REALISM IN GAMES: WHAT HAPPENED TO THE "FUN?"

Game developers have strived to create the most realistic games possible. Not all of them, but I would say a majority of studios creating the next gen triple-A titles. Take for instance, Rockstar North’s Grand Theft Auto IV. I could not wait to get my hands on this game! Realistic characters, albeit a bit stylized, realistic remake of a real world city, realistic animations and realistic world physics. What’s not to like about a realistic game like this?

Well, for me, GTA IV was not as fun as I had hoped. Not even close to being as fun as GTA San Andreas. While playing GTA IV, I could not help but wonder why I was not enjoying the experience. It seems like I had to force myself to pick up the controller and finish the game, just to say, “yea, I beat it.” Not because the fun in the game kept calling me back. The “fun” never really started.

Of course the game was gorgeous to look at! It was amazing to be in this virtual world of Liberty City and might be the closest I’ll ever get to seeing what the real New York City actually looks like. Don’t get me wrong, the game had it’s moments of greatness, it is Rockstar North we’re talking about here. However, I feel that adding this much realism in games, actually denies me the total “immersiveness” I am looking for in a $60+ game purchase in this genre. If I wanted to enjoy realism, I wouldn’t be playing games. If I wanted to enjoy realism, I’d go find a real hot dog stand to eat at, I’d ignore my real cell phone when it rings.. annoyingly, and I’d watch my own TV of someone watching TV.

Now, this realization I had of realistic styles of games being the wrong direction to go, hit me while playing GTA IV. But it didn’t truly sink in until I put in a GTA sandbox clone in my 360, Saints Row 2. No more than 15 minutes went by before I was laughing because of this game. Just in the character creation screen alone, before I even started the single player campaign, I was laughing hysterically at this unrealistic character I was creating. I literally had tears running down my face from laughing so hard. Why? Because the character, which Volition gave an incredible amount of options to create, could not exist! There is no way someone that ugly exists in this world! It was in no way a realistic person, and it made the whole Saints Row 2 experience that much more satisfying. The side mission of throwing your character into traffic to rack up money and respect is my favorite. It was quite refreshing to switch from GTA IV to Saints Row 2, as Saints Row 2 does not take itself seriously and in turn I no longer took the sandbox game seriously as I did in GTA IV. I think that is also why I really enjoyed Crackdown, another great sandbox game, minus the “uber-realism.” Was Crackdown overlooked by critics and gamers alike because it wasn’t realistic enough? It makes me wonder.

The video below shows how much closer we are to attaining the level of realism that may be almost too real to decipher real from fake. When I first watched this, I thought I was looking at a real person. The “Image Metrics Tech Demo” shows how far the game and film industry have come in creating realistic CG characters. This is truly an amazing accomplishment Image Metrics have created and I hope they continue progressing in their technology. But the question remains, is this what the game industry needs? Is this what the gamers want? Does realism equal good quality gaming, or is realism in games killing all the fun?

CNET: HOW SONY IS KILLING THE PS3

The Sony PS3 is the most expensive of all consoles, Sony is losing exclusive titles to their competitors, their game library is not very impressive and it doesn’t even look like there is a price drop in the near future. Will the Sony PS3 soon be irrelevant along with the Playstation name itself?

SEGA GENESIS CELEBRATES 20 YEARS

I still remember that special Christmas day. My sister and I came down to see what Santa brought us and usually, there would be at least one awesome gift. Maybe a BMX bike, maybe an RC car or maybe some hot new roller blades! Yeah! But not this Christmas. This Christmas I did not see anything special under the tree. I remember being disappointed.. kind of confused and bummed out I didn’t get the “hot new toy” of the holiday season. That is, until I heard something that sounded like a song of a thousand angels coming from the living room, “SSAAAAYYYY GAAAAA!!” Wow! A Sega Genesis and Sonic the Hedgehog himself was now officially mine! Twenty years later, they’re not the same company but you know what, we ALL have much to thank SEGA for what they brought to the game industry. Thanks to SEGA Genesis we got to play games like Earthworm Jim, Road Rash, Mortal Kombat II, and my all time favorite, Skitchin’! I regret that I sold you in a garage sale SEGA Genesis, but you left me with a lifetime of memories and I treasure that more. Happy 20th, here’s to the good times.

PRODUCT REVIEW: GUNNAR OPTIKS GAMER GLASSES

Do you sit in front of your computer for countless amount of hours everyday? Do your eyes start to feel tired and noticeably dry? Do you catch yourself forgetting to blink due to hours of intense gaming, blogging or 3D modeling? It might be time to invest in a pair of new computer glasses that can protect your eyes from harmful florescent lights and computer glare. No, it’s not just for computer geeks! Millions of Americans whose jobs require them to sit in front of a computer for the majority of their day might want to check this product out. I’ll tell you why.

All day at my place of work, I am required to use many different software programs in order to do my job. (A lot of that time is spent internet surfing. Sorry, it’s an addiction.) I started to notice, the more hours I spent looking at the screen, the more headaches I got. I’m not one who regularly gets headaches, maybe once every few months but not every single day, which is what started to happen the more hours I put in. I guess it doesn’t help that I go home and spend another 3-6 hours of working in Autodesk Maya or Adobe Photoshop, but what am I supposed to do? It’s my job, it’s my hobby, I NEED to be on the computer constantly in order to further pursue my career.

First thing I noticed when I put on the Gunnar Optiks Phenom glasses was the lack of weight. Now, I haven’t worn glasses since I was in first grade but I still remember them being noticeably heavy and kind of annoying to have on your face in general. However, what Gunnar Optiks has done is to create a whole new class of glasses which can really benefit people in the gaming industry. They’re lightweight, durable, the frames are flexible and can easily confine to different size heads, (they’re not like my sunglasses, when I put them on, they feel like they’re trying to pop my skull like a pimple. Sorry if you had a disturbing visual.) and their claim of reduced eye strain as well as protection against full-blown Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) gave me more than enough reason to try them out.

Now the question is, do they work? The first week I tried these out, I have to admit, wearing computer glasses was hard to get used to. Unfortunately, the new experience of wearing glasses after 20 years of not wearing them, gave me a mixed first reaction on whether or not Gunnar Optiks claims are legit. I was not used to having something sitting on the bridge of my nose and it made me feel a bit nauseous.

I decided to keep on keepin‘ on and tried them out for a second week. One thing I noticed before I started wearing these was the actual fatigue I would experience from sitting at the computer for hours on end. I started running out of energy by just sitting! That can’t be right, can it? Well, I’ve come to realize that it can. Because after wearing these glasses, I have seen an increase in energy and production. I’m no longer exhausted when leaving work. I have energy again to come home and work on other projects. OK, so you still have to get up and walk away from your computer for a few minutes, maybe do a bit of stretching, or go for a quick walk.. I’m not saying this is a total cure! But do these computer/gamer glasses work? My experience shows that yes, yes they do indeed work. Will it work for you? That remains to be seen. But if you have any of the CVS symptoms, (headaches, blurred vision, neck pain, fatigue, eye strain, dry eyes) what do you got to lose besides your eye sight?

FABLE 2: PURCHASE OR RENT?

With so many games coming out this holiday season, which ones do you buy and which ones do you rent? It’s a nice problem to have. I know I can’t afford to buy all the games that come out so it’s nice to get someone else’s perspective in this troubling issue during the holidays.

FALLOUT 3 LOOKS RUBBISH ON PS3

I just bought Fallout 3 for my 360. This is my very first RPG experience so I’m excited. So far so good, but I hope I don’t experience anything like PS3 users are experiencing.

GEARS OF WAR 2: LAST DAY VIDEO

An incredible new video of the upcoming blockbuster title, Gears of War 2. Do you think this new video is as haunting as “Mad World” from the first Gears of War? Check it out!

DAMNATION SINGLE PLAYER GAMEPLAY

Evolving the shooter genre with its unique and exhilarating combination of fluid action and combat, Damnation will feature huge, open environments, frenetic combat, daredevil acrobatics and high-octane vehicle-based stunts.

CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WAR – ZOMBIE MODE

With another Call of Duty release right around the corner, will gamers welcome yet another WWII title into their collection? The new “Zombie Mode” revealed today just might be the change of pace gamers are looking for in the fading WWII genre.