A Decade of Gaming: 2005
By Chris CesaranoSmack in the middle of the decade comes the next generation of game consoles, headed off by Microsoft and the Xbox 360. Meanwhile, critically acclaimed titles release left and right on all platforms only to be ignored commercially. This was a truly good year in games, but no one would remember it as such because the best of the best were often not selling.
Maybe everyone was overcome by excitement of the Xbox 360 and soon-to-follow Playstation 3 and Wii. In fact, this was the year Nintendo unveiled their motion controls, and I still recall my roommates approaching me saying “Nintendo is so dead”. Everyone expected it to be a gimmick that no one would get behind. I had chosen to wait and see, considering the Nintendo DS had more than proved me wrong.
Or maybe this is the year where everyone realized hype was the key to success, not quality. After all, the biggest selling games of the year certainly had enough commercials and advertisements for people to know they were coming. Either way, this was a year full of quality entertainment regardless of sales numbers.
Xbox 360 releases
On paper, the Xbox 360 actually had one of the best launches in history. Or so it seemed. Perfect Dark: Zero and Quake 4 were long awaited titles in the history of gaming, and in addition came Call of Duty 2, Kameo: Elements of Power and Condemned: Criminal Origins. While none of the games are earth-shatteringly terrible, the only one of them to be a truly great title was Call of Duty 2. Kameo and Condemned are both good titles in their own right, but to say Quake 4 and Perfect Dark: Zero were disappointments is a massive understatement. Still, three out of five is pretty good for any launch.
Microsoft had also made big promises that it was slowly delivering on. There was much more to see on Xbox Live than a friends list this time. A real operating system and user interface populated the console, filled with areas that highlighted downloaded game content, video and music media and the online marketplace. Inviting friends into a game to play was quick and easy, involving just a few quick steps to pull them in. Xbox Live wasn’t just a name for “online play”, it was its own ideology for Microsoft to follow.
Unfortunately some of the promises never made it into the final product. E3 2005 Microsoft had stated the Marketplace would be somewhere users could distribute and even sell their own content. From in-game maps to t-shirts you designed, the user would always be at the center of each Xbox Live feature. While this concept never came to fruition in full, the Indie Arcade is still a testament to user-built content.
Of course, the Xbox 360 cannot be mentioned without also discussing the Red Ring of Death. In order to rush the console onto market Microsoft had taken shortcuts in their product development, causing chips to burn out and fail frequently. Anyone who bought a system within the first year or two were guaranteed to lose their system within three years of purchase. Many have burned through multiple consoles that kept breaking down due to simple manufacturing shortcuts. However, just the same as the Playstation 2, despite all these technical problems users were still willing to drop the cash for a new one. Fortunately Microsoft has since learned their lesson, extending the warranty and building their consoles properly.
WARNING: Coffee May Be Hot
The Hot Coffee mod. Everyone’s favorite controversy that really wasn’t a big deal. Originally Rockstar planned to have a sex mini-game in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, but chose not to include it at the last minute. Instead of scrapping all of the code that went with it they set it to never activate. However, clever programmers working in their mother’s basement or for cheat-code factory Action Replay discovered a tiny hack that allowed players to give the mode a whirl.
Naturally, someone discovers this mod and starts to chew Rockstar out for it, turning it into a true Media Circus. After all, there is no way your fourteen year old son who is too young for Grand Theft Auto to begin with has sought out pornography on the Internet. You know, with real live women. He’s a good little boy that is being corrupted by that cruel harmful world out there.
The real controversy for gamers wasn’t even the rage against the sex game. It was the idea that Rockstar should be forced to recall a product where the Hot Coffee mod is technically not accessible. In order to see it you have to know it is there in the first place. Sure, once word spreads kids are going to rush to grab an Action Replay or download the mod, but word wouldn’t have spread nearly so fast if it weren’t for the media making a big deal out of it to begin with. It’s like trying to put out a forest fire by spraying the contents of an oxygen tank into it. You’re not fixing it, you’re making it worse.
Ultimately the game was re-labeled as Adults Only, even though the content could not be reached by playing the game as developers intended. While Rockstar should have known better than to take the easy way out, the action felt as if it was setting a bad precedent for the future. What was next? User made character skins that displayed characters as nude having an effect on a game’s rating as well?
On the other hand, Rockstar could have left it all in intentionally just to generate more sales. But that’s a conspiracy theory and I try to stay away from that stuff.
Swingin’ Ape Studios Swallowed by Blizzard
The epic saga continues. In 2005 Swingin’ Ape Studios was bought out by Blizzard to complete Starcraft: Ghost. See, the original developer Pandemic wasn’t working well with Blizzard and so they separated. When Blizzard announced the developers of Metal Arms: Glitch in the System were taking charge of the project I was ecstatic. After all, I was a big fan of Metal Arms and now they’re working for a successful company with a good track record and a lot of money. There’s no way this could go wrong!
Oh, how naïve I was…
Resident Evil 4
Capcom was doing something no one had expected of them at the time. They were taking a successful franchise and…changing it? While they had made small modifications to franchises before (Mega Man to Mega Man X, for example), they were best known for finding a formula and sticking with it. Yet here they were taking one of their most successful franchises and completely reworking it. Most of all, the game wouldn’t even involve series antagonist Umbrella Corporation, a story that was starting to become way too convoluted to even be amusingly stupid. It was just plain dumb, now.
Originally moving to a more combat oriented system was cause for concern among series fans. After all, puzzles were one of the real trademarks of the game, as well as non-linear play. No one wanted to play a Resident Evil game that was all about running and gunning. Yet even then Resident Evil 4 didn’t disappoint. The series was all about suspense, and what greater suspense than having large numbers of foes coming from all directions?
Resident Evil 4 is anything but an accessible game. While the first five minutes it allows you to get used to the controls, the minute you enter the now trademark village you are taught just how different this game is. Even most seasoned gamers were unable to survive the first try or two. It was a harsh lesson, but instead of wasting half an hour to slowly teach you all the new features in the game, they dropped you into the lion’s den to learn on your own. Barricade doors, keep your eyes on the windows and always be on the move. That is, unless you can find a corner in just the right spot.
While some may consider it too harsh, it only made the experience that much more invigorating. You may have a gun, but these peasants had numbers and home field advantage. You didn’t feel like a one man army. You couldn’t survive just running and gunning (partly because you had to stand still in order to shoot). You had to use the environment and you had to do so effectively.
In addition to such combat, Resident Evil 4 also introduced the first game with a competent escort system. Considering that a good percentage of the adventure had you guarding the President’s daughter, Capcom needed to make sure she wasn’t going to get herself killed. She always stuck close, would duck if you aimed anywhere near her, and could always be dropped into a dumpster to hide if need be. While many players still complain about “how annoying she was”, they never consider how her inclusion had increased suspense to the game. Nor do they think of how well you can continue to perform despite her presence, unlike most escort missions where characters all over the place as easy isolated targets.
While it was disappointing to see the puzzles from the franchise have lesser importance and a more linear approach taken, the elements were still present enough to keep it feeling like a Resident Evil title. The combat and controls were greatly improved, foes were numerous and threatening, bosses were huge and took time and thinking to knock down, and Ashley was not a complete idiot of a character. The only problem with the game were the occasional Quick Time Events, but they made up a small enough chunk of the game that they could be forgiven.
This is nothing to say of all of the extra features, such as Mercenaries mode and the shooting gallery to unlock trophies. Or even the iconic Merchant. To many, Resident Evil 4 is not only the game of the previous generation, it is the game of the decade. Honestly, it’s tough to argue against it. It stands out as one of the most unique titles, is incredibly well-polished, has a decently long play-time, is loaded with varied gameplay, environments and foes and never gets old. It felt like you got your fifty dollars worth. It’s the sort of quality each company ought to strive for.
Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath
Lorne Lanning, creator and founder of Oddworld Inhabitants, was disappointing quite a few fans of the Oddworld series this generation. Oddworld: Munch’s Oddyssey was a major disappointment to most fans, and instead of delivering a proper sequel to Abe’s Exodus he presented them with Stranger’s Wrath. Already a series that is commercially challenged, the title didn’t sell well and Lorne Lanning chose to step back from game development, leaving gamers such as myself just a little bit more disheartened.
Stranger’s Wrath was a combination of first-person shooter and platformer, though it felt like neither. You played as a bounty hunter named Stragner out to capture criminals in a Western style atmosphere, though a few plot twists would eventually roll around and reveal a bit more epic scale to the story. Your weapon was a crossbow capable of firing two types of weapons that offered differing effects. The general idea wasn’t to kill opponents, but to knock them unconscious enough to bag ‘em and tag ‘em, garnering a higher reward. Tall grass could be used for cover and ammunition was often provided by living creatures.
Even weaponry that simulated common ones, such as the bees firing off like a machine gun, felt unique in comparison to any other game. Using the right combination of ammunition would also result in better “hunting” strategies, allowing players to experiment and determine clever ways to trap and tag villains for higher reward. There were critters that offered as a distraction, bringing a foe right where you wanted them so you could launch any ideal weapon to knock them out.
Unfortunately, the game is such a commercial failure that it was never even added to the Xbox 360 backwards compatibility list. Yet do not despair! It has been announced to release in a package deal and individually on PC soon, so anyone that missed or wants to play it again will be able to give it a go. As for what is next from Oddworld Inhabitants, Lorne Lanning has been at work on a film and game entitled Citizen Siege for a while now. With luck, that will spark a new interest in the company and help generate a greater series of creative titles that the industry desperately needs more of. That is, if it ever comes out.
God of War
Can I be honest with you? I’ve never really gotten into God of War. I didn’t get to play it until the past few years, but I managed to play some games I didn’t even realize were literally clones of the game. I was actually really surprised at how well a game like Conan replicated the feeling of slow-movement and heavy bludgeoning impacts when I finally did get to play God of War.
Yet no clone is the same as the first, and I could see where God of War held more polish and bigger boss battles. In fact, I imagine that’s what was the catch. Not only the bloody combat but the large scale villains you have to take down. I get it, the game is cinematic as well. Yet I never really felt the need to play it for hours on end, nor did I wake up the next day thinking “man, I really want to play God of War”.
Whatever charm there is to the gameplay, I have missed it. I can only imagine that it is the game’s presentation that has pulled in players everywhere, turning its third entry into one of the most highly anticipated titles for the Playstation 3.
So if I don’t get it, why is it on my list? Well, simple. The one thing that’s made a huge impact on the industry is the attempt at cinematic gameplay via Quick Time Events. You already know my feelings on Quick Time Events, and God of War is one of the titles to blame. So is Resident Evil 4, but the mechanic didn’t hold nearly as much of an importance as in God of War. You have to mash a button to open doors and chests for Christ’s sake! Who in their right mind could think such a concept is fun?
I swear if I ever meet Dave Jaffe I’m going to give the guy a hard punch in the stomach or something. Not the face, I don’t hate him or dislike him enough for that, but the guy has one of the biggest mouths that is quick to criticize everything else when he is the bastard that plagued Quick Time Events on the world.
So yeah, God of War is a not-so-stellar game that’s absolutely huge because it is cinematic with huge and bloody fights. Or so I guess. All I know is that it is the root cause of so much pain this generation. Whenever a game suddenly tells you to mash X to keep the cut-scene playing and you fail, know that it is all God of War‘s fault.
Psychonauts
After years of being absent from the game development scene, Tim Schafer revealed his first non-adventure game to the masses on Xbox, GameCube, PC and Playstation 2. His first platformer, the game had experienced some mechanical issues and other poor design choices, but on the whole was fun, amusing and even charming. What made it most entertaining was the world itself and characters within it.
While staying at a camp for psychics, the player explores the minds of the different characters to see their deepest fears and desires. Each level is thus made up of outrageous but creative environments that do not try to reflect the real world, but instead reflect how one’s mind can view it.
Just as Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath was a critical success and commercial failure, Psychonauts had also faced the same sort of fate. However, Tim Schafer was lucky enough to have a passionate following that spoke loudly and proudly, and as a result Psychonauts continues to be seen and spoken of in the realm of games. After this and Brutal Legend, one can only wonder what sort of theme Double Fine Studios will use for their next title. Either way, it can be assured that it will be a creative and interesting world to explore like no other.
On another note, I’d like to officially announce Tim Schafer as the Tim Burton of video games, only not in any way over-rated.
Shadow of the Colossus
The greatest tragedy of Shadow of the Colossus is that it never sold like God of War. As a result, all of the massive boss battles trying to be cinematic follow the terrible button-mash pattern of the lesser imaginative and quality title.
It’s like some designers, and even gamers, don’t get it. Video games aren’t film! Take a course on films as art and you’ll begin to see some of the fundamentals that separate the two mediums. A film is all about what the director wants you to see. Video games are interactive, and any designer trying to apply such tactics is in the wrong business. Video games are about what you can do.
Shadow of the Colossus is all about fighting giant monsters, and despite having nothing else going for it the game is incredibly fun and impressive. There are no Quick Time Events or forced camera angles, yet it never fails to be breath-taking and adrenaline pumping. Never does the game take control. It’s actual gameplay, not cut-scenes pretending to be interactive.
While action games continue to try and produce bigger and badder boss battles, none of them try to simulate what Shadow of the Colossus did. It’s a giant critical success, but because the sales numbers aren’t there no one emulates it. Despite being so creative, the game will likely be forgotten in time.
That’s a real tragedy and yet another mark of what is so wrong with the games industry today.
Star Wars: Republic Commando
I’ve never been a huge fan of the Star Wars franchise. I mean, like anyone else I loved it, but I’ve never loved it enough to want to dive into the extended universe. I never learned the names of all the different aliens that colored the background or their race. They were simply there. Once the prequels started to release I became even less interested in the franchise.
So when I saw the trailer for Republic Commando and said “I want that game”, you can rest assured that there was something special about the game itself. In fact, it always felt to me as if the studio had come up with an excellent design for a squad-based shooter that LucasArts forced the Star Wars label onto.
The game’s squad-based controls weren’t as in-depth as a game like Full Spectrum Warrior or some of the Tom Clancy titles, but it was enough to create proper strategies with an intuitive HUD-based system. Simply look at a location marked for squad-use and order your troops there. If you got knocked down in combat the closest squad mate would come and revive you. In fact, the game was practically the precursor to Gears of War, only in first-person perspective and a few more squad controls.
In addition to intelligent A.I. comrades to help out, the game also had a variety of enemies requiring excellent use of tactics and quick-thinking. Instead of having hordes of creatures you throw bullets at, Republic Commando took a hint from the Halo school of design and gave each foe a slightly different advantage and disadvantage, causing each one to be approached differently.
At the end of the day there were only two problems with the game. First, there was no ending. You simply finished the final level and credits rolled. Second, there was no co-op. Granted it wasn’t required since the A.I. and squad controls were that good, but everything is better with friends.
After the success of Gears of War and potential for Xbox Live, I can only wonder what LucasArts is thinking. The incredibly glitched, poorly designed and frustrating Force Unleashed is getting a sequel while a series with potential is left to remain forgotten on the original Xbox? Who is running that company?!
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Capcom decided to take a bit of a risk and released the GameBoy Advance ports of their Phoenix Wright series to America on the Nintendo DS. The “visual novel” style of game, as Japanese often refer to them, were never too big in America. The similar point-and-click adventure game was never too mainstream and had long since died out. So it wasn’t expected that Phoenix Wright would be a success.
Boy was everyone wrong. Phoenix Wright sold out fast. It turned out demand greatly outweighed supply, and even now nabbing a copy of one of the titles proves difficult if you weren’t at the service counter on day one. A combination of humor, personality and problem solving shot the series high into cult popularity. Fans now make t-shirts, gag images and even flash videos with the franchise, guaranteeing a major success with any title.
The game’s success proves that players don’t always want specific genres or styles that are popular. Sometimes they just want something that is amusing, charming or makes them think a little bit. While this may seem like common sense to you or I, it clearly cannot be represented by whatever market study the publishers and business executives running these companies can see.
Guitar Hero
While the franchise didn’t truly explode until the second iteration, Guitar Hero gave players a chance to be a rock star. While it wasn’t the first game to do so, with Guitar Freaks being one of the predecessors and often referenced as being a better game by hardcore music game addicts, it was the first to take the chance and bring the peripherals into the mainstream living room.
The magic was in selecting a varied musical soundtrack consisting of more recent popular hits as well as classic rock that everyone knew. Obscure titles for the metal head combined with radio classics for the middle-aged player to enjoy. Soon the game became big at parties and social gatherings, opening the doors for its sequel and future competitor Rock Band (well, sort of competitor, considering Harmonix developed the first two Guitar Hero titles).
As a result, Guitar Hero revived the music and rhythm game popularity after Dance Dance Revolution had been forgotten in the past. However, none can reach the success of either Guitar Hero or Rock Band, and it is beginning to look as if Guitar Hero will gradually be left behind as their competitor is consistently able to add new tracks and bands weekly via online content.
Battalion Wars
Who knew war could be so adorable looking? After viewing an engine that studio Kuju had in development, Nintendo chose to publish Battalion Wars on their GameCube platform. While on the surface it’s their attempt at a shooter, as usual it’s got a Nintendo twist to it.
The general idea is to control an entire army on a battlefield while being in direct control of a single soldier, swapping between troopers depending on what the situation calls for. As in any RTS different units are weaker against others while some remain stronger, forcing the player to choose when to hold back some troops and when to send others forward. It’s easy enough for anyone to pick up and focuses more on action instead of strategy, but like all Nintendo titles there is an underlying complexity to it that can allow tactical players to dominate the battlefield.
In addition, the art style and personally to each unit helps provide a level of personality to the game. It looks cartoony enough that kids can enjoy it but is challenging enough for an older audience to enjoy as well. Battalion Wars has something for everyone.
As can be expected, it never sold too well. While it inspired a sequel on the Wii, the very fact that gamers keep clamoring the system lacks hardcore titles goes to show how well noticed it is. It’s an excellent title doomed to live in obscurity.
Other noteworthy titles of 2005:
Kameo: Elements of Power, Quake 4, Perfect Dark: Zero, Condemned: Criminal Origins, Call of Duty 2, Super Mario Strikers, The Legend of Zelda: The Minnish Cap, Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction, Postal 2, Star Fox Assault, WarioWare: Touched!, Gran Turismo 4, Tekken 5, Devil May Cry 3, Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, Timesplitters 2: Future Perfect, Matrix Online, Lumines, Metal Gear Ac!d, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, Dynasty Warriors 5, Lego Star Wars, Jade Empire, Guild Wars, Pokemon Emerald, Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones, Kirby Canvas Curse, Battlefield 2, Destroy All Humans!, Killer7, Nintendogs, Indigo Prophecy/Farenheit, We Love Katamari, F.E.A.R., Serious Sam II, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, Soul Calibur 3, Shadow the Hedgehog, Mario Kart DS, Ratchet: Deadlocked, Star Wars Battlefront 2, Dragon Quest 8, Prince of Persia: Two Thrones
2005 in video gaming on Wikipedia
What do you remember from 2005?
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