Well, I’m glad to have gotten a response already on my challenge, and expecting great things. Charles has unquestionably been one of the most insightful gamers I’ve met in the past two semesters, and I can’t help but eagerly anticipate what he’ll come up. Oren’s no slouch, either, though I wonder how seriously he’s taking this call-to-arms. C’mon, man– let’s see some action, here! I’ve only been here a year now, but even I can tell when there’s been a long simmering, old-school pro-wrestling style feud going on for a while. The two of you represent diametrically opposed philosophies when it comes to game appreciation, and I’m not going to rest until we see a bloody battle-of-wits-to-the-death! This is gladiatorial debate, my friends! The Thunderdome of persuasive arguments! Two games enter (well, three technically, but let’s just count both the MSX Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake as one title up against Ico ), one game leaves!

Pandora’s Bridge

I’m skipping past the several redundant Siren moments we dealt with last time– no need to reiterate what that segment’s like. I did enjoy how beating the first three of them becomes dependent upon killing minotaurs to replenish health– always good to see how the game’s various combat systems intersect at peak moments. I still maintain that the sound clues in the desert were random at best, but now that I’m past it they can just go about being generic, randomly spawning baddies throughout the game. At least they’re not as bad as those fucking gorgons…

Now, the in-game cinematics and in-game barely-interactive-go-from-point-A-to-point-B moments are pretty effective in the approach to the temple. I like how the horn’s displacement of sand becomes a wry kind-of 10 Commandments style Red-Sea parting. Also effective is the scene of Kratos’ scaling Cronos to reach the temple– though I really wish it were an interactive segment, rather than a voice-over telling us how long the climb took. Maybe I’m spoiled by the grandeur of such moments from Shadow of the Colossus, but this was definitely one pretty big moment I felt cheated out of not to participate in. Sure, Jaffe’s spending too much of the game’s tech-specs on stuff that crowds up the game far more than Ueda did on the relatively minimalist SotC, but that’s just all the more reason for me to admire the bare, genuinely spartan Sony of Japan game, rather than the one from America. If Jaffe’s team had worked a bit harder here, they might’ve realized the potential they had with the Cronos character, and tried to work him into the gameplay, and not just a minute or two of the cut-scene narrative.

That being said, I’ve realized that at least one reason that cut-scenes usually work a whole lot more when it’s using the in-game engine, rather than fully rendered graphics that occasionally dot this game, and others. At first, in this case, I thought it was just because the direction/digital cinematography of the IGG cinematics were more expressive and dynamic than the rather blandly composed FRG ones, but that’s not really the case. Watching the IGG cut-scenes here, I was at once reminded of the IGG scenes from the MGS games, which never use FRG cinematics, and finally realized why– IGG moments use the same character and setting models used throughout the game as a whole, allowing the player to continue their connetion with their avatar even when not in control of it, while FRG moments use very different ones, which don’t let us in. Simply put, In-Game Graphic cut-scenes work because they use the same graphics from parts we do control, while Fully Rendered Graphic cut-scenes don’t work because it suddenly feels as though we’ve been invaded by something that isn’t the game we’ve been playing, therefore making us feel like we’ve lost control even when we weren’t in control to begin with.

IGG scenes make us feel like we’re still playing the game. FRG scenes can make us forget we’re even playing a game at all.

Oh, yeah– as for the whole bridge part. Nice early puzzle stuff with the drawer-cliffs. Felt like standard Zelda/Mario stuff. Also reminds me– the whole conveyor belt thing was a bit slow from before, but whatever. Anyway, the pyre was a good reminder of death, but it raises the issue of voice-acting. Instead of playing the part of a cynical guy grown world-weary at seeing so many idiotic heroes get themselves killed in search of Pandora’s Box, the guy voicing the part just sounded as though he was kinda pissed about having to act in a video game. Not the highest quality of performances, at any rate.

Jeez, where’s Kris Zimmerman when you need her?

Oh, yeah, and the cave-trolls– I’m never watching LOTR ever again. At least not until people stop putting its creatures in their games for no fucking reason.

Rings of Pandora

Interesting camera angles in regards to the manipulation of the lever’s rotation of the layer– adds a nice subjective touch to the experience. I haven’t gotten far here, so I can’t say much, other than to attest to the fact that it doesn’t make much sense as to why Artemis– Goddess of virginity, the hunt and most importantly, archery— is giving you a sword as a weapon. I realize Zeus’ lightning bolts were already offered as a long-range weapon, but wouldn’t a bow-and-arrow from the moon goddess have made much more sense?

Anyway, It’s 1:49 AM, and it’s just looking like a giant Ico/Zelda clone from here on out in the temple. I’ll get back after I reach some more of the more indigenous gaming available. Until next time, pleasant dreamers.