The Bird or the Cage

A depiction of the Lutece "Twins" and one of their symbolic experiments with Booker and Elizabeth.

Superficiality is traditionally found to be quite synonymous with the concept of gaming.  A game's value as a tool for anything beyond simplistic entertainment for a relatively brief period of time is often perceived to be nonexistent.  It is quite apparent, however, that this has been rendered largely invalid by those games that have managed to display the potentiality to perhaps even surpass the depth and complexity of film or literature.  One of the more recently notable of such games is  Bioshock:Infinite, released by the now defunct Irrational Games in early 2013.    

      Infinite serves as the 3rd installment of the science-ficiton franchise.  It therefore maintains many of the characteristics that have been attributed to Bioshock in the past, these include a setting within a fabled utopian city and a culturally notable time period within American history.  The setting within the underwater city of Rapture in the 1960's has now transitioned to Columbia, a city suspended above the clouds just off the coast of Maine, in the year 1912.  This has allowed for an entire reevaluation of Bioshock's atmosphere and symbolism. 

The references within the story and scenery of the game, are presented in overwhelming abundance.  Elements of history, theology, philosophy, and physics are all assimilated into the atmosphere.  In particular, there is a major focus on the coalition of american patriotism and the multi-universe theory.  Booker Dewitt, under unknown circumstances, has become indebted to the private detective agency, by which he appears to have been formerly employed, known as the Pinkertons.  In a final opportunity for redemption, he is tasked with infiltrating the now independent city of Columbia to retrieve a young girl named Elizabeth who has been imprisoned within the city.  This task will grow increasingly complex as they each are granted further insight on the predicament of the city, their own identities, and the ultimate purpose of their entire adventure. 

https://www.bioshockinfinite.com

Time to Take Back London

The next major release of the first-party category approaches with this latest installment of Ubisoft's flagship franchise.  Assassin's Creed Syndicate will be released on Friday, October 23rd.  It will technically serve as the 9th installment of the franchise, despite it being the 8th of its occasions for a major release.  This is a mere result of the unusual occurrence in 2014, when Assassin's Creed Unity and Rogue were released in conjunction with one another.  One of which pertained to the most recent past generation of consoles while the other to the contemporary.  It was no longer possible, as it had been previously, to formulate the code of one particular game to extend its availability to both console generations.  This installment serves as the series's first appearance following the completion of its transition from one generation to another.  For obvious reasons, all future main titles will be dedicated to the current generation alone.

The franchise continues its exploration of the past as it transitions to a setting within Victorian London, at the commencement of the Industrial Revolution.  As the title suggests, the game will feature the presence of underground syndicates, one of which will be led by one the protagonists.  This will be the first installment to feature two simultaneous protagonists, twin siblings named Jacob and Evie Frye.  The plot will focus upon their conquest against the corruption within the city's political and commercial infrastructure that they may be able to liberate the public from the invisible tyranny that threatens them.

Of course, information pertaining to the game and all of its predecessors can be explored at their website: http://assassinscreed.ubi.com/en-US/home/index.aspx

The Siege Before the Siege

Tom Clancy's upcoming first-person tactical shooter, Rainbow Six Siege, has had its original release date, October 13, postponed to December 1.  This decision was more than likely influenced by the apparent success of the game's closed beta, which was scheduled to conclude this passed Monday.  However, as compensation for the game's delay, and in an effort to collect even more data for the final revisions of the game, the beta has been extended an additional week.

For those of you not familiar with the term "beta" used previously (and have yet to search the term on an online encyclopedia), it is, in this context, associated with a specific phase of game development.  This phase involves the release of a limited portion of the game's infrastructure to a select group of  individuals who meet a specific criteria for participation, which typically involves pre-ordering the game among other alternatives.  Also referred to as beta testing, it is one of the final stages of the development process, typically directly leading to the final revisions and enhancements just prior to launch.  When this is not possible the game's official release may be delayed, as demonstrated, or immediately followed by the release of a resolution to any discovered technical difficulties, or bugs, in the form of a software update.

The original purpose of the presence of a beta, which is not always guaranteed, is indeed that of technical diagnostics on behalf of the developers.  The beta itself, however, is in fact capable of providing further benefit.  It can potentially serve as a means of collaborative participation between fellow supporters of a specific community.  Within this community, they all share in a common interest, or perhaps, a common passion.  

  

The Dark Knight has his Day

It appears that the influence of Batman is to once more be reflected on the calendar.  In accordance with the support of the vast majority, DC Entertainment has announced that September 26th of this year is to be attributed to one of, if not the, most popular of Detective Comic's characters.  Batman has become a prominently influential icon found throughout popular culture.  Gaming, in this respect, is no exception.  The success of Batman in this branch of the entertainment industry, however, is of the far more recent variety.  Prior to 2009, Batman was relatively unpopular amongst gaming enthusiasts and participants.  Those few games that did feature the beloved hero did not receive significant critical acclaim.  It was follwing the release of Batman: Arkham Asylum (2009) that The Dark Knight's popularity as a game icon began to parallel that of the film industry.  It is believed that the success of Christopher Nolan's film trilogy may have served as a primary inspiration for the Batman: Arkham series.  The two sagas, however, are entirely independent of one another.  The Dark Knight trilogy is unique to its director whilst the Batman: Arkham series was created in collaboration with DC Comics, the original creators of Batman in 1939.  While "Batman Day" may merely serve as a promotional tactic to its initiators, it also presents an opportunity on behalf of any who may possess interest in this Caped Crusader to reflect upon those memories and sensations that have rendered him the prime subject of an entire day of this year.

Batman in his most recent appearance within Batman: Arkham Knight (2015).