Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
Dec. 29th, 2004 07:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
caraigGITS:SAC... uh, I think I'll just shorten it to Stand-Alone Complex... is a military techno-thriller, not unlike how Tom Clancy would do cyberpunk. Let's get the good points out of the way first. First off, it's Masamune Shirow. Points right there.
Secondly, for anyone whose first exposure to GITS was the reasonably-done English dubbed anime movie, you'll be pleased to know that the voice actors who did Bateau, Kusanagi, and the Chief, are reprising their roles, so that's a nice surprise.
Thirdly, it's an intriguing storyline. It makes me want to find the series, now, and see what they have.
All in all, as third-person shooters go, you could do worse. A definite rental.
Okay, the good stuff is out of the way. Now on to the scrimmage.
It was over kinda fast. The levels are engrossing and interesting, if kind of linear, but your average player will probably finish this in a couple days' time. I'm a rather mediocre player, and I had the difficulty to Easy. So maybe they ratchet up the difficulty in Normal and Hard. Still, I would have liked for there to be a bit more content. They could have fit more in there if they had cut out some of the extraneous audio. See more below.
Secondly, the storyline was good but I got the impression there was a heck of a lot more going on. There was references to some landing operation, and someone called the Choreographer, but no further discussion of their importance. I don't want to HAVE to watch the series to get these references. Some of the dialogues could have been done without.
Thirdly, some of the scripting was kind of shaky in places. This kind of relates to the second point above, but it also includes some of the voice work. Mostly it's good but some of it is mildly wince-inducing. (I don't count the Tachikomas in this. They're a separate issue entirely.)
Fourthy, gameplay issues. All in all not bad, they did what they could with the limited controller resources. But melee combat is reduced to mashing one button repeatedly, while you're facing your opponent's general direction. You get some very anime-esque moves but some more melee combat options would have been nice.
Fifth and finally, replay is kind of limited. There's a multiplayer option but you can't play against the computer in a duel, only against other players.
That's pretty much the good and the bad about the game. The Tachoikomas were just plain disturbing on some visceral level. Taking small, armored, highly mobile tanks, armed with chain guns, grenade launchers, and guided rockets... and giving them the effervescent personalities of Japanese schoolgirls.... Man, there's just something WRONG with that. The Tachikoma trying to get Bateau to share what's bothering him while it wipes out a platoon of minitanks caused some cognitive dissonance.
The mechanical designs are all Shirow: unique and odd and almost alien but very definitely and clearly functional. They may look odd, but there's no doubt that this hardware is meant to be used. Character designs are somewhat tamer Shirow -- Bateau is, well, he's Bateau. Motoko Kusanagi was typical of Shirow's slightly more athletic females. Pick up Intron Depot and you'll see what I mean.
One last thing, and maybe it's just because I was spoiled on the English dub version of GITS. The character of Kusanagi somehow lost some of her... I don't know, warmth. In the anime she came off as professional, chilly when need be, but with a wry sense of humor, an occasional biting wit, but a certain kind of warmth or comfort with the other members of Section 9. That wasn't present in the voice-acting or script of Kusanagi in this game. I think Stand-Alone Complex is a 'prequel' to the first GITS movie, which would explain why she's colder and more direct; the character is developing, and let's face it, the events of the GITS movie would change anyone's outlook on mortality, sapience, and the soul.
Anyway, my final judgement: Pretty good, all in all, just don't expect much. And try to wait for the bargain bin before buying it. If you do, best to have a friend or two or three who can play against you in the multiplayer mode when you finish the game.
Secondly, for anyone whose first exposure to GITS was the reasonably-done English dubbed anime movie, you'll be pleased to know that the voice actors who did Bateau, Kusanagi, and the Chief, are reprising their roles, so that's a nice surprise.
Thirdly, it's an intriguing storyline. It makes me want to find the series, now, and see what they have.
All in all, as third-person shooters go, you could do worse. A definite rental.
Okay, the good stuff is out of the way. Now on to the scrimmage.
It was over kinda fast. The levels are engrossing and interesting, if kind of linear, but your average player will probably finish this in a couple days' time. I'm a rather mediocre player, and I had the difficulty to Easy. So maybe they ratchet up the difficulty in Normal and Hard. Still, I would have liked for there to be a bit more content. They could have fit more in there if they had cut out some of the extraneous audio. See more below.
Secondly, the storyline was good but I got the impression there was a heck of a lot more going on. There was references to some landing operation, and someone called the Choreographer, but no further discussion of their importance. I don't want to HAVE to watch the series to get these references. Some of the dialogues could have been done without.
Thirdly, some of the scripting was kind of shaky in places. This kind of relates to the second point above, but it also includes some of the voice work. Mostly it's good but some of it is mildly wince-inducing. (I don't count the Tachikomas in this. They're a separate issue entirely.)
Fourthy, gameplay issues. All in all not bad, they did what they could with the limited controller resources. But melee combat is reduced to mashing one button repeatedly, while you're facing your opponent's general direction. You get some very anime-esque moves but some more melee combat options would have been nice.
Fifth and finally, replay is kind of limited. There's a multiplayer option but you can't play against the computer in a duel, only against other players.
That's pretty much the good and the bad about the game. The Tachoikomas were just plain disturbing on some visceral level. Taking small, armored, highly mobile tanks, armed with chain guns, grenade launchers, and guided rockets... and giving them the effervescent personalities of Japanese schoolgirls.... Man, there's just something WRONG with that. The Tachikoma trying to get Bateau to share what's bothering him while it wipes out a platoon of minitanks caused some cognitive dissonance.
The mechanical designs are all Shirow: unique and odd and almost alien but very definitely and clearly functional. They may look odd, but there's no doubt that this hardware is meant to be used. Character designs are somewhat tamer Shirow -- Bateau is, well, he's Bateau. Motoko Kusanagi was typical of Shirow's slightly more athletic females. Pick up Intron Depot and you'll see what I mean.
One last thing, and maybe it's just because I was spoiled on the English dub version of GITS. The character of Kusanagi somehow lost some of her... I don't know, warmth. In the anime she came off as professional, chilly when need be, but with a wry sense of humor, an occasional biting wit, but a certain kind of warmth or comfort with the other members of Section 9. That wasn't present in the voice-acting or script of Kusanagi in this game. I think Stand-Alone Complex is a 'prequel' to the first GITS movie, which would explain why she's colder and more direct; the character is developing, and let's face it, the events of the GITS movie would change anyone's outlook on mortality, sapience, and the soul.
Anyway, my final judgement: Pretty good, all in all, just don't expect much. And try to wait for the bargain bin before buying it. If you do, best to have a friend or two or three who can play against you in the multiplayer mode when you finish the game.
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