Video Games in modern media

This week's featured game is Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. The first game in the Call of Duty series not set in WWII, COD4 takes place in modern times and jumps back and forth between S.A.S. member Soap Mactavish and U.S. Marine Paul Jackson. The two fight against a terrorist threat on two fronts, Jackson in the middle east facing terrorist leader Al - Asad, and Soap in Russia hunting down the terrorists supplier. The game features some amazing moments and flawlessly captures the feal of being in real combat. One way it does this is unfortunately also one of the most upsetting parts of the game. It creates a realistic feal by killing major characters in the game, not just your usual nameless half wits. This can be seen in one of the game's most spectacular scenes, the nuke (see video below). Overall, the gameplay isn't really different from any other game in the series, but if your a fan of war games and intense moments, Call of Duty is for you. The game never fails to entertain, even on subsequent playthroughs, which is why it is the game of the week.

The featured retro game this week is Pokemon. Yes, Pokemon. Before you say "that's stupid", let me explain. I'm talking about the original red, blue, and yellow versions, not those dumb new versions. The original games were the best. Can anyone honestly say that they didn't love them? The games were one of the first successful RPGs outside of Japan. They featured basic RPG gameplay without the complexity found in most games of the genre. The gameplay was simple and fun, the plot interesting and addictive, and the 150 different types of Pokemon to catch gave the game seamingly endless replayability. Unfortunately, the television series ruined the franchise for most players with it's emphasis on trying and friendship that was no where to be found in the game. The Pokemon games may be somewhat childish, but to this day I'll defend it's value as an RPG and overall entertaining game. The fact that the franchise is still around today is proof of the series' quality, which is why it is this week's Retro Game of the Week.

I plan to let people know that video games aren't just a waste of time, that they don't just melt one's brain, but rather, they have transformed over time from an arcade game with an infinite amount of levels into a artform in which the cutscenes can be just as important as the gameplay. Don't believe me? Then I offer a challenge. Go buy a recently released game and play it, skipping the cutscenes all the while. After fifteen minutes you'll have no idea what's going on or what your supposed to do. I've also seen many films that failed to be as deep and immersive as many games that I have played. So if you agree, then this is a project for you. If not, then take a look around, you might be surpised by what you find.

The summer video game season has finally arrived and that means many new releases. For the Playstation 3, this is great news, as the system hasn't had any good exclusive games since the 2008 holiday season. But on May 26, the console will recieve it's next big exclusive in the form of Infamous. The game is an open world sandbox game that features some interesting gameplay features. The developer, Sucker Punch Productions, has put it's experience from the Sly Cooper games to good use to allow the main character to climb and jump all around the fictional Empire City that the game takes place in. The main feature of this game, however, is the special powers of the protagonist, Cole MacGrath. A package that Cole was assigned to deliver causes a major explosion that destroys six city blocks, leaving behind a crater and Cole as the only survivor. The explosion granted Cole several electricity-based powers, but he falls into unconsciousness, waking up two weeks later to find that Empire City has fallen into chaos; without police, gangs have taken over areas of the city, and a plague has infected many of the residents causing the city to be quarantined by the government. It is revealed by "The Voice of Survival", or Dallas, a surviving disk jockey that broadcasts across the city, that Cole was the cause for the explosion, which sets the population of Empire City against him. Cole must come to terms with his powers, and opt to help those in need or simply survive on his own, facing against large threats that have manifested in the city due to the explosion. The game looks promising and will help to boost the dwindling sales of the playstation 3. Look for Infamous on store shelf on May 26.