Who else is counting down the days until Fallout 4 and Star Wars Battlefront? If you aren’t then I suggest you come out from under your rock and start getting excited, son.
Do Amiibos have the ‘f factor’?
Do Nintendo’s Amiibo figures have function or do us gamers choose beauty over brains?
After the release of the Skylanders franchise in 2011, it became apparent there was a whole new demand within gaming. Technological advances have made it possible to scan miniature models of our favorite characters into particular games, leaving us with a much more interactive experience. However, I question to what extent we really use such additions to enhance game play?
Nintendo released the Amiibos into the world and boy did they grow up fast. Amiibos have taken the world by storm, creating such high demand that certain characters sell out in seconds. My ex-boyfriend in fact gets extremely hostile when trying to pre-order amiibos so not to miss his chance due to the very low number Nintendo create. I have, on more than one occasion, sat refreshing the Nintendo Store Website until certain characters become available. Combine this with the fact that they are specifically available through Nintendo, it leaves me with an empty heart and a frustrated mind.
The Nintendo website often describes the amiibos as having a huge game compatibility, which is ultimately true but with the amiibos now being restricted to the newest edition of the Nintendo DS, the game compatibility becomes rather redundant (and I am not spending all my dosh buying something to make them compatible). It is exciting, especially in Smash Bros, to have a character that’s new and rare but after a while the repetitive nature of the game itself puts me off. The only thing that keeps me going back is the models themselves. I am also a sucker for rarity.. I have to have what no one else can obtain. I did manage to bag a Rosalina amiibo and the fact she was so rare was the reason I keep her on display. I am not instantly enthusiastic to use her in game play. She is more of a trophy of my good fortune.
However, maybe I’m being sadistic and undermining the great gaming experiences that can be enhanced with such devices. The amiibos are compatible on more than one console and create a unique dimension to an older game. They are not particularly expensive when purchased initially but due to the low number manufactured people sell them on for soul destroying prices. This means the amiibo is merely based on how many exist not on the additions it will add to game play. The anticipation of release means it’s a first come first serve basis and therefore if you snooze you lose. If you’re like me and have to have everything perfect and together then you will need to get certain types of characters, and characters that fit together and characters that are old skool and…. you get my point. So for example, I made it my mission to obtain all the Princesses just so I had a mini collection. Not because I was itching to add them to Smash Bros. Therefore they become personal to the owner, or collector, due to an ongoing theme not because of upgrades to the game. I am eager for the animal crossing amiibos to come out for pre-order so I can collect them all to reflect my love for the game.
Amiibos are multi-purpose and this is apparent by the upcoming release of the amiibo stand that I saw in my local Argos catalogue. It is Mario themed and you place your amiibos on top of the ‘?’ boxes. This made me view them as more of a decorative piece rather than something functional but they are ultimately duel purpose. Due to their immense detail and the careful selection of some of the best loved characters in history they become a lifestyle and an ongoing investment. In comparison to the Disney Infinity characters that are clogging up the system.. well I view them differently. Due to the variation in art style I do actually see them as more functional to a game rather than something I would put on display. Although my Stitch Disney Infinity character is a welcome addition to my already busy shelves. On the other hand, they have the same affect in the respect that now pre-orders are available for Mulan and she is my favorite character so I will buy her purely for display. In all honesty they do become addictive to represent an interest and a personality.
Furthermore, amiibos come in a wonderful box that is way too pretty to open. The box, to me, makes it even more collectible and unique. Perhaps that is because amiibos are slightly more a pull at bringing in a female audience due to the dual functions.The male audience may be more interested in additional power-ups and bonuses.. and perhaps the new outfits but they probably won’t admit that.
The different variations in characters such as Yoshi who comes in more than one pose, can make amiibos become a project for the artists among us. Many amiibos are getting custom paint jobs to transform them into characters not yet announced by Nintendo. So Yoshi has become Birdo, Toad has become Toadette and Princess Peach has become Daisy. This also gives room to explore different colour schemes from the different games to create a collection as aforementioned. This has nothing to do with the game and yet there are thousands of new and amazing amiibo creations every time I look.
In conclusion I think that amiibos have become a fashion statement among gamers. Lego Dimensions is cool but you want to add them to the game to unlock realms and areas to explore. Amiibos on the other hand, are something pretty to look at and something rare to hunt down. That doesn’t stop sales and it certainly doesn’t stop me from refreshing Nintendo’s web page every three seconds. The exciting world of amiibos is only now evolving and I am waiting in anticipation to see who I can add to my collection next! Who needs power-ups when you have a cool new addition to your room aye?
[Exasperated]
My obsession with not wanting to age had led me to grip onto my past very tightly in different aspects of my life. One of my favourite past times is gaming and has been since I can remember. Recently I began to think about games that embodied my childhood and helped me to pass away every available second I ever had. Now 12 years has passed and I decided to purchase Prince of Persia in a neat trilogy format with the hopes that revisiting the game would help me sort of… reminisce on a much simpler time. The Prince’s superb agility and the unique story lines kept me entertained for hours and I wanted to know if now, at 19 years old, whether I would feel the same thrill as I did when I was 8. Sands of Time was always my favourite with Two Thrones coming in close second so I decided to give it another shot.
Of course, the Prince didn’t welcome me with as warm a welcome as I remembered. On the contrary he seemed much more stubborn and mastering the art of controlling him was a task in which I had great difficulty. Even after I had dominated my Prince thus being able to wall run without him running up the walls and jumping backwards into an abyss of spikes, I had then forgotten the unforgiving, relentless and persistent enemies who actually ended up ‘playing me’.
Yet this article is not about the brutal blades or how knackered my R1 button has become but in fact it will take a much more bitchy turn as we explore one of the worst companions ever created by man.
PRESS START *paused*
“Shall I go on…? Then I shall continue.”
The emergence of deuteragonists has come about more than ever recently. In most games it is done without any faults such as in The Last of Us, where Ellie is everything I ever dreamed a companion to ever be. However, I can’t be completely harsh with the Prince and his lady friend, we are looking back a good few years now and the development has been astounding. Yet, I cannot forgive Ubisoft for adding in such a painful, annoying and useless character as Farah.
Her abilities are worthless. Yes, granted she has a bow (that can only weaken not even kill the enemies for christ sake) but I could count on one hand how many times she has saved me, whilst I have been playing, from near death. The majority of the time the AI is so poor that she stands there aiming her bow but not actually recognising anything to shoot. What is the point of having a companion who cannot help the main protagonist? Her bow is ultimately useless and most of the time I ended up bailing HER out of trouble. The usual Damsel in Distress phrase “help me” was prominent and is very common among most gaming. This just then eliminates the independence she is given by having a bow and puts her right back in the ‘helpless woman’ barrel that the likes of Princess Peach and Krystal, from Star Fox Adventures,are thrown into.
I always think to myself that there must be some unspoken rule somewhere that states ‘All characters must have some romantic involvement at some point during the game.’ The Prince ultimately falls in love with Farah. Why? I have no idea. If it were me I would be running in the opposite direction to that bitch however it seems there HAD to be love and that’s how it panned out. I suppose this leads up to the ending yet it is unimaginative and clichéd. It just doesn’t seem right within the story and made me switch off very quickly. One minute the Prince is discussing how he is going to get out of the mess he has created, thus giving the player their final objective, and then all of a sudden he is talking about marrying her?? I’m sorry but they hardly even knew each other and now the Prince has turned into some love sick puppy rather than the hero that he should be portrayed as. The objective subconsciously changes so that now the player is fighting to protect Farah thanks to this new found love. To me it appeared out of place within the bigger story and the game then became predictable but… I might just be heartless.
Farah is given some perks such as being skinny enough to get through tiny cracks; the Prince even remarks “You’re a skinny little thing!” .Now I don’t want to be a party pooper but this type of character design gives a very negative view to girls regarding self image. No one has to be skinny to sort of maybe help the Prince a little bit when she feels like it, as is the case with Farah. A heroine can be any shape or size or gender or race and I feel very strongly about this. Farah is very gender stereotyped and although her sari is described as being “functional” by ‘Prince of Persia wiki’ there is obviously still a certain amount of sex appeal that is being pushed for its target audience.
Farah’s main use within the story comes when she ‘sacrifices’ herself to save the Prince but because her character was so damn annoying throughout, I had no sympathy or emotional attachment towards her or the event at all. This plot device is then used to cause the Prince to become stronger and have the ability to massacre the abundance of sand monsters throughout which is, in my opinion, a ridiculous and farfetched idea that lacks any real substance.
This one ‘heroic’ act in the story does not make up for the countless wasted hours beforehand where she is incapable of helping at all. Yes, she may pull a few switches but in the grand scheme of things she is powerless to help the Prince at all. She offers no advice or help to the Prince, in fact she merely complains and argues with him thus becoming what seems like something akin to a nagging wife. Her attire is supposed to be “functional” and yet she doesn’t do anything that would constitute “manoeuvring difficult terrain”. On the contrary, she complains that she cannot complete the task and has to find a different way. Her repetitive remarks to the Prince are infuriating and as a player make you feel stupid and pressured. She is always dependant on the Prince saying “Now how do I get through” – she is portrayed as helpless and incapable of getting out of trouble which is a continuing gender stereotype amongst women in gaming even now. When she does give advice it is always vague and never points the player in the right direction OR anything close to it which can become frustrating and the majority of the time I just want to mute her and her unhelpful retorts. Farah’s bossy nature increasingly makes me want to stab her and although obviously a conscious choice during her (likelyman-made) character development, it seems a little unnecessary. The Prince does state “She orders me around as if I were her servant” which is exactly how I felt as a player.
All these rubbish and annoying traits she possesses build up until eventually I am screaming at the television that she should “Shut the fuck up you whore”.. and that’s a direct quote. The Prince is the reason I continue to play but it is irritating when his heroism is questioned and he is seen to falter under her ‘beauty’. If she had any real use within the game I would have no issue but her lack of purpose and her personality makes it hard to tolerate her. She reminds me of so many girls I went to school with and I don’t keep in touch with them for a very good reason. I’m staying Farah-way from the companions of games gone by.
Am I jealous of some pixels?
Stepping out of my comfort zone is not always something I enjoy doing. I am more inclined to play games that are familiar to me such as Fallout rather than exploring wider possibilities from various genres. This is due to my fear of starting a game and then not finishing it. You see, I am a perfectionist. Within Far Cry 4 I had to collect EVERYTHING. Fallout is much the same and so the thought of starting a new game fills me with an insatiable dread in case I don’t enjoy the game and move on without gaining 100%.
BUT…
Not too long ago I was given Ico which is deemed, along with Shadow of Colossus, to be one of the best games ever made. It took me a long time to really pick the game up and give it a shot due to my fear that my motivation would falter. However, after looking intently at my games collection trying to find something kick ass to play; I picked up Ico and curled under my duvet so whatever was going to come my way could be unleashed.
Although not a long way into the game I have already fallen in love. The relationship between Ico and Yorda is one of the most charming I have ever seen and has kept me very much excited to continue. I know its cliché, and I pride myself on being different from the ‘norm’, but the most hooking thing about this game is their relationship. When I found out you could hold her hand and guide her through the environment well… my heart melted. I find I’m placing myself in Ico’s position entirely and even I become protective over Yorda (and I’m pretty much a misanthropist). This leads me to feel very panicked when Yorda is being dragged through the floor by the shadow creatures and I am constantly striving to keep her safe for Ico’s sake and even for my own.
The emotional attachment to the characters is only heightened by Ico’s character development. His quiet and timid nature makes his bravery and courage in looking after Yorda even more touching. He comes out of his inner shell to save her in the presence of enemies he has never seen before and doesn’t even have an understanding of. It reminds me of the relationship between Joel and Ellie in The Last of Us. Joel has a very harsh personality at first and due to the loss of Sarah he closes himself up to any new relationships. His fear of taking on more responsibility and not being able to protect Ellie like he was unable to protect Sarah swallows him. Yet as the story unwinds he becomes a fatherly figure and makes Ellie his main priority therefore making it one of the most captivating relationships in gaming (it even beats every relationship I have in reality). Ico reminds me of my boyfriend. When I first met him he was shy and we didn’t really talk at all. Yet, he became very bold with me; even organising an entire dinner just for me bearing in mind we hadn’t been friends for long. When someone pushes past their fear just for you it makes you fall in love with them so much more. Ico’s willingness to put himself in positions of danger for a mysterious girl whom he cannot fully comprehend is heart warming. The puzzle-based story line encourages team work and pushes Ico to take on a leadership role as he helps Yorda, who isn’t given much movement or many actions and therefore has to be guided. Using the puzzles, Ico is given the responsibility of finding a separate path for Yorda enabling her to escape the clutches of her demons and enabling him to find himself.
The atmosphere of Ico has me placed in a completely different realm which I adore. One of the reasons I enjoy gaming is because it takes me out of my regular dull existence and places me into worlds I could only ever dream of. As a player I feel like I’ve been engulfed into the game and all these aspects add up into one of the most amazing games I have played. I am definitely excited to see how the story unfolds and how the characters develop. Loving or hating the characters you play as, play against or interact with is a massively important part of gaming and although action, fighting and general game play engages an audience; the relationship between a player and the characters is the reason we keep coming back for more. Humans have a tendency of being able to create an emotional response better using pixels than they can applying the same principle to real life. Maybe I’m just a tad jealous.
If you haven’t played Ico before I beg of you give it a chance. I am very happy I did.
Introductions are in order..
Sulsul!
I’m Bernie and I intend to double jump my way through the vast expanses of gaming. So read, enjoy and even do some co-op with me as I climb the ladder towards a career in gaming!
Thank you for visiting my blog and being part of my first post!
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