Playing with yourself taken to new levels

Now I realize that there are lots of athletes out there who probably delight in playing themselves in video games (although I wonder if players on crappy teams play their team all the time knowing they'll be at a big disadvantage). I also realize that many voice actors have probably delighted in playing characters voiced by themselves. But this is a little weird. Okay it's really weird.

So the Army (yes THE Army) is funding another sequel to its little experiment known as America's Army, released in 2002 for the PC. There's been several updates and expansions since its initial, surprisingly well received release. What started out as a free game available for download on the internet and at Army recruitment centers (sneaky huh), eventually spawned a retail version for PS2 and XBOX this year. But now they're throwing in a twist by putting you in the shoes of actual existing soldiers. That means the playable characters are based on current soldiers, and the missions might even be based on their real experiences.

I honestly don't even know how to feel about this. Hell I still don't know how to feel about the game itself. I initially hated the idea of the Army doing a game, but I think in retrospect that's just because I thought it would surely suck hard. However it was decent, free, and people seemed to like it. I understand that the Army doesn't care about making good video games, they care about recruiting anyone they can. If that means making a game, no one in hell will care if the games no good.

So I guess my indifference is due to the fact that I'll respect just about anyone who makes a decent game, free or otherwise, even if I have no intentions of playing it. I give the Army credit for thinking outside the box, but I really wonder what recruiting payoffs the game has garnered. If anyone did actually decide to join the Army because of a video game, then that's probably the right place for them. However, most video gamers aren't as susceptible to suggestion as legislators would have the public believe. Also, we can be pretty lazy. I don't know about you, but the Army is no place for lazy people. So here's to staying on the couch with my controller.

Comments

Anonymous said…

What's the deal John? You get everyone all excited about this new blog and then you don't post.

Dude, I talked to some really intelligent people about video games recently. Talk to you soon.

3:47 PM, January 14, 2006

Anonymous said…

You've just totally given up on this whole blog thing, haven't you?? ^_^

3:59 PM, March 30, 2006

Talk about some Bullshit

That's right, Bullshit with a capital B. It's no news that Sony has been taking some serious shit these days. In fact their insane claims and statements are coming with such regularity it's quite astonishing. The backlash from the gaming community has been pretty substantial, but Sony seemed to be content to continually just brush those haters off as it were. Well they finally got angry. You can get more details at Kotaku, but the long and short of it is that Sony didn't like a (widely confirmed at Kotaku by very reliable sources inside the gaming industry) rumor that Kotaku wanted to publish. Well even after some nice asking from Sony, they published the rumor anyway . Instead of the "we do not comment on rumors or speculation," company line that Microsoft regularly dishes out, Sony sent a bitchy note to Kotaku saying that they were shutting down all relations with the site including interviews at future trade shows and the a request for the return of th...

Way to spend a day.

I don't know about you but nothing makes me fell refreshed like wasting an entire day playing video games. My roomate just returned home last night after a 3 month incarceration in Pittsburgh. Since his showing up last night at least 17 (conservitive estimate) hours of gaming has been logged between the two of us on our hardworking Signature 2000(?) television. I myself have been playing more games than in the last few months as of late due to having a new job and a little spare cash for once. No big spending sprees, but used gaming trade ins have been good to me. For me its been lots of Metroid Prime 2 on the Gamecube until my $6 ebay copy of The Matrix: Path of Neo showed up in the mail yesterday(after being sent through the US Postal Services worm-hole apparently, as I won the bid on Friday afternoon and paid for it late that night. It was coming from Texas freaking standard mail, not even priority). My roomie has been playing the fantabulous God of War. Actually all the...

A Revolution Indeed

While I am probably the last video game blog on the planet to comment on the subject of the Nintendo Revolution's name change, my waiting is not without reason. I write this on the eve of E3's beginning, and the controversy about Nintendo's new system is at a full on roar. For those not regulars to the world of video games, E3 is like the ultimate once a year Roman Orgy of video game trade shows. It's held usually in LA or Vegas, and is only open to people in the industry. More so than even the Tokyo Game Show, this is where us nerds find out what they're going to be playing for the next year or so. This year it is where we will finally(if the gods don't hate us), see a great many things including Halo 3, the new Nintendo system actually running, same for the Playstation 3, and a whole lot more. This particular entry though is about Nintendo's latest entry into the home console market. Up until a week ago, the system was named the Nintendo Revolution. ...

Replay Value

Search This Blog