Julian Casablancas + The Voidz

It’s been a year since The Strokes’ ‘Comedown Machine’ was released, and five since Julian Casablancas’ debut solo album ‘Phrazes For The Young’. Since then, Casablancas has kept himself busy by collaborating with Daft Punk, signing exciting young bands to his record label (Cult Records) and – apparently – by working on a followup solo outing titled ‘Julian Casablancas + The Voidz’.

Heralding this news is a glitchy, 80’s infused album trailer featuring a number of snippets from the upcoming album set to images of Casablancas and the band practicing, riotous crowds… and Pacman.

Check it out below.

Film Review: The Wolf Of Wall Street

The Wolf Of Wall Street is pure electric. Director Martin Scorsese presents his most energetic film since ‘Casino’ (1995) whilst our main-man, the titular ‘Wolf’ – Leonardo DiCaprio – huffs, puffs and blows us away with what may be his most assured performance to date. The results are nuclear.

The Wolf Of Wall Street tells the true life story of Mr. Jordan Belfort. A Wall Street banker who used incredible ingenuity and fraudulent means to acquire immense wealth – at the expense of others. The film takes it’s name and inspiration from a book written by Belfort himself, about himself.

Through The Wolf Of Wall Street, Scorsese and DiCaprio take us deeper into the essence of greed than is comfortable. Running the gauntlet from one fucked up scenario to the next, we the audience can only watch in horror as the depravity unfolds before us. The story ultimately revolves around the deplorable actions of Belfort and his motley cohort of corporate thieves. It’s a wild, debaucherous ride which – if you can stomach it – makes for one of the most entertaining films of recent years. Belfort tells us that “there’s no nobility in being poor”, whilst he demonstrates there’s clearly none in being rich either.

The sheer ferocity of the film is deliciously overwhelming, it’s in that quality that it’s true nature comes out: The Wolf Of Wall Street is out to addict you, to the highs, the lows, the whole shebang. It’s scattered energy brazenly evokes a drug-like effect: the mood soars and dips erratically; moments of unbridled euphoria and ones of caustic desolation are never far apart.  Even as it’s tone shifts wildly from A to Z, then back to A again, it’s hard not to love every single intoxicating second, even as it threatens to engulf you.

Despite it’s almost three hour run time (179 minutes, to be precise), The Wolf Of Wall Street hardly falters. No scene feels unnecessary, nor bloated. Half way through the film it dawned on me that I needed to urinate. Countless minutes passed as I waited for a scene I could bare to miss. This scene never came, but thankfully I can run really fast, so I didn’t miss much at all. The Wolf Of Wall Street is so absorbing that the ending is almost a surprise –  a nasty one. Not for a long time have I been so entranced by a film.

It’s script bubbles and hisses, appalling and amusing in equal measure. It’s direction is magnetic, Scorsese brings a visceral immediacy to each shot which few others can match. DiCaprio is typically excellent, as Belfort, he carries the whole movie on his shoulders and makes it look easy. The supporting cast is also convincing, with particular nods to Jonah Hill as the incestuous Donnie Azoff, Belfort’s second-in-command, and to Margot Robbie as Belfort’s lover, Naomi Lapaglia.

If I have one qualm with this film, it’s that the intentions of the story are not always clear. It’s hard to tell whether you’re supposed to root for, or against Belfort. His actions are obviously portrayed as villainous, and I by no means believe the filmmakers are endorsing that type of behaviour – on Wall Street or elsewhere, but he is portrayed sympathetically. I found myself understandably perturbed by the selfish, and morally reprehensible actions of Belfort, but at the same time I couldn’t help but enjoy his successes, and woe his failures. Either my moral compass needs retuning, or the film’s does. Either way, it’s a minor issue, and didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the film.

Do yourself a favour and see The Wolf Of Wall Street, it’s fun, darkly funny, interesting, and impeccably made cinema. It’s a monster of a film, a big, beautiful monster which wears Armani suits and snorts cocaine from prostitute’s vaginas. At some point during the film, Belfort describes the state of his office as follows: “A greed fest with equal parts cocaine, testosterone, and bodily fluids”. I’ve been trying to think of a better way to describe The Wolf Of Wall Street in one sentence, but I can’t, so there you go.

9.5/10

Film Review: American Hustle

*may contain minor spoilers, depending on what your definition of a spoiler is*

David O’Russell‘s American Hustle is obnoxious, loud, messy, and sometimes confusing. It’s also lushly produced, expertly presented and effortlessly engaging. O’Russell‘s strokes are wildly passionate, seeming more interested in style than story, Hustle can sometimes feel a bit unfocused. With one too many plot points to handle at once, the film bends under it’s own weight during the second act. It’s okay though, because the brilliant and enigmatic cast – which I’m calling the ‘Best of ’13’ – lead by Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Bradley Cooper ensures that Hustle never breaks under that weight.

Hustle, like it’s characters, is a deceptive film. It wants you to believe it’s a comedy, a drama, a caper and a period film all at once. It’s trivial though, because the audience isn’t invested in a genre debate, it’s invested in the characters and the relationships they form. At times, Hustle is a veritable guessing game, characters vow honesty whilst simultaneously stabbing another’s back. It’s fuzzy and a little stressful but that’s the point. It’s a con game through-and-through.

The story follows the misadventures of character’s Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) and Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) as they con their way to wealth and love. FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper) adds his stick to the pile and in the process ruins everything by – without ‘spoiling’ too much – catching Irving mid con. What results is a tenuous partnership between Irving and Richie, as Richie uses Irving in an attempt to land bigger, guiltier fish. It’s a simple plot device which rapidly devolves into madness. Other character’s include Irving’s estranged wife Rosalyn Rosenfeld (Jennifer Lawrence) who is a lot of fun to watch, every time she appears on screen things start going haywire. Lawrence continues her winning streak here, her performance exuberates confidence. The great Robert DeNiro appears also, and is typically brilliant – despite his painfully brief screen time.

O’Russell has an incredible eye for detail which is really put under the spotlight here, every frame glitters and shines whilst the dialogue hits hard like a hammer. It’s a fast, fun, daring film which ultimately wins the day with it’s incredible cast, sure handed direction and a crackling although somewhat bloated script.

Well worth the entry price, Hustle is no con, it’s must see cinema and one of the best of 2013.

8.5/10

Album Review: ‘AM’ by the Arctic Monkeys

With their first album (Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, 2006) the Arctic Monkeys rode upon an enormous wave of hype with reckless and youthful abandon. A lesser band would have buckled under the pressure. Luckily for this Sheffield quartet, they did more than just walk the talk: they stomped, screamed and fought to justify the hype they were granted by providing a tautly constructed 40 minute disc full of energetic and raw post-punk aggression.

Since then, the boys have forged one of the most consistently brilliant discographies of the past decade packed with fistfulls of fun and nuance. As such, it’s no surprise that AM continues this tradition. Yes, AM is fucking awesome. Turner and Co. have crafted one of the best, if not the best album of the year.

What makes AM so great is the obvious growth the band have undergone. It channels everything the young rockers are known for. AM manages to recall the best moments of 70’s and contemporary punk, new-wave and garage with equal measure. Disco, hip-hop bravado snakes throughout many of the tracks which flirts perfectly with Alex Turner’s (vocals, guitar and main songwriter) trademark lyrical precision, making his vocal performances more engaging than ever. Turner’s effortless ability to spout complex and clear rhymes sets him apart from other would-be similar frontmen, and transforms songs into incredible narrative experiences.

AM constantly straddles an oblique line between white knuckled tension and cool-as-a-cat calculation, and the results are phenomenal. Turner’s songwriting has never been more adventurous and yet familiar than it has here.

Standout tracks include the album’s leading single, ‘Do I Wanna Know?’ which slowly builds up into a grinding, hot, wet kiss of tension which doesn’t relent until track 2 rolls in. ‘Arabella’ is another great one, an upbeat romp with an incredible sense of flow which is owed to Turner’s vocals (the lyrics, again, I cannot emphasise how great his delivery of them is) and a cat-and-mouse interplay between guitars. Then there’s ‘Snap Out Of It’, a bouncey, harmonic pop-rocker with one of the catchiest choruses you’ll hear all year.

Coming in at 40 minutes long, AM breezes by, being neither overbearing nor understated at any moment. It’s a tight and easy package to consume and it’s hard to think of a social scenario it wouldn’t suit.

AM is more than just an album though, it’s a coming of age tale for “Our Generation’s Most Important Band”. The Arctic Monkeys now need no introduction, no wild journalistic rhetoric to bolster their importance. These boys have become men, and their music reflects that.

These young men have looked the bull in the eye, grabbed it by the horns and come out unscathed. Needless to say, the future of this young, brilliant band is looking ridiculously bright. For now though, we can happily bask in the light of their current triumph.

10/10

First-Person Shooter

The first-person shooter, or the FPS, has evolved from humble beginnings into the juggernaut genre of modern gaming. An FPS is experienced through the eyes of the protagonist, and exists in three dimensional spaces. Despite technically being a sub-genre of the much broader ‘shooter’ genre, I believe the diversities and iniquities within FPS games lends itself to it’s own genre. FPS games often include aspects of platforming, puzzle mechanics and RPG elements, some FPS games defy the title and omit combat entirely (Portal). To reiterate, the FPS genre (like all genres) possesses multitudes of variety, and is more complex in its description than the title would imply.

The origins of the FPS can be dated back to the early 70’s, titles such as Maze War and Spasism introduced the perspective, though received little to no public attention. Battlezones, a first-person tank combat game featured wire-frame graphics was given an arcade release in 1980, the game was popular enough to then be given the console treatment three years later, 1983.

MIDI Maze was released in 1987, and can be credited as the first multiplayer FPS. Due to the limited multiplayer capabilities of the time, MIDI Maze received little commercial success, despite this, the game accumulated a devout cult following who praised it for it’s innovative, never-before experienced multiplayer model.

That model would evolve over the next 30 years to become the most practised, over-exposed feature in modern gaming, period. Series such as Halo, Call of Duty and Battlefield immediately come to mind. Incredibly huge first-person shooter franchises which all made their name based on their addictive multiplayer experiences.

There was a time though, when multiplayer in FPS’s took a back seat to the single player modes, largely thanks to American game developer Id Software. Id are credited for not only popularizing, innovating upon and practically inventing the FPS genre, but also for radically pushing forward the boundaries of video-game design and technology. Starting with their 1992 release of  Wolfenstein 3D, Id transported players into a new world with unprecedented graphical fidelity, and violence yet unseen in gaming.

Finally, with Id Software at the helm, the FPS had reached the forefront of popular gaming. Only a year later, Id followed up Wolfenstein’s success with Doom, again they set new standards for graphics and gameplay. Doom became an unprecedented cultural phenomenon, its legacy is undeniably huge. Doom challenged people’s conceptions of what was possible in gaming, from both a gameplay and conceptual perspective. Doom is famous for the controversy it generated following its release. Said controversy was due to the graphic nature of the game, and the satanic imagery featured in the world of Doom.

Following the release of Doom, and it’s sequel Doom II, all other FPS games were given the title of ‘Doom Clones’, such was the influence that Doom had on the industry.

Not until the late nineties did Id Software find a worthy competitor in Valve, Half Life released in 1998 is often referred to as one of the best and most influential video games of all time, as is it’s sequel Half-Life 2 (2004). Not only did Half-Life breathe new energy into the genre, but it’s huge influence spawned a multitude of player-made mods that with time evolved into enormous titles in the FPS genre. Counter-Strike and Team Fortress both originated as Half-Life mods, and both of them later became juggernauts in multiplayer, even today, over a decade later, these titles are still being refined and are incredibly popular.

With the advent of consoles such as the PlayStation 2, and the Xbox, multiplayer gaming found new life in the form of console shooters like Halo: Combat Evolved. Gamers were able to interact with their consoles in ways they never were before, Halo defined the Xbox and created the console FPS culture that is evident in today’s gaming successes. The next generation of consoles (PS3, Xbox 360) brought this idea of connectivity and expanded upon it exponentially. Players could connect to each other wirelessly from across the world, competing against each other in games of skill, reflex and cunning. Here the multiplayer FPS experience found a new and enormous audience – having previously existed predominantly on PC, console users became the main consumers of multiplayer FPS games.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007) was the first Call of Duty to truly become a huge blockbuster, it’s multiplayer was praised universally for it’s addictive, dynamic nature. The franchise has now become an annual affair and is often met with criticisms of franchise over-exposure. Despite this, each annual entry breaks the last’s sale records. Whether for good or evil, Call of Duty is the modern FPS franchise.

Many people woefully remember the ‘golden age’ of FPS’s, believing games such as Doom, Duke Nukem and Quake to be the pinnacle of the genre, yet to be surpassed. I implore you to take a look at the FPS’s of the last decade and tell me that amongst them aren’t some of gamings brightest jewels. BioShock, Half-Life 2, Portal, Halo, Call of Duty, Borderlands… the list goes on. The FPS may have changed, but it’s far from worse off.

Whether you come for the single, or multi player modes, the FPS genre definitely has something to offer you, irrelevant of your gaming preferences. The genre is broad, and its games are often mesmerizing. Sure, it’s probably the most over-used genre in gaming today, but don’t let that deter you, choose your games wisely and even the FPS can surprise you.

Survival Horror

“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown” – H.P. Lovecraft.

The term ‘survival horror’ was first used in reference of the original Resident Evil released in 1996. The genre, however, is considered to have existed since the late 1980’s. It’s origins can be traced to horror films at the time, and from classic horror literature by writing greats such as H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allen Poe as well as varied influences from Japanese film, theatre and literature.

The survival horror genre of gaming is a hard one to define. You could even argue that ‘survival horror’ is more a concept than a genre. Survival horror is one of the most broad, and varied genres in gaming. Period. Gameplay in a survival horror game can consist of practically anything imaginable.

Games such as Resident Evil and Doom put you through the gauntlet; the fear is generated through a constant flow of enemies which increasing in ferocity and power as the game progresses – it’s less a primal fear than it is a series of bursts of intense bursts, designed to test your fortitude and ability to maintain composure under intense pressure. On the otherside of the spectrum exist games such as Silent Hill, or the recent Slender: The Eight Pages, games that perhaps Lovecraft would argue are purer forms of horror. These games suggest danger, they emanate it. You’ll spend more time pondering when, how, and with what you’ll come into conflict with than you will actually resolving said conflicts. These games steadily wear you down, they invade your subconscious and play upon your innate, human fears; of the dark, the unnatural etc.

Survival horror is a genre that is believed by some to be a genre on its deathbed due to the semi-recent focus on action in horror games. Games such as the recent instalments of the Dead Space and F.E.A.R. series resemble flat out shooters more than they do traditional survival horror experiences. These games are advertised as survival horror, and certainly possess both elements of ‘survival’ and ‘horror’, though are by many considered to be inadequate substitutes for the more traditional style of survival horror video game.

The reason for this shift to action is obvious; it’s a factor that is affecting every genre in the industry. Developers are attempting to broaden the reach of their games by making them accessible by broader audiences. Modern gamers like action games, it’s that simple. However, if you ask me this is hardly cause for despair. It’s a misconception that by creating gaming experiences suitable for a broader audience that developers are dumbing down their games. Sure it may be true in some cases, but generally, these games are still incredibly complex pieces of software and are simply offering a different style of game – a modern interpretation of the survival horror genre. Simply put, these games are not worse, they’re just different. Take BioShock Infinite for example, sure it’s not a survival horror game per say but it’s still a comparable scenario: rather than advertising what BioShock is known for – incredible world design, absorbing narratives etc – the developer, Irrational Games,  marketed it as an action/shooter experience (which to be fair isn’t inaccurate). Despite this, the game still released as one of the most critically acclaimed games of all time, proving that widening your audience doesn’t necessarily mean the game will be worse off for it.

Those who yearn for the older style of survival horror ought to look towards indie gaming. In the last few years the genre has exploded across the independent scene. Games such as Amnesia: The Dark Descent, Slender: The Eight Pages, Home or Limbo all offer varying interpretations of many aspects of traditional survival horror: namely a decided lack of combat and gore.

Instead, these indie titles depend on atmosphere and mystery, and as Lovecraft would put it: ‘the unknown”. They’re incredibly effective horror games that if you’re a fan of horror – be it in gaming or otherwise – you owe to yourself to check out. I would praise Slender: The Eight Pages as the most intense gaming experience of my life, as I describe in my review of the game from mid last year – around the time of its release.

Survival horror is a genre that constantly changes, its concepts and philosophies are fluid and it’s history a grim, complex mosaic. The vagueness of the genre makes it difficult to do well, but it certainly keeps it interesting. Where it heads in the future is a unknown, though not to be feared. I for one would disagree with those who claim that survival horror as seen its best days – game design has a knack for evolution, but also for retrospection. I believe that the future of the genre is in combining the two: by taking modern design philosophies and pairing it with what gamers love about past generation of games we may yet see some excellent entries to the bizarre, terrififying and wonderful realm of survival horror.

The Open World Game

The ‘open world’ game, otherwise known as the ‘sandbox’ or ‘free roam’ game, has been around to a limited degree since the early to mid 1980’s. An open world game is characterised as a game that possesses a considerable degree of freedom regarding the level design. Developers achieve this freedom by abolishing the artificial environmental barriers put in place in more linear video games. In layman terms: an open world game is a game wherein a large traversable space exists for the player to interact with.

An open world game lives or dies on the quality of the world itself. The world must be interesting, dynamic, detailed and it needs to be seamless. Most importantly though, an open world needs to go hand in hand with the gameplay and story elements of the game. It’s all well and good to have an incredible game world in terms of atmosphere, aesthetics and even gameplay ideas but have almost nothing to do in it, or any reason to explore its areas (cough, cough, L.A Noire).

A great game world facilitates creativity by allowing the player to take full advantage of the tools and environment at his or her disposal.

A recurrent theme in open world games is the implementation of gameplay devices which allow you either access to new areas, or allow new ways to interact with already available areas. A great example of this is in the recent Batman games: Arkham Asylum, and Arkham City. The Arkham games do an exceptional job at making sure your tool kit is always expanding. As Batman gets new gadgets, the scope of the open world and the things you can pull off in it expands exponentially. If this is done correctly, the game benefits not only from a gameplay perspective but also opens up endless narrative opportunities for the developer to explore – as it’s a mechanic that often goes hand in hand with story progression.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, an over saturation of tools available to the player can actually limit the ways that people will interact with the open world. Assassin’s Creed Revelations presents an incredibly vast and beautiful game world, packed to the brim with detail and aesthetic nuance. However the developer (Ubisoft) jam packed the game with a plethora of tools that actually hindered the experience due to their limited or practically non-existent uses. A side note, however: ziplines in that game were pretty fucking badass.

Another common theme is the inclusion of procedurally generated environments. Many open world games such as Diablo and Minecraft take advantage of this concept, as each time you load a new area, the map is created algorithmically. The upside to this is that no two play sessions are the same which goes a long way in creating re-playability. The downside is that it limits the control the developer has over the gameplay – however, if the world and tools available to you are adeptly made then this isn’t a problem.

A brief look at the top scoring games on Metacritic will demonstrate just how popular open world games are with critics – and a look at sale charts will reveal how lucrative they can be also. The open world is here to stay, that much is certain, however to remain interesting to consumers developers will have to devise new ways to keep their fans engaged. New innovations upon the open world formula will need to be made. Watch Dogs, an upcoming game from Ubisoft and a launch game for the PS4, and presumably for the unannounced Microsoft console also, looks to shake up how players will interact with the open world. In Watch Dogs you will be able to actually manipulate the environment through use of an in-game device. The player is attuned with the electrical systems of the city they’re placed: traffic systems, security systems, the opportunities are endless – it’s an exciting concept that if pulled off well could really shake up how developers approach creating open world games in the next generation.

Love them or hate them, you cannot deny the impact that open world games have had and will continue to have on the industry. Though if you DO hate them, what’s wrong with you? You monster.

Pokémon Gold & Silver: Battling ‘Red’

Ask any Pokémon fan to off the top of their head to “list a few of your favourite experiences you’ve had whilst playing Pokémon”. Sure, it’s kind of a weird request to ask of someone, but try it. I’m willing to bet almost all of them mention battling ‘Red’, providing they played Pokémon ‘s Gold and/or Silver, of course.

Ask the common pleb on the street about Pokémon and they’ll say: “Pikachu!”, “Ash Ketchum!”, which is fair enough, as that’s all they’ve likely been exposed to – supposing they grew up in a western culture. Little known to most people, and even to plenty of fans of the games and/or anime, is the existence of a Pokémon manga. For those who don’t know, a manga is essentially a Japanese comic. Manga have a distinct artstyle which has influences dating back hundreds of years of Japanese history and in Japan are read by people of all ages.

The Pokémon manga has multiple different series, however, the main and longest running of the series is Pokémon Adventures. Pokémon creator Satoshi Tajiri referred to Pokémon Adventures as the purest incarnation of Pokémon available:  “This is the comic that most resembles the world I was trying to convey”. The character Red is pivotal to this series of manga, serving as the main character in the majority of its editions.

Red is loosely based upon the silent protagonist of the original Pokémon games, Pokémon Red and Blue. In the following generation of games (Gold, Silver and later Crystal), Red appears as a post-Elite-Four challenge. For those who are unlearned in the structure of a Pokémon game, this is how it goes: in the beginning you’re given a choice between three Pokémon of differing types (always fire, water or grass to begin with), and you’re challenged with the task of capturing all the Pokémon in the respective region. Along the way you will challenge eight gyms (or sixteen if you’re playing Gold or Silver), upon defeating the eight gyms you’ll be permitted to test your strength at the Elite Four: the ultimate challenge for Pokémon trainers. Defeat the Elite Four and you can face the champion – the best of the best, presumedly. By that point you’re feeling pretty good about yourself. Boy do you have a surprise coming.

Upon gaining champion status in either Gold or Silver and defeating all 16 gyms, Professor Oak grants you access to the dreaded ‘Mount Silver’, a place where the strongest Pokémon in the entire game reside – though the wild Pokémon found there are not the real challenge. Professor Oak is a famous Pokémon professor who features heavily in the games, manga and anime.

Climb to the utmost peak of Mount Silver and you’ll see him. Red. This is a gaming memory that I will never forget. There at the end of the world stands a vaguely familiar trainer. He’s sporting similar clothes to you… There’s something about him that you just can’t put your finger on.

Naturally you approach him and talk to him. What he says is perhaps one of the most commonly referred to lines of dialogue in all of Pokémon fiction:

“…”

There you have it, there’s your explanation: “…”. That’s all this trainer has to say, not a “hello”, nothing. Of course, being a Pokémon game wherein protagonists never actually speak, you also say nothing. I couldn’t think of a more awkward scenario.

Regardless, after the awkwardness subsides, battle between you and Red ensues. Unsure of what to expect, you start to realise who this guy is. How he wears his hat, his vest, his nonchalant pose. This guy is you! Or rather, he was the character you played a few years ago in Pokémon Red and Blue. It’s a feeling that’s incredibly hard to describe, but instantly relatable  to those who have also experienced it.

Red immediately proves his strength. His Pokémon are at higher levels than any other trainer you’d previously come up against, and his strategies and team synergy is more finely tuned than the often mono-type teams you’d defeated in the past. Also notable is the fact that Red possesses many Pokémon that Ash Ketchum (Red’s anime counterpart) also obtained, notably a Pikachu – a Pokémon capable of evolution, and yet in both the anime and manga the respective Pikachu’s never do so. Because of the similarities between Red’s and Ash’s Pokémon, many people (admittedly myself included) without prior knowledge of the manga actually mistook Red for Ash Ketchum. Call these people uncultured if you want, but keep in mind a lot of us still wet the bed the first time we faced Red.

No matter your age though, the battle is sure to leave an impression on you as large as it did on me.

Win or lose, Red’s remark is the same: “…”. Mmm, spine tingling.

A full list of Red’s Pokémon is available here.

Bethesda Game Studios

Anyone who delves into any of Bethesda’s worlds – be it the post-apocalyptic, nuclear wastes of America found in the Fallout series, or the seemingly infinite expanse that is Tamriel of the Elder Scrolls games – are bound to discover a wealth of unique and mesmerizing experiences.

Bethesda have firmly established a name for themselves in the industry by creating personal, memorable experiences within the incredibly vast and intricate worlds they create. Bring up with anyone who has played a Bethesda game one of your experiences with the games and undoubtedly a smile will stretch across their face as their own memories start filling their mind.

Environmental story telling is key. Bethesda are adept at letting the worlds they create tell stories. Perhaps you’re stalking the planes of Skyrim and looking into the distance you see a range of mountains, you point to the highest peak and you say to yourself: “I want to go there”. So you do. No one told you to, it’s not an integral part of the game, but for now, that’s the story, and that’s the anecdote you’ll tell your friends at school the next day.

Bethesda defies the logic we as critics and consumers use to evaluate modern games. We look for games with seamless graphics, slick, intentional level design and importantly – in this case – a decided lack of bugs. It’s a joke of sorts, within the industry, that the plethora of bugs that plague Bethesda’s games do not detract from the gaming experience, rather they improve it. The open ended nature of the games and environments lend themselves to the amount of bugs present; not with a team of thousands could Bethesda hope to create a bug-free experience whilst retaining what makes their games incredible experiences.

I’ll never forget my very own first impressions of Bethesda’s worlds:

Cyrodiil – The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Oblivion starts like all Bethesda games do: linear. From a prison cell you head into the sewers where you dispatch rats, goblins and members of an ancient league of cultist assassins. At this point, it’s easy to wonder why exactly this game is so highly revered, but on you go. Finally you reach a gate, you exit, and suddenly there it is; you understand. Ahead of you lies Cyrodiil: crystal blue water sparkles in the sunlight, green hills and woods stretch across the horizon and signs of civilisation and life erupt around you. Something stirs inside of you, a quiet, dormant wanderlust awakens within. And from thereon, the story is what you make it. The world is your playground.

Skyrim – The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Your introduction to the Nordic land of Skyrim is very similar to Cyrodiil’s. A short cart ride, a brush with execution and dragonfire and you’re free from the shackles of linearity; the mountainous, harsh landscape of Skyrim is open to you. At first I just stood there, observing my surroundings in awe. I was unsure of what I wanted to explore first, I wanted to experience everything. A rabbit bounced in front of me, took one look at me and bounded off through trees and brush. I followed it with a childlike sense of wonder. The rabbit led me to a thicket of trees in which several beehives hung. I slashed at the bees hovering around me with my sword and gaily collected their parts. My rampage led me to yet another discovery: at the base of a cliff face sat a chest and a collection of sleeping bags. I tentatively picked the lock on the chest and looted the riches inside. Only then was I ambushed. Bandits came at me from all sides, a sudden rush of adrenaline took over as I ran from the scene of the crime – with my bow now in hand. I found myself a vantage point and rained hell on my understandably upset assailants. I was victorious, and I was convinced I’d never need to play another video game again, as long as I had Skyrim.

The Capital Wasteland – Fallout 3

Fallout 3’s capital wasteland possesses a unique sort of ugly beauty. The immersion is immediate (again, after a linear beginning): the dilapidated landscape screams destruction, and danger lurks around every mound of rubble. Puddles of irradiated waste dot the barren environment, elevated highways suddenly fall into nothing. No gaming experience has made me feel as I did as I approached what I thought was an uninhabited stretch of buildings on the outskirts of the Capital district. Empty windows peered ominously at me, the smell of death emanated from my screen. It was eeriness I’d never experienced, and has since not been replicated in games. The quiet didn’t last though, before long I was caught in the crossfire between a group of bandits and a terrifying pair of super mutants. I bunkered down behind some rubble and prayed my presence had gone unnoticed. No luck. The bandits got the upperhand on the mutants and immediately turned their attention to me. I had to think fast. Running over to the corpse of one of the mutants and seizing it’s weapon, I returned fire. It was kill or be killed.

—

The wonderment and gratification that these experience inspired in me is why I keep coming back to Bethesda. Simply put, no one makes games like they do. Now, with Skyrim officially put behind them (says the developer on it’s blog), Bethesda are moving onto what they’re calling their “biggest and best work yet”. Wherever that road takes them, it’s sure to be a road worth taking.

If any developer in this industry deserves your faith, it’s Bethesda. They’ve more than deserved it.

Slender; it made me sweaty, in all the wrong ways.

Slender is so scary it makes grown men cry. If you don’t believe me, google it.

Horror games in general are problematic for me: either they’re not scary enough, or they’re simply too damn scary and I don’t want to play them. Slender is definitely the latter.

How is Slender scary? Download it, and boot it up. Within 30 seconds you’ll understand.

Everything about the game reeks atmosphere. The heavy fog, the looming woods and impenetrable darkness instantly make you regret playing. This feeling never quite leaves you: as the game progresses and your fear cumulates the urge to simply quit, erase the game from your hard drive and pretend you never saw it builds and builds, at which point you either do give in and quit, or you’ve been taken by the Slenderman and are screaming expletives wildly and slapping your monitor.

Okay so maybe you’re brave, maybe you’re super tough and you’re not even afraid of anything. Don’t go expecting Slender to be a cakewalk. Oh no, sorry Mr. Toughguy. Slender is hard. Most playthroughs will result in your death, no matter how afraid you were.

That being said I’d think it pretty impossible not to be scared by Slender. I have, and would still liken playing the game to running a marathon – even though I haven’t ever run one, get real – it’s challenging, it’s exhausting, but damn satisfying; providing a profound sense of achievement upon its completion.

Slender is more than just an example of well constructed atmosphere though, it’s also a painfully effective mix of gameplay ideas which deconstruct, and re-assemble the usual customs of a ‘survival-horror video game’ – without it’s player ever even realizing. The flashlight: a staple of horror gaming that’s existed about as long as the genre itself manages to take on new life in Slender; it’s battery life is finite; and an over-reliance on it results in death. Sure, light lets you see (oh wow, really?) thus alleviating some of the pent up tension that Slender manufactures in spades, but it’ll be the end of you should you fear the dark too often. Adding layers of depth to this are a number of elements such as that seeing The Slenderman gives you a short speed boost, though looking at him for too long results in your death.

Like the tall, malnourished, faceless man that Slender owes its name, Slender is brutal, merciless and will haunt you long after you’ve seen him.