Splinter Cell Blacklist co-op modes partially detailed
FIFA 14 on PC won't use Ignite engine
Ace Attorney Trilogy coming to iOS next week
Far Cry 3 editor jazzed up with Blood Dragon shinies
Epic Mickey 2 for Vita coming June 18
Weekend Confirmed 120 - Dawnguard, Day Z, Diablo 3
by Garnett Lee, Jul 06, 2012 6:00pm PDTDespite the summer's dearth of new releases, the Weekend Confirmed crew get into some spirited discussions about Diablo 3's questionable end-game, and what it's like to be a vampire in Skyrim's new expansion, Dawnguard. Garnett, Jeffs Cannata and Mattas, and regular guest Andrea Rene also delve into some talk about the Day Z beta mod that brings hardcore zombie survival to ArmA 2, and opine a bit about ZombiU and Sim City Social as well. The eclectic mix of topics all wraps up with another batch of Finishing Moves.
Weekend Confirmed Ep. 120: 07/06/2012
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Show Breakdown:
Round 1 00:00:30 – 00:28:15
Whatcha Been Playing Part 1 00:28:49 – 00:58:47
Whatcha Been Playing Part 2 00:59:43 – 01:29:24
Listener Feedback/Front Page News 01:30:16 – 02:04:42
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Original music in the show by Del Rio. Get his latest Album, The Wait is Over on iTunes. Check out more, including the Super Mega Worm mix and other mash-ups on his ReverbNation page or Facebook page, and follow him on twitter @delriomusic.
Del Rio's next album, Club Tipsy, is also just a few days away from its July 10 release. Check out his official web page for more information.
Comments
If you compare this to say nanomachines in Metal Gear---a lot of the plot elements using nanomachines are really rediculous (ie, Liquid Ocelot's talking arm, remote control of an entire army), but at least the concept of nanomachines is a logical extension of military technology. Its a device to warn us of the perils of war and technology---something Ray Bradbury or George Orwell would be into.
The Animus has no logical purpose for existing, other than that there is some MacGuffin in the plot having to do with finding details from peoples' memories in historical periods. Its sort of like if all the Harry Potter books were about the Pensieve, but we never even learned like what magic was, about Hogwarts, or anything about trying to find Voldemort's Horcruxes.
That said it is impossible to become involved with any of the characters in the AC history segments, because we have no clue what the relevance of these Assassins' memories is. If you block out the segments of the game involving the animus then the story is just a poorly written, cheesy adventure.
Ezio isn't a good character. I mean there is nothing to him. He's just a generic guy with an Italian accent. And like, the games' do things like put Leonardo DaVinci in---but the point isn't to make him a character---its to say "look, how novel! a historical figure from history in your video game!" I mean, to me, at best Assassin's Creed's stories are something akin to old cartoons like The Magic School Bus, or where some kid time travels with a talking animal to learn about history.
What I'm getting at is there's this really important distinction arising maybe across multiple mediums---but in video games especially---between actual story telling, and franchise construction through layered meta devices, and lore. In AC the Animus doesn't really serve a purpose except to raise questions about the universe itself.
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 65 replies.
Uh but this is exposition for the sake of exposition, which is exactly what I criticized. I don't intrinsically care about the tech flaws in the Animus, because it is a question posed by the game. The Animus could very well not exist, and then the story might be more focused and actually interesting because it would just be about the assassins."
This is not exposition for the sake of exposition. Desmond's direction interaction with his ancestors through their own experiences, right down to the emotions they felt, is directly related to HIS growth as a character. The development of his assassin skills parallels his acceptance of the assassin life-style and the importance of the war with the templars.
Removing the animus would make the AC series feel detached and pointless. The only connection between the three time-lines, the three characters, and the conspiracies across them is Desmond and the inpending threat of the end of the world. He is the link that connects three otherwise self-contained personal dramas. What he learns through these experiences is ultimately what prepares him to take responsibility unto himself, and gives the assassin's the information that only HIS genetic memory contains.
There was no tech flaw. The Templar's that kidnapped Desmond didn't care about the bleeding effect on him, they wanted Altair's memories ASAP, so they could use the data to find the technology they wanted.
"He wasn't guided by the creed, he was motivated by revenge. He was a person, like Desmond, strugging to figure out how much of this life he wanted, and how much of it he could leave behind. "
But what does that have to do with the larger questions posed by Adam and Eve 2.0/Armagedon 2012? Also, this motivation isn't developed well. I don't relate to Ezio's desire for revenge in the game.
... You don't relate to wanting revenge on the templars, after they forced a long-time friend of the family to betray your father, having him and your brothers hanged before your eyes? Ok. I got pretty pissed, personally.
I already explained what Ezio's character brings in terms of developing Desmond and giving the audience a deeper, more personal understanding of the fallout that comes with the Assassin/Templar war.
As far as the overarching plot goes, the secrets of the ancient civilization are contained throughout many 'pieces of eden' - technology from the old civilization that contained everything from information to weaponry. Over the course of the Assassin\Templar war that we saw the beginnings of in AC1, different pieces wound up in different factions hands, as the two factions battled for the advantage. With Subject 16s messages, we also saw how the two groups continued this through the 20th centure (masterful, btw - THAT is how you do collectables right). The Assassin's have some, and have used them to manipulate certain people or events in history. Likewise for the Templars.
The reason Ezio's tale of revenge is important is because without that motive, he would have been quite happy to continue in the life of a wealthy womanizer. Even if his family finally told him his secret history (which wasn't likely, since his father seemed inclined to hide it from him and let him have a normal life), he probably would have shrugged and said 'not for me, no where's the next set of tatas?' Revenge pushed him into the life, and down a journey that brought him face-to-face with the tech and information that the assassins needed. And ultimately, over the course of his journey, his lust for revenge was replaced with a desire to find the truth, which is why he ultimately left the mastermind behind his family's murder alive at the end of AC2.
Just as it was Altair's fall from grace that ultimately brought him into contact with the ancient technology and the secret war between Assassin and Templars, it was Ezio's thirst for revenge. By the end of both stories, both characters have put the search for truth ahead of personal gain. It's no coincedence that by living through these lives, Desmond's own belief in the Assassin's Creed grows and his devotion to finding the truth gets stronger.
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