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Friday, February 1, 2008
First Friday Drinking Game
 The beginning of February signals something in the hearts and minds of corporations everywhere that Valentine's Day is just around the corner. And while our retinas are being mauled by hot pink hearts and blazing red kisses, it's also nice to think of how to spend the most romantic of days with our loved ones. Really, if you ask me, there's nothing more romantic than a fine wine, dimmed lights, and the sounds of laser beams and barrel rolls wafting through the air. That's right, bitches--it's the First Friday Drinking Game, and we're making sweet, sweet love to the Star Fox series. 1 drink each time the characters interrupt each other in game 1 drink whenever Peppy tries to tell you what to do 2 drinks if he tells you to do a barrel roll 1 drink for every instance of Panther referring to himself in the third person 2 drinks every time Panther opens his mouth 1 drink each time Slippy needs saving 2 drinks when Falco finds a way to insult you after helping him 1 drink whenever Falco sounds overwhelmingly like he's from New Yawk 1 drink whenever someone mentions James McCloud (warning: avoid Peppy and Pigma scenarios) 1 drink for each not-so-ambiguously-gay moment between Fox and Wolf 1 drink every time Fox is able to stand on the wing of a flying space ship with no problem 1 drink for every "this character just died--psych!" moment in SF Assault 2 drinks if that moment actually does end with someone dying And finally: Finish your drink solely for the comedy gold that is "Faather?" at the end of SF 64 Warning: Excessive drinking during game play may result in erratic steering of the Landmaster and subsequent destruction of massive buildings and teammates alike. Play with caution! Think I forgot something? Suggest a rule in the comments section! What drinking games do YOU want to play every month? If there is any genre or specific game you want featured in FFDG, drop me a line at PlasmaRit at gmail dot com. Labels: Action Adventure, First Friday Drinking Game, PlasmaRit, Star Fox
Friday, January 18, 2008
There's Something About Krystal
 There's something about Krystal that bugs me. I know, I'm in the minority here, but she never sat quite right with me. I guess the sudden disappearance of Katt Monroe after Star Fox 64 didn't help much, but I was unhappy with this less-than-stellar substitute. Thousands of questionable pictures featuring the sexy blue fox were circulating all over the internet, doing little to improve my opinion. Well aware that I was more than a little prejudiced, I decided to give her a chance as the Star Fox series grew over the years.  Where did she come from, you might be asking? Krystal started out as one of two main characters in Dinosaur Planet, a Nintendo 64 game Rare was developing in 2002. However, with the upcoming release of the Gamecube and few opening titles to release at the time, Nintendo made a deal with Rare to transform the 3D action adventure game into Star Fox Adventures. The game received a full makeover to help make it relevant to the rest of the Star Fox series; as a result, Krystal went from a 16-year-old adventuring cat to a 19-year-old blue fox demoted to the role of damsel in distress. Sure, you play as her for about the first five minutes of the game, but after her capture (and even after her release), Fox takes over.Unfortunately, Krystal's role in SFA was not a very good first impression for me. Rare missed a great opportunity for using her and Fox together in the game, but I guess Tricky was already taking that role. Although I had misgivings about her, that didn't stop Krystal from gaining an undeniably huge fanbase, furry or otherwise.  Star Fox Assault for the Gamecube saw Krystal go from ineffective damsel to a full-fledged member of the Star Fox team. While she remained The Girl of not only the team but also the entire game (aside from the Aparoid Queen I guess, but she doesn't count), I was grateful to see that she wasn't slathered in pink. I do however call shenanigans on the constant hip-popping and coy body language she displayed in every single dialogue scene she was in (and I don't think the destruction of Corneria is a good time for that kind of thing). Nevertheless, it was great seeing her in a more active role than she was in SF Assault. Although, it would be naive to say that Nintendo wasn't pushing Krystal as a sexy pinup girl during the time of SF Assault's release. There are several official images out there (including the title image above) that are less than innocent. Sexing up Krystal may have sold more games, but it wasn't doing much for the image of female characters in the video game industry.  Star Fox Command is where Krystal really shines. The text-heavy story and multiple endings give her character an opportunity to be explored. The game focuses primarily on her and Fox's rather unstable relationship, which can be either mended or not depending on the path you choose. The story begins when Fox forces Krystal off the team for fear of her safety, effectively ending their relationship. With good reason, Krystal is hurt and angered by Fox's actions, and she ends up joining the Star Wolf team. What I love about her role in this game is that the story reveals her flaws. Krystal is not just a 2D psychic piece of arm candy for Fox--she's stubborn. She gets mad when she's hurt. She makes bad decisions, but can also fix them. Krystal appears constantly in the game and even becomes the main character for some endings. Although, I probably could've lived without the Kursed ending; not only is the name cheesey (although she doesn't change her name in the Japanese version), her Jaded Space-Roamer outfit is a little too sexified to take seriously.SFC really did change my mind for the better. Sure, I'm still not a huge fan, but I was happy to see Krystal as a more fleshed-out, three-dimensional character rather than a cardboard poster girl for the Star Fox team. Labels: Action Adventure, Character Spotlight, PlasmaRit, Star Fox
Friday, June 22, 2007
Katt Monroe's Evolution
Warning: Ending spoilers follow!  When the original Star Fox came out for the Super Nintendo in 1993, I was but a wee six-year-old, as well as a novice at video games. I wasn't too good at this already difficult game, but I loved to watch my older brother navigate through each planet and ultimately defeat the incorrigible Emperor Andross, saving the Lylat system from certain doom. Watching the silver polygons flying around was exciting indeed, but what I really loved about the game was the large cast of characters. Each had their own personality and would react differently to Fox McCloud's actions and commands. Unfortunately, Star Fox, while bountiful with interactive persons, is also, undeniably, one big sausage fest.  So when Star Fox 64 arrived four years later, I was delighted to discover that progress had been made, and a grand total of one female character had been included. Now old (and coordinated) enough to pilot an Arwing myself, Fox and I set off on our grand adventure through Lylat, eventually happening across the polluted planet of Zoness. In the thick of enemy craft and sludge-covered sea monsters, I was saved by a lone ship piloted by one Katt Monroe.At first, Katt's basic character history sounds very promising for the series's first official female character: a rogue pilot, she flies a Venom Invader ship she stole after the Venomian army destroyed her own ship. She fights on whatever side is against her enemies. Unfortunately, Katt's less inspiring characteristics far outweigh her good ones. She steals a Venom Invader all right . . . but paints it a mind-numbing shade of pink (to match her equally pink fur, no less). She also has a well-known history with Falco Lombardi, a hard-headed member of the Star Fox team, which she never seems to let him or the player forget. These things may be easy to forgive by themselves, but it's what Katt says in the game that damns her character as embarrisingly misogynist:  “Starting without me? Boys, I’m crushed!” Oh Katt, you little minx. “Beautiful! I could kiss you for that!” Seriously though, quit it. “Is that any way to greet a girl?" Oh, for God's sake . . . “You trying to damage my pretty face?” Huurk--I think I just threw up in my mouth a little . . . It doesn't end there, either. Along with calling the Star Fox members "boys," Katt uses several pet names when talking to them, such as "hon," "little man," and of course, "Tiger." Her cringe-worthy voice only rubs salt into the wounds. It also doesn't help that whenever our plucky female pilot swoops in to save the team, a bouncy little ditty that I can best describe as Malibu Barbie-esque plays. Katt oozes girliness to the point of nausea, and it's unsettling. While all the male characters had personalities not directly related to their gender, SF 64 Katt seems to be nothing but "The Girl" of the game. Even ten years ago, I was never a big fan of the really girly characters in video games. And yet, I really liked Katt. But why? I've recently come to realize that I gravitated toward her because she was female, and I could better relate to her in that respect. I loved all the cool aspects of her and let all the embarrassing declarations slide. Being the only female character in the game, I tolerated her flaws. This is what happens when a female character exists in a game merely as The Girl and not as a persona. Star Fox Adventures came along, and Katt disappeared from the series. Star Fox Assault followed in 2005 with no sign of the feline pilot; the role of The Girl in the series seemed to be filled by Krystal, a character I had no interest in. In spite of Katt's sugary-sweet girlishness, I missed the skilled rogue pilot who didn't fit the damsel in distress role that Krystal sprung from.  In mid-2006, the first Star Fox game for a handheld system was released in the form of Star Fox Command. The game featured a winding choose-your-own-adventure style story that allowed for the introduction of a plethora of new characters. All of a sudden, there was no longer only one female character in the series; Krystal had to make room for Lucy Hare and Amanda. Along with these new female characters, it was in this game that Katt Monroe made her glorious return, completely revamped. Instead of the cotton candy fur of SF 64, Katt now sports a coat of dark grey. She is garbed in bold yellow, red and orange with only pink trimmings; her ship has also been repainted with a fine shade of dark red. If that's not great enough, her personality has gotten a complete face lift as well; gone are the pet names and sexist double-standard exclamations. During Falco's storyline, Katt swoops in to save him not only once but twice. She never flirts with Falco in the game, and her relationship with him is mentioned only once. And when, at the end of the game, Falco feels jilted by the Star Fox team for defeating the Anglar forces without him, it is Katt who tells him to act:  Falco is consumed with rage. If all had gone to plan, he, Fox, and all the rest would be heroes writ upon a galactic stage, reveling in endless retellings of their victory, Instead, fate has seen fit to ostracize Falco from the Star Fox squadron. And then, just when things were bleakest, Falco got a message from Katt Monroe. "Forget those losers! Grab a couple of friends and form a new squad!" Falco was usually too stubborn to heed advice, but this message came at the right time. Falco took Katt up on her offer, and they hunted for a third pilot, eventually finding their man--an elite Cornerian pilot named Dash! Together the three of them formed Star Falco, a unit that rivaled even Star Fox!It's refreshing to see that Katt's personality finally matches her history of an independent renegade. She retains her femininity without succumbing to the confectionary dregs of The Girl. With the introduction of several new female characters, Katt is allowed to deviate from the suffocating label and have a mind of her own. While not perfect, she has grown quite significantly from her static heydays on the Nintendo 64. I applaud Nintendo for their decision to update Katt into a more unique persona that rises above merely being defined by her gender, and I hope to see more of her in the next major game in the series. Special thanks to IGN, Gamehiker, Wikipedia, and Nightshade 64 for images Labels: Action Adventure, Character Spotlight, Getting it Right, PlasmaRit, Star Fox, Stereotypes
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