Techtite.com Editorial : My Two Bits, V2

As of this editorial's posting, it's September 11, 2002. It's been one year since I was in, of all places, Disneyland, when...it...happened. I discussed the typical "Where were you when it happened? question in my editorial at the time, though to be candid, I've not spoken about it much since. One year after the largest terrorist attack on American soil, it's hard to keep an editorial page entertainment-oriented. I refuse to act hoity-toity, pretending to be some expert journalist writing about politics and/or current events, only to look silly compared to the big boys elsewhere (CNN, Time, et al). So, let's talk about how last year's events affected the type of media this site covers; entertainment, TV, movies, video games, and so on. It affected us all; entertainment and the arts were no different.

For the most part, Hollywood has treated the event with a very gentle, courteous hand. Movies had to digitally edit out the towers in all films released in the past year. On TV, for Sopranos' fourth season, the classic opening shot of the twin towers in Tony's rear view mirror is now edited out. Of course, the most infamous deletion was the cool- yet- never- to- be- seen- again teaser for Spider-Man, where he traps a bank robber's escape helicopter in a giant web between the infamous World Trade Center towers themselves. Some say that a shot still exists in that movie where the towers can be seen in the reflection of Spidey's eye patches, though I wouldn't know; the truth is Hallywood has been very, very courteous about things, post-9-11.

What about video games...? Should they be edited? Probably not. Super Mario should still look for his magic stars; Dead or Alive should still compete for the warrior who will defeat the Demonic guy in the final battle. RPGs are often about medieval situations in magical kingdoms that never even existed, so, yeah, those should remain as-is. Even a shooter like Halo is fine; after all, you're saving humanity from an alien terror. So, yes, most games are fine as-is.

However, there's no doubt that some perspectives in games need to be changed. Don't worry; this is not a cry for pacifism. I do NOT think a Tyrannosaurus Rex in Turok should be hugged and kissed all over. I just wince whenever I remember the infamous finale to Diablo, where the hero --ie, YOU-- must ram a pointy crystal into his forehead in order to "win." What; was this actually considered a good way for the game designers to end the story? What's worse, this is a drop in the bucket; games rarely have rewarding finales with "happily ever after" undertones, or some other message like, "hey, you saved the universe; be happy, get married, have kids..." A happy ending seems easy enough, yet it's rarely seen at all. In times like this, such deficiencies need to be corrected.

The rarity of happily-ended games disturbs me. Best Game Endings Of All Time, in my book, all have a copyright no earlier than 1997. I can remember Twinsen's Odyssey, where the hero is seen in the finale having saved two worlds, with his wife giving birth to their first baby. If that's too family-oriented for you, there's always the multiple endings of Blade Runner, where in at least half of them, the hero rides into the sunset with his heroine of choice. You may gripe at the "spoilers" here, though rest easy: these games are 5 years old and sadly, no longer for sale(!). The point is: compare these endings to modern games. With few exceptions, modern game finales don't just stink; they often REEK.

So I say to game designers: change this. Give Superman his Lois Lane in a game . Heck, give us a Superwoman to our Superman, in a co-op multiplayer game! Give me a smashingly enjoyable ending where, instead of Cate Archer sharing a spat with her mentor in No One Lives Forever, Cate meets the "Moneypenny" to her "James Bond," instead. So what if said guy breaks up with her (or vice versa) by the sequel; take it one game at a time. After all, every James Bond movie ends happily with a woman by his side. Even if its never the same woman, at least it's a happy ending. Most games won't even offer that!

Allow me to tip my hat to the enjoyable, enriching, invigorating exceptions to the rule. Jedi Knight Outcast was a cute ending, no matter how abbreviated. Darkened Skye has the heroine get her man...something even Lara "Tomb Raider" Croft has yet to be allowed to do. Heck, even the game for Spider-Man: The Movie, had a cinematic finale more satisfying than the finale of the actual film! Even if certain team-based games didn't end with all plot branches tied up in a little bow --Anachronox, Project Eden, Freedom Force-- at least the team goes into the sunset, as a team. What's with all this "lone ranger" crap? Give the hero his heroine...and vice-versa!

If it's one thing we've learned in the past year since 9-11, it's that friends and family are what's important. Yes, it may seem minor to upgrade "deathmatch" to "team deathmatch," though that's a good start. If you think the most popular sports are ones where one lonely pencilneck wins, think again. Baseball, Football, Basketball; those are the most popular games, even on video game systems. Is this because the victory is always magnified, due to being felt by the whole team, not some "lone ranger"? Of course. The same can be said for any fantasy game, no matter what wizard or warrior the hero may be. Give me my happily ended games...and please, no more Diablo finales with that pointy gem rammed into the hero's forehead. Talk about cause for a migraine!

Agree? Disagree?

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One Year Later,

and Game Finales Still REEK