The Count | Top 10 Most Violent Videogames

Recently, the video game industry has been under fire from the media, as well as self-aggrandizing and uninformed assholes like Jack Thompson. The reasons are as simple as sex and violence. Somehow, these archaic non-thinkers believe that video games are strictly for children, and that games that contain mature themes are poison to our youth. Well, the Nintendo generation has grown up. We are adults, and play adult video games. Adult video games contain adult content and adult content often contains violence. Only the video game industry seems to be chastised for it, though.

Anyway, here are the top 10 violent video games out there. They're perfect for virtual stress-relief, and are generally good games, too.

10) Loaded - Look up the term "bloodbath" and you will find Loaded and its sequel, Re-Loaded. These games feature classic top-down action, where players demolish floods of enemies, staining every inch of the ground with blood. Weapons include flamethrowers, missile launchers and plasma cannons, among others. It's a take-no-prisoners affair (which, coincidentally begins inside a prison), and anything that MOVES is fair game. When you're done, it looks like you've emptied a ketchup bottle onto a doll house in the psychiatric ward.

9) Mortal Kombat - The granddaddy of video game violence, Mortal Kombat started it all. It featured character models as photo-realistic as the technology of the time could provide, and then proceeded to tear them apart. Blood flew with every strike throughout each match, but the real exhibit was the fatality system. When a player was told to "FINISH HIM," fighters would take the liberty of tearing out opponent's skulls, with spinal column attached, or reach into their chest and tear out a still-beating heart. Other fatalities featured full dismemberments, leaving gamers shocked - but eager to see more.

8) Grand Theft Auto - As the highest-profile series on this list, Grand Theft Auto games have become the poster children for violent video games. One must consider the entire franchise, since there have been more than a half-dozen GTA games in the past 10 years. What makes these games so offensive is the freedom players are granted to do whatever they want in a setting that mirrors real life. The move to 3D is when things became most violent, allowing the beat-down of anyone walking the streets, random gun-downs of civilians, gang members and police officers, vehicular manslaughter, and the titular offense of grand theft auto (usually involving a punch to the face and a toss onto the asphalt before driving away). There's a reason GTA is in the news, and that very reason lands it on this list.

7) The Punisher - When a game is partially censored due to violence, you know it has to be pretty intense. The Punisher features 3rd person action much like a Max Payne game, but what sets it apart are the "interrogation" segments, which always result in some brutal ending for the one answering the questions. For each of these kills, a black and white filter is applied to the visuals in an effort to curb the violence, and for good reason. Bad guys are sawed, drilled, crushed, and fed to piranhas, just to name a few of their undesirable fates. The best part, though, is when Frank Castle shoves a knife directly into the top of a man's skull.

6) Killer 7 - Killer 7 centers around the story of a syndicate of assassins, and branches out into whatever questionable content it can manage to reach. Not only do bucketloads of blood spray out of enemies' bodies when they are killed, but the protagonist actually absorbs it to get stronger. At one point, a character gives a man his wife's severed head, before shooting him in the back of the head, execution style. Another scene features the methodical murder of eight people in a hotel, and yet another sees blood literally rain from the sky, covering everything below. This game is a psychological mess, and the sort of violence within is the product of insanity - or maybe genius. In any case, resurrection using a bloody paper bag full of body parts is definitely on the graphic side.

5) Soldier of Fortune - This game's CALLING CARD happens to be its highly graphic violence. It featured a whopping 26 unique areas on its character models that could display damage independently of the others. They were called "gore zones." Players could create all manner of semi-limbless creatures, shooting off arms and legs at various points. The results were sometimes reminiscent of a butcher shop. A head shot could leave a bloody stump of a neck or split the enemy's skull, and shots to the stomach could blow a hole straight through or leave intestines dangling. With the amount of disfigurement encountered throughout Soldier of Fortune, anyone would agree that the name "gore zones" hit the nail right on the head.

4) Gears of War - When a game looks this good, all of its content is effectively magnified. The gore in Gears of War is as graphic as it comes. Enemies limbs are often perforated and torn off by a barrage of machine gun fire and close encounters usually result in a chainsaw to the neck, leaving SOMEBODY headless. Otherwise, enemies simply explode into bits of blood and bone, with much of the end product splattering all over the camera - and everywhere else. The sheer volume of blood in this game leaves players swimming in a sanguine sea.

3) God of War - In both the original and the sequel, gameplay in the God of War series is a sea of unrelenting violence. Kratos is one of the most vicious characters the video game world has ever seen, never hesitating to impale bodies, sever heads, and even rip enemies in half with his bare hands. As for innocents...he'll quickly slice them to shreds or offer them up as a sacrifice to achieve his goals. The cut scenes in God of War are particularly gory, with blood gushing as far as the eye can see, and the finishing maneuvers enacted upon enemies are some of the most brutal imaginable. You can almost FEEL the pain.

2) Thrill Kill - EA canned Thrill Kill at the last minute because they "didn't want to publish such a senselessly violent game." Featuring four player deathmatches between deranged inhabitants of a modern-day Hell, this game took the most violent route possible. Rather than health meters gradually declining as the battle wore on, each player fought to build up their "kill meter," which allowed them to execute brutal "thrill kills." Mutilation, dismemberment, blood-splattering lacerations and the like were all standard fare in this game, which earned it the rare AO (adults only) rating before its eventual cancellation. Senselessly violent? Probably.

1) Manhunt - Here's a game with a plot that revolves around the making of a snuff film. The game's protagonist, James Earl Cash, is already a convicted murderer, and is now at the mercy of a deranged directer who basically tells him to kill or be killed - and to make it gruesome. With weapons ranging from shards of glass to baseball bats to machetes to shotguns, Cash kills gang member after gang member in only the bloodiest of ways. The view even changes to a special TV camera perspective to provide the most optimal view of each execution, where heads roll, blood flies, and things are generally nasty.

Um...ouch?

GTA IV Trailer!

Yesterday, the world got its first glimpse of the next addition to the Grand Theft Auto Franchise, when Rockstar unveiled the first official trailer for the game.

It appears to take place in contemporary New York City, featuring shots of locales such as Times Square, the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty. It apparently even goes as far as Coney Island. The time period is made evident by the types of ads found on Times Square billboards, and supported by the fact that the Empire State Building is pictured, while the World Trade Center is absent. No footage of actual gameplay has been shown, but I can only imagine it being standard GTA style.

As for the protagonist, we are led to believe that it will be the large-nosed Russian dude in the video, who talks, among other things, of SUING people. Interesting...

Random Battles Equal Random Annoyance

I love video games. On all platforms, in most genres, through all generations. Sometimes, however, videogames can be annoying. As my gaming tastes have matured, I find my tolerance for certain aspects of certain games waning fast. One such example is the age-old RANDOM ENCOUNTER, dating back to the infancy of Role Playing Games.

The random encounter (or random battle) is an instance in a traditional RPG where the exploratory action on the "overworld" or "dungeon" map is disrupted without notice, sending the player into a fight, usually viewed from a vastly different perspective. The combat is resolved, after which experience points are awarded, money and items are collected, and the adventure resumes from where it left off.


The reasoning behind the inclusion of random battles is to simulate the experience of travel through hostile environments. There is always a chance of ambush, and characters within the story would likely feel at least slightly uneasy as they progress, compelling them to always be on guard. With the implementation of the random encounter, this feeling is transferred to the gamer himself, who then anticipates a fight at every turn. This leads him to keep the party well equipped and in good health at all times - to be prepared.

Unfortunately, traditional RPGs can be entirely too representational to keep players immersed in such a way. We don't necessarily picture the game's characters wandering through the woods or creeping through cavernous tunnels, so much as we see a sprite or 3D model glide over a background on the screen. It's not as easy a translation as, "Holy s***! F***! Another fight!"

Frustration.

Frustration is a nearly unavoidable part of gaming, and it rears its ugly head and strikes HARD after hours of random encounters. The only purpose random battles serve at that point is to break up the story, and the general flow of the game as a whole. They are no longer fun. Some games are so loaded with these time-filling segments that players find themselves taking only a few steps between fights. Couple that annoyance with a difficult set of enemies, and you have an algorithm for "turn off console." Even an otherwise excellent title, with a good plot and solid gameplay can fall victim to this untimely fate - especially after repeated "game over" screens or copious amounts of lost progress.

Notorious for random encounters are the traditional Japanese-style RPGs, such as the Dragon Warrior series. In fact, the original Dragon Warrior for the NES subjected players to a fight EVERY TWO STEPS at a certain point in the game. After dying, they were transported to the very first town, and had to set out once again.

Solutions are out there, however, and some modern RPGs have adopted them, to the applause of gamers and critics around the world. One simple fix, while still following the dual-perspective approach, is to display all enemies (or at least representative icons) on the overworld map. This way, gamers can choose to either confront or avoid their opponents as they see fit. Contact with an enemy in the overworld still leads to a separate battle screen, but at least the player isn't caught completely off guard or bogged down by incessant fighting.


The Earthbound (pictured above) and Paper Mario series' are good examples of this type of encounter system. Then there are Japanese RPGs like Chrono Trigger and western RPGs such as Star Wars: KOTOR and Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion that take the idea a few steps further. As before, enemies are present at all times on the overworld screen, but in these games, the overworld and battle perspectives are one and the same. Oblivion even goes so far as to make battles real-time - with no disruption whatsoever.

This is just as it should be - the games we play should flow like water, delivering a seamless, wholly enjoyable experience. Design flaws should never be the source of a gamer's frustration - only the content of the game should be able to affect our emotional state while immersed in the virtual world.

Rumble | Video Game Networks

Once again feeding off of the previous Rumble, I have decided to take the notion into the large-game-network arena, where giants such as IGN, GameSpot, GameSpy and 1UP can duke it out in a virtual newsstand free-for-all. I have a feeling I already know who will win...

Yup, the mythical BEAST that is the IGN Network comes out on top of this one. I expected as much, but can't help but feel disappointed, because I think GameSpot has superior writing talent as well as better content and presentation. C'est la vie. Everyone should just go to GamerNode, instead, where you can catch some more writing by your favorite tag-team of Destruction and Adoration (that'd be Brian and I).

Anyway, you can fiddle with the search results for yourself, here.

The Count | Top 10 (+1) Most Anticipated Games Of 2007

Experience has taught me that oftentimes, gamers are better off taking projected release dates with a grain of salt, but I can't help but feel like 2007 is going to be one of the best years in gaming history. There are enough high profile titles on the way to drown a fish, and they all look outstanding. I had trouble limiting it to only 10 of them - so I didn't. Here are my most anticipated games of the coming year:


(+1) Halo 3

Now I know somebody out there doesn't care about this game, but the rest of the gaming world is salivating in anticipation. The third installment of the critically acclaimed franchise is set to be huge, with high-def visuals and enhanced online gameplay, not to mention the climax of the series' story. The near-universal love of the series is clear, as Halo 2 remains the most-played game on Xbox Live to date. With the online beta of Halo 3 just around the corner, there is a lot to be excited about.


10) Blue Dragon


This one has already been released in Japan, and is responsible for selling more Xbox 360s there than any other game can claim. This RPG is the craft of a dream team who, when last working together, created one of the most lauded RPGs of all time - Chrono Trigger. A game that tweaks its genre just right, Blue Dragon does away with random battles, putting enemies on screen at all times. It also features a unique system for GETTING INTO battles, allowing players to string together fights, building momentum as they go, as well as drawing rival creatures into the same bloody fray - where they will attack EACH OTHER. Other points of awesomeness are the party of five characters, which all fight in every encounter, and the deep class system. It sounds like an RPGer's dream.


9) Grand Theft Auto IV

Just one image. That's enough. Heck, ZERO images would be enough for this game. We don't know where it takes place, what time period it spans, or who the main character might be, but it doesn't matter - we know it will be good. As of this posting, 19 days remain until the first trailer of GTA IV is shown at http://www.rockstargames.com/IV/.


8) Mass Effect


"BioWare presents..." Those words alone are enough to gamers excited. The company's track record is indeed a sight to behold - they are responsible for Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire. Mass Effect's gameplay is reminiscent of prior games, but with a few huge improvements. The branching dialog in this game is done completely in real-time. This will allow the player to interject as he pleases and give these interactions a much less-scripted feel. The combat has also been improved, with all-new tactical control over party members' actions and equipment. Lastly, let's not forget that the voice acting is excellent and the graphics are some of the best around.


7) Super Mario Galaxy


This is the Mario game we're supposed to be excited about...and I am. It's Mario in full 3D again, and with a slew of Wii-centric controls, Super Mario Galaxy aims to take gamers on a ride unlike any previous Mario adventure. My only reservation was that game might focus too much on a single theme, quickly wearing out it's initial appeal (a la Super Mario Sunshine). Considering the variety of locales seen in this latest video, I'm not terribly worried, and can't wait to try it out.


6) White Night Story


From the developers of the recent hit RPGs Rogue Galaxy and Dragon Quest VIII, as well as the Dark Cloud Series, White Knight Story appears to be the game that could coax me into buying a PS3. Not only does it LOOK amazing, but it features a battle system unlike any other. Encounters are rendered in accurately choreographed sequences, where successful strikes on the enemy are mixed amongst a barrage of attacks that are either blocked or parried, before tasting the sweet reward of steel on flesh. As seen in the trailer, the protagonist is also capable of transforming into a hulking white knight, which is ALL KINDS of cool.


5) Metal Gear Solid 4


Metal Gear Solid is an incredible series, and MGS4 is sure to be an incredible game. Snake has grown old and battle-weary, but remains in the heat of combat, aided once again by his old friend Otacon. The jump to the newest console generation has done wonders for the graphical presentation of the game, and will propel the already stellar cinematography of the series to new heights. The story promises to be just as interesting as previous games, and will surely have plenty of underlying messages to deliver to eager gamers. This game will definitely be an experience.


4) God of War 2


If you've played God of War, then you MUST BE excited for God of War II. The first game was...well, awesome. It was fierce action combined with fun platforming and a top-notch story. If that game, and this trailer are any indicator, then God of War II is shaping up to be one of the best games the PS2 has to offer. We'll find out this Tuesday if the term "swan song" is applicable here.


3) Spore


When Will Wright creates something, people take notice. The legendary designer is hard at work on an ambitious new game, entitled Spore. Borrowing elements from games ranging from Pac-Man to The Sims, E.V.O. to Cubivore, it is what one might call a "life sim," where players guide the evolution of of an organism up through the generations, and at the same time through multiple game genres. The game features a huge amount of procedurally generated content, from the creatures that populate the game world, to the very world itself. Furthermore, Wright has dubbed Spore a massively single player game, because as players progress, their creations will begin to show up in other users' worlds. There, they become AI-controlled parts of that other player's game, and are tagged with their creator's information. From protist to intergalactic conquerer, there is just TOO much to Spore NOT to be excited.


2) Super Paper Mario


As a huge fan of the old 2D Super Mario Bros games, as well as the stylish Paper Mario games, there is no describing how exciting Super Paper Mario is to me. Not only that, but when Super Mario Sunshine promised an "incredible new feature," all I hoped for was a game that transitioned between classic 2D platforming and 3D exploration. It's finally here. This game introduces a myriad of new character abilities and gameplay opportunities to gamers, and combines 2D side-scrolling, 3D platforming, and role-playing elements all into a single bundle of AWESOME.


1) Assassin's Creed


I am in love with this game. Besides the ability to navigate your surroundings based purely on the physics and structure of the game world, it is everything I could ever want in an action game. Free-roaming exploration, acrobatics, stealth, swordplay, horseback riding, assassinations, and BEAUTIFUL visuals. Additionally, there have been rumblings of a very unexpected and intriguing plotline. All this from the people who brought us Prince of Persia. *swoon*


There you have it - a complete year of gaming goodness.

Sony Implements Miispace Via home

Every once in a while, I try to play the role of a modern-day Nostradamus, predicting the future of gaming as if I'm somebody special. Obviously I'm not, because I couldn't even get something as simple as Miispace right.

Well, would ya look at that? Maybe I did - too bad it's on the wrong console, though. Sony announced yesterday that they will be adding a new service, called home, available directly from the PS3 XMB. Looks and sounds pretty FAMILIAR.

Well, now maybe Nintendo can copy the idea, and use the Miispace name.
In any case, this is BIG news, and will give Sony a little bit more leverage in the future of the console race. Clearly, they learned from the best. ;-)
Good show, guys!

...finally.


Original Miispace article - 11/08/06

Cooperative Gameplay

As of yesterday, Xbox Live has reached the lofty goal of having 6 million users - and it happened four months earlier than Microsoft had expected. This is surely evidence that online play has become a staple in the lives of many gamers, and furthermore, is a clear indicator that multiplayer gaming is a driving force in the future direction of the gaming industry, as a whole.

With every new generation of consoles, new opportunities have been made available for multiple users to enjoy software together. First, there were two controllers, then split-screen play, then four controllers, LAN play, internet, ad-hoc net, SEVEN controllers... Multiplayer gaming has certainly been on the rise, but has something been forgotten along the way?

Cooperative play. Even in the midst of this online multiplayer explosion, there are very few co-op games. Most of the multiplayer emphasis is put on deathmatches and the like -- competitive play. While it is true that in many of these games, players operate as part of a team in order to defeat their opponents, the traditional "story mode" co-op has become a rare treasure. By this, I refer to the ability to play through the main storyline portion of the game with more than one player, old-school style.

Back in the NES era, if a game had a multiplayer option, it was very often a cooperative effort. Games like Contra and TMNT 2 spring to mind, the arcade influence shining through in these early game styles. Playing video games "with a friend" was just that - two players, playing at the same time, working together. Strategies could be generated on-the-fly, and players could always watch each others' backs. Co-op play is real teamwork.

Alternatively, there is the noncompetitive, turn-taking style, most notably found in Super Mario Bros games. Although it doesn't allow for simultaneous play, it still encourages a feeling of partnership between the players as they work together to clear level after level. Again, this is a style of multiplayer gameplay that has decreased in frequency over the years.

It's really unfortunate that the trend has been away from co-op and toward competition, because much of the time there is a sizable gap between the skill levels of players. This is incongruous with many other types of games (sports excluded), which usually require only slight amounts of skill, with much of the outcome left to chance. The "luck of the draw" is a key part of card games, and dice rolls dictate a huge percentage of board game results.

In video games, one player - I'll call him the "killer" - is usually significantly better at the game than the other - the "victim". Sitting down for a little deathmatch with a friend can become an exercise in frustration for both parties. The killer can become bored with the paltry challenge, while the victim simply wants to quit because they keep dying. I've experienced this scenario many times, especially back in my days of Goldeneye GODHOOD. ;-) It's not fun to have your friends quit the game after a few rounds.

A cooperative game doesn't suffer the same fate because the two players work together to accomplish common goals, with the better player picking up the slack for the less skilled. Unless they are pure @$$holes, it's all good, and the game is fun.

Cooperative play is a GREAT way to get non-gamers converted over to OUR side, as well. It becomes a much less daunting task for these newbies when they know that there is a "pro" on their side. "We can play on the same team?!" is a common reaction when a co-op game is introduced to them. Now they are interested. Want your girlfriend to play video games with you? Start with co-op.



One of the most recent games to feature a good story mode co-op option is Gears of War for the Xbox 360. This game has sold nearly 4 million copies already - 3 million in just 10 weeks. For those of you keeping score at home, that's just about 43,000 copies per day, on average. Granted, the game is rock-solid, but I'm sure the co-op play didn't hurt that number. Allowing for team play in a game that already presents a great solo experience (not to mention putting that same co-op mode online) is just icing on the cake, and a huge draw to a community that wets its pants whenever co-op is mentioned in an upcoming release.

Isn't it obvious yet? Gamers and game critics alike get excited at the mere mention of cooperative play, so let's see some more of them. Games of other types are almost universally multiplayer affairs, so why should this medium be any different. Video games just seem to be more fun when played together.