The greatest stories ever told (part 1)

Or: Everything I needed to know I learned from video games
by: Mike Amari


Whenever there is a new medium of communication, that medium usually gives rise to new ways for us to entertain ourselves. Guttenberg pressed a Bible as his first product form the printing press, a wonderful invention that would eventually give rise to such timeless cultural pieces as Playboy and Swank. Bell and his telephone allowed people to communicate over vast distances in seconds, which now allows you to pay 9.95 a minute to talk to hot singles in your area. Don’t even get me started where the computer has led us.

My point being, every new technological advance is, at first, practical in some way. It is our human nature to then use these tools to our own fantastical delight. With that freedom and new technology smell come some major pitfalls though, usually in the form of the old guard not understanding and even fearing the advances before them.

People once thought that a camera could steal your soul and that reading the bible made you a heretic. We were once told that comic books caused juvenile delinquency, going so far as to put a publisher out of business through government intervention.
Here we stand at that crossroads again, the comic replaced by the video game but the message is no different and no less dangerous.

While politicians beat their pulpit till their hands are bloody stumps there are those of us that understand that games, like any other medium before it, is just another excuse to tell a story. That’s all it ever comes down to, really, the desire to tell a story and to hear (read, watch, play) a good story.

And while there are some of those out there that just dismiss video games as a waste of time and energy, there are those of us who think differently and our numbers are growing.

About a year ago Roger Ebert, pre-eminent movie critic, made some rather disappointing remarks about games, stating that they “…represent a loss of those precious hours we have available to make ourselves more cultured, civilized and empathetic.” This is disappointing partially because I do usually respect Mr. Eberts opinion but mainly because he has the ear of most of those out there that might be unfamiliar with the medium and to patently dismiss the form due to the technical limitations does this burgeoning art form a grave disservice.

What I think he and most others who dismiss games are missing here is that video games are still a very, very young form of expression. It can be argued that the form started in the early fifties, but Video games as we know them really started with Ralph Baer and his Odyssey platform in 1967. That is thirty-nine years, a rather short amount of time if you compare, what is considered the first game, “Spacewar!” to “Halo.”

In thirty-nine years we have gone from black and white vector graphics on a super computer to variable artificial intelligence routines on home pc’s. We here at Gamefreak (and by “we” I mean “I”) decided to take this time and space to outline the ten best game stories ever told.

This list is by no means comprehensive, nor is it in value order, since artistic merit is a call of the individual. I have lumped a series together where necessary, and isolated a particular game in a series where necessary as well.
This list is, of course, limited to those games I have played, so if you disagree with me let me know (please, please, please…even if only to flame me…it’s so empty in here my keyboard is echoing) and we can do some lively debating on the topic.

All right, enough preamble…onto the games!


The Legend of Zelda Series
First Appeared: NES 1986
Last Seen: Upcoming “Twilight Princess” on Gamecube and Wii

Ok, so I don’t get points for originality, but it makes sense to open with this classic series.
Considered video game royalty for good reason, “The Legend of Zelda has appeared in multiple forms on every piece of Nintendo hardware since the original NES. A classic fairy tale of an unassuming boy chosen to save a princess, and in the process the world, the first entry is as simplistic as can be in the plot department, but expansive and impressive in its presentation.

Like most early NES games, little information was given to you, depending on the player to fill in the blanks from the surrounding world.
As the series moved on, plot became more and more important and the series itself has intertwining themes and half connections to each other, leaving a bit of mystery as to how each one connects to the overall series.

Creative High Point: The Moody rain soaked opening to Link to the Past (SNES)
Creative Low Point: One word: Tingle.


Colony Wars Series
First appeared: PSone (1997)
Last seen: Colony Wars: Red Sun for PSone (2000)

Depending on how you feel about space operas like “Star Wars”, this series may be exactly the cup of tea you’ve been looking for.

Centering around a mistreated group of colonized planets in the future, the first Colony Wars had all the basic conflict, intrigue and action needed for a solid space romp. Nothing too complex, but presented compellingly and with multiple endings to boot.

The series really earns its stripes, however, with the second game.
“Colony wars: Vengeance” takes place after the end of the original conflict. With the empire defeated and banished on the other side of a collapsed wormhole, the narrative switches to the defeated. The whole setup really gives you a sinking feeling if you played the first one, as the “good guys” are now viewed as the enemy and their actions shown to have horrible consequences. It’s a nice changeup that makes you appreciate the fact that the terms “good” and “bad” are merely dependent on a viewpoint and not facts.

The story is a branching one, depending on your actions and with multiple endings. The twists and turns are pleasing and the set pieces fairly grand (the dogfights are an especially nice touch, coming across as tense and personal.)

I can’t really comment on the third one, as I haven’t played it. All I know is that you are a mercenary during the time of the “Vengeance” campaign, a nice choice I think since it completely does away with the moral standpoint right away and just focuses on an individual in the conflict.

Creative High Point: The opening of Vengeance, which, if you played the first game, makes you feel like a total imperialist douche

Creative Low Point: Presence of a third alien race that never fleshes out.


Ninja Gaiden (NES 1989 Version)

One of the few original NES games to feature not only an in depth story line but to also include cinematics. For this alone the NES Ninja Gaiden gets major points. While not the most complex story, it was stylishly told and wouldn’t head into complete absurdity until the second and third installments.

Creative High Point: Inclusion of cinematics
Creative Low Point: Laughably translated dialog



Legacy Of Kain Series
First Appeared: PSone 1996
Last Seen: Legacy of Kain Defiance (multi-platform 2003)

This one started out as a Diablo-esque dungeon crawl but with HEAVY emphasis on story and not so much on loot collecting. Blood Omen, the first in the series, initially seems to be nothing more than a grim vengeance tale as our fine hero is murdered in the first 5 minutes, only to be brought back as a vampire. Things take a decidedly crappy turn for Kain as the events set forth quickly spiral out of control. Deception, murder, political maneuvering and ancient forces crowd around our hapless rouge as he tries to understand his part in a mess that threatens to destroy everything.

Complex unto itself and taking all the great drama of a Victorian vampire novel (without that Anne Rice crap), the first Kain game was but an inkling of what was to come.

By switching roles (Kain is now the wrongdoer with someone seeking vengeance upon him) and questioning the line between heroism and villainy, the series took a certain glee in leading the player down one moral road only to throw up a roadblock by showing a bit more of the big picture.

The big picture is exactly what makes the story in this series so exceptional, while at the same time almost destroying it under its own weight. The entire series has it’s own internal logic which it sticks too and never seems to forget a story thread or character, even when the player may have. This was one series that was unafraid to make its audience think, and, despite the risk involved, courageous enough to take the time needed to tell an epic story.

Top it off with yet to be matched voice work (even in the PSone days) which included Rene Auberjonois and the late, great Tony Jay and you have one of the most consistently compelling narratives in videogames, or any medium for that matter. To this day I get chills when any of my buddies, out of nowhere, starts yelling “Maaaaaallllliiiik!”

Creative High Point: Having the rug pulled out from under Raziel after we played with righteous hellfire for two games. Nothing like a nice fat ‘I told ya so’ when you’re so damn sure of something.

Creative Low Point: Blood Omen 2. It was supposed to fill in the years between the first Omen and Soul Reaver but really was just forgettable.



Silent Hill 2 (PS2 & XBOX 2001)

I’ll admit, I love this series as a whole, but this one deserves to be spotlighted on it’s own. Instead of following from the first surprise hit, SH2 does what good horror is supposed to do: draw you in despite yourself, make you uncomfortable and make you think.

This game had me constantly on edge, but more impressive is the fact that I wanted to push through mainly to see where this would all be answered, what would happen to my group of highly flawed characters and to see just what the hell pyramid head had to do with the whole thing. I was always afraid what would be around the next corner, beyond the next door and for that I love it.

A wonderful allegory for the guilt we all hide from, SH2 really is the complete cerebrally creepy package that wraps up, if not nicely per se, then at least in a fulfilling manner.

Special note goes to the music, which is always a high point in the series. If you haven’t heard any of the stuff, track down the highly popular soundtracks and order now!

Creative high point: The climax where James realises what he's done, and we learn the nature of pyramid head
Creative low point: Repetative bactracking, while increasing tension, drew the player from the game

Coming Soon....part 2!!!!

Hello….Anyone There?

I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.
Douglas Adams
English humorist & science fiction novelist (1952 - 2001)

Over a month and I haven’t updated. No, no, the reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated. It just seems that real life has a way of waltzing in and kicking your ass something fierce. So despite the ever present need to work so that I can buy games so that I can keep all three of my readers entertained (see what I do for you?) I am now re dedicating myself to posting at least once a week.

Alright, enough excuses, down to business.

I will not be posting a review for Video Games live. This is not so much a reflection on the show itself (it was a great gathering for the hardcore among us) but more to do with the fact that it seems that this year they will actually make it to New York. Couple that with the fact that they have been revamping the show with every new venue and it just seems like it would be a more interesting article to compare the performances rather than just write: “It rocked.”



Also, in the below post I mentioned doing a Killer 7 review for Gamecube. I’ll sum it up in a few words: “frustrating waste of promise.” To clarify, the game hooks you immediately, shows you some trippy stuff, oozes style and genuinely intrigues you with it’s plot. Unfortunately actually playing it is something akin to being stomped in the crotch by a stripper: sure it’s attractive and a little bit sexy, but damn if it doesn’t hurt something fierce.
Basically, the game is not fun. At all.

As for the rest of the promised content have no fear, I’ll have the tidbit PSP reviews up soon and the bit on best video game stories as well.

Until then, keep playing

Just another update

So it seems that God has decided to play a nice little prank on me and hit NY with its biggest heat wave of the year (and blackout warnings to boot) the very same week i take vacation. Anyhow, down to business, I wont have an update this weekend due to massive rocking that is to be done by myself and buddy jay over in chicago. Yes folks...i will be in attendance for this years Video Games Live! tour in the windy city so expect a full write up whence i return. On the menu for next week is a review for Killer 7, some small PSP reviews since i will be travelling and, finally, a look at the best stories told in video game format. Exciting stuff on the horizon people...don't get left behind!

For those about to rock

So you say you like Guitar Hero? Big shock considering it was one of the biggest crossover hits of last year, sucking in non-traditional gamers and us hardcore alike, which is no mean feat for a game that essentially cost eighty bucks.

And what’s that you say? (and yes, I have unlimited mind powers and can hear you think through your computer…you sick puppy) You can’t possibly wait any longer for Guitar Hero 2, slated for this fall. Well then, just sit here around the campfire and uncle Game Freak will set you up with not one, not two, but three games to tide you over until Guitar Hero 2 hits. The best part? All together they cost less than fifty bucks.


Frequency & Amplitude

The first two will seem a mite familiar, being as they were also developed by Harmonix, creators of Guitar Hero. Hitting in 2001 Frequency was part of the PS2’s experimental phase, which included games like the much-lauded Rez and the criminally ignored Mad Maestro (but that’s another post all together) and for the most part went unnoticed.

Combining acid trip visuals with classic Tempest style game play Frequency was very much an unabashed throwback to when games were simply games. No story, no cut scenes, just you, a never ending well and a relentless storm of…music notes? That was the real hook with this game, as you rotated around the grid, each lane was a segment of song (vocals, guitars, etc…) so the better you got, the more of the song you heard.

The game play taps into that primal spot of all gamers, that impulse that drives us forward, gritting our teeth saying “must…beat…high…score.” Very few games have this aspect today, which is funny considering it is one of few things that only a game could deliver.



There are a few drawbacks to this one, first and foremost being the song list. Everything, and I mean everything, is some variation on the dancehall raver scene with the exception of two songs. Hell, even those are acid hall trance remixes, which were so very popular five years ago. This may cause a problem for some people, but it becomes easy too look past when you realize how solid the game is (hey, it’ll even get you to enjoy a bunch of songs you would otherwise ignore)

It’s biggest problem though? It’s hard. Capital H fucking hard-core. I warn you now…have a good sense of rhythm, because if you don’t you’ll be chucking the controller out the window. There is no real learning curve, it starts out hard and just hurts you more and more (though if you’re a pansy and play it on easy its not so bad… pussy.)

The graphics don’t help either. The rave light show happening all around you really only help to distract you and obscure the notes so it’s a damn good thing you can turn it off and just have a blank grid, which gives a very bland desolate look.


This was alleviated in the sequel, which hit in early 2003, called Amplitude. Essentially having the same play mechanics, Harmonix tweaked the engine just so, making it easier to see the notes and still have the trippy visuals swirl around you. This was mainly achieved by changing the well design of the first game to a flat play area. The whole feel is akin to being on a roller coaster and gives you a much better view of where your next combo multiplier is. This is great news to those of us who play games like Tony Hawk and revel in being insane and pulling off that perfect combo.

Unfortunately, unless you’re familiar with the song and have planned things carefully it’s actually harder to keep the combos going, since you can’t just spin the board like a well, but have to travel across a five lane highway in three seconds to hit the next note.

This one change nearly nerfed the whole experience, but like I said all it takes is a little repetition and planning and you’ll nail the combos in no time, especially since the learning curve is much, much gentler this go round.


The song listing is also much more diverse, throwing in pure pop, some rock and even a track from my fave metal band Slipknot (Harmonix…if you’re reading this we NEED them in GH2) so it should be easy for more people to groove to the beats.

All in all, both are great games. I prefer Frequency for the pure visceral challenge, while Amplitude strikes an almost perfect balance between challenge and enjoyment.

Availability: Frequency can be bought used online for about six dollars, while Amplitude goes for about fifteen dollars used.


Um Jammer Lammy

For this one we hop into the way back machine with professor Peabody and visit a simpler time, a gentler time. A time when Sega still made hardware and Pokemon addiction had reached a fever pitch. Today we visit that magical time that Prince spoke of…1999.

Um Jammer Lammy was actually a sequel to the much more popular (and now collectable) Parappa the Rapper. Parappa was a nice little oddity, a rhythm game starring a rapping dog with paper thin, pastel stylized shrinky-dink –esque graphics. The game had style but it wasn’t until this sequel that it added the crucial part: wailing fucking guitars.

Lammy eschews the rap trappings and has you hitting buttons to shred your axe. Lammy herself is the epitome of late 90’s alt rock chicks (ahhh how I miss them so) looking something like a barnyard version of Gwen Stephanie circa 1996.

The songs are all original and each hit a different style (the metal and surf rock are my faves) and you even get different effect pedals for your guitar as you progress. All of them are catchy (I was singing them under my breath for most of my freshman year in college) which is important since you will be replaying them a whole lot.

See, for as hardcore as the above-mentioned games are, at least the controls were intuitive. This things handles like a dog in places and it takes a conscious effort to learn the in’s and outs of how the dual shock should respond. This ramps up the difficulty a bit more than necessary.

Thankfully this game makes you want to push on. The story is about as weird Japanese as you can get and is just plain silly fun. Each story sequence is a comedy of errors of sorts and the whole package just leaves you smiling as it just oozes style and character.

It hasn’t aged particularly well, but for fans of rhythm games, this is a must buy.

Availability: Amazon has a bunch being sold used for around three bucks…fricken’ sweet!

So until next time, keep the rock going!

Silent Hill Movie Review

Silent Hill
A review by Mike Amari

I wont bore those of you who havent played the games with a brief history. Go here instead.

The good news for those of us who have played the games, Ill get this out of the way.
This is everything you could have ever hoped for in a Silent Hill movie. And so much more. Every moment, every camera angle, every little detail all point to one thing, that this film is purely and truly part of the Silent Hill Mythos.

But is it a good horror movie you may ask o faithful reader. And to that I answer oh dear lord yes.

This is the way horror is supposed to be. Uncomfortable angles, unflinching situations and unbelievable visual effects all remind us of the promise that the horror genre once hinted toward and has resolutely forgotten. Blood is not just tossed at the audience, body parts are not severed without an immense sense of gravity. Recent movies like Hostel throw scene after scene of gore at the viewer without much effect because its all handled matter of fact, gore for gores sake and causes us to forget why it should bother us. It is not matter of fact, it is not normal, it is a phenomenally awful thing and all of that shock and amazement is in full force in Silent Hill. One scene in particular with Pyramid Head (thats right fellow fan boys, Pyramid Head) will catch you completely off guard, which is what horror should do.

Most importantly though is that we finally have a true horror movie with a highly intelligent, multi-faceted story running throughout the movie. Silent Hill the games have a convoluted and rich mythology. The screenplay hits all of the important bits in a most lucid and organic manner without ever leaving you in the dark. Even fans of the games will be led off track with a few twists, but ultimately winds up in the same place where the games leave you. My love of this film was cemented when, after the final scene, the frosted haired, muscle bound mook two rows ahead of me said Im confused

Which leads to the biggest hurdle this movie faces: it is not a mainstream horror movie. This is horror as it is meant to be: uncomfortable and challenging and all together engrossing (see also last years criminally under rated Stay)

See it early, see it often.

Till next time, keep it cool boppers.

Trapt for ps2

Trapt
Developer: Tecmo
Year: 2006
Rated: M for Mature

I was always one of those kids who reveled in finding new and interesting ways to destroy his toys. G.I. Joes littered the backyard, usually in pieces, from failed paratrooper drops, slightly singed from a napalm attack or smashed under various rock slides. Hell, even He-Man’s arms were swapped with Skeletor’s after a successful Frankenstein moment. It’s this fascination with destruction that’s innate in all little boys that comes bubbling gleefully to the surface while playing Trapt.

Actually the fourth installment in Tecmo’s less than popular Deception series, Trapt continues the series tradition of damsel in distress luring various villagers, soldiers of fortune and ruffians into some old building and dropping a big goddamn rock on them. A goddamn FLAMING rock.


And really, that’s where the game excels. Nothing beats the satisfaction of successfully luring some brave sir knight onto a bear trap, swinging a big rusty pendulum at him and catching him mid air with a wooden stake launcer, pinning him to the wall. If nothing else this game will get you applying that Rube Goldberg type thinking to everything around you for about a solid week.

Which brings us to the first of many weakness’ of this game, it’s length, or lack thereof. Your first play through will top off at about two hours, even with the extra side missions, so unless you get sucked into the ‘gotta kill em all’ mindset (there is a death gallery that keeps track of who you killed and how) like I did, this is barely enough to keep you busy for a weekend.
The story, while at least recognizably in English (unlike the abominable localization of Deception 3), is your finest dime store plot. That is to say, about on par with your basic soap opera (some of the side missions are funny though)so don’t expect too much in that department.


Not much is new in this installment. The game play is still fairly repetitive, adding only minimal upgrades (the large scale, environment specific traps are a nice touch) and the graphics are along the lines of first gen PS2 games complete with slowdown.

This was obviously a rush job, they didn’t even get American voice actors, deciding instead to subtitle the original Japanese.
It may not be pretty, it may not be groundbreaking, but at 30 bucks, damn if Trapt ain’t fun as hell.

Don't call it a comeback...

Because one person asked for it, the return of Game Freak.

For the rest of you, Game Freak was a news letter that i started the summer of '99. Employing a staff of 2 (thanks to Lynne for editing) and using the most advanced version of Word '97, the all text black and white Game Freak came to life out of a sweaty little print shop on Coney Island Ave. and made it's way to all of five people. Six if you count my Mother.
It was 11 pages, covered such cutting edge games as Silent Hill, had a feature on retro gaming and even a codes section (need to beat Syphon Filter 2? I got you covered.) Notice the cool masthead on the left of the page. Wicked.
So after begging a few local stores to put it on thier counter (thanks for nothing jerks) i pushed ahead with a second issue and learned an important lesson.

These things are freaking expensive!

So, since this was before the days of widespread blogging, i went ahead and created a web page on geocities. The word of Game Freak had been brought to glorious life via 56k and spread to an unprecidented 7 people! (Thanks Jay!)

To make a long story even longer, the site fell to the wayside due to an insane Forensic Science program and was eventually deleted from this net we call ether.

Then, out of nowhere, my buddy Jay Donnelly (that all important seventh reader) sends me a message on myspace: The world needs Game Freak.

And I decided why the hell not, I missed doing the site. It was a transitionary time in my life the last time I worked on Game Freak, heading to college and all that, and i find myself again at a crossroads (read: I have no idea what I'm going to do with my life) so maybe it is time for me to hit the keys agin.

So, what is Game Freak? Well, right now it's just a single post, but soon (very soon even!) this will be your home for my opinions on games.

Thrilling huh?

If you want the newest news on the industry go here or even here. I do not work in the industry...I have a shitty office job, so I am in no position to get a scoop.
Also, if you are looking for advanced reviews of games coming out, see above. Nintendo and Sony want nothing to do with me (must have been all those phone calls at 3 a.m.)

So what do you get here? Honesty. I play a game, I read an article then I give you my opinion on it. Right now the early posts are going to highlight games that most of you have probably over looked (for shame!) but shouldn't have.

Thanks for stopping by, have a look around and check back often for updates.

Keep playing.