Takeshi's Challenge, Spec Ops and what Video Games give.

For those who don't know the first game in the title, its an old NES game created by Taito with the help of comedian-turned actor Takeshi Kitano, who actually actively took part in the game's development. Something like this was rare back in the day as even though there were games that bear the names of Japanese celebrities, most didn't take part in the game's development beyond lending the name. And such a decision was....Well, let's just say that here's a fun fact: He apparently HATED video games. And whist discussing ideas for the game, he was drunk.

The game's plot is about a salaryman who seeks treasure on an island. Possible events in the game include fighting(Or running away from) the yakuza, divorcing /your/ wife and dying from punching the guard on the password screen. There were also some tasks needed to be completed unconventionally such as leaving the controller untouched for an hour.

The game itself was very difficult to complete due to the very specific and unorthodox feats demanded. And in the end what was the reward given?

A black end game screen. It would also have the word 'Congratulations' written on it. 

Some might not see the big deal if one looks online at the kinds of things needed to be done to complete it and the effort, it would probably make one go mad with rage.

And just to add salt to the wound, if the player chooses to leave the screen alone for 5 minutes(Either out of choice or sheer bewilderment), another message appears and says:

It's a fan translation, but it's not fair from the actual message.

You work so hard and tank through all that just to get....An ending like this.

But then what if that's the point? What if that's what Kitano was trying to convey on his thoughts of video games? That they were nothing but time wasters in which the reward was nothing tangible or meaningful. Thinking about it, would he be wrong to say that?

Playing a game, you do the various tasks it requires you with the mechanics given. Sure, you'll gain skill in playing the game and be better at it, but what else? At most it would give you a virtual reward such as a congratulatory message for saving the 'world' or some such. Nothing much you can really carry or apply into the real world. 

Then again, the game itself is pretty dated, so could the rather bitter message by Kitano be as well?

For the most part, it still stands. But then there are some games of recent memory that seem to use the same method as Kitano did(I.E using the game to send a message) in order to make it something more.

Spec Ops: The Line was a third-person shooter where by the player takes control of a Captain by the name of Martin Walker. As much as it may seem like a run-of-the-mill military shooter, it later unveils itself as a journey into the unsightly side of military life as we follow Walker's decent into madness.

Sadly, I only have second-hand experience with the game. But from what I could infer, it managed to criticize modern military shooter games and how the glorification of what soldiers actually face is actually that isn't really right.

Such games provide a perspective and let us think. The game attempts to makes us contemplate on a subject matter. In my perception, such a game like this is a useful tool for a parent in the military who wants to educate their teenage or young adult sons on the actual risks and how it might not be as 'heroic' as it seems at times. How many games have managed that?

Another example would be Telltale's episodic The Walking Dead series. Taking place in a zombie apocalypse, the game puts the player in the shoes of whoever is the protagonist of the season as they meet up with and gather survivors. 

As much as the characters and settings are fictional, the moral dilemmas within makes a person invested and tests their moral compass. Discussions of decisions made in the game could possibly show a person's way of thinking and their rationalization for making that choice.  

As rare as it might be, I would love to see more games provide something for people to think and bring into the 'outside' world. As a medium of interactivity, video games are powerful since they pass decision making to the player and show them the results of their choice.

Game Review:Metal Slug Defense

For those who don't know, I'm currently enlisted in the army due to conscription. What better time to talk about a game with a military theme, eh?

Metal Slug is a series of primarily run and gun games that were pretty popular in arcades. The games focused on the exploits of the Peregrine Falcon Squad and their battle against forces that desire world domination, such as a rebel army and aliens(Specifically referred to as Martians or Mars People). The series has spin-off games as well and we're going to look at one of them since I've been spending some time on it.

Metal Slug Defense is a tower(?) defense game on smartphones that recycles the sprites of existing games. The main 'story' involves General Morden, the recurring antagonist of the series, planning a coup d'état (again), with the assistance of Martians and causing incidents about the world. The military sends its forces around the world to stop them.

Example of a stage being played

The game's levels are split into areas, with stages that can be played in any order. Though most tower defense games have the objective being to survive wave after wave of enemies, the objective of the stages in MSD's main game is to destroy the enemy's base. This is done by creating units of your own with AP points that's built up automatically. The maximum amount and rate of build up can be increased by spending some AP. The units created can execute special attacks or functions when the bar below them is filled and they are tapped.

Before battles, items can be used to provide support or boosts, such as a satellite that assists in attacking or increasing the rewards after the stage. There are also Prisoners of War that are hidden and appear randomly in the stages. Rescuing all the prisoners in an area provides a reward, granting a degree of replayability.

After each stage, players earn MSP, which can be used to upgrade the units or upgrade the 'base'(Player aspects), examples being  AP generation rate, Unit Production Rate and MSP gain.

Besides the main game, there is also a 'Mission' mode, whereby there will be presets provided and an objective given such as surviving or destroying the enemy base in a certain amount of time.

Medals are the premium currency of the game, which can be earned by clearing a 'World', finishing certain missions or purchased via real world currency. They are used to purchase items ,new units and to increase the upgrade limit for units.

At first glance one might suspect this to be a simple cash in on the Metal Slug brand, but the game provides more depth as it goes on. Units have their specialties in battle, some better at being in the front lines soaking damage while others back up with powerful fire support. This degree of depth is better displayed in the 'Mission' mode. As Missions go on, they will demand the player to utilize fully the abilities of the provided unit(s).

The user interface is responsive enough and the game provides a fast forward function for those who want the stage to go faster if they feel they can complete it or they already know how to and just want to speed up the process.

DAAAWWW(Death SFX of Marco, one of the characters. We're talking about the game's flaws now.)

The balancing of the game needs work as some units cost of purchase don't seem to match up that well with their in-game efficiency. For example: A unit that costs around 150 or so medals can out perform and be more efficient than one that costs 280 considering the 'cooldown time' and AP cost of the units.

Another issue of balance is the stages themselves. After selecting a stage, they would state the stage's difficulty, but it is very subjective.There would be some points where it feels that a player must have a certain criteria met in order to progress.

Because some character sprites are small and the stage map moves when you sweep, it can be very easy to accidentally move the map and disorient yourself, wasting vital seconds.

The game feels like it deserves a 6.5/10. If you were to remove the Metal Slug IP and replace it with something else, I would still say the game is worth a good amount of one's time. One's money, on the other hand, is a question that is subjective, since it does feel like the purchase of one or two units from the Medals earned freely can carry a player for a very long time.