Saints Row is More Fun than GTA, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Urban Sandbox Games Again

I have issues with open world games. Especially Grand Theft Auto. Back in the days of yore, I played Vice City to 100% completion, which even by today's standards was a huge feat. But ever since then, the series just hasn't held the same allure. Maybe it was because the Frankie outfit was kind of a letdown, but I think one part of the problem is that sandbox games give me too much freedom. When I'm able to do whatever I want, whenever I want, I end up not doing anything because I have no clear goals and objectives, and therefore no sense of progress or reward. I just drive around aimlessly, run over some  pedestrians, die in a shootout and turn the console off.

But another big issue is that Grand Theft Auto can just be a frustrating game to play. I decided to gave GTA IV a shot a few months ago, because it had some ridiculously good reviews, but I got frustrated as soon as I started taking missions. Don't get me wrong, GTA IV is a good game with super high production values, and you can see the polish on ever surface. But even so, a host of minor annoyances kept me from enjoying the game as much as I should have.

War for Cybertron

That's no moon...

So.Yes. I have played Portal 2. And it is excellent. In every way. It may, in fact, be the best game ever, of all time. But as much as I want to talk about it RIGHT NOW, I have yet to play the co-op campaign. And I have a feeling that-- more so than gels, excursion funnels, and thermal discouragement beams-- the addition of a partner changes the game at a fundamental level. So my write-up for Portal 2 will have to wait until I can schedule some time with Sr. Joseph P. Buzzkillington to see what Atlas and P-Body have to offer.

The Twilight Samurai

The Netflix "Watch Instantly" library is a treasure trove. Sure, there are a lot of garbage SyFy Originals and violence porn like Tokyo Gore Police (yes, that is the name of an actual film). But it's also home to multi-award-winning documentaries and foreign films, which now make up about 95% of my Instant Queue. (The other 5% being Will Farrell comedies.) Based on my interest in Yojimbo and Lust, Caution, Netflix recommended Twilight Samurai, which turned out to be a surprisingly touching film.

DLC

I haven't played any new games lately, I've keeping my plate clear for Portal 2. But, the other night I finally finished the final level of Super Meat Boy, which got me thinking about downloadable games. To me, the most exciting stuff going on in this console generation is in the downloadable arena. In the long run, we'll probably look back one day and say that motion controllers were this generation's biggest contribution to the medium. The Kinect, especially, has a lot of untapped potential-- just take a look at what the warlocks over at KinectHacks are doing. But Microsoft has figured out what to do with the thing yet, and motion controls in general have a long way to go. For the moment, the most innovative and creative stuff is happening on Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, and....whatever the Wii online service is, I guess.

In a lot of ways, it's a return to the olden days of game development, when a small team (or even just a couple guys in a basement) could craft a good idea into an instant classic. You don't need tons of features and modes, you just need a good central gameplay hook. You don't need hyper-realistic graphics, you just need a unique aesthetic sense. If I ever get a job in the industry, I hope it's in making these smaller, downloadable games. They don't have as much investment money attached to them, so you can afford to take chances and make crazy experiments. And development cycles are much shorter-- as much as I love Halo, I feel kinda bad that the guys at Bungie have been stuck basically making the same game for 10+ years.

Call of Duty: Black Ops

Are the two M16s necessary? Are we really dual-wielding assault rifles now?

I never intended to get Black Ops. While I played, and enjoyed, both entries of Modern Warfare, I didn't developed much of an emotional attachment to the series. I mainly got into it to have something new to play with the Halo Nighters. But somehow, my mom managed to get her hands on a free copy of Black Ops (I assume she beat up some crippled kids) and sent it to me. My first reaction was to trade it in for Mass Effect 2, so that I could transition into it immediately after finishing the first game, making one seamless, 120-hour epic. However, Black Ops is supposed to be pretty short, and as long as it's in my house, I may as well get some enjoyment out of it. It will probably be good to have some sort of hiatus before indoctrination sets in.

Les Oiseaux en Colère

Furious Fowl

I am about to talk about Angry Birds.

As a member of teh l33t hardcorz, I should detest this "casual" game, and the cultural dilution it supposedly represents. But after playing it almost every day for the last month or so, I have to admit, this is brilliant game design wrapped in a fantastic business plan.

Mass Effect

I must stop the Reapers from destroying all intelligent life in the galaxy!

But first, I have to scan this random, barren rock world for mineral deposits.

And do some gambling in the casino.

...And play with this box of kittens.