[MoriartyL]

I've been watching this game ever since Ubi announced Ancel was making it. It's a real bummer he's not following up on BG&E, because there was still a lot of work to be done on the metalude, but I'll buy anything he makes. Rayman 2 redefined the platformer, and BG&E redefined the metalude- I can't wait to see how he redefines the FPS.

[RLacey]

Originally Posted by MoriartyL

Rayman 2 redefined the platformer

Mind if I ask how? I'm not saying that Rayman 2 is a bad game - far from it - but I'm having trouble seeing what it did that hadn't been done in Mario 64 and numerous other platform games...

[MoriartyL]

Originally Posted by RLacey

Mind if I ask how? I'm not saying that Rayman 2 is a bad game - far from it - but I'm having trouble seeing what it did that hadn't been done in Mario 64 and numerous other platform games...

Before Rayman 2, it could have been assumed that platformers were an entity unto themselves, completely removed from other types of games. Rayman 2 proved that it is actually closely related to many other types of games. It did it so subtly and subversively that very few people even noticed it, but it was only partly platformer. It is constantly adding in a little gameplay twist here, taking out a gameplay mechanic there- and this would not be half so brilliant were these slight alterations not completely changing the game's classification (by conventional means). The game just adds the tiny feature of being able to fly- and without the player even noticing it's not a platformer, but a remake of those "cave games" popular on Palms and cell phones. Just look at the very beginning of the game- you start out with action, and it immediately switches to a slide reminiscent of futuristic racing games, and only then does it become a platformer. The fact that no one notices the difference conclusively proves that the platformer is just one variation on a much larger Form. Some of these changes are a bit of a stretch, so I don't entirely agree with everything he's sticking in that category of "relatives of the platformer", but others are a perfect fit. Rayman 2 didn't reinvent the platformer like SM64, but it did redefine it in a larger context.

[RLacey]

I'm still not sure that I agree. Jazz Jackrabbit had slides, and I'm sure there are other platform games that feature the same action ideas.

But, I can see your point, and I certainly won't begrudge the fact that Rayman 2 is a very good game .

[MoriartyL]

Originally Posted by RLacey

I'm still not sure that I agree. Jazz Jackrabbit had slides, and I'm sure there are other platform games that feature the same action ideas.

Action, yeah. People had been putting action in their platformers for a long time. But I disagree that the implementation of other gameplay elements in Rayman 2 was anything like previous platformers. In any other platformer, things like that are put in as mini-games. And if it's a mini-game, then its inclusion doesn't mean anything at all. I mean, Banjo-Tooie even had FPS mini-games! But the hierarchy is always clear- platforming is on top, everything else is only a diversion. Rayman 2 repeatedly insists that the hierarchy is irrelevant. It never separates non-platforming gameplay from the platforming. What is brilliant is not that there was a slide in the game, but that the player is introduced to this gameplay before any platforming!

[Junkface]

Damn, I was really looking forward to this until the whole Starforce thing became known; I actually returned Broken Sword 3 when I realised it was the version with Starforce. Oh well, hopefully Peter Jackson's influence ruined anything Ancel was attempting with it and I won't miss out on much. On an unrelated note, the word metalude makes me wish I carried a stabbing knife.

[MoriartyL]

Originally Posted by Junkface

On an unrelated note, the word metalude makes me wish I carried a stabbing knife.

It's just the word I made up to describe Zelda-type games when I realized that there isn't any accurate description being used. "Action Adventure" would mean an adventure game with an emphasis on action, and Zelda is not an adventure. The only other semi-plausible term I've heard is "Action RPG", but Zelda is also certainly not an RPG. It's a "meta-lude" because it is a game which as part of its structure contains several or many types of gameplay of equal importance.

[Henke]

What kind of game is this? A regular platform-game or more like Beyond Good And Evil?

[MoriartyL]

Originally Posted by Henke

What kind of game is this? A regular platform-game or more like Beyond Good And Evil?

Not a generic platformer (this is Ancel we're talking about, after all), and not a metalude like Beyond Good & Evil. It switches between two types of gameplay: FPS (for Jack Black's character) and action platformer. That's pretty standard for a movie adaptation, but what isn't is the implementation. In the demo, it is clear that both sections are just overflowing with the unique personalities of the two characters. In the FPS, it's technically impossible to kill your attackers- you're just trying to survive. In the action platformer, the controls express wild brutality and strength. I don't think I've ever played a demo this expressive.

I've said it before, Ancel is way ahead of his time. It'll be decades until the rest of the world even starts to understand what he's doing.

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Originally Posted by MoriartyL

I've said it before, Ancel is way ahead of his time. It'll be decades until the rest of the world even starts to understand what he's doing.

Are you sure? I mean, Beyond Good & Evil made a lot of sense to me. Or maybe I'm way ahead of my time. Am I making sense to you?

[Kolzig]

Originally Posted by MoriartyL

Not a generic platformer (this is Ancel we're talking about, after all), and not a metalude like Beyond Good & Evil. It switches between two types of gameplay: FPS (for Jack Black's character) and action platformer.

Nope, the character in FPS mode is Jack Driscoll, that's Adrian Brody's character in the movie.

[Marek]

This page is now the fourth result on Google for metalude. Well done.

Also, allow me to pimp this article which contains my hands-on impressions of King Kong: http://www.idlethumbs.net/display.php?id=227

[MoriartyL]

Originally Posted by Kolzig

Nope, the character in FPS mode is Jack Driscoll, that's Adrian Brody's character in the movie.

Just shows how much I know about the movie. Wasn't Jack Black going to be in it, or am I just very very confused?

[Junkface]

They're both in it. I haven't been following it all that closely, but I think Brody is the heroic sailor type, while Black is the irresponsible filmmaker guy.

My comment on "metalude" now seems a bit harsh. It's not so much the word that enrages me (I can sort of see its purpose), but more the way it reminds me of a lot of the bullshit associated with the academic study of not only games, but movies and literature as well.

[MoriartyL]

Originally Posted by Intrepid Homoludens

Are you sure? I mean, Beyond Good & Evil made a lot of sense to me. Or maybe I'm way ahead of my time. Am I making sense to you?

Yes. Anyone who has played BG&E, understood why it can switch between so many different, well-developed types of gameplay without the player minding, internalized the new concepts it brought to the table, and recognized the significance and wider implications of these concepts is way ahead of his time. Essentially what Ancel is doing is using these various full-fledged Forms as if they are no more than colors on a palette he is painting with. This flies in the face of all conventional thinking about art! Since videogames are still only beginning to gain respectability, and artists in general find it beneath them, the world at large is not yet ready for the concepts this game introduces.

[MoriartyL]

Originally Posted by Marek

This page is now the fourth result on Google for metalude. Well done.

Yes, it was very difficult. In fact, let this be a lesson to us all: You can reach the top of Google's listings with only perseverance! If you have thoughtful, intelligent discussion, you too can make it there against all odds! Oh, and if you make up the word yourself, that doesn't hurt.

[Kolzig]

So about the movie itself.

PJ and Howard Shore suddenly parted ways. The new composer James Newton Howard is the guy who made the score for example Batman Begins.

Peter Jackson made the following statement: "I have greatly enjoyed my collaborations with Howard Shore, whose musical themes made immeasurable contributions to 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy. During the last few weeks, Howard and I came to realize that we had differing creative aspirations for the score of 'King Kong.' Rather than waste time arguing with a friend and trying to unify our points of view, we decided amicably to let another composer score the film. I'm looking forward to working with James Newton Howard, a composer whose work I've long admired, and I thank Howard Shore, whose talent is surpassed only by his graciousness."

There's 8-9 weeks left anymore before the film premiers in the theaters. Mr. Howard is going to have his ass on fire with this job for sure...

I hope he can compose an excellent score.

[Kolzig]

Wow, Peter Jackson really is one hell of a great guy.


The quote does include spoilers about BG&E so don't read it if you haven't played the game and will play it in the future.

OPM: Did you play through BG&E all the way? Why did you like it so much?

PJ: Sure did! My son Billy and I took about 4 days to go from one end to the other. It became totally addictive. One of our Weta team, Bay Raitt, told me about it. I felt it was one of the first games I'd played which started to feel like was in some kind of interactive movie. I loved the layers of personal decisions you could make along the way - stuff like taking the photos to earn money, and going to that gaming room to gamble. The world of the game was amazing, with seemingly endless areas to explore. I loved stopping the pedestrians to track down clues. I thought it was really clever how you became very attached to the little pig-guy, and then half way through he gets kidnapped and you're suddenly playing to save his life. I appreciated the fact that you didn't have to be a player with high skills (I'm not!) to enjoy the game, and continue moving along. I really liked the fact it was more weighted towards puzzle-solving than fighting - and when the fighting happened, it was fun and not too difficult. I get frustrated when I get stuck and can't figure out what to do next. There were a couple of tricky spots in BG&E, and just when were getting annoyed, we figured out what to do. It was great escapist entertainment, very much like a good movie experience.

Also this is awesome.

OPM: BG&E is one of those "best games no one bought." Did the fact that it wasn't a commercial success concern you at all?

PJ: Not concerned from a Kong point of view, but I'm sad that there isn't a Beyond Good and Evil sequel. If somebody reading this hasn't played it before, go grab it! Let's rise up and force them to make a sequel!

Read the rest at 1UP

I want to put that whole quote to my signature, but it's impossible.