Venus Plays Video Games

Impermanence

2009-12-07T18:08:00.000-08:00

It’s no secret that the video game industry is competitive and sometimes unforgiving. Producing games, like films, is a bit like gambling, with some great games yielding mediocre sales while some terrible games rake in the cash. Several of the larger game publishers balance more conservative bets, such as sequels and expansions, against risky games with new IP or radical innovations.

The video game industry is a business, and it is not immune to the harsh realities of the corporate world. Layoffs are commonplace; studios collapse every season. It should come as no surprise, then, that one of the studios I worked for was recently shut down.

I worked for this particular studio for a few months as an intern, and it was one of the first times that I truly felt at home in the industry. I was surrounded by many of smart, talented people who were passionate about their work. The studio also treated their employees well by offering competitive wages and plenty of work-sponsored activities. I remember when I came into the lobby one day and found front table covered in cups of Baskin-Robbins ice cream, free for the taking. There was also the time when we got to see a highly anticipated movie in a nearby theater, sponsored by the studio.

It was hard to hear about that studio closing, mainly because of all the friends that I had made during my time there. I felt for them, as the job market is tough right now, and it’s particularly difficult to get a job during the holiday season. Yet it seems that many former employees are attempting to look on the bright side and move onto bigger and better opportunities.

Perhaps the most surprising thing about hearing of the studio closure was how it hit so close to home. I had an opportunity to work at that studio but I passed it up. I now work for a studio that is still hiring, and I feel very grateful that I ended up working there. I still feel a bit shaken, however, as the closure reminded me of the impermanence of my own job. While I enjoy what I do and truly invest myself in my work, I must remember that, in an industry like video games, the only constant is change. After all, technology and consumer demands keep changing, and we must keep up in order to survive.

Well-Earned Rewards

2009-09-25T09:13:00.000-07:00

There are very few games that I finish, and even fewer become my favorites. Final Fantasy IX earned its place on my list of all-time favorites this past weekend, which is a remarkable feat considering that it was released nine years ago.

FFIX was not one of my favorites when it was released. While I enjoyed the game at the time, I wanted it to be more like Final Fantay VIII, my favorite at the time. As a middle-schooler, I didn't mind the angsty protagonist in FFVIII and found the spunky lead in FFIX to be less appealing. I wanted FFIX to be more serious. I was also relatively green as a player; FFVIII was my first RPG. I didn't understand why FFIX's mechanics were far superior.

FFIX was designed to be forgiving and very rewarding for those who invest a little time. While playing through the third and fourth discs, I found a lot of fun sidequests. Some of my favorite sidequests were those that used chocobos. Special chocobo-specific areas, such as Chocobo's Forest and Chocobo's Lagoon, include a mini-game where you can dig for treasure. While many items are health or status ailment potions, the best items by far are the chocographs. Chocographs are essentially clues to find hidden treasures. Some treasure chests give your chocobo the ability to traverse mountains, oceans, and even the skies. Others contain very valuable items, armor, weapons, and cards. Treasure is hidden throughout the world map, and the hunt feels like a real adventure.

I also really enjoyed the optional moogle sidequests. The moogles are adorable creatures who play a big role in FFIX. They allow you to save in the game, but they also provide valuable comic relief, especially in dark areas. Moogles are constantly writing letters to each other and they ask you to deliver them. The letters may not tell you anything essential to the story, but they are great for flavor. Moogles are always so happy to hear from each other and they have a positive outlook even when cities are crumbling around them. The idea of delivering letters for moogles may seem ridiculous, but you are actually providing a valuable service since the moogle mail service, Mognet, has been out of commission. There is an optional sidequest at the end of the game to get Mognet running again. It is very rewarding to fix this service, as it frees you from mailman duties and helps all the moogles you met throughout your journey.

There are several other clever design choices that help players get the most out of the game. Fairies are special encounters scattered throughout the world that can help you learn abilities much faster. There are also special enemies called Grand Dragons that provide a massive amount of experience, helping characters level up. Quina's ability, Level 5 Death, can kill them in one hit. These are great enemies for leveling, as Freya's Dragon's Crest ability does damage equal to the square of the number of dragons killed. Thus, 100 dragons killed gives her a guaranteed 9999 (max damage) attack for minimal MP. While this type of strategy may seem like exploitation, such clever design choices are likely very carefully made to help players level up for the end of the game.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that I used a strategy guide and additional online guides to get the most out of FFIX. Some of the features are so well-hidden that you practically have to buy the guide if you want to be a completionist and not waste half of the game running into walls, looking for items. The strategy guide is also very helpful when it comes to bosses, as you can equip to guard against status effects such as heat that could otherwise create a very frustrating battle. I understand that some feel that strategy guides are cheating, but I find that I enjoy elaborate RPGs such as FFIX much more when I don't have to worry about missing something. Unfortunately, the official guide for FFIX was designed to promote the use of the website PlayOnline, which is now a FFXI site. This means that certain details are left out of the guide, which is part of the reason why I constantly looked up answers in FAQs and Walkthroughs. I happened to miss a particular item that was only available for a brief period of time because it wasn't listed in the guide, and I was very disappointed. Initially, I thought the game wouldn't limit the availability of an item, but it appears that there are a few optional items that are the exception.

By the time I reached Memoria (the final area), I was at the top of my game. I didn't want the story to end, but I had played through all the side content and enjoyed every minute of it. I'll admit that there were some frustrating moments during my many attempts to beat Ozma or the stubborn Yan, but the victories were very sweet. I became addicted to auto-regen and rarely had to heal my party. I had three characters that could consistently do maximum damage attacks and my inventory was overflowing with potions and other valuable resources.

After playing consistently every night, I was sad to see FFIX end. The game had a very satisfying ending. I became attached to my characters - the story fleshed them out and made them feel real. It's going to be difficult to find an RPG to follow FFIX now that I've seen how good they can be.

Awesome Comes in All Sizes

2009-09-12T16:21:00.000-07:00

I enjoy checking out demos for new games, even if I'm pretty sure that I won't buy the game. I find that you can always learn something from playing a new game, and you can often learn the most from terrible games. However, I can count on one hand the number of demos that actually made me want to buy a game. Fortunately, I had that exciting experience this weekend. I raced to the computer and bought Mini Ninjas shortly after finishing the demo.

I had heard about Mini Ninjas several months ago and I was charmed by the cute teaser trailer. Yet I remained skeptical, as the cutest games often are often rushed out the door with the assumption that kids won't know the difference between a good game and one that needed more time. Mini Ninjas is being marketed as a family game, but seems strong enough to please more discerning gamers.

Mini Ninjas reminds me of a cross between two of my favorite games, Spyro the Dragon and Okami. It has the same strength and charm as Spyro, from the well-designed 3D levels to the
enemies who require more skill than strength to defeat. It is also like Okami, as it appears to have roots in Zelda-style adventures and it is very centered in nature. In addition, the aesthetic is clearly Japanese, which once again appeals greatly to my love of Japanese art and culture.

Combat feels light and fun. There are many tactics you can use to defeat the enemies, which allows for customization in what would otherwise be a fairly simple game. It's a nice change to see a game with solid combat that doesn't shed a drop of blood. Enemies simply turn into animals (as the animals were enchanted), leaving a frolicking bunch of critters at the end of each fight. If you find an animal that you particularly like, the main ninja, Hiro, can temporarily possess the animal. I couldn't get over the novelty of being able to see an adorable animal (such as a kitty), running up to them, and then POOF! I was suddenly controlling a kitty. While many of the most adorable critters are relatively ineffective in combat, some of the larger animals can be used offensively. Fortunately, the developers accounted for those moments when your prancing kitty gets unexpectedly attacked - the ninja will return to fight seamlessly.

Mini Ninjas is filled with other delightfully charming details that make it irresistible for me. You can free animals trapped in cages along the path, which gives you experience points. This reminded me of feeding animals along the path in Okami, which also gave you experience points. Also, when you enter water, you can ride in a large hat (like a boat). You can steer through rapids or, as I saw in a video, ride down snowy passes. You can even fish from the boat, which gives you health-restoring sushi. Even the animations and movements are adorable without hindering the mechanics. The ninja can deftly jump up a narrow space between two rocks, a feature that feels far more natural than any wall jumps I attempted in Mirror's Edge.

I have been looking for a game like Mini Ninjas for a long time. The most recent 3D platformer/adventure game that truly satisfied me was Okami, and I played that years ago. Despite the short length of the demo, I bought the game, optimistic that it will just keep getting better. I hope that Mini Ninjas will prove to be the adventure game experience that I have been craving. In the meantime, it's great to be excited about a new game again.

Light-Hearted Fantasy

2009-08-30T21:15:00.000-07:00

Final Fantasy VIII (FFVIII) was the first RPG that I finished, so it will always hold a special place in my heart. After finishing FFVIII, I played several other RPGs, such as The Legend of Dragoon, Chrono Cross, and Final Fantasy IX (FFIX). When I first played FFIX, I was disappointed that it wasn't more like FFVIII. I wanted the characters to look more realistic and the world to be less quirky. I still enjoyed the game; I just wanted it to be more of a sequel.

One of my best friends absolutely loves FFIX. After hearing him praise it over and over again, I decided to give it another try. It was possible that I had been blinded by my love for FFVIII and didn't judge FFIX fairly.

FFIX is full of charm. There is plenty of humor, from the silly lines to the unique characters. There is a sense of playfulness in the art style. The main character has an as-yet-unexplained monkey tail, and the characters have tastefully exaggerated proportions. The art portrays a lovely fantasy world with towering castles, quaint towns, and a variety of painstakingly-detailed natural areas. The environments are full of rounded edges and each area feels very distinctive. As characters run through the 2D levels, there is a sense of scale, and the people seem to fit right in among the colorful backgrounds. The world may be a strange place filled with hippo people, humans, and a variety of other creatures, but the art really sells it. Even the game design supports the style, filling the world with children running through town squares and little vignettes that flesh out my companions.

The game design is very forgiving and fun. The gameplay constantly supports the story, allowing the player fun opportunities from the beginning, such as finding a lost cat, sneaking over rooftops to watch a play, and digging for treasure. I get a real sense of adventure from exploring the areas, and I am constantly rewarded with hidden items and opportunities. The opening sequence was very exciting and organic, combining still-impressive FMVs with in-game cutscenes and gameplay. The combat is a traditional turn-based system common to Final Fantasy games of the time. Characters have special abilities to use during combat, such as magic, summons and powerful attacks. All these special attacks, as well as passive skills, are called "Abilities" and can be learned from armor and equipable items. This is by far one of the game's greatest strengths, as it is a very simple system that is easy to customize. Players can choose which abilities to equip and learn based on their priorities and play style. For example, players can learn "Level Up" and "Ability Up", which help characters level up faster and learn abilities faster. While these abilities are relatively expensive to equip, they can greatly reduce the time spent grinding. Players can also choose to counterattack, guard against almost any status effect, or automatically cast a potion when damaged. These abilities make the game much more fun, as they allow the player to work around issues that could otherwise become frustrating.

Aside from the ability system, the game is very forgiving. If a player misses a hidden item in a certain area, it is never lost forever. Players can often purchase that item in the next town or village; finding it in a level simply allows a player to have it earlier. Also, there are many features scattered throughout the world to help players, including chocobos (for faster travel without random battles) and fairies (who can help players learn abilities much faster).

FFIX feels like a very authentic Final Fantasy experience. The developers clearly focused on the story and authenticity of the world. There was a sense of strong leadership as well; the game has a unified vision despite its length and many unique areas. The Final Fantasy series seemed to go downhill after FFIX, with FFX being little more than a display of 3D tech with bland characters and limited originality. Although I didn't play FFXI, I found that FFXII was very unforgiving and I quit partway through. FFIX represents a peak in Japanese RPGs for the PlayStation, and its character, charm, and friendly mechanics are very rewarding for those who are willing to invest a little time. I hope that modern developers will be able to apply similar mechanics to new games. After all, graphics and fancy new features don't make a great game; it's the imagination that counts.

Polished Pirates

2009-08-10T18:14:00.000-07:00

I seem to have missed the boat for Sid Meier's Pirates! My peers at USC would sigh longingly when it was mentioned in class. Many of my friends were obsessed with the game when it was released. Although I'm usually not a fan of strategy games, I decided that Pirates deserved a fair shot. After all, it was somewhat of an RPG, adventure game, and a strategy game all at once.

Perhaps the most striking feature about Pirates is the level of polish. Few games can afford to take the time or simply are not planned diligently enough to implement such well-constructed systems. These systems create a variety of options, including ship gameplay, a sword fighting mini-game, a dancing mini-game, a sneaking into town mini-game, a land combat RTS game, an interface for talking to people at taverns, and more. The sheer number of gameplay options is a wonderful way to give players a lot of freedom in the world. Allies and enemies can be made through every action, and players can seek out gameplay modes best suited to their skills.

Despite some adventure and RPG mechanics (such as achieving ranks and searching for treasure), Pirates is a strategy game at its heart. The alliance system is a central part of the strategy, as it allows players to ally with the Spanish, the French, the British, or the Dutch. There are many advantages and disadvantages to such alliances, and they can often fluctuate. There are also other forces at work, such as native tribes, pirates and missionaries. Talking to these groups can help you sway a town in a desired direction, whether toward prosperity or poverty. There is also a lot of strategy involved in the fighting mechanics based on the weapons you use, and whether or not you fight in your ship or with a sword.

I'm not sure if I skipped the tutorial inadvertently, but, regardless, Pirates seems to have a steep learning curve. Granted, the first hour or so I had a Pirates fanatic looking over my shoulder, giving me hints and explaining the intricacies of his favorite strategies. It seems that the game encourages the player to learn more through experience than through discreet instructions, which can be an advantage (if you know what you're doing). I was easily overwhelmed in the beginning by the many different types of gameplay, as I had stumbled into seven or eight (such as sea combat, dancing, and treasure hunting) before I even understood what, exactly, was the goal of the game.

I was greatly impressed by the time the developers took to create a very polished experience with so many intricate systems and such varied modes of gameplay. However, the appeal of Pirates seems to come from a passion for such systems and an interest in the politics of the imaginary world. I never had much of an interest in war, conquering towns, or politics. I respect the game and I understand why so many players have enjoyed it. However, I don't think I'll return to Pirates anytime soon. It just doesn't pull me in like traditional RPGs or adventure games.

Caught in My Own Trap

2009-07-25T19:24:00.000-07:00

I was initially optimistic about the advantages of playing as a hunter in Lord of the Rings Online (LotRO), but I soon began to realize that the very aspects that had been so tempting as a solo player were beginning to hurt my gameplay experience. I was too proud and impatient to consider joining others, and I soon ran out of quest content for my level. I kept dying more and more often, and it seemed that joining up with others was becoming inevitable.

While MMOs are often meant to be social experiences, my favorite MMOs are those that provide plenty of solo content for when your favorite buddies aren't around. The developers of LotRO took this into account, and each level seems to have a fair number of solo quests. However, the solo content is more limited at the higher levels (around level 35 and higher). When I played with friends, this balance felt great. Most quests could easily be completed with two players, and we could afford to wait on or skip the quests that required a larger party. As a hunter, I ran into problems, as I was constantly completing quests above my level in an attempt to avoid the fellowship quests. This system worked well for awhile, until I entered higher-level areas like the Misty Mountains and Angmar. I soon found myself running out of solo quests, leaving me frustrated. My attempts to complete lower-level fellowship quests often failed, due to the swarms of enemies in many of those quests. Hunters are ill-equipped to handle large crowds, as they are best at ranged attacks, they wear light or medium armor, and they have few AOE attacks.

Perhaps it was my own stubborn desire to avoid grouping that led to my downfall as a solo hunter. I was so determined not to be tied down to a group that I tried to find other ways to become a better hunter. A good friend helped me reorder my abilities to develop a battle strategy. A large part of my strategy included taking the time to set traps before I attacked, which may seem simple to some, but it was not for me. I was too spoiled by the hunter's powerful ranged attacks; I became impatient. I was convinced that I could do more damage by running into fights and dying half of the time. My friend was patient enough to show me how traps could actually save me time, and I began the slow process of unlearning my impulsive attack habit.

Sadly, an improved strategy could not help me. At the suggestion of that same friend (who had a hunter as an alt), I began to attack more enemies as I traveled so I would level up more efficiently. This helped, but my search for quests caused me to fast travel from location to location, missing out on enemies between the areas. I became restless, feeling like the enemies weren't providing enough experience for the time I spent killing them. I wanted more quests, but I had burned through the content earlier.

Solo questing in LotRO was no longer fun. I lost interest in my hunter, and realized that I would learn more and find a more satisfying experience playing in a group as my main, a lore-master. After all, I didn't want to become like the hunter in our fellowship, who had very little understanding of his role in a group. After so many hours of solo questing, he failed to understand his role in the group. While our tank worked tirelessly to pull aggro in one particular boss fight, this hunter carelessly used a powerful skill that immediately pulled aggro and got him killed in a matter of seconds. That was clearly the type of hunter that I was becoming, and his mistake made me realize that I didn't want to devote my time to solo play.

I haven't played as my hunter for some time, instead indulging in some fantastic single-player games. It's nice to explore other types of games again. My obsession with LotRO is far from over, but I think my experiences will be contained to group questing. I had been lured by the temptations of a hunter to take shortcuts - ensared in the hunter's trap. I am glad that I have friends to help me see how I lost my interest in solo questing as a hunter – not because of the faults of the game, but because of my own impatience.

Digging for Treasure

2009-07-09T18:09:00.000-07:00

When I was growing up, my family had a Mac. Games for the Mac were hard to find, so I played very few computer games as a child. The few I did play, such as Super Munchers and The Dig, are a treasured part of my past. I was excited to hear about the recent re-release of The Dig on Steam. For just five dollars, I could revisit a classic from my childhood and see how much my perspective has changed.

Fourteen years after its release, I was surprised how much I still enjoyed The Dig, and not just for the nostalgia. I sat down at my computer was so engrossed in the game that I didn't get up until I'd finished five hours later. The game took me on an adventure to an unknown world and encouraged me to explore every aspect of this new land. However, I required some aid to fully enjoy the game.

The most distinct memory I had from the first time I played The Dig was when I got stuck. At that time, I couldn't just look for help online. I actually had to go to the bookstore, locate a strategy guide, and page through it to find my answer. After two trips to the bookstore, I finally bought the guide, which started a new habit for me (which served me well once I graduated to 80-hour RPGs). I was wondering if, after many years of gaming, I would be a better puzzle-solver than I was back then. Unfortunately, I soon found that the puzzles were rather tedious and seemed to encourage just clicking on everything, constantly retracing your steps, and generally wasting a lot of time being confused. I looked up a walkthrough online and breezed through the game, much happier now that I could concentrate on the story instead of some near-impossible puzzles.

The puzzles in The Dig were often clever and interesting, with just a few that seemed designed to sell a strategy guide. Unfortunately, due to the linear nature of the game, some of the most frustrating puzzles would gate my progress in the game. For example, once the opening sequence was over, I wandered around the new planet, trying to access new areas. There was one particular puzzle where I needed to reattach a lens to restore power to the facility, and my only tools were a couple of panels. One of the panels had about six or seven buttons on it, which would light up a screen as they were pressed. I quickly filled the screen with lights, which involved pressing the buttons about 50 times. Nothing happened. I soon grew frustrated and looked up the answer. It turned out that the button was a control panel for a robot, and only about five or six buttons needed to be pressed in a sequence to get this robot to reattach the lens. I have no idea how anyone would figure this out on their own, as I saw no clues around. This puzzle was incredibly difficult compared to some others, which involved rearranging animal bones (in the shape of a fossil seen earlier), or inputting a sequence of four distinct buttons seen on an in-game item.

Despite the difficulty of the puzzles, I really enjoyed the game (once I had the aid of a strategy guide for the puzzles). The music and voice-overs were excellent, and the characters were interesting. While there was no real villain in the game, there was still a strong conflict between the crew and others that grew organically from choices the player has to make. There was no combat, and I don't think the player can actually die in the game. Also, the art style was semi-realistic and often quite beautiful. Compared to modern games, I seemed to spend a lot of time just walking through levels, but I enjoyed the journey since the levels were often lovely landscapes. The world was designed as spokes around a hub, and each spoke had a light bridge that could be easily activated. These light bridges provided a method for fast travel between spokes without going through the central hub - a clever method to save players from too much backtracking.

Looking at this game from a more modern perspective, there are definitely some aspects that I would like to see in current games. The point-and-click interface could work well in portable games, especially those for the DS. I really enjoyed the conversation menu, as it was made up of small icons corresponding to topics of conversation. This may not work well in complex RPGs, but it was great in a shorter adventure game. I loved the overarching mystery and the story in general, as it presented the player with some interesting moral issues that are often not addressed in modern adventures. I also loved how many puzzles had hints for the player to see early on and return to when needed.

I understand that my fond childhood memories of The Dig may have influenced my view of it today, but I still think there is a lot to love in the game. While some puzzles may have been far too frustrating (especially for modern players), the game is generally well-designed and seems to have been a very polished experience for the time. I hope that the Steam re-release will get more people to play the game and appreciate its strengths.

Hunting Solo

2009-06-18T20:33:00.000-07:00

One of the best solo classes by far in LotRO is the hunter. While I've played the lore-master and the captain, the hunter's powerful ranged attacks and cleverly-designed skills clearly make up for the lack of a pet. As a hunter, I have been able to take down elites alone and complete quests two to three levels above me.

Playing as a hunter is definitely fun. It is great to be able to take down an enemy in just a few shots and to constantly challenge myself by defeating enemies of higher levels. Hunters in LotRO don't have to buy arrows, unlike hunters in WoW. This makes it very easy to quest far from town, as ranged attacks are always available. Ranged attacks work even when close to the enemy, so I'm never limited to the weaker melee attacks. Hunters also get a 15% run speed bonus early on, making resource mining much easier.

One of the best features for a hunter is the ability to instantly travel to key locations. While other classes often have to spend 40-100 silver to get from location to location, hunters slowly earn the ability to travel instantly to almost any central hub for about 2-6 silver in traveling rations. My hunter is ill-equipped to handle large crowds, which are a central component of many group quests. Fortunately, I can use the fast travel abilities to jump between areas to find quests that I can complete alone.

The only disadvantages to being a hunter that I have found so far are that I miss having a pet and that I get over-confident. After getting used to having a summoned pet with my primary character (lore-master), I miss the security I felt when I had a companion with me. It's nice to be able to use various pets to tank or deflect a few blows, especially when playing solo. Although my hunter deals greater damage on her own, this can be misleading and often leads me to seek out enemies that are too powerful for me. I find that I die more often than I did with the other classes, but I hope that this will improve as I find better strategies.

The hunter seems to be a solid solo class, and players seem to favor hunters. When I tried to join a random group to complete a fellowship quest, there would always be at least two hunters in the party, if not more. It's easy to see why, given their travel abilities and high damage capabilities. Hunters seem to have a lot of advantages over other classes, but they do have their limitations.

Cute Little Zombies

2009-06-02T15:51:00.000-07:00

PopCap's games have always shown a lot of charm, and Plants vs. Zombies is no exception. From clever names to a cartoon art style, the game exudes a level of polish not seen in many casual competitors. The sounds are also quite amusing, though they run the danger of annoying those who aren't watching.

The gameplay starts out at a fantastically easy learning curve. PopCap truly understands the wisdom behind the "easy to learn, difficult to master" casual game philosophy. Plants vs. Zombies starts out in a very simple manner, with few resources and a small playing field. As the player builds confidence, the game expands at a very comfortable rate, allowing the player to experiment and form new strategies without being punished. While this difficulty level may initially seem too easy for experienced strategy gamers, I found it to be perfect for a more casual strategy experience. I beat every level on the first try, from levels one to ten, but there were still plenty of challenging moments to keep my on my toes.

Although the demo is relatively short, the game promises many possibilities and an increase in difficulty. In adventure mode, there is a basic mechanic with several amusing variations. While the main game has players dealing with placing plants and resource management, simpler variations allow players to use their resource knowledge in new ways. For example, one variation no longer gives players freedom to choose what plants to place; the player must choose to place (or not to place) items available for a limited time on a scrolling conveyer belt. This variation in gameplay can be learned in a minimal amount of time but keeps players from getting bored.

Plants vs. Zombies seems to be a clever, well-structured casual strategy game. I found it to be well-worth the time I spent playing it. However, I'm not sure that I want to buy it. I typically get tired of strategy games, and I think I'll stick with the other games I already own. However, I do recommend downloading the demo. After all, this is about as cute as zombies get.

Pint-Sized Heroes

2009-05-22T18:03:00.000-07:00

I wasn't wild about the idea of playing Final Fantasy games on the DS. I had tried out Final Fantasy III DS a few months ago and quit after finding it incredibly difficult. I prefer to have my DS experiences tailored to the size of the console and its portable nature.

I recently found myself restless on an airplane. A friend had lent me Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates, so I decided to check it out. I was soon so engrossed in the game that I refused to properly shut it down for landing, and instead just shut my DS. I picked it up a short while later and eagerly finished my level.

Ring of Fates took me completely by surprise. It was remarkably similar to one of my favorite DS games, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. The are several Zelda-inspired puzzles, and much of the gameplay takes place in dungeons. The combat is mostly real-time hack-and-slash with a bit of spell casting, which reminded me of Kingdom Hearts. There was a real sense of adventure and exploration, as I was playing as a small boy out to save the world.

While I have had my fair share of complaints about child characters in video games, Ring of Fates fortunately avoids many of those pitfalls. The child protagonists are cute without being annoying, and I actaully began to like them. There is a natural chemistry between the boy and his twin sister that rides the line between rivalry and friendship.

The art style is well-suited to the DS. Like Final Fantasy III, there are some lovely FMV videos, but most of the game is in a lower resolution 3D style. The avatars are cute in their small scale, and the artists managed to put in large amount detail on many of thier outfits. The medieval setting seemed well-suited to the story and the characters.

Gameplay was enjoyable overall, but I did find a couple of weaknesses. Although the levels were scaled well and had a good sense of pacing, the game is in an isometric perspective. This can get confusing, as the D-pad controls your movement (which doesn't always match up with the perspective) and the maps are also in a square overhead view. It took me a little while to get used to the navigation in the game.

I've really enjoyed playing Ring of Fates. I'd like to see more of it, and I hope that it can be as much fun as Phantom Hourglass. It has certainly shown promise so far, largely due to the fact that the developers understood the scale and potential of the DS.

Rough Velvet

2009-05-02T19:13:00.000-07:00

Despite my dislike of stealth games, I was looking forward to Velvet Assassin. I'm rather fond of strong female leads, whether they are in comic books, movies, or games. Velvet Assassin appeared to have the type of protagonist I wanted to play. Unfortunately, the game I was hoping to like wasn't forgiving enough for a newbie like me.

I understand that cover is a very important part of stealth games. I was doing my best to utilize the cover system, but Velvet Assassin didn't make it clear enough for me. I could tell that I was in cover when I was hidden in shadows, but other objects made it less clear. For example, some bushes were cover and some were not, despite their identical appearances. This led me to be spotted by an enemy while I was crouched in some bushes, falsely believing that I was safe.

I felt very limited in the game in general. There were mechanics that seemed to serve no purpose and mechanics that were missing. I could drag bodies around, but there was little point. My movement speed was greatly reduced while dragging a body, and where was I supposed to hide it? The bushes were clearly not a good place, as the cover was inconsistent. Adding to my frustration was the lack of melee mechanics. While I am no stealth expert, it was my understanding that stealth games should at least have a punch of some sort. My character was left with no way to defend herself once my bullets were quickly expended, making her seem pitifully weak.

I ended up dying three times in the tutorial, and I couldn't get past the second group of enemies. The tutorial did little to motivate me to play through the rest of the game. There was a lot of terrain but not much actual gameplay. The art style looked flat, the game had an overly serious tone, and there was a very poor introduction to stealth. The tutorial narration and tips would disappear instantly when I pressed the action button; I accidentally skipped through what little information I was given.

Velvet Assassin provided me with an incredibly frustrating twenty-minute experience. Perhaps my inexperience with the genre or my high expectations colored my view. Regardless, I didn't feel anything like the powerful female I had wished to be; I felt like a pathetic, frail woman who had no business being a spy.

Heroes of Lore: LotRO Levels 1 -10

2009-04-14T15:10:00.001-07:00

It's no secret that I have a strong preference for Lord of the Rings: Online (LotRO) over World of Warcraft (WoW). I recently began playing as a new character to directly compare the opening 10 levels to those in WoW. I quickly realized that, despite the many similarities, LotRO has a much more epic and engaging opening.

LotRO begins with an instance specific to the race of your character. The elf instance starts in the crumbling remains of a small elven village. The instance was catered to be exciting and make my player feel epic. I had to defend the town from goblins sprinkled across my path. Soon a troll stomped in front of me, and I watched from behind the safety of a gate as Elrond defeated the foul creature. I knew that I was in way over my head, but I was never faced with anything I couldn't handle as a level one character. Although I was unable to group from the very beginning (which some argue is an advantage in WoW), the brief instance immersed me in the setting of the game and the conflicts that I would continue to face each time I logged in. My character was already an integral part of the struggle, having hid precious relics, and facing a terrible foe named Skorgrim just minutes from the start. It was an exciting experience, and a great way to start the game.

LotRO contains many other elements that help to create a very polished gameplay experience. The quest flow is fantastic. The quests are centered around the conflicts between races and regions. The quest dialogue is more detailed than that in WoW, so the lore is there for those who care. I constantly felt like a hero, whether saving a lynx cub or gathering allies to defeat an evil wraith. The areas are also catered to gameplay. While an area may appear to be a wooded field from a distance, the trees are placed in clusters to allow for proper combat and gameplay space. Also, areas are often full of quests. When I left a town, I could frequently complete five quests before I returned.

LotRO is certianly more exciting in the beginning than WoW. I found that starting in an instance was a fantastic way to immerse me in the lore of the game. Although I have skimmed my fair share of LotRO quests, I am always glad that the lore is there behind every quest I complete. LotRO's world feels more real to me, and it is a place where I feel respected as a player.

Hollow Rewards: WoW Levels 1-10

2009-04-05T10:26:00.000-07:00

One of the most challenging issues to deal with in our society today is a lack of productivity. People can spend eight hours at work and come home, feeling as if they got nothing done all day. Yet games such as World of Warcraft (WoW) provide a very rewarding structure. In just half an hour in WoW, a player can kill 20 vermin and complete a quest or two. In a night, a player can gain an entire level, especially at lower levels. WoW is excellent at providing rewards, but is it fun?

In the early levels, playing as a draenei paladin, I found WoW to be both fun and rewarding. In just four hours, I reached level 10. The game is cleverly tailored to beginning players; the opening area is easy and harmful creatures are clearly marked. Enemies are often not hostile until attacked.

Blizzard added a lot of very thoughtful design concepts to the opening quest flow as well, making questing quite painless. Players are given just a few quests to manage at first - no more than five or six. Breadcrumb quests are given to lead the player to the next area, and there are often additional quest-givers along the way, providing both a visual cue for the player and reinforcement that he is on the right path. Quests given out the same time are often grouped in the same area, reducing frustration for a player, as he can often get rewarded for killing the enemies on the way to a quest item. The actual numbers of items to be collected are also kept to a minimum, often between 1 and 8, reducing tedium. Another nice feature was a remote quest giver, such as a scout in an enemy area, that could give the player credit or move him forward in a nearby quest without the need for the player to return to town.

The quest flow in Ammen Vale and Azuremyst Isle was enjoyable, but still not quite satisfying enough for me. There were only a couple memorable quests out of the many that I completed. I was very impressed by the Prophecy of Akida quest chain, in which I could turn into a panther and travel through the world as if I were in a spiritual realm. The game took on a sepia tone, and the screen swirled into a haze. It was a fantastic experience, but, unfortunately, such quests are the exception. Most of the quest writing is somewhat bland and uninteresting; while WoW does have a fairly consistent writing tone, it seems to be written for those that only wish to skim the text. For this reason, I felt that, although I was generously rewarded for completing quests, the rewards themselves were hollow. The people who gave me the quests were not characters, just resources. The work I did seemed to have little impact on the world around me.

Although playing through WoW at a normal pace was more satisfying than playing with triple experience, I found that it is still not the MMO for me. The unmemorable quests encourage the player to push through the levels without much thought. It seems to promote instant gratification with minimal effort or investment in the world. I prefer a world that encourages me to be invested in the story and to reward me only when I deserve it.

Triple the Fun?

2009-03-14T14:56:00.000-07:00

Blizzard has a recruitment promotion for World of Warcraft (WoW) that gives the recruiter and a new member triple experience while questing together. I'm interested in working in MMO development, so I thought this might be a good way to get to the endgame in WoW. While it seemed like a good idea at first, I soon found that this type of unbalanced leveling led to a host of problems.

I began as a blood elf hunter and my friend chose a blood elf warlock. The first few levels felt easy, which is typical and helps to get players hooked. There were some nice areas, such as Farstrider Square, that had a lot of quests and were well-designed.

The problems started occurring after the first few levels. I actually got to a point where I had absolutely no quests, perhaps because I had missed a breadcrumb quest or leveled too quickly for the area. There were too few quests to start, and then there were too many. My friend and I began abandoning more fun but time-consuming quests for the kill quests, as they would provide more experience points for our time. The quest flow was completely thrown off by the triple experience. We were abandoning quests that would unlock other quests, and leveling became a dull grind.

There were other problems caused by the unusually fast leveling. We had too little money, as items we would normally gather and sell in the completion of quests were no longer acquired. This led us to be too poor to buy some skills unlocked as we leveled beyond our financial means.

I may have enjoyed WoW more at a normal pace, but the triple experience seems to turn leveling into a grind. I would hope that a lot of the fun in an MMO could come from the journey, not the destination (or endgame). If I'm going to spending hundreds of hours in that virtual world, I want to enjoy as much of it as I can.

When DLC Goes Wrong

2009-03-06T18:04:00.000-08:00

I was thrilled and devastated to finish Prince of Persia today. The game that had been my welcome obsession and favorite form of relaxation had ended. In the interest of avoiding spoilers, I won't share the ending, but I was more than a little disturbed by what I saw before the final credits rolled.

Fortunately, there was an epilogue released recently, which I hastily downloaded. I paced back and forth, wondering what would happen. How would they resolve the story?

I started up the DLC, and found it to feel entirely different. There was a dark tone, and Elika and the Prince had been reduced to bickering children. The DLC takes place inside a deep, cavernous palace, eliminating the lovely vistas and scenic views I so loved. The incentive to explore is all but eliminated, and the healings are gone. The lovely rewards of this level are gone and all that's left are the dank, diseased areas.

I would feel better about being stuck in diseased areas if they didn't become so dramatically difficult. The game was clearly trying to stand up to reviewers that criticized the game for being too easy. Instead of a relaxed, balanced level, the game resorted to annoying arcade mechanics to make it more "difficult". For example, when there was once one patrolling enemy blocking my path, there were now two or three, each on their own timer. While the Prince could often narrowly miss each enemy with one fluid, carefully-timed run, he now was stuck waiting for three balls of goo to line up just so. It completely ruined the momentum and spirit of the game.

Another frustrating element added to create a greater "challenge" was giving the player no clue as to where to go. At one point, I had to slide down a wall, dodging almost 12 diseased balls of goo. When I finally made a successful trip to the bottom, I had no idea where to go and fell to my death. Finally, I figured out that I had to jump offscreen to an area that I had no clue existed. This creates a lot of unnecessary frustration for the player. Developers should recognize that those who buy and play the DLC are those that finish the game; those who complain wouldn't bother. The DLC should be modeled to match the game, not to punish those who enjoyed it.

My final frustration with the DLC was the boss battles. I encountered one boss in the course of my time playing the DLC, and I chose to quit the DLC forever in the middle of the boss fight. The boss was invulnerable until knocked off the edge (a process I understood, as I often defeated a boss that way in the original game). It took about five minutes for me to knock the boss off the edge. Then I had to attack the boss in his alternate form. I began an attack, but, given the acrobatic nature of combat, attacks take some time. I got one hit in on the boss before he became invulnerable again (about 15 seconds after becoming vulnerable). I tried again, with the same result. I was so frustrated and felt completely defeated. I was not going to spend an hour fighting a boss, most of which would be spent trying to coax an invulnerable monster off a ledge. That was when I quit.

I absolutely loved Prince of Persia. Despite its shocking ending, I enjoyed everything in the original game. It was a wonderful experience for the many reasons that I mentioned in my previous post. I was so disappointed with the DLC; they removed almost everything that I loved about the original game. I would not recommend the DLC to anyone who enjoyed the original.

The Return of Co-op

2009-02-26T18:20:00.000-08:00

I admire Valve and the work they do, but most of their games have been far too scary (Half-Life series) or require too much skill (Team Fortress 2) for me to enjoy. For this reason, I was hesitant to try Left 4 Dead (L4D), but I finally did upon the insistence of a few good friends.

I played L4D on two separate occasions: once as survivors against an AI enemy, and later against a rival team of players, switching off between the survivors and the zombies. Although I enjoyed both experiences, I enjoyed being a survivor against the AI best because the game was more predictable, and no one had to be a loser. Regardless of the mode, I really commend Valve for a return to a more close-knit co-op game, which provides a fantastic opportunity for teamwork and tactical thinking.

While I still enjoyed playing L4D when I was fighting other players, it wasn't as fun for me. The other team seemed to understand how to use the zombies much better, and the fact that they had human reasoning behind their strategies became annoying. The other team would know the perfect spot to stand to drag me down, throw up on me, or otherwise hinder me. When I was a zombie, the other team continued to win, and I was dead in just one or two hits. I would wait forever to respawn, then wait in what I thought was a good spot, only to be foiled by those more experienced. L4D, like many online games, has a steep learning curve for novices.

Despite solid mechanics, friends are what kept me going in L4D. I'm not a big fan of shooters, and L4D is a shooter at heart. I lack the skill of many experienced FPS players and online veterans. However, the encouraging words and amusing comments of my friends via voice chat kept me going. I really enjoy the camaraderie of co-op games, whether it's online or in-person.

While I did enjoy playing L4D with my friends, I'm not sure how often I'll seek it out. A dark city overrun with creepy zombies and scary noises is not exactly a world that I would want to escape to at night for entertainment. Perhaps that is why I seem to find myself allying with friends in Lord of the Rings: Online more often. Regardless, I glad to see that Valve is bringing back this type of small-group co-op and encouraging teamwork in games again.

Prince Charming

2009-01-17T07:19:00.000-08:00

When I first saw my friend playing Prince of Persia, I thought it was a beautiful game. Screenshots couldn't capture the beauty of the game - it looked like a painting in motion. There were beautiful vistas, fluid animations, and an overall fantastic flow. My friend claimed that it was fun to play, but I had no idea just how fun it was until I got to play it myself.

After so many frustrating game experiences, Prince of Persia is a welcome change. The game is an absolute pleasure to play. Much like one of my other favorite games, Okami, the game involves traversing through diseased areas and healing them. As a player, my job is to beautify the area, bringing light to it and driving out the evil. I could heal an area in about half an hour, creating a very satisfying experience, much like a good TV show. Each level had a beginning, middle, and end.

The best part about Prince of Persia is that I enjoy each part of every level. While traveling through a diseased area, I have to solve small puzzles and do some amazing acrobatics. Unlike Mirror's Edge, I am completely relaxed about doing ridiculously acrobatic moves. The Prince is drawn to nearby holds almost with a magnetic pull. Then, if he dies, his companion will rescue him and place him nearby. I absolutely love this feature - it greatly reduces the stress and cuts down on time spent fuming over loading screens. The player is punished enough for missing a jump with their frustration; the Prince's companion simply brings levity to annoying but inevitable situation with clever comments.

After traveling through a deserted area, there is usually a boss fight. There are a few main bosses, each providing a different challenge. The combat moves are beautifully acrobatic and fluid. Fights are an elegant dance. Although I have had a few frustrating moments, mainly due to movement limitations during fights, I have been impressed overall with the fluidity and grace of the fights.

Once a boss has been defeated, the area can be healed by the Prince's companion, Elika. After the healing, the area becomes beautiful, and the level then becomes a playground with collectable light seeds scattered about. The levels are cleverly designed to be fun not only with the enemies as obstacles brought on by disease; they are also great fun to traverse once cleared. The Prince can travel with a speed and fluidity reminiscent of flying. This is a wonderful experience that I had not had in a game before, with the exception of a few moments in Mirror's Edge.

Another clever element of this game is the dialogue. The game took a risky move with the narrative, breaking the story up into mostly on-demand story chunks unlocked by sub-areas. I really enjoyed it, as some nights I wanted to chat with Elika and other nights I didn't. I love the relationship between the Prince and Elika, and the comraderie that comes from being in such a situation. The Prince is arrogant but undeniably amusing, and Elika is intelligent with a wicked sense of humor.

I'm really looking forward to playing more Prince of Persia. It has become a wonderfully relaxing way for me to enjoy my evenings. It is an unusual game that took a lot of risks that I really appreciate and it is a fantastically immersive experience.

Foul Fable

2009-01-02T16:23:00.000-08:00

For months, it seemed like all I heard about was Fable. As an RPG fan, I considered it my duty to at least try Fable II when it was released, as I had never played the original. I rented it with a friend, trying to keep an open mind.

The game began with a sweeping, lovely cinematic typical of many RPGs. The narrator had a lovely voice, and I happily got lost in it for a few minutes, until it ended rather abruptly, after following the path of some bird poop. I was willing to let that slide, and decided to focus on the gameplay. The character I played was a young girl with an older sister to introduce me to the world. My sister had the annoying habit of constantly calling me "Little Sparrow". I tried to ignore her, hoping that she would soon leave me alone.

As the game continued, I grew more and more frustrated with it. The dialogue was often laughable and sounded ridiculous for a fantasy setting. In a time of games such as Lord of the Rings: Online and TV shows such as Legend of the Seeker, the dialogue in Fable II had no excuse. In addition to the poor quality of the writing (at least in the opening area), the conversations were slow, taking forever to start and forcing me to wait an eternity to get a response. The voice-overs were slow, and it was difficult to tell from the audio cues if a conversation was starting or if something was simply an NPC bark. Poor conversation mechanics such as these are unacceptable in a game like an RPG that depends heavily on dialogue.

However, we persisted with the game, hoping that it would get better past the tutorial. Unfortunately, the game continued to aggravate me, with tedious mechanics such as holding down a button to collect experience from defeated enemies. Then the game only had one save slot, which seemed ridiculous. If I made a choice that did irreparable damage, it would become very difficult to get back, especially with just one save. Then the quest path was outlined in a conspicuous glowing highlight, which distracted greatly from the world around me. Although I can suspend disbelief by allowing game interfaces, this type of glowing path seems more distracting than if the developers had used an actual interface.

Still unwilling to give up hope, I wondered if there was something else that would make this game redeemable for me. There was, in fact, an interesting element similar to emotes in MMOs. Fable II has a social menu that allows the player to do certain actions, trying to gain or lose favor and other social elements from bystanders. There seemed little point to it, other than trying to amuse yourself with farts or get some helpless NPC woman to marry you. I was opposed to the idea of this - Fable isn't WoW or The Sims - and the whole concept of treating NPCs as expendable resources who are so easily influenced. This seemed to detract from the authenticity and took me out of the game.

I'm not sure what there is to love about Fable II; I found a lot that drove me away. While I respect what the developers were trying to do, they seem to be creating games for a very different type of RPG player.

Two-Faced Mirror

2008-12-20T18:19:00.000-08:00

I really wanted Mirror's Edge to be my next favorite game. It started out so well. The only issue was that it was a little too challenging for my taste. But no game is perfect, right?

I found out at the end of chapter four that Mirror's Edge was just too difficult for me. The end no longer justified the means - I was attempting jumps over twenty times and turning off the game out of frustration. And I wasn't even to the fifth chapter. I read through the rest of the chapter on a walkthrough and found that I would not only have to jump onto a moving train - I'd have to dodge cement columns and jump onto other moving trains. The thrill of a challenge was gone. I lost hope.

I talked with my friends, wondering if I was just an inferior gamer and if I was really missing something. One of my friends finished the game, carefully explaining that there was little reward in the story or the gameplay. Enemies became nearly impossible to avoid, and the unpolished combat system became crippling. The game was tedious and expected the near impossible, requiring more luck than skill.

I was hesitant to give up on Mirror's Edge, but, after hearing my friend's bleak report regarding the rest of the game, I lost all motivation to continue. Mirror's Edge had so much potential with the sleek aesthetic, fantastic parkour mechanics, and solid opening level design. It's unfortunate that the attempt to make it more difficult seems unbalanced, perhaps by developers and testers too familiar with their game to see the unrealistic expectations on the player. If the entire game had been scaled to match the levels from the beginning chapters, it may have been a fun experience. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to give up on Mirror's Edge, as it is simply too difficult.

Hotel Dialogue

2008-12-08T18:26:00.000-08:00

I was really excited to check out Hotel Dusk. After watching a friend play it, I was intrigued by the art style. The box described the game as an "interactive mystery novel" and, unfortunately, they take the "novel" part quite seriously.

As an avid RPG fan, I'm no stranger to large blocks of text and dialogue. In fact, narrative is one of my favorite parts of RPGs. However, narrative at the expense of gameplay throws a game far out of balance. Hotel Dusk does just that. The game is weighed down by long conversations that offer only a few choices with seemingly little influence on the world. Most of the gameplay involved clicking through rooms, tedious searching of rooms, and looking for the person that would start my next lengthy dialogue.

On the rare occassion when I got to solve a puzzle, I often had trouble recognizing the situation. I often had to look online for help, as I was completely stuck. How was I to know that a utility closet which was locked the last four times I checked suddenly opened? And how was I supposed to know that there was a tool in that closet that I could use to cut off a length of a coat hanger firmly rooted to my closet? And then I was magically supposed to assume that I could use this to unlock a briefcase. The puzzles are mostly like the one I described - intensely elaborate and complicated. The people around were clueless to my problems and failed to offer any hints. Puzzle solving became a tedious endeavor in which I had to search through every room in the hotel again, engage each person in repetitive dialogues, and wonder why the logical answers never seem to be the right ones.

I really wanted to like this game, as it had a gorgeous art style and an interesting premise. However, this game is much more a novel than a game, and a boring novel at that. If solving mysteries in real life is this tedious, then perhaps it's good I'm not a detective.

Undeniably Sharp Edge

2008-11-14T22:42:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday night, I was too restless to sleep. I usually take some time to relax after my late class, and I found the perfect way to unwind. I cracked open my brand-new copy of Mirror's Edge and played until two in the morning.

It's been a long time since I've loved a game enough from the start to play for hours. I had a feeling that I would like it from the demo, but I didn't know that it would be this much fun.

Perhaps the best part of Mirror's Edge is the sensation of flying. Sometimes this comes from familiarity with a level; after failing a certain part several times I would find the swiftest path. However, good level design can create the feeling of flying without practice runs. For example, when running through a particularly intuitive portion of a level, I found myself suddenly faced with just one option for escape: jumping down the steep side of a building. To my surprise, I slid smoothly down and then used my momentum to complete a particularly long jump. It was a great feeling, and the fantastic sensation of flying felt completely natural in that environment.

Aside from flying, I found many other areas to commend in Mirror's Edge. The first couple of levels that I played through were quite intuitive. When running through small spaces at high speeds, this is a particular accomplishment. I was impressed with the level design, since players need to run through the level as fast as possible, and ordinary platformer and adventure game rules do not apply. I was also glad that the enemies were not an issue, at least at this stage in the game, since I could avoid combat. The combat system seems less refined than other mechanics, and it's nice to have a more peaceful option.

My greatest challenge when playing action-adventure games like Mirror's Edge is jumping. I don't know what it is about me, but I seem to be lacking a key skill in the spatial-relations department. For a game that I enjoyed so much, it may seem surprising that I swore like a sailor half the time I played. I have an odd habit where I almost never curse, except when playing games. Perhaps that was the release I needed to cure my restlessness.

My love-hate relationship with Mirror's Edge became more of a love when I discovered how forgiving the game was regarding death and respawns. Most of the particularly difficult jumps only had to be completed once, which made them much more accessible for people like me. The game had a plethora of triggered spawn points that minimized the time it took for me to reach the points where I got stuck, which also reduced my frustration. No matter how hard a part may have seemed, at least I knew that I only had to complete it once.

I'm excited to play more of Mirror's Edge. The sleek aesthetic, modern music, and HD graphics round it out to create a very enjoyable experience. I hope that it continues to be this fun. If so, Mirror's Edge could easily become my next favorite game.

War of the Hotties

2008-10-28T18:19:00.000-07:00

When a classmate showed up at a study session proudly clutching the strategy guide to Warhammer Online: Age of Reconing (WAR), I rolled my eyes. For the past week, he had talked of nothing except WAR. Clearly, his obsession had only gotten worse. I initially dismissed him as a lone fanboy, but then I saw how more and more of my friends were joining this WAR. It was time for me to log on and check it out.

I was initially hesitant to play WAR given my aversion to PvP experiences. Yet I wanted to give it a fair shot, and at least take the time to explore the opening PvE gameplay.

At first, I was impressed with WAR. A fantastic opening cinematic sequence clearly established the characters of the world, from the goofy goblin squig herder to the seductive and deadly dark elf sorceress. There were massive enemies, brutal attacks and flashy effects, all of which helped create a welcome sense of chaos.

Then I was asked to create a character. After consulting some friends, I decided to play as a dark elf sorceress. While I normally like to create a little blonde girl that's a glamorized version of myself, I decided instead to make a fierce Megan Fox lookalike.

Once I got to the gameplay, I became disoriented. The UI was unnecessarily cluttered and confusing; for a game that plays a lot like World of Warcraft (WoW), the UI was rather unintuitive. I wouldn't have minded getting used to a new system, but I felt that a lot of UI decisions didn't make sense to me. For example, the colors for quest givers didn't clearly indicate to me which I had visited and which were strangers. While I did appreciate the indications of quest locations on my map, I found that a lot of the UI changes made from other MMOs (such as Lord of the Rings Online (LotRO) or WoW) were essentially less user-friendly. If I were new to MMOs, my eyes surely would've glazed over.

However, the opening quests in WAR were decent. While the quests themselves weren't written with at the same level as MMOs like LotRO, the actual quests were interesting and went beyond the simple "Kill 5 Generic Enemies" quests. I don't expect WAR to be as detailed as LotRO since WAR is a PvP-focused MMO. Yet the PvE quests still had fun details like firing a special weapon at enemies and unleashing creatures resembling dinosaurs.

I must commend WAR for some great scripting, which helped to create a fantastic atmosphere. It was very rewarding to watch the dinosaur creatures I unleashed run to the nearest enemy and attack. I also liked how the elves I needed to defeat were already engaged in battle, and my allies would aid me when nearby. Then there was the quest that gave me a fantastic bird's-eye view of the war around me.

While I enjoyed playing as a lovely avatar, I have to admit that WAR seems to be more clearly geared toward a male audience than other MMOs. My Megan Fox lookalike started out in what amounted to a bra and skirt. I kept trying to buy clothes, but I couldn't at my low level. So when I finally got a new gown, I was excited to try it on. But then I saw that my new outfit was composed of even less fabric than my default bra and skirt. I wouldn't object if I could choose between the shamelessly exhibitionistic lingerie and the skintight leather catsuits, but there were no catsuits to be found. I also wouldn't have minded if there were more shirtless males running around, but, at least in my starting area, all the men seemed to be fully-clothed. Yet all the women I encountered seemed to be wearing things like Nehmora the Hag, dressed in essentially a bikini and thigh-high boots.

I must admit that WAR does seem to do well sticking to their theme. WAR stays consistent with many details. For example, as a dark elf sorceress, I could choose abilities that followed the paths of agony, calamity, or destruction. When I was continually asked to "kill the poet high elves," I began to feel slightly guilty for being so evil. Despite my feelings, I was glad to see how deeply the developers had explored the dark atmosphere.

As a single-player PvE experience, WAR didn't pull me in like LotRO. While I appreciated the quests and themes, I don't feel that WAR's PvE has the same level of polish as some other MMOs on the market. However, WAR was not made to excel as a PvE game. I tried to explore more of the PvP aspect, but I gave up after queueing for a PvP quest for half an hour. I think I will reserve judgment until I've played more of the PvP. Unfortunately, I fear that I may not be the right person to appreciate WAR, given my preference for the "care bear" experiences.

Puzzles of the Caribbean

2008-10-20T18:19:00.000-07:00

I'm more of a hardcore gamer than a casual gamer by nature, but I do enjoy indulging in the pleasures of casual games from time to time. I often find casual games to be a nice break from the intense commitments I make to my usual 50-hour RPGs. Like a summer fling, good casual gaming experiences can inspire a sense of fun and freedom that only comes from a short-term, minimal commitment.

I recently tried out the casual game Ikibago: The Caribbean Jewel. Ikibago is not your run-of-the-mill casual game. It takes the usual match three mechanics to another level, much like Puzzle Quest. The game is loosely centered around a the story of a lost jewel. However, the only way to get the jewel is to journey across the high seas and puzzle your way through each level.

The basic mechanics of Ikibago are familiar. The core match three principle is expanded through several variations, such as keys, locks, empty spaces, pattern-making, multiple combos, a moving board, and the unusually flexible piece-switching options. Instead of games like Bejeweled, where only corresponding pieces can be switched, Ikibago allows any piece on the board to switch places with the others. This creates a fun dynamic which allows for a wider variety of play styles. I found that my love of organizing and sorting motivated me to arrange rows of one color each. However, there were many other ways to create combos and get just as many (or more) points.

The overall style of Ikibago was well-suited to the game. The pirates looked cartoonish but not childish, and the bright colors created an upbeat mood. The music was fun and definitely set a nice pirate mood. I enjoyed the aesthetic experience and the cute cutscenes.

Ikibago displays one of the most important traits of good casual games: it is easy to learn, but difficult to master. While I found myself breezing through the opening puzzles, I soon faced a welcome challenge. Ikibago is a polished game experience, with fresh variations on a simple mechanic. I had fun solving the puzzles and I'm looking forward to playing more soon.

Beautiful Braid

2008-10-11T14:15:00.000-07:00

While I was working on The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom, one of our advisers was a man named Jonathan Blow. He was working on a game called Braid, an independently-created 2D platformer that dealt with similar themes of bending the laws of time. Our lead designer raved about Jonathan Blow's genius and could not wait to play Braid. So when the demo was finally released on Xbox Live, I wanted to give it a try.

Just minutes into Braid, I could see why the critics were charmed. There was beautiful music, a refreshing art style, and incredibly clever puzzles. The opening story was broken into portions that could easily be skipped, if desired. The tutorial was integrated tastefully into the very art of the backgrounds. The how-to tutorial images were simple enough to be understood visually; no words were necessary. The level of polish was clearly obsessive, and the final result was impressive.

I'm not quite sure on where I stand on the whole "games as art" argument, but I'm certain that many of the pieces of Braid are very artistic. David Hellman's art is stunning and quite dynamic; it really pushes the 2D limits and creates a beautifully-animated world. The art fits the story rather well; it's a storybook-inspired style with quaint details like a dinosaur and tiny cannons that fire everything from clouds to enemies. Equally stunning is the musical score. It is lovely and suits the scale of the game. Each level seems to have its own special theme that is thoughtful and filled with emotion. My only complaint regarding the music is that some themes seemed to get slightly annoying when I rewound small portions multiple times in a row (for gameplay reasons). However, this is likely due to my personal lack of skill rather than an error on the part of the composer.

The puzzles themselves were incredibly clever. Unfortunately, sometimes they seemed too clever for me. Even some of the early puzzles baffled me. I'm not sure why, since I love puzzle games. Unfortunately, I felt that some of the puzzles required more chance than skill. Perhaps I was making the puzzles harder than necessary. However, it seemed like some puzzles got very difficult very quickly, and required tediously precise jumps. There also seemed to be some puzzles that necessitated a return later in the game, which is an interesting idea. Regardless, I would've made the earlier levels easier to lure players in and help them develop a confidence through familiarity with the mechanics and conventions of the world of Braid.

However, despite my frustrations with the puzzle difficulty level, I still found some aspects to appreciate. I thought it was brilliant that there is no restart from death in the game; the game can simply be rewound to the precise point a player needs to continue successfully. It was neat to see how certain keys could transcend the laws of time; they magically remained in my character's hand, even through rewinds. The level of thinking required to create these puzzles is certainly admirable.

I'm glad that I played a bit of Braid. I understand why so many critics love it and why it will likely remain inaccessible to a large portion of the gaming population. Like high art, a game like Braid seems to suit a particular audience. I admire Jonathan Blow's efforts, but his game is a bit too difficult for me.

Dark Demo

2008-10-05T18:18:00.000-07:00

"Dark," "gory" and "brutal" aren't the typical words that attract me to a game. I'd heard that The Darkness was all of those wonderful adjectives and more, which initially drove me away. Then a friend lent me the graphic novel that became the basis for the game, and I soon found a reason to explore the depths of The Darkness.

The demo for The Darkness is incredibly well-rounded and complete, giving an excellent view of the game in chapters one, three, and seven. The stats have been adjusted specifically for the demo, allowing a smooth experience despite the gaps. Each level had a very different feel. The game has a strong sense of narrative despite the limited dialogue; most of the story was told through the protagonist's actions.

I wasn't terribly impressed with the first level. It felt more like an amusement park ride than a game. My options were very limited; I only could rotate the camera. When I finally got a gun, I couldn't wait to fire it, but I had to sit and wait while my character loaded the gun at the pace of a sloth. Supposedly I wasn't allowed to fire until the guy in front of me was brutally killed, and I could take his place in the front seat. I finally did get to shoot a bit, but then the demo portion of chapter one ended. While being in a car chase is exciting, I would've enjoyed it more if I were able to take part in the gunfight earlier. Part of my annoyance with control of only the camera came from the fact that the animations were stiff and the character models were just so-so. After reading a comic with the fantastic art style of Top Cow, I had hoped for characters that looked more sophisticated. Instead, these mobsters appeared to be precariously perched on the edge of the uncanny valley.

Chapter three was frustrating in the beginning, and I died a few times trying to get out of the cemetery. It seemed as if the voices of the mobsters weren't coming from any particular direction, so I couldn't tell where my enemies were until I was shot by them. I had some trouble getting used to the shooting mechanics and trying to identify men in black suits against a very dark background. While I could crouch behind cover, it appeared as if I couldn't shoot while hidden and thus I had to expose myself to harm. After a few tries, however, I managed to run into a tunnel and take the men down one by one by shooting at them through a small window. Following that small victory, I gained the darkness power and the game became much, much easier.

As soon as I got the darkness, I began to enjoy the game. I could wear the demons like a suit of armor. I could summon a minion berserker and command him to kill those ahead of me. All I had to do was shoot out streetlights; the darkness only thrives in the absence of light. Perhaps one of the coolest abilities was the "creeping" darkness. One of the demons would creep away like a snake, suddenly making unreachable areas accessible. I used this mode to crawl through a vent, take out a fan, then slither through the opening to brutally murder a man for a key. If there's one thing the darkness ability does well, it's giving the player the power of a real badass.

By the time I played the demo portion of chapter seven, I was much more familiar with the game, my powers, and the controls. Fortunately, the designers had the foresight to balance chapter seven by adding the extra abilities that would be available at that point in the game. These included a new darkness ability (that allowed an darkness "arm" to lift and smash things) as well as two new types of minions (the gunner and kamikaze darklings). Although I would sometimes panic about a lack of ammo, the help from my summoned darklings soon proved to be more than a match for the various henchmen.

My main complaint regarding chapter seven would have to be the level design. There was a gate I wasn't sure how to pass in the beginning, yet there were many locked doors scattered around. Once inside the warehouse area, the actual layout was rather mazelike, and I found myself constantly retracing my steps, accidentally exiting, and getting rather confused in general. My objective was behind a door that I got open somehow, but only after much button-mashing and frustration. I'm still not sure how I finally got through that door.

Overall, I was quite impressed with the faithfulness of the adaptation of The Darkness graphic novel to the gameplay experience. The game chose a strong storyline to follow and did a fantastic job of allowing the player to explore the depths of the protagonist's very dark powers. The brutality of the game didn't bother me, but that was likely due to my exposure to such images in the comics already as well as my high tolerance for blood and guts. I'm not sure if those unfamiliar with the series would enjoy The Darkness as much as I did, but it's certainly worth playing the demo — if you're not afraid of the dark.

Casual Interest

2008-09-29T18:18:00.000-07:00

After a few internships and game conferences, I actually know the names and faces of a few people behind some great games. I first heard about MySims at GDC when I met a programmer who worked on it. Then, in the fall, I took a game design class with Robin Hunicke, who was the lead designer. I respect the work of both these people, so I wanted to see what this game was all about.

I have to admit that I am new to the Sims series (unless you count Sim City). However, I do understand that certain aspects of MySims are Sims conventions, such as the gibberish voice-overs. Also, I don't exactly fall into the younger, more casual demographic for MySims, so I did my best to review it accurately given the intended audience. Please note that all comments are based on the Wii version, as opposed to the DS version.

MySims is one of the happiest games I've ever played. All the avatars seemed very excited and hopeful. My own avatar was adorable and skipped around joyfully wherever she went. The entire art style reflects this happy, friendly theme. MySims managed to make everything cute and adorable, from metal detectors to loading screens. This seemed to enhance the game in almost every way. I only had an issue with the cutesy animations when I was trying to point at small features on the customization screen, and my avatar was so excited that she kept bopping around. So instead of changing her eye shape, I changed her hair. Or her mouth, depending on how she was dancing. Overall, it was a rather minor annoyance.

The entire game seems to give players plenty to do and guide them to their goals. For example, when I left my avatar idle while taking a cell phone call (in the real world), a pop-up appeared to help guide me towards my next task. If I were confused, this notice could be quite helpful. The game appears to be set up so players never feel lost and alone in the world.

Yet players don't have to do exactly what they are told at any given moment. About half an hour into the game, I was given a whole bunch of blueprints for items that I could build. By then, I had also learned how to build and remodel houses, prospect (with my trusty metal detector), and plant trees. Resources seemed abundant for those who seek them out. Also, activities are not limited to structured quests or events. I was happy to discover many ways that I could interact with the world around me, from snoozing on a bench to splashing in a fountain (and giggling, naturally).

I think that MySims is generally a decent game, with a careful attention to detail. It seems to be very friendly and well-suited to those who like to explore and build. If I were younger, I think I'd really enjoy it. I'm curious to see what my cousins think, and I'm looking forward to sharing it with them soon.

Lara Croft: My Hero

2008-09-21T18:21:00.000-07:00

As a child, I looked up to Lara Croft. She was smart, brave, and beautiful. Lara broke out of the rich girl stereotype and pursued her dreams. Aside from her unrealistic proportions and illegal tomb robbing, Lara is a relatively positive role model.

Like any fan, I tried my best to learn more about this woman I admired. I owned a PlayStation, but I lost interest in Tomb Raider 2 shortly after the tutorial. The game was difficult and required a set of skills that I didn't have. I turned to comics instead, reading about Lara's adventures in the Top Cow series and Witchblade crossovers.

As I grew older, I have played each new Tomb Raider demo, hoping that the next one will finally capture my interest. Lara has certainly charmed me, yet I never seem to want to play her games. How could a series with such a compelling character frustrate and bore a gamer like me?

I recently played the Tomb Raider: Anniversary demo. It was well-received by critics; the PC version scored 83 on Metacritic. The various revisions to levels and mechanics from previous games sounded promising. I wanted this to be the Tomb Raider I had been waiting to play and love.

At first I was impressed by the shiny new graphics and fluid animations. Clearly motion capture had greatly benefited this series, as Lara now moved with the grace of a real gymnast. Anniversary felt like a next-gen experience and I was thrilled to be immersed in a fantastic set of ruins.

Yet Anniversary soon fell prey to the same faults that caused me to grow tired of its predecessors. I was utterly alone, aside from the sparse enemies who scared me half to death. The graphics were so seamless that I had a hard time figuring out where to go. For example, there were two exits from the starting area, but the most obvious exit seemed to be a ladder cruelly just inches out of my reach.

I felt that the game was rather unforgiving. I got stuck at one point and I had nowhere to turn for help. My feeble attempts at finding a solution caused me to fall into a river, where I was swept downstream and over a waterfall to the beginning of the level. I had the distinct feeling that these puzzles were catered to fans of the series: those who knew how to solve the puzzles could solve them easily; those who didn't were out of luck. While I do appreciate puzzles in games, I felt that I was thrown into the lake without first learning how to swim.

I don't believe that Tomb Raider: Anniversary is a bad game. Tomb Raider fans would likely find it to be a welcome addition to the series, given the lovely graphics and next-gen upgrades. However, I may have reached the point where I give up on the Tomb Raider series. I'll always admire Ms. Croft, but perhaps I'll have to appreciate her from afar.

Simplistic Spore

2008-09-10T17:17:00.000-07:00

I'm always wary of over-hyped games. I first heard about Spore almost two years ago when a fan in one of my classes drooled over an early video. I smiled politely at him and nearly forgot about the game until it surfaced on blogs in full force a couple months ago, in anticipation of its release.

Spore is one of those games like Halo where it's been marketed to the point where even non-gamers have heard of it. I get annoyed when I tell people that I study video game design and they immediately associate it with adolescent boys wasting their lives away, mindlessly shooting each other over an internet connection. Spore is probably a better association, but I'll admit that I've never been a member of Will Wright's legion of fans. I've heard that a lot of girls play The Sims. However, when a girl tells me that she only plays The Sims, I nod and smile and often change the subject. The Sims players seem more similar to those who only play casual games, so it's often harder for me to discuss the finer points of game design and narrative with them.

I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when the first hour or two of Spore played like a casual game. The beginning was practically a copy of flOw, Jenova Chen's brilliant thesis project that was recreated and released for the PS3. He was hired as a designer on Spore, but it still seemed ridiculous to me that I was playing the same game when I liked the music and aesthetic of flOw better.

After I got out of the initial stage, I was able to move onto the land. The game then became confusing. As a player used to complicated RPG interfaces, Spore was befuddling in its simplicity. Everything had been reduced to a visual representation, but this created a ridiculous amount of tutorial to explain what button to use for each function. Then there was a system to "make friends" with other creatures. I didn't understand why some creatures would be my friends and others wouldn't. Why did some creatures have such steep requirements to be friends? It took me a long time to figure out that each friendly action, such as dancing or singing, had a level. If I had a high dance level and a low singing level, it would be hard to make friends with creatures would wouldn't dance with me. This was completely determined by chance, which was frustrating.

Spore was largely praised for its character customization as well. This aspect also became frustrating. I like forming an attachment to my character and I try to make them as cute as possible. In Spore, however, your character's attributes (such as dancing level or health) can be directly tied to the parts you put on them. I became upset as I had to trade out parts I liked, such as a cute set of ears, for a different set just because it had better attributes. I began to see why a lot of games, such as RPGs with upgradeable armor, will either hide the armor or give you the option to equip cosmetic armor. I wanted more control over my character's appearance without having to sacrifice my character attributes.

Spore has been relatively frustrating for me so far. It hasn't been terribly difficult, but I feel as if it wasn't made for me. I respect what the Spore team is trying to accomplish and I understand their desire to make the game accessible. However, that doesn't mean that it will appeal to a more hardcore gamer like me. I would like to continue playing Spore to see if it improves in later stages. I've heard the real game comes after evolution is complete. I just hope that this game is compelling enough to catch my interest before I get to space.

Falling for Planetfall

2008-08-25T15:59:00.000-07:00

I'm always searching for game writing inspiration. When I heard about "Planetfall," an unconventional novella inspired by science fiction literature and modern interactive narrative, I was intrigued. Author John Burnett, a user interface (UI) artist for video games by day and a renaissance man by night, has written a linear story with a sleek flash interface that affected me in a powerful way.

"Planetfall" differs from other novellas in its format. The story is presented in a seamless UI inspired by early images of the Animus from Assassin's Creed. The narrative is written entirely through a futuristic messaging system that is a hybrid of modern-day emailing and instant messaging. While no dates or timestamps are present, the chronology of the story is quite clear, and the pacing is strong. At first I thought the lack of dates was a fault, but, upon further reflection, I began to see how it aided the overall flow of the story.

The plot is an interesting experiment of a crew put in a drastic situation. The reactions are profoundly human, representing some of the best and worst aspects of humanity. In a relatively short amount of time, Burnett manages to convey the struggles of a large group of people and the variety of emotions they experience. It is very reminiscent of games, as the electronic messages are all we have of the incident. The gaps must be filled in by the reader. Fortunately, Burnett manages to take advantage of the opportunity to leave out information and throw in some surprises. The ending left me somewhat shaken, but I enjoyed it and the finale was fitting.

Burnett has a great attention to detail despite the deceptively simple interface. In his notes, he mentions key decisions, such as having photos for each character to emphasize their humanity. He then explains how he lights up each character when they are the person who wrote the message, but when their picture fades out, the light remains slightly longer on their eyes. Burnett also made several revisions to the novella that added a surprising level of polish, such as the maintenance reports that help break up the messages with a more visual piece of narrative.

While Burnett's novella could clearly provide some positive inspiration for game writers considering telling stories through logs or files, there are still a few weaknesses. For a story told in 2030, his characters have an unusual grasp of some terms that would surely be antiquated by that time. Certain phrases, such as "grab a pen," may be outdated. More futuristic phrases, such as "grab a stylus," could provide more suitable replacements. Also, the story sets a very clear tone through the dialogue. I enjoyed the dry wit and the coolness, but this did create characters with less depth. I wanted to see a character or two with more quirkiness, or characters with different senses of humor. Also, several of Burnett's central characters have a high degree of academic literary knowledge. It seems unlikely that characters in 2030 stuck on a spaceship would've spent hours in a classroom studying Shakespeare and Yeats which they can then quote to express their frustrations.

Despite its faults, I feel that "Planetfall" provides a strong narrative. Outside of sci-fi literature, Burnett cites his inspirations as System Shock 2 and BioShock. This style of on-demand narrative through logs in increasingly popular, as it will also be utilized in the upcoming Dead Space. It has certainly inspired me to write my own interactive narrative through messages. It certainly seems a challenge to write an interactive narrative that could affect me as strongly as "Planetfall."

Lukewarm Finale

2008-08-10T11:49:00.000-07:00

After the incredible reveal in KOTOR, I was really looking forward to the finale. I was extremely motivated to play after that fantastic twist. I wondered how the writers would deal with such a great shift in character and what other secrets would unfold.

I eagerly played through the last planet and found myself trapped on an unknown planet that resembled an island paradise. While this new place had some interesting conflicts, I found myself less engaged with the game than I was during previous levels. This stage was a means to the end, and I no longer cared about details such as the history of a new alien race. I was hungry for the real drama - I wanted to find my lost friend and beat Malak once and for all.

Malak was still a couple of levels away. I had to weave through a labyrinthine tomb and then fight wave after wave of enemies on his ship. I spent almost an hour fighting what seemed like endless streams of nameless enemies. I grew frustrated. I had been given a taste of fantastic narrative and suddenly I was stuck in some boring hack-and-slash. I don't mind fights at the end of a game, but these enemies had little narrative connection to the story; they were essentially bodies thrown at me to slow me down. Eventually, I took advantage of a chance to skip out on a fight and ran ahead to face Malak.

I confronted my friend and then reached the final boss fight. There were few surprises in the narrative and the final boss fight was dull and poorly paced. Malak would frequently run off to leech power, and I would heal myself quickly before hacking away at his HP again. It was tedious and dull, especially when I would have to wait for him to run over to me and attack me.

When the final boss fight was over, I was shown the "light side" cinematic ending. I was incredibly disappointed to watch a few lame 2D people cheering for me as I got a silly metal. After 30 hours and a ridiculous amount of fighting at the end, I won a war and got a few empty words. It was such a letdown after the big reveal that I thought there must be a better ending for the dark side. I looked it up on YouTube and found that the dark side ending definitely gave the player a greater sense of power. It was certainly not Mass Effect's ending, but this version was obviously superior to the light side version. I wondered if the game would have been more fun if I was on the dark side and spent 30 hours being mean to people.

As a fan of RPGs, I finish relatively few games. Many RPGs require such a time investment that it becomes impractical to finish a game when I grow frustrated. I don't regret finishing KOTOR at all, but I wish that it had given me more of a sense of accomplishment at the end. Mass Effect left me feeling as if I'd saved the universe and Okami nearly had my crying tears of joy. I was disappointed that a game that had such an awesome climax fell flat on its face at the end.

The OMG Moment

2008-07-25T11:49:00.000-07:00

*SPOILER WARNING*

Please do not read this post if you intend to play Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR). There's a fantastic moment of game narrative that caught me completely by surprise, and I would hate to spoil it for you. Click here to skip to the previous post.

However, if you have played KOTOR, please read on and feel free to share your own thoughts.

*Spoilers begin below*

On a seemingly average Tuesday, I had an hour or two to kill before class. Too restless for TV, I turned to my favorite pastime: gaming. I booted up KOTOR with the goal of getting through a lengthy quest on Korriban.

An hour later, I was deeply engrossed in the game. The seemingly ordinary task on Korriban had turned into a rather interesting quest concerning multiple tombs in the Valley of the Dark Lords. By the time I left Korriban, I had met a host of interesting characters, from the ghost of a Sith lord to a droid that was hyper-sensitive to sounds.

As I flew to the next planet, I was shocked to find my ship pulled into a tractor beam. Suddenly, we had been captured and our entire fate was dependent on one character. I had to play solo to free my fellow adventurers. This new quest sounded quite fun, so I decided to play a little longer, foregoing my usual makeup routine.

No sooner had I rescued my characters than further developments unfolded, and I found myself bargaining for more time. I resolved to buy food instead of taking the time to make a sandwich. I worked my way through the level, searching each room and taking out the enemies. I had just beaten a boss and was running to my ship. Nearly home free, I was convinced I would stop once I had reached that safe point.

Then it hit me. It was possibly the biggest OMG moment in the entire game. Darth Malak had stopped me and mocked me with a grave truth: I was Darth Revan, the other half of the sinister pair that I had been fighting the entire game. My mouth dropped open in shock. It was simply brilliant.

I continued through the conversation, clicking through the dialogue with a stupid grin on my face. The writers had fooled me with one incredibly clever twist. I was thrilled.

Riding on this high, I suddenly noticed the time and had to race out the door and drive to school, still in shock. I ran into horrible traffic and was late to class, but I didn't care. I had just experienced one of my greatest moments in gaming. Fortunately, I was driving to a game design class full of people who would understand, or so I thought.

"I saw it coming," claimed one of my friends. How could it seem so simple to him and yet so brilliantly hidden to me? As I talked with him, I began to see how I had assumed that Revan was a male from the beginning, so it never occurred to me that my female character could be the same person. Even though Revan was carefully hidden in cloaks, my assumption had allowed me to be taken completely by surprise. He had played as a male character in the presence of roommates who dropped hints now and then.

Fantastic OMG moments in games can seem like pure genius when set up properly, but games aren't played in a vacuum. Gamers form a community that seems to thrive on rumors of the latest game and fans love to drool over the newest trailer. In a game development setting, some employees pick up games as soon as they come out and avidly discuss the finer points the next day. If you wait until the price drops, you will likely overhear gossip that spoils the delicate secrets of a game.

KOTOR's big reveal was incredibly satisfying for me because it caught me completely by surprise. Playing a game long past its prime kept me shielded from the spoilers and blissfully ignorant of its amazing twist. In a culture that thrives on the rapid spread of knowledge, I hope that writers continue to weave in twists that catch players off guard. It's the OMG moments that make the other 10-30 hours worthwhile.

PWND by Hobbits

2008-07-10T11:48:00.000-07:00

When I tell people how much I've been enjoying Lord of the Rings Online (LotRO), they often stare and me in shock and say, "But there's no PvP!" Well, yes and no. There is no PvP in the normal play modes. You can challenge other players to a duel, but that's about it. However, there is a light PvP mode called Monster Play.

I'm not the type of player that thrives on PvP experiences, but I'm always curious about them. LotRO had a particularly interesting system with Monster Play, a separate mode where you begin as a max-level monster. You can fight against max-level player characters from the normal mode of the game in a special area (Ettenmoors). Originally, I expected a system that would be balanced in my favor (I would win easily against a max-level character from the normal mode). Unfortunately, I found that I was at a disadvantage. While my morale (health points) and power (mana/magic points) were equal to the stats of other players, my opponents had spent hours acquiring a vast array of skills they had mastered. As an Uruk-hai, I began with a handful of skills that were relatively weak and I couldn't heal myself. While I was familiar with the game and controls, I felt clumsy compared to my opponents. Also, I couldn't boost my stats through armor and other upgrades.

The odd thing about Monster Play is how closely it resembles normal play. It uses the same UI, just covered with a new skin. You can follow a single-player path by going on quests given out by NPCs. Some of these quests were very easy, but others seemed quite difficult without companions. I went on one quest to steal food from hobbits. I thought, as a giant Uruk-hai, I could easily take on one or two hobbits. I snuck into the camp, defeated one max-level hobbit who put up a stong fight, and set my sights on a stack of food. It was surrounded by a couple hobbits. My plan was to run in, fight a bit, grab the food, and run out. To my surprise, as soon as I ran in, I was surrounded by a crowd of hobbits within 10 seconds. I watched my "powerful" monster die mercilessly at the chubby little hands of NPCs that looked like children compared to him.

My major issue with watching myself get killed by hobbits was the fact that, as a monster, I expected to feel powerful. I wanted the game to be balanced in my favor and I didn't want to get bested by a bunch of measly NPC hobbits. I didn't expect the game to be easy, but it seems ridiculous to require you to group as a monster. That the game implies that PvP should be a bunch of monsters grouping to fight against strong NPCs or against groups of players from the normal mode. Probably the strangest aspect of Monster Play was how few player-controlled opponents I saw in the area. This meant that there were mainly groups of monsters going up against ridiculously powerful NPCs (such as a Captain with 137,000 morale) to capture forts on the map. I really didn't see the point.

Even more pointless than capturing points over and over again was the fact that I could gain no experience from those difficult quests. Instead, I could gain traits, deeds, titles, and destiny points. I understand that it my be an incentive for some people, but I would much rather take the time to earn those achievements on a character I really enjoy playing, such as my elf lore-master. Perhaps I'm just non competitive enough to enjoy this mode. Whether or not that's true, it seems that the PvP mode is the one area of the game where Turbine faltered. They set the standard too high in the normal mode, and I was expecting something better.

KOTOR, Take 2

2008-06-27T12:09:00.000-07:00

After I finished Mass Effect, I was desperate to find a new game. I wanted an experience that would draw me in and take me on a fantastic journey. I knew it would be difficult to find a current game that I would love as much as Mass Effect, so I turned to the past. On the recommendation of a friend, I decided to set aside my frustrations with Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) on the 360 and get a fresh start trying it on my PC.

There was a remarkable improvement in performance and graphic quality on my PC. I was much happier playing the game when it didn't freeze up during battles, stutter during cutscenes, or muddle the textures. Suddenly the "dated" game didn't look so old. The game started to become more fun when I wasn't distracted by performance and graphics bugs.

Perhaps more important than the changes in processing and resolution were the changes in my perspective. After completing one BioWare game (Mass Effect), I had a better understanding of the types of puzzles I would encounter. I breezed through Taris in four hours instead of my previous ten hours. I finally understood that puzzles required a little thought; you had to pay attention to hints dropped casually in conversation. Clues were also left on datapads I collected unceremoniously from corpses nearby. Simple attention to the world helped me see how the answers were falling into my hands in an organic way.

I have easily surpassed the point where I stopped on the 360, and it was time well-spent. I finally feel as if I'm moving in a productive direction. Even if the battles and stat-management are more difficult than Mass Effect, I have a better understanding of BioWare-style games. I'm less likely to get stuck and I'm now free to enjoy the game. I'm looking forward to the rest of my adventure.

Yes, I'm a Girl

2008-06-19T21:34:00.000-07:00

As a fan of single-player RPGs, I’ve grown accustomed to playing games alone. I try to avoid contacting other people online unless I absolutely need their help. I recently began playing Lord of the Rings Online (LotRO), a game which has required me to have a few crash courses in MMO etiquette.

One common practice while grouping (or joining a “Fellowship” in LotRO), is the use of voice chat. My fingers are often busy pressing keys to use skills and such while I play, so pausing to type in a chat window can sometimes be impractical. For example, if my character was dying and in need of immediate assistance, I could shout “Heal Me!” about 10 seconds faster than I could type it. Voice chat can be the difference between success and failure or life and death.

I was not opposed to the idea of voice chat with strangers, despite the inevitable break in characterization. On an early fellowship quest, I was disoriented when this deep male voice came from a delicate, lovely female elf. I understand that it is unlikely that many of the female characters are actually belong to female players, and you can’t make assumptions. Soon, I got my voice chat working and jumped in.

I greeted my group in my high-pitched girl voice and assumed that they would figure out that I was a girl. Unfortunately, it seemed more likely that I was a 10-year-old boy, as I soon discovered when these guys described me as a “him”. I quickly explained that I actually was a woman, not a pre-pubescent child. The guys laughed uncomfortably and mumbled something about not wanting to assume. I guess that they had made the safer choice – it’s less embarrassing for a woman to be called a boy than it is for a boy to be called a woman. Statistically, they were also probably making a safer assumption in calling me a male.

I was glad that my fellowship treated me no differently once they found out my true gender. There was always a chance that I was lying, but it seems like most of the LotRO audience is more mature and respectful than the average MMO crowd. Hearing their voices did seem jarring at times and broke their character, but I feel like the advantages often outweigh the disadvantages. After all, I was only allied with this fellowship for a short period of time. Also, despite how silly someone’s voice can seem compared to their character, sometimes they can be very knowledgeable and helpful regarding the details of the game. If anything, hearing the voices of my fellow players showed me that I can’t judge by appearances, and even our voices can be a type of mask.

Alter Ego

2008-06-10T19:33:00.000-07:00

Before I began playing an MMO seriously, I could never understand why people would want to keep up multiple characters on one account. While it seemed cool to explore different classes or races, the amount of time required to get five level seventy characters in a game like World of Warcraft seemed ridiculous. It just didn’t seem wise to spend all your time on one game. However, I soon learned that there may be a more moderate way to experience a different race and class. Alternate characters could have other uses.

I was surprised when my Lord of the Rings Online (LotRO) buddy suggested that I make an alternate character. I was quite satisfied with my initial multiplayer experience as an elf lore-master, and I didn’t understand why I would need to build up a new character. However, the crafting system is quite extensive in LotRO, so it made sense to spread out crafting trades among characters to maximize resources. Also, there were times where I wanted to play but couldn’t without getting ahead of my friend, so an alternate character would provide a way for me to play when I felt like it.

I created a woman captain for my new character. I chose to play as a captain because I could summon a human companion similar to the “pet” I summoned as a lore-master. Just the idea of having another person beside me as I fought was comforting, even if I knew that he was just a simple minion.

One of my favorite aspects of LotRO is the fantastic opening instances. When I began playing as the woman, I got to see the beginning instance for human characters. It included some fun gameplay, such as setting things on fire. I loved how I was thrown into the action instantly, not babied through a tutorial. I felt that the town I was in desperately needed my help. The scripted events that I experienced alone made it feel all the more personal. This adventure was truly my own, and I had begun a new adventure.

Playing solo was a fun challenge for me. There was no waiting around for other players and I could complete quests however I wanted. I had to develop new strategies, especially in crowded areas. Unfortunately, as I progressed to higher levels, I realized that LotRO is a game that encourages fellowships. The sense of freedom I had was replaced by a sense of limitation – without a fellowship, I couldn’t complete certain quests. LotRO does have a great chat system and a strong network of people willing to help, but you can’t always find someone to help you with every quest at any given time of day.

I have enjoyed my experiences as a solo player, but it does seem that the game is much more rewarding to those who take the effort to quest in fellowships. Fellowship quests have fantastic rewards, such as great armor or weapons. With a fellowship, you can work through quests faster but experience from fighting enemies is split among your allies. Solo progress seems much slower, since experience is gained faster when completing quests than when defeating enemies. The game does have certain ways of balancing this, such as weapon and armor crafting systems and the relative ease of finding random fellowships through the “Looking for Fellowship” chat channel. I still enjoy LotRO as a single-player experience, but I feel that, as an MMO, it is truly most rewarding in the company of friends.

A Comical Episode

2008-06-02T18:56:00.000-07:00

Penny Arcade web comics have been famous with gamers for years for their humorous interpretations of popular games and culture. The writers' wit and charm extend beyond the comics to their news columns, where the writers often give very fair assessments of games. I have a good friend who is a huge Penny Arcade fan, and he was thrilled that the creators of the web comic decided to make a video game.

Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness: Episode One was released in late May. While I have recently been enjoying Penny Arcade, I am still new to the comics and don't seem to connect with them as well as my friend. I appreciate the humor, but there have been a few comics that I find a little gratuitously violent or confusing. This influenced the way I saw the game, since the style of the game, from the art to the humor, was a near-perfect translation of the web comic. I appreciated most of the humor, but, like the comic, there were a few moments where I felt that it wasn't quite my taste.

My main issue with the game's style stemmed from what I felt was unnecessary vulgarity. Working in the video game industry, I am often the only woman around, and I'm no stranger to games and jokes tailored to a male audience. I'm not opposed to sexuality or innuendo in games, but having a common enemy in the game constantly making sexual motions, having sexual attacks, and peeing on me is not exactly my cup of tea. This was a slight annoyance to me, and I was willing to put up with it because of the game's other redeeming qualities. However, it's worth noting that the M-rating was put to good use at certain moments, such as when NPCs swore profusely after a shocking event happened. Instead of skirting around the issue with stilted dialogue, the NPCs reacted in a very natural way, which was quite refreshing.

From the comic-book art to the clever writing, I really enjoyed the other aspects of the game's style. The game did a wonderful job translating the 2-D art into 3-D. Cutscenes were in 2-D, but the game took place in a 3-D world. There was a fantastic attention to detail as well. The transitions between sub-areas of a level looked like shifts between comic book cells. My custom character was integrated into the 2-D cutscenes, which was a nice surprise. The level of detail extended to the writing, as every clickable object had clever and often varied captions. Instead of just "So-and-So's Mailbox," I found one mailbox labeled "It's another god%$#@ed mailbox!" This type of humor was fantastic, verbalizing the thoughts I'd often have from other tedious RPGs. This game rewards you for taking the time to look around the world with humor at every click.

I had initially seen this game on the 360, but I played through the demo myself on the PC. The controls seemed similar, but with the 360 you move around with an analog stick and with the PC it's more of a point-and-click adventure. Button-presses for special attacks seem to have all been moved to the spacebar. The PC controls felt natural to me. On dialogue screens, dialgue chioces were presented similar to the style of Mass Effect, where the feeling of the line was conveyed through the dialogue choice but the actual line said something different. Unlike Mass Effect, however, the choices and the actual statements were equally ridiculous and amusing. The combat system was simple but fairly efffiencient. Combat felt very similar to a Japanese RPG due to the turn-based system. However, it was not overly complicated.

This Penny Arcade episode is certainly a promising start. While there are certain stlyistic aspects that I don't enjoy, the developers had a very good understanding of the scope of an episodic game. The game doesn't attempt to be a AAA console title, but it is fantastically clever and entertaining. I hope to enjoy more of it in the future, when I can make some time to play the whole game through.

Orcs and Elves and...Hobbits?

2008-05-25T15:25:00.000-07:00

I have a good friend who lives far away, and we've been trying to find a good MMO to play together. After a frustrating ordeal with WoW, we decided to try Lord of the Rings Online (LotRO). There was a free two-week trial, so we felt as if we had little to lose.

When we began LotRO, we had to choose a race and a class. LotRO has a few different races, from humans to elves to hobbits. You can play as evil races, like orcs, but that takes place in a separate "Monster" mode of play. I was a blood elf in WoW, and I wanted to be an elf in LotRO because I've always thought that elves were cool. They are often the most beautiful of the races as well, especially the females, which is what I wanted to play. I then had to choose a class. I had grown very attached to my animal companion in WoW, likely due to my fondness for animal companionship in real life. There was only one class that could have "pets," so I chose to be a Lore-Master.

The game begins with an instance, and I had to defend a town. There were enough hints so I wasn't completely lost, but I also felt like I was moving forward quickly. The beginning was exciting, and I enjoyed the instance. After that, I quickly found my friend, who was also an elf, but of the Guardian class. His class is much better at melee attacks, and mine has the pet for melee and uses ranged attacks. Our classes work well together.

What struck me most about LotRO was the beauty of the world. The character models were refined and realistic, and the elves around me were lovely. Unlike the glowing eyes of WoW's blood elves, the elves here had inviting, interesting faces. Also, the world around us was stunning. Mountainous forested areas reminded me of the mountains in the Pacific Northwest. Rolling hills looked like fields in the midwest. The fantasy world was so similar to some of the places that I've been that it felt believable. From the bird migrations in the sky to the clouds of breath in chilled mountain air, the level of realism in this game makes it a wonderfully immersive escape.

However, art alone cannot carry an MMO. Quests are also a very important, and LotRO is full of them. The writing is interesting and believable - for Tolkien's characters. Hobbits have the silly accents and phrases you would expect, and the dialogue is written with enough of a dialect to add character but not create confusion. I take the time to read all the quests because they're actually interesting, unlike in WoW.

I haven't spent a lot of time with LotRO yet, but I am definitely looking forward to playing again soon. The world is a fun place to visit, and I hope that it continues to impress me. I would really like to find an MMO that is as satisfying as my favorite single-player games. LotRO is certainly off to a great start.

I Want to be a Care Bear

2008-05-10T14:33:00.000-07:00

My first night diving back into World of Warcraft, I had such a frustrating experience that I canceled my subscription just hours after its creation. I have tried time and again with this game, but I just couldn't seem to get into it. I understand that there is more to the game than what I've seen getting to level 22, but I have been disappointed over and over.

I bought WoW a few months ago on the suggestion of a friend. He thought that I'd enjoy it more if we played it together. I seemed to be enjoying it more than he did, as I was leveling up a lot faster than him. I waited for a few months for him to catch up to me, and when he finally did, I thought that I would be able to get the satisfying MMO experience that had been eluding me.

When we began WoW that day, we journeyed into an undercity of the undead. It was a stark contrast to the lovely elven world. The dark elf city was grand and beautiful, but this undercity was disgusting, from the dank sewer environment to hulking obese guards stationed everywhere. It was also a maze, structured in a circular fashion, and very difficult to navigate. I hated being in there and wanted out as soon as possible.

We finally got our quests and emerged from that filthy city. I was glad to be out among virtual nature again. Everything seemed fine for about an hour as we began some quests. Then, it started getting frustrating. Characters 40 levels or more above us started chasing us down on common roads, trying to kill us. We were shocked, as we thought that we had a choice in PvP engagments. Unfortunately, we did not, and we soon found ourselves frequently running in the wrong direction to avoid fights.

Later, we were almost done with a quest, and our team of three had just two more of a certain enemy to kill. Suddenly, all three of us were brutally slaughtered by a higher-level player. My friend had valiantly tried to buy me some time, but it was hopeless. We revived and tried to move on, only to get murdered again by the same high-level player. The next time I ran back to revive, I noticed that same high-level player hanging around our corpses, just waiting to kill us again. My friend informed me that this was "corpse-camping," where some jerk just sits around and kills helpless players like us. I understand that signing up for a PvP player means dealing with the consequences, but I had no idea that people could take pleasure in something has no sportsmanship or honor.

The next time we revived, we snuck off very carefully and ran back to a nearby village. We were discussing our frustrations with the game over voice chat at an inn. And then, out of nowhere, some high-level rouge came in and wiped out the entire village. Yes, players and NPCs alike. I can understand the need to do that once to feed an ego, but this particular player kept coming back every few minutes. As soon as the entire town respawned, it would be wiped out again.

At this point, I was so frustrated that I quit out of WoW. I talked with my friend some more, and we considered transferring our characters to a PvE (player versus environment) server. There was a steep $25 fee, so we decided against it. Outside the elven city we started in, the game just seemed to have little draw for either of us. While I would love to have an MMO to connect to friends, WoW was clearly not what we wanted.

In a more general sense, my experience with WoW taught me that I hate PvP servers. I had avoided MMOs for a long time due to my fear that one person would ruin the fun for everyone else. After having that fear realized, I saw how it ruins the fun and also prevents me from appreciating the strengths of the game. I have decided that I would rather be a "care bear," or someone who plays on a PvE server. I want to enjoy the game without the distraction of cold-blooded murder. However, my inability to truly feel immersed in WoW has extended beyond my problems with the PvP realms, as I've noticed in my previous experiences. I want to be a care bear, just not in WoW.

Audio Surfing

2008-05-02T10:08:00.000-07:00

At the Game Developer's Choice Awards at GDC, I heard about a little game called Audiosurf. In the craziness that was GDC, I found myself too busy to play the demo. Recently, I read on a game blog about how Audiosurf was available via Steam. Now that there was a demo, and I had no more excuses. It was time to give this award-winning independent game a try.

Audiosurf may be a rhythm game, but it's quite different from Guitar Hero or Rock Band. The layout does look similar to Guitar Hero from the screenshots; however, the gameplay itself is quite different. Songs you choose (from music files on your computer) are mapped into something resembling a racetrack. Blocks are places across the lanes, and they can vary in color (depending on the mode). There were a few different modes to play, including dodging certain color blocks and collecting other color blocks.

I found the game to be slightly difficult at first. I didn't quite understand how I was supposed to stack matching color blocks into columns that moved with me, and how to strategize to get maximum points. Sometimes, the columns would fill too quickly on the fast parts or they wouldn't clear matching colors out fast enough, so I would lose points. However, there were some nice touches in the mechanics, such as having the gray blocks (which don't match with anything) clear out automatically, reducing the punishment. Also, there were power-ups and other details that made the game more complex.

The mechanics encouraged skilled play, and I could tell just from the short demo that the game had a nicely scaled degree of complexity. I tried to choose a wide variety of songs during my demo. I absolutely loved the idea of using music I know and love (avoiding difficulties that arise from unfamiliarity with some songs in games such as Guitar Hero). However, this freedom also means that the level of difficulty can vary greatly between songs. Even if I'm familiar with a song, it may have portions that are just too fast for me to handle.

Audiosurf requires different skills than many mainstream rhythm games on the market. It's mainly a matter of timing. I really enjoyed being able to pick my own songs, meaning I never had to play one that I didn't like. Audiosurf may not have had the budget of games like Guitar Hero, but it is certainly a fun rhythm game and a neat way to appreciate your favorite music.

Unpleasant NiGHTS

2008-04-25T18:39:00.000-07:00

Great graphics in a game always leave me in awe. I will often decide that I want to play a game based on a pretty screenshot. I’ll usually check the reviews first, but the aesthetics of a game are really important to me. If it’s not a beautiful world for me to escape to, I generally don’t want to be there.

I became intrigued with the Wii sequel to NiGHTS after seeing some pretty publicity screenshots. It was released last December and got mediocre reviews, so I hesitated before buying it. I recently had the opportunity to play it at a friend’s house, so I made sure to check it out.

NiGHTS was definitely pretty, but I had some serious issues with it. From the beginning, it felt very childish. The little boy had a ridiculous voice, and the children tended to talk in long, drawn-out dialog. I felt that the inclusion of children seemed somewhat forced. Although I realize that it was an essential part of the plot, the idea of putting real children in a fantasy world reminded me of movies I used to watch as a child where they put live actors in cartoons. Very few movies seem to use that concept with any degree of success.

The odd plot already left me skeptical, and I kept finding more to criticize. The children soon met up with Nights, a jester-like nightmaren. My friend had to repeatedly insist that Nights was a guy, as I was convinced by his slender body and high voice that he was a girl. I understand that this may be more acceptable in Japan, but I was left feeling as if I had to repeatedly suspend my disbelief for this game. NiGHTS was in an odd place between fantasy and reality, and I had a hard time accepting this strange genre.

When got past the intro to the actual gameplay, I was shocked by the difficulty of this lovely game that was seemingly geared towards children. While the original Sega Saturn version had used a joystick with full 360-degree control, the Wiimote nunchuck and other Wii-compatible controllers do not allow for unrestricted movement in a circle. The joystick is set into the plastic beneath a mold that restricts movement within an octagon. However, the levels require circular movements and frequent looping. This creates a great deal of frustration on the player’s part, when the circles are coming out choppy and uneven. Catching avian enemies and collecting orbs also became much more difficult due to the poor controls.

There was a bonus feature in this game that didn't make any sense to me: the My Dream area. You could collect odd-looking babies called Nightopians in the levels and they would appear in this open area. The Nightopians were generally annoying to me due to their tendency to cry frequently and the fact that I found their appearance disturbing. In order to survive in the My Dream area, they also had to be fed. I had heard that one of the coolest features of this area was the fact that it had weather integration with the Wii weather channel, but there really wasn't much to do there (other than feeding Nightopians). I found this feature about as useless as the scrapbook in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Maybe it's a Japanese thing.

Despite the confusion and frustration I felt while playing NiGHTS, it did have a few merits. Aside from the Nightopians, much of the game was quite lovely. Some of the music was pretty good. However, the controls and confusing aspects gave me the feeling that I was missing out on the best parts of most of the levels. I only wish I had a Saturn, so I could go back to the original NiGHTS and see what it was supposed to be.

An Effective Ending

2008-04-19T15:27:00.000-07:00

In just over 35 hours, I completed Mass Effect. That might seem like a long time, but it was well worth it to me. I finished every sidequest I could, explored every planet in the galaxy, and played through the Bring Down the Sky expansion. I was very thorough, talking to all the NPCs and opening every storage locker or crate I could find. Now that it’s over, I’m satisfied but a little sad that the awesome ride had to come to an end.

I have already written extensively on Mass Effect, but with a game this vast, I find there is still more to discuss. I may have complained about some of my frustrations, but I have found a lot of value in this game. The story was absolutely fantastic, especially from Ilos to the end. Those last few hours were some of the best paced in the game, and when it was over, I felt a real rush. I got to make important choices up until the very end, and I felt that I was as much a part of the action as the characters in the brief cutscenes.

The story was facilitated only marginally by cutscenes. The main elements of the narrative were conveyed through the fantastic dialog. Mass Effect has been praised for its innovative dialog system. Choices are displayed around a circle, and the dialog shown represents the general idea of the line, but not what is actually said. It felt like what I selected was the thought and what my character said was a more tactful way of expressing that idea (at least for the paragon choices). This system allowed me to better identify with the character, as I felt that she was expressing my thoughts and feelings in the best way possible.

I really enjoyed the addition of so many sidequests. The main path of the game could probably be beaten in ten to fifteen hours, but I chose to play the extra twenty or so to really explore and immerse myself in the Mass Effect universe. I loved the feeling of stumbling across an uncharted resource or coming to the rescue of some helpless people. Some of the sidequests included really tough decisions, which enriched the game and gave me a sense of responsibility. I liked having the freedom to control of the ship and choose the sidequests that I wanted to pursue. The introductions to the quests were vague so I was often surprised by what I found. Even though some of the areas were very similar in structure (likely due to limited art resources) the diversity in the quests was still there and kept it interesting.

Aside from the flaws that I have already discussed, Mass Effect had only a couple other drawbacks: a lack of tutorials and a poor inventory system. I had no idea that I could jump with the mako until halfway through the game, and I never figured out that I could zoom in on enemies in the mako until after I beat it. If I didn’t have a friend to talk me through the beginning of the game, I doubt that I would’ve become as skilled in combat.

Also, the inventory system was cumbersome for someone like me who likes to collect all the items from the game. Given the number of sidequests, I continued collecting hundreds of weapons, armor, and upgrades. I was continually struggling to keep my inventory down so I wouldn’t have to leave anything behind (or convert it to omni-gel). The limit of 150 items was way too low. Due to the abundance of items in the field, I never had to buy anything at the stores. (I did buy the spectre weapons on the Normandy at the end of the game, but some of the later weapons that I found were comparable.) Hours from the end of the game, I maxed out the money. This meant that I had to spend a ridiculous amount of time re-equipping my team to make sure I wouldn’t destroy something that I needed. It took a long time to scroll through items, and I wished the inventory could be sorted.

While Mass Effect did have a few flaws, it was still a fantastic RPG experience. I highly recommend it to people who love immersing themselves in a rich sci-fi world with engaging characters and plenty of content to keep them busy. It is probably the best game experience I’ve had since Okami, and possibly one of the best games I’ve ever played in terms of the emotional impact. I really identified with my character because I was the one who was molding her into the person that I would like to be.

Engaging Professor

2008-04-12T15:48:00.000-07:00

I feel that I’ve been living a bit of a dual life lately – Professor Layton and the Curious Village is my faithful companion that I bring with me, and Mass Effect is my passionate affair in the evening. I tend to play Professor Layton before class and Mass Effect when I have some time to really sit down and enjoy it.

I recently finished Professor Layton after two months of frequent puzzle-solving. I spent nearly 12 hours on it, solving every puzzle (including bonus and downloadable weekly puzzles). I admit to looking up help and using hints on rare occasions, but, for the most part, I solved the 144 puzzles on my own.

Professor Layton is a perfect match of game and platform. The DS is perfect for its point-and-click interface. I had suggested how well this interface would work for a portable game after my experience with Zack and Wiki, and it was fun to see it realized.

The gameplay was flexible enough to allow me to feel satisfied with a play session of three minutes or three hours. I found that most puzzles were relatively short, but for those that required more thought, I could continue thinking about them after I turned off the DS. I would never lose my progress because the game allows you to quit out of any puzzle very easily and to save at almost any point in the game. This made Professor Layton the perfect game to travel with, since I would never get stuck in the middle of something. This also encouraged me to play it more than other DS games because I never had to worry about losing my work.

The game was packed with content that made it really fun for me. There were collectible items that often unlocked more puzzles, such as the inn and painting scraps. The puzzles gave out picarats as a score (and sometimes the collectible pieces as well). The picarats seemed to have little significance other than indicating the difficulty of a puzzle. However, some puzzles with a higher picarat value were easy for me (such as spatial slide puzzles), while others were harder for me (such as some geometry-based puzzles). I found that, if a puzzle was harder for me, an indication of its difficulty would be how many hint coins I had to spend to solve it. Hint coins were another fun collectible item that rewarded me for clicking in many random locations on the screen. I loved the collectible items that encouraged me to fully explore the game.

Aside from the optional collectibles and the short puzzle structure, I found that this game also catered to the portable platform with its audio. The game didn’t require sound to be enjoyed and had subtitles over all the movies. While I am a firm believer in sound enhancing a game experience, a portable game should be designed to be enjoyed with or without sound. When I could have sound, I really enjoyed the music and sound effects, even if some of the characters’ voices were cheesy and had silly accents.

The story of this game was well-paced. Important plot elements were revealed in evenly spaced chapters. The game would give a brief summary of the current events when you loaded a save to get you up to speed. The story was light but engaging because of the many mysteries. I could tell when I was getting close to the end because mysteries kept getting solved. One of the methods of storytelling was short animated movies. They were done in a 2-D animation style that suited the game and its aesthetic quite well. All the movies were short and to the point, so I never felt like I was taken out of the action.

I found very few flaws with this game. I could claim that certain picarat values seemed too high or too low, but a puzzle’s difficulty can be very subjective depending on a person’s intellectual strengths. Another subjective issue I noticed with this game was my dislike of certain character drawings. The character designs looked a little strange to me, but it was all very stylized. After playing more of the game, I got used to it and minded it less. Also, toward the end of the game, the story helps explain some of the characters’ odd appearances.

I was excited to finish Professor Layton, but now I think that I will miss it. I have had some great experiences on the DS, including Elite Beat Agents and The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. Now I guess I will be searching for the next great DS game, at least until the next Professor Layton game is released.

&@#! Maws and Rockets

2008-04-05T14:21:00.000-07:00

There are few moments in a game where I get so frustrated that I just want to quit. Most of the time, I’ll get annoyed with a flaw in the design, but I try to stick to my guns and get through it. In Mass Effect, there were a few moments where I got so frustrated that I would swear profusely. However, I knew that I would avoid the game if I had a seemingly insurmountable obstacle waiting for me, so I stubbornly persevered.

The first major source of frustration that I ran into were battles with alien creatures called thresher maws. Like overgrown sand worms, these creatures would appear with no warning from random places in the ground and attack. One of the main sources of frustration in these battles stemmed from the fact that thresher maws appeared while exploring in the mako. Due to the unwieldy controls of the mako and its offensive weapons, this became quite the issue. Not only did the thresher maws appear in random places, but they would kill you instantly if you happened to be on top of it when it shot up through the ground. Then, the thresher maws would shoot toxins that went straight through the mako’s shields. They were tough creatures that gave me only a few seconds to shoot in one tiny area.

I found that there was little strategy involved in fighting a thresher maw. I fought two and ran from another two because I felt that it is simply not worth the effort. The vague strategy I developed consisted of continually moving and shooting as much as possible in the general direction of the maw. If you’re careful, you can also try to jump over the toxins. This will keep your mako in good repair. The main issue here is just trying to survive long enough to outlast the thresher maw.

The second source of frustration was fighting rocket drones on Earth’s moon. There were three stations to explore in this particular sidequest, and each station’s defenses were stronger than the last. In the final station, there were geth rocket drones. The rockets would destroy my shields and kill me instantly. I grew incredibly frustrated because there got to be five to ten geth enemies stuck in a little hallway, and I couldn’t shoot at them unless I was exposed. Once exposed, I would get shot with a rocket and die. I started adapting my strategy, using techniques such as running back and forth in front of the enemies while shooting, throwing bombs, and sending my companions in to get shot in my place. (I could revive my companions, but if I died, it was game over). Eventually, my strategies paid off and I got past the rocket drones.

I have enjoyed most of the gameplay so far in Mass Effect. However, the few design flaws can lead to a lot of frustration for a player less experienced with shooting games like me. I have found the difficulty to be well-balanced for the most part, and most enemies provided a reasonable challenge. I’ll continue playing Mass Effect, but I hope that I don’t run into too many thresher maws or rockets drones. If I do, I’ll probably just run.

Massive Affect

2008-03-31T13:57:00.000-07:00

*SPOILER WARNING*

Please do not read on if you intend to play Mass Effect. I will do my best not to reveal unnecessary information, but it is impossible to discuss the impact of a certain portion of the game without giving away a few details. Click here to skip to the previous post.

*Spoilers begin below*

I wish I could say that I followed my own advice and did not hear about a certain part of Mass Effect before I played it, but, in the course of searching for help a couple of times, I accidentally saw a hint of what was to come. I had heard that I would lose a companion at one point, and I would have to make a tough choice. This information haunted me as I chose my team members for each mission. I kept thinking, “Will this be the mission where I lose someone?” Unable to take the stress, I consulted a friend who had finished the game. He kindly told me that the game would strongly imply when that point would come, and I had no need to worry.

I didn’t worry until I got to a part of the game where my team was suddenly split up. I had to choose one of two companions to leave behind. I thought, “Will this be the tough decision?” I saved compulsively as I moved ahead. By the end of that mission, it turned out that I did have to make a choice to rescue the separated team member or to rescue another. I was very upset, because I had imagined this moment over and over again. I had thought that my party member choices would allow me to leave behind a companion that I never used or someone that I didn’t care about. Unfortunately, the choice happened to be between the two companions I always took along with me. I was torn, as I had spent some time talking to each and learning about their backstories, making them seem like real friends. After all, these characters had been through nearly 20 hours of gameplay with me, and I felt that I could depend on their help.

I agonized over the choice. There was no option to save both. It was simply one or the other. I was sending one of them to their death, and they each wanted me to sacrifice the other. While I considered both equal in terms of friendship, there had to be some deciding factor for me. Soon, it came down to two factors: fighting style preference and the romantic sub-plot. I had begun to enjoy one of the team members’ fighting styles more than the other’s style. This is because my Shepherd’s style complimented the one companion’s well, making my life easier. The other team member had combat skills similar to mine, so it created an overlap that wasn’t quite as helpful. Second, I had begun to pursue the romance subplot with one of the characters. As a writer, I was really curious to see how it would play out (and perhaps my girly desire for a juicy romance got the best of me). These factors may seem trivial, but I had to find some way to choose and these factors tipped the scale for me.

I felt that I had made the best choice for me, but, when I turned off my 360 that night, I felt terrible. I wandered out of my room in a daze, confessing to my roommates that I was torn up about losing a virtual friend that I been through 20 hours of missions with me. I realized how silly it sounded, but I was genuinely sad. I went online, talking to other friends and searching in forums to see if I really did have to make the choice between those same two characters or if I could’ve changed it. While everyone had to make the choice between the same two characters, it was easier for some due to their personal preferences for certain characters. Some of their choices involved romantic interests like me, but others were simply because one character bothered them.

The fact that I let a good friend and member of my team die has stayed with me and I don’t think I’ll forget that moment soon. It was a fantastic moment in game narrative. I hate to think about setting out to make a game that makes people cry, but this type of choice really can have a profound effect on a person. Tough choices seem to be the heart of creating real emotion in games, since you can affect a person’s conscience and make them realize that hard decisions have to be made in situations where the fate of the universe is at stake.

Rock Fad

2008-03-23T11:53:00.000-07:00

Rock Band seemed like a neat idea ever since I heard about it, and I enjoyed my first brief experience with it. I liked the concept of being able to assemble your own band. Whether you play alone or with others, you can gain a new appreciation for music by focusing on an instrument you don’t normally listen to, especially bass and drums.

I don’t own Rock Band (and probably won’t for a while due to limited space), but I do enjoy playing it. I have found that it’s fun to play with one other person, but the more people, the better. I like being able to cheer my friends on and work together as a team of four. It’s unique to have a game these days that allows for up to four players in a co-op mode.

When I was playing in a group of three, I often ended up singing vocals. The vocal part is really strange because all you have to do is match the tone. It doesn’t make a difference what words you sing. Songs can be really hard if you’ve never heard them before, but the lax policy (just tone-matching) makes it easier. For drums, it seemed that many songs had similar patterns that would repeat. Even if there were a few tricky parts involving the pedal, the pattern would greatly reduce the difficulty. The guitar part was fun, but my other friends often played it since they were better at it from playing Guitar Hero. It tended to hurt my hand (likely due to inefficient techniques) and tended to be finicky. The guitar controller looks cooler than that for Guitar Hero, but the well-known fact that they break easily greatly detracts from the aesthetic improvements.

The game itself it structured in a fun way, especially with the customizable characters. I enjoyed creating an avatar that looks like an improved version of myself. However, the game doesn’t allow you to switch your character to a different instrument. This was annoying because the people I played with often rotated instruments, so I felt silly playing as an avatar that looked like my friend while the “me” avatar was busy on another part.

I have enjoyed playing Rock Band, and I’d like to play it more. It seems best played with a group of people, so the best gameplay sessions take a little coordination. No matter how much fun I have though, I don’t think I’ll ever forget the silliness of the concept. Rock Band is a game that takes the “be a rock star” fad that began with Guitar Hero even further, but it’s ok to enjoy it as long as you remember that it’s just a game.

Super Popular Brawl

2008-03-16T11:32:00.000-07:00

Prior to playing Super Smash Bros. Brawl, I had no experience with the series. I had often heard of Brawl tournaments, but I was intimidated by the frenzy and skills of the dedicated fans.

However, there was one tournament that I chose to attend. At GDC, one of my fellow volunteers (CAs) had brought a Japanese Wii with a copy of Brawl. This was before the game’s release, and I thought it would be worth checking out the game, even if it was just for educational purposes. Soon we had a tournament, with rounds scheduled in the evenings. I signed up to play a round, even though I knew that I had no shot at winning.

During the few minutes that I played, I felt that I was given a crash course in crowd dynamics and the real spirit of Smash Bros. While there was some skill involved, a lot of the game seemed to be based on chance and being in the right place at the right time. The controls aren’t very refined, but there are a few things you can do to gain an advantage, such as getting power-ups. The crowd added a whole new dimension to play, as they would cheer when someone did major damage. The crowd also helped me when I got a smash ball by shouting “Press B!” I was playing as Samus, and it was great fun to unleash the Zero Suit version from the bulky armor.

I never bought Brawl, but I have had the chance to play the localized version with my friends. I tried out the co-op mode with one friend, which turned out to be more frustrating than fun. When playing in co-op mode, you only get the number of lives as you would on single player mode. This seems fair until playing through the levels, where enemies are all over the screen and it actually becomes easier to die with a partner taking up prime strategic locations on the screen. It’s much harder to avoid certain ranged attacks, so lives seem to disappear faster.

I played group melee mode with a few different friends. It’s tough to be a beginner because I had little chance of winning, but I felt that I could improve my chances by sticking with certain dependable characters like Pikachu. The skill gap still makes it a bit difficult to have fun (for a sustained period of time), but there is the option of teaming up in melee. I found that it was a lot more fun when I was helping a friend instead of fighting against them.

I didn’t play much of the other modes, but I did watch other friends play. One friend complained about the single-player mode, claiming that the levels were poorly designed so many features were frustrating. When I observed the levels, I began to see how some tricky areas of the levels depended more on chance than skill to get through, such as an area where enemies would continually freeze you because of the way they were lined up.

There were a few elements of this game that really bothered me. First, the sounds were incredibly annoying when you weren’t watching or playing the game. The sound effects were short and repetitive. Characters such as Pikachu with odd voices got on my nerves fast if I wasn’t involved in the game. The pace of the game itself is hyper like the sounds, with changing environments and fast moves. However, the controls can seem slow to respond due to set animation loops, so it leads to impatience on the part of the player. Also, there seemed to be a lot of useless features, such as being able to arrange and photograph trophies or make a virtual scrapbook with stickers. While these features may have appealed more to a Japanese market, it seems a ridiculous waste of time and resources to me when the single-player levels could’ve used more refinement.

While Super Smash Bros. Brawl does come with a few neat features, such as building your own levels, it seems to have a lot of frustrating elements in single-player mode and other areas of the game. It is certainly strongest in the group melee modes, but that comes as no surprise, given the proportion of time players will spend on that mode. It seems that this game could’ve benefited from a better allocation of resources by cutting a few single-player levels or additional features that seem to detract from an otherwise decent fighting game.

One Effective Game

2008-03-11T23:57:00.000-07:00

It’s easy to complain about a game. When something goes wrong, I can often pinpoint the problem and propose a solution. However, when something goes right, it’s often harder to explain why. If someone asked me why I like chocolate milkshakes, for example, I would have a very hard time explaining it. Fortunately, with a game like Mass Effect, it’s a little bit easier to find the positives. I may have complained about achievement difficulties and the mako, but this game is becoming my new addiction.

It’s no secret that RPGs are my favorite genre. I have some trusted favorites from the past, but it seems that few RPGs can compare these days. Then I found Mass Effect. This game has been able to pull me in and immerse me in a new universe. The HD graphics look fantastic, from the environments such as presidium in the citadel to the futuristic clothes. I love being immersed in these fantastic environments, even if texture popping prevents me from seeing all the great details immediately. The outfits are a lot of fun, especially since the characters’ appearance changes with new armor. Most of the time, my female Commander Shepherd looked pretty cool in her armor. I once had a good laugh when I realized that the best armor for my krogan companion was a pink and white getup very similar to Ashley’s from the beginning of the game.

My main motivation for playing most RPGs is an epic story. I love watching a complicated plot unravel slowly and sinking my teeth into some rewarding side quests. Mass Effect is clearly focused on the story. I really wanted to explore the cities and talk to everyone, because I felt I could learn a little something from each NPC. The main worlds felt alive and interesting. I’m not sure how the story will play out, but at this point the missions feel very well paced and have great story arcs.

While I have not been very good at shooting games in the past, Mass Effect requires a lot of shooting. I like to think that I’m getting better at it, but the game is structured so that it is accessible for people like me that aren’t as familiar shooters. I could’ve chosen to be a biotic (giving me talents that can do damage without aiming) or could I rely more on my AI-controlled companions. I found that the game was never too difficult for me on normal mode.

I’ve really enjoyed Mass Effect so far. Despite my frustrations with the mako, the fantastic story and effective gameplay are keeping me addicted. I’m looking forward to playing it again soon and getting lost in Mass Effect’s universe.

Module Maker

2008-03-05T23:14:00.000-08:00

Full of inspiration from GDC, I was suffering from a severe lack of creative expression once I returned to my liberal arts classes. Many people I had talked to suggested creating a module, so I decided to work with BioWare’s Aurora toolset. It is included with Neverwinter Nights, and it has many features that make the writing process very easy. Since I want to learn more about game writing, I figured a module focused on storytelling through dialog would be a place to start.

My first writing module was a matchmaking module inspired by Jane Austen’s Emma. I knew that a romance plot would require very little difficult scripting, so I could complete it entirely on my own. I wrote over just over 5,000 words and had a great time. Soon, I asked my friends to play it and critique it. Since I wanted to write games with more powerful choices, one friend suggested that I make another module that dealt with matters of life and death.

My next module was about a shipwreck. I made sure to give the player opportunities to kill several people, and had other characters react accordingly. I spent many hours refining this module and I listened carefully to the advice of trusted friends. I wrote and rewrote in order to make my dialog better. This module had around 5,000 words of dialog as well, but it was drastically different from my first module.

After completing the second module, I went back to play the first. It was shocking to see how simple the dialog looked. Every line seemed to be a glaring example of something I had worked so hard to fix in the newer mod. I was so glad to see that I had made an improvement. I haven't decided if it’s worth the time to rewrite that module at this point, but it did teach me a lot. No matter how long you spend on a module, it takes focus and dedication to write good dialog. Not only do you have to write something that sounds natural, but you have to write it so it flows well in response response to each of the many dialog choice the player can select. It is essential to own your characters and think how each situation affects them. Like a good actor, a skilled writer knows their characters’ priorities, motivations, and personalities.

When I began making these modules, I had no idea that game writing was so complicated. However, the challenges that game writing presents are incredibly stimulating for me. I have always loved honing my writing until I find the best way to say something. I enjoy setting high standards for myself and becoming immersed in a fictional world. For the first time in a long time, I found myself forgetting about eating and time flew by. I love this type of writing, and I plan to work had to improve so that I can become a game writer in the future.

Game Developer’s Community

2008-02-28T15:52:00.000-08:00

I had heard that the Game Devevloper's Conference (GDC) was one of the biggest game conferences, but the idea of going was a vague idea for me when I went to the D.I.C.E. Summit last year. However, by the end of the year, I was convinced that I needed to go. Aside from my general interest in learning about specialized career topics, GDC became something more for me when a group project from school (The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom) was selected for the IGF student showcase at GDC.

Even if your game is nominated for an award at GDC, that doesn’t mean that the whole team can get in for free. Before I knew that my game was selected, I had applied to be a volunteer (a Conference Associate or CA). I wanted to go to GDC whether or not my game got in, and I was quite surprised when I found out that we did make it. Regardless, I had no idea that volunteering would be such a fantastic experience.

As a GDC CA, I was given an all-access pass to the conference. This meant that, when I was not on duty, I had access to any session, tutorial or workshop. The CA program is incredibly well-organized, and each of us got to request three time slots to have off (to attend a specific session). I had the opportunity to go to a full-day tutorial on game writing (Learn Better Game Writing in a Day), which was quite helpful as an aspiring game writer.

The game industry is small enough right now to have a sense of community. While there were thousands of attendees at the conference, I kept running into people that I knew. Guest speakers, contacts from internships, and friends of friends somehow seemed to find me if I couldn’t find them. Also, many of the speakers were very approachable. I met Mac Walters, one of the senior writers on Mass Effect, after he spoke in a session. He is a real inspiration for me, and I appreciated the opportunity to meet him in person and ask for his advice.

Aside from the community of developers attending and speaking at GDC, I found a fantastic community in my fellow CAs. Everyone had a genuine passion for games, so it was very easy to make new friends. It was a lot of fun to be part of a group of such hardworking, dedicated people. I found some great people to spend time with and I was never lonely.

GDC was a fantastic experience. When people back at school asked me how it was, my eyes would glaze over and all I could say was “awesome.” It was very inspiring for me to meet the people I admire and to see so many gamers together in one place. I came back more motivated than I’ve ever been. I highly recommend this conference for students. It’s a fantastic way to learn more about the people and the companies that create the best games on the market. GDC also provides opportunities to learn about specialized topics in the video game field. I found it to be very rewarding and I hope to go back again next year.

Flawed Mako

2008-02-22T14:26:00.000-08:00

I’ve been playing a lot of Mass Effect lately, and I love it. I look forward to playing each moment, except areas that require use of the Mako, a futuristic planetary-exploration vehicle. The game encourages the player to use this vehicle first on a planet called Feros. There is no tutorial for this vehicle, so the player must learn the controls through experimentation. This would be an acceptable design choice if the road didn’t quickly turn into a narrow skyway. I’ve talked to several people, who, like me, found the controls to be counterintuitive and proceeded to fall off the skyway to their death multiple times.

The movement of the vehicle is controlled by the left thumb stick; the camera and reticle for the gun turret are controlled by the right thumb stick. Steering is relative to the camera, so the Mako will move in the direction relative to what the player sees. I found this to be counterintuitive, and I would frequently move in the wrong direction during combat and take extensive damage.

There were also flaws in the design of the reticle movement, especially when zooming in. When rapidly rotating the camera view, the gun turret can’t keep up with the reticle, especially if the turret is firing. Also, the reticle can be aimed higher and lower than the actual turret range. If the reticle is focused on an area out of the turret’s range, the turret will fire somewhere within its range but not where the reticule is aimed.

There are a few simple solutions to these frustrating flaws. First, the game should point the player to an easier mission for a better introduction to the Mako. Mass Effect allows players to choose between several missions at that point, and there is no reason why the Feros skyway should be a training ground. A planet such as Novaria is more suitable to players new to the Mako. This change could be easily made by changing the dialog in the conversation that encouraged players to go to Feros first.

Second, a formal tutorial or a change in the control structure would be beneficial. If the control structure was received well during testing, then a tutorial that briefly explained movement, aiming and camera rotation would help those who found the player-centered motion counterintuitive. If players seemed to be struggling with movement, then the controls could be shifted so movement is relative to the vehicle itself. This is would be similar to vehicles in real life and automotive games, which would make it familiar for many players.

Finally, I would limit the motion of the reticule, at least in the zoomed-in mode. If the players need to look around at their environments, the game allows players to exit the vehicle at any time. It simply does not make sense to allow players to aim for targets they cannot hit.

If those few changes were made, areas with the Mako would be more fun. Players could concentrate on the gameplay instead of fighting the controls. Hopefully, players of Mass Effect sequels will be able to avoid the frustrations many have felt due to the current design flaws.

Amassing Achievements

2008-02-17T10:47:00.000-08:00

With the increasing online component of many games, it comes as no surprise that achievements and points have become a measure of gamer status. Instead of just beating a game, you can now prove how much effort you invested in optional aspects of the game, such as sidequests or special types of kills. You can instantly compare the achievements you unlocked to the achievements of your friends.

I haven’t been able to sink my teeth into an Xbox 360 game since my brief fling with Eternal Sonata. I grew tired of the disproportionate percentage of time spent in repetitive battles so my 360 began gathering dust. Fortunately, a friend gave me Mass Effect. I began playing it at his house and was blown away by the first hour. Unsure of the ability to transfer saves off my memory card, I didn’t play more until I was back home.

When I got home, I was excited to learn that I could transfer my save and soon jumped back into Mass Effect. I was excited about the idea of getting achievements, as my gamerscore was quite low and I wanted to prove that I was a real gamer. Five hours into Mass Effect, I became a spectre. This achievement is essential to the progression of the game and I had read online that it would unlock an Xbox achievement. When my achievement pop-up didn’t appear, I was a little concerned but decided to wait in case it was tied into a later event. One hour later, no achievement had appeared. After some research online, I discovered that I was a good distance past the spectre achievement and I had somehow missed it.

I called Xbox help and explained how I had transferred the save from a different profile on a memory card. Unfortunately, the two representatives I talked to did not mention the most important detail: you can’t unlock achievements from a save that was not created on your profile. I was torn. Was it worth re-playing five hours of a game I would likely spend 25-30 hours playing? I was very thorough the first time and hated to lose my progress. However, this was likely one of the only games I would be motivated to finish on the 360, and it would be sad to lose those points.

Part of me was frustrated with myself for caring so much about Xbox achievements. After all, weren’t they just a device to feed my ego and spur competition? People have played games for years and still do without worrying about being rewarded outside the game. Have measures of success become more than just a motivational tool? Have rewards for the game become more important than the game itself?

After careful deliberation, I decided to play Mass Effect again from the beginning. Even if achievements didn’t exist for older games, the achievements are available for Mass Effect and I wanted to show off the effort I put into the game. While I should focus on enjoying the game for what it is, it’s still nice to have a little ego boost by periodically earning a few points. The best part about playing those five hours again was that I didn’t mind diving into such a beautiful and well-crafted story after just playing it. Mass Effect is so compelling that it is worth playing again.

Stubborn Stalemate

2008-02-12T11:04:00.000-08:00

I’m not a huge fan of RTS games, but I had heard good things about Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings. “It’s not exactly an RTS,” my friend said. “It’s fun and I think you’d like it.” After that, it was hard to say no.

I really enjoyed the first few hours of Revenant Wings. I had grown frustrated with its PS2 RPG predecessor but this DS spinoff was something quite different. It was basically a scaled-down RTS with an FFXII theme. The short mission structure was well suited to my sporadic play sessions on the DS. Since it wasn’t a traditional RPG, the characters didn’t have to be as deep and I could overlook my previous disappointments in the character development. They were cute in their small, retro style and managed to look good despite the limited capabilities for in-game graphics. The entire game was simpler, making it more accessible for a portable game. The brief text and simplified menus kept me focused on the solid missions.

The missions were straightforward and fairly simple to complete. I had no trouble getting past most of them on the first or second try, until one ridiculous side mission. I had been doing all the side missions to level up my characters to prepare for the main story missions. The side mission I got stuck on should have been straightforward. Your team is supposed to capture spawn points. Those areas then become spawn points for your team so you can mobilize forces closer to the other team’s base. Then you can then attack the other team’s hero spawn crystal and kill their heroes once and for all.

I had completed missions like this before with minimal trouble. For some odd reason, I kept getting stuck on this one. I would always be able to get up to the other team’s base, but their two spawn points and hero spawn crystal were a tough combination. One of their heroes would fall. One of my heroes would fall. My team would capture a spawn point. While I was attacking another of their heroes, they’d take the spawn point back. It turned into a stalemate where their heroes would respawn and my heroes would respawn. It seemed as if my team was stronger, but the time it took for my fallen heroes to respawn and return to battle was balancing our sides.

I fought and fought, hoping that I could gain an advantage with gutsy moves. This only led to retreats for my side and I made no progress. However, I wasn’t losing much ground so I continued to play. I played one particular battle while I was on the plane, then while waiting in the baggage claim and on the shuttle ride home. I was so engrossed in the same battle that I almost missed my stop. When I got inside my house, I played for a little while longer and then quit. My stubbornness had kept me in a fruitless battle that was impossible to win.

These types of stalemates are one of the reasons why I avoid RTS games. While Revenant Wings may disguise the troops as cute espers, it’s still an RTS at heart. This does not mean that I will give up. I have enjoyed the rest of the game and it deserves another shot. After all, that mission was just a side mission. The main missions can’t be harder than this.

The Secret Avatar

2008-02-04T23:19:00.000-08:00

I mentioned that I was a tester for THQ this summer, but I couldn’t tell what I was testing. Fortunately, the game I tested has been released. My name’s in the credits and it’s no longer a secret. I tested Avatar: The Burning Earth, mainly on Wii.

The best part about testing a kids game is that, no matter how tired I grew of the it, the game was still silly and fun. I tested in overtime for Conan and Stuntman: Ignition, both of which were somewhat traumatizing on a psychological level. Playing a game like Conan that rewards you for amputations and brutality can mess with your sense of normality. Stuntman: Ignition rewards you for crashing into things, which is not the best game to play until 10 at night before a long commute home. Avatar, on the other hand, encouraged me to use special powers to help save citizens from various cities.

While I was grateful to have been assigned to a game like Avatar, I didn’t think I would have much of a desire to play it once it was released. When I was given a copy for Christmas from a friend, I changed my mind. He wanted to play it with me and see what I had been doing all summer.

Avatar is designed as a co-op game but it can also be played alone. Even when I was testing, it was much more fun to play with someone else. After playing that game 40-70 hours a week, I established a pattern and would play it in a similar way. Adding in another person changes the experience so the game feels new again. They may do something differently than you due to their habits or simply to annoy you. Those variations made us better testers, as we’d discover things we never would have seen. After all, it’s a kids game so why not play like a kid once in a while?

It was a strange feeling to share the game I had worked on so intensely with someone else. I had spent countless hours picking out the flaws in the game, so I was well aware of its strengths and weaknesses. It was hard to resist saying all my favorite lines along with the game. I was surprised to find that I felt a sense of pride. This was the first published title that I had worked on and my first credit. I was officially a member of the game industry due to a half-decent children’s game.

Quality assurance testing is one of the most unique work experiences I’ve had. It gave me a community of gamers who shared inside jokes from a game we couldn't speak about at home. It allowed me to play games in a different way and gain a better understanding of the production process. I don’t plan on returning to QA, but it was a valuable experience and I’m glad to have been a part of Avatar.

Games Take Flight

2008-01-20T10:43:00.000-08:00

Up until a few months ago, I really loved GameFly. Their website was well-organized, they offered a wide variety of games, and they had the most efficient online game rental service. Recently, however, my opinion of their efficiency has changed.

I was a Gamefly member for about seven months last year and had a great experience with their service. Games would be exchanged within two days. I quit due to time constraints but decided to rejoin the service with a new account last September. That’s when the trouble began.

My games were always delivered to my door on time, but GameFly seemed to have trouble receiving my returns through the mail. I would wait patiently for my account to update but my games were never confirmed as received. Consequently, I would spend weeks with only one game, despite paying the service to have two games out at once. After so many weeks of waiting, I was forced to assume that my returns were lost in the mail, so I started reporting them as such. Seriously, Gamefly, what the heck?

Frustrated, I decided to ask my friends about their experiences with GameFly, since I know three others in the Los Angeles area who use the service. All of them complained about the drastically increased turnaround time before returned games were received and replaced. It could be as long as 2-3 weeks for some games, and some were never received at all. However, many of these people had been members for months with proven track records. Because I had rejoined GameFly with a new account, my fifteen previous rentals weren’t counted toward my credibility. My new record stated that three out of the five games I had attempted to return had been reported lost.

I was painfully aware of the damage this would cause my credibility with GameFly, so I had attempted to follow their advice for lost games and use different mailboxes. The three returns marked as lost were sent from mailboxes in two separate parts of the city: downtown Los Angeles and Century City.

At this point, I was incredibly frustrated. I emailed GameFly, explaining my grievances and how I had consulted others in the city with similar problems. I wasn’t sure whether this was a case of mail theft or if there were issues with GameFly, but I wanted them to know that this was unacceptable.

They wrote back, apologizing for the delays. See below:

In reviewing your account, we noted you have a number of reported shipping problems indicating that the postal route may be experiencing difficulties. We understand this situation is frustrating for you.

We are working diligently with the US Postal Service to address these types of issues in order to provide you with the highest level of service possible. We also encourage you to report the problem to the US Postal Service which may help to pursue other solutions.

[...]

If additional games are reported with shipping problems, unfortunately, we may need to review your account to determine if GameFly can uphold our service commitment to you.

Weeks later, they had failed to receive yet another game I returned (this time mailed from Santa Monica). I called to complain, and they essentially told me that they could no longer provide service to me unless they received some of the lost games.

I consider myself a reliable person. My eBay feedback rating is 100% after nearly 200 transactions, both as a buyer and a seller. I also sell things on Amazon.com frequently. I’ve never been accused of shipping something late, and I’ve almost never had shipping problems. I’ve rented over 100 DVDs through both Netflix and Blockbuster Online, all of which were successfully received when mailed from those same mailboxes. This problem has been curiously specific to my experience with GameFly.

As you can imagine, I am rather frustrated with this whole situation. What should have been an easy rental service turned into two months of aggravation and false suspicions against my character. I would really love to rent games through GameFly, but I can no longer trust their service. It may be the fault of some mail sorter down at the post office, but it doesn’t alleviate the fact that GameFly can’t sort out shipping problems in their own city (they are based in Los Angeles). This is especially disappointing given that GameFly has what amounts to a monopoly on the online game rental market.

If anyone has had similar issues with GameFly, I would like to know. Given the limited reach of my circle of friends, I’m not sure whether the problem is isolated to the Los Angeles area or if it’s more widespread. I hope that GameFly can resolve this situation soon, whatever the source of the problem may be. Until then, can anyone recommend a better online game rental service?

Leaving WoW

2008-01-14T22:41:00.000-08:00

I wish I could say that it was just as easy to step away from World of Warcraft as it was the last time. I’ve only played WoW during that ten-day trial almost a year ago and then recently for the free 30-day trial that came with the battle chest. I’ve never been a subscriber to the game, but I did feel a stronger connection to the game after 30 days than I did after the end of my previous trial. So what made it different this time?

Time did not seem to make a huge difference in creating a bond with the game. I got to level 20 after 30 days but I was at level 14 after 10 days last time. I'd seen a much different part of the game world, but that wasn’t what made the real difference. Three factors contributed most to my newly-formed connection to WoW.

The first factor was that I really liked my character. It was fantastic to play as a lovely little blood elf, small and blonde and like a better version of myself. While I did appreciate the level advancement, I liked the fact that I felt like I was doing good for others in the virtual community, even if it was just fiction. I felt immersed and wanted to make my character do well because I liked her.

One of the best parts about being a hunter is that you can gain a pet early on in the game. Having a pet cat (mine was a ghostclaw) was fantastically comforting and instantly gave me an emotional connection to the game. I love cats in real life and miss having one as a pet while I’m away at college. In the game world, I had a pet to look after which would, in turn, help me fight and look after me. The cat made me feel much safer in fights and provided and essential support. Even if it wasn’t real, having an faithful, furry companion that followed me around and helped in tight situations was a great comfort.

The last element that gave me a greater connection to the game world was having a friend join at the same time. He got me to buy the game in the first place. While he soon had other commitments and I leveled up faster than he did, I still had a real person that I could connect with in the virtual world. This made the game feel more real and helped me to internalize how other players really are people sitting at their computers.

Given these new elements tying me to WoW, it seems unlikely that I would quit after my trial ended. However, other issues had arisen since I began playing that made me reconsider a subscription. First, there was a physical problem of my PowerBook lacking a video card. Whenever I played WoW, the fan would become incredibly noisy in its unsuccessful attempts to keep my laptop cool. For fear of overheating, I didn’t dare to play any longer than two hours a day. I'd seen what WoW could look like on more powerful computers, where the settings could be optimized. I was able to see so much more in the game, including the subtle bouncing of my elf’s ears as she ran.

My final frustration with WoW was a bigger issue. I enjoy soloing because I don’t have to schedule time in to play and I don’t have to depend on anyone. Given the great diversity of the personalities of other players in WoW, I prefer to complete quests alone. This can lead to problems, especially in the higher levels. There was one quest where I was trying to rescue people from an unpleasant area full of undead. Unfortunately, the undead were grouped into swarms so they were nearly impossible to pick off slowly. After I'd died several times, making little progress, I decided that it would be best to wait for my friend to level up so I could have some dependable help with that quest. While I enjoy playing WoW alone, there seem to be some situations where I need help and I prefer to wait for the point where I can play with people I can trust from real life.

I let my 30-day trial end, but it has not been as easy to give it up as it was before. I enjoyed playing WoW in the mornings before class and found that, while it was not a stunning game, it was somewhat mindless. This made it a fantastic way to unwind. I miss my blood elf and my pet. However, I feel that I had a good experience with the game and learned a lot. For now, I will shift my focus to other games and school, but I hope to take WoW up again when I can find trustworthy people to join my party.

Finishing the Phantom

2008-01-10T22:13:00.000-08:00

It’s been a while since I’ve actually finished a game. Given my academic commitments, a game has to be pretty strong for me to play it through. The fact that The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass was on DS made it much more accessible and I finished it within a month.

I had mentioned in my previous post about Phantom Hourglass how it was relatively easy. It got a little bit more difficult toward the end. Unfortunately, one of the points where I got stuck was when I was stuck in real life in an airport. Stranded without the internet, I called a friend for help and soon figured out what I had been doing wrong. So much of the path in Phantom Hourglass is so straightforward that I got tripped up on something stupid. I had to blow a hole in the wall, but the spot to bomb was somewhat ambiguous. In every other area of the game, the spots to bomb were much more obvious.

Despite a few frustrating inconsistencies, most of the game was fun. The path to completion was fairly linear and I enjoyed playing through to the end. Gadgets were acquired one by one. I loved the puzzles that challenged me to use various gadgets, such as the mouse-shaped bombs that followed paths I drew on the screen.

Given the limited resources and space on a DS cartridge, Phantom Hourglass seemed to be a strong portable experience. Despite the linear path, I still felt a sense of exploration as I continued to visit new islands. The puzzles were clever and varied. The NPCs had personality and quirky backgrounds.

Phantom Hourglass was not without a few flaws. My main complaint and chief frustration was the necessity of revisiting the same temple over and over again. While I could skip certain parts of the level, much of it could still be repetitive. I absolutely hate sneaking around in games, and I had to continue redoing parts where I would sneak around. Also, the money and treasure seemed unbalanced. I found a lot of treasure, but I always had too much money so I never had to sell anything. The treasure was relatively pointless. I had often gone through a frustrating and finicky salvaging minigame to find most of that treasure, so I felt much of my effort was wasted. Finally, there was a possibility to upgrade some abilities, such as adding a shock to my sword attacks. I upgraded a couple abilities but it didn’t make a noticeable difference.

I really did enjoy playing this game. Each dungeon took about 10-20 minutes, which was convenient for short sessions. (However, you cannot save once in a dungeon.) The ending itself was strong and suitable for the game’s theme and story. I enjoyed the characters and the fact that I was a hero. I would recommend this game to people who like creative, engaging adventure experiences in portable form.

Condescending Wiki

2008-01-06T21:36:00.000-08:00

I heard wonderful things about Zack and Wiki, most notably in regards to its innovative puzzles and the return to point-and-click adventure mechanics. Since I grew up with a Mac, I missed the boat on many point-and-click adventures, and I hoped this game would be a fun way to educate myself. While I did learn from Zack and Wiki, the lesson that will likely stick is the scar of its intolerable soundtrack.

Zack and Wiki is full of over-the-top cartoon sounds from the very beginning. While I found it hilarious at first, my good humor wore down after only five minutes. Dialogue is not spoken, but is accompanied by annoying, repetitive sounds. My sidekick, Wiki, would make a high-pitched “Oookiki” sound over and over again. It became very condescending when matched with the tutorial text that made me feel stupid for being a beginner.

While I have very little tolerance for games that belittle the player, especially right at the beginning, there was a plethora of other problems that made Zack and Wiki hard to play. First, the colors were excessively vibrant and felt like a children’s show adjusted to maximum brightness. The graphics of the game looked quite poor on an HDTV and the shortcuts taken in the art cheapened the entire visual style. Cutscenes were way too long and there was simply too much text to wade through. Despite all the dialogue I read, the story was sketchy at best.

As for the click interface, I found it quite limiting. I missed the ability to move freely in an environment. The mechanic where you click where you want your character to go feels outdated. The recent adaptation of this mechanic with the touch screen on the DS is a much more organic use of this type of interface. This leads me to believe that this game would likely be more successful as a DS game. The low-quality graphics and simple puzzles would work better on the small screen. I have found the Wiimote pointer to be much less precise than the DS stylus.

After hearing about the innovative puzzles in Zack and Wiki, I was hoping that it would be fun. Unfortunately, the sound and other shortcomings prevented me from enjoying this game. At its core, however, this game did have spunk. Perhaps it can find a better audience someday with a DS version.

Goddess of Sword

2008-01-02T21:21:00.000-08:00

Sony’s games have a reputation. Ever since I played The Legend of Dragoon seven years ago, I’ve come to expect that Sony will continue to impress me with cutting-edge visuals. Heavenly Sword is no exception. In a brief demo lasting no more than 10 minutes, I was sufficiently awed.

Heavenly Sword definitely raises the bar with its visual style. The environments were stunning. Cinematic sequences looked impeccable and the visuals during gameplay were only slightly lower in quality. The game had a very fluid, cinematic style that, combined with the epic scale, made me feel as if I were the heroine in a movie.

Soon after the cinematic sequence ends, I was sliding down enormous ropes thicker than three of my character’s torsos. I had to jump between the huge ropes and land on a column towering over a hundred feet up. While I fought the enemies there, I tried not to get too distracted by the fantastic view of the untouched beauty of nature surrounding me.

There was also a beauty in the grace of my character’s movements. She had ridiculously long, supermodel legs with enough muscle to justify her incredible strength. The combat animation was fluid and the fights were elegant. She moved with the swiftness of a dancer, but executed attacks at a deadly speed.

Combat, although fluid, felt somewhat unrealistic. I enjoyed being able to use my sword in three different ways: as a ranged weapon, for speed attacks (as two swords separately) or as a power attack (three swords as one). The special attacks were cinematic but didn’t waste time with transitions. Some moves felt artificially effortless, such as picking up and throwing bodies with ease. The intense speed and fluidity was fun but unrealistic. It reminded me of God of War in terms of the bloody hack-and-slash, so it didn’t seem to push combat boundaries.

Other elements in the game felt very polished. The voice-overs were high-quality. Sound effects were spot-on. Certain mechanics, such as using the sixaxis to guide a thrown object, were innovative. Aside from a few irregularities, such as a lack of a block button, this game was quite well-rounded.

After only 10 minutes, it is impossible to truly judge a game. I have heard that it is a short game but, from my limited experience, it seems to be worth the time. I hope that I can play the full version of this game when I finally get a PS3 of my own.

Processing Destruction

2007-12-28T01:33:00.000-08:00

Next-gen consoles are supposed to be incredibly powerful, but it is hard to measure that power without a test. Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction seems to test the power of the PS3, cramming in as many explosions, sounds, AI, and activities on the screen as possible. It is a slight departure from previous Ratchet and Clank games, but this fast-paced platformer certainly performs well.

I was only able to play through the demo of this game, but I was impressed. From start to finish, the demo was a rush. It takes place in a city with incredibly tall buildings and vertical space is utilized in a unique way. Ratchet seemed to fall far enough be considered fatal, but then he would hit be some sort of trampoline device and he would fly through the air to a new destination.

The game was truly action-packed. There was a plethora of scripted events happening around Ratchet, but many did not directly affect him. It reminded me of the original Half-Life, where I could often look around and see events that could be missed if I was not vigilant. The processor on the PS3 handled all the scripted events and explosions beautifully; the console never slowed me down. The PS3 also allowed for greatly improved visuals - the animation was incredible and felt as sharp as that in a Pixar animated feature film.

Despite its intense pace, Tools of Destruction still preserved many of the best features of the series, including the humor and fun weapons. The characters were rich, as always. The weapons were creative, from a weapon that could morph enemies to a groovitron, which made all enemies in the vicinity dance.

Gameplay was similar to the rest of the series. There were some difficult parts that seemed unbalanced with the rest of the game. Fortunately, there were many checkpoints, so the game was fairly forgiving if you died. Also, most of the gameplay was very solid. There was a wonderfully creative part where I got to use the sixaxis tilting to steer Ratchet through multi-tiered air traffic. It was a fantastic moment of gameplay and an experience that felt strangely realistic.

I really enjoyed the demo for Tools of Destruction. It seems like a great use of the PS3’s power and I hope that the whole game lives up to the high standard set by the demo.

Return to WoW

2007-12-23T00:53:00.000-08:00

After my 10-day trial, I was left unimpressed by World of Warcraft (WoW). I decided that I had seen what I wanted to see and left the game to the hardcore fans. Recently, one of my good friends picked up WoW and encouraged me to give it another shot. Hoping that the game would take on a different meaning with a real-world connection, I bought the WoW Battle Chest to give it another chance.

One of my frustrations with my previous character, a Night Elf druid, was that I didn’t admire her. If I was going to play WoW again, I needed to have a character I was proud of and wanted to see every day. Fortunately, The Burning Crusade expansion brought the addition of Blood Elves, an attractive race from a beautiful city. I modeled a female Blood Elf to look similar to me (but better) and chose to be a hunter. I couldn’t be a druid, and the hunter class seemed like the next best.

WoW soon became a part of my daily routine. When I had extra time before class, I would play WoW in my empty classroom. It was fun because there was always something to do. In 20 minutes, I could complete most or all of a quest and feel as if I’d accomplished something. While I would tire of the format after a couple of hours, I enjoyed the process of going on quests and leveling up. WoW continually rewards the player, so it was fun for me. I really enjoyed the positive feedback I got from the quest givers and the way the game made me feel like I was helping the community.

The game mechanics were highly polished. I really appreciated the indicators on the map for people to talk to that were relevant to my quests. It made questing much more efficient. I rarely felt as if I was wasting time, except perhaps when traveling between locations on foot. Even so, it was always with purpose, and careful planning could help me to group my quests by location. Other refined mechanics included the respawn rate of enemies and the item system. The game progressed with an efficiency and polish that kept me focused on enjoying the game.

Given my limited prior experience with the game and MMOs in general, I am learning understand a few important conventions of MMOs. For example, I can lead enemies away from groups to pick them off slowly. Then there are interesting social dynamics, such as an insane number of group invites on my server from people I don’t know. Also, I found it disconcerting not to have a real pause button. If I needed to take a phone call or get some food, I had to plan ahead on how to stay safe in the virtual world or log out.

So far, I have been having a lot of fun with WoW. It lacks the cohesive, tightly-woven story of a normal single-player RPG, but WoW certainly is a nice way to unwind after a long day. It allows me to have fun and feel productive, all while escaping the mundane reality of everyday life. I hope that I can continue to enjoy this game without getting addicted.

Buggy Pirates

2007-12-19T00:21:00.000-08:00

I wanted to like Pirates of the Caribbean (PotC) Online. It seemed like a cool concept. However, what I played was a game released well before it was ready. There was a severe lack of polish in this game that made it nearly unplayable.

I picked up the game after a co-worker had created a character and accepted a few quests. The game seemed to run slowly and the graphics were average for an MMO. I was happy to give the game some credit based on the fact that it was dealing with pirates, which is a fun premise. Unfortunately, there was little story outside the scattered quests and I soon found myself forgetting the idea of fun I had when I began.

When I went to solve a quest, there was no indication regarding when I was getting close to a quest objective. For example, if I was supposed to talk to a certain person in a town, I would have to search through the whole town. In World of Warcraft, there are indicators on the map when your character approaches NPCs relevant to completing active quests. This is immensely helpful when completing multiple quests at once, as you can run into a town and see immediately which few people matter to you. When I completed a quest in PotC, I had no idea where these people were and wasted a lot of time trying to find them.

The game was riddled with bugs. There were camera bugs, where my character was obscured by plants and buildings. The maps were incredibly poor in general and provided little direction. It was really hard to isolate enemies, so many would gang up and I would die quickly. The respawn rate was fast on the enemies, so by the time I returned to the spot, any progress I made on cutting down enemy numbers was lost.

One of the worst mechanics by far was the sailing mechanic. Sailing between two places seemed to take forever. Sometimes other ships would attack, but it was difficult to aim and retaliation was near impossible. I was dying frequently due to my enemy isolation and respawn issues, and, each time I died, I would have to spend five minutes sailing back to that island. Sometimes I didn’t make it, especially when ship was attacked.

PotC Online suffered from a severe lack of adequate development and polishing time. The core mechanics were in place, but the balance was off on much of the game, from sailing times to the enemy behavior. This game may have the potential to be fun, but in its current form, it is too unrefined to be enjoyable.

Solid Assassin

2007-12-15T23:31:00.000-08:00

When a game about the past is mixed with science fiction, it runs the risk ruining the realism of the game. Even if we have not lived during that past, previous eras are often carefully represented in games with characters we can understand. Fortunately, Assassin’s Creed has Altair, a very solid lead character who feels more real than his descendent in the near future.

The best part about Altair is how believable he feels. When he moves around, he feels heavy. There are clinks when he walks from his weapons and gear. He can push through a crowd or weave through less dense groups. He can also collide with people if he runs into them, and they respond accordingly. Despite his weight, Altair is still graceful enough to carry out acrobatic feats reminiscent of Prince of Persia.

Supporting the realistic Altair is a fantastic population of NPCs in towns. There are so many people in the towns, each traveling to and fro as if they have their own agenda. They make surprised comments if Altair leaps up onto a rooftop and notice disturbances he causes. The towns feel believable to a degree that has rarely been achieved in games to date.

Some of the visuals are fantastic, but other visual elements detract from the realism. The scenery is beautiful. The backgrounds in particular are incredibly real. However, the eyes on people are a little too bright and look slightly odd, slipping into the uncanny valley. Also, the motion capture technology is inconsistent. The doctor in the future looks great, but the assassin leader in the past has movements that seem a bit stilted.

The dialogue and visual presentation are two of the game’s main weaknesses. There are many lengthy cutscenes that could be a lot shorter if the dialogue were tighter. The lines are often repetitive and give too many details. Unfortunately, the camera angles during cutscenes can be controlled by the player. I frequently found myself flipping through the angles out of boredom and it severely detracted from my immersion in the game. Sometimes none of the angles would look right, and it felt like this mechanic was a cheap substitution for a cinematographer.

I had a few more frustrations with this game. First, the tutorial was way too long. It went on and on, going over abilities I didn’t need to know until much later. It is impossible to remember everything when too much is presented at the beginning. I was so excited to play the game that I could not retain as much as normal. Also, the game soon takes away all these abilities that it spent so much time teaching me. It seems pointless to learn how to use several abilities only to lose them. Why not learn them gradually? Finally, the combat system is essentially a few non-strategic button presses. It felt unremarkable and dull.

Assassin’s Creed is not a horrible game. It does a lot of things well, most notably many visuals and the realism in towns. However, its weaknesses detract from this game’s merits and can become frustrating. While I did enjoy playing Assassin’s Creed for a while, I hope that games in the future can model themselves after its strengths and learn from its weaknesses.

Uncharted Territory

2007-12-09T22:03:00.000-08:00

I finally made friends with someone who owns a PS3. After a horrible experience with Genji near the release of the PS3, I had vowed to keep my distance from that console. Fortunately, game developers have been working to utilize the capabilities of the PS3. When I saw the screenshots for Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, I wanted to see if the game looked as good as the promotional images. Fortunately, I was not disappointed.

The PS3 felt similar to the 360 in terms of next-gen console quality. The PS3 controller was oddly light compared to the PS2 controller, but that was the only significant difference that I noticed. The PS3 start menu seemed confusing compared to the more straightforward layout of the 360 menus but the PS3 menu was prettier. After getting over my fascination with the new and unfamiliar, I started up the Drake’s Fortune demo.

I’ve had limited experience with adventure games that involve a lot of shooting, with the exception of a couple hours with Lara Croft. I didn’t have many expectations beyond the spectacular visuals I’d seen in the screenshots – and the vast jungle scenery didn’t disappoint. The jungle felt lush and alive. The water looked fantastic. It was great to be able to walk into a lake and have jeans appear wet only where my character’s legs were submerged.

The gameplay felt a lot like Tomb Raider until I got into a shooting match. While I could easily run at enemies shooting in the beginning of Tomb Raider: Legend, Drake’s Fortune was more realistic. I had to aim and use more stealthy tactics. I hid behind cover and darted from one area to another as quickly as possible.

The realism in Drake’s Fortune immediately pulled me into the game. The enemies I shot felt like real people, not just faceless alien clones. They would flank and attempt to get closer. There was no health bar, so a drop in health was indicated a loss of color on the screen and a heartbeat when my life was on the line. Health recovered relatively quickly when behind cover, so I never felt like it slowed me down. It was refreshing not to have to worry about resource management for health packs. Fewer fictional elements to manage health systems create a more immersive experience.

While there were a lot of enemies, there were plenty of elements to help me survive. Sounds such as footsteps always alerted me as to enemy presence. There was plenty of cover. This cover would sometimes get damaged due to grenades and other weapons, but there were always sound and visual cues before the grenades detonated.

The Drake’s Fortune demo was a very cinematic experience. The opening cutscene was just the right length and got me straight into the action. From there, I was fully immersed and enjoyed exploring the rich world and fighting off the realistic enemies. I probably won’t buy a PS3 to play Drake’s Fortune since I’m not a big fan of adventure games with lots of aiming and shooting. However, it is certainly a well-rounded game that gives me hope for the capabilities of the PS3.

Size Doesn't Matter

2007-12-04T21:31:00.000-08:00

Whether it’s on a PS2 or a PSP, Ratchet and Clank feels fantastically the same. I admit that the original PS2 game didn't draw me in like Insomniac’s other popular series, Spyro the Dragon. However, Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters is a well-rounded PSP experience that seamlessly translates the ideas of the original games into a portable experience.

I was surprised to hear that Size Matters was not developed by Insomniac. It was the first project created by High Impact Games, which seems incredible given the level of polish. This is easily explained by the fact that High Impact is partially composed of former Insomniac developers.

While I have not had extensive experience with the Ratchet and Clank series on traditional consoles, I really enjoyed playing through the first couple of hours on the PSP. The Ratchet and Clank series consistently demonstrates solid 3D platformer elements, from the intuitive level design to the clever use of gadgets.

Gadgets were a fun and essential part of many levels. The challenges of the levels encourage the use of different weapons, which creates a fun puzzle feel. The hack-and-slash method doesn’t work due to the limited resources, such as the rarity of ammo for the most powerful weapons. Not all weapons are used for fighting, such as the grappling hook. While it’s obvious when to use a grappling hook for crossing gaps, the weapon can be used to move objects in the level as well. This lends a realism to the world and makes the game more fun.

One particularly strong moment in Size Matters was when I got to take play as Clank. He gained control of a small team of mini robots, which I could then control with basic commands. These robots were too short to climb up to certain platforms, so there was a launching device to fling the mini robots to higher ground. I really enjoyed being able to command a small team and then fling them around without fear of harming them. I would feel terrible launching a cat or some other living animal, but these endearing robots felt no pain and bounced around without even getting a scratch.

My only complaint about Size Matters is that some parts felt much more difficult than others. I'd be progressing just fine and then I'd get stuck at something trivial for several minutes. With a limited character improvement system, it became frustrating; I felt that certain parts required more luck than skill to advance. Perhaps I just need to get more familiar with platformers.

Overall, Size Matters was an enjoyable experience. The graphics were strong and the game successfully utilized some of the best mechanics from the console games. It was a near identical to a console experience on the small screen, proving that size doesn’t matter when it comes to making a strong Ratchet and Clank game.

No Halo For Me

2007-11-28T12:07:00.000-08:00

When I tell people I’m majoring in video game design, they often ask me about Halo. The Halo series has penetrated mainstream culture in a way that most games never will. I think it is great that this franchise has made the entertainment industry take notice of the purchasing power of gamers, but I am not a fan of Halo. FPS games aren’t my favorite, since they usually lack the story, characterization, and lovely graphics that keep me glued to RPGs and adventure games.

When Halo 3 came out, I heard the co-op mode was decent. Hoping that this would mean better chances of survival for me, I grabbed a friend who hadn’t played much Halo and sat down with him to play Halo 3.

The opening sequence was decent but not terribly impressive by my standards. I soon found myself controlling an alien who had grudgingly become an ally of Master Chief. I found this somewhat amusing, as I was a taller than the human but much shorter than my co-op partner in real life. It was fun to tower above him and watch him running ahead of me.

The console FPS controls were somewhat confusing compared to the PC mouse and keyboard. This is a common issue for those used to PCs, and those used to consoles will often have the opposite problem. It seems that it’s merely a matter of preference for most people. However, I often found myself running into the ground or swinging the camera wildly in my attempts to determine whether or not the camera was inverted compared to my intuitive idea of controls.

Due to my difficulties in controlling my character, my partner would often run ahead. We established a nice system where he would jump into melee combat and I would stay behind, sniping off some enemies and providing a re-spawn point. This worked well for a while, but soon became somewhat boring.

The enemies were mostly mindless. A certain group of aliens had ridiculous voices that made me laugh at the game…because it was so stupid. I didn’t like the idea of the enemy being completely idiotic. I prefer games where war is about fighting for what you think is right, but you still realize the consequences due to the humanization of the enemy.

The biggest problem I had with this game in general was the fact that I just didn’t care. There was little cover, sporadically placed, but it didn’t seem to matter much if I died. Ammo was in good supply, so I never had to consider conserving my resources. I could just shoot everywhere if I wanted. Also, there was an A.I. controlled team that we first rescued and then joined. They provided little help; I didn’t really notice if they were around or not.

Compared to games like Half-Life, this game was incredibly dull and lacked a decent story. The story was sprinkled in small doses after completing certain objectives, but it wasn’t very interesting. Since I didn’t care about my team and those around me, I found myself lacking motivation.

Finally, I was frustrated with Halo 3 due to its unrefined design. There were enormous enemies with huge shock sticks that were ridiculously powerful. If these enemies ran at you, you would die, even if your partner was shooting them in the back. This type of imbalance is something I aim to avoid in my games. Then there was little guidance in the form of maps, making it hard to figure out where to go. Unlike the refined level design of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, the level design in Halo often left me lost.

For such a popular game, I was very disappointed in my co-op Halo 3 experience. I hope that the appeal in this game comes from the multiplayer aspect, because I was sincerely disappointed in the story mode. Halo 3 seems like an unrefined, mediocre experience.

One Wild Party

2007-11-25T20:08:00.000-08:00

It is rare to find a demo that leaves you satisfied at the end. Many end with cliffhangers, hoping you’ll buy the game. With Viva Piñata: Party Animals, the mini-games created a satisfying experience in just a short demo.

I wasn’t sure whether or not I would like Party Animals. I have never played Viva Piñata, but it was one of my sister’s obsessions. I have been hesitant to start the game because we have similar taste and I don’t want to get distracted from my schoolwork. When I heard that there was a party game using these characters, I thought it would be worth checking out the demo.

In the first few minutes, I was impressed by the amount of character packed into the game. Each piñata animal had its own personality, through exaggerated body language and careful character design. The mini-games were summarized and scored after each round with voice-overs imitating sports commentators. It was cute and clever.

After playing two other party games for quite some time (Rayman’s Raving Rabbids and Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz), I have to admit that this game won me over with its charm. While the games themselves hardly seem innovative (from a Mario Kart race clone to sailboats powered by burps), they are certainly fun covered in the Viva Piñata theme. The humor is not quite as gross as Rabbids, yet it still seems to have a good balance of humor to appeal to younger boys and girls.

However, I would not limit the audience of this game to children. My coworkers were playing through the demo one day and had a blast. While neither grown man would likely admit to enjoying a kids game that much, I saw first-hand how much they became immersed. The game became a way for them to compete and tease each other to a greater degree than they do in real life. Also, the stakes were quite low, keeping the fun level high.

I really enjoyed the limited demo experience I had with Viva Piñata: Party Animals. I plan to rent this game later. I was glad that I was able to gain an understanding of the strengths of the game from the demo. I would recommend this game for children and encourage curious older gamers to consider trying the demo.

HD Katamari

2007-11-20T14:01:00.000-08:00

I have always been intrigued by the Katamari series. I found Katamari Damacy to be one of the most original ideas of its time. The quirky, flippant king was amusing and the music was fantastic. I listen to the soundtrack often, but I never finished the first game. I had gotten stuck on one of the levels and was soon distracted by other games. When Beautiful Katamari was released, I had recently purchased an Xbox 360. It was time to give the series another chance.

Katamari looked fantastic in HD. I have an Xbox Elite with the HDMI cord connected an HDTV. The vibrancy and clarity of the game environments were simply stunning. I was excited to get into the game. I played through the first few levels, but soon found myself feeling disappointed.

I had some major issues with Beautiful Katamari. First, the controls in this game made my hands sore. The 360 controller is much bigger than the PS2 controller, and the placement of the analog sticks is awkward for me, as I have small hands. I found that one hand had to be sideways while the other was in a normal position, making it more difficult to move the sticks in sync.

My second complaint regarding Katamari is something inherent to the theme of the series: the character of the king. I tried very hard to do my best and make the biggest star possible. However, even when I reached the goal, I would get snide comments from him. This type of negative feedback makes me want to quit a game when I’m frustrated. Why should I try hard if it won’t even satisfy the king? The carrot at the end of the stick had to be created by me, the player. I prefer games with more positive feedback, so I will want to try again and again.

After experiencing physical pain in my hands after each of the 5-10 minute levels and continually receiving negative feedback, I returned the game. It seemed to mostly be more of the same type of gameplay from the first games, aside from the pretty HD graphics and the online play (which I had no intention of testing). If the king was already so mean to me, why would I want to face the scorn of other players?

Games like this make me wonder if I should build up a thicker skin. The snide remarks of a video game character should not affect my self-esteem. However, it does seem that, for a gameplay experience intended to be fun, a highly critical character will inevitably drive some players away when the levels get more difficult.

Growing Frustrated

2007-11-16T13:58:00.000-08:00

After reading a post on Kotaku about Grow Games, I was intrigued by the cute animation and simplicity. If a game had only six or eight items, and the game was in finding the correct order, how hard could it be?

I love puzzles and quickly found myself immersed in a Grow Game. The simple animations were a fun reward for trying new combinations, and they conveyed information in a simple, accessible way. However, these animations could also become lengthy, and soon two hours of my day had gone by. My untouched homework loomed in the back of my mind, and I began to get upset.

I brought in a friend to help me discover the solution to my Grow Game. After writing down several previously attempted combinations, I was getting closer, but not close enough. My friend gave me a few suggestions, but we were still stumped.

Half an hour later, I decided that I had had enough. The cute little animations seemed to mock me and I had no time left to waste on this seemingly simple puzzle. My friend looked up the answer online and then gave me some hints. I soon found the answer, but I can’t say whether I truly felt satisfied.

I had spent nearly three hours puzzling away, since the clues could be misleading. In puzzles, I prefer to use logic or skill, but after an hour or so, my grow game turned into a game of chance. The animation at the end wasn’t even that interesting, and I felt that I had learned little. However, the intense focus I had on my game was a fun escape. Two weeks later, I found myself tackling a grow game again, but after an hour, I gave up. Perhaps my mind is not suited to these types of puzzles, or it could be that I just don’t have three hours of my day to devote to a chance-based puzzle game.

Rocking Out

2007-11-11T21:06:00.000-08:00

I often see enormous tents and displays on campus. I usually pay little attention, as they often involve free energy drinks or activists. Fortunately, the semi parked on campus last Friday was promoting the game Rock Band. I made an exception and decided to check out the tour bus.

I spent about two hours on the Rock Band tour bus, which had been opened up to form a little stage. The time passed much more quickly when I ran into some friends. I had been playing drums, and I was happy to do so. I have spent some time with Guitar Hero, and the guitar on Rock Band seemed like the same thing. I wanted to try out the “new” instruments. I was surprised to find that there was little demand for the drums, but they were quite fun to play.

Virtual drums are rather interesting. I had thought that it would be like a practice pad, with one or two round circles to hit. Instead, the controller is structured more like a drum set, with four small circles in an arc and a foot pedal. The easy drum difficulty rarely use the foot petal, but the later difficulties become increasingly complicated (as expected). Hitting the different color-coded circles isn’t too difficult, but many people (including myself) seemed to have a lot more trouble when the foot pedal was involved. As a former flutist in high school band and orchestra, I got used to tapping my foot to the beat. I had to switch feet to tap my left foot, as the right foot controlled the pedal. When one foot is tapping and the other has to push a pedal down at certain timed cues, it becomes rather complicated. Fortunately, I played mostly on easy and medium difficulties, so it was manageable.

One of the most fun components of the Rock Band tour was the recording portion. It wasn't a part of the normal game, but was meant as a promotion on the tour. In order to get a free t-shirt, you had to play for a camera. This video is then posted online and eventually feeds into a contest. I ended up with random people, so I never expected to be any good. However, the fact that you get to see yourself on the internet in a silly little video is quite a novelty. I had a lot of fun playing on stage and rocking out in that geeky gamer way. My video is posted below.

After visiting the Rock Band tour bus, I am no closer to buying the game than I was before. I did learn that it is a lot of fun with a group of people that you know, and it can make you feel like a rock star with a little imagination.

See Video Below:

Or click the link here: My Rock Band Video

Style for the Stars

2007-11-06T16:13:00.000-08:00

After enjoying Moonpod’s Mr. Robot, I downloaded Starscape, their other acclaimed independent game. Starscape is in an entirely different genre. Unlike the puzzle adventure Mr. Robot, Starscape is about space mining and ship building. The shipbuilding element is reminiscent of Homeworld, but is presented in a highly stylized way. The entire game is simple in design but never to a fault; it captures the essence of a casual game, where it is easy to play, but hard to master.

The game is presented in a unique style. The cutscenes and characters are styled in a hybrid of 90’s cartoons and anime. The colors are bright but not garish and the people are attractive without looking impossibly beautiful. The non-people elements (mainly outside the ship) are mostly ships in space. The ships look great, as does space. The game takes place on a 2D plane, but the backdrop looked so great that it fooled me at first – I thought that I was on a 3D plane.

The gameplay feels polished like Mr. Robot, but I had a few issues with the controls. The initial ship you control to mine resources was a slightly difficult to steer. Pressing left or right on the directional keys would cause it to make a wide turn. I missed the subtlety of a mouse for movement, as I prefer to follow more refined paths, even in space. The controls didn’t become much of a problem until I had to shoot other ships. Then it became a little bit challenging to aim. Also, I found myself constantly mixing up the keys. Instead of a default return key or spacebar to fire, the keys Q and W were used to fire, while E was a tractor beam. I found myself shooting the resources that I wanted to mine, as I would get the keys mixed up. While the key controls are customizable in the menus, I always try to follow the designers’ original plan, as it is often done for a reason. However, I would have to disagree with the designers in this case, as I felt the controls were often counterintuitive.

Outside of the controls, the game was fairly straightforward. Mining was simple and fun. Like Mr. Robot, the amount of text was perfect – just enough to get you the important information without being overwhelming. There is also a fantastic ship customization component, where you work to build elements for ships, such as a bridge, engines, and cannons. There is a large resource management element here, where you distribute the resources you mine according to your goals. This type of customization has never been my favorite part of games, but there is certainly a large audience of gamers who thrive on it.

Starscape is an interesting independent game. I would recommend Mr. Robot before Starscape, but they are both polished experiences. They both have low system requirements and a free demo, making them highly accessible to a variety of gamers. The unique style of Starscape makes it fun and it is certainly an engaging game.

Independent Inspiration

2007-11-02T18:06:00.000-07:00

Independent games have received a lot of attention lately, especially since the wildly popular Portal was developed from student project Narbacular Drop. However, the term “independent game” is no more than a label and it reveals little about the quality of a game. Some games have been hastily created in two weeks for a school project, while others have been in development with a small team of professionals for over a year.

As a student of game design, I’m always looking for new and interesting games to play. While console experiences can be fantastic, independent and casual games often have more creative freedom. With the exception of a few titles, such as Half Life 2: The Orange Box, most publishers are more conservative. Xbox Live and the upcoming Wii Ware are beginning to change the field, but indie games can serve as a valuable inspiration for breaking out of established gameplay patterns.

Recently, I heard that Moonpod Games had been getting many positive reviews for their indie games, so I downloaded Mr. Robot. I didn’t know what to expect, but I found a polished, satisfying experience.

From the beginning, Mr. Robot is a charming game. The characters are simple in design but convey personality through clever dialogue. The main character, Asimov (or 1138), shows his eagerness to achieve his dream of becoming an important robot. His lady friend, Zelda, leaves no doubts as to her relation to Asimov when she uses terms such as “cutie” and “honey.” Before the tutorial is over, many of the main characters are revealed and their relations to your character are painlessly established. The story is well written and never wastes your time with needless dialogue.

The gameplay is solid and polished. Much of the game involves moving around in an isometric environment on board the main ship. Controls include clicking the left mouse button and dragging (so Asimov follows) or using the arrow keys. The isometric perspective can make jumping a little more complicated in some cases but it is fairly simple after getting used to it. Machines elements, such as lifts, respond quickly and feel like an organic part of the ship. There is also a decent map, which, although small, reveals important information at a glance. My only complaint regarding design is that Asimov is sometimes hard to pick out when left idle on a screen, as he blends in with many of the other robots.

There are many puzzle elements, such as moving boxes around to create a certain type of formation. At first, the puzzles can seem slightly simplistic, but the game is more fun since you can move ahead quickly. In one simple puzzle, I did get stuck (by blocking myself in) but there was a reset option readily available. This type of feature reflects the thought the developers put into the game; they kept the player in mind, since players are bound to make mistakes.

Mr. Robot is an excellent independent game experience. While it does have a few flaws, the game feels incredibly polished and is full of character. It has many references to sci-fi pop culture, from Asimov’s name and number (1138) to the supercomputer HEL-9000 (like HAL). While it may seem simple at first, elements such as the combat system allow for more complex game experiences. Mr. Robot excels most in its character and charm, distinguishing it from other games and making it a uniquely satisfying game.

Portable Zeda

2007-10-28T11:40:00.000-07:00

I’ve been a huge fan of the DS ever since I discovered Elite Beat Agents. The compact size means I have the ability to game between classes, when I’m in line, and when I generally am stuck waiting. It’s fantastic to be able to whip out my DS on a moment's notice and suddenly become immersed in a great game.

Most of the games I’ve played on DS so far have been strong, well-constructed games. Fortunately, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is no exception. I was surprised by its simplicity, as it has a pared down item and inventory system, especially compared to the complicated DS version of the RPG Final Fantasy III. The game moves quickly, as most dungeons can easily be beaten in half an hour or less.

Phantom Hourglass’s simplicity should not be mistaken for that of a children’s game. While it is relatively easy in terms of difficulty, it is a very clever, well-designed experience. Objects such as bombs hardly harm you when you accidentally set them off and deadly falls only remove a small portion of your health. This friendly system encourages exploration and doesn’t punish you for mistakes. The controls are primarily based on touch with the stylus, and with the small screen, this makes it easier to mess up than with a console.

Although I am not opposed to difficult games, the ease of Phantom Hourglass makes it a lot of fun for a more casual, portable experience. Its GameCube predecessor, The Wind Waker, had more complicated puzzles and levels, and I sometimes found myself frustrated. I have only been stumped on a couple of occasions in Phantom Hourglass, and most of that was realizing that I had to interact with my DS in an unconventional way (i.e. blowing into the DS microphone to blow out a candle in the game).

For a DS game, Phantom Hourglass is incredibly immersive. The tasks are given out quickly and there is little lag. I feel as if I am part of the story from the very beginning and that I am actively influencing the world. The game lets you do most of the work on your own. Also, the fact that the default name for the main character is my name (the game takes it from your DS) makes it all the more personal. Suddenly, it’s me who’s saving the day, not a group of heroes like in the RPGs I often play.

I have very few complaints about this game, as I feel that the simplicity and stylized drawings create a charming Zelda interpretation. However, my main complaint would be the simplicity of the combat system. There are two basic attacks, made with a stylus slash and a stylus circle. I rarely use the slash, as I have had a hard time making Link slash the enemy instead of running into its attacks. The circle attack is fairly effective, but doing it too many times in a row makes him dizzy (while cute, it limits this attack).

The touch controls can also be a little bit impractical in one other feature: the map-drawing feature. I find it very handy how you can draw and make notes on your map with the touch screen. Unfortunately, many of these maps are very small on the DS screen, so it becomes hard to write anything legibly. I have resorted to little dots and lines mostly, as anything else is pointless. The game is fairly forgiving in terms of marking things, so it is never a huge problem; it’s just slightly inconvenient not to be able to make intelligible notes.

Overall, I fell that Phantom Hourglass is a very strong game. The simple design makes it accessible, even when I could only play it for two minutes at a time. While the touch controls can be a little bit limiting, the idea of making notes on a map is a nice innovation. I have enjoyed the levels I have played so far and look forward to playing it again soon.

Portals

2007-10-24T11:38:00.000-07:00

I get scared easily when I play games that involve shooting things and sneaking around. I usually avoid scary games or dystopian future games with creepy soundtracks. Fortunately, I made an exception for Portal and carved out an hour of my time to check it out. I left the computer after dying a few times at the hand of robots, but the next day I felt a pleasant feeling I hadn’t felt in a long time: a video game craving.

Finally, I had found a game that I wanted to play so badly that it began to creep into my daily life. I started to play a different game, but the simple puzzles in that game seemed so trivial compared to Portal. It is so rare that a game invents a new kind of puzzle that allows your mind to think in ways you have never thought before.

Portal is not really a spatial puzzle; it’s more a puzzle of physics. You have to use your knowledge of gravity and momentum and apply it in completely new ways. The game is realistic, and I believe most of its strength comes from the open-ended possibilities of a highly manipulative 3D space.

I had read about a Flash version of Portal, and I decided to check it out. While it utilized the same principles, the game lacked the black humor and the most fun element: utilizing the 3D environment. The real version of Portal completely immerses you in the game, as you have to constantly look around you and see your environment as a resource. While the wall spaces become more limited in later levels, there is still a lot of freedom in the placement of the portals, allowing for multiple solutions.

There’s nothing quite like the thrill of seeing yourself through a portal 20 feet away or looking down into a portal and waiting for the right moment to jump. While Portal isn’t a game that requires objectives be completed in a certain amount of time, there is a lot of timing that comes into play and makes it exciting. Even though you are completely alone in the testing facility, I was fascinated by how easily I became immersed in the game and lost track of time.

I played through the later levels in Portal, and I have to say that I am very relieved. Valve finally allowed itself the freedom for true innovation in game design, and I’m sure game designers will never think of puzzles the same way again.

Musical Plankton

2007-10-20T14:57:00.000-07:00

It’s no secret that I like rhythm games. It’s hard to imagine that someone could be serious about both music and games without drawing at least some pleasure from titles like Elite Beat Agents and Guitar Hero.

I had heard that Electroplankton was some sort of experimental music game, but I never really knew what to expect. I wasn’t expecting to play it this soon, but GameFly was backed up with Halo 3 rentals and somehow this was sent to me instead of a flashy new title.

Electroplankton is really not much of a game. I saw every level in under an hour. There were about 10-12 different areas, each with little plankton creatures that would manipulate tones in different ways. The spontaneous nature of the music is a lot of fun, but my ears quickly grew tired when there was no melody to follow. I breezed through the levels, and after figuring out what made each one unique, I thought, “Now what?” Well, that was all there was.

Fortunately, one of my friends was around. He took a look at it and played it in an entirely different way. One level is set up with four plankton, each with its own tonal pattern and range. The notes change depending on the lines you draw for them to follow on the DS screen. While I drew straight lines, circles, and spirals, he drew different sorts of lines that were more abstract. Suddenly the tones became something new.

Electroplankton really is a neat experiment – the way players toy with the tones is a mark of individuality. The abstract nature of the game allows for more creativity, which is fantastic. However, the experimental nature of the title makes it less of a game and more of an interactive display. I would not buy this game, and together, my friend and I played the rental copy for less than two hours. While I admire the innovation in this game, it seems like it would work better if incorporated into a more structured game.

Relaxing Retreat

2007-10-16T23:02:00.000-07:00

The arrival of Eternal Sonata has meant the end of a phase for me. I played Eternal Sonata for a few hours, and the next day I found that feeling that I had missed so much: video game craving. Just as I had hoped, this game was turning into the type of experience I had been wanting since I finished Okami and Elite Beat Agents earlier this year.

I understand that Eternal Sonata isn’t the type of game that everyone wants to play. For me, it is finally a world that I want to escape to in my free time; unlike the horrific environment of Bioshock or the dangerous Halo, Eternal Sonata makes everything lovely. When I have a stressful school life, I want to spend my free time in a glittering dungeon or a majestic forest. It’s relaxing for me to escape into a world more beautiful than my own.

The combat system in Eternal Sonata appeals to me much more than many other games due its turn-based roots. While there is still a battle timer, the game still gives you time to think through the moves you want each character to use. I enjoy games that give me a little time to strategize. That way, it’s more like a puzzle and less like a test of gut reactions.

I was hoping that Eternal Sonata would be more like an adventure game, with a straightforward plot and puzzles that don’t require too much time. Unfortunately, my friend and I spent a ridiculous amount of time on a puzzle that was almost entirely based on trial and error. Like previous RPGs, I decided to purchase a strategy guide, as the game is full of ridiculously winding pathways and has some tricky puzzles.

I was a little bit upset when, after purchasing a guide with adequate pictures, my friend and I still got lost in a level. The official guide is poorly worded in some parts, and for someone as literal as I am, it can be an issue. I began to realize that part of the reason I enjoyed games like Final Fantasy VIII was the fact that I had a solid guide to help me through it, like a mentor that helped me make the best decisions. I was able to complete many RPGs with strong characters and little frustration due to the help of many well-written guides.

While I still think that I will enjoy playing Eternal Sonata, I am still slightly disappointed in the puzzles. However, most RPGs have some sort of ridiculous puzzle that, in the words of my friend Jettoki, “is made to be so difficult that you have to buy a strategy guide.” I hope that Eternal Sonata can continue to be a relaxing experience for me and that the rest of the game turns out to be as fantastic as its visual design.

Hardcore Girl Gamer

2007-10-11T21:15:00.000-07:00

As a female gamer, I often get singled out in my classes and at work. I’ve heard comments such as, “It’ll be great to have a female opinion on this,” “I’m so glad to see that you’re here,” and “What kind of games do girls play?” I have a hard time with the issue of appealing to girls, as I have had a lot of traditionally nerdy male hobbies, from reading comics to collecting action figures.

I was surprised to see this article on Gamastura, claiming that parents are more hesitant to let girls play “hardcore” games (as opposed to casual games). I think that one of the only reasons why I got into games was the influence of my dad, who never had a son. He introduced my sister and me to games and never made us feel like it was odd. For a long time, I knew no other girls who played games, but I was encouraged by my family to follow my passions.

I have begun to wonder if it’s the parents who are keeping the girls from the hardcore games or if it’s the girls themselves that are avoiding games. If all the games I had seen were Halo and Madden on a brother’s console, I probably wouldn’t be too excited to play. Gaming is an expensive hobby, from steep PC requirements to the fact that most consoles cost over $100.

Even as someone who loves gaming, I have had a hard time finding a game that I could really sink my teeth into lately (until the arrival of Eternal Sonata and other great games for the holiday season, it had been a dry spell for me). Aside from the DS, a lot of games require a decent time commitment and knowledge of previous games can give you an incredible advantage. I took a break from gaming in high school, and found that I needed a good few months to reeducate myself before I could call myself a gamer again.

While I do enjoy working in a male-dominated industry, I find it sad that many girls are so averse to gaming. Women’s magazines like Cosmopolitan encourage girlfriends to allow their male companions time for games, even if it’s hard for them to understand it. I hope that someday girls can realize that games can be a great hobby as immersive as a love of fashion or gourmet food. While there are fewer games that appeal specifically to females, I believe that it is only a matter of time before women realize what they’re missing.

Put On Your Game Face

2007-10-07T21:02:00.000-07:00

I spent the past summer testing games. I met a lot of interesting people there, including one guy who happily pointed out to me that I look constipated while concentrating on a game. Apparently I don’t look weird the whole time I play; it’s just when I have to think really hard.

This reminds me of a Kotaku post about Milla Jovovich. Blogger Brian Ashcraft wonders if even models can’t look good when they’re genuinely concentrating on a game.

Now, I have seen my fair share of funny faces in my time. Some people look incredibly sad when playing games and others look possessed. So is it games or just concentration in general?

I’d like to think that people look strange when they’re concentrating on other things. I have witnessed many band students scrunching up their faces to stare at tiny notes on a page, but these unattractive faces usually last for just a passing moment. Even other immersive forms of entertainment, such as books, film, and television, tend to give people a more serene expression. Facial reactions to these mediums are often very brief (such as a grimace at a gory sight). Games seem to be unique in their ability to get people to make faces.

What is it about games that changes faces? Games can be incredibly immersive and require more thought than more passive forms of entertainment, such as books and movies. The also allow players to remove themselves from their physical body, since, in the game, their identity is usually embodied in some form of avatar. Whether it’s a custom character or a well-known hero, games are interactive experiences designed to make players feel as if they are making choices. In essence, players become the character and are much more concerned with how their character looks while playing the game.

When players separate themselves from their physical form and become more concerned with the digital avatar on the screen, it seems that they lose a sense of themselves. While people in the surrounding environment would often make people self-conscious, many people play games alone. When people are not alone, they tend to become very immersed in games, as they are often very engaging and require most of a player’s attention. Even if someone is home alone, they may be so immersed in the game that they forget to be conscious of their appearance.

While people may continue to tease each other about the faces they make when gaming, I don’t see it as a real problem. It’s amusing to watch children in restaurants with DSs, as you can read their faces and get and idea of their experiences. I think this face-making issue will really only get worse in the future, as virtual reality will likely develop and take us completely out of our bodies. The only real reason to be concerned is if you choose to play games with a webcam, but why would anyone want to do that? It seems that it is more fun to escape into another world, because forgetting yourself for a while is half the fun.

Casual RPGs: Kudos

2007-10-05T19:09:00.000-07:00

Is Kudos a dating sim clone or a truly engaging experience?

Click the link below for Jettoki's and my opinions on another Casual RPG: Kudos.

Casual RPGs, Part II: Kudos

RPGs: A Causal Experience

2007-10-03T16:26:00.000-07:00

When someone suggested that I check out casual RPGs, I was a bit skeptical. Could the genre I loved for its immersive qualities succed on a casual level?

Click the link below to read my opinion and that of fellow RPG fan Jettoki.

Casual RPGs, Part I: Dream Chronicles

Not My Mama

2007-10-01T17:03:00.000-07:00

Cooking is something I enjoy doing in my spare time, so it was only natural that would play Cooking Mama. While it hadn't gotten the most amazing reviews, it seemed like an interesting use of the Wii. I had seen someone playing it at work and wanted to try it out.

I was excited to play this cooking game to see how a Wiimote could be used to "cook." I began the practice exercises. Some of them felt intuitive, like moving the Wiimote down to cut vegetables. Others were a bit odd, like pulling the trigger to get out chopsticks for stir-frying or shaking the Wiimote to open a can.

One of the most frustrating things about cooking with a Wiimote is the variety of actions required in such a short time. Things like cracking an egg are very pressure sensitive and can be incredibly hard at first. Then, 30 seconds later, you do another task that requires a new move that you just learned. It felt a lot like learning a dance when tired – you know the motions but you can't quite remember how they all fit together.

I was hoping I'd enjoy the idea of having a "mama" to grade my progress. When I was young, my mother taught me everything I knew in the kitchen, and she was very supportive and loving. In Cooking Mama, the mother would make comments as you attempted to complete the tasks. I didn't mind the heavily-accented "Good" or "Excellent," but all the
comments weren't quite as positive. For example, every time I failed to crack an egg, I heard a message in seemingly Japanese-English gibberish. After about 10 times, I finally figured out that this Japanese mother was saying "You're not mine" – she was disowning me. Well, Cooking Mama, you're not mine either.

Maybe my ego is just too easily bruised, but I really enjoy games that have a nice learning curve. In a friendly game like Cooking Mama, shouldn't there be more nurturing and less tough love? I really enjoy cooking in real life, and I believe a lot of that is because many of the manual tasks can be relaxing. It's sad that it didn't translate into this game, which turned into a stressful short-term memory test.

Farming Fun?

2007-09-29T20:20:00.000-07:00

I knew very little about Rune Factory until my friend Jettoki began playing it. I teased him about the silly sounds and cute anime style, but he insisted on its merits. I picked it up myself and found that it wasn't what I expected.

Check out our thoughts about Rune Factory on our new blog He Games, She Games.

Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon

Classic Kong

2007-09-25T23:49:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite parts of being a video game design student is getting to play games for homework. This week, my assignment was to play Donkey Kong, the Game Boy title from 1994.

Usually, my main focus while playing a new game is the fun factor. An academic setting can really help to break me out of my narrow point of view and see a game in a new way. While playing Donkey Kong, I was supposed to look for design elements and good ideas to inspire a class game project.

What strikes me most about Donkey Kong was the simplicity of the levels. Many levels were entirely visible from the start – making for easy strategizing. It reminded me of the simple mazes I used to have in travel fun activity books, but better. This maze involved a couple of stops and active enemies to avoid.

The foes in Donkey Kong were refreshingly different from the 3D platformer enemies I’ve grown accustomed to defeating. Some enemies can be easily avoided, but their heads can be used as platforms to jump to a higher level. Other enemies wouldn’t kill you outright upon contact with them, but they could knock you off ledges and be a general nuisance. These annoying enemies didn’t have complex A.I. behavior, but the level design was sophisticated enough to make them a formidable obstacle.

I had a hard time getting past the first level in Donkey Kong. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m very bad at Mario games, so it should come as no surprise that I had trouble controlling Mario in Donkey Kong. This game is much older than games I normally play, and the control scheme was much more simple. Instead of worrying about all the angles to make a jump, timing was most often the most important factor. I found myself climbing up the broken ladders, sure that I was out of the deathy barrels’ range, only to discover that the collision was slightly less accurate than newer games and I would soon be dead.

I hold no grudge against Donkey Kong. In fact, I really admire all the creativity in the level design and the simplicity in the puzzles. It’s great to see a game that focused on design before graphics and made the most of the limitations of its time. While this game may not be fun for someone like me accustomed to modern mechanics, I still find it an admirable classic.

New Blog!

2007-09-21T13:12:00.000-07:00

After months of writing about games by myself, I thought it would be fun to write with someone else. A good friend of mine and a fellow game blogger, Jettoki is the co-author of He Games, She Games. Each week, we play the same title and then write about it. Unlike this blog, the games analyzed on He Games, She Games are almost exclusively recent releases.

Click below to read our thoughts on Stuntman: Ignition, one of the games I tested this summer.

He Games, She Games

Patience for the Prince

2007-09-17T09:29:00.000-07:00

I downloaded Prince of Persia: Classic to play with my friend over the weekend. He had told me that it was supposed to be great and he was very excited to try it out. Assuming that it would be worth the $10 or so, I decided not to waste my time with a demo and go straight for the full version.

First, my friend and I took turns playing. When one of us would complete a level or die repeatedly, we'd switch off. This worked pretty well through the first few levels. The visuals looked great and the Prince moved swiftly. The combat mechanics seemed a little rough, but I thought that I just needed more time to get used to it.

We progressed until the fourth level, when suddenly we got stuck. Perhaps it was the fact that we had found so few of the health increase potions. Maybe it was the combat system. Whatever it was, we both got frustrated because we had an incredibly hard time defeating a common enemy. Once in a while we did beat the enemy, but there was no checkpoint right afterwards, and a misstep in a difficult jump sequence made it all worthless. Prince of Persia: Classic is very unforgiving.

I stopped playing the game after multiple attempts at the fourth level. I was ready to give it up entirely. Fortunately, my friend is more patient or perhaps just more stubborn. After a short break, he continued to play through the game and is nearly finished now. However, it was not without repeated swearing and complaining that he progressed that far. While he did not face the same block that we found earlier, he still didn't seem to be having a lot of fun.

It seems that we may have run into such frustration for two reasons: not finding the life potions and the lack of consistency in combat. The fact that we didn't find all the potions to give our Prince more health was entirely within our control, but the combat was not. Although we could have looked up the secret locations to extend our health or explored more on our own, many of the potions were well-hidden. Areas that don't appear to be accessible until you jump to them suddenly become visible. However, this leap-before-you-look philosophy can be very dangerous. As I mentioned earlier, one bad jump can set you back several minutes, especially when there are difficult enemies. While the areas become very obvious once you discover them, it seems to work well only upon repeat plays of the levels. I am not the kind of player who enjoys returning to games over and over, and I think this type of play may have worked better in the arcade setting.

The second most frustrating part of the game was the combat system. If you tried to counter an attack one way and it failed, the next time that same method would work (and vice versa). It was incredibly inconsistent and lacked a cohesive pattern. In this way, it felt less like a skill-based game and more emphasis was placed on chance. Also, attack animations could take a long time, and button mashing would cause the Prince to execute all the commands in order, but slowly. It felt like watching a slow computer, clicking away while the cursor spins and you just have to watch while your Prince dies.

Although I did not play the game for as long as my friend, I experienced enough frustration to show me that Prince of Persia: Classic is not my type of game. If you want to read a more in-depth review from my friend who played with me, check it out here: Design Review: Prince of Persia Classic.

Profitable Penguins

2007-09-07T08:53:00.000-07:00

When I heard that a little site called Club Penguin had sold for $700 million, I thought that it must be a mistake. This idea that some online community for children could sell for that much money was simply astounding. One of my professors asked me to create an academic presentation on Club Penguin, so I soon had the opportunity to answer my burning question: What made Club Penguin worth $700 million?

I signed onto the site and created my own happy penguin avatar. I was immediately struck by the cute factor on the website. It had a nice visual style that didn’t look overtly “kiddish” (i.e. exaggerated cartoon style or abundant embarrassing imitations of children’s handwriting). The colors were tasteful while remaining bright and cheerful. The penguin theme really worked – it unified the social areas and gave a nice blue and white color theme. Competitor site WebKinz is full of cuteness as well, but the bright rainbow of pinks, yellows, oranges, and purples detracts from the content.

I explored the world, expecting to find a myriad of games. I was surprised to find no advertised game signs to point me in the right direction; I had to hover my mouse over normal-looking objects like a boat or a coffee bean sack to even see the text indicating that it was a link to a game.

With such little focus on the games in the community areas, I expected the social aspect to be booming. Unfortunately, I found that a lot of my penguin peers were not very chatty. Most penguins moved quickly from one area to the next. Some penguins did seem to hang out on the screen but said very little. I tried asking a few questions and consistently did not receive a response until I asked a question a few times. The other penguins didn’t seem unfriendly; they just weren’t interested in long chats.

If all the penguins aren’t hanging around chatting, where is the draw in Club Penguin? As a non-paying member, I had little access to what appeared to be the greatest attraction: the materialism element. Penguins all over the site were dressed in flashy outfits, walking fluffy pets called puffles, and inviting each other to parties at their fancy igloos. Paying members can earn in-game currency through the minigames, which they then use to buy clothing, accessories, pets, furniture, appliances, and technology for themselves and their igloos. The penguin avatars can essentially become walking status symbols.

In order to get the currency, players must log many hours in the minigames. After playing a few of these minigames, I found that the currency was relatively easy to obtain. The minigames are mainly simple flash-based games with very basic controls. Generally, games use the mouse or the arrow keys (with or without the spacebar). I was very surprised to see that there are only about 14 games total on the website – ten single-player, four multiplayer. The games seem very easy at first but quickly become more and more difficult. Fortunately, players can continue to play the easier levels over and over and still receive the same amount of currency. In this way, it caters to a player base of all levels, but those with fewer skills will have to have more patience.

As a college student, Club Penguin does not really seem like my type of game. It is cute and fun (for about half an hour) but it’s not nearly enough to keep me coming back. What I began to realize is that Club Penguin is not a runaway success because of the social element. It’s about the status and fulfilling fantasies; kids want to build their dream homes and ideal wardrobes while playing some fun games. Maybe once in a while they’ll meet someone new, but only if they have time after playing some of those minigames again.

Social Contrast

2007-09-05T17:41:00.000-07:00

I recently had to play two "light" MMOs for class: Toontown and Puzzle Pirates. Even if both games were designed for different age groups, the social interactions in each were dramatically different. It seems that Toontown is much more focused on social interactions. One of my first tasks in Toontown was to make at least one friend. I found it very easy to make friends here, as I asked several people to be my friend and almost all accepted. Unfortunately, this ease of friending makes the friendship more hollow.

In Puzzle Pirates, all of my first tasks were independent. While my duty puzzles did help members of the crew (each of us had a duty like carpentry, bilge pumping, and sailing), each was a series of puzzles that I completed alone. The constant “duty reports” reminded me that I was working alongside a crew, but these interruptions didn’t really encourage social interaction.

After completing three duty puzzles in Puzzle Pirates, I decided to explore the town. I went into a building that looked like a restaurant. I tried to check out a few games at tables where I saw one or two people seated. However, most of the activities were limited to paying members. I then went over to a table with a crowd of people. It was a central table that allowed players to access multiple parlor games. However, none of these people appeared to be talking to each other, at least outside of games. The multiplayer games may have had conversations, but the crowd in the outside world was silent.

Toontown had a very different atmosphere. There was much more chatter, from the taunts of enemies to the very vocal creatures at the headquarters. Even if these animals didn’t have a mission for you, they would talk to you. I received several friend requests and even was surprised when a message appeared on my screen later, stating that one of my friends needed help in battle. I teleported to them immediately and found that two of her other friends had done the same. There were four of us in battle, all determined to help our friend. This friend was someone I knew nothing about other than the facts that she was in danger and she had asked me to be her friend. If her other two friends knew as little about her as I did, then the game must have done something special to establish a connection between us.

How does Toontown unite people better than Puzzle Pirates? Toontown keeps everyone on the same side. While you fight against enemies, you can always have a friend in battle and you never seem to fight other players. In Puzzle Pirates, the spirit of pirates reigns true: pirates are out for small crews or for themselves. The activities are more isolated and there are more selfish goals. It does not seem like gifts are encouraged like they are with the big gift button in Toontown’s “Cattlelog.” While I am not opposed to social interaction, I am more inclined to play a game like Puzzle Pirates because it feels much less invasive and the social dynamic is less of a focus.

Aftershock

2007-08-31T20:37:00.000-07:00

I’m still thinking about Bioshock. I haven’t even played the game – I only watched it – yet it’s on my mind. Perhaps the critics were right: there’s something about this game that hits you on a deeper level.

Lately I’ve been wondering, how did Bioshock remain scary without anyone jumping out in the demo? It may be because of the frightening story of a utopia gone wrong, where little girls become soulless monsters and people brutally kill their best friends. Still, I can’t help thinking that it’s more than that.

In Bioshock, you are an outsider in the city, so you don’t really care about it, but the horror of the game still affects you on some level. The game encourages you to loot corpses. Many games do this, and it is probably essential to survival in many of those hypothetical plots, but does that make it right? The splicers are selfish beings who kill each other and are only out for themselves. If you loot corpses and kill splicers, you essentially become a splicer yourself.

When first entering the city of Rapture, there is a scene where one splicer attacks another. These attacks happen in front of you multiple times. I kept expecting there to be a “good” side and a “bad” side – like some sort of resistance. My friend informed me that the story of the game explains how the resistance has been defeated, making your situation more hopeless. However, I was surprised by the lack of a companion. Outside of the companion accessible through the radio, there is really no one checking in with you. No one in this game seems to be “on your side” – no one wants to help you get out alive unless they believe it will help them (like the radio guide).

These factors help to isolate you and make your situation all the more desperate. I keep thinking back to that scene where the splicer was drilled by the Big Daddy. The gore didn’t bother me, but the lack of emotion I felt did. Why didn’t I care about this city and the fact that people were tearing themselves apart? Why did I find myself laughing at the monstrous little girl when she said normal children’s words in a creepy voice?

It seems that games allow us to have an unnatural separation from the morals we use in daily life. Perhaps this is a motivation for some to play. I am personally shocked by the way in which I slip into this lax sense of morality. While watching my friend play Bioshock, I would ask him if he checked this or that corpse in the corner to make sure he raided all the items. I saw enemies like tasks on a to-list: kill him, kill her, and kill that one over there.

It is common to separate ourselves from the enemy in games, but does that make it right? People separate themselves from enemies in wars so they can kill them. We voluntarily play games against enemies that are very human in nature, from Germans in war games to zombies. I have no problem at all killing monsters in games, but killing people in the virtual space feels different. I have no problem with other people playing these games since the vast majority seems to have a strong distinction between reality and virtual worlds. However, I don’t like the part of myself that can human enemies like animals to slaughter, so it may be hard for me to ever have the desire to buy a game like Bioshock.

Sightseeing in Rapture

2007-08-26T18:33:00.000-07:00

I didn’t think I’d want to see Bioshock. I’m way too jumpy for scary games and I prefer to play games in fantasy worlds that I’d actually want to visit. I downloaded the Bioshock demo for a friend so I could watch the game without actually playing it. That way, if it got too scary, I could always run away.

I was about to leave my friend alone to play the game but I hesitated before leaving the room. I had heard so many great things about this game from fans and critics alike; I figured it wouldn’t hurt me to watch the opening cutscene.

I was immediately drawn in by the sharp visuals, particularly the stunning water effects. This was one of the first games I saw with the HDMI plug on my HDTV, making it stand out among so many games I’d seen. From the plane crash in the beginning to the neon lights in the dimly-lit city of Rapture, the visual design was simply stunning.

I was surprised that the demo didn’t explore the scare factor that I was dreading. I was able to watch a good 30 minutes of gameplay in the creepy atmosphere without once experiencing something jumping out of the dark. This meant that I didn’t scream, but I did see something shocking.

As my friend was going through the game, he came upon a scene with a girl repeatedly jabbing a corpse’s butt. After venturing closer, a scene plays where a guy gets vividly drilled by a Big Daddy. I was impressed by the game’s ability to smoothly transition from gameplay to interactive cutscene. I’ve heard that Half-Life 2 employed a similar technique, but with the visuals in Bioshock, it was impressive. Blood never really bothers me, but I was certainly shocked by the fact that the player could bring their character so close to the scene and still remain undetected.

After watching my friend play through the entire Bioshock demo, I am convinced that perfection is very subjective. Critics have rated this game incredibly high, but I have a hard time believing that everyone would rate it a similar score, at least for its appeal. I have never been drawn to survival horror games like this. Near perfect gaming experiences for me must include lovely worlds like those in Okami and Eternal Sonata. Although I may appreciate the lightning powers, the perfectly rendered water effects, the seamless cutscenes and the atmosphere, I don’t think that I would ever enjoy playing this game. I have seen enough to know what a splicer is and to know that this game is probably very good for its genre, but certainly not a good fit for me.