PAX East 2012: Day Three

9:00 AM - Latest start yet. I think I must have been feeling pretty good last night, because when I got home I was self-assured enough to eat blue cheese dressing out of the jar with a fork. I do feel the tiniest bit guilty walking across Boston Common hung over and on my way to a video game convention, while folks in their Sunday best head the other direction for Easter service.

11:31 AM - Hitting the expo floor for reals today. First stop: Assassin's Creed III. Now I'm normally not one to gush, but the gameplay footage looked absolutely phenomenal. The concept of operating in a wide-open and natural environment like a colonial New England forest is a great innovation for the franchise (which had been getting fairly stale), and it seems that a lot of the movement and combat systems have been rebuilt to accommodate that change. Plus, murdering Redcoats with a tomahawk is always a crowd pleaser, at least provided you're not British.

No photography or video recording was allowed inside the theater, so here's a picture of the outside instead. 

12:02 PM - Checked out some more of the indie and XBLA offerings. There's some good stuff down here, including Guacamelee!, a luchador-themed action-adventure game, and Charlie Murder, a beat-em-up with RPG elements from Ska Studios (makers of Dishwasher: Dead Samurai).

Ska Studios art always looks like you wish the sketches in your high-school notebooks looked, if only you had been an amazing artist and super angsty.

12:46 PM - Had a great chat with the Australian creator of Antichamber, a first-person puzzle game that uses "non-Euclidean" geometry. (Basically, it's like running around in an M. C. Escher drawing.) He described the painstaking design process of user testing and game refinement as he attempted to make the game as intuitive as possible (yet still mind-bending).

Hey, it's not like Euclid is the only person who knows how to organize a three-dimensional metric space.

1:15 PM - The shout-out for Dust: An Elysian Tail at the Giant Bomb panel last night must have had an effect, because a lot of folks were interested on the game today. An upcoming XBLA action-adventure title with a beautiful fantasy-themed visual style, Dust was actually designed, illustrated, and coded by a single guy! I actually ended up in line with Ryan Davis and Jeff Gerstmann from the Giant Bomb site, and got a chance to talk with Ryan about his opinion regarding the collection of games this year.

2:16 PM - Took a break to eat a surprisingly tasty food court burrito, as well as count the number of people walking by wearing Utilikilts. Answer: five.

3:51 PM - Attended the panel, "How Young Is Too Young for Games?" Given how much we hear in the media about violence in video games and its effect on children, there doesn't seem to be much in the way of reliable research on the subject, and the little that exists is inconclusive. The panel's shocking conclusion: there's no substitute for moderation and good parental judgement.

There was a setup where you could text in which games had been most influential in your own childhood development. I sure hope the guy who said that World of Warcraft affected him the most when he was "0 to 5 years old" was either confused or kidding.

4:50 PM - Round two of the expo floor. Best experience by far was Dyad, which you maybe could call a shooter, but is really more of a psychedelic audiovisual experience. Whatever it is, it's coming to the PS3 Network this summer.

After playing this game, I actually was so mesmerized that I wordlessly stood up and then lazily wandered in an arbitrary direction for about a minute, before coming back to the booth and apologizing to the designer for my behavior.  

5:36 PM - The expo floor is closing down. I managed to hit a few more games, but nothing was better than what I've already mentioned. I think it's time to call it a day.

11:24 PM - After making my way home and relaxing for a few hours, I'm prepared to render judgement on my first PAX experience. In two words: mission fucking accomplished. Here are a few take-aways:

1. I was surprised to discover how many panels there were, by the breadth and depth of their topics, and by how informative and entertaining they were. I naively expected that I would spend most of my time on the expo floor, but I ended up much preferring the panels.
2. On the exhibition side of things, I found checking out the indie games to be the best use of my time. There's nothing like getting to play some awesome game that a few dudes created in their basement, while they stand next to you and politely answer any idiotic question that pops into your head. Also the lines are short.
3. Finally, for all those people that think there's a link between video games and violence: I just watched 70,000 people cram into about a square mile of space for three full days where they played violent games literally non-stop, and remarkably no one was murdered. That should be all the evidence anyone would ever need.

PAX East 2012: Day Two

8:00 AM - Got a (much) later start this morning. The last panel I want to hit is at 9:00 PM, so I thought a bit of extra sleep would be nice. It's also tough not to take the opportunity to sleep in when your toddler and newborn happen to be in another state.

10:36 AM - Briefly hit the expo floor before the next panel. Highlight was playing an upcoming XBLA title Hell Yeah!, a tongue-in-cheek Metroidvania game about a demonic rabbit and his Hellish minions.

I spent the first few minutes of gameplay trying to dodge all of the flames, until I realized that (a) fire is pretty much everywhere in Hell, and (b) as a skeletal demonic rabbit overlord, it doesn't hurt you.

1:24 PM - Great Irrational Games panel about the monster design process for the upcoming Bioshock Infinite game. Sounded like these guys really work from the bottom up, continually thinking about the narrative and each character's integration into the game world. They even talked about some of the early 20th century period research they did, touching on topic ranging from automatons to photography to antiseptics.

Concept art for one of the "Boys of Silence". They also played the sound effect for his "scream attack" at a high volume. It's not a sound you want to hear more than once.

2:16 PM - Met up with with a friend from Red 5 Studios who is here promoting FireFall, an upcoming massive multiplayer online shooter. We chatted while I followed her around the massive convention center on her quest to deliver swag to the other promo stations.

FireFall had one of the more impressive booths on the expo floor.

4:06 PM - Phenomenal panel on legal issues in the gaming industry, featuring lawyers from Take-Two and Gearbox (among others). The discussion covered a range of great topics, from last year's video games first amendment case in the Supreme Court, to data privacy (regarding the PSN hack), to always-on DRM, to banning sex offenders from online services. Also covered was the landmark case of Pac-Man vs K .C. Munchkin.

4:48 PM - They're having a promotion at the Far Cry 3 booth where they promise you a free copy of the game if you let them shave your head. How about a deal instead where I pay you $60 and I get to keep my hair? Or even better, one where I pay you $0, I keep my hair, and I don't have to play Far Cry 3?

Could be worse... yesterday they were giving out tattoos. (No joke.) I hear tomorrow they're doing free dental work.

6:02 PM - Decided take a walk during my dinner break to ditch my gear. While the stereotype that gamers are unkempt and malodorous is often overstated, I have to admit that Boston's dismal spring air did seem a bit more refreshing than usual.

6:45 PM - Considering all the Dungeons & Dragons and Magic the Gathering I've seen here, I was astonished to end up in line next to a group of people playing actual cards. Further inquiry revealed the game to be an arcane Vietnamese variant of Asshole called "Killer".

7:45 PM - Attended a panel on freelance video game journalism, featuring Susan Arendt, managing editor of The Escapist (who was on yesterday's panel about game criticism). Heard some good tips in case I ever take this little hobby of mine to the next level.

10:00 PM - Giant Bomb Safe and Sane Family Funfest 2012. Panel topics included the site's recent acquisition by CBS Interactive, the crew's list of PAX must-see games, StreetPassing, Cards Against Humanity, prestidigitation and Hank Lee's Magic Factory.

11:36 PM - Giant Bomb post-party at J. J. Foley's. Got a chance to meet a bunch of great users, as well as talk with Brad Shoemaker and Patrick Klepek from the site. Also there was beer.

2:24 AM - It's been a long time since I was in a bar late enough to be herded out at closing time. Tomorrow morning might be a rough start.

PAX East 2012: Day One

6:00 AM - Got up way earlier than I ever manage to do for work, at least when there's not a screaming child involved. Not sure how long it will take to drive, subway, hitchhike, and/or walk down to the area of Southie where the Expo is, but I wanted to give myself time.

8:44 AM - Fed, caffeinated, and mildly molested by public transit, I arrive at the venue. It's pretty hectic, but after a bit of wandering I find an enormous queue. I don't know what it's for, but I stand in it anyway.

9:04 AM - Found out what the line is for; it's to stand in a bigger line.

Penned in like lambs to the slaughter... if the lambs were then given swag bags.

10:21 AM - The bigger line eventually led to the exhibit halls. I had wanted to catch Jordan Mechner's keynote, but no way am I leaving to go wait in another line.

View from one of the convention center's skyways.

11:46 AM - The exhibit halls are pure sensory overload, the gamers' equivalent of Las Vegas. Fortunately, everyone is super friendly, either because everyone has a shared interest, or because they're not from Boston. I avoided the long lines for the blockbuster games like Borderlands 2, opting instead to check out the many small indie offerings where I can talk directly to the developers.

Sculptures of the characters from the upcoming Borderlands 2.

12:57 PM - Sat in on the "Gaming for Grown-Ups" panel, which featured (among others) Ken Levine of Irrational Games. Started off as a bunch of old guys talking about their gaming glory days, but ending up being kind of inspirational. Left me hopeful for my future in gaming. If nothing else, my generation seems to be an incredibly important target audience for games, so we're going to keep getting the coolest shit.

2:06 PM - After another sweep through the exhibit halls, decided to wait in line for some merch. Line was long, but fortunately the Plants vs. Zombies dancers were there to entertain us.

2:45 PM - Ran into a co-worker. Neither of us were aware the other was a gamer. On a totally unrelated note, I'm super glad I decided that the full Princess Zelda costume was more of a Saturday outfit.

3:16 PM - Attended the panel, "Stuff Your Criticism, I Want a Review!" Panelists discussed the subtle differences between reviewing video games as consumer products and critiquing them as art and media. They did not discuss the third option (which I prefer), sniping at their petty flaws like a judgmental douchebag.

View from above the main entrance.

4:50 PM - Interesting panel on video games in education. Best part was a demo of "Code Hero", a Portal-style game that introduces programming concepts by having the player solve puzzles through manipulating segments of the game code as they play. The Oregon Trail and Number Munchers were not mentioned.

6:15 PM - Grabbed a burger at the food court with a Canadian sound designer I met on the Giant Bomb site.

7:00 PM - I'm exhausted. With the exhibit halls closed, no interesting panels going on, and more than an hour until the concerts start, I decided to call it an early night and head home to rest up for the long day tomorrow. I enjoyed the panels today, but didn't really see anything on the exhibit floor yet that blew me away. However, there's still a lot left to see over the next two days.

PAX East 2012 Starts Tomorrow!

This weekend is not only Easter, but also my wife's birthday... however, while my wife and kids are off with my in-laws searching for Easter eggs and binging on ham, I'm going to be here in Boston at the Penny Arcade Video Game Exposition (East Coast Variety)—also known as PAX East. In other words, either (a) my wife is a wonderful, selfless person, or (b) Sunday night I'll be returning home to find changed locks and a petition for legal separation.

PAX East starts tomorrow and runs all day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Yours truly will be over at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center in South Boston all day every day, checking out the booths, attending panels, and just generally soaking up the most impressive cocktail of nerd culture and alternative hygiene you're likely to find in Boston this year. Be sure to check back often over the next few days, as I'll be live blogging the sights, sounds, and smells of PAX throughout the weekend!

Rome wasn't built in a day, but apparently PAX will be.

Gaming Is Good for You (Infographic)

I found this infographic posted over at FrugalDad. Perhaps facts like these are just propaganda or wishful thinking, like scientific studies that tell us that red wine prevents heart disease or that masturbation reverses the aging process. Nevertheless, they're still a handy bit of ammunition whenever the wife wants you and the kids off the Xbox so she can watch The Vampire Diaries.


Source: Frugal Dad

Review: Final Fantasy XIII-2

As I write this, I'm 32,000 feet in the air over the Pacific, 7 hours in to a 14-hour flight from Washington D.C. to Tokyo. I'm bored, hungry, and my eyes have desiccated to the point where my contact lenses would be more comfortable if I replaced them with Wheat Thins. Also, there's some sort of Japanese youth sitting next to me who keeps falling asleep on my shoulder. I can't think of a better time or place to write down some thoughts about my latest Japanese RPG experience, Final Fantasy XIII-2.


Final Fantasy XIII-2 (FFXIII-2) is a direct sequel to Final Fantasy XIII, and follows the exploits of time-traveling schoolteacher Serah Farron and her post-apocalyptic boy-toy Noel Kreiss. Serah is the younger sister of Lightning, the protagonist of Final Fantasy XIII... because if you're going to make a direct sequel within an expansive RPG franchise, it's a good idea to take the game with the least interesting cast, and then make an entire game about the least interesting character among them.

Design: 4/5

One of the first things you'll notice about FFXIII-2 is that while its predecessor spanned three discs, it manages to fit onto only one. The perceptive gamer might identify this difference as a sign that FFXIII-2 contains a fair amount of recycled material, and in fact they would be spot-on. Final Fantasy XIII-2 begins with a beautifully rendered and fantastically directed extended cut scene, but this keen bit of cinematography starts to lose its impact when clips of it begin to reappear again and again later in the game. Moreover, the double-dipping doesn't stop with cinema scenes; a major mechanic of the game is time travel, meaning that you'll revisit the same handful of locations multiple times throughout your journey.

Most of the game environments are fairly interesting,
which is a good thing since you're going to see them way more than once.

Of course, repetition is not necessarily a bad thing. Perhaps the biggest complaint about Final Fantasy XIII was that it was painfully linear, and Final Fantasy XIII-2 goes to great lengths to break from this mold. During most of the game you can navigate freely through time and space via the Historia Crux (a glorified menu screen), and there's a passable number of secrets to be found by revisiting previous locations.

Unfortunately, I'm of the mind that most of the point of freedom in an RPG is side questing, and in this respect FFXIII-2 falls pretty short. Most of the available extracurricular activities are of the basic monster-hunting and fetch-quest varieties, and since the game doesn't have much in the way of loot, the primary rewards are "fragments", FFXIII-2's version of the requisite useless collectible. The end result is that only the most rabid of completionists would be compelled to finish most of these additional challenges.

Artistic: 3/5

As a direct sequel, Final Fantasy XIII-2 continues the aesthetic of its predecessor fairly closely and with few innovations. Perhaps the largest stylistic deviations are Noel and Caius Ballad (the game's primary antagonist), both of whom have sort of gypsy-slash-Native-American thing going. I suppose their look is meant to conjure imagery of a dying world dominated by a nomadic and tribal culture, but instead I kept pretending Caius was the teary-eyed Native American from the Keep America Beautiful commercial, and that he had finally lost his shit and decided to end all of existence.

It's really hard to take a villain seriously when he has feathers in his hair.

Although the visuals are largely harmless, the audio most certainly is not. Through much of the game your ears will be assaulted by Japanese pop/rock featuring frantic beats and over-the-top synthesized solos. Most of the time this soundtrack runs counter to the look and feel of the game at the time, to the point where you'll wish there was an independent volume slider for the music in the options menu. (There isn't one.)

Narrative: 3/5

As far as I can tell, Final Fantasy XIII-2 is about a girl whose fiancee (Snow Villiers) leaves on a selfless quest to find the truth about her missing sister; then while he's gone, she runs off with a mysterious visitor from the future to partake in an adulterous sexcapade through time and space. Of course, this sordid little drama is set against the backdrop of a much larger and far more hackneyed plot (saving the world from a villain who wants to end existence for bizarre personal reasons), but I think Serah's love life is the more interesting story here.

Final Fantasy XIII-3 had better feature some sort of "moogle death camp"...
which I suppose would also be a good name for an all-metal Final Fantasy cover band.

Actually, I'm not compelled to complain too much about the plot, because it honestly makes no more or less sense than most other J-RPGs. What I do feel the need to complain about is Mog, Serah's cloying moogle sidekick. When it comes to moogles in Final Fantasy games, I can tolerate a few twirls of the pom-pom and the odd interjection of "kupo!", but Mog elevates cuteness to the level of a war crime. After 40 hours of listening to that fat little sack of pixie dust spout useless information in his annoying little baby voice, even an 8-year old girl would be driven to stuff him into her Hello Kitty backpack with a pile of rocks and hurl him into the nearest river.

Gameplay: 4/5

If you liked the battle system in Final Fantasy XIII (which I did) then you'll be happy to hear that this, too, is largely unchanged. The flow of battle is still controlled by switching between "paradigms" (pre-set combinations of character roles), with individual actions handled largely handled automatically. Thus, instead of controlling each party member directly as in most RPGs, the player acts as more of a conductor, leading the characters through the tempo and key changes of each battle. The primary difference in FFXII-2's battle system is that the third party spot is now filled with a set of monsters, chosen from your private collection. Despite the fact that collecting monsters is to RPGs what "Freebird" is to cover bands, this change does have the favorable effect of altering the paradigm strategy a bit, as each monster has a fixed role and thus not every paradigm combination is available.

The battle screen has a lot going on,
though fortunately the paradigm system lets you take more of a "big-picture" kind of view.

One of the reasons I like the paradigm concept (or perhaps we should call it the "paradigm paradigm") is that it allows for fast-paced and highly aggressive battles. Most encounters only last tens of seconds, and even boss fights may last only a few minutes. It definitely encourages one to pay attention, since even spending a few too many seconds in the wrong paradigm can leave your party in ruin. Fortunately, it's always possible to retry a battle, an option which I exercised on more than one occasion. Also, note that although AI-controlled combat is traditionally problematic, it is less of a issue here, since consumable items must be manually used, there's no magic points, and the characters' health is fully restored after each battle... so even exercising the poorest possible judgement, there's little in the way of lasting damage that a rogue AI can do.

Summary

Final Fantasy XIII-2 does a respectable job trying to take the reins from one of the worst outings in the Final Fantasy canon. While not outstanding by any stretch of the imagination, given its raw material, perhaps it's as good as it could possibly be.

For those of you who are interested, below is my "rating versus hours of gameplay graph" for Final Fantasy XIII-2, which I talk about more in this post.