Prediction Roundup: Volume II

 Prediction Roundup attempts to rationalize and provide insight to some of the gaming industry's most pressing questions by using deductive reasoning and supporting facts. Following each prediction is a handy "confidence meter" displaying how Game Nook views the prediction's probability.

Prediction Roundup: Volume I

Prediction Roundup attempts to rationalize and provide insight to some of the gaming industry's most pressing questions by using deductive reasoning and supporting facts. Following each prediction is a handy "confidence meter" displaying how Game Nook views the prediction's probability.

Why Mass Effect 3's Ending Could Be Genius

 WARNING: Mass Effect 3 spoilers ahead

Going into Mass Effect 3, I'd already heard of the controversies surrounding the ending, so I wasn't too surprised of the lack of closure and how little my choices mattered. However, what I wasn't expecting was how nonsensical and confusing the ending was to me. "How did Garrus, who accompanied me on my race to the Conduit and supposedly died, get on the jungle planet?" I said to myself, as the credits rolled by to The Faunt's catchy new tune. "W-who exactly is the Catalyst and why is it in the form of the child Shepard saw on Earth?" I further pondered. Some sort of symbolism perhaps? I really didn't have a strong opinion of the ending because I assumed it went over my head and I just missed something. As it turns out, that could potentially be the case.

Prediction: The Future of the FPS

In an earlier article, Game Nook discussed where the FPS genre stood today, however its future has yet to be given the same attention. Call of Duty 4 is arguably the most influential FPS of this generation because of its integration of RPG elements and fast, accessible gameplay. Countless studios have incorporated infinity ward's formula to the point where it has become standard across the genre. However, very little innovation has occurred since Modern Warfare launched in 2007, until only recently. Perhaps in response to a stagnating market, some developers are iterating and morphing CoD's formula, into -what I think- is the next big revolution in the genre.

Storytelling: Why Games Aren't Inferior to Film

Compared to movies, games are absolute crap at telling stories. They are horrid, absolutely horrid. Sometimes, when  in the middle of an intense firefight, completely oblivious to the jarhead chatter of my fellow marines, I ponder as to why games seem to be incapable of telling tales a notch above B-list action movies. Now, some games aren't like this (and I'll get to those rare cases in a second), but most are and it's becoming a little embarrassing. Through narrative, film can create incredible emotional experiences like The Hurt Locker, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Cast Away. Why are games completely incapable of even touching stories of this level? Never, in the history of playing video games have I experienced a game that has even touched on what film achieves countless times every year.