Nerd Rage a'la Videogames

An aspect of life is competition. Economics, politics, mother nature, and sports are just a few examples that readily illustrate this concept. It should be no surprise that competition flourishes amongst the videogame industry and its community.

Below are a handful of my favorite rivalries--the brother of competition.

PC                    &              Console

Mario (SNES)                   &               Sonic (Genesis)

        Half-Life 2                 &                      Halo 2   

        Activison             &            Electronic Arts 

All of the above have seen its fair share of senseless shit talk. A couple decades ago I would argue with friends--the fleshy non-Facebook type--about the merits of owning a Sega Genesis console over the Super NES. I would brag about the systems line up, and how the graphics were obviously superior. As I grew older I began to realize that everyone has different tastes, and such discussions are rarely relevant to the grand scheme of things. Still, I'd find myself sucked into the occasional pointless discussion about which game/system is "better."

As the years went by the arguments evolved, and with the aide of the internet they rapidly expanded. Now anyone and everyone, including me, will lay down their side of the argument without the repercussions of face to face interactions. This wouldn't be an issue if internet comments were overwhelmingly level headed, well thought out, tidbits of communication. Unfortunately the opposite seems to be more prevalent. (Of course I'm an exception to this trend.)

The most recent example in the videogame community can be found on the website Metacritic. The average Metacritic score for Modern Warfare 3 is 89 out of 100, and the user score is 3.1 out of 10. A couple days ago it was 90 and 2.3 respectively. Now check out Battlefield 3, and you'll notice a similarity. Each franchise shows a dedicated fan base that seems hell bent on verbally sabotaging the other.

Reading the user review comments are simultaneously enlightening and disturbing. By the time my tolerance gave out a few interesting observations came to mind. Gamers still love rivalries and competition, and will go to great lengths to prove their personal tastes are the best thing ever. Their cyberspace rants can be fantastically ridiculous. At the same time I find it sadly pathetic that a number of people would rather read/write internet comments then actually research the topic at hand.

Hawthrone wrote, "Accuracy is the twin brother of honesty; inaccuracy, of dishonesty." Contributions to a discussion, that you find important, should never boil down to irrelevant dribble. Such rhetoric cheapens an already poor discussion. Yet in so many segments of our lives this ends up being the case.

Battlefield...Fuck Ya!

Game: Battlefield 3

System: PC, PS3, Xbox 360

Release: October 2011

Battlefield 3 is an excellent single player experience. I'd write about the multiplayer and co-op, but EA denies free access to this content if you do not purchase a new copy. I sincerely hope this policy backfires on EA. Odds are if you rent or buy used, you don't have a ton of cash to be spending on games. How likely is the consumer to purchase on-line access to one game? Especially when Modern Warfare 3 is about to be released. 

Gamefly, however, appears to be working on the issue and is offering free on-line passes. According to an email I received the code should be arriving within the week. 

Any who, as I was saying, BF3 is a great single player experience. The games plot feels like a blend of Black Ops and Modern Warfare, but the gameplay is a more realistic approach not found in Call of Duty. The franchise continues to provide insane combat scenarios featuring a variety of vehicles. There is a fighter jet and tank segment that are like nothing I've ever seen in a first-person shooter. The graphics are top notch, and the gameplay is much smoother then the Bad Company games. EA and DICE vividly illustrate that Call of Duty is not the only military shooter worth playing. 

The main protagonist is a Sgt. Blackburn, but players will take on the roles of other characters throughout the campaign. B.burn is introduced to us under arrest which sets up the basic flashback plot device--see Black Ops. As he's interrogated the pieces slowly come together. Nukes end up missing, commands are questioned, unlikely allies are made, and it all ends on a train to Time Square. 

Warning Spoilers Ahead....

BF3 has many impressive cinematic moments that build upon the classic Modern Warfare death scene. A solider from the tank campaign is captured and executed. Players witness the atrocity from the perspective of the captive. The bright light blinds you from behind the camera as your head is forced back before the knife slits your throat. Later B.burn comes across the room where the US soldier was executed. The whole sequence of events is very entertaining, and more detailed then what I've seen in the Call of Duty franchise. 

The other two segments worth mentioning are the levels set in France and New York. Playing as a Russian you storm through the streets of Paris in an attempt to find a bomb. The level weaves you around populated streets, and the action is very intense. The developers did an excellent job capturing the thrill of the chase. Sure having a nuke go off is cliche at this point, but it was well done and made since within the game. 

The same can be said in regards to the New York level. You are chasing the villains starting on foot, then on a train, and finally in a car. Fantastic! This time around the cliche is saving the day--looks like Paris is the only city to be nuked. Add to these cinematic moments the vehicles segments, and you have the top of line military shooter. (Of course that all can change next week with the release of Modern Warfare 3.)

BF3 has everything you could possibly want from a first person shooter. There are awesome vehicles, intense battles, a great single player, and a host of multiplayer modes. Snerts Snazzy Score is Full Price! for fans of the series, and On Sale! for shooter aficionados.

Don't Be Scared...Again

Game: F.E.A.R. 3

System: PC, PS3, Xbox 360

Release: June 2011

The F.E.A.R. saga strikes again with more bullet time, more armor segments, and a bit of telepathic debauchery. The third installment adds co-op to the mix, and continues to offer multiplayer modes that I don't care about. The overall story arch, spanning across three games, also comes to a close...or does it?

F3AR, that's F.E.A.R. 3, is the conclusion to Alma' s story. The experiment gone wrong, always getting pregnant, mental case finds herself knocked up again. Who's the father? Good ole Becket from the second game. Surprise! That hallucination at the end of the last title was really a rape scene. I suppose that's what you get for fighting Alma.

Alma's other kids, Point Man and Fettel, find themselves locked up in some prison. They are the two playable characters--more on that later. For some reason Fettel is a "ghost" and needs to work with his brother so they both can reach mommy dearest. Fettel was shot in the head by Point Man in the first F.E.A.R. Having them grudgingly work together is a nice touch for fans of the series. Along the way the brothers will run into Becket, and the final fight is with their estranged father. Ah family.

I'd try to explain the story further, but honestly I find it all a bit confusing. The developers use the term psychic like Michael Bay uses all spark. It's that magical plaster that holds the plot together and covers up any nasty holes. Suffice to say that a lot of crazy shit happens because of the all powerful psychic Alma is giving birth, and the endings vary depending on which brother accumulates the most points throughout the campaign.

The brothers gameplay varies significantly. Point Man is the same old beast from the first game. He uses bullet time to dispatch enemies, and other then that he is a typical FPS protagonist. Fettel gets the crazy mental powers. He can shoot mind bullets from his hand, and posses meat bags i.e. humans. You have to posses someone if you want to use weapons and mech armor. Combining the brothers abilities is a blast. One player can run around possessing enemies while the other uses bullet time to dispatch the rest.

Co-op is a strong focus of the game, but for those who lack friends both brothers can be used individually. The catch is you have to complete the game with Point Man to unlock Fettel. This was quite annoying, and I don't understand why both were not available from the get go.

The encounters are what you would expect from a F.E.A.R. game. You have your spooky segments where chairs move across rooms and the lights flicker. There are the mech armor areas, which are still quite enjoyable. Then there are the waves after waves of foot soldiers, zombies, and the occasional combination of the two. Finally there is the oddball spooky boss battle to wrap things up.

Everything in F3AR was top notch in terms of graphics and gameplay. There was little to no lag, and all the controls felt responsive and smooth. The mech armor segments are still awesome, and the co-op feature is fantastic.  The story was a bit odd and confusing, but I'm sure the few fans of this series appreciated all the tie-ins from previous titles.

If you have a friend, and the two of you were looking for a solid co-op experience, then this is the game for you. Snerts Snazzy Score is On Sale! for fans of the series and for those who enjoy co-op gaming. For the rest of us rent it, play it, and move on.