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February 23, 2004
The Games of New York
I’m attending a class at NYU called “Writing New York” (no, there’s no ‘in’ in the title). The entire purpose of the class is to show how books, movies, music, and other artwork portray the New York City, both by people from and not from the city. As many college classes tend to, we have a final project. While the majority of the students are likely leaning towards the analysis of either films or books, I’m trying to do a project on video games that take place in the city. I intend to take a look at the city as a playing field. I want to look at how games view New York City, both as a quintessentially American city as well as a source of play. I especially want to concentrate on the differences between games developed outside the U.S. and games developed within. My ultimate purpose is to show video games and how the represent the city. Is the city a hardboiled wasteland like the Max Payne games seem to say? Is it a source of American power that is to be defended, as games like Red Alert 2 or Freedom Fighters seems to say? And is Nintendo’s Mario, generally considered to be an Italian immigrant from Brooklyn, indicative of anything? Although I appreciate the need for self research and my own ideas, I would like to extend the hand of “oh Jesus, I actually have to do this soon” to you guys. I’ve already got a strong list set up, but I’d greatly appreciate any games that either take place in New York City (including games like ‘Punch-Out’) or games whose environment is strongly influenced by New York City (like Grand Theft Auto III). And if you know, the country of origin would also be incredible. Furthermore, if any of you have any views on how New York is portrayed in games, what that means for the city, and why a city like NYC would be used, it’d be of great interest to me. Comments
How video do you want the video games to be? If you expand to computer games, I'd point you to Lost New York, interactive fiction by Neil deMause Posted by: Tablesaw on February 23, 2004 05:55 PMHow video do you want the video games to be? If you expand to computer games, I'd point you to Lost New York, interactive fiction by Neil deMause Posted by: Tablesaw on February 23, 2004 05:57 PMGTA3, largely made by a Scottish development team, has always struck me as a game made by fans of the American urban aethetic... an amalgam of what they've picked up from rap videos, mob movies, and other assorted second-hand stuff. I get the feeling that they were fascinated and delighted by American culture but not reverential or invested in it. The Getaway, set in London, was a similar game but its London-based development team painstakingly and famously recreated a big chunk of their city, and the game overall feels much more Serious. Posted by: Jim Munroe on February 23, 2004 07:13 PMI wrote a bit about Russ Segal's classic "New York City: The Big Apple" here. Equal parts homage and satire, I still think it stands as one of the few games that truly captures the mood of NY despite restricted visuals. Posted by: Chris Norman on February 23, 2004 07:38 PMDeus Ex has a few scenes on Libery Island, and I assume other parts of New York, though I'm not sure. Developed in Austin, Texas. Posted by: Renzo on February 23, 2004 09:14 PMHats off to Chris! You should check out New York City via emulator. I have very vague memories of playing it (on the C64 though, although the Atari 800 is a fine machine!), and there are some things in the game that you'll probably find really interesting. The two things I remember the tow trucks that bash into cars, circle the block, and tow them away, as well as entering a bank and having to avoid the hail of bullets from a bank robber. (Synapse Software, ~1984.) Some screenshots and a review. Posted by: klee on February 24, 2004 05:59 AMMetal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty is partially set in New York. Posted by: Berklee on February 24, 2004 07:27 AMBMX XXX, the 1st level is strongly influenced on NYC, eventhough its comic mischief the almost got everything right, from the blue NYP cars to the old red "2" train boxed cars. The only thing hard to believe in this game is that well its very hard to find peanut vender in the bronx Posted by: evilnie on February 24, 2004 08:06 AMBMX XXX, the 1st level is strongly influenced on NYC, eventhough its comic mischief the almost got everything right, from the blue NYP cars to the old red "2" train boxed cars. The only thing hard to believe in this game is that well its very hard to find peanut vender in the bronx Posted by: evilnie on February 24, 2004 08:07 AMActually I had quite a bit of fun staring out at the cityscape in MGS2 when I first picked it up, trying to identify buildings. Tony Hawk Underground has a level set in Manhattan that has some recognizable areas of the city (particularly downtown) compressed into a small space. It's possible to pick out some locations and buildings, and also interesting to see how they selectively rearranged the city to make for an engaging skating environment. Klee, I loved playing NYC – It was one of the few games that captured the essence of the city without feeling patronizing or pandering – the whole experience was such an absurdist skewed view of the city that it worked well as both game and idolization. Posted by: Chris Norman on February 24, 2004 08:33 AMAnother game you may want to check out (if you haven't already) is Mafia. The 1930s cityscape (which includes ethnic neighbourhoods and a central business district) is never explicitly referred to as New York, but it's pretty obvious that it is inspired by NYC and not, say, Chicago, considering the geography of the game's world (you drive over bridges and through tunnels... urban fixtures I immediately associate with NYC). I mention Mafia because you have to spend a lot of time driving in the game, and I have read some complaints that the travel segments plod along, since you are driving 1930s automobiles that are s-l-o-w compared to the modern vehicles in GTA. However, I *never* found it a chore, the reason being it gave me plenty of opportunities to admire the skyline without worrying about slamming into a brick wall at 100mph. It was almost the "anti-GTA III" in that respect. In real life, I love visiting NYC just to look at the city from different perspectives, and those offered by Mafia, IMO, really made a connection (e.g. a distant skyline as you cross a bridge into the core, travelling down a main boulevard flanked by concrete, or running through back alleys). It's my understanding that the game was made by European developers (were they Czech?... I can't remember), and perhaps that explains why the game version of the city seems to encompass everything that "foreign" eyes see when imagining NYC. It's a very romantic view. I guess that's why I found the game so good (I'm not from NYC either).
Going way back, Ghostbusters for the Atari 800 - that was set in NYC, as was the movie. I also think there was a "Leisure Suit Larry" game set in NYC. A lot of 80s arcade games come to mind, like Robocop, Bad Dudes, NARC, APB, and Double Dragon, and one that was a BMX/fighting game with little kid characters, I can't remember the name. What about fighting games like Tekken - they almost always had a NYC background for one of the characters. My most recent favorite is Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2, which had a NY level that featured the "Brooklyn Banks" - actually the banks of the Bklyn Bridge on the Manhattan side - where I grew up skateboarding as a kid. It was really well done, and there was a special thrill in skating there virtually with Tony Hawk as my avatar. Posted by: Jonathan Golub on February 24, 2004 12:49 PMRobocop isn't that great of a suggestion, as the movie and game take place in a near future version of Detroit. Posted by: Doctor X on February 24, 2004 02:12 PMI'm sure you've already got Parasite Eve on your list...? Posted by: chebwa on February 24, 2004 09:13 PMLets not forget Activision's Spiderman games. Lots of sky scrapers and sewage systems. Stan Lee is a New Yorker and I'm pretty sure Activion is in the United States somewhere. Klee's post reminded me of an OLD C64 game called "Save New York", where aliens came down and took chunks out of the skyscrapers unless you shot them down in your jet fighter. If they took out chunks from the base of the buildings, the rest would collapse. And you could accidentally shoot the buildings with the jet and... well you can guess how I ended up playing that :) Posted by: Mr. Falcon on February 25, 2004 12:06 AMYeah, Parasite Eve would probably be interesting because it's a distinctly different take on new york: science fiction and japanese. You may want to check out the novel that it's based on also. Posted by: Andrew on February 25, 2004 12:39 PMCrazy Taxi 2 is based heavily on NYC style and landmarks, but with maps created for the game. It's made by a Japanese team. CT2's a cheerful and anarchic version of New York. Futurama is theoretically set in New New York City, but I don't know how much of the game lets you explore any part of NNYC... I got bogged down by the second level (sewers) and gave up. The style of that game comes almost entirely from the show, which itself always felt (to this West Coast Canadian, so take it with a grain of salt) like a New York show despite being based out of LA. I'm always a sucker for a game rendition of Grand Central Terminal. Posted by: ArC on February 26, 2004 05:26 PMSSX/2 Snowboarding has a "Metro" course that is vaguely NYC:ish. The Brooklyn bridge is The point-and-click adventure Runaway is set briefly in New York. The developer is based in Spain though, so their portrayal is way off. The same goes for the way San Fransisco is depicted in that game. Posted by: Marek on February 27, 2004 09:52 AMTry looking at the spatial architecture of NYC. Meaning, the grid that we're all so familiar with - Simcity (well, only the older versions cause I don't know the newer ones) follows the same idea of urban planning as NYC does - I don't recall there being any 'turns' in the road etc. Essentially what you were doing in the game was creating a cityscape with the same aesthetic as NYC. I'm a student at Columbia, also looking at video games. Drop me a line if you want. Try looking at the spatial architecture of NYC. Meaning, the grid that we're all so familiar with - Simcity (well, only the older versions cause I don't know the newer ones) follows the same idea of urban planning as NYC does - I don't recall there being any 'turns' in the road etc. Essentially what you were doing in the game was creating a cityscape with the same aesthetic as NYC. I'm a student at Columbia, also looking at video games. Drop me a line if you want. Try looking at the spatial architecture of NYC. Meaning, the grid that we're all so familiar with - Simcity (well, only the older versions cause I don't know the newer ones) follows the same idea of urban planning as NYC does - I don't recall there being any 'turns' in the road etc. Essentially what you were doing in the game was creating a cityscape with the same aesthetic as NYC. I'm a student at Columbia, also looking at video games. Drop me a line if you want. Try looking at the spatial architecture of NYC. Meaning, the grid that we're all so familiar with - Simcity (well, only the older versions cause I don't know the newer ones) follows the same idea of urban planning as NYC does - I don't recall there being any 'turns' in the road etc. Essentially what you were doing in the game was creating a cityscape with the same aesthetic as NYC. I'm a student at Columbia, also looking at video games. Drop me a line if you want. Try looking at the spatial architecture of NYC. Meaning, the grid that we're all so familiar with - Simcity (well, only the older versions cause I don't know the newer ones) follows the same idea of urban planning as NYC does - I don't recall there being any 'turns' in the road etc. Essentially what you were doing in the game was creating a cityscape with the same aesthetic as NYC. I'm a student at Columbia, also looking at video games. Drop me a line if you want. I'd also recommend: Manhunter: New York, for an atmospheric, dark future New York envisioned in the 1980's. A very uncharacteristic Sierra game, with the dispirited feel of Escape from New York. Posted by: chris on February 27, 2004 11:32 AMJet Grind Radio (and Jet Set Radio International Version, in Japan) for the DC had a level very loosely based on Times Square, and another one that was ... I dunno, more Chicagoish. Like Spider-Man, it is interesting in JGR to be able to effectively fly in and around an area that we can only visit on foot in real life. Posted by: ArC on February 27, 2004 11:55 AMOne game you might want to check out (if you haven't done so already) is Freedom Fighters, released for the PS2 and set in an alternative-universe NYC where the Soviets have invaded. It was published by EA but developed in Denmark by IO Interactive. Hope this helps. Posted by: Miah on February 27, 2004 12:15 PMDon't forget Rampage. New York is one of several cities to be visited by the menacing monsters. Suggested subtitle: "we had to destroy the Village to save it." Posted by: William on February 29, 2004 12:14 PM
Also: all of the old Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games, for obvious reasons, purport to be set in NYC, but I don't remember any specific correspondences with the city. And if you're willing to consider Metropolis and Gotham to be NYC stand-ins, then any games that have been released from the Batman and Superman franchises. More if I (or friends) can think of them. I'm polling active gamers from the NYU crowd, for you. :) Good luck! Posted by: Ivan Askwith on March 4, 2004 08:31 AM
Also: all of the old Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games, for obvious reasons, purport to be set in NYC, but I don't remember any specific correspondences with the city. And if you're willing to consider Metropolis and Gotham to be NYC stand-ins, then any games that have been released from the Batman and Superman franchises. More if I (or friends) can think of them. I'm polling active gamers from the NYU crowd, for you. :) Good luck! Posted by: Ivan Askwith on March 4, 2004 08:33 AM
Also: all of the old Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games, for obvious reasons, purport to be set in NYC, but I don't remember any specific correspondences with the city. And if you're willing to consider Metropolis and Gotham to be NYC stand-ins, then any games that have been released from the Batman and Superman franchises. More if I (or friends) can think of them. I'm polling active gamers from the NYU crowd, for you. :) Good luck! Posted by: Ivan Askwith on March 4, 2004 08:36 AMHey I dunno if somebody has mentioned this laready but: Double Dragon... at least the first one has always stryck me as being this early 80's NYC, kinda like from that movie Warriors from the 70's. Punks all over, dark alleys were thehy would kill your ass for no reason etc. One big Charles Bronson revenge movie of a city. G. Posted by: Gilberto J. Zambrano on March 5, 2004 04:52 PMI saw Deus Ex mentioned above as a game partially set on Liberty Island. I thought it might be interesting to note that although made in 1998/99 the New York skyline in the game does not show the two towers. It might be interesting to find out why the designers excluded them. Posted by: Elly on March 9, 2004 03:20 AMI saw Deus Ex mentioned above as a game partially set on Liberty Island. I thought it might be interesting to note that although made in 1998/99 the New York skyline in the game does not show the two towers. It might be interesting to find out why the designers excluded them. Posted by: Elly on March 9, 2004 03:23 AMNothing sinister - they trimmed a bitmap for size reasons and it just happened to be the bit of the skyline that had the WTC towers. From an interview with Bill Money of Ion Storm: Q: You shared a few instances where you'd seen the models for your Greasels nearly copied right from your art... does this piss you off, or flatter you? A: We are always amazed to see something we imagined or created show up in a serious news story. For example, in Deus Ex the New York skyline didn't contain the World Trade Center. It was removed because of texture memory size - just that end of the New York skyline was deleted. It could have easily been the other side. One of the designers joked that the fiction behind the removal was that terrorist had taken down the building. Flash forward to 9/11 and the removal of that one texture was no longer a joking matter. Posted by: google on March 9, 2004 04:02 AMjpb ppyt psycholog zdrowa żywność nieruchomości projektowanie stron agencja reklamowa soczewki kontaktowe nauka angielskiego agroturystyka opony klimatyzacja domy opieki akupunktura hydraulik projektowanie wnętrz soha jpk paa ki wypadki tfrd jh sw jft pp fdr Posted by: outsider on April 11, 2006 08:40 AMstrony www wrocław, tworzenie stron, ślub wrocław, hale namiotowe, rozdzielnice, flash lite games development, adidas nike puma, buty nike, wesele wrocław Posted by: pppp on June 3, 2008 05:45 AM
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