issue 19 // volume 42 (OF hae » ‘Lucifer’ pilot review Lauren Paulsen Senior Columnist OOOO at would happen if the Devil wasn’t the bad guy? It was this intriguing thought that led me to watch the new show Lucifer. Lucifer no longer wants to be down in Hell. As they put it in the show, he’s taking a : vacation. Apparently this doesn’t : sit well with the angels because he’s putting the balance out of whack. While Lucifer is up on Earth, he’s actually showing that he cares for certain humans, : and that also doesn’t seem to sit : well with those around him. The idea of angels versus : the Devil is nothing new, but : completely switching the sides is : really interesting to me. Lucifer can : actually be nice and is interested in : helping people—well, only a select : : few, but that’s beside the point. Yet : : everyone seems to be against him, : except the one detective who his : powers don’t seem to work on, and : : who therefore believes him to be : insane. If no one wants him to be : good, then why bother anyway? The special effects in Lucifer : aren’t astounding like they : might be ina movie, but I think : things like the angel’s wings were : done really well. There’s not an enormous amount of action while Lucifer and the detective, Chloe, : run around trying to solvea case, : but the interesting things people blurt out when Lucifer is around : are really funny. The acting is : decent, with Tom Ellis playing : Lucifer and Lauren German : playing Chloe. I find Chloe’s : daughter Trixie (Scarlett Estevez) : to be completely adorable, and : it isamusing how she likes : Lucifer, but he hates kids. arts // no. 7 Image via 2015 Fox Broadcasting Co. Overall, the story is pretty straightforward and could be : labelled as another supernatural : crime drama, except that I find : the possibilities and intrigue : of where this could go make it : worth watching more. With : pretty much anyone who knows : who he really is against him, how : can Lucifer possibly rise above : it and be the opposite of what : everyone expects him to be? We'll : have to watch and find out. Flawed by design: Bad romance » Why video games aren’t ready for love - Adam Tatelman fi Staff Writer here are plenty of games that try to depict characters in love, but relatively few of them manage to do that with any degree of success. It seems no matter how hard they try, developers fail at every turn to capture the essence of love and attraction in video game form. Perhaps human beings just don’t possess the aptitude to program computers that can feel as we do. But that’s the thing about humans: be it love or game design, we insist on trying again and again, despite every sign that whatever we're doing just isn’t working. It starts with the characters. This is ground zero. The immediate problem with our attempts to present video game avatars as relatable people is graphical constraints. Simply put, today’s best-looking games can’t match the visual quality presented by your average CGI Pixar film. Trying to make characters look photorealistic without the necessary resources is bound to result in a lot of glassy- eyed stares, jagged textures, poorly-synched lip movements, and robotic animations. It gets worse when the voice actors phone in the romance scenes. Half the time we get : either cartoonish emotive : character models mumbling : underwhelming vocals or : stock-still mannequins braying : hammy dialogue. Either of : these combinations is total : discord to the human ear and : it creates a very distinctive : uncanny valley effect. There’s : areason the alien characters : in Mass Effect became the fan : favourites. That distancing : effect actually helped them : come across as otherworldly : and bizarre, whereas it made : the humans seem either ; underwhelming or just confused. : BioWare Studios is often : touted for writing believable : relationships in their games. : And yet the romance subplots : are most often optional content. : While it is nice to have the : option to add a little romantic : flair to your by-the-numbers sci- : fi adventure, the main story isn’t : affected much by the presence or : : absence of love. The most you'll : see is some extra dialogue and : slight changes in continuity from : one instalment to the next. It : feels tacked on, especially since, : asan intergalactic peacekeeper, : Commander Shepherd probably : has more important stuff : to do than look for love. The most baffling concept : of all is the attempt to give : players narrative control over : their characters’ dialogue. As : demonstrated by games like : Dragon Age: Origins, this can be : done well, especially when the : players’ decisions affect their : reputation with other characters : in the story. However, non- : specific summaries of in-game : dialogue choices tend to shatter : that delicate illusion. This : can result in split-personality : characters who may be angelic : one moment and ruthless : the next, all at the press of a : button. It’s often impossible : to tell what your character will : say based on these summaries. : You could very well chew out : your romantic interest when : all you intended to say was a : polite “I don’t swing that way.” The only games that seem : to portray believable romances : keep the idea in the subtext. : Fans of Valve Studios’ Half-Life : 2 may remember the romantic : subtext between Alyx Vance : and Gordon Freeman. Alyx’s : voice actress, Merle Dandridge, : shows astounding chemistry : with Gordon, considering he is : mute for the game’s duration. : Their model animations feel : quite natural and their mutual : attraction grows naturally out : of their in-game camaraderie. : It’s also central to the plot, : raising the stakes when one or : the other is lost or injured. Fans : have been waiting for years to : see whether or not Gordon and N o rar a aa we 3 G Hay ° S ra ~ ° a wn Ss w o s 9 “a : Alyx will get together. Sadly, it : looks like we'll never find out. It remains to be seen : whether developers will : learn from their mistakes in : their quest to bring romantic : entertainment to the gaming : public. Surely they’ve made : every mistake they possibly : can at this point. Perhaps it is : best to remember that romance : doesn’t always need a lot of : pomp and fanfare. If it’s done : well, a simple tease can be more : memorable than a full-blown : courtship. Alyx and Gordon : know that pretty well by now. : Tease is all they’ve been able : to do for the last 12 years.