Batman, White Collar, and French Pressing
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Games: Getting closer to the end of my ‘must-plays’ of 2009, I just wrapped up Batman: Arkham Asylum on PS3 a few minutes ago. I've got to say, this is one of those extremely rare times when I felt that all of the praise and accolades given to the game were well and truly deserved.
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Rocksteady Studios did a fantastic job on this project, no two ways about it.
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I think one of the things that I admired the most was that everything in the game was created in service to the overall experience. What I mean by that is, there were no design choices or mechanics that did not serve the greater function of carrying the player along on a fast-paced adventure portraying Batman as no other game has. Every aspect supported the central vision. I don't detect anything that feels out of place, or that was left in despite not quite fitting with the rest. For a developer to show such restraint is practically unheard of.
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Not only was the design incredibly tight, Arkham Asylum is without a doubt the best Batman game ever made, and it's better than practically all of the films. It's not going to be my game of the year, but this was most certainly one of the top games released in ’09 and will make it to my own personal top ten without breaking a sweat. I absolutely can't wait to see what Rocksteady does next.
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My friend Chris Vandergaag has come up with a few more (hilarious) commentary pieces that I think readers of this blog might appreciate. The first is on the mainstream press, and the second is about the Modern Warfare 2 launch. Check them out if you're so inclined.
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TV: USA Network has really been on a roll lately. Coming from rather humble beginnings, their roster of original TV programming has now become quite strong, if you ask me. Although I've never appreciated Monk as much as the people who give out the Emmys do, I'm definitely a fan of Psych and Burn Notice. Added to that list is White Collar, the newest series that recently debuted on November 27th.
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Sticking to the standard USA formula of characters-with-quirk and story arcs that continue throughout the whole season despite each episode being able to stand alone, the show is about a clever criminal genius (now reformed?) who’s released into the custody of the FBI agent who originally caught him. Combining illegal techniques with a badge and a directive to solve crimes, the two work together and have sort of an Odd Couple dynamic as they take down bad guys.
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The two lead actors (Matthew Bomer and Tim DeKay) do a great job in their roles and have great chemistry together. Neither feels the least bit uncomfortable or stiff, and they each have a great facility for injecting just the right amount of eyebrow arching or wisecracking without pushing the show too far into the humor category. Although it's definitely on the lighter side, it's not satire or straight-up comedy. You might have to leave your brain at the door once in a while and let some of the plot points slide by, but I'm definitely going to be tuning in for the rest of the season.
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Food: Just a quick note about coffee -- And I know this may be old hat to some, so I'll beg forgiveness in advance. Anyway, although I'm definitely a hard-core coffee drinker, I’ve generally used the standard drip-machines for most of my life. Not anymore.
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Certainly I’ve known about French Press coffee makers for quite some time, but I've never really had much experience with them outside of the occasional slightly-upscale restaurant. It always seemed kind of goofy, and not as easy as simply putting some beans inside a filter and pushing a few buttons. However, the wife started using one couple of weeks ago and (no joke) I could tell that the cup of coffee it produced was superior to the drip method after just one sip.
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At this point, I'm a total convert. We haven't used our drip maker since that first cup of French Press, and I would strongly recommend that any fellow coffee drinkers out there go down to your local department store, pick one up and give it a try.
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The model pictured here is the exact one that I have, and it's relatively inexpensive. Here’s a link to it on Amazon, and it can be had currently for about $20. Not only is that a lot cheaper than buying a standard drip maker (a good one, anyway) I can pretty much guarantee that the cups will be a lot tastier, easily justifying the cost of the purchase. Seriously... if you like coffee like I like coffee, you can't go wrong.
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I basically agree with what you say about Arkham Asylum, but there were a few things for me that keep me from the level of enthusiasm expressed by most reviewers.
First, I thought the last boss, and the way the story ended in general, was absolutely wretched. Given how decent the writing was in the first 95% of the game, the final confrontation with the Joker couldn't have possibly been more stupid. I was basically sitting there, slack jawed, thinking "Uh... really? That's really the best you got?" I mean, Jesus... what the fuck was that ending? It went from being a great episode of the animated series to a shit fanfic written by a 12-year-old. The game was fantastic, but that ending nearly spoiled the entire feeling.
Second, I felt the game design intentionally crippled its own complexity in order to make itself more accessible to low-attention-span gamers. The action and stealth mechanics in Arkham are both fantastic, but the designers don't seem to have the balls to ever let them really mix together in complicated ways. With virtually no design changes, Arkham Asylum could have easily been a handsome open-ended game in which the player was merely given Batman's tools and let loose to solve problems in any way they could imagine, like Deus Ex or Thief or Hitman or MGS3. The mechanics are robust and varied enough to support this kind of gameplay, but Arkham Asylum flatly refuses to let these elements mix and instead insists on shoehorning players into frustratingly contained situations where the goal and the methods to achieve it are handed down to the player from on high. I would have loved to be able to stealth people *instead* of brawling or brawl *instead* of stealthing, but Arkham seldom allowed me this freedom.
Regardless of these criticisms, I loved the game. But these reasons are, for me, why it's a bit overrated. The best Batman game ever made? Obviously. But it's important to recognize that it achieves that by basically ripping off all the right games and reconfiguring them in such a way that they contribute to the feeling of being Batman. It's all very well done, but it's also not a better game than any of the games it rips off IMO.
On the topic of coffee, which I too need and love, I would recommend the
Aeropress, http://www.aerobie.com/Products/aeropress_story.htm It might look pretty infomercially, but it makes a good, sharp tasting, cup of coffee without the sediment of a French press. The taste doesn't have quite so much body though. I've made coffee many ways (press, perc, drip), and they all have their appeal, but if you buy this thing I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Hey Matt.
>>First, I thought the last boss, and the way the story ended in general, was absolutely wretched. Given how decent the writing was in the first 95% of the game, the final confrontation with the Joker couldn't have possibly been more stupid. I was basically sitting there, slack jawed, thinking "Uh... really? That's really the best you got?" I mean, Jesus... what the fuck was that ending? It went from being a great episode of the animated series to a shit fanfic written by a 12-year-old. The game was fantastic, but that ending nearly spoiled the entire feeling.
That's funny, I heard the same sentiment echoed by a number of people, but I didn't feel that way. The endgame seemed like it was telegraphed from a long way away, and to be honest, it seemed perfectly in line with some of the lesser Batman stories I've read over the years. In case you're talking about the specific way you take down the Joker, then I basically agree with that. That particular mechanic/scenario was pretty weak.
>>Second, I felt the game design intentionally crippled its own complexity in order to make itself more accessible to low-attention-span gamers.
I agree with that, but at the same time, I think there is something to be said for crafting the experience in the low-impact roller coaster fashion that it is. It had a very rapid pace and there was almost no downtime, something I very much appreciated (especially now playing AC2.) I certainly don't want every game to be like this, but I thought it was a valid choice in this particular instance.
>>The action and stealth mechanics in Arkham are both fantastic, but the designers don't seem to have the balls to ever let them really mix together in complicated ways. With virtually no design changes, Arkham Asylum could have easily been a handsome open-ended game in which the player was merely given Batman's tools and let loose to solve problems in any way they could imagine, like Deus Ex or Thief or Hitman or MGS3.
Totally agree, and I hope that the developers will expand their vision a little wider for next time. However, I do think that it must be given for the way they turned out such an incredibly polished and focused game. It seemed pretty clear to me that their goal was to have a thrill-ride with a little bit of depth, and I'd say that they achieved it.
Thanks for the tip, Anonymous... I'll look into it!