Afflicted: Part 1

Imagine you lived in a world where you were considered less than a human simply because you had brown eyes. Now, that's a lot of people considering it's the most commonly found eye color on the planet. You'd probably start wearing contacts or look into some surgery that would permanently change your eye color (is that even possible?). The point of the matter is simply this: it would suck and you would hate it. You might even end up hating yourself because of it if the harassment escalated too far.

Now, let me tell you about the world I live in. I live in a world where people despise me, harass me, spit on me, want to kill me, all because of a trait I was born with, something I can't easily change. Not that any doctor would even consider helping me because of my "affliction," as they call it. By now, since I can't imagine any of you live in the same place I do, you're probably wondering what this "affliction" could be. I'm not going to tell you, though. Not yet. I don't know if I can trust you.

What I will tell you, though, is a story about one time when I almost got caught. It was close, really close. I must have been knocking on Death's door the entire time. Scratch that. I was definitely knocking on Death's door the entire time. Do you know what that's like? To be so close to death. It really changes a person...kind of. Not in my case, but maybe in the case of some asshole who thinks he is the world.

Have you ever been so hungry that would literally eat anything? I mean anything. Like a moldy piece of bread. Or flies, trapped in a spider's web. Or even a piece of fat from someone's meat that they chewed on and spit out because it wasn't good enough for them. It's good enough for you, though, because you're dying, literally dying, of starvation. Well, I've been that hungry. I guess it comes with being hated by society. I was that hungry when I was almost caught. It wasn't the first time I had experienced that sort of hunger, but it was the first time that it actually affected anything. Like my mind. I must have been going crazy. I thought it would be a good idea to walk down the middle of one of the busiest streets in the city.At any moment, I could have been exposed. Luckily  for me, it didn't. At least, not on the street.

On my right was a restaurant. The smell of food was taunting me mercilessly. I had to go in, it was like it was calling to me. So I went in. What I planned on doing was beyond me. I didn't have any money or anything to trade but service. It was dead silent inside the restaurant. Not a single patron around. The server wasn't anywhere to be seen. With cases full to bursting with food of all kinds, this was my chance. I reached into a heated case where a whole roasted chicken was just sitting, waiting for someone to take it. So I did. I grabbed the chicken with both of my hands and bit right into it. Right there in the restaurant. I didn't have the sense to run away with it. I had never seen so much food at once in my entire life. After a couple  of bites, I felt like I was being watched. I looked up and there was the server, staring at me in horror.

My heart was beating so fast I could feel it pounding against my chest. Blood was rushing, pounding in my ears. Chicken grasped tightly between my hands, I ran for it. Thankfully, I had enough sense to run away from the main entrance and not out onto the crowded street where I would have caused a scene. A window was open into the alleyway. I threw the chicken before leaping through it myself. Once out the window, I grabbed the chicken and continued running as fast as I could. The server was right behind me, running almost as fast as I was. I made it to the end of the alleyway before feeling like my energy was draining quickly from my body. Not that I really had much to begin with considering I'd had no food for about a week. I turned to face the server who was standing just a few feet away from me now.

"What the hell are you doing?" The server almost sounded more curious than pissed. But I noticed the weapon the server had and my already pounding heart fluttered. Shit. Shit shit shit. I could barely stand up right now, how was I going to avoid getting shot? Why hadn't the server just shot me in the first place? I said nothing, just backed away slowly. I really just wanted to live. And eat the chicken, but that was secondary to living.

"I said, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" The server sounded much angrier this time. I was panting, backing away, holding onto the chicken for dear life. With an exasperated sigh, the server stepped towards me. That was the final straw. I made some weird animalistic noise (I didn't know I was even capable of that!) and rushed backwards. I fell flat on my ass, and the worst part was that my disguise had fallen off. The server's eyes widened at the realization of what I was. I was an Afflicted.

Slowly, the server lifted the gun, pointing it at me. "You...you're one of them." There was so much disgust in the server's voice I wanted to vomit. Or maybe that was the overwhelming excitement of the whole chicken thing that made me want to vomit. The server looked around as if looking for help. There was no one. We were alone. The gun lowered. Curiosity replaced the disgust on the server's face. "What's it like? Being Afflicted?"

I was astounded. I thought everyone was supposed to hate us. No words would come to me. I sat there looking dumb with nothing to say. Finally I made a gurgling noise that made the server jump. It was funny, really, seeing how scared the server was of me when, in reality, we weren't really very different.

"It's shit." They were the only words I could manage. It felt like we were finally getting comfortable with each other when a loud noise echoed behind the server. We both jumped. I grabbed my disguise, threw it back on and ran for it again. The server was looking for whatever had made the sound. When the server noticed my disappearance, I could hear the words following me, "Hey! Wait!" A gun shot rang out behind me and I ducked instinctively, trying to protect my head with the chicken that was still tightly grasped in my hands. Rounding a corner, I flew as fast as my feet could carry me back to the slums, a junkyard that housed at least one hundred, though probably more, of us "afflicted." I'd gotten away. I'd really done it. And I had enough food to last me, well, it would last as long as the chicken didn't rot.

Well, that's the story. Sorry if it wasn't as exciting as you were expecting, but oh man, you should have been there. I am honestly surprised I made it out alive and totally unharmed. That is a miracle. Maybe, if you ask nicely, I'd be willing to tell you another story sometime.

Game Review: Mass Effect 3

This is a brief review of Mass Effect 3 written for a class Game Name: Mass Effect 3 Developer: Bioware Platform Used to Play: PC Description (from official website): "Earth is burning. Striking from beyond known space, a race of terrifying machines have begun their destruction of the human race. As Commander Shepard, an Alliance Marine, your only hope for saving mankind is to rally the civilizations of the galaxy and launch one final mission to take back the Earth."

--Bioware

What did this game do that was different from its predecessors?

This was the first Mass Effect game to explore dream sequences. It also gave companions several different lines to say when not in conversations so as to give them the appearance of more depth of character. The game also utilized a new equipment system and changed the way you spend upgrade points when you level up. Mass Effect 3 also did not explore companion missions nor did it really do into the same depth as the previous games for mission descriptions.

This was also the first Mass Effect 3 game to have male homosexual relationships whereas in the first two, it was only possible for female characters to have homosexual relationships.

There was also an option, if you started a new game with no import, to choose which kind of game experience you wanted rather than a difficulty setting. This allowed a player to choose from 3 options: action based, normal, or narrative based.

Once of the biggest differences between this game and its predecessors was the ending. This was the first game in the series that required the player to extrapolate from incomplete information provided by the ending. This may be related to the fact that this was the end of the series, but it remains an important difference that has caused many players to complain.

Favorite Part about the Game (and why)

One of the best parts of Mass Effect 3 is the decisions. Not the small, easy ones, but the big ones, the ones you really need to think about before finally settling on a single choice. Even if the choices do not have a huge impact on later gameplay, or even the immediate gameplay, the choice still feels fairly significant. There are a few exceptions, but they are few and far between. Many of the choices really give the feeling of a moral choice, a choice no one would ever want to make in real life, such as choosing which race to kill off entirely. This provides excitement in a way that doesn’t require a fight sequence. It makes the player stop and think. Yes, it does occasionally break the immersion when the player chooses to make the decision on a meta level, but it doesn’t do it in a way that ruins the moment or the gameplay.

Least Favorite Part about the Game (and why)

The thing I liked the least in Mass Effect 3 was the way romance options were handled for a female Shepard. It felt as though all of the possible romance options were throwing themselves at me, most specifically, Kaiden, a human male returning from Mass Effect 1. Without ever having my character say something that could be even remotely construed as “flirty,” he still pushed forward, asking me for a romantic relationship that I was uninterested in pursuing. The same happened with several of the female characters throwing themselves at me, none of whom I was interested in pursuing a romance with. I was told that as a male Shepard, the romances are less forward, with no one trying to force an unwanted romance on you. This should be the same for females, and it made the romance part of the game feel weak and not wholly fleshed out to me.

How would you change the game to make it better?

If I were able to make changes to the game to make it better, I would change the way the Effective Military Strength was presented. It is a number that has no real meaning to the player, yet it determines how the player’s choice at the end of the game affects the rest of the universe/life/what-have-you. Depending upon how high the score is, the player may actually fail or succeed at saving earth but it also changes whether or not the player is given a third option called “Synthesis” rather than destroying all synthetic life or controlling it. Also, if the Effective Military Strength is at approx. 5000 or higher, the player may receive the “secret” ending where Shepard can be seen waking up, alive, whereas Shepard always dies in any other case. I would like to better present the meaning of Effective Military Strength so players are aware that it actually does something in the game since it really does nothing before the very end when the final mission begins. If the player is aware that the number is actually relevant at some point in the game, he or she may actually, even if he/she is not an explorer gamer type, go out searching the different galaxies to find more war assets to improve the number.

Game Review: Home

This is a brief review of Home written for a class & does contain spoilers Game Name: Home Developer: Benjamin Rivers Platform Used to Play: PC Description (from Steam store): "Home is a unique horror adventure set in a beautifully-realized pixel world. It’s a murder mystery with a twist—because you decide what ultimately happens. Awakened by an oncoming storm, you open your eyes to discover yourself in a strange, dark room—tucked away in a house that’s not yours."

-- Home, Steam Description

What did this game do that was different from its predecessors?

This game took the player and gave him/her choices that, at the time, seemed to be almost irrelevant. Should I let this mouse out of the trap or not? Do I pick up this old photograph of the dead man upstairs and his wife or not? All of the options were simple yes or no questions, nothing like Bioware’s games that give the player (at times) several options. The choices the player makes shape the story in an imperceptible way, so much so that the player may not even realize that picking up the old kitchen knife would turn their character into a murderer.

Favorite Part about the Game (and why)

In my opinion, the best part of this game was unfolding the story. The game kept the player in suspense, never really explaining anything. This kept the player moving through the story but also kept the player on the edge of his/her seat. I had to play through the same section of game multiple times in order to get through one play through, and every time, it was a little different because I would change a decision or forget to make one altogether.

Least Favorite Part about the Game (and why)

The absolute worst part of this game was that you could not save in any way, shape or form. If you needed to step away for some time, you’d have to leave the game open. If the computer decided to restart in the middle of the game, you’d have to start the whole game over from the very beginning. If the computer fell asleep, the game wouldn’t respond when the computer woke up, so you’d have to restart all over again, from the very beginning. It was a pain to say the least.

How would you change the game to make it better?

I would allow the player to save a play-through. Even if it’s only one save slot per game, at least then there would be no issue with the computer shutting down or falling asleep or even if you just need to stop playing for a moment because you need to go to class. It would also be an interesting way to keep track of the different ending you have encountered since it’s unlikely that most people will remember them all.

I would also consider making the choices at the end less obvious that they shape the story. I would have preferred if they had been the same or at least similar to the choices at the beginning—not obviously shaping the story.

Game Review: Braid

This is a brief review of Braid written for a class & does contain spoilers
Game Name: Braid
Developer: Jonathan Blow
Platform Used to Play: PC
Description (from Steam store): "Braid is a puzzle-platformer, drawn in a painterly style, where you can manipulate the flow of time in strange and unusual ways. From a house in the city, journey to a series of worlds and solve puzzles to rescue an abducted princess. In each world, you have a different power to affect the way time behaves, and it is time's strangeness that creates the puzzles."

-- Braid, Steam Description

What did this game do that was different from its predecessors?

In the past, puzzle platform games have been very straightforward with very little in the way of hidden meaning. Braid, however, does not confine itself to that stereotype. Instead, Braid offers players a hidden meaning that is there, but only really noticeable if you look for it and want it. Braid also looks to break the conventions of jumping on enemies to simply kill them and saving princesses from castles.

In addition, Braid uses an incredible set of mechanics all based around time. This provides unique and exciting gameplay as well as intriguing puzzles. With this mechanic, the game breaks away from many platformer conventions. One such convention is always moving to the right. Braid breaks this convention many, many times, requiring the player to move back and forth across levels.

Favorite Part about the Game (and why)

My favorite moment of Braid was using the puzzle pieces in World 1 to solve one of the puzzles. It was an amazing moment when that puzzle was solved. Honestly, I would have liked to see the puzzles for the other worlds used in similar ways.

While that was my favorite moment, my favorite part of the game as a whole was how each world used a unique modifier to the basic mechanic of controlling time. I loved having the ability to manipulate time in so many different ways. Not to mention, the modifications provided a lot of interesting gameplay by allowing the creation of so many different kinds of puzzles.

Least Favorite Part about the Game (and why)

While Braid is an amazing piece of art with a fabulous mechanic, the puzzles were insane. I often got too frustrated with the puzzles once I thought I had figured it out and realized I hadn’t and needed to start the whole area over again. Some of the puzzles felt impossible. It wasn’t until I found help, either online or from a friend, that I was able to get through some of the puzzles. That made the game less enjoyable, knowing that I was incapable of figuring out the puzzles on my own within a decent amount of time. I can’t count the number of times I needed to put the game down because a single puzzle had frustrated me so completely.

Another thing I am not a fan of is the use of hidden stars in the game. The stars are nearly impossible to find for anyone just playing the game. Actually, they seem to be almost impossible to find even for the players who are looking for them. A player needs to be essentially obsessed with Braid in order to find them (or use a guide online). Once they are found, they change the ending, just slightly, but enough. If a player was able to collect all eight of the stars, at the end, the player will be able to catch the princess. Once the player character touches the princess, though, she glows and explodes, the sound of a bomb going off can be heard.

How would you change the game to make it better?

One of the things I would consider changing is the difficulty curve. The game is, at the beginning, fairly easy, and very fun. Once the mechanics modifications get added into the mix, though, it felt like the level of difficulty stayed the same throughout the other four worlds with small hiccups of the insanely difficult here and there. I would have liked to see a steadier curve rather than a steep slope and a plateau.

In addition, I am unsure as to how I feel about the hidden story that Braid provides to its players. The allegory for the creation of the atomic bomb feels almost pretentious in the way it’s worked into the plot. I would have liked to see the story a little more obvious, but without being overt. It was, at times, confusing, while at other times it almost seemed like it was way too obvious. If the allegory had been integrated more evenly, I think it would have been beyond amazing. I did enjoy it, but I think it could have been done in a much better manner.