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Since I missed yesterday's post, here's another two-for-one.
26 February 2010
"Don't worry James. Failure is just a natural consequence of trying." That's what my (in-game) English teacher said to me when I failed English 4 — for the fifth or sixth time. I couldn't think of enough words that could be made from the provided letters in the limited time-frame. I know that the writing/dialogue in this game is making fun of society and societal expectations, but there's something extra in that line. From a personal viewpoint, it doesn't exactly ring true. I can think of very few times in my life where I have tried and failed (and plenty where I've failed but not tried). Most of those occasions involved me playing either a video game or some type of sport (not that I'm bad at either activity). And only a few others bare any lasting significance.
But it is something that has haunted me — and I suspect many others like me. You might call me a perfectionist. I tend to consider anything I do that is less than exceptional to be a failure. Except when I stop myself from caring. I got really good at not caring about certain things at an early age because I had to. I would have panic attacks or get anxious over stuff that other people wouldn't give a second thought. When combined with my occasionally-severe bouts of asthma, this was a very serious problem. So I learned to distance myself from anything stressful. Failure is something that I find stressful, so I detach myself from any activities that I think I might fail. (Thankfully, I have a very high opinion of what I can achieve if I set my mind to it, so this doesn't happen often.)
Given that it's been almost a year since I last played this game, I'm surprised how quickly I was able to get back into it. Sure, the controls feel awfully clunky and limiting after playing more recent third-person-perspective games, but they are by no means bad. And the variety of moves and equipment Jimmy can use feels appropriate, given the context. I didn't manage to progress much in the story, since I kept getting into trouble for chasing down people who stole my bike or knocking others over while riding. I also had some crazy problems with my controller getting stuck on constant X input, which led to a very large brawl at the spot where you do the (first?) tagging mission.
I managed to take down a couple of cops and prefects, which was fun while it lasted. And I now have a new dig — the (former) Greaser's hang-out — in which I played a weird mini-game about a monkey that flings poo at descending spiders. You gain points for every spider that you hit, and refill your poo gauge by knocking down bananas from the top of the screen. If a spider bites you, you lose a life. It was quite a surreal experience, but only really good for shock value and toilet humour.
27 February 2010
There's not much for me to say about today's session. I finished Chapter 3, which means the Greasers now "work for me." But apparently Jimmy isn't content to rule the Nerds, Bullies, Preppies, and Greasers. It's time to take on the jocks. I'm impressed at how cutting the social commentary is. Every line of dialogue seems to rip on some stereotype or social norm.
My favourite moment from today's play is definitely storming the Nerd's fortification, which destroyed my respect with them, albeit temporarily. The attachment they seemed to have to ridiculous technology and their talk about future superiority — including the great line, "one day I'm going to build a bigger nu-cu-lar bomb" — were particularly nice touches. That's what I like most about this game so far — the little flourishes of character and great humour at society's expense. It was cool to see the weak, timid, nerdy kids standing up for themselves, too.
I also enjoyed the sequence where you have to outrun the cops on your bike. The sequence itself was pretty boring and derivative, but the music was fantastic. True getaway music to make me feel like I'm in the moment.
I'm still not feeling the controls, but they haven't hampered my experience much. I just hope there are no more bike races. The bike controls feel sloppy compared to GTA: San Andreas, which isn't exactly a game that deserves praise for its controls, either. But then the combat is better, so what's the deal? I'll have to think about this. It's still such a shock to come from Uncharted 2 to Bully. I can't climb anything, only a few objects are interactive, and Jimmy's not very agile. He does have a similar, though less self-conscious, wit, at least.
I can't wait to take on the Jocks.
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