Patches v1.3 – Games used to be better
By Eric Barrett
“Games used to be better”
Have you ever heard the phrase, “games used to be better when I was growing up”? Or “I liked games better back X number of years ago.” Next to the word “Noob” these are probably the most common things that gamers say.
And I’d bet that if you’ve spent any significant time playing video games, you’ve probably had those thoughts as well. All gamers have these thoughts – especially after you’ve played your 23rd consecutive crappy game. It’s hard not to remember the “good old days”, even if you’re only 17.
Heck it’s difficult to not say those things when you’re a grizzled gaming veteran like 
myself. Why I remember the good old days of playing on the Atari 2600. Back when controllers only came with one button. There was none of this, “dual shock” mumbo jumbo. And we liked it that way! Of course, some people are more grizzled than myself – to them I grew up in the “spoiled” times of gaming, where I played games that didn’t require a paper and pen. When they wanted to play computer games they had to get out two chunks of wood and bat a golf ball around. Or something.
By complaining unnecessarily about the mythical “past”, I think we do ourselves, our memories, and our games a disservice. In many ways, games are vastly superior to what they used to be. Graphics, audio, writing, stories, complexity, almost all of those are always better in today’s games than they were 10 or 15 years ago. Heck, even 5 years ago. Remember those “revolutionary” graphics of Final Fantasy VII? Have you played the game recently? They aren’t so revolutionary anymore. That’s the fundamental nature of technology – it is always improving. Always.
So why do people make these statements? Well I think there are several reasons behind it.
First, it’s easier to remember the past fondly. We tend to gloss over the crummy games (ET for the Atari) and remember the great games (Asteroids for the Atari). Who wants to waste time remembering the bad games? If I think about all the games I’ve played the first games to pop into my head are almost always the “Great” games. Pac-Man, Metroid, Zelda, Final Fantasy (basically all of them), Half Life, and the list goes on.
So at first glance it really does feel like all the good games were in the past. But if I spend a little bit of time thinking about games, I start thinking about all the crummy games I’ve wasted hours of my life on. Ghostbusters, Klingon Honor Guard, 
Anachronox, etc… It becomes pretty obvious that for every good game in the past, there were bad games.
Secondly, we tend to remember games fondly that were a novelty when we first played them. The reason I think Civilization was WAY better than Civilization 2 or 3 is because Civilization marked the first time I was exposed to that style of gameplay. I had no idea you could play a game like that until Sid Meier brought me (although not personally) the game Civilization.
Tying into the concept of novelty the concept of distinctiveness. The first time you are exposed to something is typically a very distinctive experience. Research has shown that the more distinctive an experience the easier it is to remember. Sure Civ 2 and Civ 3 were good games, but I had already “done that before.” So the experience is less distinctive, and therefore harder for me to recall.
Playing Civilization was a revolutionary experience that I’ll never be able to have again. Sure I might experience revolutionary gameplay again, but to me there will never be a command and conquer-style game that will be as enjoyable as Civilization. So with each passing game in that genre, I am less likely to think a new game is as great as the “original”.
Third, memory is affected by the “depth” of the processing. In other words, the more you play something – the more you experience something – the more you think about something – the more “deeply” you process that experience. For video games, this means that the more you’ve played a game the more you’ve processed it. And thus, the more it’s remembered.
This is why it’s often easier to remember those great games. We’ve spent a lot of time playing them and thinking about them. In contrast, we probably turn off the bad games in the first few hours, if not the first few minutes.
One thing to remember is that each of these reasons I’ve outlined can be overpowered by one another. Just because something is a novelty doesn’t mean you’ll remember it as “better” if it wasn’t very distinctive. Similarly, if something was distinctive, but you only played it for a few hours – 10 years ago, it probably wasn’t too “deeply” processesed. As you can see, there is a lot of wiggle room in how we remember things. And that’s partially what allows people to constantly say, “games were better” in the past. They are rarely challenged on that assertion, because at first glance it appears they are right!
So the next time you start to say that phrase, think about it for a second. And ask yourself, “is it really better?” I think you’ll be surprised by your answer.
Having finally settled upon a name, the “Gaming Column” will henceforth be known as “Patches”. Well, until I can think of something better at any rate. In closing I would like to say that games really were better back in the 90’s.
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March 28, 2005
Still on the Shelf #88 – Flare
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When you take a look at the small/independent press racks, there are some really, really good titles, and then there are some that are simply abysmal. It is the nature of the beast that is the small press- sometimes all it takes is a half-baked idea, a little time and money, and you too can have your own comic book. Problem is, sometimes the reason you haven’t gotten your comic idea published by an existing company is that you really have no business making comics in the first place!
So you have your outstanding, undiscovered talent on the rise, you have your wanna-bes who are really making a comic simply because they can afford to, then you have your entrepreneurial talent – someone with a good idea that doesn’t quite fit the mold of any other publisher out there. In my eyes, these are the true gems of the independent press – while the larger houses do produce good material, typically they follow some very specific formulas – rarely is there anything really truly different.
I think that Heroic Publishing falls into this latter category. I recently had the chance to read the first four issues of the latest volume of Flare. Never heard of it before? Well, neither had I. Nonetheless, Flare has been around in one way, shape, or form since 1988. Flare has had 37 issues over four different volumes, and is four issues into its latest volume, which got started up late last year. Like many independent press books that have persisted this long over the years, there is a small but devout fan following. These people clearly saw something positive about this series, so that is reason enough to at least give it a look!
Cast of Characters
Terri Feran, known as Flare when in the union suit, is the daughter of a superhero during World War II. Called The Kriegerin, Flare’s mother was a German patriot who fought for her homeland against the Allied aggressors. Eventually realizing the evil of the Nazi’s vision, Flare turned against the rulers of her country and joined the Vanguard of Freedom, and helped to destroy the evil that was consuming her country.
Flare and her three siblings, Olga, Tomas, and Phillip were created by a German scientist, who sought to create a race of supermen to exact vengeance on the world for Hitler’s fall. Flare was eventually sent out to destroy the League of Champions. Flare, like her mother, saw the light, and turned against the Nazis who created her.
Flare’s power comes from the light around her. She can absorb and store light energy, which powers her abilities. She can fly, has enhanced strength and durability. She also has photo kinetic powers which allow her to create all forms of light in many imaginative ways. This ability has caused some to refer to her as the Goddess of Dawn.
Olga, called Sparkplug, Flare’s younger sister, has been featured in a short, back-up story in each issue of the current volume. Sparkplug’s powers are similar to Flare’s, except instead of light, Sparkplug can create electrical energy. The have two brothers – Philip, the youngest, a shape shifter, who sadly was killed by Flare after he murdered a member of the League of Champions. Tomas, empowered with super strength, has been missing for some time.
Terri Feran is a one-time jean model, with a good deal of celebrity outside of her hero gig. While there are those that would love to have her return to that life, she has no desire to be looked upon as a sex symbol once again, instead wanting to focus all of her time on keeping the city safe. She is something of a socialite – being very active in the social circuit is very important to her. She also has a fiery temper – she flies off the handle with the slightest provocation – something her opponents have seen time and time again. She has a good heart, though, and doesn’t let her temper cause her to do things she would end up regretting too much.
Thoughts
I think the first thing that came to mind while I was reading Flare was “old school.” Flare seems very much to be written for an audience who read comics in a simpler time, and still kind of have a soft spot for that style of comic writing. Yes, at times, the dialogue is a little bit cheesy, and the plot devices can be somewhat simple, but that actually adds to strengthen the book. There is quite a bit more “sex appeal” than you would find in a comic of decades past – a good amount of partial nudity and sexual innuendo – so while the layout and storytelling style are of an older age, the content really isn’t. So don’t be giving this one to the kiddies!
One thing I found exceptional about this title was the strength of the serial storytelling. I have found myself criticizing the lack of this ability in comic writers today, and it is nice to see that it still exists out there, somewhere. Something a lot of writers forget when they are writing these massive, six-issue storylines is the fact that these issues are bought one at a time. When writing a serial story, it is important to make certain that each and every part can stand on its own, and is interesting not only because it is part of a greater whole, but because it is an entertaining story in of itself. Wilson Hill has shown himself to be the rare master of this concept. Despite the fact that each of the four issues of the latest volume are part of a larger story arc, each one of the issues stands completely on its own. If you pick up any issue, you quickly get a good sense of who each of the important characters are, and what is actually happening in the story. And unlike the drawn out storytelling style that is so popular today, something of worth happens in each and every issue! I am sure you have experienced the frustration waiting a month for the next part of a story, and not feeling like the wait was worth it – that the latest issue was little more than filler. I am a big believer that comic stories with 5 issues of set-up, followed by a payoff issue are inherently weak. They might be a good story if read in a collected format, but it is short-changing the reader of the serial story.
The artwork, thus far, has been a tad bit inconsistent. This can be explained pretty easily, however – there already has been a couple different artists working on the regular storyline, as well as different artists working on the Sparkplug back-up stories. While the work inside each story is generally very good, the art style of the more solid lead story tends to clash a bit with the typically weaker art on the back-ups. I have to say that that the work by Gordon Purcell and Terry Pallot on the first three issues were pretty well spot-on for the look and feel I thought a book like this should have – a more modern look with an “old-school feel.” J. Adam Walters took over the main story with issue 4, and is set to do the next issue. I have to admit I didn’t like his take on the characters quite as much. While the panel-layout is certainly solid, and the character presentation is consistent, I just didn’t like the look he was going for. Particularly how he handled hair – while it is a very “retro” style of art, I felt it took it just a tad too far. The hint of old school in the art was enough for me – I wasn’t looking for total regression! Perhaps it will grow on me by the time next issue rolls around.
The production quality of this book is off the chart. Simply holding an issue of Flare in one hand, and holding an issue of your favorite Marvel book in the other will speak volumes. The Flare issues have actual weight – despite being a standard 32 pages, they have a feeling of substance. The cover and paper are of an appreciable weight, and the print quality is outstanding. No ads either – another big plus. All at $2.99 – keeping the price below that magic $3 mark that usually turns off 90% of the comic buying public.
Bottom Line
It is a good read, and worth asking for next time you are at your comic shop. It is pretty easy to order a copy on the Heroic Publishing website as well – though, I would imagine, as with all independent publishers, they would prefer it if you inquired about it at your local shop first. If the comic stores don’t know people are interested in a book, then they don’t end up ordering any. And since I am all about supporting the small press, any little thing we can do to help out is all the better! Also on the website, a number of preview pages are available, if you would like to get a small taste of Flare before buying. Also, this year Heroic Publishing will have a Free Comic Book Day submission, the Flare portion of which will reprint the Flare story from the second issue of the current volume.
Flare captures a good many things that are missing from comics today. There are a lot of comic writers working on some major titles that could take some very serious lessons from the way that Wilson Hill structures his stories. There is something to be said for a deeper, more mature story, but we have gotten those in comics today at the expense of the format that was most appropriate to the medium. Comics should not only be accessible to those who read on a monthly basis, but also to people who might occasionally pick up an issue of their favorite title. If comics ever want to grow beyond the direct market once again, it needs to find a way to get that back.
Credit Where Credit is Due
Flare is
Written by Wilson Hill
Art by Gordon Purcell, Tery Pallot, and J. Adam Walters,
Colors by Mike Estlick and Tom Luth,
Letters by Albert Deschesne,
Created by Stacy Thain, and
Published by Heroic Publishing
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March 24, 2005
Nancy Drew: Girl Detective #1 Review
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| Papercutz – $7.95 Writer: Stephan Petrucha Art: Sho Murase 3D Elements: Rachel Ito |
Nancy Drew: Girl Detective #1
The Demon of River Heights
Not too long ago I write a pretty long and involved review of the first title out of NBM’s Papercutz division, the brand new Hardy Boys. While I, at first, had a visceral reaction to the issue, having to give it some very serious thought to decide whether or not I liked it, and whether or not it lived up to being a “Hardy Boys book.” While in the end I did decide that it wasn’t as bad as I initially thought, there were still a few things that didn’t sit quite right with me, and in the end I chalked those things up to the evolution of a concept, and me just being a grumpy old man.
I didn’t find I had that problem after reading the very first Nancy Drew graphic novel from Papercutz. The Demon of River Heights, the first in a series of complete digest-sized graphic novels, follows Nancy Drew and her two best friends Bess and George as they try and unravel the strange events surrounding a film project in the woods. After setting a date with the two young filmmakers, Bess is disappointed when the pair don’t show up to meet her at the coffee shop. The three girls return to the woods, and discover the film equipment still set up, but the boys are nowhere to be seen.
I am actually going to start with the art here - a shift from my normal review style since I am generally so story oriented, but when I am this happy with the art of a book done in a Manga-eque style, that is worthy of some serious mention. I did find the art to be a little inconsistent at a few points - almost as if someone else drew the random panel here and there. It was strange, but not overly distracting. The characters have distinct looks, and Murase does a darned good job telling this story. The action is easy to follow, the presentation is good and nothing ever really looks too cluttered. It almost had a darker sort of Archie feel to it at times, which really fit the tone of the story very well. The look is solid, and I think it will go over very well with the target audience. Now unlike the Hardy Boys, which had a traditional background, Nancy Drew #1 did something a little different – Computer Graphics. Rachel Ito handles mostly backgrounds in her CG chores. And while these aren’t as spectacular as something we might see in something like The Symbiotes, they get the job done, and give the book a very deep feel.
Now there was one other aspect of the character presentation I really feel I must comment on - the clothing. In short - Nancy is not dressed like a slut. I know revealing clothing is all the rage with the kids these days, but one of the reasons for that is that they don’t have anyone to look up to that doesn’t dress half-naked on a regular basis. Nancy has no exposed mid-drift - she is wearing a skirt, but it is a long skirt, without her butt hanging out of the bottom. It is refreshing! Mostly when you see things that are geared towards a younger audience, the girls are dressed in the fashion of the day. Nancy Drew always had too much self-respect to dress the way some teenagers dress these days, and I am glad to see that Murase remembered that. Her friends are dressed equally respectfully- even Nancy’s arch nemesis Deirdre Shannon is dressed modestly throughout the book, and she is even on a date! I tell you, I really don’t think I could have taken it if Nancy Drew was dressed like a hoochie.
Yes, as a young reader, I read my fair share of Nancy Drew books. Yes, they were kind of meant for girls, but at that age, I read anything I could get my hands on, and since I loved the Hardy Boys so much, raiding my sister’s Nancy Drew collection was a logical extension of that. Upon reading the Hardy Boys comic for the first time, I was a bit shocked at how different it seemed from what I remembered the books to be like. This Nancy Drew graphic novel felt exactly as I remembered the novels to be, a perfect fit. Nancy wasn’t too preachy - she is the very definition of a “good girl,” but unlike the way the Hardy Boys comic seemed to sling morals to you left and right, Nancy Drew just was as she should be, and if you were going to walk away with a positive message, all you had to do was watch how Nancy acted, not listen to what she told you. The modern tech references were still there, but they weren’t nearly as pervasive as they were in that first issue of the Hardy Boys - and for the most part, all of the tech references involved George, who was the tech-geek of the trio anyway, so they made perfect sense. The characters were even the right age - an aspect of the Hardy Boys book that I didn’t think Lobdell quite got right. Stephan Petrucha nailed these characters, all of them, and perfectly recreated Nancy Drew’s world.
The story itself is a pretty simplistic mystery, but then, none of Nancy Drew’s adventures were ever really that complicated. As these stories are really designed for the younger reader, it makes sense that the story not be overly complex. While the mystery itself isn’t really that difficult to figure out, the journey to the big reveal is indeed a good one, and there is even a nice little twist at the end. Petrucha writes the perfect Nancy Drew story - something a younger reader can be entertained by, while most certainly not talking down to anyone in a more mature age group.
Papercutz has hit an absolute homerun with this book. A manga-style comic digest, something that does appeal to today’s kids, with the proven formula of Nancy Drew, and a stellar job by the book’s creative team. If this book can reach the hands of the right audience easily enough, I think they could have a huge hit on their hands. Check it out for yourself if you ever enjoyed Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys, and if you have kids old enough to read, or know anyone who does, BUY THIS FOR THEM. It has to be one of the very best “All Ages” comics I have read in a long, long time.
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Mora #1 Review
All Beasts Will Show Their Teeth
Image Comics – $2.95
Writer: Paul Harmon
Art: Paul Harmon
This new one from Image was one that I really had only heard of one time prior to picking it up at the recent convention in LA, and I have to be totally honest - I really had almost no interest in it. Being described as the story of the childhood of the world’s most powerful witch, I was turned off right away. What can I say -most books about magical characters don’t appeal to me all that much. The fact that it has been out for around a month and a half now with almost no real buzz made me even less curious about it.
Of course, then I read it, and was pleasantly surprised. The story starts with the actual death of Mora, and an explanation (a vague one) about who she was and why she was important. A pair of narrators, a rabbit and a tortoise (both heavily scarred), take us back in time, explaining the magical nature of beasts, the purpose of witches, and the birth of Mora, a girl named Anandra, and a lion cub, all three who will potentially play a big role in this title as its story unfolds.
The story presentation is really quite unique, and very well done. The pair have very distinct personalities that play off of each other very well. The rabbit is extremely verbose and opinionated, while the tortoise is usually content to agree with what the rabbit has to say, only occasionally interjecting with a suggested topic of conversation. Both are well dressed, with the rabbit adorned in a pin-stripe suit, and the tortoise wearing a scarf, puffing on a pipe, with a manner of speaking that suggests gentlemen of leisure from around a century ago.
This use of narration really helps with the exposition a great deal. Instead of waiting for events to take place to prove to you the motivations of the lead characters, these narrators explain to you right there their thoughts on what just happened - in a clear and smooth manner, it is explained to you who you are supposed to like and pity, who you are supposed to fear and revile, without messy and obvious plot devices that might slow the story down. It is a pretty unique way of telling a story in a comic, and I wouldn’t mind seeing more of it.
The art is a tough thing to judge. It is done in that heavily black and white style coloring that is supposed to accent the use of shadows, but I think ends up in a muddy looking page. The actual drawings beneath look like they are solid - I just feel that this style of coloring really serves to cover up everything that is good about the image itself. Inking and coloring are supposed to enhance the art, not hide it, and I think that is the only real failing of this issue. Still, it is not impossible to see what is going on, and the panel layout itself is solid, so it isn’t a fatal flaw in the book in my eyes. Maybe the art itself would have come out better if it had been painted – the markers just didn’t work for me, though.
I really think this book deserves a look. The second issue isn’t slated to be released until next month, so I do think there is still more than enough time to give this issue a shot. It deserved a lot more attention than it ended up getting when it first came out, I think. If you want to check out Paul Harmon’s website, and see some more of his work, head on over to DogMeatSausage.com. Some interesting stuff can be seen there.
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March 22, 2005
Off the Cuff – #21 – Comic book movies – enough already?
Off the Cuff – Edition 21
By Eric Barrett
Comics, Cartoons, and all things related
*Joss Whedon – who some of you might know as the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer – has been tapped to write and direct the upcoming Wonder Woman movie. Now I don’t know about you, but I’m not sure this was the best choice for a Wonder Woman movie. At the heart of Buffy is a campy, somewhat non-serious, goofy set of characters. It’s not a show I consider to focus a lot on “realism.” On the other hand, Wonder Woman IS a serious character. She’s noble, tough, determined, and honor-driven. To me it doesn’t seem like a good match between director and content.
Now I wrote all of that before I read this, “…but unlike her counterparts Batman and Superman, this ground breaking heroine has yet to be reinvented for the feature file arena.” I don’t know about you, but the word “reinvent” always scares me. It usually means they are planning on changing the fundamental nature of the character.
This quote might also reveal why they chose Whedon – if they are planning on “reinventing” Wonder Woman for the big screen, they might want to take a slightly less serious look at the character. After all, the Wonder Woman character in Justice League Unlimited is pretty angry, and they might want more of a Linda Carter Wonder Woman instead. Just something to think about.
I guess the bottom line is that I think Whedon is a talented writer, I’m just not sure his “style” fits with the Wonder Woman character.
*Oh the irony. The Flash is one of my least favorite characters and yet his movie is probably the one I’m most looking forward to (right after the new Batman movie). If you’ve been reading this column for any length of time you’ve probably noticed that I talk a lot about comic book movies. Well that’s simply because there are so many movies being released right now that are based on comic books. For a while it was exciting. I was looking forward to Spider-Man, I thought Hellboy was a fun movie, I thought Constantine was pretty good. But I avoided Catwoman like the plague. And apparently only one guy, named Earl, saw Elektra. And I live in a constant state of dread regarding the upcoming Fantastic Four movie. (See here and here).
So when I initially heard about the Flash movie I was not enthused. In fact, it was a movie I had every intention of avoiding. However, as I’ve read more about it, I think I’m actually looking forward to this movie. Recent comic book based movies have done either a horrible job with casting, a horrible job with the character, or a horrible job with the story (or in some cases,**cough**Catwoman**cough** all three). My hope is that The Flash will avoid this. In terms of casting, they are talking with Ryan Reynolds, who I can just see as a wise-talking Flash. They’ve also chosen David Goyer to direct the movie (he previously wrote and directed Blade II and Blade: Trinity), which I think has potential to be a good pick. Now we’ll just have to wait and see about the story itself.
So going from no interest, to mild enthusiasm isn’t too bad of a deal.
*Okay, one last comic book movie thought before I move on. Have you also thought that they’ve really been pushing Sin City? It seems everywhere I go there’s a Sin City poster, Sin City ad, Sin City toy, Sin City whatever. That makes me fear for this movie. How many movies have truly survived an over abundance of advertising? The other thing that makes me fear for this movie is the fact that it’s black and white. Hasn’t evolution proven that we have color vision for a reason?
*A few things about anime? If not, maybe you should skip the next few bullet points!
One of the most common themes in anime is the student-teacher conflict. But anime seems to take this to an extreme. They often show a conflict that’s not only combative in nature, but almost hate-filled. In these cartoons, at least some of the teachers are portrayed as consciously working to fail students – and thus get them expelled. It makes me wonder if this is just pandering to the feelings of children who watch the cartoons or if the adversarial relationship is really this bad. After all, who didn’t feel that teachers were “out to get you” when you were in school – even up through college?
We don’t see that type of relationship in American shows. Why is that? Can it really be that much worse in Japan? I sort of think it has to do with the amount of pressure Japanese society places on children in school. I don’t know if this is true or not, but I’d like to find out more.
It is also interesting to note that almost all of these cartoons have at least one teacher/administrator who is firmly on the side of the children.
*I’m saddened that Cartoon Network took both YuYu Hakusho and Ruroni Kenshin off the air. They’ve replaced them with Zatch Bell (jury’s still out) and a second episode of Dragon Ball GT (disappointing). So much for my Saturday Night cartoon lineup…
*Only one more issue for Space Ghost. I love minis because, well, they are short stories. Essentially guaranteeing that I don’t get stuck buying 100 books a month. But at the same time, it’s always sad to see a good title end. And in this case, Space Ghost has been fantastic. It’s been both revolutionary in the way it depicts the character, but also traditional in it’s representation. This mini really reminds me of the cartoon character I grew up watching. That’s why I really hope we get to see an ongoing book featuring Space Ghost’s early career. I haven’t heard anything about this, but there’s always hope I suppose.
*Between Majestic and Space Ghost I feel like I’m reading a lot about big guys in white spandex and capes who fly.
*Top 3 books for March
1. Majestic
2. Space Ghost
3. Green Lantern Rebirth
Again no Marvel titles. Although I’ll have to say, I did enjoy the conclusion to She-Hulk as well as Strange. But not as much as the other three books.
*Well thanks for stopping in here once more. Next week we should have the new Game Column up with it’s official name. So get cracking if you have a submission to make.
The opinions stated in here solely reflect the opinions of the author. If you would like to comment on some of the items in this article, please feel free to post in the forum or send an e-mail. All characters, titles, and etc. are owned and ©; their respective publishers and creators- the author and StillontheShelf.com makes no claim towards them. This column is intended as an opinion piece only. Off the Cuff is ©; Eric Barrett. Please report any broken links!
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