LONG BLOG
Location: History Is Our Playgroud
Sometimes playing a game where the location is a replica of a real life place is what I need. Sure, there are times I want to escape from the world and go and traverse the galaxy with other alien races on my big pimping space ship or perhaps even run around in an underwater metropolis armed with a super powered wrench. Video games provide a multitude of ways to immerse oneself or cause general havoc. For me however, the games that generally suck me in more than any other are games with locations that are a duplication of some real world location. The only problem with this is that developers tend to reuse the same environments over and over again, with New York and the Middle East being the two most glaring examples that come to mind. One might say that we’ve run out of real life places to base a video game on which is a total load of rubbish, but let's say for arguments sake that this is true, there is no reason why we couldn’t use a different time period to explore a different, unique location we haven’t seen before. Assassin’s Creed II was one such game to me and the city of Venice in particular, remains one of the most memorable locations in a video game that I’ve played today.
At the time, I was currently studying the renaissance time period in history class, specifically how it influenced Italy and the rest of Europe architecture, art and all that jazz. Easiest marks I have ever earned to this day and another reason I appreciate and took note of how much work went into designing the city. Say whatever you want about Ubisoft and their business practices, shoddy DRM and their dynamite attempt at impersonating Activision by milking their franchises, they have created a series built upon some of histories most interesting locales that we might never have gotten to experience otherwise.
Am I gushing? Probably, but very few games have given me an opportunity to get a taste and experience a city that one day I would like to visit myself. The boost in my history mark also didn’t hurt its chances in being memorable for me. I agree with most that the series as whole could use some serious shaking up, how an actual stealth system hasn’t been added in a game where you’re an assassin is crazy to me but I for one can’t question the amount of work that went into Venice, my favorite video game location.
Zwoooosh
At the time, I was currently studying the renaissance time period in history class, specifically how it influenced Italy and the rest of Europe architecture, art and all that jazz. Easiest marks I have ever earned to this day and another reason I appreciate and took note of how much work went into designing the city. Say whatever you want about Ubisoft and their business practices, shoddy DRM and their dynamite attempt at impersonating Activision by milking their franchises, they have created a series built upon some of histories most interesting locales that we might never have gotten to experience otherwise.
Am I gushing? Probably, but very few games have given me an opportunity to get a taste and experience a city that one day I would like to visit myself. The boost in my history mark also didn’t hurt its chances in being memorable for me. I agree with most that the series as whole could use some serious shaking up, how an actual stealth system hasn’t been added in a game where you’re an assassin is crazy to me but I for one can’t question the amount of work that went into Venice, my favorite video game location.
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About Zwooooshone of us since 1:41 AM on 02.08.2010
Well hey there, the name is Zwoooosh but of the internet, I'm generally called Nathan. It sounds a bit more normal I suppose. Anyway, I'm a 17 year old kid/manchild from Melbourne, Australia and I'm a gamer. I got into gaming as a young kid when my parents bought me a PS1 for Christmas all those years ago. God I remember playing the shit out of that. Any who I then moved on to the PS2 in 2002 and then onto my now current console, the PS3.
I'm into music and movies and am currently being self taught in visual effects as my friends and myself are heavily into film making ourselves. But you know when you have a dream and that dream then goes and bangs every idea you've ever had and then your just left with a bunch of idiotic thoughts and a lousy hangover? Yeah me either, but essentially we have so many projects under way, I don't know if we'll ever finish one of them. But enough about that, back to the games yeah?
A few of my favorite games:
The Uncharted series
Assassin's Creed series
Red Dead Redemption
Fallout 3/NV
Dead Space 2
Mass Effect 2
Portal
InFamous 2
Twitter
Oh hey! I write for Gamingbus now and guess what? We're hiring. If you are at interested, I implore you to take a gander right over here. I promise it won't hurt and you'll grow to love that probe like feeling. Journalism!
I'm into music and movies and am currently being self taught in visual effects as my friends and myself are heavily into film making ourselves. But you know when you have a dream and that dream then goes and bangs every idea you've ever had and then your just left with a bunch of idiotic thoughts and a lousy hangover? Yeah me either, but essentially we have so many projects under way, I don't know if we'll ever finish one of them. But enough about that, back to the games yeah?
A few of my favorite games:
The Uncharted series
Assassin's Creed series
Red Dead Redemption
Fallout 3/NV
Dead Space 2
Mass Effect 2
Portal
InFamous 2
Twitter Oh hey! I write for Gamingbus now and guess what? We're hiring. If you are at interested, I implore you to take a gander right over here. I promise it won't hurt and you'll grow to love that probe like feeling. Journalism!