I find that these vignettes offer a much more reflective view of a character, and open up the question of what it is to die. A question that is silent in our youth saturated, live for the moment culture. Clearly death is something plenty of games have tried to work into their narratives, and Final Fantasy 7’s death of Aeris is the oft referenced one. What it is fascinating is that while that death produced shock, as it was the death of an innocent, sudden and shocking, the characters of Valkyrie Profile are from a wide range of backgrounds, several being far from ‘heroic.’ It’s strange that a game whose overall story is that of preparing noble souls to do battle for the gods, allows such non heroic figures to be recruited by Lenneth Valkyrie, but this also speaks to her status as being part human.

But it represents something unique in game writing, the down and out suffering ignoble deaths. Though their souls live on to fight with a Valkyrie, they don’t quite become ‘heroic’ in the typical sense of a down and out character who finds their nobility. Though it’s true there is little character development, I find these small portraits quite compelling, and they seem to offer the idea that perhaps even the wretched and weak are worthy of something other than the lives they have led as human beings. Without going into the metaphysical or religion questions, it is something I’ve never seen a game do, or most of popular culture, to which most games belong. Indeed, the moment of death, and the exposure of human frailty and suffering is not something games death with, and for many games shouldn’t. They should remain the fantasy distractions that take us away from the daily realities of life, a escape. Indeed games should serve this function, but much like literature or great film, I see why no reason that escape cannot allow us to open up these issues and from within them come back to our daily world with some new insight into the sufferings of others, and that we too must someday die.

A game that poses the question of death, indeed this recently was just dealt with in the graveyard. In that case it was about the player understanding the frailty of old age, but it also represents a peaceful death, in a place of death. It’s quite contained, and I think that is it’s main flaw. In attempting to be a simulation it doesn’t allow for much beyond it’s context. Valkyrie Profile maybe a fantasy, and function within medieval and mythological tropes, but focusing so much on the moment of death, with such a variety of characters and from such a variety of backgrounds makes the question all the more real, in that it reveals that death strikes may come at any time to anyone, from the ugly criminal, to the innocent girl, to the successful professional.

Perhaps the dialogue isn’t a great literary masterpiece, and the overall story arc is forgettable, but the theme is poignant. Everyone must face death.

But the question remains if this type of review adds anything to the overall dialogue of discourse over games. Yahtzee is at least forth coming in that he feels his work is only the gateway to a career in gaming development, and he himself has is a amateur game designer. His unabashed love of PC gaming, and scathing remarks about console games have my grudging respect. But his reviews are not really reviews so much as comedic criticism. I can’t say I see Yahtzee ever informing my purchasing decisions, the way the reviews of EGM and other review houses often do. They merely provide an amusing contrarian view of well known games, and a bashing of some games that I might never have noticed.

What Yahtzee does do however, is bring a wider audience the esapist. A online rag I have followed on and off since it’s inception and wavered with my attitude towards its content. Sometimes it has interesting pieces, other times I think they are just drivel, perpetuating and defending societal practices that I personally cannot reconcile my personal beliefs with. Nevertheless, Yahtzee’s work is a sort of gateway drug, as the style fits in with the rest of the escapist, both visually and content-wise. While the Escapist wants to be a non-review/preview based journalism, Yahtzee provides the alternative style review. In the way most of the Escapist’s contest is more or less editorial style articles, Yahtzee provides an editorial review, that more often is a commentary on the entire game industry and game genres.

But that is Yahtzee’s genius, his video reviews are gateway drugs. There a plenty of viewers who just tune in for the laughs, but I think the management behind the escapist is hoping his open style of game review and frank questioning of game developers choices, as well as game players choices, is a sort of gateway drug into the content of the escapist magazine. Yes, Yahtzee sees his work as a personal gateway, for the Escapist he is a gateway to their work, and I think for every game player Yahtzee might serve as a gateway to a more thoughtful and critical way of playing, designing, and thinking about games.

These games have something that we simply don’t get anymore, and I don’t think it would be allowed. They are punishing and unforgiving. You do not want to die, and you will die. Both games are not amazing, but play fairly well, probably averaging a low 80s in my book. But even on easy these games are hard. You miss a jump, you die. Bosses will kill you if you are not damn careful. Enemies hurt you bad, and only the plentiful health-power ups prevent you from dying. There are occasional cheap deaths, Wampa freezes you, then whacks you, you slide into spiked pit an die. Yet I don’t feel totally cheated, as it was my own stupid ass fault for getting frozen and trying to frontally assault a Wampa. Yes, this game says “be careful, take your time, there will be no coasting through this game please.”

Here is a bit of speculative history. Go back to the 80s and early 90s. When the majority of gaming was a market for kids. Video game reviews were sparse, precisely because there was little market for them. Children, and their parents, didn’t want to read reviews of games, they just got they wanted. Game journalism emerged as ‘tips and tricks’, I remember subscribing to Nintendo Power in 1992, why? I wanted the level maps, the cheat codes, and also a heads up on what new cool games was coming out. The reviews were something I never paid attention to.

The simplicity, grace, elegance, of gameplay and of the story behind Secret of Mana make it much like the Legend of Zelda series. The player has a seamless experience that really brings one into the fold. The world of Mana is one I care about, and the simplicity of characterization aids in forming the myth type narrative that is I find creates the most compelling game experience. Some games like Planescape, are more of a narrative then game, but in myth-narrative games the gameplay is never subordinated to the tell of the tale, it in fact I think allows the tale to appeal to a broad audience and allows it so speak of more fundamental and universal principles.

I am kicking myself for missing this movie when it was screened at the MoMa. According to this post, the “rock-mentary” touches upon a lot facets of the gaming culture, with an emphasis on the more “artsy” aspects. This movie seems like it would complement the Culture section of the seminal work Rules of Play.
It’s hard to tell if this documentary is a genuine, sincere, examination of gaming culture or some pretentious, hipster, self-indulgent piece of $hit. It could go both ways really. But 8-Bit does seem worthwhile to check out. I hope it comes out on DVD or comes back to NYC for a screening.