I have never pre-ordered a game before, but I pre-ordered SWTOR back in September after much research and contemplation, and managed to get into the beta testing in November. Have been playing the full version since the early release; it has proven to be a pretty good pass time over the holidays, but now that I'm back to the work world five days a week I'm logging much less time in-game and I wanted to get a review written for those of you who might be interested in the game.
Before I begin, a few caveats worth knowing that may influence my review:
A) I'm currently at level 30 (out of the current cap of 50), so I have yet to play end-game content.
B) The last MMO I played was EVE, which is pretty unique among MMOs, particularly in contrast to MMO standards like WoW.
Since this is an MMO, I'm structuring this review to cover the various aspects of MMO gameplay.
Storyline
One of the main things SWTOR was marketed on, and not coincidentally one of the things Bioware is best known for, is story-driven gameplay. True to form, the game drops you straight into a storyline, en media res, and you take it and run. I've only played four of the available eight character classes, and of these I've played one class to 10 and another class to 30, and in both cases the storytelling has been convincing and the plots compelling. Character interactions are fully voiced, and the quality of the voice acting is above average; not on par with Red Dead Redemption and the like, but better than most IMHO. During character conversations you have decision trees available where different responses to the conversation will give you different results to the conversation, and often correspond to various consequences in-game. One thing Bioware really got right is humor; the dialogue in many of these conversations in outright hilarious, as well as true to character. The humor and the full voice acting really go a long way to engaging the player in the storyline, and in this category I think SWTOR is far ahead of competing games. Also, I am deeply grateful to Bioware for making most quest objectives story based, instead of the traditional mind-numbing "run here, get/kill 15 of these things, run back". True, there are quests like these, but they are typically bonus quests and don't need to be completed to advance the storyline (and are usually completed while completing the main story quests anyway).
General Character Progression
You start off on a homeworld, where you will be until approximately level 10. By that time you will have acquired your first companion character (more on these later), and you will have acquired your basic library of skills relative to your class. Once you leave your homeworld you will find a trainer who can train you in an advanced class. The selection of an advanced class gives you access to additional skills that further define your character's role in gameplay. Continued character growth from this point takes place in the form of skill upgrades purchased from a trainer and in the form of points applied to an ability tree like other MMOs/RPGs.
PvE
Generally, questing PvE occurs in two types; solo PvE and Heroic (group) PvE. As far as solo gameplay is concerned, the experience is pretty standard fare, though two items I find noteworthy enough to mention. First, I found early-game soloing to be somewhat inconsistent between the different classes that I've tried.
To explain; you begin with your basic low-level character and an incomplete library of skills your character will eventually acquire as he levels up; yet on the flip side, your beginning character by design has to conform to certain unique standards that will define your character's class and differentiate that class from the others throughout the game, particularly late in the game. I imagine that this causes a bit of headache for game designers trying to create an enjoyable yet challenging playing experience for players early in the game, yet at the same time the character has very few options to resolve challenges due to the limited skills available at start. I found that this phenomenon had less of an impact on the force-user classes, and more of an impact on the ranged classes, and with respect to the ranged classes, the trooper/bounty hunter classes were less affected, since they at least have access to heavy armor, while the smuggler/agent classes are probably the most tiresome to play at the beginning of the game since their survivability depends substantially on skills that just aren't available in the early game.
Second, I've found the AI for the various mobs I encountered to be fairly elementary. This is to be expected early in the game, but by level 30 I had expected to encounter more complexity. SWTOR's marketing material promoted the idea that the developers want the players to feel like a hero, taking on multiple opponents rather than ganging up on a single opponent, and my suspicion is that in their efforts to accomplish this they have reduced the complexity of the opposing AIs. I consistently find myself avoiding as many mobs as possible to try to get to the end bosses with the more challenging AIs, just because I find them more interesting. Ironically, this more or less defeats the SWTOR marketing pitch, the boss fights are often one-on-one.
The same goes for the Heroic (group) PvE areas. These areas are populated with more difficult mobs that usually come in two categories; individual heroic mobs that have a whole lot of HP/Armor, or groups of heroic mobs that have slightly less HP/Armor. In either case, the AIs for these mobs still tends to be very basic, the only real difference is that the mobs have stats that are high enough that you need a group of players to beat them.
Having said all this, I haven't played any of the end-game raids, and from the videos I've seen online it appears Bioware put a substantial amount of thought into the AIs and strategy being these raids. I only wish that the same effort went into the solo PvE experience.
PvP
SWTOR PvP servers have all the traditional venues for PvP that occur in modern MMOs, and arena mini-games called Warzones similar to battlegrounds in WoW. As far as open-world PvP is concerned, your enjoyment of that is most likely going to correspond to how well you can play your character class, how well your class lends itself to PvP, and how well you enjoy griefing, so I don't see what good it does rating this type of gameplay in a review. That being the case I'll limit my comments to class design, Resolve, and Warzones gameplay.
One of the aspects of SWTOR design that I really appreciate is that because of the multiple advanced class specializations, each of the classes in SWTOR has the opportunity to specialize as virtually any role, as opposed to typical class selection limiting you to one specific role in other MMOs. Of course this doesn't hold true across all classes/roles, probably the most notable exception being the traditional Rogue role which is basically only available to the Smuggler/Agent class in SWTOR (and to a lesser extent the Consular/Inquisitor classes). But overall you have a much wider variety of combinations than you would otherwise find in competing MMOs, and I think this makes for a richer PvP experience.
Resolve is SWTOR's method of managing Crowd Control. Crowd Control (or CC) is MMO lingo for a range of skills that involve stunning a target so that it can't take action. Naturally, these skills take place in a variety of ways, typically called a stun, mezz, or snare, which I won't go into here. There are also skills that break the effects of CC (called breaks). What bears mentioning is that SWTOR has developed a unique mechanic for CC in PvP called Resolve. Essentially, once a character has been CCed with a stun or mezz, a small white bar next to the avatar picture begins to fill up. Once the character has been CCed for a long enough time, the white bar maxes out and that character is immune from further CC for certain amount of time. This allows characters to save their breaks for future use (where as otherwise you might use your CC break only to be CCed again and have no further way to counter it). While I understand what Bioware was trying to do with the Resolve mechanic, my experience has been (and from what I see on forums and hear from other players, I'm not the only one) that by the time the Resolve bar has maxed out I have either died or am so close to dying as to make it almost useless. Additionally, since snares neither contribute to the Resolve bar, and are also not affected by Resolve once the bar has maxed out, the usefulness of Resolve is even further reduced. On the other hand, my main toon is a Bounty Hunter-Mercenary class, which is a class primarily designed for DPS/Healing and has few CC abilities or CC breaks, and what CCs/breaks I have typically have long cooldowns, so my experience may be different than that of other classes.
As far as Warzones is concerned, I have mixed feelings. There are currently three maps that are available to all characters beginning at level 10, and an additional map available to level 50s which I haven't played. SWTOR has developed a mechanic that scales the skills and equipment stats of lower level characters so that they can play competitively with high level characters in Warzones, though the high level characters do still have an advantage as they have access to skills and gear that the lower levels have not gotten yet. Overall I think this is a good feature as it allows easier access to PvP for lower level characters. Each game of Warzones carries a substantial reward in the form of cash and XP. Also, you can queue your character for warzones matches from anywhere in the SWTOR world, and when the match is over you'll resume right where you left off, which is very considerate of Bioware to do.
As far as map design is concerned, I must admit I'm not terribly impressed, particularly after playing FPS games where map design is an integral part of the game design, you get the feeling that SWTOR Warzones maps are very average. Two things about Warzones that I just don't understand; first, you can only queue for Warzones with a party of up to four players, even though each team in a Warzones match has eight players or more. Why they don't want people queueing with a full party of eight I don't understand. Second, Warzones matches are based around securing an objective, be it carrying a ball across a goal line, or planting bombs on doors, etc, however, the awards at the end of the match heavily favor players who deal damage or score kills, with comparatively little awards for players who heal allies, and laughably few awards for players who actually perform the objectives that "win" the game. I don't understand why Bioware has structured the awards this way; why not create team deathmatch maps instead of objective-based maps? SMH.
Art/Presentation
While SWTOR has somewhat kept to the toonish art style established by WoW, the graphics are well done, and in particular I would note that the clothing/armor artwork is excellent IMHO. Combat animations are exceptional, particularly the lightsaber combat which really stands out and represents the Star Wars movies very well. The various worlds I have visited so far are all uniquely themed, and are extremely polished visually. Add to this the full voicing and I would argue that the artwork is probably the best designed aspect of SWTOR.
Missile Anus
A few items that don't really fit in anywhere else:
1) Bugs: Most of the bugs I encountered were animation glitches, although there was a Warzones queueing bug that persisted for a while after launch. I attribute many of these to my early access, and most of them seem to have been resolved with patches.
2) SWTOR took the reigns on the concept of companion characters; a game mechanic which has been present in RPG games for some time now but which hasn't, to my knowledge, been integrated into an MMO. You get several of these throughout your storyline, and they contribute to the story telling, as well as in combat and with your gathering/crafting. As a storytelling aid I think the companion characters contribute substantially and are well integrated into the various storylines. As far as combat is concerned, while on the one hand your companion characters provide complimentary combat skills to your characters primary combat role, the number and quality of the opponents you face is also increased to compensate for your companion, so in the end the net benefit of having the companion is mostly nil. As far as gathering/crafting is concerned, your companions are advantageous in that you can queue tasks for them to accomplish while you continue questing, however, this is limited somewhat since you can only queue one gathering task or five crafting tasks per companion at a time, so you do have to micromanage them somewhat. This is probably less of a consideration late in the game since the gathering/crafting tasks take much longer to do. Though it is definitely better than having to do it all yourself, the queue limits seem pretty arbitrary to me; why not allow us players to queue more? What do we gain from stopping what we're doing just to queue more tasks?
3) Two niggles I have with SWTOR that are probably personal opinion but I'll mention them anyway. First, the Auction House equivalent in SWTOR is called the Galactic Market, and as such systems go the Galactic Market is probably the weakest point in SWTOR IMHO. The search functions are painfully limited, especially since I'm coming from EVE where you have a huge amount of buying/selling data available to you if you want to see it. Heck, even a drag-and-drop search function would make the GM a lot easier to search through and shouldn't be hard to implement at all, but it doesn't exist. When you sell an item in the GM, you will immediately get an email in your in-game mailbox saying your sale was successful, and your money will be available in one hour. One hour? Why not now? Can't think of a valid reason, but one hour it is. Also the selection of available equipment in the GM is typically rather limited most times I look. Don't know whether this is a result of the player styles on my server, or whether this is a result of the game being fairly new and most players aren't doing a lot of crafting yet, or whether it's the result of the crafting system as discussed next. Could be a combination of all three? Whatever the case, that's been my experience.
My second complaint has to do with the crafting. Going back to my experience playing FFXI, and more recently playing EVE, I've come to appreciate crafting systems where any item (or virtually any item) available in the game could be crafted if you had the right ingredients and knew the recipe. One of my biggest disappointments with WoW was when I discovered how comparably limited the crafting system was, and it seems SWTOR has followed along the same vein. I currently craft items at or above my level, but find I have a hard time selling at the GM for any substantial profit, particularly when you consider that you have to pay to send your companions out on gathering missions. This is further complicated by the fact that I can get equal or better gear through commendation and pvp rewards rather than having to bother with gathering and crafting, and I can make good enough money, and have more fun, running through warzones pvp rather than micromanaging my companions to collect ingredients and craft items. That said, I'm not crafting at level 50 yet, maybe the crafting starts to pay off in the late-game, but as it is my experience has been that the crafting is of marginal benefit to the in-game experience.
Overall I think Bioware has improved substantially on the MMO standard, I think SWTOR is the WoW killer, and there are probably a lot of themes and mechanics developed in SWTOR that will become industry standards for future MMOs. The game experience is very enjoyable, despite the few drawbacks I've outlined above.
Final Rating: 8.5/10
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Review of "Towers of Midnight" by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson
As I've no doubt discussed in previous blogs, I'm a long-time fan of Robert Jordan and the Wheel of Time series, so the release of Towers of Midnight (hereafter ToM) was pretty exciting for me. This is the second book primarily authored by Brandon Sanderson, who was selected to finish the Wheel of Time series after Robert Jordan passed away in 2007. Sanderson previously released the Gathering Storm in October 2009, which I rated pretty highly (9/10), noting that while there were obvious differences between writing styles and characterization, Sanderson did an excellent job forwarding the overall narrative and multiple plot-lines. So I was pretty excited and optimistic buying Towers of Midnight on its release date in November of 2010.
Before I go a lot farther I need to acknowledge that Sanderson is finishing a series that's not his, and is a somewhat notorious series in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy world for in-depth plots and vast array of viewpoints, so I do sympathize that he more than has his work cut out for him.
That said, The Wheel of Time series, and similar series like GRRM's Song of Ice and Fire, are equally notorious for missing deadlines and stretching across more books than originally anticipated, and for good reason. There are times when it is much, much better to go back, rewrite, and make sure you're producing the same quality of content that is consistent with the rest of the series. Fans may whine about it, but when all is said and done it is a vastly superior option than rushing a sub-par product to market. Towers of Midnight, in my opinion, ought to have been one of these cases.
It's hard for me to say much in the way of summary without giving away any spoilers. The various plot lines do advance, and it is very obvious that the Last Battle (and series finale) is impending. However, the advancement occurs at a pace alternating between awkward, boring, and compelling. I'd estimate that roughly the first third of the book does nothing to advance the plots at all, there's simply a lot of re-hashing, emotions, and dialogue, with no real action.
Much of this I felt was quite unnecessary, seeing as how the vast majority of readers have already read the other books in the series. Meaning; we already know Perrin is wary of the wolf-dream, he has been for basically the entire series. We know he doesn't see himself as a leader, he hasn't for basically the entire series. We know Lan wants to die in the Blight, but doesn't want anyone to die with him, he has wanted that for basically the whole series. We know Galad and the Whitecloaks don't like Perrin, they haven't for basically the whole series. Readdressing these issues won't convince us further. Etc, etc, etc, yawn, etc, etc, etc.
There is a bit of action at the beginning as Sanderson follows up on the plotline following Ituralde and his actions in the Borderlands, but then his plotline abruptly disappears for the rest of the book. You also get some scheming from Graendal which appears to foreshadow some suspense and intrigue, but then she abruptly disappears and doesn't reappear until nearly the end. I fairly quickly resorted to something I almost never do; skimming. I probably skimmed 40% of ToM, which says something about how much I'm invested in the series, because under ordinary circumstances if I find myself skimming I figure I ought to put this book down and go read a book I'm actually interested in.
Now, just to be clear, that is not to say that nothing at all happens in ToM. There are some major plot advancements, including things that have been brewing for several books and have some very satisfying resolutions. In fact, I have very little disagreement with the continuing plot lines themselves, just that the plot advancement is so painfully clunky.
Other critiques, observations include:
1) No POV for Rand anywhere in the book. We see him at various points from other character's POVs, but that's it. It’s strange, and feels rather disengaging, seeing as how he's the central character of the series.
2) Very limited POV material for Mat, Tuon, Lan, Aviendha, and other major characters from the series. As I recall Tuon gets about one chapter, Mat and Aviendha get a few, especially towards the end, and Lan gets little segments here and there. I found this particularly disappointing since Mat and Lan got little in the way of content in the last book either, so basically for the last 2 books now they've more or less been cameo characters. This too is rather disappointing, since they go all the way back to the first book and are now pretty under-utilized.
3) Sanderson tends to have a habit of over-explaining plot developments, and it got to be a bit more annoying in this book than in the last one. A couple examples:
A) Chapter 48 describes Aviendha going through visions in Rhuidean. These visions aren’t the typical ones that occur in Rhuidean, and it became apparent to me what was different about them rather quickly, but on page 722 Sanderson comes right out and clarifies for us what’s different about them.
B) Chapter 50 describes Elayne executing a political ploy with some Cairheinin nobles. The ploy seemed pretty intelligent to me, and fairly self-explanatory as to how and why it was being done. But then on page 743 Birgitte bursts in with, “All right…what in the name of the Dark One’s bloody left hand just happened?” Which introduces another couple pages of dialogue explaining what just happened, even though we obviously just read what happened.
Other examples exist throughout the book, but you get the picture. One of the things I very much liked about Jordan’s writing style was that he doggedly left things for the reader to interpret, including ploys and plot developments much more complex than the examples above. It’s a challenge for readers to figure things out on their own, and when they get it figured out it’s a treat that contributes to the overall enjoyment of the book. That’s something Sanderson blatantly takes away from us each time he over-explains something.
4) ToM has multiple instances of stylistic no-nos, like repeated terms and so forth that don’t necessarily take away from the storytelling but ought to have been caught during the editing process. Probably the most glaring example I noticed reads like a bad Tom Swifty; page 668:
“I should think”, Elayne said thoughtfully, “that those in the best position for the throne…”
I see that and just shake my head.
As far as final thoughts, what can I say? People like myself who have invested so much into this series will probably keep reading it no matter what happens. I mean, we’ve been interested for over 20 years, 13 books, and the loss of a beloved author, what more could happen? I’ll still read the final book and see how the cards finally play out. But man oh man, does this most recent book not take full advantage of the potential that Jordan has built into the series. Naturally, as a fan I’ll wish for whatever I like. I wish the series had five more good books to go, I wish the diction was exactly to my liking, I wish I could get the books for free and at least one month before the release date. But that isn’t the reality and I have to take what I’m given.
I guess I really just wish that Robert Jordan were still alive.
Final rating: 3/10
Before I go a lot farther I need to acknowledge that Sanderson is finishing a series that's not his, and is a somewhat notorious series in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy world for in-depth plots and vast array of viewpoints, so I do sympathize that he more than has his work cut out for him.
That said, The Wheel of Time series, and similar series like GRRM's Song of Ice and Fire, are equally notorious for missing deadlines and stretching across more books than originally anticipated, and for good reason. There are times when it is much, much better to go back, rewrite, and make sure you're producing the same quality of content that is consistent with the rest of the series. Fans may whine about it, but when all is said and done it is a vastly superior option than rushing a sub-par product to market. Towers of Midnight, in my opinion, ought to have been one of these cases.
It's hard for me to say much in the way of summary without giving away any spoilers. The various plot lines do advance, and it is very obvious that the Last Battle (and series finale) is impending. However, the advancement occurs at a pace alternating between awkward, boring, and compelling. I'd estimate that roughly the first third of the book does nothing to advance the plots at all, there's simply a lot of re-hashing, emotions, and dialogue, with no real action.
Much of this I felt was quite unnecessary, seeing as how the vast majority of readers have already read the other books in the series. Meaning; we already know Perrin is wary of the wolf-dream, he has been for basically the entire series. We know he doesn't see himself as a leader, he hasn't for basically the entire series. We know Lan wants to die in the Blight, but doesn't want anyone to die with him, he has wanted that for basically the whole series. We know Galad and the Whitecloaks don't like Perrin, they haven't for basically the whole series. Readdressing these issues won't convince us further. Etc, etc, etc, yawn, etc, etc, etc.
There is a bit of action at the beginning as Sanderson follows up on the plotline following Ituralde and his actions in the Borderlands, but then his plotline abruptly disappears for the rest of the book. You also get some scheming from Graendal which appears to foreshadow some suspense and intrigue, but then she abruptly disappears and doesn't reappear until nearly the end. I fairly quickly resorted to something I almost never do; skimming. I probably skimmed 40% of ToM, which says something about how much I'm invested in the series, because under ordinary circumstances if I find myself skimming I figure I ought to put this book down and go read a book I'm actually interested in.
Now, just to be clear, that is not to say that nothing at all happens in ToM. There are some major plot advancements, including things that have been brewing for several books and have some very satisfying resolutions. In fact, I have very little disagreement with the continuing plot lines themselves, just that the plot advancement is so painfully clunky.
Other critiques, observations include:
1) No POV for Rand anywhere in the book. We see him at various points from other character's POVs, but that's it. It’s strange, and feels rather disengaging, seeing as how he's the central character of the series.
2) Very limited POV material for Mat, Tuon, Lan, Aviendha, and other major characters from the series. As I recall Tuon gets about one chapter, Mat and Aviendha get a few, especially towards the end, and Lan gets little segments here and there. I found this particularly disappointing since Mat and Lan got little in the way of content in the last book either, so basically for the last 2 books now they've more or less been cameo characters. This too is rather disappointing, since they go all the way back to the first book and are now pretty under-utilized.
3) Sanderson tends to have a habit of over-explaining plot developments, and it got to be a bit more annoying in this book than in the last one. A couple examples:
A) Chapter 48 describes Aviendha going through visions in Rhuidean. These visions aren’t the typical ones that occur in Rhuidean, and it became apparent to me what was different about them rather quickly, but on page 722 Sanderson comes right out and clarifies for us what’s different about them.
B) Chapter 50 describes Elayne executing a political ploy with some Cairheinin nobles. The ploy seemed pretty intelligent to me, and fairly self-explanatory as to how and why it was being done. But then on page 743 Birgitte bursts in with, “All right…what in the name of the Dark One’s bloody left hand just happened?” Which introduces another couple pages of dialogue explaining what just happened, even though we obviously just read what happened.
Other examples exist throughout the book, but you get the picture. One of the things I very much liked about Jordan’s writing style was that he doggedly left things for the reader to interpret, including ploys and plot developments much more complex than the examples above. It’s a challenge for readers to figure things out on their own, and when they get it figured out it’s a treat that contributes to the overall enjoyment of the book. That’s something Sanderson blatantly takes away from us each time he over-explains something.
4) ToM has multiple instances of stylistic no-nos, like repeated terms and so forth that don’t necessarily take away from the storytelling but ought to have been caught during the editing process. Probably the most glaring example I noticed reads like a bad Tom Swifty; page 668:
“I should think”, Elayne said thoughtfully, “that those in the best position for the throne…”
I see that and just shake my head.
As far as final thoughts, what can I say? People like myself who have invested so much into this series will probably keep reading it no matter what happens. I mean, we’ve been interested for over 20 years, 13 books, and the loss of a beloved author, what more could happen? I’ll still read the final book and see how the cards finally play out. But man oh man, does this most recent book not take full advantage of the potential that Jordan has built into the series. Naturally, as a fan I’ll wish for whatever I like. I wish the series had five more good books to go, I wish the diction was exactly to my liking, I wish I could get the books for free and at least one month before the release date. But that isn’t the reality and I have to take what I’m given.
I guess I really just wish that Robert Jordan were still alive.
Final rating: 3/10
Friday, December 31, 2010
Review of StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty
It's been some time since I posted a review, and correspondingly it's been some time since I finished StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. The first installment of the big StarCraft sequel has been much anticipated - basically since the Brood War expansion for the original StarCraft was released in 1998. So that's been, what, 12 years? Dang long times for most things tech related, the gaming industry included. So suffice it to say, I purchased this most recent StarCraft with a lot of expectation.
Where should I begin? StarCraft II does not stray very far at all from the gameplay of the original StarCraft, or other RTS games like the WarCraft series, Age of Empires, etc. It's an intense blend of clicking, hot-keying, and developing strategy on the fly. There were some neat little developments in this game, for example, elevation factors into your range and visibility, and interactive map components, like periodic lava flows, add additional pressure to your strategy.
Four other components that add to the overall game experience include:
1) New units in additional to the old stand-bys from the original game.
2) A researchable tech tree in the campaign mode that allows for extensive customization of your units/buildings and hence overall strategy.
3) The ability to purchase mercenary units during campaign missions, with boosted combat specs typically well above you run-of-the-mill units.
4) Almost the entire campaign is played from the Terran point of view. There are Protoss missions you can uncover, and all three races are playable in multi-player, but the lions share of Wings of Liberty is played by the Terrans, and focuses on the Terran storyline. The expectation is that the other two races will have their own dedicated games forthcoming.
Aside from all this, the major change in the game experience offered by StarCraft II as compared to the original is the focus on storytelling. The original StarCraft featured a lot of, for lack of a better word, video conferencing; the plot advanced almost exclusively by conversations between floating heads between missions. With StarCraft II, instead of the video conferencing you get fully animated cut-scenes. These cut-scenes portray your characters in combat, arguing, or (primarily) video conferencing. Sometimes you even get cut-scenes of your characters arguing while video conferencing during combat. The plot itself picks up where Brood War leaves off and progresses about as expected, though it at least does not detract from gameplay.
This concludes the general summary section of this review. Generally the specific parts of StarCraft II gameplay I enjoyed most were the research trees, which IMHO were a very cool addition to the campaign mode. The voice work in the game was passable, and the animated cut-scenes, while presented in Blizzard's cartoony style, were well done artistically.
As far as critiques are concerned, well, let's see. First, I was disappointed that the customizations found in the campaign mode aren't accessible in the multi-player mode, and for no reason I can think of. They just aren't there.
Second, I found that the additional units added very little to the gameplay. Particularly when the campaign advanced to the latter stages and I had access to virtually the complete array of units, I found myself utilizing only the same few units in every mission. Likely, within the year some professional players in Korea will figure out exactly which units to produce en masse for optimal strategy, and it may not be the ones I used, but I can only review the gameplay I personally experienced.
Third, my observation was that the additional units presented in the game, including the Terran, Zerg, and Protoss units, actually detract from the game. It appears that for every unit in each race, the other races have a corresponding, or nearly corresponding, unit, allowing each race to implement virtually the same strategies. This was very much not the case with the original StarCraft iterations, where selection of race very much limited the array of strategies available. True, there are some variances in Wings of Liberty, but my finding was that far from being entirely distinct, the different races are essentially three flavors of the same juice. Some people may like the option to use whatever strategy they like with their favorite race, but my opinion is that from a strategic point of view this has watered the game down significantly.
I guess the thing I was most disappointed about was the fact that I could summarize the entire game in about 230 words. Frankly, after making fans wait for 12 years, I expected Blizzard to present us with A LOT more than was offered in the original game. Unfortunately this was just not the case. As I stated previously, gameplay is highly similar to, if not exactly like, the gameplay of the original StarCraft developed over 12 years ago, and available for less than $20. The mapping improvements were available with WarCraft III back in 2002, currently available for less than $30. So why should a consumer spend $60 when so little has been added to the overall gameplay? What has Blizzard been doing for the past 8 years, other than conceptualizing a handful of new units and animating cut-scenes of course?
With the first StarCraft, Blizzard didn't just hit the RTS nail directly on the head, it crushed that nail so hard that the series still has a dedicated following 12 years later. With StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, Blizzard essentially went and took another whack at the same nail. I don't blame them for doing it; Blizzard doesn't make any money if its fans play the same game for 12 years, and fans who have been dedicated to the series this long are likely to shell out big bucks for very little added content, just for the sake of experiencing a new campaign and watching the storyline progress. I guess I'm just disappointed that a design house like Blizzard with the potential and capital to actually go out and chart new territory has apparently become satisfied to recycle its best concepts in a manner sure to leave veteran gamers scratching their heads with the eerie feeling they've already played this game before.
Final ratings:
If you've never experienced the original StarCraft/WarCraft gameplay, or are a die-hard StarCraft/Blizzard/RTS fan: 9/10
Yes, it's a highly functional, well designed game, no denying.
If you've experienced the original StarCraft/WarCraft gameplay, and are a cynical gamer who feels like there's nothing new under the sun: 4/10
You're going to feel like you've spent $60 for roughly 15 campaign missions only slightly more improved than the campaign missions available 12 years ago.
Where should I begin? StarCraft II does not stray very far at all from the gameplay of the original StarCraft, or other RTS games like the WarCraft series, Age of Empires, etc. It's an intense blend of clicking, hot-keying, and developing strategy on the fly. There were some neat little developments in this game, for example, elevation factors into your range and visibility, and interactive map components, like periodic lava flows, add additional pressure to your strategy.
Four other components that add to the overall game experience include:
1) New units in additional to the old stand-bys from the original game.
2) A researchable tech tree in the campaign mode that allows for extensive customization of your units/buildings and hence overall strategy.
3) The ability to purchase mercenary units during campaign missions, with boosted combat specs typically well above you run-of-the-mill units.
4) Almost the entire campaign is played from the Terran point of view. There are Protoss missions you can uncover, and all three races are playable in multi-player, but the lions share of Wings of Liberty is played by the Terrans, and focuses on the Terran storyline. The expectation is that the other two races will have their own dedicated games forthcoming.
Aside from all this, the major change in the game experience offered by StarCraft II as compared to the original is the focus on storytelling. The original StarCraft featured a lot of, for lack of a better word, video conferencing; the plot advanced almost exclusively by conversations between floating heads between missions. With StarCraft II, instead of the video conferencing you get fully animated cut-scenes. These cut-scenes portray your characters in combat, arguing, or (primarily) video conferencing. Sometimes you even get cut-scenes of your characters arguing while video conferencing during combat. The plot itself picks up where Brood War leaves off and progresses about as expected, though it at least does not detract from gameplay.
This concludes the general summary section of this review. Generally the specific parts of StarCraft II gameplay I enjoyed most were the research trees, which IMHO were a very cool addition to the campaign mode. The voice work in the game was passable, and the animated cut-scenes, while presented in Blizzard's cartoony style, were well done artistically.
As far as critiques are concerned, well, let's see. First, I was disappointed that the customizations found in the campaign mode aren't accessible in the multi-player mode, and for no reason I can think of. They just aren't there.
Second, I found that the additional units added very little to the gameplay. Particularly when the campaign advanced to the latter stages and I had access to virtually the complete array of units, I found myself utilizing only the same few units in every mission. Likely, within the year some professional players in Korea will figure out exactly which units to produce en masse for optimal strategy, and it may not be the ones I used, but I can only review the gameplay I personally experienced.
Third, my observation was that the additional units presented in the game, including the Terran, Zerg, and Protoss units, actually detract from the game. It appears that for every unit in each race, the other races have a corresponding, or nearly corresponding, unit, allowing each race to implement virtually the same strategies. This was very much not the case with the original StarCraft iterations, where selection of race very much limited the array of strategies available. True, there are some variances in Wings of Liberty, but my finding was that far from being entirely distinct, the different races are essentially three flavors of the same juice. Some people may like the option to use whatever strategy they like with their favorite race, but my opinion is that from a strategic point of view this has watered the game down significantly.
I guess the thing I was most disappointed about was the fact that I could summarize the entire game in about 230 words. Frankly, after making fans wait for 12 years, I expected Blizzard to present us with A LOT more than was offered in the original game. Unfortunately this was just not the case. As I stated previously, gameplay is highly similar to, if not exactly like, the gameplay of the original StarCraft developed over 12 years ago, and available for less than $20. The mapping improvements were available with WarCraft III back in 2002, currently available for less than $30. So why should a consumer spend $60 when so little has been added to the overall gameplay? What has Blizzard been doing for the past 8 years, other than conceptualizing a handful of new units and animating cut-scenes of course?
With the first StarCraft, Blizzard didn't just hit the RTS nail directly on the head, it crushed that nail so hard that the series still has a dedicated following 12 years later. With StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, Blizzard essentially went and took another whack at the same nail. I don't blame them for doing it; Blizzard doesn't make any money if its fans play the same game for 12 years, and fans who have been dedicated to the series this long are likely to shell out big bucks for very little added content, just for the sake of experiencing a new campaign and watching the storyline progress. I guess I'm just disappointed that a design house like Blizzard with the potential and capital to actually go out and chart new territory has apparently become satisfied to recycle its best concepts in a manner sure to leave veteran gamers scratching their heads with the eerie feeling they've already played this game before.
Final ratings:
If you've never experienced the original StarCraft/WarCraft gameplay, or are a die-hard StarCraft/Blizzard/RTS fan: 9/10
Yes, it's a highly functional, well designed game, no denying.
If you've experienced the original StarCraft/WarCraft gameplay, and are a cynical gamer who feels like there's nothing new under the sun: 4/10
You're going to feel like you've spent $60 for roughly 15 campaign missions only slightly more improved than the campaign missions available 12 years ago.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Review of Samsung Epic (Sprint version of Galaxy S)
My wife and I have had the Samsung Epic since it was released at the end of August. Prior to that we had been interested in the HTC EVO, and had actually been on the EVO waiting list for several weeks before the Epic release, and I've used the EVO fairly extensively in trips to local Sprint stores. I've been asked by several people what my opinion is of the two different phones, and I think I've used the EVO enough to feel confident in doing a side-by-side comparison of the two. Of course, I could do an industry-wide comparison and include the Droid phone line, and the iPhone 4, but I have only limited experience with the Droids and have never used an iPhone 4 at all, so I'm limiting my comparison to the two 4G phones from Sprint. First, if you want to familiarize yourself with the specs of both phones, wirefly has a pretty good comparison here.
Suffice it to say, both phones have the capability to be high-performing smart phones, and in fact differ from each other in only a few instances. I'll address those differences here, and also give a brief summary of my experience so far in owning the epic.
Interface: Both phones have a manufacturer-adapted version of the Android interface. My experience is that the interface for both phones is virtually identical. That said, I would recommend visiting your local Sprint store and playing with both phones for a solid 20 to 30 minutes. Try navigating through the interface to the various functions you think you will use most. See how easy they are to access, etc, and decide if you have a personal preference one way or the other. Though I believe the two interfaces are identical, you may prefer one over the other as your needs and expectations are different than mine.
Display: Both phones have a 480x800 display, though saying they are equivalent would be completely off base. First, the EVO has a 4.3 inch display, while the Epic has a 4 inch display. So while you do have a bit more visual real estate with the EVO, the large screen also implies that the individual pixels are larger - almost 10% larger in fact - given the screen a more "blocky" appearance. Having said that, without having the two phones side-by-side you will likely not notice the difference.
Where the Epic really stands out in this category is in the technology driving the display; while the EVO uses "standard" LCD technology, the Epic uses the new wave of display tech called AMOLED (active-matrix organic light-emitting diode). The technology is really too much to delve into with this blog, but in summary, the screen is made of electroluminescent organic compounds which emit their own "glow" when stimulated by electricity. This allows the AMOLED screen to be much brighter than an LCD screen, have a much higher contrast, with the added benefit of using less electricity, which is a significant factor with high-end smart phones that are chronically battery starved. Though slightly smaller, my conclusion is that the Epic screen is clearly superior to the EVO.
Camera: The EVO has an edge on the Epic in this category, offering a 8-megapixel, dual LED flash camera compared to the Epic's 5-megapixel, single LED flash camera. Like the screen resolution mentioned above, this is probably something you won't notice unless you take pictures side-by-side with the two phones and compare them. This is not to say the Epic phone is dysfunctional; I took pictures on my last property inspection with my Epic and they came out just fine. But if high-quality picture taking is going to be a primary function for your smart phone, you may prefer the EVO in this case.
HD Output: The EVO has a mini-HDMI output, while the Epic does not. This would imply that the EVO is superior in this category, but that's only if you can find a use for the HDMI output. I personally don't have a use for it. From a hardware point of view, you could theoretically plug your phone into a digital projector and run a presentation straight from your phone, no laptop needed. I say theoretically, however, because there is currently no Powerpoint support on Android. This is likely something will added in future iterations of Android or by third party developers, but at the same time, that's functionality you're paying for that you won't get to use until they do.
The only use I've actually heard for it came from a conversation with a Sprint store employee at the Cherry Creek Mall here in Denver. Cherry Creek is in one of the most upscale neighborhoods in the Denver area, and this employee said that rich people tend to prefer buying the EVO for their kids, because the kids can watch TV shows or movies on their phone in the car, for example, and when they get home they can plug the phone straight into their television and keep watching so they don't have to switch to a DVD or Tevo and look for the spot where they left off. No joke. Kids with EVOs.
Keyboard: The EVO only has a touch-screen keyboard, while the Epic has both the touch-screen and a full QWERTY slide-out keyboard. I suppose that if you are comfortable with a touch-screen keyboard this will be a non-issue, that is something you will have to decide for yourself. Personally I prefer having a phone with a keyboard, not only for texting but for web browsing and e-mails.
Battery Life: I have not had the opportunity to use an EVO to the point of battery exhaustion, but I researched the EVO significantly when I planned to buy it originally, and the general response of bloggers and community forum users is that the EVO tended to need a recharge around 3:30PM with moderate use. This was alleviated somewhat with system updates which optimized hardware and software performance, particularly when the EVO was upgraded to Android 2.2 (FROYO); you could say it is now roughly a 4:30 - 5:00 phone.
My experience with the Epic so far is that I typically do not have to charge it until I go to bed at night. Now, I don't leave Wifi or GPS on unless I'm using them, and I usually have my screen brightness turned down significantly, but with all that said, getting a full day's use out of a single charge is a substantial benefit in owning the Epic vs the EVO. Also note that this is from a phone that has only had two system updates, and is still running on Android 2.1 (Eclair). Samsung is scheduled to bring 2.2 to the Epic by the end of 2010, which should increase battery life even longer as it did with the EVO.
Android OS: As noted above, the EVO is now running Android 2.2, while the Epic is running Android 2.1, and is scheduled to update to 2.2 during 4Q 2010. However, Samsung added a lot of the functionality of 2.2 to their customized operating system which somewhat mitigates this drawback, such as voice dialing, tethering, and hotspot functionality. It does not have Flash 10.1 support or extended Exchange support, both of which are two things I would really like to have but can still live without for the next few months. If this is something you cannot live without, for example, if you need extended Exchange for your work use, you probably could not give up your blackberry just yet. If you're big into handheld gaming, the Epic does have support for 3D games, which is not scheduled to be integrated into Android proper until Android 2.6 (Gingerbread).
Price: The EVO is currently priced at $199.99 retail, while the Epic is priced at $249.99, so even if you prefer the Epic you will have to decide if you prefer it enough to cough up the extra $50. Another factor you should consider, whether you buy the EVO or the Epic, you will have to sign up for Sprint's "Premium Data" plan, which is an additional $10 per line, not per account. You will receive this charge whether you have 4G access in your area or not. Denver already has 4G in a very few locations around the metro area, and is reportedly scheduled to get 4G access metro-wide in November, so to me the extra charges were worth it. I recommend talking to your local Sprint store to see when you are scheduled to get 4G. If you are going to have to wait a year for example, it may not be worth the extra cost no matter how much you like the phone. General information about 4G availability can be found on Sprint's website here.
Specifics on the Epic: Being Sprint's newest smart phone, the Epic does have some advantages and disadvantages to be aware of. Obviously, the primary advantage is that you get all the newest technology in your phone. The primary drawback is that the operating system still needs some polish. For example, when I first got the Epic the Facebook app would not show my list of notifications; I always got an error message (all the other Facebook functionality was there, just not the notifications page). This past week Sprint released the most recent system update for the Epic which, among other things, resolved this problem. I used to occasionally get an unresponsive screen, which I have not gotten yet since the most recent system update. I was aware going into this purchase that I was buying brand new technology, so none of this surprised my much. But you will have to be willing to live with this for a few months while Sprint and Samsung iron out the wrinkles.
Another disadvantage of the Epic is that since it is so new, there are generally a lack of accessories for it. When we bought our phones, there was a brief selection of cases to choose from and that's it. Naturally, the longer the Epic is available a wider variety cases will probably be produced for it, but again, that's waiting that you'll have to be willing to do. Ditto with car holders/dash mounts, etc.
The same concept applies to the Android OS in general. It's a younger operating system than the iPhone OS for example, so it's operation is still not as flawless. It's the same reason why the iPhone has something like 400,000 applications available, while the Android Market has around 40,000 applications. Likewise, there are multiple magazines and books available targeted at the iPhone and how to get the most functionality out of it, while Android does not have this yet. One has to expect that as more Android phones are sold, more developers will develop applications for Android, increasing the functionality of your phone. The most recent sales figures for the smart phone industry show that the Android already beat iPhone sales for 2Q 2010. This is substantial, considering that Android was a nothing operating system in 3Q 2009. I'm particularly waiting for the end of September when 3Q 2010 sales figures come out, so I can see how well Android is competing against the iPhone 4. Whatever the case, Android appears to have established a solid market position for the foreseeable future, and continued development of the operating system and corresponding applications seems highly likely.
As far as my personal experience with the Epic is concerned, I am entirely satisfied with the phone. It syncs seamlessly with all the major google applications, including contacts from gmail which I use extensively. I love the voice search functionality, which you can use for regular google web searches as well as for google maps and navigation searches. To clarify, google navigation is a free GPS service layered on top of google maps, complete with voice directions. My wife and I used it extensively during a recent 8-hour layover in Miami, and it worked flawlessly. When I stop and think that 10 years ago I was using computers that didn't have the same performance capabilities of the phone I have today it just blows me away.
In summary, if you're choosing between the Epic and the EVO, my personal opinion is that the Epic is your best option, even considering the extra cost. Battery life in particular is a feature critical enough to me that I'm willing to pay for it. Think of it this way, just skip a trip or two to the restaurant, and you can pay for the extra battery life that you'll be taking advantage of over the next 2 or more years. As of right now, my view is that the Epic is the best thing Sprint has going. That said, if you are willing to wait 6 months there will almost certainly be more phones with 4G capability and AMOLED screens, giving you more selection to choose from. You will have to do your research, and figure out what decision will be best for you.
Suffice it to say, both phones have the capability to be high-performing smart phones, and in fact differ from each other in only a few instances. I'll address those differences here, and also give a brief summary of my experience so far in owning the epic.
Interface: Both phones have a manufacturer-adapted version of the Android interface. My experience is that the interface for both phones is virtually identical. That said, I would recommend visiting your local Sprint store and playing with both phones for a solid 20 to 30 minutes. Try navigating through the interface to the various functions you think you will use most. See how easy they are to access, etc, and decide if you have a personal preference one way or the other. Though I believe the two interfaces are identical, you may prefer one over the other as your needs and expectations are different than mine.
Display: Both phones have a 480x800 display, though saying they are equivalent would be completely off base. First, the EVO has a 4.3 inch display, while the Epic has a 4 inch display. So while you do have a bit more visual real estate with the EVO, the large screen also implies that the individual pixels are larger - almost 10% larger in fact - given the screen a more "blocky" appearance. Having said that, without having the two phones side-by-side you will likely not notice the difference.
Where the Epic really stands out in this category is in the technology driving the display; while the EVO uses "standard" LCD technology, the Epic uses the new wave of display tech called AMOLED (active-matrix organic light-emitting diode). The technology is really too much to delve into with this blog, but in summary, the screen is made of electroluminescent organic compounds which emit their own "glow" when stimulated by electricity. This allows the AMOLED screen to be much brighter than an LCD screen, have a much higher contrast, with the added benefit of using less electricity, which is a significant factor with high-end smart phones that are chronically battery starved. Though slightly smaller, my conclusion is that the Epic screen is clearly superior to the EVO.
Camera: The EVO has an edge on the Epic in this category, offering a 8-megapixel, dual LED flash camera compared to the Epic's 5-megapixel, single LED flash camera. Like the screen resolution mentioned above, this is probably something you won't notice unless you take pictures side-by-side with the two phones and compare them. This is not to say the Epic phone is dysfunctional; I took pictures on my last property inspection with my Epic and they came out just fine. But if high-quality picture taking is going to be a primary function for your smart phone, you may prefer the EVO in this case.
HD Output: The EVO has a mini-HDMI output, while the Epic does not. This would imply that the EVO is superior in this category, but that's only if you can find a use for the HDMI output. I personally don't have a use for it. From a hardware point of view, you could theoretically plug your phone into a digital projector and run a presentation straight from your phone, no laptop needed. I say theoretically, however, because there is currently no Powerpoint support on Android. This is likely something will added in future iterations of Android or by third party developers, but at the same time, that's functionality you're paying for that you won't get to use until they do.
The only use I've actually heard for it came from a conversation with a Sprint store employee at the Cherry Creek Mall here in Denver. Cherry Creek is in one of the most upscale neighborhoods in the Denver area, and this employee said that rich people tend to prefer buying the EVO for their kids, because the kids can watch TV shows or movies on their phone in the car, for example, and when they get home they can plug the phone straight into their television and keep watching so they don't have to switch to a DVD or Tevo and look for the spot where they left off. No joke. Kids with EVOs.
Keyboard: The EVO only has a touch-screen keyboard, while the Epic has both the touch-screen and a full QWERTY slide-out keyboard. I suppose that if you are comfortable with a touch-screen keyboard this will be a non-issue, that is something you will have to decide for yourself. Personally I prefer having a phone with a keyboard, not only for texting but for web browsing and e-mails.
Battery Life: I have not had the opportunity to use an EVO to the point of battery exhaustion, but I researched the EVO significantly when I planned to buy it originally, and the general response of bloggers and community forum users is that the EVO tended to need a recharge around 3:30PM with moderate use. This was alleviated somewhat with system updates which optimized hardware and software performance, particularly when the EVO was upgraded to Android 2.2 (FROYO); you could say it is now roughly a 4:30 - 5:00 phone.
My experience with the Epic so far is that I typically do not have to charge it until I go to bed at night. Now, I don't leave Wifi or GPS on unless I'm using them, and I usually have my screen brightness turned down significantly, but with all that said, getting a full day's use out of a single charge is a substantial benefit in owning the Epic vs the EVO. Also note that this is from a phone that has only had two system updates, and is still running on Android 2.1 (Eclair). Samsung is scheduled to bring 2.2 to the Epic by the end of 2010, which should increase battery life even longer as it did with the EVO.
Android OS: As noted above, the EVO is now running Android 2.2, while the Epic is running Android 2.1, and is scheduled to update to 2.2 during 4Q 2010. However, Samsung added a lot of the functionality of 2.2 to their customized operating system which somewhat mitigates this drawback, such as voice dialing, tethering, and hotspot functionality. It does not have Flash 10.1 support or extended Exchange support, both of which are two things I would really like to have but can still live without for the next few months. If this is something you cannot live without, for example, if you need extended Exchange for your work use, you probably could not give up your blackberry just yet. If you're big into handheld gaming, the Epic does have support for 3D games, which is not scheduled to be integrated into Android proper until Android 2.6 (Gingerbread).
Price: The EVO is currently priced at $199.99 retail, while the Epic is priced at $249.99, so even if you prefer the Epic you will have to decide if you prefer it enough to cough up the extra $50. Another factor you should consider, whether you buy the EVO or the Epic, you will have to sign up for Sprint's "Premium Data" plan, which is an additional $10 per line, not per account. You will receive this charge whether you have 4G access in your area or not. Denver already has 4G in a very few locations around the metro area, and is reportedly scheduled to get 4G access metro-wide in November, so to me the extra charges were worth it. I recommend talking to your local Sprint store to see when you are scheduled to get 4G. If you are going to have to wait a year for example, it may not be worth the extra cost no matter how much you like the phone. General information about 4G availability can be found on Sprint's website here.
Specifics on the Epic: Being Sprint's newest smart phone, the Epic does have some advantages and disadvantages to be aware of. Obviously, the primary advantage is that you get all the newest technology in your phone. The primary drawback is that the operating system still needs some polish. For example, when I first got the Epic the Facebook app would not show my list of notifications; I always got an error message (all the other Facebook functionality was there, just not the notifications page). This past week Sprint released the most recent system update for the Epic which, among other things, resolved this problem. I used to occasionally get an unresponsive screen, which I have not gotten yet since the most recent system update. I was aware going into this purchase that I was buying brand new technology, so none of this surprised my much. But you will have to be willing to live with this for a few months while Sprint and Samsung iron out the wrinkles.
Another disadvantage of the Epic is that since it is so new, there are generally a lack of accessories for it. When we bought our phones, there was a brief selection of cases to choose from and that's it. Naturally, the longer the Epic is available a wider variety cases will probably be produced for it, but again, that's waiting that you'll have to be willing to do. Ditto with car holders/dash mounts, etc.
The same concept applies to the Android OS in general. It's a younger operating system than the iPhone OS for example, so it's operation is still not as flawless. It's the same reason why the iPhone has something like 400,000 applications available, while the Android Market has around 40,000 applications. Likewise, there are multiple magazines and books available targeted at the iPhone and how to get the most functionality out of it, while Android does not have this yet. One has to expect that as more Android phones are sold, more developers will develop applications for Android, increasing the functionality of your phone. The most recent sales figures for the smart phone industry show that the Android already beat iPhone sales for 2Q 2010. This is substantial, considering that Android was a nothing operating system in 3Q 2009. I'm particularly waiting for the end of September when 3Q 2010 sales figures come out, so I can see how well Android is competing against the iPhone 4. Whatever the case, Android appears to have established a solid market position for the foreseeable future, and continued development of the operating system and corresponding applications seems highly likely.
As far as my personal experience with the Epic is concerned, I am entirely satisfied with the phone. It syncs seamlessly with all the major google applications, including contacts from gmail which I use extensively. I love the voice search functionality, which you can use for regular google web searches as well as for google maps and navigation searches. To clarify, google navigation is a free GPS service layered on top of google maps, complete with voice directions. My wife and I used it extensively during a recent 8-hour layover in Miami, and it worked flawlessly. When I stop and think that 10 years ago I was using computers that didn't have the same performance capabilities of the phone I have today it just blows me away.
In summary, if you're choosing between the Epic and the EVO, my personal opinion is that the Epic is your best option, even considering the extra cost. Battery life in particular is a feature critical enough to me that I'm willing to pay for it. Think of it this way, just skip a trip or two to the restaurant, and you can pay for the extra battery life that you'll be taking advantage of over the next 2 or more years. As of right now, my view is that the Epic is the best thing Sprint has going. That said, if you are willing to wait 6 months there will almost certainly be more phones with 4G capability and AMOLED screens, giving you more selection to choose from. You will have to do your research, and figure out what decision will be best for you.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Review of "Seeker" by Jack McDevitt
Though Jack McDevitt has been writing science fiction for several decades I must admit I've never read any of his work, and I don't know any of my personal acquaintances who have so I didn't know exactly what to expect when I picked up "Seeker". My rationale going into it was fairly straightforward; if this book won the Nebula Award, and McDevitt's been nominated for Nebulas and Hugos since 1983, it can't be all bad.
Seeker is set in the Milky Way galaxy thousands of years into the future, when humans are widespread throughout many systems and have consequently generated thousands of years worth of archeological sites. The story is told through a single POV character, a woman named Chase Kolpath, who works for one Alex Benedict, a premier finder and broker of antiques and artifacts left behind by the centuries of human expansion.
The main plot line is instigated by a mysterious cup (ironically, made of plastic), which falls into their hands by happenstance. Fortunately, Chase runs a perfunctory dating of the cup and finds that it originated way back in the 26th century. An inscription on the cup, in a long-extinct language known as "English", implies that it was from a colony ship of political idealists who evacuated an oppressive regime on earth and were subsequently never heard from again. In fact, their story became so clouded that most people think of it as a myth or urban legend.
Naturally the cup is worth a lot of money, and the implication that the colony ship may not only be real but may have actually been found, implies that there are whole boatloads of money to be made. The remainder of the story focuses on Chase's research into the history of the cup, and her attempts to unravel the story of the colony ship. As a mystery story, I can't say much more than that. The plot thickens, and thickens again, and again, and before too long Chase's health and wellbeing are being threatened.
The first thing that drew me into "Seeker was the setting and theme. People have done plenty of mystery stories in a sci-fi setting. But none that I've read have focused on archeology and historical research. As far as the setting is concerned, McDevitt has enough hard science available that the setting seems plausible, but not so much that it bogs the story down. However, if you haven't read a decent amount of hard sci-fi or haven't had at least an armchair interest in astronomy, there will be concepts presented in the book that you'll have to take at face value. I was grateful that McDevitt did not turn the book into a travelogue like so many sci-fi authors seem to do, though he had plenty of opportunity.
The plot moves fairly quickly, and often in directions I didn't anticipate. In many instances this was because he would introduce some new aspect of the science and technology of his setting, which the characters would go on to use in their research. At first it came across as deus ex machina, but I figured, of all the ways he has to introduce the various facets of his setting this is probably more appropriate then hammering the reader with it all at once. After I got past the initial turn-off, it actually became fun for me each time the plot progressed; not only would I get to see what happened next, I'd also get to see what kind of science he would introduce.
As you might expect from a fast-paced mystery novel, characterization took a bit of a backseat, though that's not to say the characters are cardboard cutouts. McDevitt is not shy about adding a dash of character throughout the book, but its really just seasoning, it's not the main dish. The diction is superb, appropriate to the theme, and in many cases hilarious. The main character has a dry, ironic sense of humor that I just loved.
Probably the part of the novel that sets it above the run-of-the-mill sci-fi, and probably the part that got it the Nebula nomination, is the number of ethical and philosophical questions presented to the reader. What is ownership? At what point must society be favored over the individual? What does it mean to be human? And many more. In no way is McDevitt preachy about this, and neither does he draw a conclusion for the reader; there are multiple characters with varying viewpoints on each subject, and each gets plenty of airtime to make their thoughts heard. It was tastefully done, and in no small way added to my enjoyment of the story.
The ending was very agreeable. I anticipated one aspect of the ending after a discovery the characters made, but by and large the final developments were clever and satisfyingly surprising.
I typically have critiques to present along with my review, but in this case I just don't have any, except to say that it's authors like Jack McDevitt who make me feel like I shouldn't bother trying to write anything if that's what I have to compete with. To put it simply, "Seeker" is just a damn good book.
Final Rating: 10/10
Seeker is set in the Milky Way galaxy thousands of years into the future, when humans are widespread throughout many systems and have consequently generated thousands of years worth of archeological sites. The story is told through a single POV character, a woman named Chase Kolpath, who works for one Alex Benedict, a premier finder and broker of antiques and artifacts left behind by the centuries of human expansion.
The main plot line is instigated by a mysterious cup (ironically, made of plastic), which falls into their hands by happenstance. Fortunately, Chase runs a perfunctory dating of the cup and finds that it originated way back in the 26th century. An inscription on the cup, in a long-extinct language known as "English", implies that it was from a colony ship of political idealists who evacuated an oppressive regime on earth and were subsequently never heard from again. In fact, their story became so clouded that most people think of it as a myth or urban legend.
Naturally the cup is worth a lot of money, and the implication that the colony ship may not only be real but may have actually been found, implies that there are whole boatloads of money to be made. The remainder of the story focuses on Chase's research into the history of the cup, and her attempts to unravel the story of the colony ship. As a mystery story, I can't say much more than that. The plot thickens, and thickens again, and again, and before too long Chase's health and wellbeing are being threatened.
The first thing that drew me into "Seeker was the setting and theme. People have done plenty of mystery stories in a sci-fi setting. But none that I've read have focused on archeology and historical research. As far as the setting is concerned, McDevitt has enough hard science available that the setting seems plausible, but not so much that it bogs the story down. However, if you haven't read a decent amount of hard sci-fi or haven't had at least an armchair interest in astronomy, there will be concepts presented in the book that you'll have to take at face value. I was grateful that McDevitt did not turn the book into a travelogue like so many sci-fi authors seem to do, though he had plenty of opportunity.
The plot moves fairly quickly, and often in directions I didn't anticipate. In many instances this was because he would introduce some new aspect of the science and technology of his setting, which the characters would go on to use in their research. At first it came across as deus ex machina, but I figured, of all the ways he has to introduce the various facets of his setting this is probably more appropriate then hammering the reader with it all at once. After I got past the initial turn-off, it actually became fun for me each time the plot progressed; not only would I get to see what happened next, I'd also get to see what kind of science he would introduce.
As you might expect from a fast-paced mystery novel, characterization took a bit of a backseat, though that's not to say the characters are cardboard cutouts. McDevitt is not shy about adding a dash of character throughout the book, but its really just seasoning, it's not the main dish. The diction is superb, appropriate to the theme, and in many cases hilarious. The main character has a dry, ironic sense of humor that I just loved.
Probably the part of the novel that sets it above the run-of-the-mill sci-fi, and probably the part that got it the Nebula nomination, is the number of ethical and philosophical questions presented to the reader. What is ownership? At what point must society be favored over the individual? What does it mean to be human? And many more. In no way is McDevitt preachy about this, and neither does he draw a conclusion for the reader; there are multiple characters with varying viewpoints on each subject, and each gets plenty of airtime to make their thoughts heard. It was tastefully done, and in no small way added to my enjoyment of the story.
The ending was very agreeable. I anticipated one aspect of the ending after a discovery the characters made, but by and large the final developments were clever and satisfyingly surprising.
I typically have critiques to present along with my review, but in this case I just don't have any, except to say that it's authors like Jack McDevitt who make me feel like I shouldn't bother trying to write anything if that's what I have to compete with. To put it simply, "Seeker" is just a damn good book.
Final Rating: 10/10
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Review of "The Windup Girl" by Paolo Bacigalupi
A couple days ago I finished reading "The Windup Girl" (hereafter TWG), which is the breakout novel for author and fellow Coloradoan Paolo Bacigalupi. From the outset The Windup Girl is stunning, the language and descriptions as beautiful and intriguing as the cover art. However, despite it's relatively short length it did take me some amount of time to finish for various reasons which I will explain later.
TWG is set in a not-too-distant future where the vast majority of fossil fuels have been extinguished and rising ocean levels have drowned most major coastal cities throughout the globe. The story takes place in and around Bangkok, which has managed to survive by building an extensive dike/levy system to keep the ocean at bay. To make matters worse, genetic experimentation has caused all sorts of mischief in the world. Countries have unleashed plagues against each other's food stocks, and these plagues have evolved to the point that scientists on both sides scramble to create new seeds that can survive a handful of plantings before new viruses render them useless. Aside from genetically engineered foods, a breed of super-cats, known as cheshires, have been wreaking havoc with bird populations and throwing the food chain out of balance.
With fossil fuels all but exhausted, most of humanity derives energy from kink springs; they power bicycles, boats, anything that might have once used a combustion engine. Computers still exist, though they are treadle-operated much like antique sewing machines. International trade is undertaken with future versions of clipper ships and dirigibles. These are just a few examples of the extensive world building that Bacigalupi has done. Along with this he weaves obvious examples of modern Asian cultures; Japanese, Thai, Chinese, etc, giving his setting a hyper-realistic feel. You could think of it as the modern version of Dune. Without a doubt, the setting is my favorite aspect of TWG.
The story follows a variety of POV characters throughout Bangkok who are all there for various reasons. The introductory character, Anderson Lake, is a secret operative from an American bio-engineering firm who is looking for new, untainted seed stocks while under the guise of operating a kink spring factory. His assistant, Hock Seng, is a Malay-Chinese refugee who is desperate to rebuild his fortune and help his people. An unrelated character, Jaidee, is a former muay thai champion who works for the conservative Environment Ministry, whose job is to police imports and exports and control disease. And finally, the titular character is Emiko, a Japanese bio-engineered windup girl whose bodily functions are powered by kink springs. These are all supported by a host of secondary characters who are well developed, and another thing I greatly enjoyed about this book is that each character is complete and unique to themselves, something that I find especially hard to come by in a lot of SF/F.
Of course, the most unique character is Emiko, given that she is a a bio-mechanical construct instead of being outright human. In the Japan of the future, a dwindling workforce has motivated scientists to design windup people to fill a variety of roles. While they appear and function as humans for the most part, they are in fact possessions, tools, owned by wealthy individuals to work as personal assistants and so forth. Emiko was owned by a Japanese businessman who took her with him to Thailand and, unfortunately for her, he left her there as it was more economically feasible to buy a newer model in Japan than to fly her home. The Thai of the future are highly conservative and isolationist, being afraid of plagues and so forth, and are not accepting of windups at all. Being unable to integrate herself into Thai society, Emiko is forced to survive by prostitution.
I don't want to get into the plots too much, but it is evident from the outset that the current political situation in Bangkok is becoming unsustainable, and throughout the course of the book the characters witness the government beginning to unravel while desperately trying to pursue their own ends before the hammer finally falls. Bacigalupi is fairly relentless in his pacing, with the plot steadily building tension like the springs in his conceived technology. I found the ultimate resolution of the different plotlines quite satisfying, particularly that not all of the protagonists achieve their ultimate goals.
I do have a few critiques of TWG. First, for a setting so well conceived and researched, Bacigalupi is surprisingly silent on the future of renewable energies. The obvious economic theory would be that renewable energy sources such as wind generators and solar farms would begin to replace fossil fuel energy sources as they neared expiration. Yet these are essentially non-existent in TWG. Second, while the diction in this book is by and large superb, I found myself increasingly disrupted by the repetitive use of certain words or phrases, which at least ought to have been taken out in the editing process. Third, though TWG did not feel as traveloguish as some of sci-fi tends to be, there was a major focus on the setting of this book, which at times took away from the plot. Fourth, I found that the characters were not quite pro-active enough for my taste, and events tended to happen TO them rather than be caused BY them. Though the plot is still compelling, this kept TWG from being a true page-turner for me, and I finished reading it in a much longer timespan than I originally thought I would.
One final point, and this is not meant to criticize the book specifically but rather to give fair warning to potential readers, there are a few sections of TWG that are painfully graphic, mostly revolving around Emiko and her profession. Though she is a prostitute, it is not so much a choice but rather a last resort, and some awful things happen to her that are a bit hard to stomach, particularly given the high quality of Bacigalupi's diction and the sympathy that he generates for his characters. It's not blatantly pornographic, but he does not hide brutal reality either.
I usually don't expound much on the "meaning" or "moral" of the stories I read, but Bacigalupi packs this book full of philosophical questions/challenges, a few a which really struck home to me. These include the ethical application of technology, ownership of property and what constitutes property, political manipulation of religion, the ethical use of political power, et al. Probably the two biggest thoughts that struck home to me were the portrayal of the two major political parties in Bangkok, the Environment Ministry and the Trade Ministry, the former being quite conservative and the latter being quite progressive. Throughout the course of the book you realize that these two entities are so busy trying to triumph over each other that they end up tearing their country apart. And not to spoil the plot for you, but in the end neither of them win, primarily because they never found a way to work together. It's a haunting allusion to the modern American situation, which brings up my second thought, which is quoted directly from the Bible, and which Bacigalupi outright says in the third chapter, "there is nothing new under the sun". All the problems that Bacigalupi presents in TWG are problems faced by modern societies, as well as historic societies going back to antiquity. It's just that in TWG they happen to have a pretty, futuristic window dressing. By and large, the underlying premise of The Windup Girl can be summarized exactly as Rudyard Kipling said in much fewer words:
We are the Little folk we!
Too little to love or to hate.
Leave us alone and you'll see
How we can drag down the State.
Final Rating: 9/10
Next Up: Nebula Award Winning "Seeker" by Jack McDevitt
TWG is set in a not-too-distant future where the vast majority of fossil fuels have been extinguished and rising ocean levels have drowned most major coastal cities throughout the globe. The story takes place in and around Bangkok, which has managed to survive by building an extensive dike/levy system to keep the ocean at bay. To make matters worse, genetic experimentation has caused all sorts of mischief in the world. Countries have unleashed plagues against each other's food stocks, and these plagues have evolved to the point that scientists on both sides scramble to create new seeds that can survive a handful of plantings before new viruses render them useless. Aside from genetically engineered foods, a breed of super-cats, known as cheshires, have been wreaking havoc with bird populations and throwing the food chain out of balance.
With fossil fuels all but exhausted, most of humanity derives energy from kink springs; they power bicycles, boats, anything that might have once used a combustion engine. Computers still exist, though they are treadle-operated much like antique sewing machines. International trade is undertaken with future versions of clipper ships and dirigibles. These are just a few examples of the extensive world building that Bacigalupi has done. Along with this he weaves obvious examples of modern Asian cultures; Japanese, Thai, Chinese, etc, giving his setting a hyper-realistic feel. You could think of it as the modern version of Dune. Without a doubt, the setting is my favorite aspect of TWG.
The story follows a variety of POV characters throughout Bangkok who are all there for various reasons. The introductory character, Anderson Lake, is a secret operative from an American bio-engineering firm who is looking for new, untainted seed stocks while under the guise of operating a kink spring factory. His assistant, Hock Seng, is a Malay-Chinese refugee who is desperate to rebuild his fortune and help his people. An unrelated character, Jaidee, is a former muay thai champion who works for the conservative Environment Ministry, whose job is to police imports and exports and control disease. And finally, the titular character is Emiko, a Japanese bio-engineered windup girl whose bodily functions are powered by kink springs. These are all supported by a host of secondary characters who are well developed, and another thing I greatly enjoyed about this book is that each character is complete and unique to themselves, something that I find especially hard to come by in a lot of SF/F.
Of course, the most unique character is Emiko, given that she is a a bio-mechanical construct instead of being outright human. In the Japan of the future, a dwindling workforce has motivated scientists to design windup people to fill a variety of roles. While they appear and function as humans for the most part, they are in fact possessions, tools, owned by wealthy individuals to work as personal assistants and so forth. Emiko was owned by a Japanese businessman who took her with him to Thailand and, unfortunately for her, he left her there as it was more economically feasible to buy a newer model in Japan than to fly her home. The Thai of the future are highly conservative and isolationist, being afraid of plagues and so forth, and are not accepting of windups at all. Being unable to integrate herself into Thai society, Emiko is forced to survive by prostitution.
I don't want to get into the plots too much, but it is evident from the outset that the current political situation in Bangkok is becoming unsustainable, and throughout the course of the book the characters witness the government beginning to unravel while desperately trying to pursue their own ends before the hammer finally falls. Bacigalupi is fairly relentless in his pacing, with the plot steadily building tension like the springs in his conceived technology. I found the ultimate resolution of the different plotlines quite satisfying, particularly that not all of the protagonists achieve their ultimate goals.
I do have a few critiques of TWG. First, for a setting so well conceived and researched, Bacigalupi is surprisingly silent on the future of renewable energies. The obvious economic theory would be that renewable energy sources such as wind generators and solar farms would begin to replace fossil fuel energy sources as they neared expiration. Yet these are essentially non-existent in TWG. Second, while the diction in this book is by and large superb, I found myself increasingly disrupted by the repetitive use of certain words or phrases, which at least ought to have been taken out in the editing process. Third, though TWG did not feel as traveloguish as some of sci-fi tends to be, there was a major focus on the setting of this book, which at times took away from the plot. Fourth, I found that the characters were not quite pro-active enough for my taste, and events tended to happen TO them rather than be caused BY them. Though the plot is still compelling, this kept TWG from being a true page-turner for me, and I finished reading it in a much longer timespan than I originally thought I would.
One final point, and this is not meant to criticize the book specifically but rather to give fair warning to potential readers, there are a few sections of TWG that are painfully graphic, mostly revolving around Emiko and her profession. Though she is a prostitute, it is not so much a choice but rather a last resort, and some awful things happen to her that are a bit hard to stomach, particularly given the high quality of Bacigalupi's diction and the sympathy that he generates for his characters. It's not blatantly pornographic, but he does not hide brutal reality either.
I usually don't expound much on the "meaning" or "moral" of the stories I read, but Bacigalupi packs this book full of philosophical questions/challenges, a few a which really struck home to me. These include the ethical application of technology, ownership of property and what constitutes property, political manipulation of religion, the ethical use of political power, et al. Probably the two biggest thoughts that struck home to me were the portrayal of the two major political parties in Bangkok, the Environment Ministry and the Trade Ministry, the former being quite conservative and the latter being quite progressive. Throughout the course of the book you realize that these two entities are so busy trying to triumph over each other that they end up tearing their country apart. And not to spoil the plot for you, but in the end neither of them win, primarily because they never found a way to work together. It's a haunting allusion to the modern American situation, which brings up my second thought, which is quoted directly from the Bible, and which Bacigalupi outright says in the third chapter, "there is nothing new under the sun". All the problems that Bacigalupi presents in TWG are problems faced by modern societies, as well as historic societies going back to antiquity. It's just that in TWG they happen to have a pretty, futuristic window dressing. By and large, the underlying premise of The Windup Girl can be summarized exactly as Rudyard Kipling said in much fewer words:
We are the Little folk we!
Too little to love or to hate.
Leave us alone and you'll see
How we can drag down the State.
Final Rating: 9/10
Next Up: Nebula Award Winning "Seeker" by Jack McDevitt
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Growing Pains of Italian Restaurants
I visited Romano's Macaroni Grill recently, which was my first visit there in some time, and the experience triggered a few observations which, naturally, I felt I should incorporate into a blog for the whole world to see.
The life cycle of restaurants follows an observable pattern. It usually begins with a single location, where an overall concept is perfected and a following is established. Then this concept is expanded to a selection of locations, usually in the same metro area and under the same ownership. However, at a certain point either the original owners run out of capital for expansion, or a national restaurant operator picks up on the strength of the concept, but either way the result is the same; the company is bought by a national firm with the expertise and capital to expand the restaurant to a national scale. This growth can take place quite rapidly, since the company revenue base expands at a linear rate simply by adding new locations. This is the explanation for the rapid expansion of such well known food retailers as McDonalds, Chipotle, and Starbucks, et al. At some point this growth peaks as the market becomes "saturated", or in other words, additional stores cannot be added because potential new locations either A) do no have the local demographics to support continued expansion, or B) would cannibalize customers from already existing locations. Once this saturation point is reached some interesting things begin to happen as companies continue to try to generate additional revenue from their business units. Let me give you a few examples using some fairly well-known Italian restaurants:
I have a long and romantic history with Italian restaurants, hearkening back to the late 1980s - early 1990s when my family frequented our local Olive Garden in Minneapolis, MN. It was a natural choice for us because, with three boys with healthy appetites, features like unlimited bread sticks and salad are a critical feature. Olive Garden was somewhat unique in that it was started by General Mills which intended to turn it into a multi-location retailer from the outset, so it did not exactly follow the growth pattern I outlined above. Initially opened in 1982, my family began eating at Olive Garden during the glory years of its national expansion.
Then during the mid- to late-1990s we began to notice certain changes at our favorite Italian restaurant. The pasta began to lack the same quality it used to have, the sauces grew a bit more bland, and the bread sticks, for crying out loud, the bread sticks degenerated into what might occur if a lump of mushy white bread lost a decent fight with a salt shaker. We came to find out that Darden Restaurants (the now parent-company of Olive Garden) begun using pre-cooked foods that only needed to be reheated in order to be served. This accomplished three revenue-generating effects; A) less cooking activity in the kitchens allowed for a reduction in food-prep staff, reducing the cost of labor at each restaurant, B) reduced food preparation allows for faster table turnover, and C), the lower cost of the food allowed Darden to maintain lower menu prices, helping them to appeal to a larger customer base (and market saturation takes place at a higher level; there are currently over 700 Olive Garden locations throughout the US and Canada). The trade-off was in the quality of the food, and I correspondingly began decreasing my visits to Olive Garden. I haven't eaten there in years and generally consider it to be the McDonalds of the Italian restaurant chains (a cliche breakup; "it's not you, it's me). However, it is frequently romanced by less discerning people and is an important revenue stream for Darden Restaurants.
During the spring of 2003 my college buddies and I made an important discovery; Romano's Macaroni Grill. Romano's was founded in 1988 by a Texas restaurateur, and was nearing saturation when we began frequenting their location in Chattanooga, TN. My initial crush on Romano's was fostered by my former breakup with Olive Garden; it was everything I used to like about my former love, without all the detrimental aspects. They had the free bread (with olive oil for dipping!), and the portions were generous. I preferred the build-a-bowl, they'd let me mix and match my own pastas, sauces, and add-ins, which would come in an industrial-sized bowl. Plus the tables came with crayons, which allowed my buddies and me to entertain ourselves with all sorts of inappropriate creations while waiting for our food.
Beginning about 2 years ago Romano's began making their own set of revenue-generating changes. Since the low-cost niche was already filled by Olive Garden, Romano's has followed a different route. First, the portion size was reduced in the usual way; the older dinnerware was replaced with new dinnerware of the same general size, but with a wider rim and smaller bowl, allowing for smaller portions to be served well appearing to be the same size. This has continued to the point where they're blatantly not even filling the newer, smaller dinnerware. More recently, apparently only within the last couple of months, Romano's underwent an overall contraction of their menu. This usually takes place in two forms; A) lower profit margin items are eliminated and replaced with higher profit margin items, and B) lower volume items are eliminated entirely to increase company cash flow. Examples of both:
A) The new appetizer "Mediterranean Olives", which is essentially a small bowl of green olives dipped in olive oil. Cost: $3.99, which is insane seeing as how you can buy an entire jar of green olives for maybe $3 at your local grocery store. Or the "Roasted Vegetables" for $6.99, which is essentially a (very) small plate of garden veggies you could buy for $2 (full retail price, not even considering the bulk prices Romano's gets). Of course, appetizers are by design high-margin items for restaurants, but this is just blatant.
B) Low-volume menu items like risotto, of which they had several kinds, are completely eliminated from Romano's menu. They don't stock it; no way to order it whatsoever. Also, the order form for my old favorite, the build-a-bowl, has seen some considerable contraction:
http://www.macaronigrill.com/PDFs/FoodBev/SYS1009.pdf
Now, consider that in the old days this order form included 2 additional pastas (angel hair and linguini), pesto sauce, and some 6 add-ins including two different kinds of onions, all of which have been eliminated. As I mentioned earlier, this is a cash-flow enhancing technique; the company doesn't have to purchase and store this inventory while it sits on their shelves waiting to be sold, which increases the level of cash available to the company.
Romano's, which is primarily owned by Golden Gate Capital, has maintained regular price increases corresponding to inflation and ingredient costs. Coupled with their reduction in portion size, market saturation for them has occurred at a lower level than for Olive Garden, currently the company has less than 300 locations. Though they haven't compromised the overall quality of their food, my romance with Macaroni Grill has been cooling substantially; I went about a month ago and I don't see myself going again in the near future, maybe ever. For me it has become a lopsided relationship; I'm just not getting out of it what I'm putting into it.
Third in my triumvirate of Italian restaurants is Maggiano's Little Italy. Founded in 1991 in Chicago, Maggiano's is now owned by Brinker International, who coincidentally was the majority owner of Macaroni Grill. I've only eaten here a few times, mostly because their locations are a bit of a commute from anywhere I've lived (more on this later). However, the times I've been here have proved quite impressive. The portion sizes are huge, and the quality is comparable with, or even superior to, Macaroni Grill. Their menu is comprehensive, probably bigger than Macaroni Grill and Olive Garden combined.
Rather than compromising on quality or portion size, Maggiano's has chosen to differentiate itself purely on price point; you will pay, at minimum, $2 - $5 more per meal than at Macaroni Grill. Because this price point is so much higher than its competitors, Maggiano's appeals to a smaller number of potential customers, who also eat there less frequently. Consequently, Maggiano's can only compete in large metro areas with high-level demographics, and is nearing saturation at a very low level; there are currently 44 locations throughout the US with opportunity for maybe a handful more. With the recent changes taking place at Romano's, Maggiano's get's my current thumbs up for the best value-for-the-money Italian Restaurant; I've never eaten here without taking half my meal home, and if you have any idea how much I eat, that's saying something. However, given the relatively high price, I still don't think I will be frequenting here as much as I used to frequent Romano's (a common relationship complication, she's a great girl but she's high-maintenance).
Honorable mention: Carrabba's. I've never eaten here, since until recently I've always had Macaroni Grill. From what I hear, Carrabba's fills the gap between Macaroni Grill and Maggiano's Little Italy, being somewhat more expensive than the former, but not as expensive as the latter. They have the appropriate market saturation corresponding to this price point as well: at over 200 restaurants they have fewer than Macaroni Grill but more than Maggiano's. I've tracked down a location not too far from my house and will probably give them a go next time I'm looking for Italian. I've been hurt before, but maybe true love is waiting for me on the horizon.
This trend is observable with most major restaurant genres, as well as other types of MLR's. Feel free to share thoughts/opinions, I'm very interested in this sort of thing.
The life cycle of restaurants follows an observable pattern. It usually begins with a single location, where an overall concept is perfected and a following is established. Then this concept is expanded to a selection of locations, usually in the same metro area and under the same ownership. However, at a certain point either the original owners run out of capital for expansion, or a national restaurant operator picks up on the strength of the concept, but either way the result is the same; the company is bought by a national firm with the expertise and capital to expand the restaurant to a national scale. This growth can take place quite rapidly, since the company revenue base expands at a linear rate simply by adding new locations. This is the explanation for the rapid expansion of such well known food retailers as McDonalds, Chipotle, and Starbucks, et al. At some point this growth peaks as the market becomes "saturated", or in other words, additional stores cannot be added because potential new locations either A) do no have the local demographics to support continued expansion, or B) would cannibalize customers from already existing locations. Once this saturation point is reached some interesting things begin to happen as companies continue to try to generate additional revenue from their business units. Let me give you a few examples using some fairly well-known Italian restaurants:
I have a long and romantic history with Italian restaurants, hearkening back to the late 1980s - early 1990s when my family frequented our local Olive Garden in Minneapolis, MN. It was a natural choice for us because, with three boys with healthy appetites, features like unlimited bread sticks and salad are a critical feature. Olive Garden was somewhat unique in that it was started by General Mills which intended to turn it into a multi-location retailer from the outset, so it did not exactly follow the growth pattern I outlined above. Initially opened in 1982, my family began eating at Olive Garden during the glory years of its national expansion.
Then during the mid- to late-1990s we began to notice certain changes at our favorite Italian restaurant. The pasta began to lack the same quality it used to have, the sauces grew a bit more bland, and the bread sticks, for crying out loud, the bread sticks degenerated into what might occur if a lump of mushy white bread lost a decent fight with a salt shaker. We came to find out that Darden Restaurants (the now parent-company of Olive Garden) begun using pre-cooked foods that only needed to be reheated in order to be served. This accomplished three revenue-generating effects; A) less cooking activity in the kitchens allowed for a reduction in food-prep staff, reducing the cost of labor at each restaurant, B) reduced food preparation allows for faster table turnover, and C), the lower cost of the food allowed Darden to maintain lower menu prices, helping them to appeal to a larger customer base (and market saturation takes place at a higher level; there are currently over 700 Olive Garden locations throughout the US and Canada). The trade-off was in the quality of the food, and I correspondingly began decreasing my visits to Olive Garden. I haven't eaten there in years and generally consider it to be the McDonalds of the Italian restaurant chains (a cliche breakup; "it's not you, it's me). However, it is frequently romanced by less discerning people and is an important revenue stream for Darden Restaurants.
During the spring of 2003 my college buddies and I made an important discovery; Romano's Macaroni Grill. Romano's was founded in 1988 by a Texas restaurateur, and was nearing saturation when we began frequenting their location in Chattanooga, TN. My initial crush on Romano's was fostered by my former breakup with Olive Garden; it was everything I used to like about my former love, without all the detrimental aspects. They had the free bread (with olive oil for dipping!), and the portions were generous. I preferred the build-a-bowl, they'd let me mix and match my own pastas, sauces, and add-ins, which would come in an industrial-sized bowl. Plus the tables came with crayons, which allowed my buddies and me to entertain ourselves with all sorts of inappropriate creations while waiting for our food.
Beginning about 2 years ago Romano's began making their own set of revenue-generating changes. Since the low-cost niche was already filled by Olive Garden, Romano's has followed a different route. First, the portion size was reduced in the usual way; the older dinnerware was replaced with new dinnerware of the same general size, but with a wider rim and smaller bowl, allowing for smaller portions to be served well appearing to be the same size. This has continued to the point where they're blatantly not even filling the newer, smaller dinnerware. More recently, apparently only within the last couple of months, Romano's underwent an overall contraction of their menu. This usually takes place in two forms; A) lower profit margin items are eliminated and replaced with higher profit margin items, and B) lower volume items are eliminated entirely to increase company cash flow. Examples of both:
A) The new appetizer "Mediterranean Olives", which is essentially a small bowl of green olives dipped in olive oil. Cost: $3.99, which is insane seeing as how you can buy an entire jar of green olives for maybe $3 at your local grocery store. Or the "Roasted Vegetables" for $6.99, which is essentially a (very) small plate of garden veggies you could buy for $2 (full retail price, not even considering the bulk prices Romano's gets). Of course, appetizers are by design high-margin items for restaurants, but this is just blatant.
B) Low-volume menu items like risotto, of which they had several kinds, are completely eliminated from Romano's menu. They don't stock it; no way to order it whatsoever. Also, the order form for my old favorite, the build-a-bowl, has seen some considerable contraction:
http://www.macaronigrill.com/PDFs/FoodBev/SYS1009.pdf
Now, consider that in the old days this order form included 2 additional pastas (angel hair and linguini), pesto sauce, and some 6 add-ins including two different kinds of onions, all of which have been eliminated. As I mentioned earlier, this is a cash-flow enhancing technique; the company doesn't have to purchase and store this inventory while it sits on their shelves waiting to be sold, which increases the level of cash available to the company.
Romano's, which is primarily owned by Golden Gate Capital, has maintained regular price increases corresponding to inflation and ingredient costs. Coupled with their reduction in portion size, market saturation for them has occurred at a lower level than for Olive Garden, currently the company has less than 300 locations. Though they haven't compromised the overall quality of their food, my romance with Macaroni Grill has been cooling substantially; I went about a month ago and I don't see myself going again in the near future, maybe ever. For me it has become a lopsided relationship; I'm just not getting out of it what I'm putting into it.
Third in my triumvirate of Italian restaurants is Maggiano's Little Italy. Founded in 1991 in Chicago, Maggiano's is now owned by Brinker International, who coincidentally was the majority owner of Macaroni Grill. I've only eaten here a few times, mostly because their locations are a bit of a commute from anywhere I've lived (more on this later). However, the times I've been here have proved quite impressive. The portion sizes are huge, and the quality is comparable with, or even superior to, Macaroni Grill. Their menu is comprehensive, probably bigger than Macaroni Grill and Olive Garden combined.
Rather than compromising on quality or portion size, Maggiano's has chosen to differentiate itself purely on price point; you will pay, at minimum, $2 - $5 more per meal than at Macaroni Grill. Because this price point is so much higher than its competitors, Maggiano's appeals to a smaller number of potential customers, who also eat there less frequently. Consequently, Maggiano's can only compete in large metro areas with high-level demographics, and is nearing saturation at a very low level; there are currently 44 locations throughout the US with opportunity for maybe a handful more. With the recent changes taking place at Romano's, Maggiano's get's my current thumbs up for the best value-for-the-money Italian Restaurant; I've never eaten here without taking half my meal home, and if you have any idea how much I eat, that's saying something. However, given the relatively high price, I still don't think I will be frequenting here as much as I used to frequent Romano's (a common relationship complication, she's a great girl but she's high-maintenance).
Honorable mention: Carrabba's. I've never eaten here, since until recently I've always had Macaroni Grill. From what I hear, Carrabba's fills the gap between Macaroni Grill and Maggiano's Little Italy, being somewhat more expensive than the former, but not as expensive as the latter. They have the appropriate market saturation corresponding to this price point as well: at over 200 restaurants they have fewer than Macaroni Grill but more than Maggiano's. I've tracked down a location not too far from my house and will probably give them a go next time I'm looking for Italian. I've been hurt before, but maybe true love is waiting for me on the horizon.
This trend is observable with most major restaurant genres, as well as other types of MLR's. Feel free to share thoughts/opinions, I'm very interested in this sort of thing.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Monthly Review: July 11
Meant to get to this last week but could not sort out the time to do it.
I've decided to post a monthly update on my various activities/interests, intended to start at the beginning of the month though I've been too busy the last few days to get this up before now.
Currently Reading:
Fiction: "The Windup Girl" by Paolo Bacigalupi. I'll give you a sneak preview of my upcoming review: I like this book A LOT.
Non-Fiction: "Medieval Warfare: Triumph & Domination In The Wars Of The Middle Ages" by Peter Reid. An analysis of English prowess at arms during the 14th-15th centuries (read here: longbow warfare). I was reading through this book last month until some rascal bought it from B&N. Ordered a new copy and am now back in business.
Writing:
No new work to report on my main project, though I got some small projects completed. Will probably be sending them to market this month.
Multimedia Entertainment:
TV: I've adopted "Lie to Me" as my summertime TV entertainment. Most of the episodes I've seen so far have been pretty strong showings. Seems like a cross between House and White Collar.
Last Film Seen: Despicable Me. I went in to this movie with high hopes and came out thoroughly entertained. Excellent script writing/acting. Animation was hilarious, particularly focused on character expressions.
Current video game: Red Dead Redemption. It'll probably be keeping me entertained until FFXIV comes out in the fall.
Games I'm tracking through production: "Elemental: War of Magic", "Test Drive Unlimited 2", "Final Fantasy XIV"
Sports:
Quite a bit happened in the last month of sports, despite the doldrums of baseball *yawn*. Lakers vs Celtics ended pretty much how everyone expected, though not how I hoped it would. For all the hype everyone gives to Lebron James, no one in the NBA can match Kobe Bryant for sheer determination/work ethic. I doubt if going to Miami will change that. It'll be interesting to see how that combination works after so many years of Lebron being a solo act.
The world cup this time around was entertaining, though my perception was that the reffing really put a taint on the game. Spain was favored by most unbiased observers, so I guess in the end the best team won. But really, futbol will have a hard time competing for fans in the US when most of our major sports (football, basketball, hockey) will allow refs to rely on instant replays to determine critical calls. It's especially impacting for a game where you might have one or two goals scored in an entire 90-minute match. It comes off a cheap or biased to the average american fan.
MMA had some interesting developments, all of them submissions. First you had Fedor Emelianenko with his first uncontroversial career loss to UFC-has-been and noted jiu jitsu competitor Fabricio Werdum. Frankly, no one is perfect; Fedor made a single mistake, and it happened to be against an opponent with a lightning-fast triangle so he paid the price.
Then came the match I've been looking forward to for a long time; Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin. I've long believed that Carwin has superior technique to Brock, both in terms of execution and strategy, where as Brock's previous fights to me have basically looked brawling, with a strong reliance on his strength and bulk at the sacrifice of fighting ability. The first couple minutes of their fight more or less proved to me that I was right; Brock practically melted in front of Carwin hit the canvas...and then Carwin had a serious brain fart. Basically wasting 3 minutes of the round and exhausting himself on a barrage of in-accurate ground & pound. In the second round Brock looked incredibly smooth, working the take down and progressing straight to the submission. I really don't mind being proved wrong by a big guy with smooth jiu jitsu; so long as he keeps up with his technique I'll be a fan.
Day Jobbery:
Most recent appraisal: 9 apartment units in Denver's historic Baker neighborhood. Denver has a few pockets of these historic neighborhoods surrounding downtown; Capitol Hill/Cheesman Park is probably the best known example. Baker is a bit farther from downtown - about half-way to Cherry Creek - but it also has a lot of these small, historic apartments that investors like because they have strong appeal in their niche market. Most of the comps I found were selling at $60k-$70k per unit, with cap rates between 5.5% to 7%. There are some local ownership groups that specialize specifically in apartments within these neighborhoods because of their unique appeal and earning potential.
Current appraisal: An office/warehouse in Aurora.
Lifestyle:
Weight: Have gotten closer to 290 over the past few weeks, primarily because work has been pretty busy and I haven't been going to jiu jitsu. Fortunately, it looks like this bottleneck has disappeared for the time being so I can be more active again (also, when you weigh as much as I do gaining/losing 10 lbs is pretty easy to do).
Jiu Jitsu: I haven't been to class in two weeks, again because of work and also because a pulled my groin a week ago. Will be back at it again tomorrow night.
Traveling: We drove up to Walla Walla, WA to see my sister-in-law graduate. In a couple weeks I'll be driving to Portland, OR for a wedding. So I'll be getting my fare share of I-80/84 this summer.
Matt
I've decided to post a monthly update on my various activities/interests, intended to start at the beginning of the month though I've been too busy the last few days to get this up before now.
Currently Reading:
Fiction: "The Windup Girl" by Paolo Bacigalupi. I'll give you a sneak preview of my upcoming review: I like this book A LOT.
Non-Fiction: "Medieval Warfare: Triumph & Domination In The Wars Of The Middle Ages" by Peter Reid. An analysis of English prowess at arms during the 14th-15th centuries (read here: longbow warfare). I was reading through this book last month until some rascal bought it from B&N. Ordered a new copy and am now back in business.
Writing:
No new work to report on my main project, though I got some small projects completed. Will probably be sending them to market this month.
Multimedia Entertainment:
TV: I've adopted "Lie to Me" as my summertime TV entertainment. Most of the episodes I've seen so far have been pretty strong showings. Seems like a cross between House and White Collar.
Last Film Seen: Despicable Me. I went in to this movie with high hopes and came out thoroughly entertained. Excellent script writing/acting. Animation was hilarious, particularly focused on character expressions.
Current video game: Red Dead Redemption. It'll probably be keeping me entertained until FFXIV comes out in the fall.
Games I'm tracking through production: "Elemental: War of Magic", "Test Drive Unlimited 2", "Final Fantasy XIV"
Sports:
Quite a bit happened in the last month of sports, despite the doldrums of baseball *yawn*. Lakers vs Celtics ended pretty much how everyone expected, though not how I hoped it would. For all the hype everyone gives to Lebron James, no one in the NBA can match Kobe Bryant for sheer determination/work ethic. I doubt if going to Miami will change that. It'll be interesting to see how that combination works after so many years of Lebron being a solo act.
The world cup this time around was entertaining, though my perception was that the reffing really put a taint on the game. Spain was favored by most unbiased observers, so I guess in the end the best team won. But really, futbol will have a hard time competing for fans in the US when most of our major sports (football, basketball, hockey) will allow refs to rely on instant replays to determine critical calls. It's especially impacting for a game where you might have one or two goals scored in an entire 90-minute match. It comes off a cheap or biased to the average american fan.
MMA had some interesting developments, all of them submissions. First you had Fedor Emelianenko with his first uncontroversial career loss to UFC-has-been and noted jiu jitsu competitor Fabricio Werdum. Frankly, no one is perfect; Fedor made a single mistake, and it happened to be against an opponent with a lightning-fast triangle so he paid the price.
Then came the match I've been looking forward to for a long time; Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin. I've long believed that Carwin has superior technique to Brock, both in terms of execution and strategy, where as Brock's previous fights to me have basically looked brawling, with a strong reliance on his strength and bulk at the sacrifice of fighting ability. The first couple minutes of their fight more or less proved to me that I was right; Brock practically melted in front of Carwin hit the canvas...and then Carwin had a serious brain fart. Basically wasting 3 minutes of the round and exhausting himself on a barrage of in-accurate ground & pound. In the second round Brock looked incredibly smooth, working the take down and progressing straight to the submission. I really don't mind being proved wrong by a big guy with smooth jiu jitsu; so long as he keeps up with his technique I'll be a fan.
Day Jobbery:
Most recent appraisal: 9 apartment units in Denver's historic Baker neighborhood. Denver has a few pockets of these historic neighborhoods surrounding downtown; Capitol Hill/Cheesman Park is probably the best known example. Baker is a bit farther from downtown - about half-way to Cherry Creek - but it also has a lot of these small, historic apartments that investors like because they have strong appeal in their niche market. Most of the comps I found were selling at $60k-$70k per unit, with cap rates between 5.5% to 7%. There are some local ownership groups that specialize specifically in apartments within these neighborhoods because of their unique appeal and earning potential.
Current appraisal: An office/warehouse in Aurora.
Lifestyle:
Weight: Have gotten closer to 290 over the past few weeks, primarily because work has been pretty busy and I haven't been going to jiu jitsu. Fortunately, it looks like this bottleneck has disappeared for the time being so I can be more active again (also, when you weigh as much as I do gaining/losing 10 lbs is pretty easy to do).
Jiu Jitsu: I haven't been to class in two weeks, again because of work and also because a pulled my groin a week ago. Will be back at it again tomorrow night.
Traveling: We drove up to Walla Walla, WA to see my sister-in-law graduate. In a couple weeks I'll be driving to Portland, OR for a wedding. So I'll be getting my fare share of I-80/84 this summer.
Matt
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Review of "Dune" by Frank Herbert
So way back in...April I think it was, I picked up the sci-fi classic "Dune" for a read. I've never read it before (like Lord of the Rings, really, I'm terrible about reading the classics), but after much persuasion from several people, and given the dearth of other reading options at the time, I decided to give it a go.
Well, in that time I've read about 42% of the book, which, needless to say, is pretty slow going, even counting the fact that I took a week and half of that time to re-read ~500 pages of GRRM. Now, when I can read 500 pages of one author in about 1/10th the time it's taken me to read ~200 pages of another, I think that's a pretty loud and clear message. So to be blunt, I've just decided to declare victory and move on leaving the thing unfinished. That said, I don't know if I can really give it an actual review, but I'll share a few thoughts on here anyway.
First, the positives. I'm sure this has been said before, but just for the sake of being complete, I'll go ahead and mention that Herbert has gotten world-building down pat. I mean, if anyone has the nitty-gritty details figured out more than this guy, I haven't read them. Which is fitting, seeing as how Herbert spent years researching and developing the setting for the book. Also, the character of Gurney Halleck I liked quite well; I say anyone who can write a minstrel/warrior character and still be taken seriously can't be all bad.
Unfortunately, that's about as far as it goes. I didn't find any of the character's terribly interesting. Not to say that they're cardboard, but frankly, they just don't do much. They move to a new planet, fly in a 'thopter, throw a party, and generally have a lot of things explained to them (or explain things to each other). Other than that, there's really not much that happens. For a setting that is supposedly heavy on the intrigue, I did not feel much tension at all. And for characters who are supposedly hyper-intelligent/perceptive/cunning, overlooking Dr. Yueh just seemed too obvious to me. Honestly, you leave an obvious stone unturned, and that's what happens. And even after that, the remaining characters aren't able to effect their own escape without Yueh setting it up for them. This is compounded by Herbert's use of 'historic' commentary at the beginning of his chapters, which ends up leaving no doubt about how exactly the book is going to end. For most books I tend to assume the good guys will win, but when you're told "Not only does he win, he's also the messiah, and his dad dies, etc" within a few chapters of the beginning, it's really hard for me to maintain my interest.
Finally, I wanted to comment on Herbert's use of multiple POV characters within the same scene. It's a technique that I don't see frequently, and my conclusion was that it is mostly a two-edged sword in this book. In some instances it was interesting to see him weave two different characters and their reactions into the same scene. But probably more frequently, it just left me with a feeling that the scene was over-explained.
My overall impression of Dune is that it is the travelogue to beat all travelogues, which is good only so long as the reader really likes travelogues. I will admit that I'm probably spoiled in having read multiple authors who benefited from reading Dune for themselves and incorporated the best of Herbert into their own techniques. However, in the end, after 200-some pages I just was not hooked, and the way I figure, I've got the rest of my life ahead of me, and I'd rather spend it reading books I enjoy.
Next up: "The Windup Girl" by Paolo Bacigalupi, the 2009 Nebula winner for best novel, 2009 Hugo nominee, and 2010 Compton Crook award for best first novel.
Well, in that time I've read about 42% of the book, which, needless to say, is pretty slow going, even counting the fact that I took a week and half of that time to re-read ~500 pages of GRRM. Now, when I can read 500 pages of one author in about 1/10th the time it's taken me to read ~200 pages of another, I think that's a pretty loud and clear message. So to be blunt, I've just decided to declare victory and move on leaving the thing unfinished. That said, I don't know if I can really give it an actual review, but I'll share a few thoughts on here anyway.
First, the positives. I'm sure this has been said before, but just for the sake of being complete, I'll go ahead and mention that Herbert has gotten world-building down pat. I mean, if anyone has the nitty-gritty details figured out more than this guy, I haven't read them. Which is fitting, seeing as how Herbert spent years researching and developing the setting for the book. Also, the character of Gurney Halleck I liked quite well; I say anyone who can write a minstrel/warrior character and still be taken seriously can't be all bad.
Unfortunately, that's about as far as it goes. I didn't find any of the character's terribly interesting. Not to say that they're cardboard, but frankly, they just don't do much. They move to a new planet, fly in a 'thopter, throw a party, and generally have a lot of things explained to them (or explain things to each other). Other than that, there's really not much that happens. For a setting that is supposedly heavy on the intrigue, I did not feel much tension at all. And for characters who are supposedly hyper-intelligent/perceptive/cunning, overlooking Dr. Yueh just seemed too obvious to me. Honestly, you leave an obvious stone unturned, and that's what happens. And even after that, the remaining characters aren't able to effect their own escape without Yueh setting it up for them. This is compounded by Herbert's use of 'historic' commentary at the beginning of his chapters, which ends up leaving no doubt about how exactly the book is going to end. For most books I tend to assume the good guys will win, but when you're told "Not only does he win, he's also the messiah, and his dad dies, etc" within a few chapters of the beginning, it's really hard for me to maintain my interest.
Finally, I wanted to comment on Herbert's use of multiple POV characters within the same scene. It's a technique that I don't see frequently, and my conclusion was that it is mostly a two-edged sword in this book. In some instances it was interesting to see him weave two different characters and their reactions into the same scene. But probably more frequently, it just left me with a feeling that the scene was over-explained.
My overall impression of Dune is that it is the travelogue to beat all travelogues, which is good only so long as the reader really likes travelogues. I will admit that I'm probably spoiled in having read multiple authors who benefited from reading Dune for themselves and incorporated the best of Herbert into their own techniques. However, in the end, after 200-some pages I just was not hooked, and the way I figure, I've got the rest of my life ahead of me, and I'd rather spend it reading books I enjoy.
Next up: "The Windup Girl" by Paolo Bacigalupi, the 2009 Nebula winner for best novel, 2009 Hugo nominee, and 2010 Compton Crook award for best first novel.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Review of "Red Dead Redemption" by Rockstar Games
Red Dead Redemption is Rockstar's combination of ever single spaghetti western stereotype imaginable, plugged into a GTA-esque sandbox gaming platform that allows for a wide variety of open play in addition to following the events of the background story. My wife took one look at the portrait of the protagonist on the cover of the game and began calling it "Red Neck Redemption", which gave me a good long laugh, so from here after I'll refer to the game as "RNR". I've been tracking this game through production and originally intended to rent this game for sometime before deciding if I wanted to purchase it outright. However, after my local Blockbuster had all their copies rented out for a couple weeks straight I figured that was probably a sign and so I went ahead and made a blind purchase. Sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose. This time...
Set in the 1911 old west, RNR follows protagonist John Marston, a former outlaw who has his digital elbow twisted just enough to go out and hunt down his old associates in an attempt to clear his name. You start off with a few cut-scenes and tutorial missions, though I didn't find these to be too time consuming, and they're worked into the story well enough that they don't stick out overmuch. Soon enough the narrative backs off a bit and you can explore the game at your free will. There's a plethora of pastimes to keep you occupied while in game; everything from animal hunting to bounty hunting to blackjack. Essentially everything a budding young roughneck needs to keep himself entertained for hours. And hours. And hours.
A small caveat; I haven't actually finished this game, though I felt I had played it through to a point where I could give an accurate review. Honestly, at the rate I'm progressing through the game it'll probably be several months before I'm finished with it. So there is a small chance that something unexpected might happen that could completely reverse my impression of the game, but so far it seems unlikely.
First, a few items in particular I've really liked about the game:
A) One of the first things I noticed upon starting the game is the quality of the voice acting. I mean, it's noticeably good; dare I say, better than some movies I could mention. The animation during the cut-scenes is superb as well; they've captured nuances of gestures and emotion that most games I've played frankly lack. The story itself is compelling enough, but the focus on the storytelling really contributes to the overall game experience.
B) The various sandbox activities available in RNR are for the most part very well done. Rockstar has apparently packed as much creativity into this game as they could manage, and my impression was that they really took the time to make these side attractions entertaining and challenging. A few are a little simplistic - breaking horses for example - but most are up to the same caliber as the rest of the game. I've probably played the in-game poker tournaments for longer than I've spent following the actual narrative.
C) In a gaming generation where Borderlands has redefined variety, Rockstar has added a lot of content where it might normally be ignored, including a wide variety of horses, weapons, mini-quests, and clothing. Definitely not quite to the level the Borderlands has, but I think still better than most.
D) The range of motion for gaming animation is quite well done. Even awkward animations such as lassoing or diving off a moving stagecoach run flawlessly. If you happen to get mauled by a cougar, sure you'll die, but at least it'll look good while it's happening.
E) Humor. Rockstar puts just the right amount of funny stuff in RNR, not so much that you can't take it seriously, but not so little that it's bland and out of place.
These are just a few of the more outstanding aspects of RNR, and honestly, the fact that I'm taking time to comment on what would normally be more minute aspects of gaming should very much be read to imply that the overall game is very high quality. Of course, that is not to say that I don't have a few critiques.
A) Some of the mini-quests can be frustratingly vague. For example, one of the ones that I've particularly had trouble with is the stagecoach robbery. From time to time while traversing the expansive wilderness, you'll come across a stagecoach by the side of the road with someone flagging you down for help. The first time this happened to be, it turned out to be an ambush and I got shot. Lesson learned, or so I thought. So the second time this happened I was not about to be suckered, and rode in behind a hail of hot lead. Until it turned out that I had killed a lawman (?) and suddenly had a bounty on my head. After much trial and error, I've pretty much got the hang of which stagecoaches-in-need are which, but when all's said and done, it's almost not worth the hassle of pulling up close to see which type you're looking at, and in that sense, it doesn't really add anything to the game for me.
B) A few of the game mechanics are somewhat vague. Two in particular; dueling and cheating at cards. After significant experimentation, I really can't figure out what exactly makes one duelist faster than another. This holds true when dueling the same person: I've gotten various results with the same opponent and can't figure out why. The card cheating mechanic also gives varying results; the slight of hand is simulated by an arrow on a sliding scale and your goal is to keep the arrow landed at the center of the scale and not at the ends. Which seems simple enough, but I've gotten "caught" with the arrow sitting dead center of the scale with no explanation why. Compounding this, whenever you're caught at cheating, you automatically lose all your chips whether you win the ensuing duel or not. Considering the potential risk, and the quirks of the cheating and dueling mechanics, there is very little incentive for me to use either one, and in that sense they're mostly a waste to me.
C) I haven't been able to figure out how to tell what kind of horse I'm riding. Descriptions of the various horses are available in stores, and some are more obvious than others, but it seems an obvious tool to be lacking from the game. I can tell what kind of outfit I'm wearing and what kind of gun I'm using, but not what kind of horse I'm riding, and I can't think of a reason why.
D) Bounties seem to accrue for fairly arbitrary reasons. If I go out and shoot a sheriff or steal someone's horse, sure, I'd understand that. But there have been several circumstances (in town usually) where I'll take some fire, and retaliate in kind, only to get hit with a bounty. It becomes a hassle, and takes away from the overall gaming experience.
These few deficiencies really don't account for a whole lot considering the wide scope of the entire game. I'm enjoying the game quite a bit, and considering the extensive content available in RNR the relatively high price point is easily justified.
Overall rating: 9/10
Set in the 1911 old west, RNR follows protagonist John Marston, a former outlaw who has his digital elbow twisted just enough to go out and hunt down his old associates in an attempt to clear his name. You start off with a few cut-scenes and tutorial missions, though I didn't find these to be too time consuming, and they're worked into the story well enough that they don't stick out overmuch. Soon enough the narrative backs off a bit and you can explore the game at your free will. There's a plethora of pastimes to keep you occupied while in game; everything from animal hunting to bounty hunting to blackjack. Essentially everything a budding young roughneck needs to keep himself entertained for hours. And hours. And hours.
A small caveat; I haven't actually finished this game, though I felt I had played it through to a point where I could give an accurate review. Honestly, at the rate I'm progressing through the game it'll probably be several months before I'm finished with it. So there is a small chance that something unexpected might happen that could completely reverse my impression of the game, but so far it seems unlikely.
First, a few items in particular I've really liked about the game:
A) One of the first things I noticed upon starting the game is the quality of the voice acting. I mean, it's noticeably good; dare I say, better than some movies I could mention. The animation during the cut-scenes is superb as well; they've captured nuances of gestures and emotion that most games I've played frankly lack. The story itself is compelling enough, but the focus on the storytelling really contributes to the overall game experience.
B) The various sandbox activities available in RNR are for the most part very well done. Rockstar has apparently packed as much creativity into this game as they could manage, and my impression was that they really took the time to make these side attractions entertaining and challenging. A few are a little simplistic - breaking horses for example - but most are up to the same caliber as the rest of the game. I've probably played the in-game poker tournaments for longer than I've spent following the actual narrative.
C) In a gaming generation where Borderlands has redefined variety, Rockstar has added a lot of content where it might normally be ignored, including a wide variety of horses, weapons, mini-quests, and clothing. Definitely not quite to the level the Borderlands has, but I think still better than most.
D) The range of motion for gaming animation is quite well done. Even awkward animations such as lassoing or diving off a moving stagecoach run flawlessly. If you happen to get mauled by a cougar, sure you'll die, but at least it'll look good while it's happening.
E) Humor. Rockstar puts just the right amount of funny stuff in RNR, not so much that you can't take it seriously, but not so little that it's bland and out of place.
These are just a few of the more outstanding aspects of RNR, and honestly, the fact that I'm taking time to comment on what would normally be more minute aspects of gaming should very much be read to imply that the overall game is very high quality. Of course, that is not to say that I don't have a few critiques.
A) Some of the mini-quests can be frustratingly vague. For example, one of the ones that I've particularly had trouble with is the stagecoach robbery. From time to time while traversing the expansive wilderness, you'll come across a stagecoach by the side of the road with someone flagging you down for help. The first time this happened to be, it turned out to be an ambush and I got shot. Lesson learned, or so I thought. So the second time this happened I was not about to be suckered, and rode in behind a hail of hot lead. Until it turned out that I had killed a lawman (?) and suddenly had a bounty on my head. After much trial and error, I've pretty much got the hang of which stagecoaches-in-need are which, but when all's said and done, it's almost not worth the hassle of pulling up close to see which type you're looking at, and in that sense, it doesn't really add anything to the game for me.
B) A few of the game mechanics are somewhat vague. Two in particular; dueling and cheating at cards. After significant experimentation, I really can't figure out what exactly makes one duelist faster than another. This holds true when dueling the same person: I've gotten various results with the same opponent and can't figure out why. The card cheating mechanic also gives varying results; the slight of hand is simulated by an arrow on a sliding scale and your goal is to keep the arrow landed at the center of the scale and not at the ends. Which seems simple enough, but I've gotten "caught" with the arrow sitting dead center of the scale with no explanation why. Compounding this, whenever you're caught at cheating, you automatically lose all your chips whether you win the ensuing duel or not. Considering the potential risk, and the quirks of the cheating and dueling mechanics, there is very little incentive for me to use either one, and in that sense they're mostly a waste to me.
C) I haven't been able to figure out how to tell what kind of horse I'm riding. Descriptions of the various horses are available in stores, and some are more obvious than others, but it seems an obvious tool to be lacking from the game. I can tell what kind of outfit I'm wearing and what kind of gun I'm using, but not what kind of horse I'm riding, and I can't think of a reason why.
D) Bounties seem to accrue for fairly arbitrary reasons. If I go out and shoot a sheriff or steal someone's horse, sure, I'd understand that. But there have been several circumstances (in town usually) where I'll take some fire, and retaliate in kind, only to get hit with a bounty. It becomes a hassle, and takes away from the overall gaming experience.
These few deficiencies really don't account for a whole lot considering the wide scope of the entire game. I'm enjoying the game quite a bit, and considering the extensive content available in RNR the relatively high price point is easily justified.
Overall rating: 9/10
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
