Wednesday, December 31, 2003
Happy New Year, all. It's weird, but with work keeping me on a funny sort of schedule that rather isolates me from the outside world (a good and bad thing, really) I actually forgot that it's already December 31st, leading to some odd looks from people when I nonchalantly ask why they're going out in the middle of the week. It's also because I don't like New Year's Eve celebrations at all. You're always paying too much for the priviledge of crowding into a bar with a ton of ultra-drunk people all getting overly sentimental. It's never a good night (unless you're 16 or Kavi), so I figure why not save your money for another night? It also helps that my family usually stays home on New Year's... but not this year. Everyone barring my sister is out. This might sound a bit depressing, but I reckon this is a good thing -- a nice quiet night at home with nobody around to bother me and someone to play a few games with -- especially since I have work as usual the next day.
I bought a new game today as a late Christmas present from my uncle. The funny part of this is that I've been picking from a curiously old-school selection recently. Last week I bought a Donkey Kong game (Donkey Konga, a music game with bongo drums), I've been trying to snag a Mario game forever (Mario Party 5), and I ended up with a Pac-Man game (Pac-Man VS, a multiplayer take on the classic). Three characters from the dawn of gaming enjoying a little renaissance. Refreshing, really.
Since it's the end of the year and I'm talking games, I have to speak one last time about my favourite game of the year... and it stars none of those classic characters. In fact, it doesn't star any recognisable characters at all, despite being part of a classic series. It's Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic on Xbox (horror!). I actually managed to finish it the other day, so it's still fresh in my mind... which is also a neat choice of words, because that game is just fresh in general. Although admittedly a lot of the game's strengths are from the PC gaming roots of developer Bioware, it's the first time a lot of them have appeared on consoles. To be blunt, I hate console RPGs, as symbolised by the Final Fantasy games. Their system of turn-based combat is boring, which makes their battle-heavy structure agonising. And the storylines around the games -- though impressively presented -- are overwrought, long-winded and just plain boring (see the Final Fantasy Moviefor more on that).
Knights of the Old Republic blows all that away. The combat system is a curious mix of real-time battles and turn-based strategising that will baffle you at first, but eventually clicks perfectly into place. Of course, you don't even have to fight a lot of the time. Knights places equal emphasis on events outside combat, including hacking into computers (to bypass security) or even using your charm and persuasive ability to talk your way out of (or even in to) fights. Talk is key in the game, but not in the same sense as Metal Gear Solid 2 or Final Fantasy where you're a passive element, sitting back and watching a good five minutes of conversation roll by. Rather, YOU are choosing the questions to ask and receiving the appropriate answers. Through your choice, you can influence not just the events you experience in the game, but the entire story too -- including the ending. It's also an interesting way to present the story, because you're in control of it and can see as little or as much of it as you want. If you want to delve deep into the considerable (and seemingly irrelevant) backstory to the game, go ahead. If you don't care, no biggie. By leaving careful nuggets of information in there, it's also a rather insidious way of laying the tracks for some, um, rather dramatic story events.
The other reason why conversation choice is good is that as a Star Wars game, Knights is based on The Force. As anyone knows, you can either be a Jedi and serve the Light side of the Force (like Luke Skywalker) or be an evil Sith and follow the Dark Side (like Darth Vader). Every conversation has an outcome that is either Light, Dark, or neutral. You can intimidate people into doing what you want, or help them out by doing what they want. The cool thing is that the Dark Side is awfully tempting -- being the People's Champion and helping everyone out with everything gets to be a real drag sometimes, especially when you refuse a reward for "just doing the right thing" -- but stick with the Light Side and you'll end up stronger. It mirrors the philosophy running through the films: The Dark Side is tempting and powerful (the easy way out!), while the Light ultimately prevails.
It's an incredible game and I urge anyone who has the means (the means being an Xbox or a PC) to pick it up immediately. Like, right now. Hurry.
Posted at 9:12 PM
