Gaming off the Beaten Path

Are video games art? It's a question that I think a lot of people that are really into gaming grapple with and have been grappling with for a long time now. Those of us that grew up in an era where video games were "just toys" or "only for kids" have certainly heard plenty of folks opine that they most certainly are not. But in recent years, as the industry becomes more popular and gaming becomes more mainstream, more and more people have been asked to, or forced to, view video games as a media format. I'm sure it happens with every new format, just as our parents were confused by the stupid video games, theirs were confused by the stupid television, and theirs by the stupid radio, and so on. But that isn't what we are here to talk about, it's a different topic for a different day. We are here to talk about my first foray into the Shin Megami Tensei, or Megaten, franchise. For years, I have avoided playing any of these things because their close atta

 Last week I discussed Grandia II and its solid-but-uneven story, well written-but-tropetastic cast and well presented-but-uninspired style.  That's a lot of hyphens and not a lot about actual gameplay. Let's get started with something positive.  Grandia II absolutely nails one of an RPG's most important elements: the combat system.  It's a bit difficult to explain so bear with me here.  You enter (random) encounters with a party of four.  Each party member and enemy combatant are denoted on a scrolling bar, called the IP gauge, at the bottom of the screen.  When it gets to the command section, its time to input your command.  Each party member can use a combo or critical attack, special move, magic attack, evade, defend, use items or change their equipment.  Enter your command and the IP gauge will scroll through its last section, the command section.  If it reaches the end, your character will perform their attack.  The same is true for enemies.  It sounds simple or l

Here's the thing about the past, you can't escape it. You can learn from it, move on from it, grow from it, dwell on it or even downplay it.  But running from it is impossible, it will chase you until you can't run anymore.  For its first two thirds, Grandia II's narrative explores this better than any game has before.   Sure, other games deal with the past of their heroes and villains, but not quite like this one.  Initially released for the Dreamcast in 2000 before being ported (poorly) to the PlayStation 2, Grandia II tackles a theme that is difficult to discuss, something most people hate talking about.  It's entire story is framed around the past of not just its main protagonist, but everyone involved.  Your party members, your enemies and society as a whole.  It's a great, compelling 20 hours of storytelling...until it goes off the rails. In its final 10 hours, Grandia II goes from a pinpoint narrative about the inevitability of the past catching up to its

For my 10’s, I’ve decided that one post isn’t enough.  Each Tuesday after I write about one, I’m going to do an additional post pertaining to the game or series I covered.  Most of these are going to be lists, rankings, etc.  As always, these are subjective, unscientific and literally just one guy’s opinion.  I do plan on going back and doing one for the two I already covered (Doom and Madden), but for now we are going to stick with FF VII.  I am going to rank the party members based on usefulness, power level and just generally how good they are.  This has nothing to do with how well written they are, how cool they are, etc. its strictly about their combat prowess.  I am also going to be considering how they perform for the whole playthrough, not just maxed out.  That’s a whole different discussion.  Anyway, without further adieu: 9 - Cait Sith - In a lot of Final Fantasy games, characters that are obnoxious or unlikeable actually turn out to be useful party members.  That isn’t the

“There ain’t no gettin off this train we’re on...” Happy Final Fantasy VII month!  In case you weren’t aware, the much anticipated remake of the 1997 classic is slated to release April 10, quarantine or no quarantine.  I was going to cover FFVII with my other 10s anyway, but one post can’t adequately convey how I feel about this game and its universe. So, I am going to dedicate this whole month to FFVII, its spinoffs and finally, the remake (If I can actually get my hands on it, that is).  Now is probably the time to mention that there are going to be some serious spoilers, though I am going to actively try to avoid them. What is there to say about Final Fantasy VII that hasn’t already been said?  It was a killer app for the original PlayStation, which was even more impactful for Sony as it flipped one of Nintendo’s key franchises.  It put the PS1 through its paces, setting a new standard for what games could do in terms of graphics, sound and presentation