15 Years of Gaming, Part 9 (2003)

2003, much like 2002, was a transitory year. Aside from the PS2's continued dominance, not a whole lot happened. I finally got a system of my own in 2003, so I became more familiar with a lot of the games on this list from previous years, specifically the epic first player games (Final Fantasies and whatnot). The industry continued to grow incrementally, commercial interest began to rise in anticipation of the unholy shitstorm of awesome that was to be the Fall of 2004. Still, we're not talking about 2004 right now, we're talking about 03. Let's get started.



The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Release Date: March 24, 2003.
Platform: Gamecube
ESRB Rating: E
Developer/Publisher: Nintendo EAD/Nintendo
GameRankings: 95%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 9.1/10 (Great)

For some reason, the letter 'Z'  (the one after X and Y) is not appearing on the published posts. Because of this, I'll be trying my hardest NOT to use the title of this game series as much as I usually would.


The Wind Waker is another game unfairly labeled as being "childish." The only real basis for this is the cel-shaded graphics, which might have seemed gimmicky in 2003, but still stand up in 2011. This is a legitimately good looking game. But where the "childish" labels truly fall flat is in the setting, which is as dark and hopeless as any in this series' history.


Set in the aftermath of Ocarina of Time's "Adult Timeline," the setting of Wind Waker operates under the assumption that Ganondorf, as he is foretold to do, eventually breaks free of his imprisonment, and without a Link present, the gods are forced to flood Hyrule to keep him from attaining the ultimate power he seeks. Because of this, many of Wind Waker's locales are thought to be post-flood versions of the locales in Ocarina of Time, a somber game mechanic for such a seemingly bright game.

Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic
Release Date: July 17, 2003.
Platform: XBOX/PC
ESRB Rating: T
Developer/Publisher: BioWare/LucasArts
GameRankings: 94.25%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 9.6/10 (Legendary)

 
It's taken awhile, but finally we have a BioWare game on this little countdown (countup?). BioWare is, in my humble opinion, one of the greatest, if not the greatest, game developers in the world. Based in Canada, they rose to fame primarily though the Baldur's Gate series, a group of fantasy games heavily influenced by Dungeons & Dragons. Generally, they're known for their intelligent writing, deep characterizations and choice-based storylines.

This game, Knights of the Old Republic (KotOR for short), was the first of theirs I can remember playing, and it still remains both my favorite XBOX game and my favorite Star Wars game (both relatively important distinctions for someone who is as into Star Wars as I am). Set approximately 4,000 years before the original films, KotOR manages to be an original, unique Star Wars tale while still being easily identifiable as Star Wars, which is not an easy feat (see, every other SW game ever made). KotOR is a singularly unique game, and signals the start of what seems to be a lifelong affair between myself and BioWare's games, which I'll probably get into the next time we have a BW game on the countdown (2005!)

Soul Calibur II
Release Date: August 27, 2003.
Platform: All Non-PC
ESRB Rating: T
Developer/Publisher: Namco
GameRankings: 92.3%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 7.5/10 (Above Average)

I used the cover for the Gamecube version here.

I didn't play enough of either Soul Edge or the original Soul Calibur to warrant a spot on this merry countdown, but I liked them enough to interest me in SCII, which was, for a time, my "main" game. Anyone who knows me (in a gaming sense) knows that I'm not particularly keen on fighting games, at least not by myself. SCII was a different beast. One of the most balanced fighting games in recent memory, SCII was blessed with a particularly robust single-player mode, one that elevated it from simple fighting game fare into something special. I still retain fond memories of it to this day.

Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
Release Date: September 17, 2003.
Platform: All Non-PC
ESRB Rating: T
Developer/Publisher: Raven Software/LucasArts
GameRankings: 81%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 7.0/10 (Solid)

The third and final part of the so-called "Jedi Knight" trilogy (hopefully there will be a fourth at some point), JA differs from the previous entries in that it does not star Kyle Katarn, at least not primarily. The player takes the role of Jaden Korr, a new recruit to Luke Skywalker's new Jedi Academy. Another significant difference between this game and the others is the non-linearity of JA. Instead of the usual mission-to-mission structure, JA breaks itself into sections, each one with multiple missions that can be completed in any order. These missions take the player to a plethora of Star Wars locations, both famous and obscure. All in all, Jedi Acadmy is a worthy, if slightly underrated addition to the trilogy and the Star Wars games as a whole.

15 Years of Gaming, Part 8 (2002)

2002, despite it's lack of huge, Triple A titles, was an interesting year. It was a transitional year, a year in which the three new consoles tried to find themselves and began to carve out new identities. This will also mark the point in my countdown where we'll start to see a lot of sequels. After 2001, Gaming was starting to become a legitimate industry, and like most major industries, sequels are the name of the game.



Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
Release Date: March 26, 2002.
Platform: PC/All Consoles
ESRB Rating: T
Developer/Publisher: Raven Software/LucasArts
GameRankings: 89%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 7.7/10 (Above Average)

Jedi Knight II is much like the first (we'll just pretend Dark Forces doesn't exist). It's a first person shooter with extensive puzzle elements (not all of which are welcome) and the occasional third person lightsaber sequence. And, much like the first one, it was the pinnacle of Star Wars in it's time. Even if the plot this time around isn't quite as...momentous as JKI, it defeats its predecessor in the characterization of it's protagonist. Kyle Katarn is more sarcastic and world-weary than he was before, and it gives the game a sense of humor often missing from Star Wars (here's looking at you, Prequel Trilogy).

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
Release Date: June 6, 2002.
Platform: XBOX/PC
ESRB Rating: T
Developer/Publisher: Bethesda Game Studios
GameRankings: 89%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 8.5/10 (Very Good)

 Let's get this out of the way right now: I didn't play Morrowind nearly as much as a lot of you non-existent readers probably did. I didn't love it. Maybe it was just too big for 13 year old Brian to "get." I wasn't into it as much as I would be into Oblivion four years later. Or as I will be with Skyrim this November.

All that aside, it was still fantastic. One of the least linear games of it's time, one could conceivably play Morrowind for upwards of ten hours without advancing the plot in the slightest. I know more people who haven't beaten the game than those who have. 

Not only is the game huge, but it is detailed. You get the feeling that everything in the game world has a purpose, has a history. Most games give you a sense of history. The difference is that Morrowind (and the by extension, the other Elder Scrolls games) let's you find an abandoned building and come to your own conclusions as to what it was for. It's a true mark of craftsmanship, and a trademark of Bethesda, one of the best and most respected developers in the gaming industry.

Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos/The Frozen Throne
Release Date: July 3, 2002.
Platform: PC
ESRB Rating: T
Developer/Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment
GameRankings: 93.1%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 8.0/10 (Very Good)

The Warcrafn Blizzard's flagship. While Starcraft is more sci-fi and Diablo more horror, Warcraft is, first and foremost, a fantasy series, and has always seemed to be Blizzard's priority, even before World of Warcraft came about. There is no finer example of this than Warcraft IIII, an RTS so expansive that it requires a full length expansion just to contain it's own plot. Every plausible side character and faction in the back annals or Warcraft lore figures into the plot, a plot which ends as climatically as any RTS in history. Pretty much every major antagonist featured in WoW was introduced in WC3


As for the gameplay itself, there's a reason something like Defense of the Ancients 2 exists. WC3 was, and still is, one of the most balanced strategy games ever made. Truly a classic int he genre.

Super Mario Sunshine
Release Date: August 25, 2002.
Platform: Gamecube
ESRB Rating: E
Developer/Publisher: Nintendo
GameRankings: 92%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 7.4/10 (Solid)

The release of Super Mario Sunshine, for me, represents the beginning of the downfall of Mario. Don't misunderstand me, this is a very good game, but it starts to represent, for me, a rise of the gimmicky side of the Mario franchise. Not long after this, we get Mario baseball and Mario soccer and Mario tennis, each one more gimmicky than the last. This escalated to the point where a game like Mario Galaxy, which seemed very ingenious and enjoyable, was marred by the previous transgressions of everyone's favorite plumber.

That being said, I can't exactly blame SMS for what would happen in the years to come, and like I said, it was very good. The FLUDD mechanics are generally interesting and involve some thought to decipher, while the locale itself certainly lives up to the "Sunshine" title. This is a brighter, happier Mario game than it's predecessor, though perhaps something is missing without the castle itself there to anchor everything. Still, if you still have the ability to play Gamecube games, and haven't played SMS, it's certainly worth the effort.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Release Date: October 27, 2002.
Platform: PlayStation 2
ESRB Rating: M
Developer/Publisher: Rockstar North/Rockstar
GameRankings: 94.4%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 8.5/10 (Very Good)

GTA Vice City takes the Mafioso tone that so influenced its predecessor and turned it into Miami Vice. For some people, this is an improvement. Not for me. While I wouldn't go so far as to say that Vice City is overrated, I will declare it my least favorite "modern" GTA. Tommy Vercetti, the protagonist, was the first fully voiced protagonist in the series' history, and he was, more or less, a murderous psychopath (in a series full of murderous psychopaths, it takes quite a psychopathic murder to distinguish ones self). In fact, the entire game felt like one bad 80s joke at times.

Then again, this game made my lists for a reason, and that reasons is that it's still a Grand Theft Auto game. Unbridled freedom, caustic satire and gleeful carnage are the names of the game, and the game is a good one.

Metroid Prime
Release Date: November 17, 2002.
Platform: Gamecube
ESRB Rating: T
Developer/Publsiher: Retro Studios/Nintendo
GameRankings: 96%  
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 9.2/10 (Great)

 When Metroid Prime was first announced, hardcore Metroid fans (of which I am not one) were up in arms. What appeared at the time to be a modernized First Person Shooter was taken as an insult to one of the most respected and challenging series in gaming's history.

Thankfully, Metroid Prime was no such aberration. The same focus on exploration that is so prevalent in the older Metroid games was there, along with an added level of immersion. Truly, MP is a beautiful game, even now. One anecdote I always like to use is this: when I first played MP, I took notice at all the superfluous details in the design of the varied zones. What appeared on the mini-map to be a straight hallway would in actuality be a caved in tunnel. What appeared to be a small room would really be a flooded rotunda. Art design is more important than graphical integrity. Metroid Prime was, and still is, one of the finest examples of this.

Plus, it was bloody entertaining.

 

15 Years of Gaming, Part 7 (2001)

2001 was, for all intents and purposes, the most important gaming year of the entire decade. Two new systems inserted themselves into the market, and what was simply the PlayStation2 running rampant was transformed into an all-out console war (at least for a couple years, until the PS2 did exactly the same thing). The future of the entire industry was shaped and cultivated in these 12 months.

And of these 12 months, two were particularly important. November and December. In these two months, four massively influential games were released, three of which remain my personal favorites on their respective systems.


Max Payne
Release Date: July 23, 2001.
Platform: PC
ESRB Rating: M
Developer/Publisher: Remedy Entertainment/Rockstar
GameRankings: 89.24%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 7.9/10 (Above Average)

Max Payne is a game that amounts only to the sum of it's parts. What makes that a compliment is how varied and rich those parts are. The titular character's running monologue is every Film Noir stereotype rolled into one with a jaded, ultraviolent sheen. The setting (New York City during a torrential blizzard) draws multiple parallels with Norse mythology, particularly Ragnarok, a comparison the game calls attention to with names like Valkyr, the Aesir Corporation, and Alex Balder. The gameplay itself steals everything it can from John Woo's films. This is in no way an insult. Very few things come together as surprisingly well as Film Noir and Norse Mythology, and Max Payne takes advantage of it in a way that is still, to this day, uniquely dark and harrowing. Max Payne had himself one hell of a night.

Grand Theft Auto III
Release Date: October 22, 2001.
Platform: Play Station 2
ESRB Rating: M
Developer/Publisher: Rockstar North/Rockstar
GameRankings: 95%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 8.8/10 (Very Good)

 Grand Theft Auto existed before GTA III (as the name would suggest). The first few GTAs were top down sandbox games that in retrospect, have little to do with the series' glorious reinvention. This isn't to say they aren't fun. Rockstar's trademark humor is very much alive, as is their trademark satire. GTA III lacks a lot of the inherent silliness of the series' later PS2 efforts, and it has more in common, thematically, with 2008's GTA IV than San Andreas or Vice City. Again, this is not a bad thing.

The difference between those games and GTA III is the same difference between Mario 64 and all the Mario's before it. This isn't to say that those games aren't as good, they're just different. GTA III was a mark of change for the genre (and for gaming as a whole), and it stands as the start of Rockstar's current run of greatness.

 

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
Release Date: October 28, 2001.
Platform: PS2/Gamecube/XBOX
ESRB Rating: T
Developer/Publisher: Neversoft/Activision
GameRankings: 91.39%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 6.8/10 (Decent)

There have been more enjoyable sports games than this. There have even been better Tony Hawk games than this. This game didn't make this list because it was better than similar games. It made this list because it was bigger. More important. Greater. THPS3 was the first game I can remember that was released simultaneously on every major console. It was one of the first major gaming events of it's generation, a generation that saw gaming rise from a niche to the major entertainment force it is now. This wasn't necessarily a good thing, but it was an important one. And for that reason alone, THPS3 makes this list. Plus, it had a bitchin' soundtrack.

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Release Date: November 14, 2001
Platform: PlayStation 2
ESRB Rating: M
Developer/Publisher: KCEJ/Konami
GameRankings: 95.04%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 8.7/10 (Very Good)

And finally, we make it to the big guns (I'm partially joking, GTA III is an unquestionably great game). Metal Gear Solid 2 rides a huge wave of momentum from the first MGS into an equally impressive first segment. It's unfortunate that momentum isn't carried through the rest of the story, which presents itself as a bit of a rehash of the original MGS. The plotline itself suffers from the typical doldrums present in most middle acts, combined with perhaps too much of that old Kojima insanity. This is a game that is often clever only for the sake of being clever. MGS2 is the weakest of the Metal Gear Solid trilogy.


Nitpicking aside, MGS2 is still REALLY good.

Halo: Combat Evolved
Release Date: November 15, 2001
Platform: XBOX (Later PC)
ESRB Rating: M
Developer/Publisher: Bungie/Microsoft Game Studios
GameRankings: 95.58%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 9.5/10 (Great)

The original Halo was, and still is, a deeply atmospheric game. That, above everything else, is what I love about it. Fundamentally, it isn't much different from other shooters of it's time. Even the lauded two-weapon system wasn't a revolutionary idea (though it was executed flawlessly). The storyline is tightly woven and satisfying.

It's the atmosphere. It's the dull roaring in the background of the second level that made you feel like something great and terrible was happening beneath you. It's the lens flare every time you look at the sun. It's the grind of the tires on the Warthog as you flew around corners. It's the dread you feel right before your first encounter with the Flood.  It's the atmosphere, the feeling, that made me feel, cliche as it is, that I was experiencing this journey for myself, a cavalier feeling of exploration that very few games have ever been able to equal, let alone surpass.

Without these things, it's still an extremely enjoyable game, more than deserving of a place on this list. With these things, it's my second favorite original XBOX game ever.

Super Smash Brothers: Melee
Release Date: December 3, 2001.
Platform: Nintendo Gamecube
ESRB Rating: T
Developer/Publisher: HAL Laboratory/Nintendo
GameRankings: 90.3%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 9.1/10 (Great)

At their core, the Super Smash Brothers games are nothing more than a self-tribute to Nintendo. But I'll be damned if they aren't enjoyable. I mentioned that 1999s original was, in retrospect, only a setup game fro what was to come. This is what was to come. Dozens of characters, from the expected (Mario) to the obscure (Mr. Game and Watch), each of whom plays differently from the others. Dozens of maps, from straightforward duel stages (Final Destination) to gimmicky survival maps (the F-Zero tracks), all of which offer something different to the gameplay experience. Add in an acceptably decent single-player mode (complete with inventive challenge modes), wonderfully remixed songs from Nintendo's past and present,and the literally hundreds of unlockable trophies, and you have one of the biggest, most rewarding games on the Gamecube.

Oh, and it's pretty damn fun to play with other people, too.

Final Fantasy X
Release Date: December 20, 2001.
Platform: PlayStation 2
ESRB Rating: T
Developer/Publisher: Square/Square EA
GameRankings: 91.84%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 9.4/10 (Great)

Final Fantasy X is, on the surface, an uncommonly bright and sunny installment in the world's biggest game series. This is a false assumption. FFX has possibly the most mature and sobering plotline in the series' history, especially because it doesn't need it's protagonist to be a broody anti-hero to do it. Tidus, while initially insanely annoying, eventually matures into an extremely sympathetic and believable character, a young man who comes to grips with the...odd circumstances of his existence and possibly saves the world doing so, despite his ridiculous outfit.

What I enjoy most about this game, however, is the promise it represents. It was the first Final Fantasy of the new millennium, and also the first the feature full voice acting. It's unfortunate that it was also the last truly great Final Fantasy. Here's hoping Square eventually returns to the turn based gameplay that made it the juggernaut it was in the first place.

Breaking Bad Episode 408: Hermanos

An alternate title for last night’s Breaking Bad could have been “The Musings of a Chicken Cooking Man,” because it was all about the Chicken Man. The other characters (even Walt) are reduced to, at best, supporting roles in an episode that helped fill in the back story of the most dangerous Restauranteur in the ABQ.

Photo by Ursula Coyote/AMC

Before we get into the little slice of TV heaven that was Gus’ flashback narrative, let’s check in with the other denizens of the Walter White Death Express. The leader of the aforementioned express spends his first scene dealing with his cancer, which is (supposedly) still in remission. As an aside, it’s nice to see the show mention Walt’s cancer again. While it probably won’t be what kills him (my money’s on Jesse), the fact still remains that he’s definitely not cancer-free. Aside from this opening scene, where Walt rails against the deterministic view his fellow cancer patient seems to take, Walt doesn’t have a single scene on his own. Everything else he’s involved in is not of his own desire (save possibly his overly-excited chattering on the way to what he assumes is a mineral convention...

…A mineral convention that is actually a sting operation of sorts, headed by superagent Hank Schrader, hot on the trail of Gustavo Fring (“is that your real name?) The scene that takes place in and around Los Pollos Hermanos is on the short list of most awkwardly funny scenes in the show’s history. Beyond that, it really serves to show us that Walt truly has lost all control of his life.

The rest of the Breaking Bad crew takes a backseat to Gus Fring tonight while we were finally treated to a back story we never even knew we wanted. The history of Gus and the Cartel. Instead going into a full synopsis here, I’ll just post the various observations I made during my re-watch.

• Is it just me, or does Don Eladio seem like he’s supposed to be Tuco’s father?
• I love the subtle detail of Hector struggling to move his right arm. Almost as if he’s recently suffered a stroke. I sure hope that didn’t affect his character as time went on…
• Better writers than I have commented on the possibility that Gus and Max were more than just business partners. While it’s definitely interesting, I don’t think it’s especially important. I highly doubt Gus’ sexuality will be a plot point of any significance as the season comes to a close.
• Speaking of Max, he shares a name with Max Arciniega, the actor who played Krazy 8 back in season one. Combine that reference with the Krazy 8 lookalike who stole Jesse’s money in this season’s “Bullet Points,” and I’m starting to feel like the production crew really misses him.
• Skyler’s final hiding spot, the crawl space, is played as a one-off joke, but given that one of the season’s later episodes (number 11) is titled “Crawl Space,” I doubt it’s the last we’ll see of it.
• Nice shirt, Jesse. I didn’t know Ed Hardy was into bedazzling.