Powerweb Perils #1: Fandomness part 1

I'm a regular visitor of the Dutch Powerweb, a site for the Dutch gaming magazine Power Unlimited. However, they often just piss me off, because it seems they don't really care about journalism or Powerweb visitors. In this issue I'm discussing how they handle the fandomness of gamers, specifically their tendencies to take the story "too" serious.

Final Fantasy, The Legend of Zelda, Command and Conquer. All these games have one thing in common. They all rely on the storyline. Of course, gameplay is important, but what's as important for these games is the story. And if there's even one flaw in the story, it could break the story.

So, why this introduction? For a long time Command and Conquer fans have complained about a few small inconsistencies in the story of Command and Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars. Why should they care, I hear you say. They're just small parts of the story, these games aren't meant to be taken serious.

However, when saying this we forget the one basic concept of all methods of storytelling. Story does matter. A good story can suck us inside any form of art, even a painting. A good story keeps us interested, keeps us thinking about it. It doesn't even have to be a written story, as long as that form of media has characteristics, the image tells the story.

And that's the point the people of the Powerweb forget. For real fans, story does matter, no matter how trivial it sounds, how dumb it might be, how pointless it is, story does matter. Even for a game like Command and Conquer. In fact, for a Real Time Strategy set in modern times it has a true epic story. There are a few RTS games which have a story as epic as this one. Linking each game to each other is something that brings them closer to the games. It's what makes the game interesting and appealing, it's what makes them loose themselves.

Yes, so what if the date didn't match with what's previously stated. It is still inconsistent. The fact that the Tacitus was found in 2030 and not in 2028 is important to the story, in any way. Every important event has its influences. For people who don't know it, the Tacitus was the alien artifact found, which served as a base for the most recent technological advances, as well as the discovery of a potential alien invasion, which later appeared to be true, in the form of the Scrin.

One year earlier would mean a one year head start for both sides. It would mean one year of technological advances and one year of damming in the tiberium infestation. Two years make even more of a difference.

The question is, if one source, Tiberian Sun: Firestorm, states one thing, and the other source, Tiberium Wars, states something else, would that make the story less believable? The answer is: yes, it most certainly will. If Frank Herbert didn't care for the consistencies of his Dune books, it wouldn't have been nearly as popular as it is now. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings wouldn't even have the movie to begin with. So why shouldn't we care for the storylines of video games? Why should we shove it off as nerdiness?

RESTART: Project Captain N

Project Captain N is going trough a great overhaul. Basically I'll make it more accessible than before. But I still need your help.

I need help in the following departments:

• Story and scriptwriting
• Voice-acting
• Spriting and background making
• Designing and artwork
  
• Flash-animating

Despite this list being big enough, I might have forgotten a thing or two.

Project Captain N: The Future Quests needs your help!

You can apply on the Captain N forums (if you are a member), Pixeltendo (again, if you are a member) or at the following board:

http://projectcaptainn.proboards85.com/index.cgi

Beyond Good and Evil: the Animated Series

Oh how I love Michael Ancel, oh how I love the French, but especially, how I love Beyond Good and Evil. It wasn't a bad game, really, in fact it was a good game. Too bad this game is underrated. This game had so much potential. But I do believe this game needs a second chance. Perhaps even as an animated series.
Think about it. Animated series always attract a wide audience. The story lends itself for it. And I know just the right company for it: Marathon Productions.

It doesn't have to start right away with where the game ends. In fact, I think it has to start way before the original game began. Why did Jade decide to be a reporter, or at least photographer? What made her quit or what happened to her previous job? And what's with the orphans? Most of us who played the game know her background, who or what she really is. But it's still a great mystery for people who hadn't played the original game.
After this short introduction, the actual events of the game begins. Jade is just meditating with one of the orphans, when the lighthouse gets attacked by the DomZ. This triggers the event where Jade has to photograph every type of animal on the planet to earn some cash. But then a mysterious person contacts Jade for something...

The thing which could make this series even more interesting is if the series will be localized to the fullest, meaning, every frame with text will be translated to the language of the county it's being aired, just like in the game.

But what's interesting about BG&E is that it's made by a Frenchman, and Marathon Productions is also French. If Marathon does this, they would make themselves legendary. It would be a real hit for them.

I really hope it will one day happen. Most won't share my opinion, but the game was too good to be shoved aside. Let's hope for the best.