Critical Myth-Interpretations

Some of my readers might recognize references to TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society), the paranormal research group at the heart of SFC’s “Ghost Hunters”. Jason Hawes is the founder of TAPS, and Grant Wilson has been his partner in that endeavor for several years. This is ostensibly the story of how TAPS came to be and Jason’s accounting of several dozen cases, reaching back to the early days of the organization to the end of the second season of “Ghost Hunters”.

Coming into the book, I was concerned. TAPS has been at the center of controversy ever since the beginning of “Ghost Hunters”. For every devoted fan and supporter, they seem to generate a skeptic and critic, and the two sides have been left to battle it out across the internet. Supporters swear by the integrity of Jason, Grant, and the rest of the team, while skeptics deconstruct the supposed “evidence”, pointing out the potential fraud taking place.

The nature of “Ghost Hunters” is such that the footage itself is heavily edited. As with any reality TV show, one can never be certain that the final presentation reflects the truth. Post-production can layer sound bites over footage that had nothing to do with a comment, and reaction shots can be spliced to make an innocuous event seem startling. The list goes on and on, and this has made it impossible to defend TAPS on the merits of the show footage alone. It always comes down to Jason and Grant’s word, which is worth little to skeptics.

TAPS also credits itself for originating the idea of applying scientific methodology to the paranormal research field. While it’s true that many groups are filled with thrill-seekers with little desire for real-world analysis of “evidence”, solid scientific research has been conducted in places like the Rhine Research Center at Duke University and the PEAR Laboratory at Princeton. The claim is made more troublesome when TAPS’ practices themselves are evaluated against the scientific method.

So this book, for me, was a chance for Jason and Grant to answer some difficult questions and defend both their practices and conclusions. On the scientific front, I wanted some clarification on the seeming discrepancy between the claimed technical expertise behind the scenes and the misuse and misinterpretation of instrumentation on “Ghost Hunters”. Beyond that, I wanted Jason to delve into the evidence evaluation, perhaps addressing many of the skeptics’ concerns.

Unfortunately, I was left disappointed. While the book does clarify the history of TAPS (including some honest information about his own experiences), the rest of the book is a thin accounting of selected cases, many of which were covered on “Ghost Hunters” in more detail. Discussion of the “evidence” itself is essentially a rundown of what was already on the show; there is no attempt to discuss any of the skeptics’ questions. In fact, Jason doesn’t ever bother to provide more detail into any of the “evidence” as an additional defense of TAPS’ conclusions.

This is one area where it would have been useful to bring in some additional analysis by the many technical specialists mentioned in the book, all of whom supposedly help TAPS with their research. At no time is this done; in fact, given the passages that betray a disturbing lack of technical understanding regarding equipment use, I’m forced to suggest that TAPS find new technical experts.

I could continue to outline the many areas left unexplored in Jason’s narrative, but it all comes back to one issue: a definitive lack of depth. Everything in this book is surface. Theories, assumptions, and folklore are tossed around, but supporting evidence, data, or documentation is never provided. The end result is a book that only adds to the never-ending debate. Supporters are expected to accept everything on faith, and skeptics are ignored if not outright dismissed.

I’m left to wonder if the lack of depth was designed into the book or the result of Friedman’s writing style. Friedman is better known for his media tie-in novels, most of which are the literary equivalent of light beer: functional, thin in nearly all aspects, and ultimately forgettable. I can’t help but think that Friedman was hired to take Jason’s dictated accounts and make them easily readable. Friedman wouldn’t have the necessary background to press for more detail. Ultimately this will become part of the debate: was the truth sanitized in the end product?

One could argue that this is not meant as a defense, but simply a collection of “true contemporary ghost stories”. If so, the lack of depth affects this potential goal as well. Few of the stories are told with enough storytelling finesse to be unnerving, let alone thrilling. Here again the problem is familiarity; so many of the cases were covered on “Ghost Hunters” that the information retread pales in comparison.

In the end, this book will take a few hours to read, and the reader is unlikely to feel differently about TAPS after the experience. Supporters will still be supporters, skeptics will still be skeptics, and those on the fence will just be more conflicted. This is unfortunate, because a book with more depth could have been so much more.

After a disappointing departure with the final PS2 installment (“Ratchet: Deadlocked”) and an entertaining but fleeting taste of the familiar with the PSP installment (“Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters”), Insomniac Games knew that the best way to bring the franchise to the PlayStation 3 would be a return to the most popular format.  “Ratchet and Clank Future” feels like a more-refined successor to “Going Commando”, incorporating the best elements of “Up Your Arsenal” in the process.

“Ratchet and Clank Future” is the beginning of a planned trilogy of games, all dealing with the question of Ratchet’s origins.  Once again, the galaxy is in peril when the last surviving Cragmite, Emperor Tachyon, unleashes an army of thugs and pirates with the purpose of asserting dictatorship and eliminating the last Lombax: Ratchet.  In the process of hunting down the truth behind Tachyon’s rise, Clank comes into contact with odd robotic beings known as the Zoni and Ratchet discovers the Lombax legacy.

That is a story of massive scope, and the action takes place over more than a dozen highly-detailed worlds.  As usual, each world poses a different kind of challenge, alternating between Tachyon’s thugs and a band of robotic pirates led by Captain Slag.  Generally speaking, everything is very similar to the standard “Going Commando” style, but rendered in high definition and expanded accordingly.  The levels are much larger, for example, making each world more substantial as a result.

One key improvement over past installments is balance and specificity.  The game is so well-balanced that it seems much easier than previous installments have been.  In truth, it’s more that the previous installments never gave you a reason to use most of the weapons; you chose a select few as favorites and took on every challenge with that arsenal.  In this game, enemies have defensive strengths and weaknesses, so specific weapons are necessary to defeat them.

That forces the player to buy the weapons as they become available, because in most cases, the weapon is needed for that particular level.  In addition, the weapons need to be upgraded to make them fully effective as the enemies gradually increase in strength.  Weapons automatically upgrade with use (a total of five levels), and the bolts needed for weapons and ammo are plentiful enough to keep the player moving forward.

Weapons can also be upgraded in several categories using raritanium, which is also collected from enemies, boxes, and chests.  As with the bolt collection, the available raritanium is always just enough to prevent backtracking.  This allows for certain RPG elements to be included without the need for “leveling up”.  This is even true for the requisite arena battles; most of them can be won at the time they are unlocked along with the required battles inherent to the story.

In addition to plentiful weapons vendors, there are vendors for devices and armor.  Devices are far more useful than expected, particularly items like the Groovitron.  This device compels enemies within a certain radius to dance for a short period of time, allowing you to decimate them.  What starts as an amusing novelty becomes a key strategic item in later levels.  Armor is effectively identical to the system introduced in “Up Your Arsenal”.

In past installments, the main complaint was always the quality of the required racing or aerial combat missions.  The controls were never intuitive, and they seemed to get in the way of the action.  The motion control included with the PS3 Sixaxis controller resolves that issue beautifully.  When Ratchet conducts an air drop, the controller is used to move him around the screen.  Flying levels are completed by tilting the controller, and this turns out to be an incredibly natural use of the technology.

The one “racing” aspect of the game utilizes a Gyro-Cycle.  If Insomniac Games ever wanted to put together a Ratchet Racing game, this would be the perfect concept for it.  The Gyro-Cycle levels were incredibly responsive, and it was a lot of fun to race around tunnels like a marble.  I hope that concept is incorporated into the inevitable sequel (or, even better, a downloadable expansion on the PlayStation Network!).

In addition to the usual elements, this game brings back the fan-favorite Clank levels.  Instead of DoomBots or monkeys, Clank is joined by the semi-mystical Zoni.  They serve largely the same function, and Clank’s action is basically the same kind of Lemmings-style puzzle-based affair that it’s always been.  Some might find that tedious, but for those nostalgic for similar levels in the earlier installments, this is a welcome touch.

If there is one minor disappointment, it’s the three space battle sequences.  Graphically, these levels are stunning, easily surpassing anything else in the franchise.  Functionally, they are similar to the Giant Clank space sequences in “Size Matters”, using an “on-the-rails” approach over the freestyle flying of “Going Commando”.  Still, that would be acceptable if the controls were more intuitive.  The movement of the ship is controlled by the left analog stick, and targeting is controlled with the right analog stick.  The control settings cannot be changed, and as a result, it can be very difficult to target if your preferences (like mine) are completely opposite to the defaults.

As usual, there are gold bolts to collect, allowing the player to purchase different skins for Ratchet, and skill points to achieve.  Additionally, every planet hides one piece of the “holo-plan” for the RYNO IV.  Needless to say, taking the time to find the full plan before the final battle is a plus.

Every game in the franchise has included a “challenge mode”, and this entry is no exception.  In fact, one might argue that the gamers annoyed with the apparent ease of the first play-through will be more than satisfied the second time around.  The enemies are much more difficult to defeat, despite the ability to upgrade to Omega versions of all weapons.  Getting that RYNO is definitely a plus.

Most hardcore gamers will also complain about the lack of multiplayer, but that has never been the strength of the franchise.  In fact, this installment is that much better for the focus on the single-player experience.  No matter what might have been present in this game, superior multiplayer games (even Insomniac’s own “Resistance: Fall of Man”) are on the shelves.

In the end, this is the kind of game that will leave you begging for the sequel and more than willing to jump right into challenge mode and play it all again.

Rating: 10/10