 |
| Doghouse_Reilly |
on Sun 3 May 09, 9:11 PM to Doghouse_Reilly's blog.
It's hard to tell where games developers stand on the issue of kink, are they an especially kinky breed, or is it just a coincidence that sadomasochistic imagery permeates the games industry like the Kahlúa in a white Russian? Hard to tell but I'd be hugely surprised if the developers behind Velvet Assassin weren't a little bit twisted (in a good way).
Picked up this game the other day and it occurred to me just how many things in the game would probably strike a chord with folks here. Hence I thought I'd blog about it.
Basically Velvet Assassin is a stealth game, you play a British spy in WW2 called Violet who carries out missions in occupied Europe. Gameplay generally involves sneaking around and murdering hapless Nazi goons. In terms of gameplay it's not too dissimilar to Manhunt and games of that ilk.
So where does the kink come in? Well the first element is the lead character. Imagine if Emma Peel were the killer from a slasher flick and you're about there. She sneaks, she murders, she hides the bodies and sneaks away, all with an unsettlingly glib attitude to the mayhem she inflicts. The gameplay makes it sort of a puzzle game in some ways, you watch the routes of the guards, spot the places to hide, pick them off, move on. Or shoot them all, s'all good.
Second element is the costume. Course it wouldn't be a video game if the lead female character wasn't dressed in something either insanely revealing or shiny. In this case it's usually the latter in the form of a vaguely practical leather ensemble. This changes though as the character spends some time disguised as some sort of Nazi secretary. For much of the game the character also wears a gasmask. Leather, Nazi uniforms, gasmasks, it's basically almost a check list of clothing subjects that have been raised on IC.
Last element is the violence. Maybe I'm just got a rotten soul but so help me I do love that violence. Hot violence is hot and the game has it. From an array of stealthy stabbings to chokings, assorted cuttings and lastly the ever comical gasmask-theft-in-room-full-of-poison-gas move the game is wall to wall with stylish ways to off Nazis. You don't kill anybody who isn't a Nazi, and some of the guys you kill are Gestapo and SS and all those other sorts of really bad Nazi, so it's all good clean fun.
As I say I don't know if games developers set out to be kinky when they make these things, but I can't help but feel the industry is either full of the least self aware kinksters in the world, or they are just on a mission to warp minds in interesting ways.
| 3 May 09, 9:31 PM Hells_Bells UK(G), 7 yrs |
Do they allow the game in TG though? Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read. ~ Groucho Marx | |
| 3 May 09, 10:48 PM Doghouse_Reilly UK(MK), 6 yrs |
I was oft tempted, but never had the energy to hunt down a retro console for it. I do feel it's a game I ought to play as I love ninja stealth games, plus there's the whole hot chick killing folks with a wire thing going on. I do love me those ninja games though. Tenchu X on the X360 being a long term fave, and the original Tenchu on the PS1 when I was at Uni. I think it's the sort of retro chop socky style of those games that appeals, with the stylised blood sprays and stuff. Velvet Assassin is heavily stylised too, because it's set for much of the game in comatose flashbacks, which sounds more fail than it is to play. I like being my own worst enemy, because I know where I live and what I'm going to do next. | |
| 3 May 09, 10:57 PM Doghouse_Reilly UK(MK), 6 yrs |
Probably would. So as not to offend Ze Germans there are no Swastikas. Just lots of Nazis getting stabbed. I like being my own worst enemy, because I know where I live and what I'm going to do next. |
