Horizons Broadening Project - 2009

I call it the Horizons Broadening Project for 2009. Think of it as an Oprah’s Book Club for GWJ of sorts.

This project will not be a surprise to those who have followed my recent articles where I have belabored the general theme of ennui over the same old same old. If game developers can be accused of playing it safe over the past few years, then I share the blame as a dirty, filthy enabler. Complain as I might about the sameness of modern AAA titles, the fault lies also with me for failing to explore the full depth of gaming available.

If video gaming is an ocean, then I have been comfortable wading with pants rolled up in the safe waters of a secluded cove. Think of this project as the undertow that will either expose me to great new genres or potentially drown me for good. Who wants to go for a swim?

Elysium’s January HBP09 Game: Birth of America 2 – PC

How It Works: Every month I commit to playing a new game that I would probably have never considered in previous years. The project is currently limited to titles I can play on a PC, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii or DS. I commit to making an extended effort at playing the game, spending significant time in the tidal deep waters, and at the end of the month I’ll document my experience with the game.

How You Can Participate: So, if you’re interested in broadening your horizons, or mine for that matter, this is intended to be a community experience. While I am making my pick for the January game, I’m open to taking suggestions on what game should be next on the horizons broadening project. Send me a private message through the site or email me at [email protected] to vote for next month’s HBP game.

Additionally, you can play the game of the month and send me your thoughts on the game to be included in my end of month wrap up OR choose your own horizons broadening game, write up a paragraph on your experience with the game, and send that along. Again, all correspondence can be done through a private message on the site or by emailing me at [email protected].

Why This Game?: I think there are a few key elements that need to be involved in a good HBP game. For one, it needs to be a quality game and demonstrate a faithful following. I’m not looking for an excuse to play bad games in genres I don’t usually play after all, and I’ve heard the sequel to Birth of America spoken of quite highly. At the same time, the whole point is to expand from my comfort zone, and deep and largely unforgiving hex based strategy is a long way from Lumines and Portal.

I’ve always had a fascination tempered by intimidation for deep strategy games like this. I want to like them, but the barriers for entry usually require a long term commitment and it’s just so easy to log into a nice comfy MMO. But, with a full month to make a concerted effort, I’m interested in seeing whether someone with virtually no prior knowledge can break into this kind of game environment.

To help mitigate that, I’m picking an area of history I am relatively interested in and about which I have some knowledge. Will I get to reenact Washington’s retreat through New Jersey as the full force of British might pursues him to Trenton? Will I lead strike teams through the swamps of the Carolinas? Will I get to mount the guns of Ticonderoga on the heights above Boston? Or will I rewrite revolutionary history?

Look for my thoughts on Birth of America 2 at the end of January. How will you broaden your horizons this month?

Comments

What is your cut-off date for the games? That is, are you limited to a specific era- console/PC limitations aside?

I am very intrigued by this idea. But, perhaps if a game is exclusive to one system, there could be alternatives for the other systems? I just don't want to be left out in the cold if there is a string of games for the consoles when I only own a PC.

I always wanted to try A Force More Powerful... from what I can tell, you get to run your very own G8 Welcoming Committee protest. Pacifism ftw?

That is, are you limited to a specific era- console/PC limitations aside?

The only limit is the console, not an era

I just don't want to be left out in the cold if there is a string of games for the consoles when I only own a PC.

Like I mentioned in the post, if you can't play or aren't at all interested in playing the game of the month, then I encourage you to pick and announce your own horizon broadening game. It doesn't have to be something obscure, for example if you've always played FPS games now might be a good time to try an RPG, side scroller, platformer or such.

The key is to make a commitment and follow through. Feel free to use this thread to announce your participation as well.

So you have a Wii - does this allow gamecube games to be entered?

If I have a system that plays it, it's legit. Technically, since I have a DS, Gameboy Advance games are also on the table.

Elysium wrote:

If I have a system that plays it, it's legit. Technically, since I have a DS, Gameboy Advance games are also on the table.

And Xbox Originals that are backward compatible via the 360, and Playstation 1 games on the PS2? What about downloads like WiiWare, PSN, and XBLA? Or classic games on the Virtual Console and XBL?

So really, there are a lot of options for you to explore from nearly every "era" of video game history.

Yeah! And what about your cell phone, Beardy? I bet it can play games too.

And emulators! How can we forget about emulators?

What else aren't you telling us?

I'd like to participate in this, because I think it's a fantastic idea. I don't have the $50 for Elysium's pick, and have some experience with games like Birth of America 2.

So, Adam Greenbrier's January HBP09 Game: Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix.

Why this game?: Aside from some interest in Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat II when I was younger, and having played the original Street Fighter 2 a few times on my cousin's SNES, I've never really been able to get into fighting games. I'm a Completionist-Tourist player and fighting games have always struck me being geared almost exclusively toward Perfectionist players. Like Elysium with his chosen game, I've also been a bit intimidated by fighting games because they seem to require some real devotion to be good at; Rabbit mentioned on the latest podcast that he bugs out on games when people start talking about counting frames, and I'm not sure I've ever agreed with him more.

As an additional effort on my part to branch out of my usual gameplay modes, I'm going to play Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix online against other players. I am about as single-player focused as it is possible for a player to be, so it'll be a real step outside my comfort zone to interact with other players, especially in a non-cooperative setting. I can confidently predict that I will get my ass handed to me online, but it'll be fun.

I'll post my reactions to Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix as a response to Elysium's reactions to Birth of America 2.

I'm also open to suggestions for future HBP09 picks in case Elysium's picks and my picks don't quite line up again.

*Legion* wrote:

Yeah! And what about your cell phone, Beardy? I bet it can play games too.

And emulators! How can we forget about emulators?

What else aren't you telling us?

But is his cell phone Rabbit's miraculous iPhone? If not, then it's out by virtue of simply not having enough GalCon.

I was actually being serious, though. Elysium, at what point do you draw the line on "[i]f I have a system that plays it, it's legit." I get the feeling that you're wanting newer games but want to be sure.

(Oh no, double-post.)

adam.greenbrier wrote:

(Oh no, double-post.)

Muahahaha, my work here is done!

Also, you're supposed to send your thoughts on the game he's playing for this coming month to him and/or suggest another game for another month for you/him everyone to play. From your first post it seems like you might have confused the two parts a little?

Unless you're going for your own HBP?

This is going to sound really lazy, but in future installments, could you include where you're getting the game (Steam, Amazon, bargain bin) and how much it's currently selling for?

I know I could look this stuff up, but I'm working on my crowdsourcing skills.

*EDIT*

The first Birth of America is on Steam, but not the sequel. I did find it on Amazon for about $13 after shipping.

Duoae wrote:
adam.greenbrier wrote:

(Oh no, double-post.)

Muahahaha, my work here is done!

Also, you're supposed to send your thoughts on the game he's playing for this coming month to him and/or suggest another game for another month for you/him everyone to play. From your first post it seems like you might have confused the two parts a little?

Unless you're going for your own HBP? :)

Elysium wrote:

Like I mentioned in the post, if you can't play or aren't at all interested in playing the game of the month, then I encourage you to pick and announce your own horizon broadening game. It doesn't have to be something obscure, for example if you've always played FPS games now might be a good time to try an RPG, side scroller, platformer or such.

That's me!

adam.greenbrier wrote:
Duoae wrote:
adam.greenbrier wrote:

(Oh no, double-post.)

Muahahaha, my work here is done!

Also, you're supposed to send your thoughts on the game he's playing for this coming month to him and/or suggest another game for another month for you/him everyone to play. From your first post it seems like you might have confused the two parts a little?

Unless you're going for your own HBP? :)

Elysium wrote:

Like I mentioned in the post, if you can't play or aren't at all interested in playing the game of the month, then I encourage you to pick and announce your own horizon broadening game. It doesn't have to be something obscure, for example if you've always played FPS games now might be a good time to try an RPG, side scroller, platformer or such.

That's me!

Aha! My work is now complete, now you are the master and i am the.... fool? My excuse is that I just didn't bother reading the follow-up posts past the one that answered my question. I mean, it is Elysium we're talking about here

This is the bestest ideaest everest! Really looking forward to your impressions. I don't have any suggestions, as I get my freaky game fix here at GWJ.

Duoae wrote:
adam.greenbrier wrote:
Duoae wrote:
adam.greenbrier wrote:

(Oh no, double-post.)

Muahahaha, my work here is done!

Also, you're supposed to send your thoughts on the game he's playing for this coming month to him and/or suggest another game for another month for you/him everyone to play. From your first post it seems like you might have confused the two parts a little?

Unless you're going for your own HBP? :)

Elysium wrote:

Like I mentioned in the post, if you can't play or aren't at all interested in playing the game of the month, then I encourage you to pick and announce your own horizon broadening game. It doesn't have to be something obscure, for example if you've always played FPS games now might be a good time to try an RPG, side scroller, platformer or such.

That's me!

Aha! My work is now complete, now you are the master and i am the.... fool? My excuse is that I am a filthy, filthy skimmer.

Fixed.

wordsmythe wrote:
Duoae wrote:

Aha! My work is now complete, now you are the master and i am the.... fool? My excuse is that I am a filthy, filthy skimmer.

Fixed. :)

I don't know, i mean. I read the top half of that particular post but it was a question from some unknown/random coffee grinder and i only care about people with meaning. Besides i see enough people randomly ignoring my posts and then praising other people who say the same thing after me..... that's annoying.

My only concern with this idea is how you're jumping into a freezing cold river instead of dipping your toe in. If you feel like those slow-based TBS historical wargames were too impenetrable to you before, starting with a game of that type that is equally inaccessible to the uninitiated may just re-inforce your feelings. Of course, I don't know what of this type of game, if any, even attempts to cater to attracting new audiences. With how niche the genre, I'm sure developers may be too frightened to make a "dumbed down" game for an audience that may never know about it.

Regardless, I think I may try Birth of America II next month as well. I already have an idea for my own personal February HBP title, though.

I think the important thing is to make sure that even if it's a genre you're not usually into, it needs to be one you at least have an inkling that you could enjoy it. After all, sometimes we create a comfort zone because we just know it's just not our thing, and forcing yourself to spend a month with it isn't going to change your mind.

From the developers site - Birth of America 2. Download is $50, box is $60.

Lex Cayman wrote:

This is going to sound really lazy, but in future installments, could you include where you're getting the game (Steam, Amazon, bargain bin) and how much it's currently selling for?

I know I could look this stuff up, but I'm working on my crowdsourcing skills.

*EDIT*

The first Birth of America is on Steam, but not the sequel. I did find it on Amazon for about $13 after shipping.

I was way off. I found the original for $13. Oops. Still looking.

$50 Dollars is a lot of money to risk on a game I've never heard of. Heck, for that much money I could buy L4D.

You can also get BOA2 on Gamersgate, and they offer the ability to re-install.

For those interested, BOA2 has a lot of simplified elements compared to the first edition. So it's not as impenetrable. Lots of tooltips and better displays, etc. It's a good choice for beginners, because of scenarios like the Pequot War and The Last Colonial War. Those will let you get your feet wet before diving into a theater or a whole war scenario.

So is this where people post their questions and observations on each month's game, or will there be another thread for that?

Robear wrote:

You can also get BOA2 on Gamersgate, and they offer the ability to re-install.

I saw that, and I'm pretty much completely on the digital downloading bandwagon. But for this game, especially with my inexperience in it's genre, I decided to spend the extra $10 bucks to have a paper manual beside me when I play. Besides, it's not like I've never spent $60 on games that didn't deserve any of my money, I think a small PC-centric developer should reap from my impulse purchases of games I might not play past the first hour.

I completely agree.

For those interested, the game forums are here. Some of the stickies will help with game mechanics, and of course there are patches.

While I applaud the notion of bettering yourself in gaming terms, it does seem rather like someone deciding to read Shakespeare because 'it's the done thing', without having any real interest in it.

By now you should have a clear idea of what genres please you; why not just look for things in there instead?

WizKid wrote:

$50 Dollars is a lot of money to risk on a game I've never heard of. Heck, for that much money I could buy L4D.

Or you could just try the demo.

1Dgaf wrote:

While I applaud the notion of bettering yourself in gaming terms, it does seem rather like someone deciding to read Shakespeare because 'it's the done thing', without having any real interest in it.

By now you should have a clear idea of what genres please you; why not just look for things in there instead?

I think its more an effort to push outside your comfort zone. Something akin to "Try it you might like it."

How many games have faded away because they didn't fit the FPS, RPG, MMO, RTS template? If we only stick with what pleases, we never get to sample what else is on the menu.

The irony, if you can call it that, is he is going back to the first type of computer game, wargames. A genre that has faded into niche status over the last 15 years.

Richy gets the idea. It's all about breaking out of the comfort zone with an open mind. I want to find something new to fall in love with.

Elysium wrote:

Richy gets the idea. It's all about breaking out of the comfort zone with an open mind. I want to find something new to fall in love with.

Don't get me wrong I like the idea, I just wish it was something cheaper I could fall in love with.

WizKid wrote:
Elysium wrote:

Richy gets the idea. It's all about breaking out of the comfort zone with an open mind. I want to find something new to fall in love with.

Don't get me wrong I like the idea, I just wish it was something cheaper I could fall in love with.

Just do what adam's doing and choose your own game. I plan on sitting back and enjoying watchin Elysium squirm uncomfortably