Saw: The Video Game: The Review

Editor’s Note: This review was originally intended for publication late last year, but was misplaced by yours truly. My apologies to Zack – Will

Do I want to play a game? Yeah sure, why not? I’m always down for a good bout of Tetris, but with Fall winds rattling my bones, scary games are definitely on the menu. Saw? The game? A game of Saw? Now I know the high brow savant in me wants to slide this concept away and move on to something… European, I need to honestly admit that Saw, the obnoxiously successful torture porn series of films that have a new entry annually if only to prove how much thought and effort is needed for the next installment, is not nearly as offensive as a video game. In fact I find that most things that tend to make you groan in films are usually the very same things you’ll fist pump for in a video game. So perhaps, conceptually, Saw: The Video Game may have something going for it. Thus begging the question, do you want to play THIS game?

You are Detective Tapp, one of the detectives aggressively hounding Jigsaw, the main antagonist of the franchise. Tapp was apparently shot in the first Saw film, though I’m no expert on the subject. So instead I have come to the conclusion that Detective Tapp was on his way to his buddy’s Bill Cosby dress up party when he was shot and kidnapped by the Jigsaw killer then awoken in a house o’ nightmares. If I have to give the writing team one medal it is for coming up with a great reason for complete strangers to want to tear Tapp a new one. You discover that Jigsaw has surgically implanted a key somewhere in Tapp’s body, and it is this key that so happens to be the path freedom for every other victim in the building. The way the encountered enemies incorporate Jigsaw’s lore is also fairly clever, from blinded brawlers who have steel boxes mounted to their head, to some with their hands bound to a stick of dynamite. Things descend into dumb pretty quickly though. To every victim of Jigsaw’s torture is some kind of justification, though they are really stretching it with this one. Tapp’s moral failing is that he’s just too obsessed with Jigsaw, and so Jigsaw decided to punish him. It just feels like the needle wagging its finger at the junkie. I guess the obvious cure for Tapp would be for Jigsaw to stop, y’know, killing people, but Jigsaw acts above it, and in this game especially rubs off as more hypocritical and smug than interesting. Tapp’s carrot on a string is to use this opportunity to figure out who Jigsaw is once and for all, though since the films have already treaded on that ground, it’s not nearly as tantalizing for the player.

Read the rest of this entry »

Holy Invasion Of Privacy, Badman! What Did I Do To Deserve This? Review

What is it to be bad?  Is it because you do bad things? Do you have to intend to do bad? Is one only bad because they find themselves at ends with good? Is bad only just a constructed concept to begin with? NIS America brings you the tale of a frustrated bad guy, whose private life is in constant barrage of pesky noblemen sneaking into his dungeon. He comes to you, the player, to help him design a lair with solid enough foundations to put an end to his unusual pest problem. Through playing this title the player will discover a new sort of cruelty. It brings into question who is truly the villain. Could it be the bad guy, the hero, their politics, or the sadists who created this game?

The Playstation Portable seems to be the new ark for quirky Japanese titles. While I eagerly await my purchase of Half-Minute Hero, I am glad to see that Badman can satisfy my hunger in the meantime. The presentation is adowable. The dialogue charming. The Badman rambles on about your greatness, even when your decisions make him a little uneasy. The heroes all chant their battle cry before stepping into the fray, each being progressively weirder than the last. All is sprite rendered. The frantic, flute based soundtrack will keep you humming with a smirk. It’s not all original per se, but the overall effect feels cozy. Which is good, seeing as the game has you dealing with a lot of cramped spaces. Your evil monsters, all as itty-bitty sprites, live, die, and reproduce in the ant-farm-like environment you build for them. You need to create a layout that functions on two levels: One, complex and winding enough to busy and disorient the meddling heroes hunting for your Badman; and two, they also must be competent and structured in order to support the ecosystem of all the deadly monsters within. It’s not the first evil-dungeon sim by a long shot, but it’s definitely unlike any of the others that came before it.

Read the rest of this entry »

Zack’s Decade in Review

Comics

I would best describe the last decade in comics as “aggressively making up for the 90s”. Sure, not everything was gold and a lot of the “major events” featured strong openings with weak conclusions (well, except perhaps 52) but there was undeniably this open window of embrace for comics as a creative means instead of a sales means. The comics I tended to favour most were the ones that really had a knack for embracing story with visuals, treating the two as a pair, not playing favourites to either or. It could be a great story, or, it could have great art, but a great comic book means both will stick with you in the long run. Top choice, of course, goes to Paul Pope’s 100%. The gloomy yet fantastical portrayal of a future-punk NYC, and the dreaming artists, strippers and misfits that crawl around it’s streets. Like a Moulin Rouge that your parents don’t own the soundtrack to, 100% feels alive, the illustrations pulse crowded unheard sounds, and the heroes are so believably lost that you eventually sink into the same romantic hole they dwell in.

Taking a few steps to the side, but not too many steps, is DC’s Solo series. Short, too short in my opinion, but a successful experiment in showing what certain artists will do when you loosen their chain. Some still did superhero stories, some didn’t. Sergio Aragones, Mike Allred and the aforementioned Paul Pope all did personal anecdotes, refocused in the lens of a comic. The series was as creatively pleasing as it was enlightening to see how individual artists view their world and the effects it has on their craft.

Last but not least is a newer entry, and I really hope this won’t come off as superbly pretensions to drop something this obscure but its totally worth a hound down, I’m talking to the culture junkie savages I assume to peruse this site. LOSE #1 by Toronto local Michael Deforge is a stroll down a struggle that I can all too relate with. The constant clash between an artist’s personal creativity and their media, Saturday morning cartoon saturated mind that they sink with.  Deforge in almost an escape from the pop junk world begins to scratch back, mutilating and mutating Rocky and Bullwinkle. It’s a route many online one offs have taken, but this is the first one that feels like it nails it square over the head.
Read the rest of this entry »

Brütal Legend Review

Zack Kotzer of the arts and culture zine Steel Bananas returns to review Tim Schafer’s heavy metal action/RTS Brütal Legend.

Over the years fans have tended to let down Tim Schafer more often than not.  He delivered onto us fantastic and creative worlds, overflowing with wit and dark humour.  Each an underappreciated gem.  Now here we are, three decades in and only now does it seems that Tim may have finally found himself a commercial success.  It was a rockin’ rocky road, but after being picked up by Electronic Arts (who contractually have every employee tattoo “Cash Money in the Bank” on their arms) and then sprinkled with a plethora of marketable voice talent, Brütal Legend may just finally wipe the gloomy cloud of starvin’ artist woes that have haunted Schafer for so long.  But what do you care, blog reading, indie-proud game enthusiast?  You already knew you’d give Schafer your winning lotto ticket anyways, in more of a matter of politics than preference.  Instead we find ourselves in a new shade of black.  Does big company backing mean Schafer has sold out on us, sacrificing honour for dollars, or just given the money to properly craft his vision?  The answer, dear readers, is that Brütal Legend is not the groundbreaking, heart-coiling new Schafer title like his previous efforts.  And here’s the twist, it wasn’t due to selling out, oh no.  It appears the creative vision is the devil behind this sour note.

Read the rest of this entry »

Muramasa: The Demon Blade Review

Zack Kotzer of the arts and culture zine Steel Bananas joins us for a guest review of the Wii sidescroller Muramasa: The Demon Blade.

It’s hibernation over the summer worried Wii owners, but creative third party titles have once again awaken and shall reward the brave open minded enough to try them. I was ntroduced to Muramasa:The Demon Blade a while ago, stunning screen shots tantalized us with a flowing 2D art style that could humble Braid’s. Though like all attractive things a nerd stares at from the other end of the room it worried me that while pretty, the gorgeous thing could also be vapid, shallow and not at all interested in me buying it drinks.  So after finally getting my hands on the title, it was time to pass judgement.  Would Muramasa be a most glimmering gem or another goddamn Debra?  I think her name was Debra. I hope you’re reading this, Debra.

Muramasa has you take control of one of two video game archetypes, Momohime, a sword wielding princess who’s as noble as she is whiny, and Kisuke, a spiky haired ninja who, surprise, has lost his memory. While both campaigns never dramatically intersect, they take place on the same map traversing on different paths. You get the feeling that somewhere behind these two 2D cutouts are mildly interesting stories. Interesting stories told very poorly. As Kisuke you begin to discover you had accidentally began an inter-mythological war and totally stalk the warrior maiden who tickles your steel all around the Japan’s territories. As Momohime, you are actually NOT Momohime, but in fact a renegade swordsman’s spirit possessing her for one last shot at claiming a powerful sword. Or at least I think those are the stories. It all seems riddled with gaps, like the writers got bored and messed around with a hole punch instead of playing solitaire.  There are no cinematics and nothing that tries to replace them, just a character shocked to tell you about what just happened between the loading screen and the dialogue bubble. Characters also get introduced in bulk, and folklore that the plot hinges on is never introduced at all, half way through your mind will start treating the whole affair as some twisted reverse Mad Lib.

Read the rest of this entry »