Ack wrote:Ok, I've posted my thoughts on Phantasmagoria in the Games Beaten 2018 thread.
In the meantime, I'm continuing on with Toonstruck. I'm currently seeking the twelve items that will make the Cutifier work so I can reverse the effects of the Melevofier. I also have a mallet game to win so I can get a bottle of wine and take it to the Big Bad Wolf. Oh, and I need to find a plunger, because I have some fish to flush.
It is nice to have a game that is playful and absurd isn't it? It is the exact opposite of phantasmagoria and it is delightful. It is so thick with films of the style it is crazy.
Speaking of which, FMV plays heavily into the transition of video games from being arcade driven in play styles to a film style. Gaming had two paths to take during this time. Using fmv or doing 3d. FMV was able to convey emotion easier by using real actors and the nuance of human body language and tone, but it lacked something 3D had in spades and that was the flexibility of using a camera in 3d space and portraying the fantastical more easily.
I think games like metal gear solid definitely had a hand in portraying the cinematic easier with 3d elements over full motion Video and took games into the narrative movie style more smoothly.
It is so fascinating!
Yeah, Toonstruck's sense of humor is delightful. It's also gorgeous to look at, and I love the transition between the "real" world with FMV to the animated content of the game itself. The contrast between Christopher Lloyd and his animated companion Flux is wonderful, particularly how Flux is not only an animated character, but he's animated in his behavior, running around the screen and looking at things while I'm still mousing over what's interactive in the room. I am very much reminded of Who Framed Roger Rabbit or when Gene Kelly danced with Jerry Mouse in Anchors Aweigh. It's also the perfect palette cleanser after a horror title.
I think part of why FMV ended up being an evolutionary dead end is that having real people makes it harder to suspend disbelief and also finding quality actors to participate in the medium was uncommon due to its reputation. Games were under assault in the 1990s over their attempts to become more mature, and FMV's ability to show gore and sexuality akin to the '80s slasher films that had been considered so morally devoid a decade before just made for an easy target. 3D ended up being a wonderful avenue to go down for many reasons, but it also has its limits, such as the Uncanny Valley. While FMV struggled with how much interactivity to display and how to remain a game and not simply become a movie, it does have the trade off of using people instead of modeled proxies representing people of one kind or another. Perhaps with VR and 3D cameras, we'll find a weird way back into human actors as opposed to virtual characters who appear somehow lacking.
Wow! Nice job on installing Windows 95 Keyglyph! That took some extra dedication. I look forward to hearing more of your thoughts on Silent Steel. Your screen shots really bring me back! I think I did know about the Weezer thing. Seeing the screenshot reminded me, however, of the Squirrel Nut Zippers who had an amazing interactive CD-rom feature to their album "Hot." It had music videos, trivia, and biographies, and just tons of information about the band. It was very impressive. A few bands used to put on CD-Rom extras, though few were as impressive as the Squirrel Nut Zippers features. Actually, if anyone is a really devoted fan of Alice In Chains, they actually made an Alice In Chains videogame called "The Journey" that appeared as a CD-Rom Extra on their boxset "Music Bank." It's kind of hard to find now. I think the game might actually have some FMV in it, but I have never played it and information about it is scarce.
BogusMeatFactory wrote:It is not in any way unfortunate that I do not have the time to jump on playing video games right out of the gate for the month. I have the delightful privilege of taking care of a 3 month old, a 3 year old full time, working part time and volunteering what little free time I have to helping others.
If you like shooting gallery games akin to virtua cop or time crisis, you literally can not go wrong with any of the fmv shooting games. This includes crime patrol 1 and 2, space pirates, mad dog mccree 1 and 2, the bounty hunter, who shot Johnny rock and Gallagher's shooting gallery. They are fun and fulfilling because they are light gun shooting games, but they are also cheesy and filled with a childlike wonder. They encapsulate the feeling of the birth of film. It is rough and the people making the games don't have a full grasp of the medium.
If you like adventure games that are full of wit and whimsy, play Return to Zork, Toonstruck and Zork Grand Inquisitor. They are fun, engaging with less obtuse puzzles and a moderate level of decent acting.
If you want adventure games that are serious and mysterious, play myst, riven, Zork nemesis and Gabriel knight 2. All have great acting, fascinating world building and a lot of fun, mind bending puzzles that utilize systems and mechanics in fun and unique ways.
If you want, so bad it's good, you play Night Trap, Ripper, Privateer 2: The Darkening, Supreme Warrior, A Fork in the Tale, Corpse Killer, Slam City with Scottie Pippin and on and on. These games usually feature a known actor chewing up the scene to no end and it is glorious. Gameplay isn't unplayable (except for supreme warrior) but the charm is in the shmaltz.
That's a start for people who are actually interested in enjoying the month.
I'm just going to note that the first five Tex Murphy games are all on sale at GOG this week, too. Just gonna throw that out there for those who are curious, but maybe don't want to spend a lot of dough.
It's hard to talk about FMV games without acknowledging the role that the company DIgital Pictures had in the promotion and development of full motion videogames.
Here is an excellent 30 minute documentary about them:
Want to know how they got a prototype FMV peripheral to work on a Colecovision? Want to know how Atari's Nolan Bushnell had a close personal friendship destroyed over FMV? Want to know why congress described FMV as child abuse?
All of these questions and more will be answered in the video. It's a fascinating story.
I'm currently playing "Double Switch" by Digital Pictures, which is now playable on Android and i-Phones. I'm about a third of the way through. It stars Corey Haim and Deborah Harry (Blondie) with a soundtrack by Thomas Dolby. More on that later.
J T wrote:It's hard to talk about FMV games without acknowledging the role that the company DIgital Pictures had in the promotion and development of full motion videogames.
Here is an excellent 30 minute documentary about them:
Want to know how they got a prototype FMV peripheral to work on a Colecovision? Want to know how Atari's Nolan Bushnell had a close personal friendship destroyed over FMV? Want to know why congress described FMV as child abuse?
All of these questions and more will be answered in the video. It's a fascinating story.
I'm currently playing "Double Switch" by Digital Pictures, which is now playable on Android and i-Phones. I'm about a third of the way through. It stars Corey Haim and Deborah Harry (Blondie) with a soundtrack by Thomas Dolby. More on that later.
I linked to that documentary at the start of the thread as well as the insanely extensive podcast interview with the head of Digital Pictures. It is absolutely fascinating!
Also, on the topic of musicians doing fmv game extras on their cds, Prince had a full on myst style fmv adventure game... It is pretty simple, but bonkers.
Ack wrote:I don't know, chief, the haunting feeling of lust I feel whenever I look at your avatar makes me think it's real.
-I am the idiot that likes to have fun and be happy.
This is awesome. We are going way down the rabbit hole with this month’s topic, and I am learning a tremendous amount (just when I think I know everything, too!)
I have been playing a little Double Switch too, but I am thinking of firing up Mad Dog McCree or Star Wars Rebel Assault II tonight.
I stupidly bought that David Bowie "Jump" thing as well as The Residents "Freak Show" before realizing they were for Mac only and I'm a PC guy. Oh well, they were only like $2 each. Maybe I'll figure out a way to play them at some point.
