Its glaring big eyes
Remain closed.
For in its cave
No threat is posed.

Hidden inside,
Hun’s treasures reside.
A large collection of clocks
And a silver pipe as his main prize.

With its big fat paws
And large fluffy ears,
It yearns for entertainment
After many lonely years.

As darkness arrives,
Hun exits its lair.
Creeps silently in the night
And enjoys the fresh air.

Dressing a mischievous smirk
And faking obedience,
The Hun is missing to many
Who always say “Good Riddance”.

But when its eyes flash
And its stomach growls,
This creature enjoys dinner
And the taste of savory owls.

Its snake-like tongue,
Its razor sharp teeth,
Keep his mouth clean
But the smell still reeks.

Better yet is the taste of the young.
Plump toddler flesh
Still screaming and fresh
To fill the tummy of Hun.

It isn’t fun
This is no pun
You should run!
Welcome the Hun.

“The Hun” was a macabre nursery rhyme I wrote to be used as inspiration for Larissa Fuchs‘ animation project, “Nhac!”. Check out her preview below:

World of Goo

2D Boy asked consumers to name their price for World of Goo until the 19th, but just as it worked with Radiohead, it did with them. Now, in case you still haven’t bought World of Goo, you’ve got a second chance…until the 25th.

If you don’t know what this is about and why 2D Boy and Radiohead have something common, check the previous post “Catering to the Consumer”.

Though publishers, developers, and service providers might worry about tending to their customers, truth be told: In the end it’s about the profit. A business cannot maintain itself without making money and that isn’t something new. The novelty arises when different strategies are used to cater to the consumer and obtain income simultaneously. 2D Boy acted in that sense by allowing customers to pay what they wanted for the game World of Goo for the duration of one week.

The response came through statistics released by 2D Boy via surveys and interestingly revealed that though consumers do care about those developers, publishers (not so much), and service providers who treat them well, in the end it is how much they can afford that matters. According to the sale results, 2D Boy’s Ron Carmel deduced “Few people chose their price based on the perceived value of the game. How much the person feels they can afford seems to play a much larger role in the decision than how much the game is worth.” At the time, 22.7%  of the buyers had confirmed in a post-purchase survey that they paid what they could afford.

It does make a lot of sense that people might think a a game is worth $60 (insert currency here) or more. It also makes a lot more sense that you can’t buy what you don’t have money for or isn’t considered a priority. Entertainment, as a whole, tends to always remain steady among society’s needs, however when choosing between putting food on the table and going to the movies, it is pretty clear which choice prevails. The strategy adopted by 2D Boy and their conclusion reveals that making things easier for the consumer, in this case financially, is extremely more valuable than opting for aggressive anti-consumer measures (such as DRM). After all, when people pay what they can (or want within their limits), buyers are being created where previously there were none. Even if one cent is a meager amount, this means that 17,000 new buyers payed one cent where previously there were none. The same goes for the $1-$1.99 pricing category with at least 16,000 buyers.

Please note that figures might rise and change because the sale has been extended to the 25th.

"Name Your Price" Sale Survey Results

I opted to pay $5 USD (which comes close to $10 Reais) and became part of 29.3% of the buyers. I justified my purchase by selecting the “I like the pay-what-you-want model and wanted to support it” answer and became part of 25.6% of the buyers. In other words, I am also one the buyers that came into existence once the “price bar” declined.  I also said I thought the game was worth around $15 USD (along with 25.9%), which still is less than the usual price. Are we hypocrites? On the contrary, consumers need to dictate what services please them, because by paying for something (or not) they are expressing their priorities. Alternative pricing models, like this one, reveal that it is better to have a (cheap) paying customer than none.

Carmel’s words to Gamastura were especially insightful regarding their perception “I do get a sense … that there is a lot of room for improvement in how games, and in fact, all digital products, are priced. I think the optimal pricing strategy for any digital product is one in which every person pays what they feel is a fair price that they can afford, based on their economic situation, their perception of the value of the product, the balance of their bank account on that particular day.” By acknowledging consumer’s difficulties and particular scenarios, he continues “Neither fixed pricing nor pay-what-you-want even come close to achieving this, however. The answer is elsewhere, but this was our first step in exploring alternative pricing models, not sure what our next step might be yet.“ Regardless of being an experiment, this has definitely been a very important step for business models in the game industry.

Customers want to pay. Customers want to go legit and show their appreciation for a service or product, but they won’t be fooled twice (or so we hope). Show them your respect and their money’s worth, and they’ll show you they care.

World of Goo: Name Your Price!

Part of being successful on the game industry relates not only to making great games, but also establishing a healthy relationship with your consumer. Many developers and publishers fail to see their gamers as legitimate consumers and when that happens, sales tend to drop. These scenarios have been witnessed before, be it with aggressive DRM implementation or broken promises. On the other hand, allowing for player customization, such as mods and plug-ins, and providing free DLC through ongoing development are known strategies that have led to the growth of loyal gamer communities. No developer or publisher is perfect, but a consensus remains that usually it pays off to treat your customers with due respect.

In this sense, aiming for similar strategies, World of Goo developer, 2D Boy, has just announced that you can name your price for their game. Starting at one cent and normally being charged at $20 USD, customers have now the opportunity to pay what they think their entertainment is worth. Some might may this business strategy is flawed, but RadioHead would disagree. They did it before and simply revealed that new business models demand new forms of pleasing your customer. When it came to World of Goo’s birthday, 2D Boy took the opportunity to come up with a nice surprise. No matter the cost you pay for your Linux, Mac OS, or Windows version, you’ll certainly be sure that the developers are aiming for something than your money. That extra something you’re paying is your potential loyalty. As in the future, it is only natural that we, as consumers, tend to favor those who in the past have done good deeds. Be fast though, their benevolence ends on the 19th. Oh, and 2D Boy, please release the statistics tracked for prices over the week.

Dragon Age Origins: Character Creator

Bioware has also adopted a seen-before-strategy to cater to the customer. However this time unrelated to the music industry. By releasing their Dragon Age: Origins Character Creator, the developer is allowing players to create and customize a player character which they can save and use when the PC game launches. Spore did this before and the number of assets (or weird creatures) created through their Creature Creator before the release of the game was huge. Dare I say it generated a lot of talk and buzz about the game itself, but ultimately (given the reviews on the final product) the creator itself became more popular. Regardless, consumers felt honored by getting the chance to actually create their aberrations before the game was out and make up their minds whether or not they would like to take part once the game hit the shelves. Now you can save hours of character creation before Dragon Age is released and when the game is out, you’ll already be itching for a long time to be playing with your human noble, commoner dwarf, or magi elf. This time, the strategy is not about paying less, but staying in tune with the potential product you’re about to acquire.

In the end, the one that strives is the one who pleases the consumer. No longer are we gamers playing simply for the products themselves but the services that accompany them, be it innovative DLC, up-to-date patches, customizable add-ons, and better integration with a social network.

StarCraft

Back in January (2009), Kotaku let the world know about a peculiar initiative involving two (apparently) very distinct elements: learning and StarCraft. It was confirmed that UC Berkeley had a class on the “Art of Competitive StarCraft”.

The class focuses on applying critical thinking, quick decision-making, and game theory skills throughout an in-depth analysis of how the theory of war is conducted within the confines of the game. Prerequisites include a working knowledge of StarCraft strategy and the suggested readings are The Art of War by Sun Tzu and Crazy as Me by Lim Yo. Impressive isn’t it? To see games be taken so seriously among an academic environment. Truth be told, electronic games emerged as an entertainment medium, but in time their uses proved to be far more varied.

Although amazing, using unconventional resources in class is not new. Dickinson College proved how Civilization IV can teach about History and how WoW can improve your German. DeCal courses (which include the StarCraft class) have been available since 2006 and their range of subjects is extremely broad. Choices vary from course titles such as “James Bond: Politics, Pop Culture, Hero”, “The Long and Winding Road: The History of the Beatles”, “Come Out and Play: Designing and Playing Games Outside”, “‘Sex and the City’ and the Contemporary Woman”, and “Bookworlds: History of Middle Earth”. No doubt, each and every of those classes aims to educate their students. However, their strategy seems to be much more effective than traditional methods because they deal with topics (game related or not) that interest the student. The level of engagement is higher and it becomes even easier than “Tangential Learning” in which the pupil has to assume the role of an autodidact.

Being a writer and game designer, another particular course caught my eye: Storytelling and Characterization in Video Games. The objective is to deepen (or initiate) the study of games as a literary media through the analysis of the deep and meaningful human interaction, strong political themes, and captivating stories which are present in games, but overlooked, due to the fact that they represent a new and underrated media. Among many games, the course aims to study Chrono Trigger, Portal, the Silent Hill series and the Monkey Island series.

Okami

Since narrative is essentially what drives me to produce creative works and given the fact that this course aims to study narrative in and through games, I couldn’t miss the chance to talk to one of the organizers, Robin Khamsi. Robin confirmed his intentions of demonstrating video games as an interpretable medium. Noting the very important, yet flawed, stereotypical image that prevails he said “In the past, video games were seen as the hobby of nerds and children, but as technology has improved we’ve begun to see a rise in video games as art.  Okami borrows heavily from Japanese watercolor style, but in fact carves a new medium through its digital and interactive elements – players can actually wield a brush in-game to create bridges and other objects.  Shadow of the Colossus conveys a rich and emotional narrative through its formal elements.  There is no reason that the rules of literary or cinematic criticism could not apply to these titles, it’s just that no one’s really tried.”

As an advocate of the freedom of speech for games, and therefore greater understanding on society’s behalf of what games truly represent, my thoughts go hand in hand with Khamsi’s statement: “Video games are as prevalent today as any other medium, and yet no one is looking at what effect they are having on public discourse.  Sure, there are concerned parents and politicians worried that they could instigate the next school massacre, but if they fear that they have such power then why aren’t they respected as a medium capable of formal analysis?  Hopefully our class was one of the first steps to bringing the interactive game into the intellectual sphere.”

Games are a lot more that mere entertainment, but unless they are given the freedom to express themselves, through study, through mature themes, and experimental narratives, progress will not visible to society as whole. There is huge gap between the view of those who play and those who don’t. However, the scenario isn’t as grim. If games are already being used in classrooms, it’s only a matter of time before layman society and non-specialized media change their views.

Or is it?

from the Freshminds Alan Watts Animation Theater

By debating, we are nothing more than “point of views” sharing each their own perspective and acting collaboratively towards shaping one polished result and the birth of new ideas.

Watts’ words summarize my thoughts.

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing an indie icon I truly admire. Joseph Toscano, better known by the moniker ZhayTee, is a computer programmer and musician. Having already worked on the soundtrack for free game projects, his involvement with the MOD community stood out with the track “Absconditus” for Minerva: Metastasis (listen to it below). Now, having recently released the game “Luchi Garage Sale”, ZhayTee sheds light on his thoughts on inspiration, licensing, MODs, and future projects.

Arthur Protasio: So, for starters: name, age, nationality, and profession?

ZhayTee: Joseph Toscano, 26, American, Computer Programmer.

AP: I got to know your work, musical works to be more specific, through the HL2 MOD Minerva. How does that fit into your history and the “Computer Programmer” classification?

ZT: Actually, the history there is quite short and simple: I was browsing the Internet several years ago for nice-looking Half-Life 2 mods, and I stumbled across the work-in-progress that is now known as Minerva: Metastasis. I thought it looked quite professional, so I promptly e-mailed Adam Foster (the author of the mod). He was very receptive to the idea of original music for his mod, and so I went to work. The first song I produced is called “Absconditus”, and it was included in the game shortly after I finished it. After that, Adam Foster and I kept in touch and I produced several more works for Minerva during its final years of development. I didn’t expect anything to come of it, but Absconditus became well-liked by many fans of Minerva.

AP: Consider me one of those fans. Two things impressed me on Minerva. The game design as a whole, not to mention the fact of having such a large and well done mod by one person, and the music. The greatest experience created by a game is the sum of its parts, if not greater, and music definitely makes the player “feel” the mood.

ZT: I’m glad you enjoyed it!

AP: Since music is part of the game experience, it could be said narrative is as well. What’s your opinion on the importance of game story and how it relates to you?

ZT: Game story is very important, because it gives the music composer an idea of what to compose; the mood, the timing, the instruments to choose, etc. All of that comes from having a good deal of source material to work with.

AP: And how does the music-creation role relate to programming?

ZT: Only tangentially. My interest in computer programming and music creation only intersect in one way: being a computer enthusiast has made me a game-playing enthusiast, and for most of my life I have greatly admired the work of certain composers of game music. Although I will submit that I did write a custom piece of software (called “Gaffe”) to aid my music creation with a couple specific songs. It was an interesting challenge.

AP: Composers such as?

ZT: Some names include Michael Land (of Lucasarts fame), Nobuo Uematsu (of Final Fantasy fame), and several lesser-known game music composers who emerged from the demo scene of the late 80s and early 90s, such as Jeroen Tel (Wave) Olof Gustaffson (Blazier), and Raphael Gesqua (Audiomonster).

AP: Could you explain a bit more about Gaffe?

ZT: Gaffe is a small utility I wrote in C to modify a stream of audio in various ways and then write the result to disk. It allowed for the creation of some interesting and eclectic sound effects which were used in my album “Everyone is an Artist” under the band moniker “Vir Heroicus”.

AP: Nice to know about. How did you release this album?

ZT: I wrote a small website at http://virheroicus.com/ using Ruby on Rails. That is its primary distribution point, although I also submitted the entire album to last.fm, jamendo.com, and soundcloud.com.

AP: So your history starts back at college were you learned programming and took part in a crazy electro band?

ZT: Oh, no! Those are recent developments. I began writing music on the piano in the mid 90s, and soon discovered the demo and mod music scene on the Internet at the time. I learned how to make music using impressive multitracking software (simply called “trackers”), which opened up a new world of composition possibilities to me. Since then, I have been doing much of the same: writing songs on the piano, and then fully realizing them with the help of multitracking software. As a frame of reference, “Everyone is an Artist” was published on July 3rd, 2008.

AP: But I got the “went to college to learn programming” part right. Yes?

ZT: I went to college to get a degree in computer science and mathematics. I already knew how to program. I have been programming for as long as I have been writing music.

AP: Interesting. Then why don’t you identify yourself as Computer Programer and Composer?

ZT: I don’t make much money by composing. I have always felt somewhat private about my music. Only lately have I begun actively soliciting licensing contracts for my music (as you can see on the most recent incarnation of my website).

AP: Since you mentioned licensing, your current website is under a “Attribution-Noncommercial” Creative Commons license. Why did you opt for that license?

ZT: The reasons are enumerated in the name of the license itself: 1) I want my name to be attached to my music when it is distributed and used, and 2) I don’t want my music used in a commercial product unless a specific contract is drawn up. I welcome the use of my music in free projects, though!

AP: But your work is always your property, even if you didn’t choose a Creative Commons license, people would still have to give you credit and ask for any kind of authorization. Creative Commons facilitates this “search and asking” process because what you have is a pre-made contract. Why do you think this approach is better than having people always contact you?

ZT: Two major reasons: 1) I feel that the Creative Commons licenses are gaining more and more respect as time goes on, and more and more artists are using them to legally describe their works, and 2) I find the presentation of the Creative Commons licenses (on the website) to be very clear, concise, and understandable. Hence, I include a link to the CC website on my own site, because it doesn’t take a lawyer to decipher the abridged descriptions of the licenses! Anyone can read them and understand the situation.

AP: One of the things I like best are the “Human readable” and “Lawyer readable” descriptions.

ZT: Agreed.

AP: By facilitating the comprehension of what is allowed to do with your works you aim for greater publicity, correct? How has that worked out until now?

ZT: No problems so far! I don’t know that it has increased the visibility of my music, but I feel confident that if legal issues crop up, the fact that I’ve attached a CC license to my music will help (rather than hinder) me.

AP: Interesting. And you mentioned free projects as well. What is your view and involvement with those?

ZT: I greatly enjoy free projects, particularly game projects. My music has been included in several free game projects (and one, Tux Racer, has even gone commercial). Aside from Tux Racer, my music has been included in Battle for Wesnoth, Nexuiz, Adonthell: Waste’s Edge, and Pingus. An amusing aside: one night I was out to dinner with some friends, and we paid a visit to the local arcade just for kicks. As it happens, Tux Racer was turned into an arcade cabinet, and my music was coming out of the speakers.

AP: That must be extremely satisfying. And you said being a composer didn’t lead to much profit.

ZT: I didn’t get paid much for that gig, but it was, as you say, quite satisfying.

AP: I probably felt the same way, when I heard the NPCs in 7th Serpent, a Max Payne 2 mod, speak the lines I had written. This feeling of nurturing and creating a certain work. How would feel if someone remixed it? Your CC license allows it, as long as it’s not for commercial purposes.

ZT: I’m fine with that, and it was definitely a conscious decision to allow it via the CC license. As long as I get due credit for being the original composer (as mandated by the CC license), then I say: remix away! It’s interesting to see what people can derive from one of my songs. Sometimes they even make them better.

AP: Have you identified any remixes?

ZT: I occasionally get an e-mail from a person who has made a remix of one of my songs and wants my permission to publish it. For some reason, my Tux Racer songs have been a popular target for remixers. Go figure.

AP: And have these remixes been used in other game projects?

ZT: Not as far as I am aware.

AP: I take it your “remix” statement manifests itself through your songs that use Half-Life and Day of the Tentacle samples, right?

ZT: Perhaps! I love taking small samples of spoken dialogue and building songs around them, which I suppose could be called a remix of sorts. Anyway I see no harm in it, and it has made for some amusing end results.

AP: Agreed. This is the kind of thing you’re seeing presently. The traditional copyright structure is having trouble in controlling all sorts of relationships regarding varied works in this digital age. Girl Talk lives off the remixing of about 30 artists per track, Stephen Colbert’s show was remixed when he interviewed Lawrence Lessig, and Nine Inch Nails (among other artists) would rather license their works under a CC license. From what I see, the licenses are better adapted to times where virtually anything can be acquired and toyed with.

ZT: Old habits die hard, though: many recording labels (and artists) are still clinging to very restrictive licenses in order to turn a profit. And they are certainly free to do so, but there’s definitely a war going on between the two philosophies. I prefer to keep things open and free when it comes to my music.

AP: From and ideology standpoint do you believe by keeping things free you have a better chance of maintaining a good standing with the community or making profit? Or both?

ZT: That’s a difficult question to answer. I’ll say this: I like to keep an idealist mind set when it comes to the topic of licensing my works. I hope that by making use of an open/free license such as a CC license, my standing will be moral and I will make a profit. However, the realist in me says that due to my adoption of such an ideology, I won’t be able to make a living of making music. In order to do that, I’ll have to adopt a more conservative model of licensing and distribution. For now, though, I am not relying on my music as a source of income, so I am able to keep things free!

Luchi Garage Sale

AP: On the other hand, what has garnered more attention? Your music or your programming?

ZT: My music has garnered more attention than my personal programming projects (such as Luchi Garage Sale @ http://luchigaragesale.com).

AP: But Luchi is your most recent Game Programming endeavor. Can you tell me a bit more about it?

ZT: It’s just a simple arcade-style game. I designed, programmed, and musically-scored it over a period of several weeks. A friend of mine did all of the graphics. It was a fun challenge, and it’s an interesting little game. The most difficult (but ultimately the most rewarding) part was coordinating its release across 3 different Operating System platforms (Mac OS X, Linux (32 and 64 bits), and Windows).

AP: It’s very nice to know that the game is available for all three platforms. As a game related project, this isn’t your first involvement, but regarding a released project in which you played a role other than musically scoring, is it the first?

ZT: Yes.

AP: And what are your plans for Luchi Garage Sale?

ZT: I’m going to release a small update in the near future which will add support for submitting high scores to a web-based leaderboard. Other than that: I’m done with it, and I wish it all the best in the future.

AP: Nice. If Luchi is already done with, what other projects are waiting in line?

ZT: I’m currently working on another small arcade game which will feature a different artistic approach: less textural, more geometric. This time I’m using OpenGL and I will be writing one or two custom shaders. It should be pretty neat!

AP: How do you plan on applying all this work? Any career aspirations?

ZT: For now I create these works for my own personal enjoyment, and with the hope that others, too, will enjoy them. Whether or not I push them into the commercial realm remains to be seen.

AP: So working in the games industry isn’t your goal, but you’re not crossing it off?

ZT: Correct.

AP: And even if working isn’t part of your plans, you’ve been a gamer since…?

ZT: As early as I can remember.

AP: And what games have you recently been tackling?

ZT: I occasionally dive into Valkyria Chronicles on the PS3 these days.

AP: Then what would be your greatest game making inspirations?

ZT: I’ve always been a great fan of Blizzard games due to the amount of effort they put into their products. Never will you see a Blizzard game that is half-assed.

AP: Well, lastly, why “ZhayTee”?

ZT: My initials are “JT”.  A friend of mine took to calling me “ZhayTee”, i.e. my initials with a sort of french accent thrown into the mix. I thought it was funny, and I’ve been using that moniker ever since.

AP: Nice, it makes a lot more sense now. So if anyone wants to be in touch with your games and music, where should they go?

ZT: They should always go to http://zhaymusic.com/

AP: Is there anything you’d like to say to wrap this up?

ZT: Thanks for the interview! And I hope to keep working with CC licenses as long as they keep on the excellent course they’ve so far been on.

AP: Joseph, thank you very much for your time. I’ll be looking forward to future collaborations!

If you enjoy the Blizzard Entertainment universes, such as the lore from StarCraft, WarCraft, and Diablo, feel free to grab a pen (preferably a keyboard) and elaborate a fantasy fiction between 3,000 to 10,000 words.

The stories need to be written in English, but even if the title has “global” in it, Brazilians (among others) are going to have to let this one go. Only residents from the following countries are allowed to participate: United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, France, Belgium, United Kingdom, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Spain, Ireland, Russia, The Netherlands, and South Korea.

The deadline is April 12th. I’m eager to read the results.

For more information visit Blizzard’s web site.

First of all, this is a huge and notable step forward. The writing niche in games isn’t nearly as big as others, such as programming and design, despite its important. I am not, however, trying to preach that story is the most important thing in a game. I think, in fact, it is not. If applied incorrectly, it can even hinder the game’s flow. Developing games is about creating and experience, not about summing up different parts and hoping they’ll form a nice result. If the story isn’t contextual to the interactive experience, it beats the point. If, however, it relates to the gameplay offered and enhances its potential, then its purpose has been fulfilled.

Storytelling is essential to the experience, but that also involves knowing when to stand down. Make your stand at the appropriate moment and context, however, and you’ll follow the example of games that wouldn’t have ever achieved the cult status they have today, were it not for their narrative. Yes, games such as Portal, Grand Theft Auto IV, God of War, Braid, and Call of Duty 4 wouldn’t have become so popular if they didn’t reveal GLaDOS’ instability, Niko’s immigration, Kratos’ wrath, time’s poetry, and the horrors of modern war, respectively.

Therefore, I’d like to pay my respects to all the writers mentioned, as well as those who weren’t. Industry notables or not, the act of writing and telling stories is most likely a passion that drives us and to be able to live and attain success through it is the dream of many. A lot of motivation in one’s career comes through the advice and knowledge shared by the experts. In that sense, I am thankful and encourage more comments through writing peers and professionals like Susan O’Connor, Drew Karpyshyn, Tom Abernathy, Andrew Walsh and Rhianna Pratchett among others who participated.

Do yourself a favor and check out the Original Feature and the Audience Response.

What I’ve written is is merely a foreword. If, at all.

Though I did not shape the backstory of the series, I had the honor of working as writer (and tester) for this cinematic action-packed mod. It was an awesome experience and one that I learned much from. Along with the whole team, I’d like to especially thank Diego “Aavenr” Jiménez and Clément “Corwin” Melendez for bringing me on board. I have to admit it was a lot of fun writing for the game, all the way from cutscenes to dialog, and going through the experience of understanding that writers need to adapt. The point wasn’t to realize my wildest RPG dreams through the script, but combine both gameplay and story elements through the nuances of spoken words as best as possible. Next to that, nothing beats the thrill and satisfaction of seeing your written dialog turning into voice acting.

Don’t waste anytime and be sure to have your share of explosions and slow motion flying bullets by playing 7th Serpent. You’ll need the Max Payne 2 original game and the mod file, but there’s no hassle. Make sure to play both episodes, you don’t want to miss out on the story (and the fun). Crossfire (episode 1) can be found here and Genesis (episode 2) here.

There are no facts, only interpretations.

-Friedrich Nietzsche

The narrative of Force Unleashed takes place between the ending of the movie Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith and the beginning of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope and has the player don the role of Star Killer, Vader’s secret apprentice. Praised for its story by critics and gamers alike, this 3.5 Star Wars episode provides a lot of  backstory to the saga. Congratulations to writers Haden Blackman, Shawn Pitman, John Stafford, and Cameron Suey for their efforts and in succeeding with such canon and sacred material.

Licensed material rarely manages to achieve such heights, especially when concerning storytelling. To be awarded in place of other IPs native to the videogame medium is either a good or a bad thing. There’s the possibility that Star Killer’s tale is in fact the best one or the best told out of all the nominations. Then again, there’s also the alternative we haven’t fully realized the videogame medium’s storytelling potential and for that matter we relate better to a narrative told through tried-and-true methods, like movies and novels.

Nevertheless, gotta’ get me a copy so I can play it.

Source: Gamespot