Tag Archives: A to Z Challenge

J is for Jumanji

by

1

J

The aim of my Blogging From A to Z Challenge is to find the origins of online games, some relatively modern and some with ancient roots. Gaming might well be a modern take on an art that is almost timeless – storytelling. A perfect excuse for a writer to delve a little deeper. [Visit here for links to other A to Z participants.]

THINK LATERALLY

Game: Jumanji, the video game that five teenagers are sucked into in the 2017 movie Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.

Release Date: 1996 [when board game becomes a game cartridge]

Director: Jake Kasdan

Genre/gameplay mechanics: VR; co-operative – learning & evolving; three lives – game quest MUST be completed to escape; character strengths & weaknesses; super AI with adaptive nemesis;

Setting: virtual reality world in the 21st century – jungle + oriental bazaar, ancient tombs/catacombs.

Storytelling: story by Chris McKenna based on original Jumanji book by Chris Van Allsburg. Starts in 1996, but the main action is set twenty-one years after the film with Robin Williams and follows four teenagers who are transported into the video game world of Jumanji, playing as the characters they chose. Uniting with another player, they must overcome the game’s magical power to win and return home.

Release: Movie was released December 5, 2017

Sequel: a yet-to-be-titled sequel is under development with the same team.

Formats: Amiga CD32

Origins (Chronological):

  1. 1995 American movie, Jumanji directed by Joe Johnston and starring Robin Williams did very well at the box office. The story centres on 12-year-old Alan Parrish, who becomes trapped in a board game while playing with his best friend Sarah Whittle in 1969. Twenty-six years later, in 1995, siblings Judy and Peter Shepherd find the game, begin playing and then unwittingly release the now-adult Alan. After tracking down Sarah, the quartet resolves to finish the game to reverse all the destruction it has caused.
  2. 1981 –  fantasy children’s picture book, Jumanji written and illustrated by the American author Chris Van Allsburg. Both the book and the film are about a magical board game that implements real animals and other jungle elements as the game is played; thus, the dangers which the players have to overcome in the game also appear in real life. Jumanjistar Robin Williams said “jumanji” is a Zulu word meaning “many effects”, as did Van Allsburg

Adaptations set in the ‘Jumanji’ universe – the franchise has expanded into other media:

  1. Books – after the initial 1981 Jumanji book, Van Allsburg wrote and illustrated Zathura (2002): Brothers Danny and Walter, neighbours of Peter and Judy from the previous book, find Jumanji but ultimately choose not to play it. Instead, they find a similar game with a space theme, “Zathura”, which they begin to play. As with Jumanji, playing Zathura brings elements of the game into reality, and to set everything back to normal, the boys must complete the game. The book was adapted into a film, Zathura: A Space Adventure, in 2005.
  2. Television – Jumanji, an animated television series inspired by the 1995 film ran for three seasons from 1996 to 1999.
  3. Games – Jumanji the board game was originally published by Milton Bradley in the US and MB Spiele in Germany in 1995. Jumanji is a North American-exclusive game for Microsoft Windows that was released in 1996 and based on the film. It contains five different action-arcade-based mini-games that are based on popular scenes from the film. A video game based on the film was released in Europe for the PlayStation 2 in 2006. In 2007, Fujishoji released a Pachinko game, using clips from the film.

 

Jumanji cast

IMAGE: SONY

 

Recommendation: The fifth-highest-grossing film of 2017, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle received mostly positive reviews, many classing it as an excellent film inspired by video games but not directly adapted from one. In her review that understands where this movie echoes gaming, Angie Han for Mashable.Com says, “While Jumanji isn’t interactive in the way of actual video games, it does its best to simulate that feeling by getting you on the same page with the players at every turn. So when, say, the overlooked nerd starts to relish his new identity as a beefy badass who looks like the Rock, the part of you that identifies with that overlooked nerd enjoys it too.”

Some of the good reviews don’t want a video game But, perhaps there is room for the right one, even if the VR element is in its infancy. Or is it imminent?

3.5 Stars: OK, I admit that I didn’t play the game in the movie, but I did watch the film so my stars could still be valid – realistic setting; neat storyline, though not as exciting as the first film; can’t argue with the gameplay and three lives seems to be reasonable – see H. Certainly entertaining and watch-again; and has some background origin. And that nod to another heroic figure that hates snakes, plus the Lara outfit – yeah.

  1. Setting: 4.75*
  2. Storyline: 3.5*
  3. Gameplay: 3.75*
  4. Entertainment: 3.5*
  5. Genesis: 2*

Alternative ‘J’ thoughts:

J is also for Jules Verne but despite his influence culturally, I’m struggling to find a video connection – well one for J.

+ ‘J’ Games played: Jade Dynasty

 

Enter this portal to reach other Worlds in my A2ZMMORPG

Hela da

 

 

I is for Indiana Jones

by

5

I

 

The aim of my Blogging From A to Z Challenge is to find the origins of online games, some relatively modern and some with ancient roots. Gaming might well be a modern take on an art that is almost timeless – storytelling. A perfect excuse for a writer to delve a little deeper.

[Visit here for links to other A to Z participants.]

 

Game: Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis is a point-and-click adventure game widely regarded as a classic of its genre today. The game featured the Indiana Jones character who first appeared in the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Release Date: June 1, 1992

Producer/Developer: LucasArts

Genre/gameplay mechanics: Point-and-click adventure game; single-player explores static environments and interacts with sprite-based characters and objects; three unique paths to select, influencing story development, gameplay and puzzles.

Setting: 1939, on the eve of World War II, with environments representing New York, Iceland, Guatemala, Monte Carlo, Algiers and the ruins of Atlantis.

Storytelling: Nazi agents are about to get their hands on a weapon more dangerous than the atom bomb. Only Indy can stop them before they unleash the deadly secret that sank Atlantis. Storyline offers three different paths to the completion of the game and many alternative ways to solve puzzles. The player who finishes all the puzzles in all three paths and all the alternative solutions receives a full IQ (Indy Quotient) score.

Releases + Expansions:

  1. 1993 – Re-issued on CD-ROM as an enhanced “talkie” edition with full voice acting and digitized sound effects.
  2. 2009 – CD-ROM version released as an unlockable extra of the Wii action game Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings, and as a digitally distributed Steam
  3. The intended sequel Indiana Jones and the Iron Phoenix was set after World War II but LucasArts cancelled the game. The plot was later adapted into a four-part Dark Horse Comics series by Lee Marrs.
  4. Another follow-up game, Indiana Jones and the Spear of Destiny was planned but eventually cancelled. Elaine Lee loosely reworked the story into another four-part comic book series.

Formats: Amiga, FM Towns, MS-DOS, Macintosh, Wii

Origins (Chronological):

  1. 1981 movie Raiders of the Lost Ark with Harrison Ford, (and later Indiana Jones films in the franchise).
  2. 1954 – According to Lucas and Spielberg, the first Indiana Jones film originated from Lucas’ desire to create a modern version of the serials of the 1930s and 1940s. However, there was a B-movie titled Secret of the Incas that provided inspiration to some of the team.
  3. 1948 – Carl Barks’ comic character Uncle Scrooge, was as a relation for Donald Duck in the “Uncle Scrooge” Dell Comics book series involving exciting and strange adventures in the company of his duck nephews.
  4. Many people are said to be the real-life inspiration of the Indiana Jones character—although none have been confirmed as inspirations by Lucas or Spielberg. An analysis by the Smithsonian Channel concluded that the linkage for the main contenders is indirect, but Roy Chapman Andrews (1884-1960) and other explorers such as Hiram Bingham III  (1875-1956) and Percy Fawcett (1867-1925) served as the model for heroes in adventure films of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, who in turn inspired Lucas and his fellow writers.
  5. 1912 – Another possible basis is Professor Challenger, created by Sir Arthur Conan Doylein 1912 for his novel, The Lost World. Challenger was based on Doyle’s physiology professor, Sir William Rutherford, an adventuring academic, albeit a zoologist/anthropologist.
  6. 1885 – Sir  Rider Haggard’ssafari guide/big game hunter Allan Quatermain of King Solomon’s Mines, is another notable template for Jones.
  7. The roots of the Indiana Jones universe lie in the quest for secrets and treasures that has become the science of archaeology, and which grew out of the older multi-disciplinary study known as antiquarianism, dating back to ancient scholars like Ouyang Xiu(1007–1072) and Plato (c.428-347 B.C.) – but probably without a bull-whip and Fedora; even if Plato knew about the Fate of Atlantis.

Adaptations set in the ‘Indiana Jones’ universe include:

  1. Video games – With nineteen games, and more on the way perhaps, it’s impossible to list them. However, here are some Top Ten listings from IGN.com and Ranker.com if you wish to explore.
  2. Literature – there are numerous Novels and Comics in the universe, so explore but watch out for snakes.

Indiana-Jones-Fate-of-Atlantis-IGN-3

Recommendation: Overwhelmingly positive with over 1 million sales and multiple awards. The most successful Indiana Jones video game, although not one I’ve played – so stars are a pass.

Alternative ‘I’ thoughts:

‘I’ is also for It’s A Wonderful Life, one of my top ten movies – but this is a gaming post.

+ ‘I’ Games played: Icewind Dale in the same universes as my B post, Baldur’s Gate.

 

Enter this portal to reach other Worlds in my A2ZMMORPG

Hela da

 

 

H is for Hellblade

by

16

 H

 

The aim of my Blogging From A to Z Challenge is to find the origins of online games, some relatively modern and some with ancient roots. Gaming might well be a modern take on an art that is almost timeless – storytelling. A perfect excuse for a writer to delve a little deeper. [Visit here for links to other A to Z participants.]

Game: Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is an intense psychological action-adventure game which PCGamesN rated, “a miraculous technical feat made by a team just a fraction the size of the ones that typically dominate the triple-A space.”

Release Date: April 8, 2017

Developer/Publisher: Ninja Theory

Genre/gameplay mechanics: Award-winning game – dark fantasy action-adventure; hack and slash; puzzle-solving; psychological horror. Voice-acting integral to unique, 3D binaural audio design. Cutscenes combine motion/performance capture by video editor-turned-actress Melina Juergens and live-action performances by other actors.

Setting: A rendition of Helheim, the Norse underworld – effective use of audio and visual to submerge players in Senua’s nightmarish journey and her accurately-portrayed mental world. The world feels horrifyingly real as the sounds and graphics seem subtly distorted.

Storytelling: Hellblade follows Senua, a Pict warrior who journeys to Helheim to save the soul of her dead lover from the goddess Hela. Also, the character struggles with her mind, and the game revolves around her condition. Senua suffers from psychosis but believes it to be a curse. She is haunted by an entity known as the “Darkness”, voices in her head known as “Furies”, and memories from her past.

As Ninja Theory said in 2015, “Senua experiences psychosis, including hallucinations and delusions, as well as suffering from anxiety and depression. As a player, you will witness Senua’s living nightmare through her own eyes… Developing Hellblade independently gives us the freedom to tackle a subject as challenging as mental health. It is a subject that we are handling with all the respect it deserves, ensuring that our portrayal of Senua’s condition is both accurate and sensitive. To help us with this we are working closely with Professor Paul Fletcher, a professor of Health Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge, as well as arranging to consult directly with people who have experience of mental health difficulties. We are also very proud to say that Hellblade is being supported by Wellcome Trust, which is a global charitable foundation which aims to build a greater public understanding of science and in particular health.”

Releases:

  1. August 8, 2017 – Windows, PlayStation 4
  2. April 11, 2018 – Xbox One

Origins (Chronological):

  1. 2010 – Ninja Theory released Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, a video game that saw the Ninja team develop their motion capture with Andy Serkis.
  2. 8th century – The Roman Empire was unable to conquer a group of Celts in the northern reaches of Great Britain known as the Picts. Towards the end of the century, the first Vikings arrived in the islands of Orkney and replaced them as the main population of the land. Senua is portrayed as a Celtic warrior on Orkney.
  3. 793-1066 – Norse Mythology in the Viking Age: “Before the Norse (a.k.a. the Vikings) were converted to Christianity during the Middle Ages, they had their own vibrant native pagan religion that was as harshly beautiful as the Nordic landscape to which it was intimately connected.”
  4. The 1st century and earlier – The main inspiration of Senua’s character was the Iceni queen Boudica, while her name came from Senuna, a Celtic whose name was at first read incorrectly as Senua. The team researching Celtic culture and the Celts’ views on mental disorder, found out that they used the term ‘gelt’ for a man or woman who had been driven mad by a curse, grief, or the trauma of a battle. A gelt would take to a life in the woods in search of penance, punishment and purgatory. The team decided to make Senua a gelt, who had left her home in exile for those reasons.

Recommendation: Hellblade was a commercial success and was well received by critics, who praised it as a work of art and applauded its uncommon choice of revolving around psychosis, the quality and uniqueness of its approach of the condition, and its story and main character. Reviews included this  7 August 9 stars review from IGN: “An incredible atmospheric story reinforces Hellblade’s serious subject matter in this vivid tale of harrowing darkness.” 2017 Players were equally enthusiastic in their reactions.

Hellblade_02

4.55 Stars: Before I played the game, I watched numerous video reviews, diaries and walkthroughs, and I was excited. The game ticked so many boxes, and elements tied into my current WIP, whose second protagonist suffers from a form of psychosis. The actual experience was intense. As expected the voices-in-the head and confused images created a disturbing atmosphere, at times nightmarish. The combat should have been simple, but not for this nerve-jangled oldie who can’t hit the right keys fast enough – so died repeatedly…frustrating. I’ll keep trying though.

  1. Setting: 4.5*
  2. Storyline: 5*
  3. Gameplay: 3.75*
  4. Entertainment: 4.5*
  5. Genesis: 5*

Alternative ‘H’ thoughts:

H is also for Philip Pullman’s trilogy His Dark Materials, but I’ve yet to find a suitable game. Is there one?

+ ‘H’ Games played: Heroes of Might & Magic – but that comes under M.

Hela da

Who Cares?

by

6

1af16c3887c35d1c9c848826339b335d

Does anyone care if I get to Z? I’m burning myself out this April.

Does anyone care if I miss letters?  I’ve done 12 and have 14 more to do.

Who cares if the games are obscure? O is going to be tough, perhaps N even – and then there’s X and Y.

Does anyone care if I haven’t played all the games? I’ve never played on anything but a PC – Nintendo and PlayStation seem to have evaded me. Yet, many of the biggest franchises have been console games.

Do I care what happens? Well, I hate starting and leaving anything half-finished. I don’t like un-finished reads. But most of my draft novels are unfinished.

So why not my posts?

Maybe, I can just post the titles. Or be kind and give some clues – like in a puzzle game.

Except…I care and that hurts now – along with my fingers, head and more. I wish I could lie down.

G is for Guns or Butter

by

6

G

The aim of my Blogging From A to Z Challenge is to find the origins of online games, some relatively modern and some with ancient roots. Gaming might well be a modern take on an art that is almost timeless – storytelling. A perfect excuse for a writer to delve a little deeper. [Visit here for links to other A to Z participants.]

Game: The Global Dilemma: Guns or Butter  is a 1990 simulation game written by Chris Crawford. The game failed to achieve the play balance that Crawford desired, and he considered it among the worst games he released.

Release Date: 1990

Developer: Mindscape

Genre/gameplay mechanics: Single player DOS strategy simulation; wargame. Randomly generated B&W 2D-map of countries and provinces generated. Player uses the basic info to decide ‘military’ versus ‘food’ strategy to expand improving the economy of their country in an effort to outproduce the computer players.

Setting: Fictional computer-generated countries. Very basic structure and limited commodities to simulate macroeconomics.

Storytelling: simple plot of choosing best strategy to survive and beat computer AI.

Releases + Expansions:

Single release with no expansion as poor response.

Sequels: Balance of the Planet  is a 1990 environmental-based educational simulator developed by Chris Crawford and published on DOS, Macintosh, and PC-98 – arguably the first ‘eco-sim’.

Formats: Macintosh, IBM PC

Origins (Chronological):

  1. Mid 1980s – Crawford, Sid Meier and Dan Bunten all began work on new empire building games. They later met to discuss their designs. Meier stated his goal was to make the game fun and he was willing to abandon realism or depth to achieve that end. He went on to release Civilization in late 1991.
  2. 1985 – Crawford had an enormous hit with Balance of Power in 1985, selling hundreds of thousands of copies and making about $10 million for its publisher, Mindscape.
  3. 16th century – Macroeconomics descends from two areas of research: business cycle theory and monetary theory. Monetary theory dates back to the 16th century and the work of Martín de Azpilcueta, while business cycle analysis dates from the mid- 19th.

Recommendation: The game was a market flop, earning Crawford no royalties past the advance. Crawford was not alone in considering Dilemma to be among his poorest games, and the poor sales translated into almost no reviews. However, in 1991, PC Format named The Global Dilemma one of the 50 best computer games ever. The editors wrote, “If it’s global political simulations you’re after, nobody does it better than Chris Crawford. This and his earlier offering, Balance of Power, are unparalleled works of sheer genius.”

global-dilemma-guns-or-butter_4

2 Stars: Guns or Butter was the first computer game that I got addicted to – through strategy-devising and determination to beat the AI. I tried the ‘Butter’ route, using trade to prevail – but that was tough, so I often ended up facing the firing squad, which was the final graphic if the AI won. I was better at balancing my military and trade to beat the game. From there, I moved on to Sid Meier’s Civilization games and Age of Empires.

  1. Setting: 1*
  2. Storyline: 1*
  3. Gameplay: 2*
  4. Entertainment: 3*
  5. Genesis: 3*

Alternative ‘G’ thoughts:

G is also for Gladiator, Ridley Scott’s 2000 film with Russell Crowe – and a brilliant soundtrack for writing. Plus, a wealth of Roman links and the hack and slash video game, Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance. But I never played the game and it’s only related to the movie by profession.

Enter this portal to reach other Worlds in my A2ZMMORPG

Hela da

 

 

F is for Frankenstein

by

4

F

The aim of my Blogging From A to Z Challenge is to find the origins of online games, some relatively modern and some with ancient roots. Gaming might well be a modern take on an art that is almost timeless – storytelling. A perfect excuse for a writer to delve a little deeper. [Visit here for links to other A to Z participants.]

WARNING:

Devious experiments ahead.

Game: Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus has influenced popular culture for at least a century inspiring numerous films, television programs, video games and derivative works. Rather than focus on a single game, for now – there are at least six –  it’s time for a diversion. Let’s focus on the source material.

Release Date: January 1, 1818

Publisher: Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones

Genre/gameplay mechanics: a secret technique to impart life to non-living matter. [That is the core of the mechanic driving Frankenstein. Games vary and use different elements.]

Setting: North Pole, Italy, Germany, England, Ireland and Scotland in the 18th century. A sense of real places – as Mary Shelley did travel to some places – but with a gothic overtone.

Storytelling: “…Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist creates a grotesque but sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment.” Cleverly structured to give both sides of the story, and more layered than many adaptations give credit for. The creation is called The Creature (but erroneously named Frankenstein in many adaptations). Various interpretations of the motivation behind Mary Shelley’s story and plot adds to the overall depth.

Releases + Expansions:

The novel has inspired countless adaptations over the years, including (according to Wikipedia):

  1. Films: The first film adaptation of the tale, Frankenstein, was made by Edison Studios in 1910, and the first sound adaptation of the story, Frankenstein (1931), was produced by Universal Pictures, directed by James Whale, and starred Boris Karloff as the monster. For many, this is the classic version, although there have been numerous others since, from the Hammer Films through 1994 and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein directed by Kenneth Branagh to adaptations in the pipeline. Plus all the parodies, of course.
  2. Television: many adaptations again, and appearances in other shows. It’s two 1960s sitcoms that come to mind for me – The Munsters and The Addams Family.  However, on my Must Watch list is the 2014-2016 three-season Showtime series Penny Dreadful with its ‘Universal’ characters.
  3. Novels: The story has formed the basis of many original novels, some of which were considered sequels to Shelley’s original work, and some of which were based more upon the characters as portrayed in the Universal films. Yet others were completely new tales inspired by Frankenstein. The most recent direct sequel is William A Chanler’s 2017 Son of Terror: Frankenstein Continued.
  4. Games: Although there have been at least six games loosely linked to Frankenstein, none of those had more than mediocre reviews – a missed opportunity. Why isn’t there a great game? Will a reboot of the classic film yield one?

Origins (Chronological): Mary Shelley was born Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin in 1797. She was the second child of the feminist philosopher, educator, and writer Mary Wollstonecraft, who died less than a month after the birth, and the first child of the philosopher, novelist, and journalist William Godwin. She grew up among intellectuals and her father described her at age 15 as “singularly bold, somewhat imperious, and active of mind. Her desire for knowledge is great, and her perseverance in everything she undertakes almost invincible.”

Thus, her knowledge, research, reading and observation were excellent. Her sources would have been extensive – for instance:

  1. Two of the most notable natural philosophers among Shelley’s contemporaries were Giovanni Aldini, who made many public attempts at human reanimation through bio-electric Galvanism in London and Johann Konrad Dippel, who was supposed to have developed chemical means to extend the lifespan of humans.
  2. 1812 – Humphry Davy‘s book Elements of Chemical Philosophy, in which he had written that “science has … bestowed upon man powers which may be called creative; which have enabled him to change and modify the beings around him …”.
  3. 1667 –  John Milton‘s Paradise Lost, influenced Shelley as she included a quotation from book X on the title page, and it is one of three books Frankenstein’s monster finds which influences his psychological growth.
  4. 5th century BCE – Prometheus legend: The Modern Prometheus is the novel’s subtitle. Prometheus, in later versions of Greek mythology, was the Titan who created mankind at the behest of Zeus.

Frankenstein_ss_885c1dbb216c8c06abd49bde18090303aff67fbe

2.7 Stars: The only valid assessment possible is of the 2015 hidden-object puzzle game, Frankenstein: Master of Death on Steam. For the genre, it is a good game and received very positive reviews on Steam. The storyline was basic but there were loose elements of the original novel. However, the setting felt wrong.

  1. Setting:1*
  2. Storyline: 2*
  3. Gameplay: 2.5*
  4. Entertainment: 3*
  5. Genesis: 5*

Alternative ‘F’ thoughts:

I wanted to write about the Welsh detective Fiona Griffiths, having read the first three in the series – and knowing there was a TV series – but there’s no game.

+ ‘F’ Games played: Forsaken World.

What’s your favourite Frankenstein adaptation? Is there a game I missed?

Enter this portal to reach other Worlds in my A2ZMMORPG

Hela da