A Bizarre Review Request

I was recently fortunate enough to have the opportunity to review Okami HD, which is releasing today on PSN. However, the press release/cover letter/review guide that accompanied my review code from Capcom is one of the most bizarre I’ve ever encountered. As such, I wanted to share it with all of you.

Disclaimer: I am sometimes naive about these things, so hopefully this doesn’t get the PR person who sent this in trouble if I tease it a bit. I find it an amusing oddity, not something worthy of condemnation, so if there’s a chance this will get the person in trouble with their job, I will remove it. In the mean time, under the assumption that this is all in good fun, let’s begin!

Dearest Amaterasu fan,

Please find enclosed along with this covering letter and fact sheet your review code for Okami HD.

[All good so far!]

Okami HD is beautiful, so beautiful. Sadly, *weep*, this game will probably review well but not sell in reflection. This time though, on PSN, it’s only £15.99 SO THIS COULD BE ITS CHANCE. Please.

[Wait, what? You’re telling me that you expect your game to get good review scores? Sure, this is Okami, but in my experience that is pretty unorthodox to actually outright say that to a reviewer. Even more unorthodox is telling me that they don’t expect it to sell well. Again, for Okami this makes sense with its history of poor sales, but still, super weird. Not to mention that “not sell in reflection” is a pretty awkward phrase. Also weird is the “please” at the end as its own sentence. This is literally begging.]

Released 31st October [Note: this was from Capcom UK, so that’s the UK date], you retread the steps of Okami in HD, and hopefully in the process stir up some wonderful nostalgia. Okami HD is a decent reason for you to use your PlayStation Move, it makes painting all that much more joyful. Here are some things you should also know to re-jig your memory;

[Okami HD is a “decent” reason to use PlayStation Move? Whoa there, calm down. You don’t want to oversell it. Considering how well the Move support works, really well in fact, I’m surprised they aren’t pushing this harder. Other than that word choice, fairly standard PR stuff. Also, that semicolon is really bothering me.]

• This game is MEGA long. Like, you think you’ve nearly finished it but actually it has only just begun. [Quite true! Though I actually talk about this as the game’s major failing in my review.]
• It’s beautiful. 1080p HD graphics beautiful.
• It’s compatible with Move. Use the Move controller to brush away enemies with your celestial brush.
• A full suite of trophies will be available for players to challenge themselves in new ways; including a platinum trophy.
• If you don’t find this game warm and caring, you’re dead inside. [Important feature to be listed on the back of the box]
• Please keep your footage to reasonable sections.
• It’s only £15.99. [Again, UK-ness]
• It’ll make your sad face turn upside down.

I have assets if you want ‘em and can sort out some Q&As on request. Give me a shout if you need anything else.

GO AMATERASU, GO, THIS IS YOUR CHANCE LITTLE ONE. [Go go gadget caps lock.]

Best,

[Redacted PR person’s name, contact info, etc. Update: not to generalize, but based on the person’s name I wouldn’t guess that they are a native Japanese speaker.]

Ok, maybe as a whole this isn’t as weird as I thought on my first impression, but that second paragraph…wow. It’s not quite out there enough to have the Aubrey Norris charm, though I respect the effort. A review info letter just seems like a strange context to try and flex those particular PR muscles.

What do you think? Am I over-reacting to its weirdness? Under-reacting? I’d especially love to hear from some PR people with their thoughts on it.

UPDATE: My Okami HD review is live now, so why not go ahead see what I thought of it?

Meet the Chicago Game Press

I joined fellow writers Andrew Groen and Erik Hanson recently for an IGDA Chicago “Meet the Press” event. They have some great advice to offer for indie devs about talking to the press, and I chime in from time to time with advice that probably isn’t as good as theirs. I feel like I got overly pessimistic at times, which I’m never happy about when that happens, but it’s a good an informative video despite my bumbling.

Game Journo Game Jam – FAQ

What is the Game Journo Game Jam?

Game Journo Game Jam, or GJx2, is a game jam for people who want to attempt making a quick and crazy game, but wouldn’t be able to participate in a normal game jam for any number of reasons. Scheduling conflicts and lack of development experience typically being chief among those reasons, but there are plenty others out there. The idea is to make a game, either on your own or with a team of your own choosing, during the month of May. Think of it as a “My First Game Jam” sort of event, preparing its participants so that some day they could join one of the more hardcore game jams.

A whole month? Aren’t game jams normally just over a weekend?

Yes, typically game jams occur over a ridiculously short period of time to offer a challenge to developers. GJx2 isn’t for developers. The people who will get the most out of GJx2 probably haven’t ever made a game before, or have very limited experience. It will likely take a week or two just to figure out the right tools to use and how to use them properly, skills that an experienced developer would already bring with them into a game jam. Also there is the matter of scheduling conflicts. In my freelance experience there’s no such thing as a weekend off, or a 48 hour period of time I can set aside from work to do a game jam non-stop. So the Game Journo Game Jam was created with that kind of crazy schedule in mind. Rather than pump out a game over a weekend, it’ll most likely cater to more of a stop and go development cycle.

I’ve already got a great idea for a game but no skills to make it! Can I use that idea for GJx2 even though I came up with it before May?

Yes! The way game jams typically work is for developers to only come up with their game concept once the jam has started. This is because the developers already have the skills and knowledge of how to make a game, so the real challenge is in coming up with and executing an idea on a short time frame. GJx2 is the exact opposite. There’s a good chance you already have an idea for a game you want to execute, but it’s during the course of GJx2 that you’ll acquire the skills to actually do so. So by all means, use the time before GJx2 to come up with your game idea. Just keep in mind that the idea may change once you start learning about the tools you’ll be using.

Wait, part of the GJ in GJx2 stands for “game journo”? I’m not a games journalist/writer/critic, can I still join?

Of course! The original idea for this game jam was for any amateur/aspiring game creator to have a more beginner-friendly outlet. As it turned out, when discussing that idea on Twitter, most of the people interested were game journalists. And since game journalist and game jam both begin with GJ, I thought GJx2 was a catchy name. So yes, feel free to ignore my vain attempt to sound clever and join the game jam even if you don’t write about games. I’d love for some gaming PR or community manager types to get involved, for example.

Is there a theme for GJx2?

Most game jams have a theme to help direct the game ideas. This goes back to the point about game jams typically being a test of executing an idea spur of the moment, so themes ensure that developers don’t come up with their concept before the theme is revealed. I hadn’t planned on there being a theme for the Game Journo Game Jam, since participants are encouraged to come up with their ideas before the jam starts. GJx2 is really more about learning how to make a game, and my theory is that people will be more motivated to keep going if it’s fully their own idea. However, sometimes such an open-ended assignment can be even more daunting, so I will provide a theme once the game jam starts for those who want one. You won’t be required to follow the theme, but it will be there if you’re strapped for ideas and need a starting point.

I’m a game journalist and would like to participate, is it ethical to still cover the game jam?

Yes, depending on how it is done. You should disclose in any writing about GJx2 that you are/were a participant, and you should discuss with your editors how they want it to be handled. One writer has told me he will be doing a weekly column of his game’s progress during the game jam, and this could be an excellent opportunity to do a postmortem article after it’s all done. Using your writing as PR for your game is an obvious no-no.

I’m an experienced developer and would still like to participate in GJx2 because this sounds cool and different/I am hopelessly addicted to game jams. Can I still join or take part in some way?

Sure! I imagine completing a game in a month would still offer its own challenges for an experienced developer, and would allow you to explore ideas a little further than a 2-day game jam would normally allow. Also, if you want to join as an experienced developer, it would be greatly appreciated if you could be active in our Google Group and help other participants work through their development difficulties. That would be awesome, so yes, please join in.

What if I don’t complete my game before the end of May?

Then you get thrown into a volcano. Seriously though, can’t finish? No big deal! Making a game is hard and you’ve got other stuff to do, I’d be surprised if half of the entrants produce something from GJx2, myself included. The point is that you tried, and hopefully had fun and learned something in the process. Having something finished to show for it at the end is just a bonus. That isn’t to say you should go into GJx2 expecting that you won’t finish, but fear of finishing shouldn’t stop you from joining. But if you don’t finish something in time, you may not be eligible for the IGF Press Pirate Kart…

Got more questions? Ask away in the comments and be sure to join the Game Journo Game Jam group to be a part of all GJx2 discussions.

GJx2: Game Journo Game Jam!!!!

As some of my twitter followers may have noticed, I have a tendency to spout out game ideas from time to time Peter Molydeux-style. When Molyjam was happening, I was so excited for it, but a weekend simply isn’t enough time for someone with my complete lack of experience to take part. As such, I would like to propose the Game Journo Game Jam, a game jam built around accommodating people with no experience and bizzarro writer schedules. Interested? Then allow me to elaborate.

During the month of May I am going to attempt to make a game, and I invite all industry folk to join me in this endeavor. Yes, the game jam will comprise the entire month of May. Remember, this for accommodating crazy schedules and people with potentially no prior experience. And despite the name, this isn’t just for game journos, critics, and writers, so I’d love to see PR reps and anyone else involved in this fine industry who doesn’t typically dabble in game development join in.

If you would like to participate in the first (hopefully of many) Game Journo Game Jam, then great! Join me in the GJx2 Google group where we can discuss and share beginner dev experiences, tips, and troubles along the way. And on twitter, be sure to use the #GJx2 hashtag when talking about the Jam. Let’s get this thing started!

Hope to see you all there!

Dwarfs and the Relaxation of Futility

Recently I was feeling a bit over-stressed from a particular deadline, and needed to unwind. Naturally, I looked to my gaming library for some source of solace. But as I browsed through my collection, nothing really felt like the right choice. It couldn’t be something too hard or complex, as that would only add to my frustration. But likewise, it couldn’t be something too easy, either in challenge or complexity, since that wouldn’t occupy my mind enough to distract from my stresses.

Finally, in my exhaustion I put the question to Twitter, and amid the responses of Dynasty Warriors and Minecraft I received the perfect answer: Dwarfs. It instantly resonated, and just thinking about playing the game began to alleviate my stress. I played for a solid two hours, and it was just the remedy I was looking for. But that got me thinking, why Dwarfs? What was it about this game that made it exactly the perfect choice?

True, the game does have a rather laid-back pace to gameplay. The majority of time is spent sitting back and watching as the hapless dwarves tunneling themselves into oblivion. On some level it has the same fascination as an aquarium, or perhaps more accurately an ant farm. I watch as they go about their curious activity, perhaps even talk to them (because I’m odd like that) when they make an unexpected turn or cut a straight path further than any other dwarf ventures.

But then there is other half of the gameplay. The dwarves frequently unearth underground wells, pools of lava, or even goblin hordes that must be dealt with. On paper these intrusions should be a source of frustration. After all, with only the most limited ability to control the dwarves, these obstacles arise outside of my own control. It’s the blue turtle shell before the finish line effect, where a source outside your control threatens your success. And yet, in Dwarfs it becomes an intensely calming gameplay element.

Perhaps some background is in order. As a freelancer, much of my stress comes from sources outside of my control. Will an editor accept my pitch? Will my invoice be paid on time? Will I hear back from a source for an interview? Is someone actually reading and reviewing the job applications I send out daily? Stresses do not pile on my doorstep, they swirl around me in a nebulous void of constant uncertainty. I do not say this to complain; I love my work and wouldn’t willingly trade it for anything. But that isn’t to say it’s all sunshine and rainbows, as there are certain unavoidable realities that come along with the work.

So what does that have to do with Dwarfs? Everything. In Dwarfs I finally can see problems that arise outside of my control, and have the ability to fix them. I can stop the flow of water or lava with well placed walls and holes and I can send warriors to dispatch the goblins. Just like my real life, I can’t prevent these speed bumps from occurring, but for the first time I can resolve them after the fact. Even if only in a reactionary capacity, I can bring order to the chaos on-screen.

I let out a relieved sigh as the timer counts down and the game draws to an end. I sit back and look at the twisting pathways my dwarves have constructed. A lake of lava sits dormant, having been rendered harmless by my intervention. And past that lake more tunnels extend. Because you always have to keep trying, keep pushing further beyond your limits and past failings, if you are ever going to succeed. Because that next uncharted cavern might just hold the gold mine you’ve been looking for, and you’ll never know unless you reach for it.

Welcome To The Battlefield, Cocksucker – A Response to Battlefield 3’s Homophobia

It’s nice to see the conversation I started back in November regarding homophobia in Battlefield 3 finally taking root. I’d like to extend a big think you to Dennis Scimeca for being able to bring that to light with a larger gaming community like Kotaku. However, in two articles about it (here and here) I still don’t feel like the core of the issue has been tapped. And seeing as I am the “Scott” Dennis refers to in his second article, I guess it’s about time that I put my thoughts into my own piece, rather than simply rant about the issue on Twitter.

I guess I should start with how this all came about. I was playing Battlefield 3 multiplayer and rather enjoying it. I particularly enjoyed the feature where soldiers would automatically shout out when they killed an enemy or captured an objective without the player actually saying anything. You see, I have a tendency to mute players online when they’re playing music too loud or shouting obscenities, so it was nice to still get team feedback without dealing with certain individuals. Then I heard it. “Killed that cocksucker.” I honestly did a double take. Did I really just hear that? It was clearly the in-game voices and not another player. That seems…odd. But I continued playing and after two more matches without incident I began thinking I had simply misheard. Then it happened again, and it was exactly what I thought I had heard the first time. It wasn’t a deadpan military statement, either. The line was spoken with a tone that seemed to imply an enthusiastic “YEE-HAW!” prefix. The most immediate analogy that comes to mind is the combination of excitement and vitriol I might exclaim the phrase “Take that, gargoyle!” after emerging victorious atop Dark Souls’ bell tower.

In single-player this wouldn’t be an issue. I am not myself when playing single-player, but stepping into the role of a soldier among other soldiers. There are characters with names and backstories that, though perhaps severely underwritten, add personality to the avatars populating the battlefield. That is where you, by which I am referring to the game’s designer, should put flavor dialog. In fact, I differ from my dear Mr. Scimeca on that issue. I would actually like to see a raging homophobic character in a military shooter. Maybe that soldier catches another male soldier looking at a picture of his boyfriend during a moment of calm and it clouds his judgement. He goes on a tirade or starts giving impossible orders that get part of the squad killed as a result. It is quite possible to depict the reality of homophobia in our military without endorsing the sentiment. And perhaps more importantly, it would be a powerful narrative where the characters in the game felt like they mattered. Battlefield 3 does none of that, with references to “cocksuckers” and taking it in the bum entirely absent in its single-player campaign.

But in multiplayer I am not on a battlefield surrounded by character soldiers; I’m not fighting alongside Sergeant Tough-but-really-cares or Private Excited-for-his-first-real-battle. I am in a playpen with other real people; I’m at adult recess with other humans who are capable of expressing their own ideas through the magical device known as a headset. And they’ll use those headsets. Oh, will they ever use them. It’s hardly a secret that trash talk is common in online games like Battlefield 3, and the default in-game exclamations by soldiers set the bar for what is acceptable. Of course, the online community will always push past that bar, but that doesn’t make it right to set it so low in the first place. It’s not right to subject someone who is playing casually with just their friends, or someone who regularly puts obscene individuals on mute, to trash talk that wouldn’t normally enter their game. There are enough genuinely homophobic people already in the world, there’s no need to open that door for people who may not be homophobic but just don’t think about the issue in relation to their language on a regular basis.

For the record, back in November I contacted multiple individuals at both EA and DICE in hopes of hearing their side of things and allow them to respond in some way before I wrote an article about it. You know, journalism and all that. I still am yet to hear a reply, so clearly this is an issue that they take very seriously. But if anyone from EA or DICE somehow finds their way to this post then I’d still love to hear from you.

Why I Can’t Boycott E3 To Protest ESA’s Support Of SOPA/PIPA

There seems to be a growing call for game journalists to boycott E3 in response to the ESA’s support of the SOPA and PIPA bills. Now, these are toxic bills that will fundamentally harm the function of the internet. However, for my part, I can not participate in an E3 boycott.

For one, there is the fact that SOPA and PIPA will, in all likelihood, be decided before E3 takes place. This leads to a potentially tricky situation. What if SOPA and PIPA don’t pass, but the ESA doesn’t pull its support? Do you maintain the boycott on principle even though we got the desired end result? I would think that anyone serious about the boycott would have to maintain it. After all, a threat is only good if you can actually follow through on it.

I’m also not entirely sure that those calling for a boycott have fully thought through what that means. Yes, that means you don’t attend E3, but it’s more than that. The point of not attending E3 is to deny them coverage. As such, to truly boycott E3 you also couldn’t report on any news or announcements that come out of the show. To me, that would be a failure in my job as a journalist. That job being to report news and information for the benefit of my readers.

Now, I have heard the rebuttal, “but E3 is just a big PR-fest, so how much of it is ‘news’ really?” Ok, yes, there is a significant PR presence at E3, and if you can’t separate what is PR from what isn’t then avoiding E3 is probably the safer choice regardless of what legislation is being considered. But as journalists we should be able to make that separation, and make it clearly in our writing. Between hands-on time with games and working your way into interviews with developers rather than just their PR representatives, there is valuable insight worth reporting at E3 beyond the typical PR bullshit. I’m not ashamed to say I stalked the 2K booth last year for a good hour and a half so that I could ambush Jordan Thomas during his lunch break and get an interview about the inclusion of a prominent LGBT character in XCOM. Of course, not every developer will be so agreeable about a spontaneous interview or questions off of the PR bullet points, but as a journalist I believe it is my job to at the very least try, which requires being there in the first place.

Those are general reasons, but there is another more personal one that, I must admit, supersedes them all. One of the things that makes SOPA and PIPA so dangerous is that they could, ultimately, interfere with my job as a freelance writer. Even if some of the domestic language in the bills is ironed out, I still do a fair amount of writing for sites based overseas that could fall victim to SOPA and PIPA’s overreaching clauses. I have worked too hard these past years to get where I am with my writing; my work is literally everything to me. And in that light, E3 is probably going to be one of my biggest work weeks of the year. If you are serious about boycotting E3, and I mean really serious, then more power to you. But considering that I oppose SOPA and PIPA for their ability to hamper my job, forgive me for not willfully hampering it myself in protest.

Instead, my act of defiance will be to write. I will continue to write and inform and report and review while I still can. And when I’m at E3 perhaps I’ll find myself with the opportunity to track down someone from the ESA to question about their position on SOPA and PIPA. I could even take suggestions from boycotters for hard hitting questions to ask. But then again, maybe it would be better if they were there to ask for themselves.

Game of the Year 2011: Best Adaptation

Best Adaptation of an Existing Work: El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron

El Shaddai may seem like a strange pick for best adaptation. After all, the game is based on an obscure questionably canonical Judeo-Christian religious text (Book of Enoch 1, from the Dead Sea Scrolls) while including a Tron-styled motorcycle race and enough homoeroticism to make Cho Aniki hang its head in shame. And yet, it is still completely accurate to the story, and more importantly the spirit of the story, on which it is based. For example, the aforementioned motorcycle race which takes place in Azazel’s realm. In the original text, the angel Azazel acts as the Judeo-Christian Prometheus, giving tools and weapons to humanity with the knowledge of how to produce them. He represents technology and hunanity’s future, and in that sense the game’s neon robotic metropolis is a plausible interpretation based on modern knowledge of where humanity can next progress. It is the kind of interpretation that can only come from a development studio divorced from Western Judeo-Christian culture. It is an interpretation that requires developers to step back and see scripture as story rather than sacred text. El Shaddai is not a literal adaptation of its source material, but it is an accurate interpretation of its source story, and for that it is worthy of high praise.

A Puzzling Story

I’ve been playing quite a lot of the new Professor Layton recently, and it’s gotten me thinking about the relationship between gameplay and story. Essentially, there is no relationship in Professor Layton, and yet I still enjoy it. This is troubling to me, since I’m typically of the school of thought insisting that gameplay should drive story and vice versa.

Sure, the occassional Professor Layton puzzle will relate to the story action in some cursory way – a door that needs unlocking or a maze puzzle to help some character who got lost on their way to the store – but for the most part the puzzles are complete non sequiturs. This should bother me, but it doesn’t for some reason that I can’t quite place. Perhaps because the puzzles are so short that they don’t detract from the story? Or maybe I”m just being indoctrinated into the delusional madness of puzzle obsession that infects every character in Professor Layton’s world? I’m still not convinced that Layton is not simply locked away in an asylum somewhere, rocking back and forth in his cell quietly chanting “Puzzle, puzzle, puzzle” with these adventures merely projections of his fevered imagination. Especially with this new one supposedly a prequel, I imagine it more as a genuine sequel where he is first locked away, and reminiscing through the distorted puzzle lens of his madness.

The other game that comes to mind when thinking of this disconnect between story and gameplay is Catherine. Though I must admit, I haven’t yet begun to actually play Catherine, but this is in large part because of the puzzles. I played the demo, and the puzzles just didn’t resonate with me in any way, nor did they appear to have any relation to the plot aside from the visual surroundings. I am curious, though, as to how the overall game experience is impacted by there only being one type of repeated non sequitur puzzle in Catherine, compared to the literally hundreds of different puzzle types in Professor Layton. I imagine Catherine wears out its welcome sooner, another reason why I have yet to pick it up. Perhaps I should get it though, just for comparison purposes.

This post isn’t really going anywhere, not yet at least. I haven’t yet finished the latest Layton and haven’t started Catherine. But I felt compelled to get some of my initial thoughts down nonetheless. After all, this blog is meant for my musings. I never promised conclusions.

Welcome to Gamerly Musings

Hi, I’m Scott Nichols, freelance game journalist/critic/writer-type person extraordinaire.

I have been laser focused on the videogame industry since I was a little kid. I played and read about games constantly, even getting a job at GameStop in high school to be involved in the industry. In college I studied writing and received my BA in English while also starting my first freelance gigs writing for PC World Magazine’s website and GayGamer.net. I still write for GayGamer.net, and over the past three years have expanded to also write freelance news, reviews, and feature articles for GamePro, G4, IGN, Digital Spy, and others across the internet.

As the name of this blog implies, I plan to collect my gamerly musings here. This is where unpublished feature pitches go to shine rather than die, and where I can post thoughts not quite developed enough to pitch but are still worth sharing. I’ll also do a fair amount of linkage to my various freelance articles and reviews in hopes of creating some sort of unified portfolio.

So, welcome. Sit down, grab your favorite beverage of choice, and lets chat about some vidyagames.