The Gamer's Notebook
Two theaters and a baby
By Chris O'Neal 07/30/2009
War games, movies and the rebirth of a popular franchise
Battlefield 1943
PC/PS3/360
www.battlefield1943.com/
bioschlock.blogspot.com
$15
Persistence, it is said, is the key to success. When applying this philosophy to a video game, one must consider that often persistence is the only means of success. Where, in the case of Battlefield 1943, “success” consists of blowing up your opponent before you yourself are blown up, maimed or otherwise beaten to death, persistence means dying and being reborn as if in an H.P. Lovecraft novel. You will find yourself in one of several variations of death every minute or so. You will be born again only to find a bomb already sitting on your head. Get used to it. Battlefield 1943 is persistence. Oh, and anger — unbridled, uncontrollable anger. At least for the first few days, and then it’s just gravy.
Battlefield comes to us by way of downloadable content, available for the PC, 360 and PS3, for the meager sum of $15. Set amid the chaos that was World War II and the Pacific theater, Battlefield offers players online collaboration, teamwork and skillful strategizing. Just kidding. A typical battle begins and ends in much the same way you would react if you found yourself suddenly on fire: sprinting in a random direction, then rolling down a hill.
Players start on an aircraft carrier or on an island; there is a mad dash for the airplanes and vehicles (tanks and jeeps). If said vehicles are gone, there is the option of running across the map and being shot. Either way, you’re going to be shot. There’s an option to shoot yourself. If you’re playing as the Japanese, you can spill your own guts in front of your horrified teammates, any number of whom are probably 13 or younger.
While this could be construed as a negative review, the opposite is true, but there is a severe learning curve that whips around like a boomerang carrying a dingo eating a baby. After a while, one understands the maps, the airplanes don’t seem as intimidating, and charging ahead seems better than to hide, cry and eventually die. Battlefield 1943 is a spectacle and possibly the future of downloadable content. Give it a shot if you can handle digital PTSD.
Netflix and the virtual movie date
Step away for a moment from the literal world of warcraft, and consider gathering your friends for an intimate, possibly romantic and awkward movie night come Aug. 11, when Netflix re-launches itself on Xbox 360. Included with this update will be the ability to invite friends (if they also subscribe to the Netflix service) to watch the same movie as you are. Your avatars will sit comfortably in a virtual movie theater, and their tiny soul-less feet will stick to the pixilated sticky floor.
It used to be that friends had to drive miles to see a movie or to shake your hand. Not anymore! Netflix does away with face-to-face interaction and provides peer bonding at a premium price. Rather than opening the door to your best friend and his girlfriend (whom you haven’t met) in your underwear, you can press the “A” button and be instantly clothed in whatever get-up you want without getting the police involved.
Comic-Con
Comic-Con, which ended last week, is a focal point for the nerd-washed industries: comics, movies and video games. One surprising announcement came from Capcom on the future of the Resident Evil franchise. Jun Takeuchi, RE5’s producer, indicated that neither he nor the producer of RE4 would be in charge of the next installment. Could this mean a return to what made the franchise popular to begin with (actual zombies and puzzle-solving madness)? There’s only so far you can push the characters until they’re not in a survival horror game any longer. Here’s hoping for more Jill sandwiches and less blind racism.
Chris O’Neal is a recent college graduate with an itchy writing finger. In his spare time, he neglects his fiancée and rabbits to immerse himself in video games and comic books. In other words, he’s a nerd. Read more on his blog: bioschlock.blogspot.com.
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I am so bitter about not making it to ComicCon. I heard that there was some awesome music -- nerdcore rap from such luminaries as MC Frontalot and MC Lars. Oh, the humanity!