Half Life Two: Episode Two
Not played Episode Two either via Steam or through the Orange Box yet? Then stop reading now to avoid major spoilage. Those who are left will surely know where this is going. The ending of Freeman’s latest adventure has to be one of the most savage, upsetting and emotionally jarring endings in games.
But it’s not so much the brutal, uncompromising violence of seeing Eli Vance’s brains getting sucked from his skull that makes the scene so painful. No, it’s the fact that a believable narrative and dynamic has been forged between you and these characters over three games. When Alyx cradles her father’s lifeless body in her hands in the game’s dieing moments it is a grief that goes far beyond the annoyance or irritation at losing a life or using a continue.
Valve nurtures these themes of loss in wartime, strong female characters and helplessness throughout Episode Two. And any gamer who experiences them is bound to come out more emotionally aware and with a healthy respect of what real loss is and the gravitas it carries. An especially valuable skill when soldiers are dying daily in Iraq, wouldn’t you agree Mr. President-elect?
GTA IV
We’re all for Obama wanting to crack down on the kids not laying waste in the streets of Liberty City by paying for a hooker’s most expensive service, sampling the grotty goings on, then popping a bullet in her pupil and taking your readies back – not that we’ve ever done that . But, for those who are old enough to appreciate its mature themes, there’s undoubted cultural and satirical merit running through Rockstar’s Rotten Apple.
Look past the broad, often embarrassingly stereotypical characterisation, and you’ll find the most sophisticated, pointed political satire this side of the Simpsons. Radio stations that hold political candidates and their policy decisions up to public opinion and scrutiny and tearing down society’s obsession with voyeuristic reality TV can surely only make people think about politics. And an America full of people willing to actively think about and engage in politics - how a healthy democracy should work - is surely the sort of country Obama should want to govern.
Ico/Shadow of the Colossus
If there were any two titles that could show Obama games have greater emotional complexity than the giddy thrills of punching a baddie in the plums or blowing up buildings with a Balkan assassin, then its Ico and SOTC. Both are more concerned with the toll gruelling journeys of peril, self reflection and regret have on the player’s conscience than the physical act of pummelling smoke monsters with planks of wood or stabbing skyscraper-sized beasties in the stomach.
They force gamers to look back on their actions rather than forward to their next kill. Encourage and demand a real emotional and moral maturity to fully appreciate. Establish palpable themes of responsibility and self sacrifice. And these are surely qualities the future occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue would approve of.
Nov 7, 2008
20 Most Rabidly Patriotic Games
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