Heavy Rain and QTEs

I've just finished Heavy Rain for the first time and I thought I may as say what I thought about it. Plus I'll be talking about Quick Time Events (or QTE for short) and what I think about their use in gaming

Well first I gotta say that Heavy Rain is a brilliant game, it starts off pretty shitty and boring to begin with but once the story gets going you can really get into it then. For those of you who don't know the game is about a father (Ethan) who has to overcome some trials to save his son (who is 10 years old I think) from the mysterious origami killer. The killer has murdered other children in the past, all by drowning them in a pit that fills up with rain water. The other main characters you play as are Madison who seeks to help Ethan with his problems, FBI agent Norman Jayden who has been assigned to investigate the murders and capture the killer and Private Investigator Scott Shelby who is also looking into the murders separately from the police.

Ethan Mars

Madison Paige

Norman Jayden

Scott Shelby

The gameplay is rather unique in that you walk by pressing R2,  adjusting your direction with the analogue stick (usually in other games you just need to point the analogue stick the direction you want to go to move). The primary interaction with the environment though is with QTEs which pop up every now again to enable you to perform different movements or actions. The required pressing of buttons, flicking of the analogue stick and  movement of the controller reflects the action on screen. You can also switch the game to move mode which enables you to use the playstation move instead of the dualshock 3 controller.

You need to press the X and Square before the circle fills up to enable Madison to successfully fight the burglar

Here you need to tilt your controller clockwise before the circle fills to get Ethan to turn the steering wheel clockwise

In this shot the player can either choose to shoot this person with R1 or flick the analogue stick in the direction shown to put the gun away

When it comes to scenes with tension such as a chase or a fight, I have to say that this system works really well adding to urgency by getting you to worry about pressing the right buttons and doing the right movements. You've got to be quick but not lose your concentration or you could mess it up and this can become surprisingly difficult. However there were times where for me it wasn't clear what the QTEs actually did, so I had to find out through trial and error. This got really frustrating at times and I had to turn off the game twice to undo what I had done so that I could choose the action that I actually wanted to do in the first place. Take the above example with Ethan pointing the gun at a man's head, I knew that R1 was to shoot him but I wasn't sure what the analogue stick movement did. I wondered if it meant to put the gun away but I said to myself "what if it wasn't?" I ultimately wanted to shoot the guy, well I really didn't want to but not shooting him might've meant that Shaun would die and if I had to choose between that guy and Shaun I would want Shaun to live. I needed to see what the other option was so I tried the analogue stick movement and low and behold it meant to put the gun away and not kill him which I didn't want so I exited the game quickly and loaded it again so that I could choose to shoot him now that I new what the analogue movement meant. Maybe it would've been better if for some of the actions (especially those where choice is involved) had words accompanying the QTEs shown on screen explaining what choices are present and which movements do what action. Maybe Something like this:

I reckon it's clearer this way but not essential for all QTEs, especially those in action sequences where there's not enough time to read.

Having QTEs that aren't clear has the opposite effect of their overall intention by making the player less engrossed with the game, it's really distracting and detrimental to keeping the necessary atmosphere present. The ones in the more active sequence don't need to be so clear since the tension comes from the player getting the button pressing and movements right rather than worrying about what they do. There are choices in some of these sequences but they don't seem to affect the plot that much so in these cases it's pressing the buttons accurately rather than choosing the options that matters.

There was one other time that I had to restart the game in addition to the two times previously mentioned, this wasn't about choosing an option though it was about getting the action right. The QTE shown required me to move my controller downwards, which I did but it didn't show that I performed the action, the game thought I didn't do the movement. Now it is possible that whilst I flicked the controller downwards that I may haven't have done it well but I'm pretty sure I did it clearly. It's sort of related to what I was saying in a previous post about motion sensing in gaming in that there's a lack of feedback in your actions when flaying your controllers around in the air giving a sense of uncertainty, whereas if I flicked say the analogue stick in the general direction required but it didn't count then I know for sure that it was my mistake since I know the controller must have picked up my movements so then I know that I wasn't accurate enough. With motion control it's more uncertain, however hopefully this may change as technology improves since the Dualshock 3 motion sensing is appauling. It kind of got me curious as to how the playstation move would fair for this, not sure if I'd buy one just for this game though.

God of War

Anyway what about QTEs in other games? Well the only other games I've played that use QTEs prominently are God of War and Metal Gear Rising; Revengeance (only the demo though). I have to say that I'm not fond of QTEs in action games which are very dynamic in their nature and I feel QTEs detract from that. When slicing up a monster or robot I want to feel like I'm the one doing it albeit through an avatar. With QTEs you don't feel like you're slicing up anybody you just feel like you're pushing buttons, the method of tension that it provides isn't suitable and essential for an action game. When I'm attacking normally I don't think "press square to attack it" I think "attack it" and pressing square comes naturally without thinking. However with a QTE I don't think "pull out the eyeball" instead I think "press square to do something" and it's this that distances me from the action in the game, breaking that dynamic flow.

Anyway regardless of it's flaws (of which I haven't mentioned all of the ones I experienced in the game within this post) I really enjoyed Heavy Rain and recommend it to anyone up for a decent emotional experience.

Motion Controllers: The bane of video games?

Well let me say this outright I don't think motion controllers and motion sensors for gaming are a bad thing at all, though I personally don't enjoy playing them. I reckon the main reason is that they don't really provide any physical feedback. What I mean by this is that for example when you press a button you know instantly how far and how hard you've pressed it, if you've moved an analogue stick you know how far you've flicked it and you where you've moved it to e.g. half way to the top right. I don't really know if I'm explaining this well but basically what I'm saying is that with a peripheral that has buttons and/or analogue sticks you can be more precise with little limitations whereas motion controllers it's more difficult to match your input actions to what's happening on the screen which may make you less likely be engrossed with the game. Just because you're replicating an action that's happening on screen doesn't make it feel more realistic.

Playstation Move

Xbox 360 Kinect

Razer Hydra

Nintendo Wii

The question I want to know is not "is motion sensing bad for gaming" but "is the industry focusing too much on motion sensing and motion controllers". It's kind of difficult for me to answer because I'm having trouble separating my subjective personal side from my more objective side. To tell you what I mean I guess I need to tell you what started my grudge against motion sensing and I reckon it started at Sony's 2012 E3 conference.

Wonderbook

Wonderbook, it looks pretty cool I haven't given it a try and I whilst I don't intend on buying it I wouldn't mind given it a go in a shop. If you don't know what it is, it's a book shaped object which you hold in front of the playstation eye and objects appear on top which you can interact with. The first game to come out, and shown at Sony's E3 conference, was Book of Spells set in the Harry Potter universe and it uses playstation move as well. Now demonstrating this technology at a conference is fine, it's great, but spending something like 10 minutes on a pretty poor live tech demo is just...no Sony. Most people watching E3 wouldn't be interested in it for themselves it's more for the kids, just a quick couple of minutes highlights demonstration would've been enough and might have left more of an impact. Wonderbook deserved better than this:

Well now that I've got that out of my system let me say I reckon that the Wonderbook demonstration represented what I reckon is wrong with the industry at moment: It's focus on spectacle. Not all games have to made with absolute artistic intent, in fact I think it's important to have games that are solely there for the spectacle. But I also feel it's important to not let these games drag the rest of the industry down, make sure that looking at technical shit doesn't make us lose track of our creative artistic shit. If we don't lose track then motion controllers will help the industry rise up even further rather than sink it to the bottom of the ocean where giant enemy crabs roam.

 There is one major problem with what I'm saying though and that's what I've said is just subjective speculation, I have no proof, no evidence. I could be completely wrong I've tried to look into it but gave up so really what I'm saying isn't fact, just personal opinion. I will carry on trying to look into it further and actually attempt to back what I'm saying but until then what I've written doesn't mean too much. I'd love to hear other people's opinions though. 

There's something else as well and it's about Journey, more specifically the one annoyance I have with it. I guess it's a really small thing that probably only I have a problem with but hey it's relevant. The damn sixaxis motion sensing in the dualshock 3 can't be switched off so I have to worry about keeping the controller still so that I don't accidentally move the camera. What the hell is up with that, I want to sit back and relax when playing, not keep my hands in the same position for 2 god-damn hours. So I guess what I'm saying is I want more choice in regards to motion controllers. Don't force us to use motion sensing for the PS4, have it as an option, but don't force us...please Sony.

PC vs Console

Console or PC? Which one is better for gaming? Well me personally I prefer console, more specifically the PS3, but this doesn't mean that I think that PS3s are better on a technical level. When it comes to judging on which machine is better I think you've got to judge on it's potential, the freedom and power that it gives to games developers as well as users. On this aspect PCs win by a wide margin with powerful processors and more customizable parts than the consoles. So objectivly I'm saying PCs are better.

However I prefer my PS3 by far, Why? I honestly don't exactly know but I reckon it's more to do with it's nostalgic value for me. Playstation got me into appreciating the artistic value of video games (though it wasn't my first console, which was a mega drive) with games like final fantasy IX, MGS, legend of dragoon etc. I was enjoying games not only for the spectacle that they were, but also because I felt emotionally engaged with what I was interacting with.

I guess I would say this is where it really began for me

Then came PS2 and the mind-fuck game of the century MGS2, a decade ahead of it's time playing it made me experience things I wasn't expecting to experience in a video game. If you haven't played it then it's kind of difficult to describe the feeling, surreal is too vague, also I guess in a way it kind of felt like the game itself was talking to you (there are moments when this could be meant literally)....I dunno. Anyway I got Final Fantasy X, which I've still yet to complete and also had Gun as well which to this day I still feel has the best horse controls in any game.

Standing tall

With 2005 came the big trolling era of playstation with a pre-rendered Killzone 2 trailer that raised expectations slightly too much and a tech trailer with the opening sequence of Final Fantasy VII which was the equivalent of someone offering and showing you a cheque for £1,000,000,000,000 then having that someone snatch it back at the last second as you go to grab it. Not to mention the banana controller as well.

SONY STICK WITH THE DUALSHOCK DESIGN FOR PS4

But PS3 came and still delivered plenty for me with games like Little Big Planet, MGS4, Final Fantasy XIII (I know it's not PS3 exclusive) and of course Journey. Now the games that I've mentioned are the ones which I feel have contributed most to develop my perception of video games as art. It's kind of difficult for me to decide if the list is accurate or not because this development was a slow one, I hardly noticed it. I didn't just play one or two games and instantly think "Hey Video Games are art" In fact I reckon that all of my games have contributed to this perception, one developed slowly over time.

My primary platform for gaming at present, I've got the fat version

So my gaming experience has revolved primarily around the playstation brand and I think this is why I prefer it to PC. It gives me a feeling that I get with no other platform, like a connection. I have to acknowledge though that this is a personal subjective viewpoint and shouldn't become a factor when judging which platform is objectively better. Also there's a difference between which one you should buy and which one is better quality-wise. When it comes to deciding which one you should buy you have to take into account what games are available such as exclusives, what kind of accessories the platform take, value for money etc. but when it comes to deciding which one is better quality-wise you have to look at the machine itself: power, customisable options, essentially like I said before how much potential the machine can give in regards to gaming.

I have faith that the PS4 will be the best next gen platform for me

Of course I also want to note that I'm not just sticking to playstation solely for nostalgic reasons, it still has to deliver. If Sony screw up with the PS4 then I ain't gonna play it and I'll change to something else. But I have faith......though there is something happening (mainly) in the console world that I'm not to happy about, I talk about it in my next post: Motion sensing.

Shishi-odoshi: Japanese Bamboo fountain

As well as wondering what the hell Kotatsu were (here's the previous post: Katatsu: Heating table), I've been desperate to find out what those things were that go clank in Japanese ponds. I first noticed them in Kill bill, it's in about 3:33 into the video.

Shishi-odoshi: The water fills up the Bamboo adding more weight causing it to tilt down and pour out the water. Because the weight of the water is now gone the bamboo tilts back up to the starting position banging the back on a rock making a distinct clank

 They're called Shishi-odoshi which literally means "scare the deer" and they were used, as the name suggests, to scare away animals from Japanese gardens. However now they're used mainly for their aesthetic and antique value. From what I can tell on wikipedia "Shishi-odoshi" is a broader term to refer to different devices used to scare animals and "sozu" is the specific fountain mentioned here, however Shishi-odoshi and sozu can be synonymous. I love the sound these things make so I wouldn't mind getting one when I get my own place someday.

Here be the sources of my information:
Wikipedia: Shishi-odoshi
Attic trunk: sells Shishi-odoshi
Tabletop fountains: fountain store

Kotatsu: The Heating Table

I've been meaning to look into what these were for a while now, I've seen them so much in anime with many characters talking about and around them yet I've never bothered to remember what they are. I'm talking about the Kotatsu.

Kotatsu: a light blanket (Shitagake) is covered by a heavier blanket (Kogatsu-gake) under the tabletop

The Kotatsu is a Japanese table that has heating underneath it (mainly electric these days but it used to be coal), sealed from the outside with a blanket/futon insulation running around the edge. Obviously the upper half of your body would still be exposed but the theory was that the heat would travel up from the bottom of your robe to the top, basically creating a warm current. I don't know if this actually worked or not but one thing's for certain, it sounds like the Japanese have it rough when it comes to heating. Apparently there are few modern Japanese apartments that have central heating as well as air conditioning so usually the tenants have to provide it themselves which isn't as effective. Indeed this clearly makes the Kotatsu an important part of the house, one where the family gather round for dinner, or watch telly.

Top one is the more mobile, electric Kotatsu or Oki-gotatsu and the one underneath is the stationary Charcoal Kotatsu or Hori-gotatsu

 It being something for people to gather round makes it a focal location for conversation in many anime.

Apparantly there's a saying or belief that if you sleep under a Kotatsu you'll catch a cold

I'd love to have one at my place, not just for the sake of having something Japanese in the house but because I reckon it looks genuinely really comfortable. I'll definitely have to get one at some point in my life, especially if I get a cat

Pets have taken advantage of the Kotatsu, it must be amazing to be able to fit under one

Here are the sources for my information:

TV Tropes
The Kotatsu: a different way of thinking about Tables
Kotatsu: The Heated Small Space Desktop
The Cold and the Kotatsu
Kotatsu wikipedia

Azumanga BADASS

Well I had just finished watching Steins;gate for the first time recently (it's excellent by the way). Lo and behold I was wondering what to watch next, I felt like watching something funny and one of the programmes that kept on cropping up in my search for "funny animes" (out of the ones I haven't watched) was School Rumble. Looked it up on Anime News Network and at the bottom of the review it was comparing the show's sketch approach to Azumanga Daioh, which I had seen already, and an anime which I'd never heard of before called Cromartie High School. I thought I'd check out and see what School rumble was like by looking up a few videos on youtube, a lot of it seemed pretty funny (I've still yet to watch it properly), so then I went to check and see what Cromartie High School was like and my was I pleasantly surprised.

Cromartie High School...Don't mess with these badasses

Cromartie High School is like a testosterone fueled version of Azumanga Daioh...well maybe not totally since Azumanga Daioh is more sincere in it's themes but I still get a sense of the two being polar opposites on the same "what the fuck" magnet. I say that because Cromartie High School can really get you wondering "just what the hell am I watching" just as much as Azumanga Daioh does, if not even more.

Takashi Kamiyama the main character. check out the sketch lines as well, the animation is bad but it adds to the show's humour

 CHS is about a school called Cromartie High School that consists of nothing but "Badass" delinquents, and 16 year old "not so delinquent" Takashi Kamiyama has just enrolled there. The series is pretty much a sort of slice-of-life anime that parodies something called "yankii" according to wikipedia which is "juvenile delinquent" manga apparently, though I don't know anything about that. The first thing you'll notice when watching this is the art style which has the characters drawn in a more realistic manner (in the same way to that found in yankii manga) in comparison to other large-eyed, massive head anime (that'll be 99.99999% of anime then) which is immensely refreshing. To add to this refreshment is a serving of really bad animation, but you've got to bear in mind that that's sort of the point and it makes it all the more hilarious.

Whilst my knowledge about Japanese perception of delinquent youths is limited to that shown on Japanorama and the film Battle Royale, I think it's still pretty easy to at least vaguely understand that the show is making fun of certain tough guy stereotypes and it does so brilliant by having all the characters being portrayed in a straight manner giving it a fantastic deadpan humour style that got me laughing my ass off. Whilst I may not get the more specific references (I would give an example but I don't know what they are) there's definitely enough to draw me into the show (I would say I'm averagely knowledgeable about anime). The Humour is really random and definitely not for everyone, to put it into perspective this show could easily be put onto adult swim, it's really difficult to describe in words. I guess you just have to go and see it for yourself to really understand what I'm talking about but the opening gives a pretty good gist of the show, as it should:

Azumanga Daioh: Not what I first thought it was

 So lets go back to Azumanga Daioh which I first saw 2 or 3 years ago, it's a show which, initially, I was really apprehensive about watching due to the amount of cuteness it apparently had, but after watching the series I loved it. One of these reasons is the random hilarious content it has, the other reason being as mentioned before it is sincere in it's themes, to put it in another more melodramatic way it's got "heart". I tried to watch Lucky Star once and I just couldn't finish the first episode, it gave off this feeling of being cute for the sake of it, it's just "boring fan-service that doesn't appeal to me" and nothing else. Azumanga Daioh on the other hand inevitably has fan-service peppered throughout but it doesn't let that take anything away from the substance of the characters and what they're going through

So Cromartie lacks this "heart" but again it probably wouldn't work if it did have it, especially as A: it's a parody of something, and B: it could be said that the whole point of displaying delinquency is to not display "heart". In fact Azumanga and Cromartie are completely opposite in every way yet they both remind me of each other so much when watching them. I think that this has to do with two things: 1: they're both set in a school, and 2: they share a similar comedic form with their randomness, slice-of-life feel to them both.

Also both have certain characters that steal whatever scene they're in:

Freddie

Kimura

More on Video Games as Art

It's been a while since I've posted anything, but I aim to do so more often from now on. Anyway:

There's an article on the new york times website talking about the art of video games, I'm mentioning this because it puts forward something that I've been thinking about lately and that's video games enable you, the player, to explore/interact with a world instead of watching someone else explore which is what we do when watching a film. I think it makes it more of an emotional if you provide input to the experience. It's an obvious point but I don't think I really put this forward much on my video games page.

Here's a link to the article

The New York Times: Game Theory: A Playwright on the Art of Video Games