Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

Have been on absolute rampage playing AAA games these past few months. Started with Death Stranding 2, which I enjoyed, in the broadest sense, but did not like the same way that I liked Metal Gear Solid 5. In fact, this lingered in my mind so much that I played MGS 5 after I finished DS2. Despite the fact that MGS 5 is kind of like the Sistine Chapel roof after a partial cave in, given its truncated nature, I still felt like DS2 was a lesser video game, despite that. The gameplay loop, although amusing, is simply not challenging enough. But, more than that, the thematic package is simply not as powerful: In the MGS series, one of the core themes is how warfare has produced technology and states of humanity so arcane that they become almost indistinguishable from magic¹, which is why the plot of the games are so confusing, recursive, contradictory, nonsensical—to “ordinary people” world politics and the deeper workings of the world are these things. That is the point.

In DS2, although the afterlife can also be confusing, these are not the themes that exemplify the Great Conversation regarding them. The mixture of technology and working to bring people together, as well as meditations on the soul and what comes after and its suspended state, do not gel together to create a coherent whole. It felt, truly, like Kojima was putting together things that he found interesting or compelling without a core thesis. Thus, it was amusing but never profound the way MGS consistently was.

That being said, I thought the ending was an absolute delight. It was meant to be a gigantic (in one case, literally) set piece that even had song and dance. I loved that. One thing that I could say was a total and abhorrent failure was Neil Vana. The Neil Vana storyline and character (and name) was boring and really epitomized the half-baked nature of the entire enterprise. It was visually compelling and maybe mysterious in the beginning, but later on we were repeatedly forced to care about him when he was simply not interesting, despite his integral connection to the story. It was apparent Kojima was trying to touch a nerve and pull heartstrings, but my nerves were not touched nor my heartstrings pulled. I was bored and, in the final cut scenes with him, annoyed.

Resident Evil: Requiem

After replaying MGS 5, which took no time at all since I did not play the second half which was overwhelmingly (although not completely) challenge versions of the previous missions, I saw a livestream of Resident Evil: Requiem. I had never taken much interest in Resident Evil. I did not particularly like survival horror games. I was afraid of playing them when I was a child. And not even as an adult I thought I would find them repetitive and too reliant on cliche.

I did enjoy the game, however. I have a very low opinion of the earlier Grace section because the sneaking was not very interesting and, I thought, a bit antiquated. Maybe that’s what they were going for, but I didn’t like it, especially since I love stealth games (Splinter Cell, Dishonored, Metal Gear, even Hitman in a way). And one of my biggest gripes was how nonsensical it was that you could not put Emily down anywhere except on a couch. She could not be put on the floor? And why did I have to lead her to the room with the Braille? Why couldn’t I have written that down somewhere, punctured holes on a piece of paper, and then let Emily feel it in her enclosure? Grace put her in more danger doing what she did.

I know that suspension of disbelief should be a thing, especially in a game like this, but ther are limits to a person’s credulity, no matter how much they will it. A game should be designed with that in mind, and most of them are. In any case, the parts with Leon are much, much better. Sadly, I did not play any other RE games and so did not experience much nostalgia revisiting Raccoon City. I streamed the game, however, and my friend who was there with me was very nostalgic seeing the old station.

Overall, the gunplay was fun, and I enjoyed the adventure. And that’s what I want from a video game. There used to be a time, in my 20s, when I liked games to always exemplify their ludological side: I wanted mechanics and choice above all. But upon playing RE:R, I realized that for a long time I missed something AAA games do best, which is to give us blockbuster set pieces. The motorcycle sections, and the several parts of the game where the mechanics change a bit just because it was awesome, was great fun. I came out at the end thinking: What a great adventure! And more and more I am realizing that although there is always a space to look at games from a ludological point of view, many times it should be enough that a game gives you an adventure and a whopping good time, which RE:R did for me.

Resident Evil 4 Remake

With that new mindset (and wanting to see more of Leon) I got the RE4 remake. I remember playing the original when I was in high school and not getting it. I didn’t enjoy it. I don’t know why; I have a feeling something was released at the same time that I preferred to play. Given that it was the PS2, it was probably a platformer, which I used to play almost exclusively.

This time, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The combat was exceptional, and the puzzle and exploration aspects were interesting enough. The story was corny, but it worked in that it was a kind of B-movie. Although I was very disappointed that there were no interesting characters. And yes I am counting Luis. Although granted it is very difficult to fit character work in such a game. I suppose they were serviceable.

I particularly enjoyed the minecart sections. That’s what I mean when I said set piece: It was fun, and it added variety, so they added it in. The indie games that I had gotten used to playing are usually focused on a single mechanic or gimmick. The thing about AAA games is that they have the budget to keep piling things on to keep the entertainment going. I used to be very cynical about that, but now I appreciate it for what it is.

Pragmata

I heard about Pragmata only because of the frankly disgusting and disturbing controversies regarding how some people were acting towards the young girl protagonist, Diana. I looked into the game and had some interest, although had no plans to buy it early. I thought it was just another action game set in space. But when the glowing reviews came in, and because I needed something to play, I decided to give it a try. I’m happy I did.

This game knew what its main feature was: The hacking paired with combat. Thus, everything else was more or less streamlined to make that mechanic shine. And it did. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and it made me think about how it has been a while since I’ve played a game where a mechanic was made the center of a game in this way.

I was quite disappointed in its relatively short length. However, the game was meant to be replayed, and given how good the combat/hacking is, then it is always a joy to take on the more difficult challenges, even if they are basically the same enemies, only powered up. The “Unknown Signal” New Game+ (which unlocks a secret ending once finished) allows for some variety while going through the game a second time.

The game’s production values with its signature mechanic I think makes this game an instant classic and perhaps the start of a series. The story, the visuals, the mechanics, and the set pieces all really come together into a beautiful work of art.

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Now, I am going through the Arkham series. I came across a list of jumpscares on YouTube. I saw the one with Man-Bat, and that made me nostalgic for these games. Apparently this game was released in 2009. I was only a year into college. I played this on my Xbox 360. In fact, one of the first games I played on it. I remember thinking the graphics and the cinematic presentation was incredible. Although playing it now I see that I’ve forgotten most of the story. All of it holds up until now. I play to play all the Arkham games; I still don’t know if I should include Origins because I don’t know why it isn’t counted in the series.

Hope to update you on my gaming as I go on.

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1. I believe this is how we should interpret one of the most compelling moments in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (spoilers incoming), where Fortune, despite having her machine removed, was still able to deflect missiles: We cannot anymore tell whether she truly is magical or if there is some other technological reason. Misfortune symbolized not only the blurring but the effacing of the distinction between magic and technology, a la Clarke’s Third Law. ↩︎