I (heart) Great Design: Morality in games

I just recently acquired the Platinum Trophy in Dark Souls, and I’ve been looking back on the experience quite fondly. It was a great 130 hours; about 20 hours longer than it took to get the Platinum Trophy in Skyrim. It was a long and challenging road and one of the best gaming journeys I’ve been on in a while.

I had such a good time that I even decided last night to start the whole thing over again, with a new character. From scratch. It started off well enough, I was able to breeze through the introductory section of the game easily enough. But then I encountered something quite jarring… I was griefed. Hard.

For those not entirely familiar with the “Souls” games (Dark Souls and its spiritual predecessor Demon’s Souls): players can invade other players’ game worlds and attack them to gain souls (the game’s currency system - and other circumstance-specific rewards). Because Dark Souls is such a difficult game, things get especially tense when an additional opponent is thrown into the mix. It puts you on edge as much as classic survival-horror games used to.

Pictured Above (from right to left): an honorable knight(on stairs), and an asshole

Because I started playing the game immediately at launch (I had the game pre-ordered months in advance), I guess I was progressing alongside most other players in the world. The times I had encountered invading players, we were (mostly) evenly matched. I’ve won (and lost) many tense 1-on-1 duels with invading Black Phantom players.

Getting back to the story of griefing… Starting with my fresh, new Level 12 character, I was traveling through the game’s first area. Suddenly I was invaded by another player. I’ve experienced this before, so I was ready for what was to come. As a Level 12 character (a very basic low-level character), I was fully expecting to go head-to-head with a similarly powered phantom. It did not happen that way. I was completely overmatched by someone decked out in high-level gear and a giant flaming sword that struck me down in one hit. Only, it wasn’t quite so quick. He stood in place, taunting me repeatedly, and even invited me to strike him a few times with my pitiful broadsword that barely even scratched him.

After he killed me, I revived. I did not take long, however, for another crazily overpowered Black Phantom to invade my game and ruin things for me. With no possible way to fight back, it was a rough and thoroughly unpleasant experience. It took some searching on some forums online, but I was able to find out that there is a practice going around where players are beating the game at a ridiculously low level, starting a New Game+ (which lets them keep all of their end-game gear), and then thoroughly trouncing low-level beginner players.

This brings me to my topic: Morality in Games.

Many games offer morality as a very superficial narrative device. A common occurrence in modern RPGs, you’ll meet a character who will have a problem. It’s up to you as a player to either do something “good” or you could do something “evil”. It’s quite cut and dry. And often times, your decision will have very little to no impact on the game’s story and outcome.

What is even more effective is when the game allows you, the player, to express your own morality through the game. Not with “A or B” choices, but through your actions and how you carry yourself.

I’ve Platinum’d both Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls, clocking in about a combined 300+ hours of gameplay, and I’ve never, ever invaded another player. I just can’t do it. That is to say, I don’t hate those who do. Invading is an integral part of these games, and I will always welcome a (fair) challenge. I much prefer to assist others by joining them as a White Phantom (entering another player’s game world, with the express intent on helping them).

Pictured above: the Dark Souls equivalent of an upstanding
citizen helping someone murder a 20-foot rat

More games need to include this kind of subtlety. When it comes to something like morality, don't give me a binary "good vs evil" dialogue choice, let my everyday game actions define who I am as a player.

Game Music Jukebox #2

With winter descending on Toronto, I've decided to kick-back with the warm, tropical sounds of Super Adventure Island for the SNES.

This was the first game soundtrack that, for me, really bridged the gap between "traditional" music and "game" music. When I started playing this game, I couldn't even play, I was so distracted (actually, more like "entranced") by the music. This, along with the Mega Man games, is one of the defining moments in my appreciation of game music.

Firstly, let's start with Everlasting Summer, the theme to the first level of the game. This track does an excellent job of setting the mood for the game. It's instantly catchy, and you'll be humming along within seconds.

Listen to Everlasting Summer:



Catchy, right? Next is the boss theme. while a bit more repetitive, it is another catchy tune that accompanies a semi-tense boss battle (the bosses in this game aren't terribly difficult).

Listen to the Boss Theme:



Finally, in my opinion, the crown jewel of the Super Adventure Island soundtrack: Jungle Chase. This is the theme to the second area of the game. This is an excellent piece of music that plays like a great pop song. It starts well enough, but builds to a great chorus that is an absolute blast to listen to. Take a listen and here for yourself.

Listen to Jungle Chase:



There are many other great tracks in the Super Adventure Island soundtrack. But I'm sticking with my self-imposed limit of three featured tracks per post.

If you really like this, don't worry, this soundtrack was composed by Yuzo Koshiro, and you'll be hearing more stuff from him soon.

What do you think of these tracks? Do you have any favorite game music that you want to see featured here? Comment and let me know!

Game Music Jukebox #1

I've tried setting up weekly updates before, with mixed (read: no) success. But it's a new year, and I feel very strongly about this subject, so here goes.

Starting this week, I'm publishing a weekly post called "Game Music Jukebox" where I'll highlight a few music tracks from a specific game.

I am a huge fan of video game music. I believe it is an under-appreciated art form, and one of the most overlooked elements of a game's presentation. People always talk about a game graphics, but outside of the extreme core audience, very few people truly take the time to recognize great game music.

I will cover over 25 years worth of gaming music history, from the earliest arcade games, to the 8 and 18-bit eras to the modern day surround sound orchestrated masterpieces. I'm going to start off shying away from the obvious choices (you don't need me to tell you how great the Legend of Zelda theme is) and will try to focus on some game music tracks that you may or may not have heard before. So, let's kick this off, with...

Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers for the NES!


Back in the days of the NES, Capcom was responsible for releasing games based on Disney licenses. Among these releases were some true classics: Darkwing Duck, Duck Tales and Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers. These games all featured some great music courtesy of Capcom's fantastic NES compositions. Just over 20 years ago, on the NES, Capcom were completely unstoppable in the music department.

While the game is a lot of fun to play, especially the 2-player co-op mode, for me it's the music that really stands out. Here's a selection of music from the soundtrack:

First up, is the most commonly heard music in the game. This music is featured in three of the games levels: Zone A, Zone C, and Zone E. It's a nice, lighthearted but high-tempo theme that works very well with the fast-paced, frantic gameplay. You're very likely to catch yourself humming along with this theme while you're playing.

Next up is a theme that is a little more intense: the Boss Theme. This is the music that accompanies every end-of-area boss encounter. For a game as easy-going and carefree as this one, this is a really intense "duel-to-the-death" type theme. This music always makes me want to make the boss fight last just a little longer, and usually results in me hesitating on landing that final blow, just to hear another few seconds of the music.

Finally, the real star of the soundtrack: the Theme of Zone J. This is the music for the game's final level. To me, it almost sounds like this music is "too cool for this game". This music would be at home in a Mega Man game, it's that good. This music is the reason that I have to play the game through to the end every time I sit down to play it.

So, that's it. If you've never played Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Ranger on the NES, I strongly suggest you do so. It;s a really fun game with a great NES soundtrack.

What do you think of these tracks? Do you have your own favorite music from this game? What's your favorite game music? Let me know in the comments!

Until next week, don't forget to play with the volume high and appreciate game music!

2012 New Year's Resolutions

2011 was a pretty swell year, and I am definitely looking forward to 2012.

As the year starts, I (like many others) am thinking about some resolutions for the coming year. Aside from the more obvious resolutions that I have (being healthier, eating better, reading more), there is one that is a little more relevant to this blog: I'm going to chronicle and record all of the games that I play in 2012.

It's something I've been meaning to do for the past few years. So now, on my website, there will be a list of all of the games I've played -- in a calendar format.

just look for this link in the sidebar

With the end of 2011, many gamers are thinking about their favorite games from the last year. With my great fondness for ranking lists, I always like to write up a "top 10" list of the year's best games.

I'm a little behind this year, and am not quite ready to make any final decisions yet. I've got two more games to play before I feel that I've really had a chance to experience what 2011 had to offer. As soon as I play Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, I'll finalize and publish my top 10 of 2011 list.

So, I guess I've got some gaming to do. Happy New Year, everyone and welcome to 2012!