Hey Man, well this is Babylon

Been a damn busy week. Not enough time for blogging! So here’s my weekend update, a day late.

First, a link. Check out Universal Dead, a new low-budget web series about zombies. It’s… not bad. Not bad at all.

For the last few days I’ve been going back and forth between Dragon Age and Alpha Protocol. My current goal in Dragon Age is to play as a solo Archer Rogue + Dog combo for as long as I can manage, outside of the few spots in the game where other companions are forced upon you. I’ve always been a fan of odd “challenge runs” in video games, and I figure this one would be called the “Post-Apocalypse” DA run – survivor + dog, in other words.

Alpha Protocol has been fun. I see a game series in the making here, and this one’s a good start. It reminds me a lot of the original Mass Effect – awesome in many ways, but marred by some rather aggravating design choices. I’m only a few hours in, though, so I’ll save my full decision for a later time after more hands-on experience with it.

I met a few awesome folks and sold a few more copies of Cannibal Contagion this past Memorial Day. Guardian Games hosted their second annual “May of the Dead” celebration, and I was there pimpin’ my game and hanging out with my fellow nerd. Had some great talks with a fellow from the local chapter of the Zombie Squad, and ran a hilariously fun session of my game for a new crew of survivors. Thanks for playing, folks!

I’ll close this post with some thoughts on video game trailers. First, read this article. Go ahead, it’s a good read. Watch all the trailers.

Done? Understand that I get where the writer is coming from, and I whole-heartedly disagree. I want actual game-play footage in my video game trailers, goddammit. Without actual gameplay footage, I might have made the mistake of purchasing any number of generic “guns plus one cool trick no one else does” first-person shooters. I want to actually see how this game is different. You can take a shitty game, give it an awesome story, and fill the trailer with so many awesome cinematics and popular industrial tunes and the consumers won’t know the depth of your deception until they pay for it and hate it, because you never showed them the actual game.

I want to see the game. I don’t give a rat’s ass about marketing cinematics which most likely won’t even be in the final product, and probably look better than that product will, too. Yeah, that new Deus Ex trailer looks cool, and shows us a wonderful cyberpunk world with a compelling story. SO did the trailers for Neocron. Remember how much that game sucked?

I’m looking for some out-of-game inspiration for my current Shadowrun game. When I run games, I like to immerse myself in as many related influences as possible, as I’ve found it really helps me keep up the good vibe. So right now, I’m looking for video games and TV shows that fit the feel. Here are a handful that I’ve found so far, and I’d love some other recommendations.

GAMES:

Shadowrun (Sega Genesis): This game got me into the RPG in the first place, way back when. Quite a fantastic and loyal translation of the game rules to video game format. Canon-wise and system-wise, it’s the best official Shadowrun video game I’ve yet to see.

Perfect Dark Zero (XB360): I freakin’ love this game. It fits the feel quite well. The short version: you’re a stealth-hacker action girl who sneaks into places and, essentially, performs a series of shadowrun-like jobs in a near future dystopia. Awesome.

Fear Effect 1 & 2 (Playstation 1): While the gameplay leads to frequent moments of intense puzzle-based hair-pulling frustration, these two gems are what you would get if you removed the magic from Shadowrun and turned it into a damn awesome video game.

Rogue Ops (Playstation2): Similar style of stealth action, this game didn’t get much acclaim or recognition, but is a hell of a lot of fun to play. Again, stealth-action girl going on sneaky missions in the near future

Syphon Filter (Playstation 1, 2, and PSP): A fantastic series of near-future espionage action games, a must-play for any fans of futuristic stealth games.

Deus Ex (PC): Another good stealth-action shooter, this game has hacking, sneaking, shooting, robots, cybernetic implants and more. A fan favorite, it’s too bad the sequels were crap.

SHOWS:

Leverage: This show really captures the essence of the Heist Job. It has humor, drama, action, and intrigue, and never fails to inspire me.

Burn Notice: I haven’t actually watched this yet, but it’s next on my list. I hear it has a lot of the similar themes as Leverage. EDIT: I watched the first three episodes last night, and yeah, this show rocks. It’s basically the adventures of a Face and his two friends. Good stuff!

Smith: Very sadly, this excellent “what happens between the jobs” heist show was canceled after only a handful of episodes, but it had such awesome potential.

FILMS:

Strange Days: This movie just oozes with Shadowrun concepts, including simchip dealers, low-grade extraction runs, armored limo drivers, race wars, and more. One of my favorite flicks of all time.

The Usual Suspects: Crime, paranoia, whodunnit, and lies. Another one of my favorite movies ever.

Sneakers: A truly fantastic digital hacker flick. Lies, spies, and action.

Johnny Mnemonic: While nothing at all like the original cyberpunk short story it is very loosely based on, this is still a great movie to get yourself into the Shadowrun aesthetic. Has hackers, tech-gangs, yakuza assassins, cybernetic data couriers, and more.

Any other suggestions?

Warning: this post contains spoilers for the show Avatar: The Last Airbender. Read more