Jue

Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta blog de juegos. Mostrar todas las entradas
Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta blog de juegos. Mostrar todas las entradas

The Best Game Music of 2011: The Legend of Zelda

Posted by admin on miércoles, 28 de diciembre de 2011 , under , , , |



The Best Game Music of 2011: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword





The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is perhaps the most compelling argument yet for "Video Game as Concert Piece." As a game, it is a smartly designed interlocking series of puzzles, an ever-more-complex world filled with hidden secrets and challenging combat that unfolds with a uniquely Zelda-y sense of joyous excavation. But as a concert piece... oh, boy.

I am, as I have admitted before, not a "Zelda guy." I could never have written a review as far-reaching, comprehensive and lucid as Stephen Totilo's splendid Kotaku review. I also couldn't have put together a piece that points out the game's maddening flaws as humorously (and, I must admit, accurately) as Tim Rogers did.

But I can talk about the music. For all the iconic themes he's written in his career, Skyward Sword is, arguably, Koji Kondo's masterpiece. I'm certainly not going to say that the themes in this game are "better" than any of his past work (particularly Ocarina of Time, as chronicled by Cuise Elroy's Dan Bruno). But when taken as a whole, the score is one of the most far-reaching, interestingly developed and gorgeous series of musical themes I've heard in a game.

Recorded with a full orchestra (though the occasional sampled MIDI instrument does turn up), Kondo's Skyward Sword score is lush, ambitious, and human sounding. Instrumental soloists, particularly some of the woodwind players, all have their moments to shine, and the reprisals of old Zelda classics like "Zelda's Lullabye" and "Inside a House" sound terrific when performed by human beings.

I've written in the past about how dialogue-free games tend to use music more effectively than current-gen "talky" games, and Skyward Sword is a prime example of this. To reiterate my opening thesis, this is a Video Game as Concert Piece, a work that is as much about Kondo's ever-shifting, ever-more-complex musical themes as it is about its puzzles, gameworld, or story.

So far in this series, I've highlighted three musical examples from each game. But darn it, Skyward Sword gets four. Here are they are:



"Goddess' Theme"

Let's listen to this one first, shall we? The most easily recognized tune from the game, the "Ballad of the Goddess" is the main heroic theme from Skyward Sword, and with good reason. From the first trailer I saw for the game, I was struck by how immediately iconic it felt, how it conjured feelings of adventure, purpose, and more than anything, of motion. I really dig this version as well, which presents the theme in a lighter context, pushed by a more delicate but no-less-driving rhythmic bounce.

Is this theme actually better than Kondo's original theme for The Legend of Zelda? I don't know. That's a really stupid question! But "Ballad of the Goddess" is a great example of a hero's theme done right. It's a strongly melodic anthem the boldness of which remains all too rare in modern video games.




"Fi's Theme"

Link's blue robot-ish companion Fi is graced with a lovely theme. Throughout the game, Kondo shares several variations on it, and this one is my favorite. It recalls nothing so much as Thomas Newman's standard-setting work on The Shawshank Redemption, and if that ain't a compliment, I don't know what is.
When the orchestra creeps in for the second pass, ever-thickening counter-melodies layering on top of the lush string arrangement… this kind of piece is proof that a full orchestra will always convey emotion more effectively than an army of perfectly programmed chiptunes. (Sorry, chiptunes. I still love ya.)




"Romance Theme"

Ugh. Gah.
This piece kills me. Go away, stupid oboist. With your stupid ridiculously gorgeous melody/counter-melody-thing. Yes, this isn't even actually an oboe solo (he/she has a flute doubling the part), and the bassoon deserves equal props for laying down some ridiculously beautiful whole notes. There is also like a 5% chance that this is an English horn, since sometimes the two can sound so similar that I get disoriented. Or maybe I'm disoriented by all the prettiness...

Are you sensing that I have a hard time talking about this piece? I do. It slays me. I've reached the limit of my ability to describe it - just listen to it and then go fall in love with someone, okay?




"Loftwing Theme"

Skyward Sword is a game about flight, and so it needed at least one theme that specifically conjured aerial grace. The "Loftwing Theme," written to introduce the giant flying birds ridden by the citizens of Skyloft, is just that—a light, bouncing theme in 6/8 time, which is better known as the unofficial time signature of flight. But the reason I love this track is that it is a flying duet between a flute and… a trombone.

There are a scant handful of video game soundtracks that feature show-stealing instrumental soloists. Violinist Martin Chalifour stole the show on Garry Shyman's Bioshock and Bioshock 2 soundtracks, and the bass clarinetist and bassist on the L.A. Noire soundtrack also had their moments in the sun.

But as nice as the flute solo is, it's the trombonist who steals the show for me—something about his/her entry is so unexpected and lovely; it's so unabashedly old-school Disney, and perfectly captures the slightly ungainly grace of those silly Loftwing birds. The resulting duet with the flutist eloquently conjures the Loftwing's dancing duet with the sky.

This piece, much like the entire score, is a leaf on the wind—watch how it soars.
The entire Skyward Sword soundtrack is stupidly great. You can also listen to the whole thing on any of several YouTube channels, and it's easy to find piano transcriptions and downloads all over the place. Kondo's score is an instant classic, as far as I'm concerned, and my favorite part of a great game.
We'll have more of the best video game soundtracks of 2011 soon. Happy holidays!
"The Best Game Music of 2011" is a multi-part series highlighting the best video game soundtracks of the year.






**ARTICULO PATROCINADO**
Bikespainclassic blog games
Article,photographs and video taken entirely from the web http://kotaku.com/
Videos// Youtube
Images:// Google

Top 15 ranking The Final Fantasy Series

Posted by admin on viernes, 23 de diciembre de 2011 , under , , , , |



Ranking The Final Fantasy Series




The Final Fantasy franchise has a massive dedicated following, and gamers all have their favorite installments. The best and worst entries are often debated among friends and fans, with no clear winners. Everybody seems to have an opinion, so here's mine.
I've been playing Final Fantasy since the original's release on the NES, and have played every installment in the series. That doesn't make my opinion more valuable than anyone else's, but it does put me in a position to compare and rank the games based on my experiences. Keep in mind that these are my personal rankings, not some official Game Informer stance on the subject.

Note that this list only covers the 14 core Final Fantasy games. Extensions (Final Fantasy X-2), spin-offs (Final Fantasy Tactics), mash-togethers (Dissidia), and unreleased titles (Final Fantasy Versus XIII) aren't included. Ranking everything bearing the Final Fantasy name during the franchise's nearly 25 years would be a daunting task, so I'll just stick to the main numbered titles. Plus, remembering projects like Dirge of Cerberus just depresses me.

On that note, what better place to start than at the bottom?


14. Final Fantasy XIV





To call Final Fantasy XIV's development and release "troubled" would be charitable. Calling it a "train wreck" is more apt, considering that even Square Enix president Yoichi Wada declared that the game "greatly damaged" the Final Fantasy brand. Normally, I'm against judging a game until I've given it a fair shot, and I haven't played Final Fantasy XIV long enough to level any specific complaints against it. However, of all the games on this list, this is the only one that I have no desire to play under any circumstance. So, by default, it goes in last place.




13. Final Fantasy II




Because it wasn't originally localized and released Stateside, I didn't play Final Fantasy II until it was packaged as part of Final Fantasy Origins on PSone. By that time, I had already finished Final Fantasy, and stepping backwards isn't easy. I don't have anything against playing older titles, but the dumb leveling system and dull story in this entry fail to immerse players in the world or the combat. Nostalgia is a powerful force when it comes to ranked lists like this, and I think Final Fantasy II might have placed higher if I had played it in its proper time and place.


12. Final Fantasy III



Similar to Final Fantasy II, this entry didn't release in North America on its native system. Instead, we got our first official release with the Final Fantasy III remake on DS. As a series enthusiast, this game is interesting because you see early forms of ideas before they were refined and included in later games (like the jobs of FF V), but the storytelling and pacing just aren't up to the standards set by other Final Fantasy titles. I'm pretty sure FF III  marks the first appearance of Moogles, though, so that's worth something.

11. Final Fantasy XI




Final Fantasy XI was my first MMO, and in a time before World of Warcraft, I was amazed by what the genre offered. The game sets aside the narrative-driven experience most players associate with the Final Fantasy name, but it still feels like a true entry in the series. Even though I never got to the high-level content, I still spent just as much time immersed in Vana'diel as I did with any other FF installment. I stopped playing this before WoW even released, and once I saw how much hassle Blizzard's title eliminated from the MMO grind, I never went back. However, for a few short months, I absolutely loved Final Fantasy XI.




10. Final Fantasy IX



Following the high-tech settings in FF VII and VIII, Final Fantasy IX brings the series back to its roots, relying on high fantasy, classic visuals, and a story about a crystal. The throwback works well thanks to the fantastic ensemble cast – Steiner and Vivi stealing the spotlight away from supposed protagonist (and dude with a stupid tail) Zidane. The story starts great but gets progressively crazier due to Sephiroth-wannabe villain Kuja. As the last entry on the original PlayStation, FF IX pushes the system to its limits; I remember being floored by the spell effects and summon animations, though combat moves too slowly for my taste – even with the battle speed cranked up.

9. Final Fantasy V




Two words: Job system. This versatile and complex aspect of Final Fantasy V allows players unprecedented control over their party members' abilities. I could talk about other commendable parts of this game, like the story and the soundtrack, but my enjoyment (and this game's ranking) is based solely on building and customizing a party of unstoppable warriors. Earning new jobs and trying out different combinations are the incentives that keep you going through this adventure, though the characters and plot are nice bonuses on the side.

8. Final Fantasy





I have to give fair credit to the game that started it all. Yes, the story is practically non-existent, the four main characters don't speak, and you can only save from the overworld. However, considering that Final Fantasy was one of the early building blocks of an entire genre, it's importance to recognize how much the game accomplished. Successfully translating concepts from paper-and-pencil tabletop games (like D&D), Final Fantasy brought an epic adventure to life for me in a way that was previously only possible in my imagination. This game is responsible for kindling my lifelong affinity for role-playing games.


7. Final Fantasy XII





One of the great things about this series is that it reinvents itself with each entry. Final Fantasy XII is a drastic reimagining of combat and progression for the series, and those changes have earned FF XII legions of devoted fans. Personally, I wish this one had stuck a little closer to the series' comfort zone. While the game is well-executed and adheres closely to a clear vision for its design, that vision is too broad and undirected for it to contend with the heavy hitters on this list. I love the license grid and gambit system conceptually, but in practice, they bring the pacing to a grinding halt as you spend your time in menus tinkering. It doesn't help that the story seems more concerned with its own subtle political machinery than delivering a captivating tale…but Fran and Balthier are there to save the day.


6. Final Fantasy XIII


If FF XII is too open and unfocused, Final Fantasy XIII swings in the opposite direction. Many gamers complain about its linearity, but that wasn't really a problem for me. My chief complaint was how the story made no sense whatsoever. So, how does an RPG with a lousy story rank #6 on this list? The battle system. FF XIII has my favorite battle system of any Final Fantasy title, hands-down. Instead of micromanaging individual actions, you have the satisfaction of guiding the flow of a kinetic, ever-changing encounter. I don't even care that the plot falls apart, because as long as I'm fighting something in FF XIII, I'm happy.

5. Final Fantasy VIII



Final Fantasy VIII has its fair share of detractors, but I'm not one of them. I love the idea of an elite student strike force, and the plot does a great job delivering on that concept. I also enjoyed the way the relationship between Squall and Rinoa developed – which is really more the game's focus, as opposed to the threat of world destruction. People like to complain about the need to draw magic from enemies, but the Junction system (which allows you to augment your stats with spells) is a fun way to customize your characters, especially if you're interested in optimization and overpowering your party. Many elements of FF VIII aren't what people were expecting from the Final Fantasy name, especially on the heels of FF VII, but it's still one of my favorite RPGs on the PlayStation.


4. Final Fantasy VII




Cloud! Sephiroth! Materia! Everyone loves Final Fantasy VII, and with good reason. It set the standard for the RPGs of its generation and introduced jaw-dropping cinematic sequences as rewards for progressing through the story. The grim world controlled by a mega-corporation, the rebels fighting against them, and the iconic villain all contribute to making FF VII one of the most fondly remembered games in the series. Maybe there's some subconscious "it's super-popular so I like it less" pushback going on in my head, but for all of the great things in this game, not even Sephiroth has what it takes to break into my top 3.


3. Final Fantasy IV



This was the game that made me realize that games are capable of telling nuanced stories, with compelling characters and conflicting motivations. It also made me realize that airships are totally awesome. Final Fantasy IV has a dark knight, a spaceship shaped like a whale, and a fun turn-based battle system. Cast members rotate in and out of your party as the story demands, forcing you to change your strategies and adapt to new abilities. It has emotional moments, an outstanding soundtrack, and two *** old dudes who are powerful mages. All of these elements combine to form a nearly perfect storm of RPG  mechanics and conventions that make FF IV a game I can always play and enjoy.

2. Final Fantasy X






From a storytelling perspective, Final Fantasy X is the most sophisticated entry in the series to date. Themes like journey, family, and duty constantly weave through the main plot, delivered through characters that feel right at home in the sad and desolate world. The introduction of voice acting makes the experience more immersive than ever, and the bittersweet soundtrack helps make Spira the most believable Final Fantasy setting. Unlike some other installments, the story doesn't fly off the rails towards the end, either; it stays focused and delivers an extremely satisfying payoff because of it. The battle system adds an action queue, so you can see when your allies and enemies will act, allowing more strategy than typical turn-based combat. Rarely can a game fire on all cylinders the way that FF X does, nailing everything on both gameplay and narrative fronts.

1. Final Fantasy VI




 
Not only is this my favorite Final Fantasy title..it's my favorite RPG, period. I've gushed about it before, and played it so much that I know it backwards and forwards. Even after all the time I've spent with Final Fantasy VI, I never get sick of it. The cast is so good that I can't pick a favorite character…Sabin, Edgar, Locke, Terra, Celes, Cyan, Shadow – how can you choose? Plus, most of them have unique abilities, so each one stands out in the turn-based encounters.

The memorable moments just keep coming: the intro with the Magitek soldiers approaching Narsche, flying the airships in Mode 7, the end of the world, not to mention Kefka and his manic laugh. The structure of the story is the best of both worlds (wah wah), with a linear and story-driven first half followed by a freeform and open second half. With a story that deftly mixes humor and emotion, stunning and unexpected twists, and rock-solid gameplay mechanics, no other role-playing game can compete with Final Fantasy VI.


That's it for my favorites. Discuss yours in the comments below! If you want to hear more Final Fantasy-related debate, check out our special edition Final Fantasy podcast.







**ARTICULO PATROCINADO**
http://www.vwautoes.blogspot.com/

Video// Youtube


Article,photographs and video taken entirely from the web

Traje de Ezio en Final Fantasy XIII-2

Posted by admin on , under , , , , |



Para uno de los protagonistas

Traje de Ezio en Final Fantasy XIII-2


Extraño DLC que acompañará el lanzamiento de la nueva obra de Square Enix: uno de los protagonistas irá disfrazado de Ezio Auditore
 
¿Te apetece tener a un compañero de Final Fantasy XIII-2 con la indumentaria de Ezio Auditore de Assassin's Creed 2? Pues que sepas que Square Enix ha oído tus extrañas suplicas.


Noel Kreiss, uno de los personajes protagonistas de la segunda parte de las aventuras de Lighting podrá vestir como Ezio si nos hacemos con un DLC que servirá la empresa japonesa durante el lanzamiento de la nueva obra.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 saldrá el próximo 3 de febrero en PlayStation 3 y Xbox 360.




 




**ARTICULO PATROCINADO**
 
 

Contenido integro de este artículo, fotografías y videos extraídos íntegramente de la Web: http://www.mundogamers.com
 
 
 



Dead Souls : Nuevo tráiler de Yakuza

Posted by admin on miércoles, 21 de diciembre de 2011 , under , , , , |



Nuevo tráiler de Yakuza: Dead Souls

Sega ha publicado un nuevo tráiler de Yakuza: Dead Souls, versión occidental de Yakuza: Of the End que se lanzará en marzo de 2012.

En este juego, tendremos que sobrevivir a las hordas de zombis que están asolando Tokio.

Este vídeo se llama "Mata un zombi" y podéis verlo a continuación:


Yakuza Dead Souls: Como matar a un zombi.




**ARTICULO PATROCINADO**
Contenido integro de este artículo, fotografías y videos extraídos íntegramente de la Web: http://www.vandal.net/

Videos// Youtube
Images:// Google

Tres 'hackers' logran acceder a la PlayBook de RIM

Posted by admin on sábado, 17 de diciembre de 2011 , under , , , , , |



SEGURIDAD
Brecha en el sistema



Tres 'hackers' logran acceder a la PlayBook de RIM

Actualizado jueves 01/12/2011 12:09 horasDisminuye el tamaño del textoAumenta el tamaño del textoTres 'hackers' aseguran haber aprovechado una brecha en el sistema de la tableta PlayBook, de Research In Motion, para tener acceso al aparato como administradores. Esto podría dañar la reputación en cuanto a seguridad que se había ganado RIM.

Cuando un usuario tiene acceso como administrador del dispositivo, tiene permiso para alterar cualquier archivo, programa y controlar funciones de 'hardware' del mismo.

Los 'hackers', que se han identificado como 'xpvqs', 'neuralic' y 'Chris Wade', planean liberar la información como una herramienta llamada DingleBerry dentro de una semana.

RIM ha comentado que está investigando las declaraciones y, que si se confirma la liberación de información, entregará un parche para cerrar la brecha.

Los sistemas operativos iOs de Apple y Android de Google sufren ataques de este tipo de manera frecuente, pero las brechas de 'software' en RIM son menos usuales.

PlayBook se convirtió en la primera tableta con certificado de seguridad que la aprueba para ser utilizada por el Gobierno estadounidense. La tableta de la compañía canadiense usa un sistema operativo diferente al utilizado por las BlackBerry.

En un video publicado en YouTube, 'Wade' hace una demostración de la herramienta DingleBerry, que permite a PlayBook acceder al servicio de videos en Internet Hulu, que actualmente no está disponible en la tableta.



Dingleberry enabling Hulu on playbook 


También 'Neuralic', en un segundo video, introduce comandos en un ordenador que le permiten controlar la intensidad de la luz del dispositivo.


Root access on the BlackBerry PlayBook







Contenido integro de este artículo, fotografías y videos extraídos íntegramente de la Web: http://www.elmundo.es

Video// Youtube

Resurrection, New Mexico : The Game

Posted by admin on viernes, 16 de diciembre de 2011 , under , , , , , , |



Resurrection, New Mexico


Stranded in a dusty, limbo-like town, a freaky sheriff marching around, a little girl running around the streets, and mysterious messages telling you to stay in your hotel room. This sure is a strange part of Resurrection, New Mexico, especially when you consider the bricked-up wall with Native American symbols preventing your escape! Time to explore a bit and find a way out. This puzzle-filled hidden object adventure game from Media Art, creator of Love Story: The Beach Cottage, has a vibe that sits somewhere between an old western tale and an episode of the X-Files. Only, you know, with more ballerinas and serpent/dragon tails slithering about!



It really bites when you miss your daughter's dance recital. What's even worse is the car accident you get into on the way there. What's even worse than that is the strange hotel room you wake up in and doors that board themselves up when you walk near! As journalist Amy Walters, you're not about to sit on your hands while your daughter needs you, so you break free and start your search, sifting through clues and talking to the unusual inhabitants of this strange town.

As hybrid games of this nature go, Resurrection, New Mexico falls right in the middle of the casual adventure/hidden object category. You'll travel through the more "abandoned" side of Resurrection, talking to people and gathering items you happen to see laying around. You have a bit of freedom to roam where you please, but puzzles that require certain items to complete block your progress, so there's a definite order to things. Hidden object scenes serve up small lists of items to find, and when you're done, you'll get something new to hold onto. Your inventory is where most puzzles take place, so keep an eye on it and try using items whenever you get stuck.




Analysis:

Resurrection, New Mexico walks the tested line of hidden object/casual adventure hybrid games without leaning to either side. It's exactly in the middle of the road, offering few deviations from the formula, which could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your tastes. The puzzles are largely inventory-based and thankfully trend towards the logical, though anyone who tries fixing pliers with tape will learn a quick lesson in durability!

Resurrection, New Mexico requires a lot of searching, clicking, and, well, guesswork. If the generous hint button wasn't there, you might often lose your way because of a randomly missed fold on a piece of paper or an unusual spot on the wall. Sparkles gently guide your eye to certain places, but there's always something else to find by moving the cursor around and clicking when it changes to a hand. Trial and error are often effective as a brute force tactic, so whether or not you notice the little details usually doesn't matter!

One peculiar omission from Resurrection is voice acting. While most casual adventure games seem inclined to include it, developer Media Art decided text was enough, leaving you to read the game's sparse dialogue on your own. While some players prefer a little aural flavoring, others would rather have silence instead of half-baked actors stiffly reading lines. We're going to call the lack of voiced characters a good thing!
It's a bit quirky in the setting, writing, and presentations areas, but Resurrection, New Mexico still delivers a thoroughly engaging hidden object adventure experience!




**ARTICULO PATROCINADO**



 Video// You tube


Article,photographs and video taken entirely from the web http://jayisgames.com/

Ezio y Altarir con aerógrafo

Posted by admin on sábado, 10 de diciembre de 2011 , under , , , |



Ezio y Altarir con aerógrafo

In honor of Ezio's final journey and the release of 'Revelations' i wanted to create an airbrush art piece inspired by the amazing game 'Assassin's Creed


La artista Sam “Bogies” Boeger es una experta en pintar con aire comprimido, como demuestran los excelentes trabajos que podéis ver en su página web. Su última obra ha sido dedicada a la saga Assassin’s Creed, y muestra a Ezio y Altair con un gran nivel de detalle.


En el vídeo podéis ver como ha ido evolucionando la ilustración, y cómo es el trabajo con esta peculiar técnica pictórica.











Contenido integro de este artículo, fotografías y videos extraídos íntegramente de la Web: http://www.pixfans.com
Video// Youtube 

How BioShock Infinite will be prescient – interview with Ken Levine

Posted by admin on miércoles, 7 de diciembre de 2011 , under , , , , |



How BioShock Infinite will be prescient – interview with Ken Levine

The game's creative director and head writer, Ken Levine, explains the philosophy and politics behind this shooter




Ken Levine: 'BioShock Infinite is a story that’s much more dynamic'

It's a strange sensation, preparing for an interview with Ken Levine. Whereas most interviews with developers in the gaming industry usually revolve around game mechanics and technological innovations, the questions aimed at Irrational's creative director usually involve the story for his new game BioShock Infinite. Levine's last game, you see, used high-end literature as source material and immersed players in a world that posed political, philosophical and social questions, while bombarding the player with bullets and boss battles.

BioShock, was one of the best games in the year it was released. In it players took on the role of the only survivor of a plane crash in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean who found himself transported to the undersea city of Rapture. There, they found a society founded on the Objectivist worldview of an industrialist named Andrew Ryan, which had torn itself apart through addiction and madness. BioShock's story was based on Ayn Rand's novel, Atlas Shrugged, but it drew on her philosophies for a lot of its narrative thrust and built a convincing argument against them. In this commentator's opinion, it's the best story told in gaming in the last decade.

Levine's newest project, BioShock Infinite has already started tongues wagging in the gaming community. It's the story of an ex-Pinkerton detective named Booker DeWitt and his quest to save a mysterious woman named Elizabeth in a floating city called Columbia. Built as a monument to American superior know-how, Columbia is a city at war with itself, with the left-leaning Vox Populi group squaring off against the nationalist Founder faction. DeWitt and Elizabeth are caught between the two in their attempts to escape the city, as well as the attentions of a terrifying beast called Song Bird.

It all sounds impressively tantalising, but as Levine points out, BioShock Infinite's story isn't the only aspect of his game that is bursting with ideas.

How close to conclusion is BioShock Infinite's development cycle?
All we've said so far is that it's coming out next year.

So you can't tell us whether it's been topped and tailed in terms of its plot or its gameplay?
(Laughs) No, no, no! We're deep into it, is what I'll say. Very, very deep into it.

So when did the ideas and the creative sessions for BioShock Infinite start percolating?
Basically around February of 2008. We really struggled for about six months after BioShock to figure out what was next for us as a company. We prototyped a few things and we weren't very happy with a lot of things that we were working on. It was sort of unintuitive to take BioShock and do something really different with it, although that's the most natural thing people think about when they think about a sequel. Once we had the idea for it we became incredibly excited and started running with it.

The first thing we came up with was the time period. Then everything followed that – the city in the sky came soon after and then much, much later came the concept of Columbia and the conception of American exceptionalism.

When we started, a lot of the artists on the game were reading a book called The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson, which is about the building of the 1893 World Fair in Chicago. They turned me on to that and we became really drawn to that period. I felt that book did a really great job of giving a feel for what was happening in the USA at the time and we drew a lot of inspiration from that.



You said in an interview that BioShock is the story of Andrew Ryan, a man who asks, "is a man not entitled to the sweat from his brow". Is there a similar character or central belief system you would say that dominates BioShock Infinite in the same way?

You know, there are several characters that exert a massive influence on BioShock Infinite. There's Comstock, who is the leader of the Founders, and Daisy Fitzroy, who is the leader of the Vox Populi rebel movement in the city. We haven't said too much about those two characters yet, though, I think primarily, because a lot of that space is filled up by Booker and Elizabeth. [In BioShock] we didn't have a character who had a personality or spoke and he certainly didn't have someone walking with him with a driving narrative.

In Infinite, Booker and Elizabeth are trapped between larger forces. But more than that, they're the catalyst for the growth of the conflict that happens in Columbia. In BioShock, when the player arrives, the party's already over and you're looking at the remnants. In Columbia, it's fairly stable when you arrive. It has a lot of underlying problems that are very easily brought to the surface; you saving Elizabeth from captivity acts as the catalyst that sets everything in motion and causes a lot of the conflict in the city. When the player arrives, the Vox Populi are just a rag-tag band of people and it's your and Elizabeth's actions that put them in a position where they can take on the Founders.

Can we go in to any further detail on that?
(Laughs) No, but the really important thing here is that BioShock Infinite is a story that's much more dynamic. As you take action you'll see the changes that Booker and Elizabeth bring to the world.

There was a hint of that in the demo at E3. As Elizabeth and Booker were walking around Columbia, the Vox Populi were attacking people, and a couple of them hurled insults at the player. Are you saying that if you attack one of them you can strange the structure of a level somewhat?
Look, there's content on that level and some of that content would change obviously. There's a part where one of the Vox Populi pushes a guy down the stairs. If you put a bullet in him before that happens, that part would change. The guy won't get pushed down the stairs and you'll end up in a fight with some other members of the Vox Populi.

There's also moment where one guy squares up to you and threatens Elizabeth [in the same level] and you put your gun on him and he gives you the finger and walks off. Brilliant voice actor, by the way, who plays that part. It was me!

Really? It didn't sound like you.
Yeah. They modified my voice.




That would be your Hitchcock moment then?
That's right! I always make one small appearance.
Anyway, you never know exactly how things are going to go in the game. There are a lot of characters in the game that you'll have to walk the line with. They might not be attacking you immediately, but you might be getting set up for something really bad.

You won't always know how to react to characters in your environment and I think that's a pretty interesting dynamic that you don't see a lot in shooters. Usually, in shooters, you see someone and you shoot them before they shoot you.

It's a dynamic we had in BioShock to some degree with the Big Daddys and Little Sisters. We wanted a scenario where the player would go "okay, how do I approach this?" There's a bit of education you need for that. When we were working on BioShock, the first people we gave a controller to acted the same way any gamer would act when they first saw a Big Daddy in a game: they started shooting at it. We had to very carefully make clear that wasn't the best way to deal with a Big Daddy; the gameplay was all about setting up for that big fight rather than just going in guns blazing.

We had to educate people a lot, which is counter-intuitive to the real world because, for example, you don't have to educate people in the real world not to shoot their neighbours … generally. You'd hope. But there are some things that are intuitive in games that are counter-intuitive in real life and vice versa.

So do you think a lot of the heavy lifting in BioShock Infinite with regards to that aspect has been done by BioShock?
No. I don't think you can ever assume that. People forget; they're not seeing a Big Daddy in the new game so they won't immediately make that connection. I think for some of the hardcore fans – if they're really tuned in to what we're doing with the previews – maybe that would be true. But as a developer you can never count on that.

American hegemony is a driving theme in BioShock Infinite. Is there much of an overlap with that and the objectivism that informed the world in BioShock?
I don't think I agree with that. Objectivism wasn't necessarily attached to the United States in any particular way except that Ayn Rand happened to live there and it matched, as close as it could at the time, her principles and her philosophy. She was very unhappy with a lot of things, though – the New Deal for example is something she found utterly repulsive.

I think all philosophies, when they're taken to an extreme and are embraced by people who have shut out reality because it contradicts their beliefs, pose a very significant threat. It becomes a case where you're not sure who's running the show here. Is it the philosophy or the world? You see it in a lot of systems. Take the Stalinist system, for example: when reality didn't contort to fit with a worldview, that meant reality had to change. People had to be taken out of pictures and history rewritten to block them out completely.

In some ways BioShock Infinite seems weirdly prescient. The Founders almost sound like the Tea Party politicians in the States with the Vox Populi taking the part of the Occupy movement.
I think as a very amateur student of history, though, you understand that these sorts of movements are very common. There have been dozens and dozens of these kinds of movements over the course of history. I mean, look at the turn of the century. In 1894, anarchists assassinated a French president. The US president McKinley was assassinated in 1901. In 1900 the Italian king was assassinated. Then, of course, you have Archduke Ferdinand assassinated in 1914 and we all know what happened after that.

You have these movements throughout history like the hard left Baader-Meinhof group or extreme nationalist like the John Birch Society or the Know Nothings in the 1800s. You have nationalist verses internationalist as a theme come up over and over again and I'm not surprise, given the current economic climate, that it's happening again now. Hopefully it won't get as extreme as what happens in Infinite. But the roots are there in any sort of crisis where people try to express their anger at a situation.

Given that the driving force behind Columbia in BioShock Infinite is American nationalism, how would a faction like the Vox Populi rise up? Wouldn't they have been ultra-nationalists to begin with?

Well, generally, when you have a push towards one extreme, that's going to have an affect on people that aren't part of that extreme. You'll create a situation where there are affluent native-borns who will start saying that they're what you have to be to have a real place in society. Naturally, those people who aren't like that will start getting frustrated.

In Columbia, when you arrive, a lot of those seeds are there. Booker and Elizabeth accelerate the conflict with their actions. I'm not going to go into too much detail about that, though. But take a look at one example in the form of the Baader-Meinhof group in Germany. That started off as a student protest against the Shah of Iran visiting West Berlin where one of the students was killed by the authorities. Then the students reacted, then the government reacted and one reaction provokes another and suddenly everyone's initial positions have become obscured. It almost becomes like a pendulum affect.




Did you plan BioShock Infinite and BioShock to be a way to examine the flaws in belief systems and political movements?
I think we're really fascinated by unintended consequences and good intentions that go haywire. You see that on a small scale in the demo where she tries to use her powers to revive a horse the results are catastrophic. Even the best intentions can have horrible results. I think that's a key theme in the franchise really.

Andrew Ryan had this great idea right? A man's entitled to the sweat from his brow – who would argue with that? But then you take that idea and extend it and you wind up in Rapture. What I tried to do, having read Ayn Rand, was to create Galt's Gulch and stick real people in it. Rand populated Galt's Gulch with perfect people.

Of course they all got on and their philosophy worked perfectly because only one person was setting the rules – her! I wanted to look at a scenario where nature set the rules and people's personalities set the rules and I think in that instance, you'd end up with something that looks more like Rapture. The more utopian you get and the more you follow a particular ideology, which can't bend to reality, the more fragile a social system becomes.

So are your games an indictment of dogmatically held beliefs?
I wouldn't say they're an indictment. I think BioShock and BioShock Infinite are more a reflection of my own ambivalence about people's certainties. I don't feel very certain about a lot of things – particularly in the political spectrum. The older I get the less I know and the less certainty I have. I think these characters such as Booker and Elizabeth and even Jack in the first BioShock are avatars of my own certainty in that they're people who are stuck in the middle of these very rigid elements and they become crushed. They can't really turn to either side and they don't really have a place in those systems.

And yet they have the biggest impact on the worlds they are thrust into.
Well, I think the people who have the biggest impact in societies are people who have the most flexibility.
The very nature of science, for example, is flexibility – it's the data that drives you. I think that's why science has had such an impact socially over the last 200 years – by that I mean the scientific method, which welcomes uncertainty and welcomes the unknown.

The scientific method is a way of structuring uncertainty in a way that makes it more palatable and understandable. You're telling people something quite counter-intuitive. It's okay to not know. It's better not to know than to think you do know and you're wrong. That's why the scientific method is, way more than any particular discovery in science, the most important scientific discovery because it gave the framework on how to pursue questions.

Take that away and everything collapses.


**ARTICULO PATROCINADO**



Video// You tube
Article,photographs and video taken entirely from the web