Alan Wake 2 is one of the greatest video games that I have ever played. Its story is full of twists and turns that will surprise you, and has the kind of detail that will cause you to care for the characters in it. The music is superb and not only elevates the gameplaying experience but is legitimately great to listen to on its own. The gameplay is fun, balancing the tension of the survival horror genre with moments of levity and action that make for a rich gaming experience. And it incorporates various media, everything from video to interpretative dance to prove that video games can be true art. The depth of meaning in the story’s symbolism and storytelling is surprising and provides insight into the importance of ritual in the lives of the faithful.
Category: Video Games
Total War: Exposing The Vicious Nature of the State/Government
These past few weeks I’ve been playing the most anarchist game ever made, one that reveals the absolute truth of exactly how the State/government functions, why it functions that way, the true motives of those in power, and the impact this has on the societies over which it rules. Honestly, it is quite shocking just how revealing it is of the tyranny and violence at the heart of modern politics and statism. In this article, I not only explain what the game is but how it completely exposes how the state functions, how the state corrupts society, how the state is founded upon violence and theft, and why we should utterly reject it.
Bioshock 2 and the Redeeming Power of Mercy
I recently completed by playthrough of the Bioshock Trilogy Remastered with 2010’s Bioshock 2. After playing the original Bioshock and then its pre-sequel, Bioshock Infinite, both by Ken Levine, Bioshock 2 is like a breath of fresh air. Both the gameplay and the storytelling in Bioshock is far superior to the other games. But the best thing about the game is that it has an actual message – about the importance of family, the power of mercy, the strength of love, and the possibility of redemption. in its own weird, dystopian way, Bioshock 2 is really about Zion.
Bioshock Infinite Reveals What Socialism is Really Like
While its storytelling left something to be desired, Bioshock Infinite still has one of the most important political, economic, and social messages of any major game put out in the last few decades. Though a fictional narrative, Infinite’s presentation of Socialism, both in its revolutionary form and what Socialist governments are actual like, is amazingly true to life. At the same time, Infinite also shows what happens to a society that embraces violence as the vehicle of change and shows the ultimate holocaustal outcome of choosing violence. Herein, I look at how the true nature of Socialism is laid bare for all who play the game, whether they like it or not.
Bioshock Infinite: Great Ideas, Faulty Storytelling
Herein I review the game Bioshock Infinite and its two DLC extensions, Burial At Sea Episodes 1 & 2. I mostly eschew gameplay (it is a typical first-person shooter with some small variety) in order to focus on the storytelling and character elements in the game. I look at the major characters of the game, important elements, and notable settings and evaluate what they tell us about one another/themselves and how they fit in the overall story. And while I find much to laud in specific memorable moments of the game, the overall storytelling in Infinite and its DLCs leave a lot to be desired. Much of it is contradictory, nonsensical, vague, ill-defined, caricaturistic, and out of character for those involved in the events taking place. The game is enjoyable and playable. It even flirts with some grand ideas. But ultimately it has plot holes big enough to drive a semi-truck through, which brings the entire experience down.
Bioshock, Ayn Rand, and the Horrors (?) of Objectivism
I am not an Objectivist (which should be obvious to anyone who has read any of my other articles.) But I have studied it in order to understand it. And I am constantly annoyed by the multitudes who have not and yet have very loud and very pompous opinions on Objectivism and Ayn Rand. In the video game subculture, there is no game widely held to be a definitive commentary on the “true” nature of Objectivism than the 2007 game “Bioshock.” There is only one problem with this belief: From start to finish, including all the lore, at no time is anyone in the game an Objectivist nor is there any time in which Objectivism guides the people in the story. While the game is magnificent in many ways it is an absolute failure as a critique of Objectivism. Here is the definitive explanation of why it fails so badly.