Part Three: Happy Birthday

A Raving Birthday Party:
Well it was roughly this time last year that Major Sheppard and I were introducing ourselves to no one and writing our first posts. A year later and we're still writing a blog which no one reads. And so in cheer of this happy occasion I thought that it would be great timing if I wrote the final part to the three part special post today (OK, so maybe I didn't time it, but rather procrastinate for such a long time. And yes, I don't even know why these posts are special). But anyway, Happy Birthday Blank Mind!

Storytelling or Derriere :
OK, so the main reason it has taken me so long to write this post is because of the same reason many people around the world have either skipped, missed or delayed writing their essays over the past two weeks; the release of Killzone 2 and Resident Evil 5. I would like to say that I spent so long on RE5, not sleeping and even not shaving, because I was trying to get it done before this post, but then I would be lying. OK, so it wasn't as bad as me not shaving, but damn near. But I'm not going into too much detail about the game, but leave that for our second podcast (no, you haven't missed the first, its still under production, a fancy way of saying I'm lazy). Instead, here I'm going to be focusing on gaming's storytelling, because as I sat there watching the typical sunset ending Resident Evil games give (you know, the one where the helicopter flyies off) I'm not feeling the groove. I'm not feeling that satisfaction of having played a storyline. OK, so I cant really come up with a better word than groove, though I cannot help by compare this feeling to when I completed Metal Gear Solid 4. It suddenly hit me during the credits that both games have bad storytelling. Don't get me wrong, from the start of 21st century, games have finally proven their potential as storytelling on par with movies, not only cinamotography but also in budget. However, come the turn of the PS3, or more specifically those games which have titles with a large number tagged at the end indicating the sequel, storytelling has begun to miss a few key elements. Though those respective directors and writers had perfectly nailed it in MGS2 and RE4, so where the missing key? Where is that metal gear? (OK I'll stop with the metaphors). The trouble with RE5 and MGS4 more so, is the game tries to rap up many of the lose ends too quickly. The fact that they try to answer all unanswered questions left in previous games is bad storytelling in my eyes. Yet, while this is what every fan whats, it isn't at the same time. While a fan would love to get the answer to such mysteries, the best stories are those that flirt with them, allowing the player to imagine and brainstorm possibilities to the universe of the game. In turn it allows fans to create their own fan works or more bluntly, it leaves players wanting to get his of hers hands on the next game. And so when Metal Gear Solid 2 ended, when Resident Evil 4 finished, everyone was anticipating the next game. Though I guess, playing devil advocate, it is our own fault in part. We create anticipation of what the story should be like that when the writers deliver the end product, disappointment is met. The flaws of answers too many questions is that its left me and probably many other players feeling things are too far fetched. An overload of new information can not only take up game play time and thus losing the fact that it is still a game, but also ruined a series. I wont go as far as say the RE5 has ruined the series, because its a damn good game in terms of game play, but it has ruined the mystery of Albert Wesker. The game delivered what we all wanted, and yet it ended too quickly offering no twists, or ones that are not cliche at least. We'll maybe its just me?