Video Game: First Impressions for Horizon Zero Dawn

I judged this game by its cover art, and took a chance on pre-ordering it. Now, like any good game it rules my life. In a good way.

Took a selfie with Thunderjaws...lol

Horizon: Zero Dawn is an open-world third-person sci-fi adventure game. I think the best way to describe it would be as a combination of:

• The gameplay of 2013's Tomb Raider, including:
• Hunting/gathering for crafting supplies.
• Raiding areas for hidden secrets.
• Frequent use of bows, arrows, and melee weapons.
• Small amounts of climbing and acrobatics. 
• Emphasis on hardening one's resolve through survival, experience, training.
• Strong female heroine.
• A sublime GUI that highlights what you need to know without getting in the way too much.
• A story like Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, swapping out giant bugs for robot animals.
• Dialogue trees that resemble Mass Effect and Dragon Age.
• The landscapes of Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, and Utah.

I've seen other folks compare it to Far Cry: Primal, but I haven't played that one yet, I'm not sure how it compares.

So far, I've put in probably 20 or so hours into the game, completing about 25%. It hooked me right from the start. The game kicks off with an involving prologue sequence that slowly introduces you to the gameplay (you learn to hunt a robot, gather herbs, and explore an ancient ruin). Once you get past that, the world opens up a little more, and you're free to complete a few sidequests and hunt. But once you get past the first act (past the Proving), the game just explodes open and you're free to a massive world of warring nations, huge mechanical beasts, and so many side quests and activities. It is a big game that will suck up time and effort. Fortunately, it is rewarding and addicting. Earning experience, finding collectables, completing missions, finding secrets--it all feels rewarding and keeps you running all over the map.

Combat can get pretty tough--machine enemies are powerful and will wham themselves into you. Some spit fire and ice, others have lasers or rockets. A combination of stealth, strategy, and improvisation is a must. You can set up traps, sneak up and take out individual units, and override some. It is possible to become over-powered in time, but it is a tough challenge at first. Human enemies can be a challenge as well.

Graphics are top-notch. Even though I don't have the ability to play it in 4K, it still looks smooth, sharp, clear, and very colorful on a normal HD display. It runs smooth, I haven't had any frame rate drops or crashes. Sound and music are nice. Environments are rendered beautifully with gorgeous weather effects. The game has a nice photo mode to take some great screenshots.

At first, the story impressed me greatly too. The first act is incredibly successful at eliciting sympathy for Aloy, the main character. The prologue shows her birth and childhood, and you can't help but to feel for the girl as she's shunned and outcast for reasons unknown. It's actually kinda frustrating watching this kind of suffering, experiencing it through the character, so it makes you want to succeed and it keeps you playing. To me, this came off as perfect storytelling--firmly rooted in character, using the gameplay and cutscenes to show the conflict as it rolls out, rather than having it spouted off as exposition.

I was also impressed by the story's handling of the world-building. In the first act, the Nora tribe is pretty much all that's shown and all you care about. Once you get to the Proving, you see glimpses that show there's an even bigger world beyond the tribe. And just when you complete the Proving and feel accomplished about it (because you're living the main character's ultimate dream), it all falls apart and plunges you into the even larger conflict far beyond the mother land. It's mind-blowing to go through all that, only to find the scope of everything is much bigger.

On top of that, the world itself is designed with immaculate detail. All the collectables, environments, and ruins give enough hints to show how things were before the events of the game. The dialogue and design for costumes and places illustrate how future generations regarded the past and developed their own unique culture. It's the stuff of intelligent sci-fi, as well as being a grand epic.

This was all fantastic--at first. Once I reached Meridian, the personal stakes and motivations backing Aloy evaporated. I'm not sure if it's just because I got sidetracked from the main quest to do all the other things, or if the story really will head in some off-beat tangent. As it is, the same feelings I had at the start aren't quite there anymore, as I'm running around killing Thunderjaws and helping random strangers. But I am hopeful that it'll all connect and continue to paint Aloy as a deep and rich character.

Few other complaints to be aware of:

• Climbing sucks. You could spend hours trapped in a valley trying to find a good spot to climb. And when you do, it's not always intuitive.
• Crafting pouch upgrades--you have to check each one individually, the game doesn't tell you automatically or on the crafting screen what you can craft and what you need.
• Tutorial quests have to be activated to make progress. If you accomplish a task for them, they won't count unless they are active. Every other quest doesn't work this way. So you may have to stop in the middle of combat to go into the quest screen to make sure it's active.
• Finding the stuff for pouch upgrades is tough. Fox bones, raccoon skins, fish guts--you will have to take the time to hunt wildlife for these rare drops, and it can be frustrating.
• Got stuck under the floor once. Couldn't move out of it. Had to reload.
• Game saves happen automatically only at certain points (some happen as you progress through missions, everything else only when you use campfires). There is a chance you could die and lose some progress between save points.
• Lip synching is awful.
• It has the chance of becoming tedious.

The positives outweigh the negatives. But I fell in love with the game instantly for its gameplay (which is right up my alley) and the storytelling (which is great, at least to start with). It gets an easy recommendation from me. I know I'll be playing the heck out of this all year, at least until that new Mass Effect game comes along...

Al's Inspiration Shelf For Video Games

I've recently taken it upon myself to parse out some of my favorite things from my collections and put them on their own dedicated shelf. These will be my "inspiration shelves," containing media and things that will directly inspire and influence my own imagination and creativity. There's a shelf for books, film, and music. I don't actually have one for video games, but there should be one. So I plan on listing the games here that would be on an inspiration shelf if one theoretically existed.

My History With Video Games

I've had the good fortune to witness the rise of video games as a medium from the 80s onwards. My parents had an Atari 2600--I believe it was bought from a garage sale or from somebody else, and it came with a whole box of game cartridges. From that, we would experience a ton of retro classics--Dig Dug, Pac Man, Missile Command, Yar's Revenge, Berzerk, Pitfall 1 and 2, Dodge 'Em, Centipede, Asteroids, and oddles more. I even remember a cartridge for Raiders of the Lost Ark, which was interpreted in glorious 8-bit in a very weird and involving way. I probably remember the colors and sounds of these games more than the actual content. I also remember my dad could progress a lot further in these games than I could (especially Dig Dug).

Atari was what we had--we did not upgrade to Nintendo right off the bat. We did get a Nintendo console later on, probably used but I don't remember. I probably already knew about Super Mario Bros and Duck Hunt playing it on other kids' consoles. When we got our own console, it was Super Mario Bros 3 that wowed me the most--I loved the smooth gameplay, the map-style level selection, and graphic quality. I would replay that game ceaselessly, until I got to the point where I could beat the whole thing in 3 hours every Saturday morning. I also remember playing Gauntlet with my best friend, and he seemed to love it. I remember a RoboCop game (which was awesome), a Back to the Future game (which I liked, but could never get far in it), and a game for Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (which I remember loving, but couldn't get past certain parts).

When the Super Nintendo came out, I was enamored by the 16-bit graphic upgrade. I always loved Super Mario World, and it remains my favorite Mario game that I've played. It's smooth. It's well-designed. It's varied. It's full of secrets. And for once, it supports saved games. I played this game every chance I could get, but those chances were few and far between, because we never got a SNES console of our own. I would experience SNES games through other friends' consoles and at the rec center. I know I've seen and played other SNES games here and there, but I don't remember them.

Around 1993 or 1994, I laid eyes on a game that thrilled and excited me even more. It was Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, on a friend's PC. I was already begging my parents for a PC of our own for other, simpler games. Eventually, we got one, and I got to play Indy for my own. It was a marvelous adventure in its own right, and I always wished it could have been made as an official film of the series. The game had pretty nice graphics for its time--blocky perhaps, but everything looked as detailed and realistic as a game could get back then. The actual story was sprawling and had some very thought-provoking puzzles. I played it through several different ways (there are two possible endings and three possible paths to get there), and it remains one of my all-time favorites.

Other point-and-click games would dominate most of my childhood. First time I loaded Space Quest IV, I couldn't stop laughing--it was hilarious from the opening logos onwards. Finishing it would be tough, but I did it eventually. A friend would play Space Quest V and VI, but I wouldn't pick them up for myself until later. King's Quest VI was one of the first I played, and that was quite an adventure too--I remember mapping out the labyrinth to find all the pitfalls and rooms and stuff, it was a brutal trial-and-error endeavor to beat that game (and that also had a couple of possible endings, if I remember right). My grandfather bought me King's Quest VII and Star Trek: A Final Unity as gifts--both were phenomenal experiences I cherished (shame I never did beat the Star Trek one--didn't understand how to reach the end until I looked it up recently). My best friend would play Sam and Max Hit the Road, and I'd play it myself later (it's a hoot). I had a copy of Day of the Tentacle, and I managed to beat it (and I replayed it in 2016 via the remastered PS4 edition--ah, the memories). Full Throttle was also a big hit for us.

Sometime in the early 90s, I would have seen Doom for the first time. My dad and I watched a friend from his work play it. Watching it in motion, I could see right away what made it unnerving--it didn't matter that it was violent, what bothered me was knowing that you, the gamer, could be jumped by a demon around any corner or corridor. For some reason, just knowing that something was lurking around freaked me out. With the game's gnarly textures of rusty metal, red stone, cybernetics--it just came off as a unique thing. Somehow, it gave me nightmares for three nights. I don't even remember what they were about, I just remember having them. I wouldn't touch a Doom game until my 30s (which is strange, because I played Quake games in my 20s, and Wolfenstein games even earlier). I suppose I would go on to have a strange love-hate relationship with scary games.

That trend would persist in 1996 or 1997 or so--my parents got me The 7th Guest as a Christmas gift. I was a little freaked out, because it was rated for an age group higher than I was at the time. It's funny, I was more sensitive to parental guidance ratings than my parents were sometimes. But I waited until I was old enough, before me and my friend worked through it. That game freaked me out--even though you couldn't die in it, just the atmosphere, macabre graphics, sound and music was enough to make it a freakshow.

Around then, I would have also played Rebel Assault II, X-Wing, TIE Fighter, Dune, Conquest for Glory, Warcraft II, Command and Conquer II, Mechwarrior 2, and occasional demos. With Mechwarrior 2, I discovered that I could take the CD-ROM and play it in a music CD player--skip the first track, and the rest was music. That game had a pretty cool music score, and I listened to it incessantly. Few other games had the same capacity (including some Star Wars ones).  With my parents, I would have played an old game on a floppy disc called Cyber Empires--a cool turn-based strategy game where we conquered lands with giant robots. I also remember Castles II (which was neat), some kind of Lotus car racing game, and various smaller games (including cool variants on Breakout, Asteroids, and other classics).

Consoles seemed to come and go--the N64 was big in the late 90s, but I'd only experience it at the rec center with friends (back then, it was pretty much all GoldenEye, which was a cool game at the time). I wouldn't catch up on any N64 games until much later (emulated on the PC). For me, the PC was all I needed. By high school, I was digging Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight the most--the graphics, gameplay, and level designs don't hold up, but I was smitten by the story, characters, and the ability to make moral choices. The latter point is something I'd come to value a lot in future games (such as inFamous). Above all, I was able to download editing tools for Jedi Knight, and I worked with them tirelessly until I found out how to make my own rooms with working doors and elevators, populated with bad guys and working scripts. I used this to try and map out my stories--I made a campaign for my novel Rider of the White Horse turning various battles into game levels. It was cheap, but it worked. I designed battlefields, cities, ruins, all with puzzles to solve and enemies to fight. I didn't keep these files or any screenshots I took--my work was pretty lame anyway. But I hoped this would help visualize my stories.

Around that time, I also beheld Rainbow Six for the first time (somebody snuck it to school and I saw them playing it). I was intrigued by it--a shooter that required strategic thinking. For computer class, we had to go to the middle school and work on their computers for various issues. I think I was the only one doing anything--the other two guys played Sim Tower for whatever reason. I did find a copy of the first Command and Conquer in a cabinet--when nobody was looking, I played that on a school computer.

WarCraft III came out in 2003. And I still play it to this day, because I got my dad addicted to it and we play co-op matches most weekends. I also got him into C&C 3. WarCraft III had a decent story and I liked its gameplay, but I would also play around with its level editor (in fact, I plan to keep working with it on current story ideas--why not?). Around 2006 and 2007, I would get involved with World of Warcraft. I never got involved with the multiplayer scene before, but playing a MMORPG for the first time is a pretty scary and thrilling experience. For two straight years, I played a Night Elf hunter named Rukenada (the name was discovered while playing Scrabble one day). I got him over level 70. I played as part of a guild, and I found it gratifying to help guild members with quests. I even remember staying up late some weekends to participate in guild raids and dungeon runs. It was a blast. I started up a couple of other characters (a mage named Danja and an undead warrior named Sturgis--the latter was on the PVP server, so it was brutal), but Rukenada was my primary character.

After two years, I stopped for some reason and I couldn't get back into WOW. I tried, but I couldn't get back into the pattern of it and it somehow lost its appeal. I realized that it was an immense drain on time and money, and it was probably for the best that I left. After so many add-ons (and it looks like it's still going on and on), it just never ends. It's fun. It's addicting. It's a social virtual interaction. It's also something that requires attention, directing my attention away from school, writing, or working. A game without end is a good way to waste a life.

On top of that, I would have played Jedi Outcast, Command and Conquer 3, No One Lives Forever 2, XIII, Max Payne, and more.

In 2008, I finally got a game console of my own. I totally passed over PlayStation 1 and 2, and X-Box. This time, I picked up a PlayStation 3 (the "phat" model bundled with Metal Gear Solid 4, which I was told was a great series and the game had some hype back then). What excited me more was knowing it could be used as a Blu-Ray player--I resisted the move to collecting HD formats in 2006, but when Blu-Ray won the format war, I relented and discovered that movies do look sharper and clearer. When it came to games though, the PS3 delivered countless experiences I would treasure. That also meant I stopped gaming on the PC. I have no regrets though--the PC may give gamers more options, variety, and freedom, but consoles are convenient. Don't have to worry about hardware requirements and space, just pop in a disc and play.

From then to now, I would have played over 230 PlayStation games. Everything from Bejeweled 3 to Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The first batch of games I played felt smooth and slick at the time, but I found that they didn't always age well--later games in the generation pushed the envelope further and hold up. Throughout the whole generation, I'd discover a good wealth of games with moving and involving stories. Some of which is of a caliber I've never seen before.

To this day, if I'm not watching a film, or writing, or traveling, I'm gaming. Games are currently the most immersive form of escapism there is, thanks to the way they get players involved in the characters and story. They have the capacity to plunge gamers into the heart and soul of a story and move them on a level just as profound as literature or film. That is, assuming they aren't plunged into the fray of a Modern Warfare map, or a basic Tetris puzzle. But even simple games, combat games, strategy games--just about any game can offer an experience that can't be had otherwise, and whether it's for passing time or actually having a moving experience, it all adds up to shape the way the mind and imagination works.

After all this, I've come to the conclusion that I am progressive with games. I don't hold retro games and classics up on a pedestal, to be raised beyond reproach. I believe games have come a long way for the better--every generation brought advancements, not only in graphics and sound, but in gameplay mechanics. Game saves, checkpoints, respawns, the way loading screens work, the way GUIs work, controls--they've all been refined over the years for each genre, to empower gamers better and make the experiences more balanced. I don't ask for a game to be easy, but I have been frustrated when games are punishing, glitchy, clunky, or poorly-designed. When a game offers a challenge that can be overcome, with handling that's intuitive, and quality showmanship, then a game becomes a great platform for some great storytelling.

Games That Would Be On The Shelf:

As I said, I don't have an actual shelf for these, this is largely theoretical. For a game to be "inspirational," I focus on the ones that had stories that truly blew me away somehow. They can be old or new, but I think most games that impressed me deeply have cropped up in the last couple of generations. Some, I may post because the experience is great enough to lend multiple playthroughs. Some games have environments so immersive they make you feel like you are there. And there are some where the experience is profound or beautiful enough to become genuinely inspiring experiences.

Of course, if a game wasn't fun, I wouldn't post it here. ;)

• Assassin's Creed II (PS3)
• The Bioshock Trilogy (PS3 / PS4 Remastered)
• Catherine (PS3)
• Day of the Tentacle (PC / PS4 Remastered) 
• Dead Island (PS3 / PS4 Remastered)
• Deus Ex: Human Revolution (PS3 / PC)
• The Dig (PC)
• Dragon Age: Origin (PS3)
• Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (PS3)
• Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (PS3 / PC / PS4 Remastered)
• Fallout 3 (PS3 / PC)
• Fallout 4 (PS4)
• Far Cry 4 (PS4)
• Flower (PS3 / PS4)
• Full Throttle (PC)
• God of War (PS3 Remastered)
• Heavy Rain (PS3)
• Horizon: Zero Dawn (PS4)
• Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (PC)
• inFamous 1 and 2 (PS3)
• King's Quest VI: Heir Today Gone Tomorrow (PC)
• King's Quest VII:  The Princeless Bride (PC)
• The Last Of Us (PS3 / PS4 Remastered)  
• The Mass Effect Trilogy (PS3 Remastered)
• Max Payne (PC)
• Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (PS3)
• Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers (PC)
• Star Wars: Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight (PC)
• The Talos Principle (PS4)
• Tomb Raider (2013) (PS3 / PS4 Remastered)
• Wolfenstein: The New Order (PS4)
• X-Com: Enemy Unknown (1993) (PC)
• X-Com: Enemy Unknown (2012) (PS3 / PC)

Book Review: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Jack Finney)

When we think of the possibility of alien invasions, our first thought is usually what H.G. Wells originally conceived: a full-blown war. But what if they're already here? In Invasion of the Body Snatchers, a classic premise is explored in a taut and thrilling manner: what if extraterrestrial spores land on Earth and systematically start swapping human bodies with their own eerie duplicates? It's a scary and unique idea that spawned several film adaptations and influenced other stories.

The original book is a short, simple, breezy read, and it's closer to the 1956 film than any of the others (although certain parts of the book would carry over to the 1978 and 1993 versions implicitly). As such, it's structured as a mystery thriller--a doctor keeps hearing about townspeople not acting the same, and once he uncovers the truth, sheer paranoia sets in when he realizes he can't trust anyone. It's up to him and his girlfriend to escape the compromised town and signal the authorities. Unless the invasion has spread further than they realize...

The story's rather slow to start, but builds up to quite a thrilling climax full of tension. The text does a superb job of underscoring some key themes that keeps this story grounded as good sci-fi: the idea that life will do anything and everything to sustain itself, even crossing the gulf of space and assimilating other life forms to prolong its own species. Without ideas like this, it would have been just a schlocky creature thriller of some kind.

However, the story does require a huge suspension of disbelief when the end actually happens. Even though the reasons for the ending are made clear, it's pretty nutty. There's also one or two loose ends that aren't really tied up.

This book was written in a very plain, straightforward language. Since it's in first-person POV, the character voice narrates the story, and it does an okay job at it. The main character has enough personality to make the text readable. But there's little going on with the character, with little relevant backstory or traits to latch on to, so it comes off as a little bland, in both prose and character.

Sci-fi fans ought to give this story a shot--as a book, it's not a bad read at all and it's worth it for fans to see where it all came from. But the movies (especially the '59 and '78 versions) breathe a lot more life into the characters and plot to cement this as an essential sci-fi tale.

3/5