a mix of Tepeu’s abilities and the Majin’s. Some areas are initially achingly unreachable, a strong hint

that you’ll gain the ability to reach it later on in the game. The map is actually pretty huge and about two boss battles in you’ll gain access to a teleportation room.

Graphically, Majin is all over the place. Textures look garish and bland in many places, yet there are some nice lighting moments and some of the attack effects, such as lightning, look great. All of your enemies are designed as vague beasts with darkness dripping from them, not quite animals but dreamy reflections of them – so you have flying owl type things mixed with humanoid, one-

fORSAkEN lOVEDYLAN BURNS is a kingdom unto himself.


eyed creatures, giants and tough hounds that sense you by sound.

The creature designs are more varied than I was expecting, and they’re tough to dispach. You must get the Majin to absorb their purple souls after they’re “dead” otherwise they reanimate after a few minutes. You are much more effective when fighting as a team and you can order the Majin to attack with his special powers during combat. Weaken them enough and you’ll instigate moments where you must press “B” to enact a team-based finishing move.

Honestly, this isn’t game of the year material, but it’s all held together nicely and there’s a certain pace to the game that is relaxing and rewarding at the same time. Boss battles crop up from time to time and again require a tag team approach. I like the story, cliched as it is, revolving around the caretakers of the land becoming corrupt (with you battling them and removing the taint). That said, the game as a whole can come across as a little light – particularly the colourful menus and large ‘this is what all your buttons do’ displays.

I’m around six hours into the game and I’d say that I’m half way, so it’s definitely worth picking up at a bargain price. Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom borrows from many other titles, but manages to create its own style of gameplay, heavy on the exploration of environments. There are moments of quite clever design that are worth witnessing, and it has a flow to it that is perfect for picking it up and playing for an hour at a time – or perhaps playing it as a palette cleanser between games.

DYLAN bUrNs

MAjIN ANd THE fORSAkEN kINGdOM Developer Game republic Publisher namco Bandai Platform 360 / PS3 genre Action / Adventure

OffIcIAl wEBSITE

IN cAsE YoU mIssED IT

There are moments of quite clever design that are worth witnessing, and it has a flow to it that is perfect for picking it up and playing for an hour at a time...


http://www.uk.namcobandaigames.eu/product/majin-and-the-forsaken-kingdom/playstation-3

http://www.gamerepublic.jp/

http://www.namcobandaigames.com/

coVEr FEATUrE

I n life, death is an ending. Always permanent, always

cer tain. But in video games, death takes on a wide variety of forms. It is not an absolute state but merely par t of a cycle that revolves in perpetuity. What the following seeks to exam-ine is the ways in which we’ve been dealt death and dealt with death in games. Whether it’s a direct gameplay mechanic or an element of story, death is of-ten a fundamental par t of our experiences. So let’s f irst take you to the most immediate and familiar role of death in games.

DEATH As A PUNIsHmENTDeath as a punishment for failure

goes all the way back to a self-consuming Pac-Man. Life and death denotes states of play and non-play. While you’re alive, you’re playing the game. When you’re dead, you’re in a strange temporal limbo until you decide whether to respawn or play on, quit, or whatever other choices are afforded to you.

In most contemporary games, death means you’ll be returned back to a previous checkpoint or save. Depending on the generosity of the checkpoint or the player’s own diligence in saving frequently,

the real punishment is having to repeat actions the player has already performed. Games now will allow you to retry and retry until you get it right, but older titles would employ a finite number of lives. Dying would not only set you back - it might send you back to the start of the game. The concept of numbered lives is really an artifact of the days when the arcade was king. Finite boundaries needed to be in place to ensure players had to keep pumping coins into the machines, and giving the player a set number of lives – like balls in a pinball machine – kept the money and players flowing.

The numbered lives system isn’t totally dead yet. Donkey Kong Country Returns and New Super Mario Bros. Wii, both platformers rooted in SNES nostalgia, employed numbered lives to remain in keeping with their forebears. DKCR represented a more lenient and modern mindset. Lives are plentiful, and a game over merely sent you back to the start of a level. In NSMB, not only were lives difficult to come by, but a game over would see you sent back to the start of a whole world. By today’s standards, that’s a harsh punishment indeed.

But we as gamers still value

lIfE AfTER dEATHDeath has always had a prominent role in video games, whether it’s the game over screen or a character being killed off. MICHAEL PINCOTT investigates the ways the grim reaper has manifested in the only medium that actually kills you.

IN mEmorIAm GAmING’s UNUsUAL DEATHs

GUYBRUSH THREEPwOODTHE sEcrET oF moNKEY IsLANDwhen Guybrush says he can hold his breath for ten minutes, it would be fair to assume that it’s a throwaway joke and to think nothing more of it. However, you can put Guybrush’s claim to the test by remaining underwater for over ten minutes in real time. Lucasarts calls you on your bluff and Guybrush drowns, forcing you to restart from your last save.

PLEAsE NoTE sPoILErs AHEAD


coVEr FEATUrE

death as a punishment. Without failure there can be no success, and without death to measure that failure, how can we attribute a sense of achievement to our successes? The 2008 Prince Of Persia reboot raised this very question, and proved to be divisive among gamers about how crucial it is to allow the player to fail. Unlike previous Prince Of Persia titles where a mistimed jump would spell your demise unless you had some sand to rewind your error, the Prince circa 2008 had companion Elika to magically catch him whenever he fell. Even deliberate attempts to send the Prince crashing to his doom were

met with Elika’s helping hand. You couldn’t die, you couldn’t be punished for making mistakes, you couldn’t fail. For some, the removal of challenge automatically removed the desire to play the game. What was there to achieve if failure was impossible?

DEATH As A TEAcHErGetting killed in a game can also

sometimes be a positive experience. Players naturally learn from their mistakes. Sometimes games are designed specifically to utilize the player’s mistakes to teach the player how (or indeed, how not) to play the game. However, there is a fine

line between trial and error, which players often find frustrating, and gameplay designed to teach the player through mistakes. Limbo is a title that manages to remain on the right side of that line. Going into the game for the first time, the player will likely die countless times from traps, natural hazards or other dangers the player is unlikely to identify the first time through. The fact that dying in Limbo isn’t at great cost to the player removes a lot of the frustration of losing progress, and instead, a fatal error often makes you feel like you’ve made progress. One little boy may have been brutally killed, but the

The 2008 Prince of Persia reboot raised this very question, and proved to be divisive among gamers about how crucial it is to allow the player to fail.


THE ENDmETAL GEAr soLID 3: sNAKE EATErThe End, an extremely elderly sniper with a parrot, can be dispatched during a very tense battle in a dense jungle. but you can kill The End by another means. save and exit the game mid-fight, set your Playstation 2’s calendar forward a year or two, and when you return to the game The End will have died of old age.


SARENmAss EFFEcTshortly before your final confrontation at the citadel, you’re given the opportunity to convince saren to absolve himself by committing suicide. with sufficient speech skill, saren will accept your suggestion and kill himself, negating the need for you to fight him. Unfortunately, though the initial fight with saren can be avoided this way, you’ll still need to fight his unwillingly revived form.


MEAT BOYsUPEr mEAT boYThe many ways in which meat boy can die aren’t unusual in themselves. It’s that the death of meat boy doesn’t send time backwards to revive the meat boy who died, it simply generates another one. The gross meat stains left by each meat boy who dies are left behind, implying that you’re a different meat boy to the one who died on the turn before.


next little boy now knows that the ambiguous silhouette is in fact a wall of deadly razors.

Demon’s Souls is another game that teaches the player with their own failures, but unlike Limbo, the lessons learned by the player come hefty sacrifice – lengthy tracts of lost progress and dropping the game’s valuable soul currency. Demon’s Souls is especially innovative in that the death of one player is capable of teaching many others. When connected to other players online, you can see and take heed of locations where other players have met their demise. Finding the blood

stains of another player allows you to briefly watch their ghost in its final moments. It’s quite a brilliant way of allowing the game to teach the player organically. Limbo and Demon’s Souls employ very different tactics in teaching the player – one gentle and patient, the other merciless and brutal. Either way, the lesson is learned.

DEATH As A GAmE-cHANGErAs technology improves, games

get bigger, stories get more complicated, and the potential for branching storylines and multiple possibilities grows. Though games

like Grand Theft Auto IV are full of people you can kill, their deaths are totally without consequence, and the ones that do have a consequence occur at the behest of the story, not the choice of the player. Titles like Fallout 3 and Heavy Rain however allow the optional deaths of characters to significantly alter the flow of the game.

Fallout 3, like Oblivion before it, allowed you to kill just about anyone who wasn’t a child or a major quest giver. Eurogamer writer Alexander Gambotto-Burke decided to take the freedoms afforded by Fallout 3 to their natural limit – by killing

absolutely everyone the game would allow him to kill (check out the original article here). It’s a fascinating experiment with surprising results. Since he killed every vendor he came across, he no longer had anybody to sell items to. Since he killed every doctor he came across, he no longer had anybody who could cure his addictions or radiation illness. Entire quest lines were eliminated as he reduced the DC wasteland to an even lonelier and more desolate place than it was before.

Obviously, Gambotto-Burke takes Fallout 3’s lawlessness to an extreme never intended by Bethesda. Though

coVEr FEATUrE

IN mEmorIAm GAmING’s mosT mEmorAbLE DEATHs

ANDREw RYANbIosHocKA man chooses. A slave obeys. These words are hard to remove from the player’s mind after the brutal and bloody spectacle that is essentially Andrew ryan’s assisted suicide. His assistants? You, and a golf club. ryan demonstrates his hold over the player in a shocking way, forcing the player to repeatedly hit ryan with the club, ultimately disfiguring and killing him.


THE BOSSmETAL GEAr soLID 3:sNAKE EATErThe relationship between snake and The boss is a strange one, rife with pseudo-oedipal undertones. Unwilling enemies for most of the game, the situation culminates in a beautifully executed one-on-one fight. when snake defeats her, the player is cruelly allowed a peaceful, final goodbye, a moment suspended in time that can only be ended by pulling the trigger.


http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/natural-born-killer-article?page=1

still inherently intact, their game is reduced to a morbid and skeletal form, a backbone made up of the characters the game won’t let you kill. The point remains however that the ability to kill NPCs in Fallout 3 allows the player to shape the game in ways that most other games don’t allow. Hopefully, one day we’ll be able to play games scripted dynamically enough that the player truly can do what they want, and if they happen to kill an NPC critical to the main plot, the game will merely adapt and move on.

Heavy Rain takes attempts to take that approach, albeit in limited way. Not only can the four main

playable characters be killed, but if they die the game will adjust itself accordingly. Unfortunately, Heavy Rain’s style of gameplay means that its generally unlikely that characters will die unless the player is particularly or purposefully negligent in the quick time events that make up the gameplay. Nonetheless, lessons can be learned from the straight line approach of Heavy Rain. No restarts, no checkpoints – if a character dies, they’re dead, and the game will coldly continue on without them. It’s an idea that will hopefully be revisited and expanded upon by other developers in the future.

Tomorrow NEVEr DIEsThat’s a ball currently in

BioWare’s court. Knowing that Mass Effect was always intended to be a trilogy, one had to ponder at BioWare’s intentions for the third game when it became apparent that you could literally kill off the entire crew in the end of Mass Effect 2, Shepard included. Obviously those who killed off their Shepard won’t be able to reprise their save for Mass Effect 3 (although it would be pretty impressive if you could play through Mass Effect 3 as Joker), but for everyone that lost crew members, intentionally or

otherwise, it will be fascinating to see how BioWare deal with them. Will the player be given reprieve for their bad decisions or will BioWare take a hard line and force players to sleep in the beds they’ve made? Will Bethesda have learned lessons from Fallout 3 about NPC deaths in Skyrim? Will the next Demon’s Souls game find more ways to effectively teach players through failure? Will Nintendo ensure game overs and numbered lives remain a part of the modern gamer’s lexicon? We’ll have to wait and see what the gaming deaths of tomorrow will bring.

mIcHAEL PINcoTT

coVEr FEATUrE


AERISFINAL FANTAsY VIIover ten years after Final Fantasy VII was released, it’s as commonly known among gamers that Aeris dies as it is in pop culture that Darth Vader is Luke’s father. what has truly kept Aeris’ death alive in our memories is the copious number of theories on how to resurrect her, ranging from the mildly plausible to the totally absurd, but every last one of them total bullshit.


SGT. PAUL jACkSONcALL oF DUTY 4:moDErN wArFArEcall of Duty is low on storytelling prowess but it’s impossible to deny the impact of this particular scene. Though this section is playable, it’s not about gameplay. rather, it conveys to the player the helplessness and futile struggle of Jackson’s last moments, his helicopter downed by a nuclear explosion, the results of the blast strewn around him with a mushroom cloud looming in the distance.


FEATUrE

I n February 2008, Eric Hall, a 24 year old veteran of the Iraq War, went

missing from his home in Florida. Several weeks later, his body was found in a cul-vert near the side of a road. He died from smoke inhalation after a bush fire broke out where he had stopped, presumably started accidentally by his discarded cigarette butt.

Hall was suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from his time as a Marine. His family believed that the series of events that led to his death was caused by a severe episode of PTSD, triggered by playing Call Of Duty 4.

PTSD is a severe anxiety disorder which can develop when a person is exposed to a traumatic event that threatens their life or the lives of those around them. It is still a relatively new diagnosis. The term was first coined in the ‘70s and formally recognized in 1980 in relation to symptoms suffered by veterans returning from Vietnam. During previous wars, similar symptoms would culminate in a

diagnosis of battle fatigue or shell shock. A soldier would be given a period of rest before simply being returned to war. There was little in the way of further treatment.

PTSD sufferers experience flashbacks, vivid nightmares and intrusive memories. They will actively avoid situations that may remind them of their traumatic event. They also feel emotionally numb and lose interest in activities they previously enjoyed. Sleeping is affected, as is concentration and mood stability. Overall, PTSD can be extremely disruptive to a person’s life. Their relationships can become strained and maintaining employment can be very difficult.

It is estimated that 20 percent of veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will experience PTSD symptoms. Seeking treatment for mental illness, or even admitting to suffering from symptoms, is still seen as a weakness in society, especially amongst men. Hence, it is not uncommon for PTSD sufferers to

BEYONd THE cAll Of dUTYANNIkA HOwELLS explores the use of video games in the treatment of mental illness.


FEATUrE

self-medicate with drugs and alcohol, causing further damage to their relationships and quality of life.

Given the level of realism that video games have reached in the last few years, it’s not hard to imagine that playing a game set in a war environment could serve to exacerbate a veteran’s mental illness. But could these same video games also be used as treatment?

The US military is already implementing video games as a recruitment and training tool with America’s Army and Full Spectrum Warrior, but they are now beginning to explore how video game technology can be used in

psychological treatment in order to rehabilitate veterans.

Dr Albert ‘Skip’ Rizzo is a research scientist at the University of Southern California Institute for Creative Technologies. Dr Rizzo and

his colleagues took aspects from Full Spectrum Warrior and adapted them to a virtual reality simulation called Virtual Iraq.

When utilizing the Virtual Iraq program, a PTSD patient first describes to their therapist the details of

their traumatic experiences. These details are then programmed into the simulation. The patient wears a 3D visor through which they can watch the scenario play out around them. They stand on a platform that moves and

shakes to coincide with the sound of explosions. The therapist can even introduce smells, such as diesel fuel and burning rubber, to completely immerse the patient in the virtual reality.

It may seem like some kind of

cruel and unusual punishment to force a person to relive their trauma in this way, but Virtual Iraq is actually little more than a high tech version of prolonged exposure therapy, considered one of the most effective treatments of PTSD. Prolonged exposure therapy consists of two components – imaginal exposure (visualising the trauma) and in vivo exposure (physically confronting the traumatic objects or situations). Virtual Iraq allows the patient to confront situations which could not be safely re-visited in reality. By re-experiencing their traumas over and over in a safe, controlled environment, the patient can begin

The therapist can even introduce smells, such as diesel fuel and burning rubber, to completely immerse

the patient in the virtual reality.


FEATUrE

to pinpoint the exact triggers of their PTSD, allowing subsequent therapy to be more focused and effective. The patient can be gradually desensitized and learn to recondition their responses to triggers.

Virtual reality treatments are being implemented to target other traumatic events too, such as a virtual Vietnam and a recreation of the World Trade Centre. But it’s not only virtual reality that can be used for treatment of PTSD. More conventional video games may also have benefits. Students at Oxford University recently carried out a study where volunteers were exposed to traumatic imagery. Half of them were then made to play Tetris for several minutes. The group who played Tetris reported fewer flashbacks of the film

they had watched than the people who were made to play a different game or no game at all. The visual/spatial nature of Tetris seemed to disrupt the brains ability to cement the traumatic memories of the film.

Another study, carried out by Canadian psychiatrist Jayne Gackenbach in 2008, found that hardcore gamers were more likely to experience lucid dreaming, that is, dreams where you are able to take control over what happens. Gamers who experienced nightmares were more likely to be in control of the situation. They would turn and fight instead of run away. Nightmares are a significant component of PTSD, and Ganckenbach theorises that these findings could be used to help PTSD sufferers to combat the vivid

nightmares they experience. Now there is even an app

for PTSD. The National Center for Telehealth & Technology, an organisation that provides assistance to the US Department of Defense, have developed an iPhone app called Breathe2Relax. The free app is a tutorial for breathing exercises designed to decrease stress, balance mood and control anxiety. It guides the user through diaphragmatic breathing techniques and allows them to keep a record of their stress levels. When used in conjunction with other treatments and therapy, it is hoped that Breathe2Relax will be of great benefit to veterans suffering from PTSD, while also being helpful to anyone experiencing stress and anxiety in

their day-to-day lives.Despite the fact that video games

are still routinely blamed for the ills of society, there is no doubt that the stigma surrounding them has continued to decrease as they become more and more prevalent in mainstream society. The stigma of mental illness, however, unfortunately remains strong. Video games could become a significant tool in the treatment of PTSD by helping to transcend that stigma, turning the idea of mental health treatment into something that people can relate to. Hopefully, the familiarity of video game conventions will encourage people to seek treatment, people who may have otherwise continued to suffer in silence.

ANNIKA HowELLs

VIrTUAL rEALITY,REAL TREATMENTFrom The New Yorker, watch a demo of Virtual Iraq here.

Dr rizzo talks to Pbs about Virtual Iraq and other potential game-related treatments.

A war veteran describes his experiences with Virtual Iraq on Abc’s Nightline.


http://youtu.be/R6kl2BuhKmM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLnwY_iUsXw

http://youtu.be/CqB28tyrBNY

QUEsTIoNs & ANswErs

QDear Professor PixelI can’t believe this whole

PSN fiasco! I expect my personal details to be kept secure when I give them out. To be honest, I feel violated. How can Sony expect me to ever trust them again?

Regards *

* name withheld due to increased paranoia about personal details.

AProfessor PixelThanks for your question,

[redacted]. No doubt your feelings reflect those of many who have been affected by this giant clusterfuck of a situation. To quote another famous professor of the arts, our anger resembles that of a man with a fork in a world of soup. But we must let the time for anger pass us

by, and begin the process of healing. Put down your HateStation Portable and start a compulsory install on the PeaceStation 3. As a qualified expert in pilates and miscellaneous spiritual magics, I will teach you how. First you must prepare a shrine to appease the gods – don’t ask me who exactly, I forget. I suggest starting

a fire, fuelled by your credit cards. You won’t be needing them anymore, after all. As you deeply inhale the (only mildly toxic/hallucinogenic) smoke, begin rocking back and forth and chanting the Playstation Network Terms & Conditions. Recite them backwards to double the effect. If you start

seeing thousands of Move controllers dancing as one, you’ve done it for long enough. If your environment suddenly resembles Playstation Home, and you look down at your body to find that you’re in

fact Crash Bandicoot, you’ve done it for too long and I recommend you

seek urgent medical attention.

QDear Professor PixelWith E3 coming up soon, I

was wondering if you had any insights or predictions about what new announcements will be made? Your no. 1 fan

Nigel

AProfessor PixelAlways good to hear from

you Nigel, even if you did send me some inappropriate

photographs with your last piece of correspondence. Mrs Professor Pixel had me sleeping on the couch for some nights after that, let me tell you. But staying on topic, there are always a few certainties you can rely on when it comes to E3.1. Something will be given a stupid name and everyone will rush to make the same puns about it about ad

infinitum. Project Cafe is off to a good start in this regard.2. There will be a demonstration of new motion control technology that will be awkward and embarrassing for everyone. Again, Project Cafe will make good on this I think.3. Gaming press will forget how you pronounce Fils-Aime. My big prediction for the event is that after their performance was so highly regarded last

year, Microsoft will bring back Cirque du Soleil to explain the plot of Gears Of War 3 through interpretative dance. Cliff Bleszinski will naturally be on hand wearing skintight glitter pants and making chainsaw motions with a shiny ribbon. How do I know? I’m the goddamned choreographer.

PROfESSOR PIXElshigeru miyamoto has been harassing ProFEssor PIXEL for months, wanting advice on Project cafe, but the Professor still has time for gaming questions from who he lovingly refers to as ‘the little people’.Got a question for Professor Pixel? send it to [email protected]

CLIff BLESZINSkIGears of war Lead Designer


THE GAmE DocTor

oNE mAN’s QUEsT To EArN A PHD bY wANKING oN AboUT GAmEs HE LIKEs...

“Likewise, most game criticism suffers from an immense lack of hands-on knowledge about what it takes to make a competent game. In the past week of essays on Critical Distance, I found 1 writer of 12 had any declared experience making games. I’m sorry...but based off your worldly education level alone, I don’t think you are adding all that you could to the conversation.”

Daniel Cook,‘A blunt critique of game criticism’.

O nce again, I have missed my deadline. Not only on this piece,

but on a bunch of Uni work, thanks to a wisdom tooth that I’ve been contem-plating going all Tom-Hanks-in-Cast-

Away on. So let’s get on with this so I can turn back to the other multitude of large unfinished documents I’ve got open in the background, shall we?

This issue’s quote comes from a piece that was, at the time of writing, published yesterday. It’s the kind of piece that I can’t help but take somewhat personally, since it targets so directly not only what I do (and am trying to do), but also the work of my colleagues and friends who are wrapped up in games critiquing, academic and otherwise. I don’t intend to offer rebuttal so much – I feel that the problems in this piece will more or less speak for themselves for most of our readers, and if there’s one trend in games writing I can’t stand

it’s when a writer preaches to the converted. Instead, I intend to use this piece as a springboard for my own discussion.

Daniel’s main thesis here is that, for him, games writers who are not experienced in the actual act of games creation don’t offer him much, and it should be developers and experienced game-makers who are striving to provide better analysis of games, because they’re the ones that know how they work inside out. He even asks that writers provide a ‘biography’ at the start of articles to outline their experience. Never mind the inevitable minefield that comes

A BlUNT cRITIqUE Of A BlUNT cRITIqUE Of GAME cRITIcISMjAMES O’CONNOR doles out under-the-counter prescriptions…of knowledge.


THE GAmE DocTor

from developers discussing a product that they need to succeed in order for their job to even exist. Or the idea that ‘criticism’

is typically left to ‘outsiders’, because products are

developed with them in mind.

I think that what really bothers me

about this article is the idea that

writing isn’t a valid thing to dedicate one’s

self to. From a personal perspective, I love

video games. Of course I do. But I love words even

more. Perhaps in

some fields of academia, the words come second – in science-based areas, in mathematics, all the areas I’m not interested in. When I’m writing my PhD, though, or even when I’m writing this column, I’m not writing it for developers. I’m writing it for readers. Daniel Cook may not give a shit about my thesis: he ‘makes the assumption that you want your writing to change the world’. But as my PhD supervisor told me a few months ago, “This isn’t meant to be your masterpiece – that comes later”.

Cook cites what he sees as ‘an odd belief that every opinion is equally valid’, which is, at face value, a similar complaint to one I often make when I’m

drunk and near someone who looks like they’re willing to listen to what I have to say. But what he seems to believe is that all this writing is working towards a singular purpose, one that seeks to improve the ways games are made. Personally, I’m focused on how games are played, and if there’s an audience for that (which there most certainly is), how is my writing any less valid?

But enough about Cook! Let me get more general for a bit, and outline just how damn hard writing a PhD thesis is. It seems like breakthroughs are always followed by slow periods, and being so young means that I always use my age to excuse slow progress

instead of buckling down when I need to. I sometimes entertain the possibility that I might never finish, which is just terrifying. Writing is a passion of the Pixel Hunt crew, and several of us have big projects in the works. Michael and Dylan are both aspiring authors. Patrick is actually a University friend of mine, working on his own PhD. I think we’re all a little intimidated by how much we’ve bitten off (and will be chewing over the next several years). If you’re an aspiring writer yourself, it’s good to get a side project – like, say, this column – going. It can be like a glass of water when you start choking on your laboured chewing metaphors.

JAmEs o’coNNor

... if there’s one trend in games writingI can’t stand it’s when a writer preaches

to the converted.


sPEcIAL FEATUrE

ENcOUNTERS IN THE THIRd dIMENSIONso, the 3Ds is finally out. but is it any good? we leave it to PATRICk LANG, DYLAN BURNS, jAMES O’CONNOR and MICHAEL PINCOTT to figure it out.

First impressions - does it live up to the hype?Patrick: In terms of the tech involved, absolutely. Nintendo have been very smart pursuing the slogan ‘You have to see it to believe it’, because it’s completely correct. True story: I had zero interest in the platform until two perky Nintendo reps came into my workplace and let me have a sneaky go while we were low on customers. A round of Street Fighter and I was sold on the 3D, which I found really surprising as I have no love for 3D, don’t think it’s the future and can’t stand 3D movies. I was proven wrong, but happily wrong.Dylan: It impresses everyone I show, and I still enjoy the gimmick of added visual depth to games. The other

thing that really excited me is the analogue nub, which has made playing DS games a joy, where previously they were difficult to control using the D-pad. I will say, though that the promise of 3D photos ended up being disappointing. Sure it’s cool to take them, but the resolution is crap. I’m also waiting for more 3D movie content, as this is an area where I would probably spend money, to watch shows or movies in 3D on the console.James: I’m in two minds, really. The 3D effect is definitely cool, when it works, but I’m finding that I only really want it on with about half of the games I’ve played. Still, when it works, it’s beautiful. Super Street

Nintendo have been very smart pursuing the

slogan ‘You have to see it to believe it’, because it’s

completely correct. Patrick


sPEcIAL FEATUrE

Fighter IV is definitely the system’s best showcase at the moment, and friends I’ve shown it off to have been suitably impressed. The AR stuff is also really cool, especially Face Raiders, although it’s not the kind of thing you’re going to invest hours of your time into. I’m liking my 3DS quite a bit, but if I’d had to pay for the system/games I’d probably be disappointed at this point.Michael: The stroke of genius when it comes to the use of 3D is, in my opinion, the slider. Being able to reduce the intensity of the 3D effect will save a lot of people a lot of headaches, quite literally. From a purely hardware perspective I’ve had a couple of little issues, such as a stuck pixel on the top screen, and the fact that the plastic at the edge of the bottom screen leaves a mark on the top screen when the

console is closed. There’s no doubt that the technology is impressive. It’s up to the developers now to make the best use of it.

so, that launch lineup kind of sucked, huh? Patrick: I don’t think anyone is harbouring the notion that

this is Ninty’s strongest set of launch software; it seems to be a collection of proof-of-concept tech demos and rushed ports. I will give an honourable mention to Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars however, it’s a surprisingly solid SRPG in the

Advance Wars vein. The 3D effect is very subtle, but it really enhances the gameplay and there’s plenty to do with a 40+ hour campaign. There are an unfortunate number of dishonourable mentions though – Splinter Cell 3D is a buggy, messy port of Chaos Theory which is near-impossible to see, and Asphalt 3D

is one of the worst racers I’ve ever set eyes (and hands) on.Dylan: Let’s be honest, it was pretty shit. But then, the DS launch lineup was just as bad. Personally, I’m happy to play around with a couple of launch titles and the handheld

itself, but here we are a month or so after release and I don’t even know if there are any games on the horizon worth getting excited about. It could have been worse, but it also could have been SO much better.James: I’ve managed to squeeze in a quick play of about eight different games so far, and they’re… mostly alright. At the bottom end of the spectrum, we have Asphalt, which isn’t quite awful, but hasn’t exactly inspired confidence in Gameloft’s development abilities. Super Monkey Ball 3D gets good towards the end, but is still a disappointing entry into a series that once showed so very much promise. Rayman 3D is a lousy iOS port and Nintendogs, while cute, seems like more of the same. Pro Evolution Soccer is a solid kick-about with excellent 3D effects, but is unlikely

There’s no doubt that the technology is impressive. It’s up to the developers now to

make the best use of it. michael


to really pull me away from FIFA (FIFA 2012 3D please, EA!). Ghost Recon was pretty cool for the half hour or so I’ve played so far, while Pilotwings is great fun and very addictive….as long as you turn the 3D off. By far my most played game is SSFIV:3D. It’s got everything – excellent use of Street Pass, solid online fighting, amazing graphics, and a touch screen control method that means a fighting game simpleton like me can finally play Street Fighter! Throw in Ridge Racer (which I haven’t played yet) and you have four fairly solid launch games, which is more than a lot of consoles manage…. Michael: I ended up getting Nintendogs and Street Fighter – games that unfortunately were overly familiar in terms of gameplay, but at least served as a pretty good demonstrations not only of the potential of the 3D effect, but also the potential of the 3DS improved connectivity with other consoles, which we’re about to talk a little bit more about…

streetPass – Pass or Fail?Patrick: At the moment I have to say ‘fail’, only because I haven’t had anything from it! I’ve

valiantly put the 3DS on sleep mode a couple of times and gone wandering around Rundle Mall, but to no avail. Maybe I need to go and hang out at a shopping centre on a Thursday night or something... but that would require braving groups of teenagers. I’m also afraid to put the handheld on sleep mode lest the battery simply dies while I’m attempting to be social.Dylan: Definite fail for me, but that’s because I live in whoop whoop Western Australia. There might be a handful of 3DS owners in my town, but I doubt that any of them will cross paths with me. Once I’ve got my wallet and my phone in my pockets, I don’t have room for the 3DS, and my town is so small that I never have need to walk around with a bag. A fail in terms of my lifestyle, then, but I guess the idea is pretty cool.James: I’ve bagged a few hits wandering around Rundle Mall and Marion Westfield. I find myself going into Dick Smith whenever I’m at Marion now, because I know they have a 3DS in there with StreetPass turned on. I like the figurine battles in Street Fighter too. It’s a pass from me. Michael: I was pretty dismissive

sPEcIAL FEATUrE

by far my most played game is ssFIV:3D. It’s got everything – excellent use of street Pass, solid online fighting, amazing graphics,

and a touch screen control... James


August 11, 2010

of this idea when Nintendo first announced it, but I have to admit, after getting around fifteen hits at Brisbane’s Supanova event, I found myself strangely addicted. More often than not my routine wanderings of Brisbane city will yield a handful of hits. The mini-games of collecting puzzle pieces and the dungeon crawl minigame are very simple, but the sense of progression means that every time my 3DS lights up green, I let out a small cry of joy. Pass!

This thing has some future potential, right?Patrick: Like the Wii, the 3DS is full of good ideas, but its eventual success or failure will depend heavily on how developers take advantage of the tech. That said, the casual gaming market will probably stick with the original DS for some time now, so let’s hope Nintendo will do their best to appease us. The future game line up is looking pretty decent, so let’s just hope developers use the 3D to complement their games, and not just as a gimmick.Dylan: I’m almost tired of getting hopeful when it comes to Nintendo. The Wii screams of failed potential to

me, and the DS never really moved beyond the same three or four design approaches. I’m guessing there will be a handful of really awesome (likely first party) 3D games for the 3DS, with the rest making do with 3D menus and forcibly textured gaming environments.James: Future potential for me to rage if/when Ouendan 3 gets released and I can’t import it is pretty severe. In fact, the region locking makes me quite a bit less optimistic about the system’s future, because quite a few of my favourite DS games were imports. Still, as a system, it’s a good one. I’m really looking forward to Super Mario 3DS. Michael: I’m particularly keen to see what can be done with something like Professor Layton or even an Ace Attorney game. It feels like the 3DS has gotten off to a slow start, and I feel that comes down almost completely to the lack of Mario in the launch lineup. Mario is the link between Nintendo and the casual market, and without him Nintendo failed to get their attention. That attention will no doubt come when the games do, and when it does, the popularity of the 3DS will snowball.

PATrIcK LANG, DYLAN bUrNs, JAmEs o’coNNor & mIcHAEL PINcoTT

sPEcIAL FEATUrE

...the 3Ds has gotten off to a slow start, and I feel that comes down almost completely to the lack of mario in the launch lineup. michael

23www.PIXELHUNT.com.AUAUsTrALIA’s bEsT GAmING -zINE 23www.PIXELHUNT.com.AUAUsTrALIA’s bEsT GAmING -zINE

KILL DEATH rATIo

Ken: I must admit that I’ve got mixed feelings about MvC3. The concern that I have is not about the quality of the game (which is very high). The controls are responsive, the fighting system is deep and the characters are generally balanced well enough. The MvC series has always been characterised by its schizophrenic nature. There’s an immense amount of over-the-top action, mixed in with bright colours, blistering speed, and non-stop air combos. I felt that this was

amplified in MvC3. The screen zooms in and out, pans up and down trying to keep up with the on-screen action. The backgrounds are just as busy as the foreground, creating a kaleidoscope of colour and movement. This frenetic pace isn’t quite my cup of tea.Michael: I would agree Ken, in that the sheer amount of what’s going on on screen at any given time would be hugely intimidating for new players trying to come with grips to the game. But like anything else, you adapt. The

more I played MVC3, the more I was able to filter out what on the screen was superfluous and what required my attention. But the other consequence of MvC3’s frenetic visual presentation is that MvC3 doesn’t sport a spectator mode like Street Fighter IV. Unfortunately this means that when you’re in a group arcade situation, as is the setup in MvC3’s Lobby mode, instead of watching other competitors in the lobby duke it out while you wait for your turn, you get to watch two cards bumping against one another.

It’s pretty dreadful. On the bright side, there’s no noticeable lag when playing local matches online, despite the speed of the game. Jahanzeb: Prior to Marvel vs Capcom 3, there wasn’t a single 3 on 3 tag-team based fighting game for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 worthy of attention. The Wii had Tatsunoko vs Capcom, but the Tatsunoko universe is largely unknown to all of us and it featured only 2 on 2 tag team battles.Marvel vs Capcom 3 is going to be great for a lot of gamers, but to me

MARVElVS cAPcOM 3when it comes to pure one-on-one competition, you can’t go past the fighting game.with no mortal Kombat release in Australia, marvel vs capcom 3 will remain the shiny new toy for fighting game fans. kEN LEE, jAHANZEB kHAN and MICHAEL PINCOTT give it the official KDr checkup.


MARVEl VS. cAPcOM 3: fATE Of TwO wORldS Developer Capcom / Eighting Publisher Capcom Platform 360 / PS3 genre fighter

OffIcIAl wEBSITE

KILL DEATH rATIo

it was kind of a letdown. I do enjoy playing the game but it just doesn’t hold a candle to the original Marvel vs Capcom. The original felt a lot more focused and balanced to me. Every character was unique and special, while Marvel vs Capcom 3 has so many characters that it throws balance out of the window. Also, too many moves are shared by everyone (like that damn laser beam).Ken: You’re absolutely right about the laser beam. But despite these issues, it is still the wealth of characters that’s been keeping me

hooked. Ultimately, I think that’s the main drawcard for MvC3: it’s the ultimate “what-if” simulator. What if Doctor Doom teamed up with Captain America against Akuma? You might even be inspired to create your own little thematic team, like putting all the short characters together (Arthur, Zero and Viewtiful Joe). Or try an all Resident Evil team with Wesker, Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine. MvC3 is all about making fun and having a laugh. It really encourages you to have a play around. While the frantic pace might sit at odds

with me sometimes, it’s still really enjoyable to see all the Marvel characters in action. As a comic book fan, that just puts the cherry on top.Michael: I definitely do like having little themed teams Ken, such as the Resident Evil team you suggested, or a Darkstalkers team, or my specialist team of infuriating low hitters: Amaterasu, Arthur and Viewtiful Joe. Being able to set pre-selected teams is a very nifty feature. Getting back to the multiplayer in particular, we should make mention of the ability to use

...the main drawcard for mvc3:

it’s the ultimate “what-if” simulator.

what if Doctor Doom teamed up with

captain America against Akuma?

Ken


http://marvelvscapcom3.com/us/

http://www.8ing.co.jp/en/index.html

http://www.capcom.com/

KILL DEATH rATIo

X-Factor, which many fans have said is too strong and unbalances the game. It’s a temporary but pretty heavy boost to attack and defence that can quickly turn the momentum in a match. I would tend to agree that it’s a bit too strong and I can see it being banned from use in tournaments. Online though I’ve found that if one player uses it, the other player activates theirs

straight away, thereby negating the effect. Ultimately I think that MvC3 is a success both on a technical level (you need only see the videos at Shoryuken.com) and, as Ken says, as a fun, entertaining game that can be picked up and enjoyed by the casual player.Jahanzeb: I agree. With a larger number of characters you get more opportunities to set up dream

teams and dream matchups. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great to see the likes of Viewtiful Joe, X-23, Spencer and Dante in the roster and it definitely is a fun and entertaining game because of all these new characters. The thing is, Marvel vs Capcom 3 was a direct-to-console game. The original Marvel vs Capcom was optimised to near perfection for arcades before being

ported to consoles, which is why the MvC3 doesn’t feel technically sound to me. The original is still one of the most polished and technically sound fighting games ever created. But gamers in 2011 can still greatly enjoy Marvel vs Capcom 3 and its absolute dream cast of characters (though I am still bitter about the lack of Venom), as the gameplay caters to both casual and hardcore.

The original marvel vs

capcom was optimised to near

perfection for arcades before being ported to consoles, which

is why the mvc3 doesn’t feel

technically sound to me.

Jahanzeb


KILL DEATH rATIo

1STICK WITH A TEAM: Practice makes

perfect, so the most productive way of getting good at MvC3 is to pick a team and stick with them. If you feel a character’s style really isn’t meshing with the way you play, you should of course substitute them, but once you’ve settled on a combination, stay loyal.

2FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS: It’s easy

to forget that your tag partners are almost always available to jump in and land a hit or two on your behalf. You should also pay attention to the variety of assist moves you can select – you can set these in your team licence so you don’t have to select them every time.

3MASTER THE JUGGLE:

Having a single-press button specifically for launching into juggles is very handy,

and it’s quite easy even for newcomers to be able to launch an opponent and smack them around mid-air with your partners.

4OLD SCHOOL: According to fighting

game encyclopedia Jahanzeb, classic characters like Ryu and Wolverine handle a lot better than the newer characters, something to keep in mind when forming your team.

5FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS (PART 2):

The Team Hyper Combo is a powerful tool, but just how powerful it is depends on the combination of characters you’re using. Depending on the nature

of the specials, two of your

characters might be scoring hits but the third’s special may go to waste.

Try and find combinations where each character’s

Hyper hits your opponent.

FIVE wAYs To NoT sUcK ATMARvEL vS CAPCOM 3


JAHANzEb KHAN

SEGA SATURNBeen going back to school with the Sega Saturn. I always wanted to own one as a child and earlier this month I decided to import one from Play-Asia along with some games. Been having a blast playing Fighting Vipers, Sonic Jam, Nights into Dreams and Burning Rangers. Childhood void filled... my life feels complete.

mIcHAEL PINcoTT

POkEMON wHITEI… can’t… stop… must… catch… them all. I’ve been playing Pokemon White pretty consistently since its release, and what has amazed me is how much post-game content there is – a heap of new areas are opened up and Pokemon from previous generations are all over the place.

ANNIKA HowELLs

NINTENDOGS + CATSI really should be investing my time into much better games, but OH MY GOD ADORABLE PUPPY YOU ARE SO CUTE I MUST PUT VARIOUS HATS ON YOU!

PATrIcK LANG

PORTAL 2Everything that a good sequel should be, and then some. Respectful to the original, innovative, mind-boggling without being impossibly hard... the list goes on. Best of all though, it’s downright hilarious at times, and the casting is pitch perfect. NOW I’M OFF TO MAKE A COMBUSTIBLE LEMON!

ANTHoNY cAPoNE

PORTALWith the hysteria surrounding the release Portal 2, I finally took it on myself to play the original – a game that has been sitting untouched for nearly four years. I certainly didn’t need cake to make me sit through until the end. I feel so 2007 now.

oN THE HUNT

wHATwE’REPlAYINGbelieve it or not, the PIxEL HUNT staff actually play some video games now and then. Here’s what has tickled their fancies of late.

...respectful to the original, innovative, mind-boggling without

being impossibly hard...


DYLAN bUrNs

RED DEAD REDEMPTION: UNDEAD NIGHTMAREThere was a period there where I was disappointed, but Undead Nightmare is a fantastic piece of DLC - perhaps the best of last year. It takes the map from the original game and has fun with it, pitting the game’s characters against chomping zombies, overlaying a haunting aesthetic and providing a hilarious campaign. If you’ll excuse me, my flaming warhorse craves zombie brains beneath its hooves.

TIm HENDErsoN

RED DEAD REDEMPTIONI’ve been playing five finger fillet and murdering, like, a million guys before each sunset. Also, cocksucker.

JAmEs PINNELL

STARCRAfT IISucking me back to its ever relentless teat is Starcraft 2, with Blizzard’s endless new release of both competitive and custom maps making it difficult to walk away. The impending birth of my first child this month is likely to divide my time somewhat.

KEN LEE

CRYSIS 2I’ve been playing Crysis 2 for the past few weeks. I’m still enjoying it, though probably less so now than when I initially started. I’m starting to find the linearity of the game chafing. I wasn’t a fan of the completely open nature of the original Crysis. But perhaps the drastic change in scope wasn’t quite the solution.

brENDAN KEoGH

PORTAL 2/MINECRAfTThe little time I have free for games at present has been split between Portal 2 and Minecraft. I loved Portal 2’s story; though, the puzzles were no where near as thrilling or clever as its predecessor. Meanwhile, my girlfriend and I are in the process of building an epic treehouse-city on our Minecraft server.

AAroN sAmmUT

fIGHT NIGHT CHAMPIONI expected Fight Night Champion to be your stock standard EA Sports update of Fight Night Round 4, a game which was already bordering on perfection. EA Canada have gone above and beyond by including a surprisingly excellent story mode, which takes this sports title and turns it into something special, an interactive movie that is punching well above it’s weight.

oN THE HUNT

...pitting the game’s characters against chomping zombies, overlaying a haunting

aesthetic and providing a hilarious campaign.


crEATIVE

cHARlIE GETS REAlPATRICk LANG sends charlie off into the great ether of reality...

of my life acting inappropriately as a writer; surely I could spend the last of it acting inappropriately as a private detective? I even changed my last name and got it put on that beautiful frosted glass door: Charlie Marlowe, P.I.

I’d been at the gig for a couple of weeks when I got the phone call. I was half asleep, a half a pint of scotch hanging lazily at my side. The ringer damn near made me jump out of my seat. I picked it up, but gingerly as if it was a grenade. If it was bad news I was dropping it. Fast.

“Yeah?” I said.“Marlowe?” asked the voice on the

other end. I didn’t like the sound of that voice. It was all business, like a cop. Or a pissed off bookie.

“Who’s askin’?” I replied cautiously.The voice started to talk. It said it was

a literary agent. It said it knew my work. I started to raise the bottle to my lips in a gesture of celebration. Then the voice dumped it on me.

“I represent a group of writers,” he said, “We’d like you to edit some of their work”.

The bottle sagged at my side.“I hate editing,” I said flatly.“We’d like to pay you $20,000,” he

said, not missing a beat.I asked him when he was coming over.***It was the next day. I had finally managed to drag myself

into the office at about 11:30. The morning had been grim. I had gotten up, vomited and went back to bed. At 12:00 on the dot there was a knock at the door. I opened my desk draw and put my hand on the .45.

Just in case.“Yeah,” I called out.The door opened and this dame walked

in. Hell, she was the dictionary definition of “dame”, all round hips, raven hair and that dangerous look that said ‘fuck with me and I’ll break your balls’. I liked her immediately.

“Mr... Marlowe,” she smirked, “How nice to make your acquaintance. My colleague has briefed you on the job, I assume?”

“He didn’t brief me on you, baby,” I slurred, “Care to get me up to speed?”

“Fuck with me and I’ll break your balls,” she stated, mildly.

Fair enough, I thought.The dame produced a briefcase and

dropped it onto my desk. She opened it and removed a stack of manuscripts before spinning it around. It was full of hundred dollar bills, all lined up. I had never seen anything so beautiful in my life. I thought I might cry. The dame slammed the briefcase shut. Good thing too, or I’d have started to drool.

“Read these,” she said, dropping the hefty manuscripts in front of me, “and give me your thoughts.”

“What, now?” I asked.“Oh yeah,” she said as she crossed her

legs. Heaven suddenly seemed like a place I could visit.

I sifted unenthusiastically amongst the manuscripts. They were all for something called ‘video games’, whatever the hell they were. I skimmed through a few before deciding they were trash – action heavy and light on characters, depth or anything vaguely true. I never lied about my writing; it was craft, not art, but this wasn’t

anything at all. I was about to tell the dame as much when a name caught my eye. I started feverishly pouring back over the manuscripts. The dame lit a cigarillo and sat there smirking as plumes of blue smoke clouded my vision.

I ripped out a page and brandished it at her.

“What the fuck is this?!?” I screamed at her. “These characters – Sam Fisher, Solid Snake, Captain Price, Nathan Drake... ALAN FUCKING WAKE. I’ve met all of these shits. All you’ve done is fictionalise their exploits and remove me from the story! This is plagiarism you bitch! I ought to nail your ass to the wall!”

“Hold it right there, Marlowe,” the dame said, interrupting my diatribe at the point where I was usually waving the scotch bottle around.

“What? What you crazy bitch?”Suddenly and impossibly she had a

luger in her hand.“Baby,” I said, “If you’re gonna kill me at

least tell me where you were keeping that piece. If there are hidden places in that dress, I can’t go to the grave not knowing.”

She fired a shot from the luger. It flew past me, shattering the dead pot plant that had been in the office when I moved in.

“Shut up”.“You got it, baby. Your ball of crazy is too

damned big for me.”“Stop talking for a second and listen

Marlowe”, she sighed, calming down at last, “I hate to be the one to break it to you, but you’re not real.”

I laughed. I mean, what else could you do, given the circumstances?

Life had become unexpectedly hard, though I had always known that the free ride I was on was never going to last. Sure, I had spent more years than most hacking out an existence based around writing, fighting and fucking, and I was foolish enough to believe that there would be a light at the end of the tunnel. A shame it turned out to be a flamethrower.

There was no writing work. Nothing going. I was out of style, baby, just a washed up old hack in a sea of politically correct bullshit. They said my work was trash, unmarketable, just more pulp for the grinder; and pulp was out. Sarah had gone, her brief intoxication with me disappearing along with the diminishing royalty cheques.

About the last thing I wanted to do was reinvent myself, but I didn’t have much choice. I cashed my final cheque and bought a trench coat, a .45, a fedora and rented an office above a dodgy tax accountant, a proper one with a frosted glass door. Hell, I thought, I’d spent most


crEATIVE“You just keep telling yourself that dollface,” I shot back. She gave me a withering look.

“You may never have heard of these ‘video games’, but my employers have. They’re fiction, just like what you write, but better. More profitable. Without any of your bullshit whining and self-indulgent prose.”

“Everyone’s a fucking critic,” I snorted.“The problem is Marlowe, in the real world these

‘games’ are entertainment, and somehow you’ve managed to infiltrate these fictions and pollute them with your garbage. My employers aren’t happy with Charlie goddamn Marlowe turning up in every video game, and that’s why they hired me to kill you.”

I froze.“Kill me?”The door flew violently open, its frame cracking

from the impact. Whoever it was, I hoped it wasn’t the landlord. A man was standing in the doorway – square jaw, grey flannel suit, a fedora and a .45, pointed right at the dame. Everything froze momentarily. I seized the moment and pulled my piece out of the draw.

“Does someone want to tell me where to point this thing?” I asked. “Or do I need to start slinging lead around in the hope that it’ll all make sense when the smoke clears?”

“Listen up real good Marlowe,” Grey Flannel Suit said, “the dame’s got two things right – you ain’t real and she’s here to kill you.”

“Well shit baby,” I said to the dame, “take a goddamn number and get in line.”

She cast me another one of those looks that made my balls recede.

“What she’s not telling you is that she’s an operative sent by the three biggest video game publishers in the real world. They’re sick of you Charlie; somehow you’ve hijacked their collective universes.”

Keeping the gat trained loosely on the dame, I awkwardly took out a cigarette and lit up, considering the options.

“So let me get this straight,” I said, “I’m not real, this dame is some kind of lady-assassin for an evil corporation, and you Grey Flannel Suit, you’re... what? What are you offering?”

Grey Flannel Suit

considered for a moment.“I’m a critic,” he explained, “From

reality. Come with me through that door, to the real world. Use your talents to deconstruct and analyse video games. True, no more epic adventures in Malta or Nepal, but hell, at least you’d be real.”

“So it’s reality or death, huh?” I asked.He nodded. The dame turned and actually

hissed at me.I looked at the both of them, and then at

the door.In that single moment of clarity I knew

what I had to do.

These characters – sam Fisher, solid snake, captain Price, Nathan Drake... ALAN FUcKING wAKE. I’ve met all of these shits. All you’ve done is fictionalise their exploits and remove me from the story!


rEsET 5.0

Like most people in my line of freelance work, I classify myself as a gamer. This is somewhat essential. Not only because of the need to have some level of knowledge and interest in what you’re writing about, but also because the pay that comes with games writing is often laughable. The dollar discrepancy between contributing content for Hyper or even the Australian wing of IGN and your average trashy gossip magazine is ludicrous – writing a feature about the rise and fall of a celebrity that nobody cares about is liable to pay two to three times as much as a well-researched piece on what went down at Infinity Ward last year.

The industry that concerns itself with publishing games writing relies heavily on the passion of its participants. With this, intentionally or not, comes a little fear – fear inspired by the knowledge that the idealisation of getting paid anything to write about games ensures that there’s likely

plenty of eager fodder willing to take your place. It’s probably that this is how many of us got started, by filling the shoes of somebody else who’s become burned out by it all, weary of their own hobby.

This certainly puts holidays into a different perspective.

Presently, I’m between day jobs. This isn’t just a fancy way of saying unemployed – I’ve been lost in the bureaucracy that comes with applying for teaching work in other countries, and have (stubbornly) refused to return to retail work to fill the gap. I’ve just about stumbled through all the tape at this point, and will likely return to ‘real’ work sometime late July, maybe early August. For the front-end months of 2011, however, I’ve been mooching off of my folks by taking up residence in my old bedroom in my family’s Blue Mountains home. There’s little in the way of a social scene for me to fit into here, and so it’s not been hard to at least stay focused for several hours of

each weekday, writing about games for money or charity.

I’m sure that, were I to teleport into the brain of my since lost High School-attending self, this would be a dream scenario. What little money I’ve been making has come exclusively from writing about games, and the gig itself has brought with it a handsome trickle of promo discs and review code. I have access to a press Steam account, and my PS3 sits besides as-yet-unplayed copies of Vanquish and Yakuza 4; I have a backlog, a luxury I was never afforded in my younger years.

The word ‘however’ must come up at some point, however. And it’s doing so with good reason. For most of 2011, the role of games in my life has been miscast. Although gaming has been a forefront interest that I actively pursue for most of my life now, I’m finding it inadequate as a primary timesink the more it is used to fill that role. Perhaps a couple of days extended gaming might seem appealing off the back of

ON AcTUAllY ENjOYING GAMINGTIM HENDERSON on why the idyllic life of the games writer isn’t quite what it seems.



rEsET 5.0

a few weeks in the workplace, getting dragged out for weekend drinks and being late home because the missus insists on not missing out on late-night Thursday shopping.

For a person stuck in a community that they don’t really fit into, they instead fill the role that these other activities might fill, and they become increasingly empty as a result. Enjoyable and certainly more effective than watching random crap on TV, perhaps, but struggling to realise their full recreational

potential at the same time.All of this text is mere prelude to a

remarkably simple point: that the two middle weeks in April have been far and away the best two weeks of this year to date.

During this time I flew to London for a close friend’s wedding. Not wanting to waste the airfare, I spent a further week meandering around a city I had called home for three years. I filled in some time by catching up with

a few specific friends, one day was spent finishing up three reviews for pocketchange pay, and the remaining time was happily filled thanks to most of my former colleagues still being present at my former workplace. I traded in my DS for some PS3 games I would be unable to play until I left, and went the full week free from recreational gaming.

I spent close to another week in Korea on the way back, revisiting yet another home away from home. All

immediate deadlines behind me, I was finally on holiday from work for real. I spent the every day and night of this time catching up with an old flame (cue complications), hanging out with mates from my old school, and even teaching one lesson to a batch of fresh-faced Korean kids. This was actually fun – it’s funny how work ceases to feel like work when you’re not doing it every day without break.

The biggest revelation, however,

was the Playstation Bang, a consolified variation on the PC Bang (‘bang’, pronounced ‘ba-ung’, being the Korean word for ‘room’). Here I lost track of time passing a controller around during Soul Calibur 4 and discovering the unexpected split-screen delights of Sonic & Sega All-Star Racing. Both of these games are recognised as solid titles that ultimately failed to pass through the upper echelon, but this can’t detract from the fact that the two times we dropped in on this place while I was around represent the most enjoyably gaming experiences I’ve had in a very long time.

Upon reflection, I chalk down this enjoyment to outside factors. A part of it was the right social company, another was that I’d spent the day doing other things (and would likely finish it doing something else), and the final ingredient may have been that I’d had enough time away from games again.

It was a fitting reminder of what my life has been like when at its best – video games seldom work well as a main course for a day’s activities for days on end, but there’s seldom a weekend that isn’t well suited to be eased into and wound down from with a control pad or razor mouse in hand.

TIm HENDErsoN

I have access to a press steam account, and my Ps3 sits besides as-yet-unplayed copies of

Vanquish and Yakuza 4; I have a backlog, a luxury I was never afforded in my younger years.

oPINIoN

Video games are all about spaces. Rule spaces, fictional spaces, virtual spaces, social spaces, online spaces. Navigating spaces is how we play videogames. Yet, there is one space in videogames I have a real issue with, a space that I believe is holding back our entire medium, a space that needs to be closed with all due haste.

The space I’m talking about, of course, is the one between the ‘o’ and the ‘g’.

‘Videogame’ should be one word, not two. There should be no space between the prefix ‘video’ and the suffix ‘game’. Semantic? It most certainly is. And it might not seem like much in the greater scheme of great videogame debates (Are games art? Are cut scenes evil? How long should a game be? Can Aeris ever be resurrected?), but it is the most important debate that no one wants to seriously have.

I’m not exaggerating. This is

fundamental to who we are. See, one of the larger problems of videogame criticism/journalism/academia is that we lack common terms through which we can communicate ideas. We toss around words like ‘immersion’, ‘gameplay’, and ‘replayability’ without any concrete definition of just what we are talking about. Certainly, videogames are still a young medium, and this stage of vocabulary teething is inevitable, yet we still don’t have a consensus on what the things we are talking about actually are.

Right now you are probably scoffing. “Who cares? What does it matter if people call them video games or videogames or computer games or anything else?” It matters because it underpins just what we understand videogames (or video games) to be, and that little space alters the meaning quite

wHATSINANAME?There’s something bothering BRENDAN kEOGH…


oPINIoN

significantly.The difference, as I see it, lies

in just how significant people think the ‘video’ prefix is. With its roots in the latin vidēre (which means ‘to see’), ‘video’ is used to denote the visual aspects of a media. That is, the stuff you can see on the screen. This is a huge oversimplification but essentially, everything you can see on the television or monitor is a ‘video’ element of the videogame.

Now, if you separate the words video and game, if you put that space in there, then you are turning ‘video’ into a mere adjective that describes the word ‘game’—just like you might say ‘red car’ or ‘big house’. By doing this, you are saying video games are games first and foremost before they are anything else. Thus, you will tend to see ‘video games’ used by those who primarily focus on the elements of the videogame that you don’t see on the screen: essentially, rules and mechanics. Just as card games just happen to use cards and tabletop games just happen to use tables, video games just happen to use televised visuals.

There is, of course, a justified reason for looking at videogames

like this. How often do we hear the term ‘cinematic’ used to describe a videogame as ‘good’? Videogames shouldn’t try to be films because videogames aren’t films, and focusing first and foremost on the ‘game’ aspect of videogames is a good way to rebel against this.

The problem with this, in my opinion, is that videogames are not games before they are anything else. They are not just games with visual tacked on. Videogames are something entirely new and unprecedented that have a history as richly steeped in visual history (film, photography, painting, architecture) as in game theory. The ‘video’ prefix and the ‘game’ suffix represent equally important elements that have come together to create a videogame medium.

A videogame can’t be boiled down to its ‘game’ elements, to mere rules and mechanics. Try to explain Pac-Man to someone without talking about ghosts and mazes and power pellets; try to describe Space Invaders without talking about aliens and spaceships; try to describe Fallout 3 without talking about mutants and nuclear apocalypses. You

simply can’t. The visual elements—the places and characters that make up the virtual worlds of videogames—are absolutely crucial to what videogames are.

Certainly, though, this is not to say that the visual elements are more important than the game elements. Try describing any of the videogames in the previous paragraph without talking about their rules. If you could do that, you might as well call videogames game videos. But that would just be silly. The visual and the game elements are equally important. You can’t remove the ‘video’ from videogames any more than you can remove the ‘games’.

And that is why the word should have no space. They aren’t video games and they aren’t game videos. They are videogames—something entirely new and unique, something as dependent on virtual worlds and visual elements as on rule sets. Thinking of our medium as merely games with some visual bits is no better than thinking of them as films with some interactive bits. By deleting that space we can begin to understand what we really are. Not just games, but videogames.

...try to

describe Fallout 3 without talking

about mutants and nuclear apocalypses. You simply can’t. The visual elements—the

places and characters that make up the virtual worlds of

videogames—are absolutely

crucial to what videogames

are.


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