Editorial | Yennefer of Vengerberg: Mother, Temptress and Schemer.

By Sam Coles:

The Witcher 3 is a game that I’m still not bored of, and I have been playing it since its release all the way back in 2015. Why? Well it is one of most well-crafted games of this generation, from the world; music, gameplay and the subject of this article the characters. Yennefer of Vengerberg is a character that I grew to love, as she can be cold, loving, funny and just caring overall.

Yennefer has a long standing history with The White Wolf; however those who may have just played the games maybe a tad confused with her importance in the third game. This is because The Witcher 3 is the first appearance of the raven haired temptress, that being said she is mentioned in conversations and flashbacks during The Witcher 2 but besides that this is the first time players have met her. If you read the books you get more of a background why she is so important to Geralt, and if you go back and read them and then play The Witcher 3 again you will form more of an attachment to her.

Yennefer is probably one of the characters that is consistent in both the books and games in terms of personality, unlike Geralt who comes across as a bit of a lunatic in the books compared to the games. Yen tends to be strict and calculating, her methods of sorting a situation out can be morally questionable such as resorting to necromancy in some instances, but this is generally for the greater good. That being said sometimes it can be for her own agenda, but that is a double edge sword because it is all in the name to protect her daughter Ciri and the love of her life Geralt of Riva.

She tends to act as Geralt’s rock and can calm him down in combative situations, but Geralt is also the same with her and that is why they make the perfect couple. Their personalities tend to be chalk and cheese, where Geralt is generally straight to the point with his silver sword, whereas Yen is a bit more methodical and somewhat sneaky with her approach. I think this is why their dynamic tends to work, as they have vastly different approaches to scenarios.

She is not just a schemer though, she can be a bit of a temptress and romantic, she acts almost like a teenager around Geralt with lustful thoughts that flow through her mind. Which lead to some encounters that I won’t spoil, but it does show the overwhelming passion that they have for each other as she truly loves The White Wolf and will do anything to protect the dry witted monster hunter. You can really tell that she cares about him, when you see her violet eye flash with compassion, a stare that is enough to turn any man’s legs to jelly.

Like Geralt she cares about the emerald eyed girl Ciri, who she treats like a daughter. In the books she doesn’t really have that much of an interest in Ciri maternally initially, but she does make sure she has a basic understanding of manners and life in general. It’s through this that Yennefer begins to establish a bond with “ The Little She Devil” to quote Vesemir, and then starts to look at her as a daughter.

Yennefer of Vengerberg is one of my favourite video game characters as well in fictional books, she’s cold, calculating and is also not afraid to show love and compassion for those who she cares about. She is character that will stick in my mind for the next 10 to 20 years; she is a strong person who is willing to do anything to protect those who she loves.

Editorial | The Last of Us 6 Years Later: How it changed storytelling in games.

By Sam Coles:

I’ve been on record saying that I think The Last of Us is good, but not the best games ever and that is like saying you like pineapple on pizza, it’s bound to have a mixed response. However what I cannot deny is the overall influence it has had on interactive storytelling, which has had an impact on games since its initial release in 2013. I want to talk about the game, mostly about the story and characters to celebrate 6 years since its release.

If one is to take a look at The Last of Us with a cynical mind you would probably roll your eyes like a cement mixer, but no this zombie story sorry I mean infected is more unique than one would believe. The premise of the infected is more interesting to start with for one it’s not a virus, no it is based on a real life fungal infection that affects insects, and it is pushed to the extreme where it starts to spread to humans. What’s great about this different take on the genre is that we get more interesting enemy designs, so you have enemies that have just been infected with the tiniest shred of humanity within them, and then you get the terrifying clickers which are blind and rely on sound to find you. Now I haven’t even discussed the story and the game is already interesting, now let’s talk about the aspect of why everyone loves this game.

The first time I played The Last of Us it was Christmas of 2013, I got my PS3 a few months prior and my Mum and Dad got me the game as a gift for Christmas. My expectations were middling when I played the introduction, but it’s the event that transforms Joel when his young daughter Sarah dies. When this moment transpired I had tears rolling down my face, and I thought What is wrong with me, but it shows how powerful the acting and emotions are in this game.

20 years after that tumultuous event Joel is now a smuggler in the world gripped by infection and martial law, he does this to survive on ration cards where he mostly smuggles drugs. However it is one job that completely changes him over time, where he is tasked with escorting a young girl named Ellie, with the reasons at first to be unknown. What I like about this relationship is at first Joel really doesn’t like the idea and resents Ellie, however over time he starts to developer a father like relationship with her, something he hasn’t felt for two decades.

What makes this all the more compelling is the performances from Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson, they have been in roles in games before this but that has to be their best performance yet. It’s packed with so much emotion and weight, that you feel heartbroken when something happens to them. The father and daughter dynamic between the two is so convincing, you see Joel as a cold and bitter old man to begin with where he sees no replacement for Sarah, but at the story goes on he grows closer and closer to Ellie.

Ellie is almost the same as she doesn’t want to be left alone, but at the same time she doesn’t really know how to interact with other humans in a civilised matter as she was never taught. She was brought up in a world filled with death and destruction, where Joel teachers her the basic tenants of humanity.

Look at me I’ve spent so long on the narrative I forgot to talk about the gameplay; well to be honest the gameplay is serviceable but nothing remarkable. This was the rise of the trend of the “Play it your way” style, where you could take the stealth route which was the most sensible, or blow your cover and be as subtle as an NRA member at a firing range. It’s not bad by any means, it’s weighty and meaty the shotgun packs a mean punch which always gets a thumbs up from me. However it’s not the reason why most remember The Last of Us, or any other Naughty Dog game from the PS3 onwards, it’s generally the writing and acting that pulls them through.

The Last of Us is truly a landmark of interactive storytelling, yes I do criticise it a lot but that is mostly from the gameplay stance. However I cannot deny its overall impact that it has had on the industry, where we started to see other games in this generation mimic its storytelling, from God of War to even Red Dead Redemption 2. Some would argue that it’s not the best way of telling a story in a game, but to be honest I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Editorial | The Beauty of Rockstar's Open Worlds.

By Sam Coles:

Now if you know me personally or on social media (Follow me), you would know that I have a deep love for Rockstar Games. A lot of people can be a bit negative with their games due to the over indulgence with certain details, where one could argue that it is completely unnecessary. However that is what makes them so immersive, where a player will take the time to explore the world and both figuratively and literally stop and smell the roses. I want to take the time to look at various games from them, such as the PS2 Grand Theft Auto games, the HD GTA games and both Red Dead Redemption 1 and 2.

The first time I booted up Grand Theft Auto III I was about 10 years old, now it may come across as a bit hilarious now but this living and breathing world where you could do anything you want was mind blowing. You want to explore to your heart’s content and get into trouble with law enforcement? You can do that, it’s the basic formula that GTA III set that other games would imitate, with varying degrees of success. The graphics especially for the PlayStation 2 where mind blowing at the time, and at the time of writing GTA III is nearly 20 years old and with a few rough edges has aged rather well. Now it wasn’t the cinematic masterpiece like later games, as this game was more of a 3D interpretation of the top down games, where you are given a basic objective and then you do it.  

The 3D Grand Theft Auto games were thematically appealing with each time period with both user interface and visuals, you have neon pinks in Vice City’s 80’s theme, the greens and oranges with San Andreas’ early 90’s gang culture and the dark greys of Liberty City with 3. Each game feels and looks different despite them running on the same engine, and honestly it was astounding how they managed to do this on the PS2, which wasn’t the most powerful console on the market. However it wasn’t until Grand Theft Auto IV where my love affair with Rockstar Open worlds would flourish.

When GTA IV was first announced in late 2007 I was around 14 years old, now I didn’t own an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3at the time or any console I could call my own but I was excited nonetheless. When it finally released in April of 2008 I fell in love with it, being 15 years old at the time it was mind blowing to see this beautiful and realised world unfold in front of me. You would see people going about their business, whether it is them getting something out of the boot of their car, grabbing a hot dog or answering their phone. There was this sense of voyeurism where you could sit there and people watch in a video game, which was quite mind blowing at the time. This is something that Rockstar consistently get right, and that is why their worlds feel organic and not a checklist *cough* Ubisoft *cough*.

Back in 2010 Red Dead Redemption was the first game I have ever pre-ordered, and to be honest I wasn’t expecting much as I just thought Okay Grand Theft Auto in the Wild West. However my cynicism was quickly quashed when I finally played the game, and I was enraptured with the world and characters. At the time I was in a bad place due to me being stressed with A-level exams, however I could just boot up Red Dead and forget about everything thing as I see the orange skies turn to a crimson red as the sun would slowly slink behind the horizon. It was a change of pace compared to the more frantic nature of the GTA series, not to say you don’t get involved with shootouts but it is slower compared to other Rockstar productions.

Every time I boot up Red Dead Redemption I feel that everything I worry about just melts away, the world’s organic nature where you didn’t know how things would unfold is still truly magical even today. It’s a game that is truly special to me even  9 years later (as of writing), and even visually it still holds up.

2011 was an interesting time as at the time I was studying creative media and production, rumours began to float about Grand Theft Auto V and then in late 2011 a short trailer appeared on Youtube where became the most viewed video (at the time). It wasn’t until 2013 we would see the release of the game, but when I finally played it was a captivating and beautiful world. Its recreation of modern day Los Angles was and still is a joy to look at, especially if you play the PS4, Xbox One or PC version. The attention to detail is staggering, where you see events unfold across the city as well as the brief snippets of San Andreas; this can be hitchhikers needing a ride to someone being arrested that isn’t you. It’s this attention to detail that would be transferred into Rockstar’s next project, but we would have to wait 5 years for it.

When Red Dead Redemption II was first announced I couldn’t believe it, at this point it was six years removed from the release of the last game and the wait was killing me. Unfortunately I had to wait two more years for the release which would make it nearly a decade removed from the release of the original game, was it worth it? Of Course it was! Rockstar took little aspects from each of their games from the past 18 years, and infused it into this beautiful and cohesive world.

The first time I was allowed to freely explore RDR2’s map I was enthralled, I found myself just slowing down and taking in the beautiful landscapes, captivating lighting and just superb detail overall. It shows that this is what Rockstar were leading up to, and they had finally created the believable world they wanted and it is a moving piece of art.

For nearly two decades Rockstar Games have crafted some of the most beautiful worlds in the video game industry, from the humble beginnings of GTA III to the magnum opus that is Red Dead Redemption II. These are pieces of art that I think people will be discussing in 30 years, or even 60 years later. It is a true testament of what they have learnt over the years, and it makes me happy to be alive to see it.

Editorial | Modern Warfare (2007): How it changed the first person shooter landscape.

By Sam Coles:

With the announcement of Modern Warfare (2019) I thought I would take a look back at the original 2007 game, as it did change the landscape of first person shooters where there were a lot of World War II shooters at the time. Call of Duty 4 was a huge influence in the industry, as it shifted from the standard formula while at the same time stripping things back and making aspects really intense.

Call of Duty 4’s development stems back to when they were making Call of Duty 2, Infinity Ward wanted to release this game around 2005. However Activision wanted another World War II game as it was still profitable, however when it came to the fourth instalment Infinity Ward insisted and we got the ground breaking title we know and love today.

The game takes place in 2011 where “The world is in great shape” to quote Gaz, where there is a power struggle in Russia with government loyalist and ultra-nationalists at each other’s throats with 15,000 nukes in the mix. The plot of Call of Duty 4 may come across as a standard and generic Tom Clancy romp, however it’s the dialogue and delivery that gives this eerie and horrifying undertone to quote Captain Price “Just another day at the office”. It’s this causal approach to the situation that is rather jarring as they see this world of war and violence for a lack of better words normal, it also stems from one of the notable missions in the game “Death from Above”.

“Death from Above” sees you take control of an AC130 gunship where you cover Captain Price’s team, what stands out immediately is the visual presentation where it looks very realistic with the thermal camera. To this day the game looks like you are looking through a monitor of an AC130, not just that when you gun down hostiles you get the chatter from the crew with lines such as “Hot damn” or “Kaboom”. It’s this banter that has an almost dark sense of humour, however as a soldier I expect you have to have a bit of a dark sense of humour and somewhat of a cynical mind set with what they see each day.

Modern Warfare’s narrative is delivered in a way to never take control from the player, now this may make you laugh but the game takes a lot of ques from Half-Life. At the time Half-Life was exceedingly popular as the latest episode for Half-Life 2 was out at the time. Call of Duty 4 doesn’t really have traditional cutscenes to speak of, with the exception of the briefing screens before each mission, when the game starts it never takes control from you and drip feeds the narrative to you at a steady pace and immerses you in the warzone. Parallels to Half-Life are more apparent with the car segment at the start of the game, where you are thrown into the shoes of an imprisoned president of a Middle Eastern nation. It’s an on rails experience, however it shows the destruction and devastation that the dictatorship and terrorism has caused in the unspecified country, it really sets up conflict.

After that lengthy discussion about the narrative, let’s get to the game part of the video game, now Call of Duty has always been maligned for its linear structure; however this game gives different routes to that linear goal in some of its levels. Yes the over direction of the game during the campaign is fairly straight forward, but levels like Warpig let you move around and let you decide how you want to progress through the relentless fighting.  Before Modern Warfare 2 Call of Duty 4 doesn’t drag you down a claustrophobic corridor while dangling a Christmas light at the end of it, yes there are moments where you trail behind someone like a Pavlovian dog but they are not as common like in later titles. The game goes “Well you could follow my every instruction”, where you then blow your cover, but it doesn’t start form last checkpoint it just carries on. The game at a basic level treats you like an adult.

Multiplayer was a step forward at the time too, as they introduced a system you would see in role playing games and not shooters with a XP bar and character classes. This is what hooked players as it gave steady drip feed of rewarding unlocks, whether it be guns, camos, perks etc. it felt like you were progressing and no just doing the same thing over and over. This model is something that other shooters and games in general would try and replicate, with varying degrees of success. It’s something that can still be felt in shooters today, as much as people like to down talk the series these days.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is a classic game that cemented itself in the gaming landscape back in 2007, to this day people are still talking about it and that is truly the sign of a classic game. From its grounded and gritty depiction of “modern” combat scenarios, and ground breaking formula with multiplayer it something you should experience at least once. Plus there is a shiny re-release in the form of the 2016 remaster, so there is no excuse really.

Editorial | Underrated Games: Games that have fallen into the abyss.

By Sam Coles:

Games are the most disposable types of media, there are games that are cutting edge right now but however they can look like a piece wood on top of dried leaves a couple years later. It’s not always the case but there are games that are lost to time, this can be a multitude of reasons, whether it is the lack of marketing, releasing at the wrong time or people just not buying the game. I want to go over games that I think are underrated, and maybe perhaps recommend some games to budding gamers and collectors out there, let’s get into it!

Sleeping Dogs

Let’s start off with a game that is certainly more notable, but went under the radar nonetheless with its release in the summer of 2012. Originally conceived as a new instalment in the aptly named True Crime series, Activision cancelled it as they didn’t see as profitable. However Square Enix took on the project and renamed it Sleeping Dogs, with a release in 2012 which reviewed somewhat well but didn’t meet Sqaure’s sales expectations. What was great about this game was mostly the setting and story, playing as an undercover police officer infiltrating the Triad was engaging and interesting. Not only that the setting of Hong Kong was unique, it really felt alive and United Front Games really captured the culture and night life of the neon lit streets.

Gameplay was no slouch either, during this time Grand Theft Auto clones were slowly fading, but Sleeping Dogs takes that formula and puts its own spin on things. For one it takes inspiration from Hong Kong action and martial art films, the combat is extremely brutal and satisfying where you can slam opponent’s heads into table saws or blow brain matter out of them in John Woo style slow motion. The driving was a lot of fun, although not realistic by any means it was fun to ram people of the road or jump out of your car, while it is still going, then land on the roof of another and hijack it.

Sleeping Dogs did get a remaster for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in late 2014 with slight changes, but again it didn’t really sell that well. The chance of seeing a sequel anytime soon are very slim as I don’t really hear anyone talk about it these days, which is a shame as it was one of the more unique GTA clones.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

Seems to be a running theme with 2012 releases, Kingdoms of Amalur was an unfortunate victim of releasing six months after Skyrim which it was immediately compared to. From the minds of Ken Rolston lead designer of Oblivion, former Rare composer Grant Kirkhope, character designer Todd McFarland and famed fantasy writer R.A. Salvatore. It was a truly unique role playing experience, which took elements from games such as The Elder Scrolls, Dragon Age, Fable and even World of Warcraft with its colourful aesthetic.

For starters the gameplay felt great and honestly was better than Skyrim well the combat is, the combat felt like it had weight and impact with a system that felt like a brawler, a basic one but that is not a bad thing at all. What was great was that you could mix match weapons and abilities on the fly, as you could map them to different buttons and directions on the d-pad. It kept things fresh and stopped it from being a tedious smack something with stick until it is dead, like in Skyrim.   

Even today the game has beautiful graphics; you have to take into account that at the time the games industry had an obsession with coating everything in a horrendous grey hue, all of the sake of gritty realism. No instead Kingdoms of Amalur goes for bright, colourful and diverse locales, to the lush green forests to bustling streets with vendors trying to push their wares. It is astonishing how over seven years later this game looks beautiful, it still has me just exploring in awe.

So where is Kingdoms of Aumalur now? Well THQ Nordic have bought the rights, but have an issue of remastering the first game as technically EA still own the rights to the first game, it’s rather messy. However a new game looks hopeful and I would love to see a new instalment to this underappreciated RPG.

Max Payne 3

Oh look another video game release from 2012, it’s a strange year as we had a decent releases but a lot of games just didn’t resonate with audiences. It’s a shame because Max Payne 3 is a fantastic game, with great gameplay, engaging story and graphics that still hold up today.

Max Payne 3 was victim to a very rock development cycle, I remember following it from when I was in secondary school at the age of 14 to when it released when I was in college at the age of 19. Initially announced in late 2007 Max Payne 3 was slated for late 2009, and then late 2009 came and nothing, then 2010 came and nothing again and then late 2011 came along and it was re-announced for it to finally to come out in May of 2012.

We see an aging and broken Max in this game where he decides to take up a private security job in Brazil, where his booze and painkiller mind is constantly in the clouds as he is alone with his thoughts. Things lead to a dark rabbit hole of kidnapping and organ harvesting, which I won’t spoil as I want you to play it.

Gameplay took a more realistic approach as it uses Rockstar’s RAGE engine, so Max has real weight and you can feel his aging body as he dives through the air dodging bullets. Shooting is incredible as it takes influence from other Rockstar titles such as Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead, but with a Max Payne twist with over the top violence as you see every bullet tear through the flesh of your enemies.

Max Payne 3 is super cheap these days as you can pick up a second hand copy on PS3 or 360 from anywhere from £1 to £2 so there is no excuse really.

Quake 4

Raven Software are generally known for helping the well-oiled machine that is the Call of Duty series, however from mid-90’s up to the late 2000’s they made some of most unique first person shooters. Quake 4 is often forgotten in a sea of first person shooters, and when it is brought up in discussion it’s generally negative. Now why is it presented as a negative game, well people often sighted it as “generic” with its setting, and honestly I would say “Did you play Quake 2”? Anyway it was the last of the traditional shooter alongside F.E.A.R, because the same year saw the release of Call of Duty 2 which shook the formula up for better or worse depending on your opinion.

Quake 4 is a direct sequel to Quake 2, where we see the marines clearing up the rest of the Strogg after the defeat of their leader. You play as Matthew Kane who is one certified bad ass; well that is what the game tells us. The game’s story is well…. An id Software story, where they prioritise gameplay over narrative.

Gameplay is certainly slower than Quake 2 and 3, as it goes for a more claustrophobic environment and there is more of an emphasis of working with your squad. Now this isn’t a bad thing as you still have the classic Quake weapons such as the shotgun, grenade launcher, hyperblaster, lighting gun and of course nail gun. However there are new additions like the vortex gun, which fires mini black holes which sucks up any unfortunate Strogg within its vicinity. You do rely on your squad in this game as they can heal you with more health, armour or just provide additional fire support. However they can be a pain sometimes, as they tend to get in the way and this mostly due to the more enclosed environments.

Visually for a game that is nearly 15 years old it holds up remarkably well, there is so much attention to detail with shadows and dynamic lighting that you just don’t see in games anymore. It runs on a modified Doom 3 engine, and yes its atmosphere does scream Doom 3 sometimes with the quieter moments but that keeps the flow of the game so it’s not just relentless action.

Quake 4 is a great shooter, and if you are going to play it these days don’t get the 360 version. Don’t get me wrong it’s not unplayable, but there are segments where the frame rate will dip to single digits especially when you start using automatic weapons like the hyperblaster or nail gun. If you can get it on the PC, it just makes me wish for a re-release on consoles where the framerate doesn’t tear its own arms off in an effort to run.

Those are just a few games that are I think are overlooked in the industry over the past 15 years or so, there are many more I could talk about but I would be here until Christmas talking about it. Tell me what games do you think are underrated, and you think everyone should play? Comment a game in the comment section or Tweet me @BristolianGamer.