“The Wolf Among Us” - How interactive storytelling is the future of a strong involved narrative.

      So last weekend I played through episodes 2 and 3 of The Wolf Among Us - the interactive storytelling game from Tell Tale Games. I found the game to be really enjoyable and I find that this style of game is rising in popularity. However what I am also finding is that for the most part these games are more interactive stories than heavy mechanic based games with a win/loss condition. This got me to thinking about the future of this concept. 

      Interactive storytelling could very well be the future of narrative. Could you imagine a television show in which the story branches and changes by your choice? I find that idea to be really fascinating. This could create a lot of social buzz and would get people talking about these types of shows. I think that games like the ones Tell Tale have created (along with concepts taken from Bioware’s games and even dating back to choose-your-own-adventure stories) could really be where stories and narratives could be heading. 

      This isn’t to say that the standard linear story is dead, far from it. There will always be a place for people to tell their story without input from the audience. However I believe that the public has a very strong desire to interact with content, and who doesn’t like the ability to have some “control”?

      The implications of this type of storytelling could be huge. Considering the added costs associated with having a branching storyline, this would certainly be quite the undertaking. However, the data gathered by the viewers choice could be huge! This could have advertising implications, and could generate future ideas for where to take these stories. It’s a very exciting idea that I would hope someone out there is at least considering. 

      As we can see, all around us the line between games and entertainment is blurring more and more with these new games and the demand that is being placed on them to be interactive, immersive and compelling. I’m really looking forward to episodes 4 and 5 in this game series and I’m sure they will be just as immersive as the first 3. 

Review of “Sword Art Online”

      Sword Art Online is an Anime series that was based on a Light Novel series written by Reki Kawahara. The series was dubbed in English and brought to North America via Aniplex. The premise of the show is that 10,000 players join the Virtual Reality Massive Multiplayer Online (VRMMO) RPG entitled “Sword Art Online”. Once in the world the users suddenly find out that they are unable to log out. They then find out via the game developer Akihiko Kayaba that this was his intention and the only way out would be to beat the game. He also informed them of another mechanic: should they die in this world, they will die in the real world. 

      In the series they travel to two different game worlds, the first being Sword Art Online, the second being Alfheim Online. It also looks like in the second season they will be exploring two more games, which will be cool. 

      The series has a lot of nods to MMO players in the things said and done in the world. Also the story is actually paced fairly fast, which is a surprise from most Anime series. You rarely feel like anything being done is just “filler” as plot points usually are in every episode. The only unfortunate thing about the quicker pace is that they do miss opportunities to explore certain aspects of each world. I feel like from the first season we missed more of Alfheim Online than Sword Art Online. 

      The main character in the show is Kirito who is late-middle school/early high school aged student who loves VRMMO games. In the game he falls in love with another student Asuna and the majority of the plot is focused on the two of them once they meet. The show addresses some pretty serious concepts like what reality really is. They also talk about how to make the most of each day regardless of the circumstances. 

      The show did a great job of handling the dramatic points of the story. They didn’t dwell to much on them, but they did show the major impact that they had on the players. The brief flashbacks that occurred in the second half of the series help to illustrate the continuous impact that these events had. The first season was wrapped up quite nicely as far as the plot went and it could certainly lead to additional stories, but it could also just be the stand alone end of the series as well. 

      I’m really looking forward to the second season of this series. I watched the dubbed version of the series for this review, I’m not sure I will be able to wait for season 2 to be dubbed. Season 2 will be premiering in Japan this summer, and I’m sure it will be just as good as the first series. 

Album Review - Eric Hutchinson's “Pure Fiction”

      Eric Hutchinson is a singer-songwriter who has been making music well over a decade and has recently released his fifth album entitled “Pure Fiction”. This album I found to be polarizing in that on several tracks he found some great balance but in others his weaknesses (Namely lyrics, and repetitive pop like themes) show through even more. 

      Hutchinson’s greatest strength is his voice, and no matter what track you listen to on this album (or likely any of his other work) this will be very clear. The songwriting draws the focus to his voice, and he is an excellent pop singer with a lot of flexibility and style. After a listen to this album I have been convinced that I want to see him live, as I have a very strong feeling that he is excellent live (as his acoustic tracks show). 

      Highlights of this album include “Goodnight Goodbye”, a simplistic track that emphasizes his excellent voice as well his perfect lyrical setting for the sentiment he was going for. This was the track that drew attention to this album for me. Also the track “Forget about Joni” in contrast shows some really clever lyric writing. This song also has a latin feel which was performed quite well with some simple instrumental choices and styling for guitar. This track is also acoustic adding more credence to the belief of his ability as a live performer.

     The weaker tracks on this album tend to emphasize the same issues. Tracks like “I Got The Feeling Now” and “A Little More” use really simple lyrics and pop hooks that make these tracks sound so poppy to the point of them being too sweet and simple. A title of a track should only be said so many times in the track itself, and should never be the entire lyrical content of the chorus (Unless it’s a Fall Out Boy-esque title which could be a short novella). 

      Overall I find this album to be difficult to assess wholistically. I love the artist’s voice and musicality, however I find that at times his songwriting choices pull me away from truly appreciating that work. I found that with most tracks on this album I either really liked them, or really didn’t. With many tracks being split along these two specific issues (Performance vs. Song-Writing). When listening in the moment I think this album is a great listen, however go much further in depth and you begin to uncover some of these issues which could be improved.

      If your a fan a pop music, like singer-songwriters, or just a fan of great singers this album is a good listen. If you are looking for a deep musical experience with deep lyrical meaning this album is not going to be for you.

Bravely Default (3DS) - Initial Impressions

      I was looking for a new JRPG to get into this past week and I remembered that not too long ago Bravely Default was released for the 3DS. This game made by Square Enix draws many of its' influences from the older Final Fantasy games and in many ways this is a good thing!

      Bravely Default is the story of four characters who happen to meet together in an effort to help Agnès (ahn-yes) go around the world and purify the four crystals from the all-consuming darkness. The characters all have their own unique stories, and it seems that surprises will be coming throughout the plot and game. 

      The job system is also back in a big way in this game through the use of asterisks. The cool thing about the game is you have to beat the class before you can actually use it. This also forces you to acknowledge the weakness of the class. The number of classes is quite extensive and has some unique classes beyond the standard set most Square Enix fans would be accustomed to (Black Mage, White Mage, Knight, Thief, etc.).

      The game also ramps difficulty quite well so far, which is nice because already I have felt times where I needed to take some time and grind some experience. I feel this really harkens back to a genuine JRPG experience. I am also trying my best to avoid guides as well as trying to min/max my characters to break the game. We’ll see how that works out as I progress further along in the game. 

      Bravely Default also pulls from other games outside of the Square Enix stable for inspiration. I noticed that they use “Party Chat” which are little vignettes among your party members. This reminds me of something similar from the Tales series which is another JRPG staple. 

      The battle system is very similar to most standard JRPGs except for one major change. The Brave/Default system from which the game drives it name from. During battle you can use brave and stack many attacks at one time, or use default in order to save up your turns. This can severely change the strategy and flow of a battle as both allies and enemies use this system. I have found times where this system can be devastating to my party and at times made battle very easy (especially against random encounters). This makes grinding relatively easy and not too much of a chore. 

      I am only roughly through 10 hours of the game, and only on chapter two. I know that many more surprises are coming in the game and I’m really looking forward to seeing what end game is like. I will have a full review once I have finished the game.