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Jack Black as you've never seen him before
Currently a large proportion of the games market consists of first-person shooters and sandbox action games, full of gravel-voiced anti-heroes who take themselves too seriously. There is a definite imbalance.
The gaming industry is no longer a periphery business for a minority, with games released now having similar levels of pressure and expectation to films. So perhaps humour is seen as a risk not worth taking, it seems it is preferable to be bland and blend in with the crowd than run the risk of being different and potentially alienating a particular market. Or perhaps there is too much of a focus on graphics and humour is now an afterthought.
The Grand Theft Auto games were always reliable for a good few laughs, but the trademark wit was notably absent from GTA IV with the makers instead opting for a grittier approach. Although they did try to crowbar in some light-relief characters - such as Brucie, Roman and Tony – who were so funny I failed many missions for killing them out of irritation. The radio shows, usually a highlight, were also a letdown with the usually amusing Lazlo a particular disappointment.
One of the summer's best games, Infamous, was inventive and compelling but totally lacking in humour, although the game was made worse by attempts to create some amusement by crowbarring in another of these light-relief characters - the hugely annoying 'best buddy' Zeke.
One game in recent years that did deliver some laughs was 2005's Destroy All Humans, successfully mining material from 1950s sci-fi films, alien conspiracies and American communist paranoia. It provided fun in the form of exploding brains, portable anal probes, dancing chickens and dropping cows onto people, as well as a decent narrative. But it was let down by a rushed, substandard sequel.
LucasArts pioneered humour-driven adventure games of the 1990s but abandoned the genre at the turn of the century to churn out an endless stream of mediocre Star Wars games, stating that adventure games did not make any money.
However, there are signs that the company is weighing up a return to its humorous past, as in July it released The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition, revamping the 1990 graphics and providing a voice cast.
The company has also commissioned Telltale Games to create new adventures for much-loved franchises Sam and Max and more recently Monkey Island.
Tales of Monkey Island, a monthly downloadable episodic adventure series, has improved with each episode. The third and most recent episode – Lair of the Leviathan – is a joy, and very funny: it sees a hilarious return of Murray the talking skull.
I suspect LucasArts is waiting to see how the recent releases fare before commissioning any new adventure titles.
But it is a former LucasArts employee who is a beacon of hope for humour-deprived gamers. Tim Schafer is a maverick whose work stands out from the crowd: he is not afraid to take risks and experiment, but most importantly his games are always funny.
His astonishing CV as a games writer includes The Secret of Monkey Island, Day of The Tentacle, Full Throttle, Grim Fandango and Psychonauts (if you missed out on this gem in 2006, you can now get a copy for under £3).
But it is his forthcoming game Brütal Legend which could finally provide him with a long-overdue commercial hit.
The game follows roadie Eddie Riggs, voiced by Jack Black, who is transported to a mythological world resembling Heavy Metal album covers, where he must fight evil demons with the power of his trusty guitar, plus a big axe.
The appeal of this game is that not only is it a great idea, but that it will also be filled with humour. Schafer has never made a bad game, or even a mediocre one, and I'm confident that Brütal Legend will be no exception.
With games now having similar levels of pressure and expectation to films, a possible solution to creating a more diverse and humorous gaming world is to look to film for inspiration and follow Pixar's example of putting the designers and programmers back at the creative helm - it hasn't done them any harm.
The online success of Telltale Games and anticipation surrounding Brütal Legend proves that the talent is already there within the industry. It just needs to be trusted more often.
[VIA GUARDIAN]
