Monday, October 18, 2004
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
crimson sea 2 (the good one)
i just noticed that when you're walking on a metal surface, your boots strike sparks.
Damn, isn't that cool?
Damn, isn't that cool?
*zing*CRIMSON SEA 2*zing*
is the good one. Crimson Tears is the bad one. Two very similar games. With very simliar names. Yet one is fun to play and makes you want to say 'just one more', and the other is a chore and a bore. Why? Let's find out...
(it's a jazzy review today. hey, here's another thing i like about Katamari Damacy: the soundtrack! Awesome tunes, eclectic tunes)
Here's a difference i noticed: In the good one, (Crimson SEA 2) you're cool to begin with. You don't get the sense that they designed a fully tricked-out character and then removed abilities from him. Unlike certain games. You have a lot of abilities at the start, and the promise of more. You have choices in how you can fight, not just punch-punch-kick combo. Unlike certain games. Even at the beginning you have these choices. Which is good because in both games, you get the impression you're going to be doing a lot of fighting.
In the bad one, (Crimson Tears) it seems like a chore. 'i have to accumulate that many experience points until the next level-up? Sigh.'
In the good one, (Crimson SEA 2) it seems like fun. 'i wonder what that'll be like when it reaches level 3?'
How come? I think it's because of the incremental nature of the advancement system. Here's th difference:
In the bad one, (Crimson Tears) you accumulate enough experience points, you can 'buy' a skill, which is a new move you can use. Then you have to learn how to use it.
In the good one, (Crimson SEA 2) enemies occasionally drop an object, which is an experience 'point' that you can assign to either of your two guns(which is also very cool, by the way- it's like i said above- you don't feel like you're going into battle with the alien Menace armed only with a pistol) or your sword attacks. Or your Psionic attacks. It's actually more complicated than that, but in a good way- you can upgrade the individual attributes of your guns. Power, Range, and Rapid. After awhile of assigning one point here, one point there, you really feel like you've tinkered with your guns and improved them in your own unique way.
Menus. Both tackle the problem of 3-D menus in different ways.
I need to explain something. A menu is not just the 2d screen that comes up at the beginning of the game. It's anywhere you control game functions. This can be within the game. It's expressed in these two games very similarly: there is a 'home base' type area where you can run around, but there are no enemies. Instead, game functions are available. SAve/Load, choice of next mission, item shops, and the 'teleporter' that takes you to the actual missions. See what i mean? it's part of the menu.
Anyway, one is Good: utilitarian, gets the job done. Essential things are all in one room. And one is awful. In the bad one, (Crimson Tears) you have to run all over to do ordinary game functions. A simple example should suffice:
To get to the Weapons & Items Shop:
In the bad one, (Crimson Tears) you go out of the little garage you're in, (fade out, fade in-new screen) run to the right down the street a short ways and through a doorway, (fade out, fade in-new screen) To an alley where 3 people are standing. They are the Shops. You have to talk to each of them individually because they are, respectively, item shop, gun shop, and knife shop. There's no indication which is which, they're just people standing there. All to operate what's essentially a menu.
In the good one, (Crimson SEA 2) You start on the bridge of a starship. Pretty big room. In this room are: a robot that allows you to save your game, another robot who serves as the Shop, and the Teleporter that takes you to the missions. All in one room.
Do you see?
(it's a jazzy review today. hey, here's another thing i like about Katamari Damacy: the soundtrack! Awesome tunes, eclectic tunes)
Here's a difference i noticed: In the good one, (Crimson SEA 2) you're cool to begin with. You don't get the sense that they designed a fully tricked-out character and then removed abilities from him. Unlike certain games. You have a lot of abilities at the start, and the promise of more. You have choices in how you can fight, not just punch-punch-kick combo. Unlike certain games. Even at the beginning you have these choices. Which is good because in both games, you get the impression you're going to be doing a lot of fighting.
In the bad one, (Crimson Tears) it seems like a chore. 'i have to accumulate that many experience points until the next level-up? Sigh.'
In the good one, (Crimson SEA 2) it seems like fun. 'i wonder what that'll be like when it reaches level 3?'
How come? I think it's because of the incremental nature of the advancement system. Here's th difference:
In the bad one, (Crimson Tears) you accumulate enough experience points, you can 'buy' a skill, which is a new move you can use. Then you have to learn how to use it.
In the good one, (Crimson SEA 2) enemies occasionally drop an object, which is an experience 'point' that you can assign to either of your two guns(which is also very cool, by the way- it's like i said above- you don't feel like you're going into battle with the alien Menace armed only with a pistol) or your sword attacks. Or your Psionic attacks. It's actually more complicated than that, but in a good way- you can upgrade the individual attributes of your guns. Power, Range, and Rapid. After awhile of assigning one point here, one point there, you really feel like you've tinkered with your guns and improved them in your own unique way.
Menus. Both tackle the problem of 3-D menus in different ways.
I need to explain something. A menu is not just the 2d screen that comes up at the beginning of the game. It's anywhere you control game functions. This can be within the game. It's expressed in these two games very similarly: there is a 'home base' type area where you can run around, but there are no enemies. Instead, game functions are available. SAve/Load, choice of next mission, item shops, and the 'teleporter' that takes you to the actual missions. See what i mean? it's part of the menu.
Anyway, one is Good: utilitarian, gets the job done. Essential things are all in one room. And one is awful. In the bad one, (Crimson Tears) you have to run all over to do ordinary game functions. A simple example should suffice:
To get to the Weapons & Items Shop:
In the bad one, (Crimson Tears) you go out of the little garage you're in, (fade out, fade in-new screen) run to the right down the street a short ways and through a doorway, (fade out, fade in-new screen) To an alley where 3 people are standing. They are the Shops. You have to talk to each of them individually because they are, respectively, item shop, gun shop, and knife shop. There's no indication which is which, they're just people standing there. All to operate what's essentially a menu.
In the good one, (Crimson SEA 2) You start on the bridge of a starship. Pretty big room. In this room are: a robot that allows you to save your game, another robot who serves as the Shop, and the Teleporter that takes you to the missions. All in one room.
Do you see?
Crimson Tears and Crimson Sea 2
two very similar titles released at about the same time. It's just like the 'bug movie' confluence we had a couple years back. Remember that? When 'Antz" and 'A Bug's Life' came out at the same time? Anyway, these games are about that simliar.
Story: you're a genetically enhanced futuristic cyber-assassin who fights their way through hordes of enemies stylishly. (Both)
Even the style of gameplay (genre) is the same: very similar to Diablo or Phantasy Star Online vis. you fight a great many battles, collecting experience, which you spend to increase your character's stats.
Yet one game sucks and the other is fun. Why?
Story: you're a genetically enhanced futuristic cyber-assassin who fights their way through hordes of enemies stylishly. (Both)
Even the style of gameplay (genre) is the same: very similar to Diablo or Phantasy Star Online vis. you fight a great many battles, collecting experience, which you spend to increase your character's stats.
Yet one game sucks and the other is fun. Why?
Thursday, October 07, 2004
another reason i hate pc games
"In the boxes below, type your 25-character product key"
i just want to play the game.
i also hate they way they make you put the cd in the drive to play, just like a console game. Except that there's no purpose to it. The game is on your hard drive. Basic disrespect for the consumer. Lack of desire or motivation to make things easy for your customers.
i just want to play the game.
i also hate they way they make you put the cd in the drive to play, just like a console game. Except that there's no purpose to it. The game is on your hard drive. Basic disrespect for the consumer. Lack of desire or motivation to make things easy for your customers.
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
you know what bugs me about PC games?
besides installing them?
it's the interface. There's no games that feel good to play. They're all pointing and clicking. And dragging. Or godfordbid, typing.
What i mean is that, in even the worst console games, you can actually control a character . Press jump and he jumps. To say nothing of the superlative games, where you can control a snowboarder, or Spider-Man, or a giant ball of ocean liners? There's not much like that in PC games.
DOOM excepted.
it's the interface. There's no games that feel good to play. They're all pointing and clicking. And dragging. Or godfordbid, typing.
What i mean is that, in even the worst console games, you can actually control a character . Press jump and he jumps. To say nothing of the superlative games, where you can control a snowboarder, or Spider-Man, or a giant ball of ocean liners? There's not much like that in PC games.
DOOM excepted.
Tuesday, October 05, 2004
oh yeah i forgot
there's a bad part though. to the game. Katamari Damacy.
it's too short. Now i don't usually think that games are too short. I actually like short games. If they're good. Which this game is. But, and here's the thing- the design of the game points out how short it is. You make stars in the game. You make the constellations. And the Moon. and the North Star. Celestial objects. So you kind of expect, like at least 12 missions. I mean, if you're making Zodiac signs like Virgo and Taurus, you kind of expect to see all of them. But you don't. Not at all. There's like four or five constellations.
if they'd only not point out an inadequacy of the game in this way, i might not have noticed it.
There's a lot of replay value in the levels. Secrets in the levels and clothes that you can wear to customize your character. So like i said, the game's shortness is not a bad thing, but...
it's too short. Now i don't usually think that games are too short. I actually like short games. If they're good. Which this game is. But, and here's the thing- the design of the game points out how short it is. You make stars in the game. You make the constellations. And the Moon. and the North Star. Celestial objects. So you kind of expect, like at least 12 missions. I mean, if you're making Zodiac signs like Virgo and Taurus, you kind of expect to see all of them. But you don't. Not at all. There's like four or five constellations.
if they'd only not point out an inadequacy of the game in this way, i might not have noticed it.
There's a lot of replay value in the levels. Secrets in the levels and clothes that you can wear to customize your character. So like i said, the game's shortness is not a bad thing, but...
katamari damashi (PS2)
This game is amazing. Utterly mind-expanding. Anyone who's interested in what video games can be, in the potential of games, owes it to themselves to check it out. it's really good.
You know what's the mark of a really good game? One where you you find yourself playing it when you're not playing it. When you see the game world overlaid on the real world. You see falling tetris blocks in your dreams, You imagine what it would be like to deathmatch in any open space that you see, You imagine grinding and tricking off every railing that you see.
Some of you know what i'm talking about.
That's a good game. So believe me when i say that i've been seeing giant balls accreted of buildings, bridges, giant squid, and rainbows rolling down the street in the city. So, yeah, good game. and if that description interests you at all, let me also add that the game is ten times wierder that that.
You know what's the mark of a really good game? One where you you find yourself playing it when you're not playing it. When you see the game world overlaid on the real world. You see falling tetris blocks in your dreams, You imagine what it would be like to deathmatch in any open space that you see, You imagine grinding and tricking off every railing that you see.
Some of you know what i'm talking about.
That's a good game. So believe me when i say that i've been seeing giant balls accreted of buildings, bridges, giant squid, and rainbows rolling down the street in the city. So, yeah, good game. and if that description interests you at all, let me also add that the game is ten times wierder that that.
Friday, October 01, 2004
Friday, September 24, 2004
Friday, September 10, 2004
Wednesday, September 08, 2004
well, what i mean by that is...
it wouldn't work earlier today. and i thought that my stuff had gotten lost. But there it all is. great.
Tuesday, September 07, 2004
astro boy for PS2
my god it's bad. it's so sad. Sonic Team really misstepped on this one. Did Mr. Naka even look at this game?
i can't believe i just watched text that described a scene. They didn't even attempt to show what was happening.
And this "battle"... with this possessed woman... I know it's supposed to be a reference to old-style Japanese console RPGs. i don't care. That doesn't make it fun to play. It's just awful.
I declare this game to be... Unfinished!
i can't believe i just watched text that described a scene. They didn't even attempt to show what was happening.
And this "battle"... with this possessed woman... I know it's supposed to be a reference to old-style Japanese console RPGs. i don't care. That doesn't make it fun to play. It's just awful.
I declare this game to be... Unfinished!
Tuesday, August 17, 2004
"How High can You Go?": the Games of Shigeru Miyamoto
Shigeru Miyamoto is the designer of many of the world's most popular games. Games that started genres all their own. Games like Donkey Kong. Super Mario Bros. Mario 64. The Legend of Zelda.He rides his bike to work every day and plays acoustic guitar and banjo for fun. Who is this guy?
To begin at the beginning, he was born in 1952 in Sonebe, a rural village near Kyoto, Japan. Not having any video games, young Shigeru grew up running, playing and exploring in the fields and forests outside his house.
"And whenever we are making this kind of thing, what we always keep in mind is 'what was important for us when we were children'? What was fun then? That is the core of many of my games."
He did programming, art, and music on his first game for Nintendo, Donkey Kong. Not really that uncommon at the time, games being as small as they were. Donkey Kong is a game structured like a story- a goal, a protagonist, an antagonist, and obstacles to that goal. In 1980, Nintendo of America had released an arcade game called Radarscope, which was a flop. And so they had all these arcade consoles they didn't know what to do with. Young Miyamoto, with his freshly minted degree in industrial design, was assigned to make a game on the existing hardware. He consulted with Nintendo's engineers to figure out the hardware, but as mentioned before, he did everything himself. The results made video game history. Interesting that his first game was intended for the American market, with a villian modeled on an American movie(Kong), and an Italian carpenter (Jumpman, later renamed Mario (and retrained as a plumber)after the landlord at Nintendo's American headquarters).
"For me, game creation is like expression through music. When I am working as a director on a game, while I always try to hit upon new plots, I place great importance on the tempo of the game and the sound effects. I feel that those directors who have been able to incorporate rhythm and emotional stimuli in their games have been successful."
Super Mario Bros. was the first game franchise. Not a sequel, but an entirely different game from Donkey Kong, using the same player character- Mario. It was the first side-scrolling, platform-jumping game. It was much copied, so much that it became its own genre. It was also specifically made for the home system, the Nintendo Entertainment System(NES). It had long levels and many more of them, as well as the elements of exploration, discovery, and breaking of boundaries. It was meant to give much more play time than an arcade game, where time is money. I don't need to say that it was wildly successful.
"but of course, with the evolution of the technology, the graphics will get even better, clearer, and yet that's not the only cause we should aim for. Rather, we should put more emphasis on the ideas-- new ideas-- unprecedented, unique ideas. Ideas that aren't connected to the available technology. I would like to encourage everybody to think that way, otherwise we will not find a new way to further explorer and adventure in this unprecedented media called video games."
Miyamoto again defined where the industry was to go with Super Mario 64, the first Mario game in 3-D. Controlling a character in a 3-D world was entirely novel, and the techniques used to control Mario were easy to learn, yet had depth and complexity to them. I've noticed that no two people control Mario alike. Simply going from place to place in the world is fun and expressive. Every 3-D action game since takes at least some paradigms from Mario 64, but no game since has duplicated the sheer fun and complexity-in-simplicity of this pioneering title. It's still fun today.
How is he able to do it? How does he make games that are both original and popular, games that transcend time? I don't know, but I'll close with a final Miyamoto quote that may shed some light:
" I have never created a game that has been of a level that I could be satisfied with."
To begin at the beginning, he was born in 1952 in Sonebe, a rural village near Kyoto, Japan. Not having any video games, young Shigeru grew up running, playing and exploring in the fields and forests outside his house.
"And whenever we are making this kind of thing, what we always keep in mind is 'what was important for us when we were children'? What was fun then? That is the core of many of my games."
He did programming, art, and music on his first game for Nintendo, Donkey Kong. Not really that uncommon at the time, games being as small as they were. Donkey Kong is a game structured like a story- a goal, a protagonist, an antagonist, and obstacles to that goal. In 1980, Nintendo of America had released an arcade game called Radarscope, which was a flop. And so they had all these arcade consoles they didn't know what to do with. Young Miyamoto, with his freshly minted degree in industrial design, was assigned to make a game on the existing hardware. He consulted with Nintendo's engineers to figure out the hardware, but as mentioned before, he did everything himself. The results made video game history. Interesting that his first game was intended for the American market, with a villian modeled on an American movie(Kong), and an Italian carpenter (Jumpman, later renamed Mario (and retrained as a plumber)after the landlord at Nintendo's American headquarters).
"For me, game creation is like expression through music. When I am working as a director on a game, while I always try to hit upon new plots, I place great importance on the tempo of the game and the sound effects. I feel that those directors who have been able to incorporate rhythm and emotional stimuli in their games have been successful."
Super Mario Bros. was the first game franchise. Not a sequel, but an entirely different game from Donkey Kong, using the same player character- Mario. It was the first side-scrolling, platform-jumping game. It was much copied, so much that it became its own genre. It was also specifically made for the home system, the Nintendo Entertainment System(NES). It had long levels and many more of them, as well as the elements of exploration, discovery, and breaking of boundaries. It was meant to give much more play time than an arcade game, where time is money. I don't need to say that it was wildly successful.
"but of course, with the evolution of the technology, the graphics will get even better, clearer, and yet that's not the only cause we should aim for. Rather, we should put more emphasis on the ideas-- new ideas-- unprecedented, unique ideas. Ideas that aren't connected to the available technology. I would like to encourage everybody to think that way, otherwise we will not find a new way to further explorer and adventure in this unprecedented media called video games."
Miyamoto again defined where the industry was to go with Super Mario 64, the first Mario game in 3-D. Controlling a character in a 3-D world was entirely novel, and the techniques used to control Mario were easy to learn, yet had depth and complexity to them. I've noticed that no two people control Mario alike. Simply going from place to place in the world is fun and expressive. Every 3-D action game since takes at least some paradigms from Mario 64, but no game since has duplicated the sheer fun and complexity-in-simplicity of this pioneering title. It's still fun today.
How is he able to do it? How does he make games that are both original and popular, games that transcend time? I don't know, but I'll close with a final Miyamoto quote that may shed some light:
" I have never created a game that has been of a level that I could be satisfied with."
Monday, August 16, 2004
gaming journalism sinks to a new low
sad.
if the guy had used the time he spent photoshopping his face onto one of the monsters to actually write an article, maybe we could have learned something about the game.
if the guy had used the time he spent photoshopping his face onto one of the monsters to actually write an article, maybe we could have learned something about the game.
Friday, August 13, 2004
Wednesday, August 11, 2004
Saturday, August 07, 2004
game design class
we had a great assignment yesterday in my intro to game design class. it was to design a game for Pamela Anderson. Based on the intellectual (stretching the meaning of that word a little bit)property of Pamela Anderson, as it were.
it was a good assignment because it's real-world experience. Sometimes you have to work on things you don't like. it was based on an actual event. My teacher had to submit proposals for actual Pamela Anderson games to his company when she (the actress in question) was shopping around for something to spend money on. She thought a game might be cool. She eventually ended up going with Stan Lee's production company to make an animation called Stripperella. i haven't seen it, as i don't have cable and can't watch Spike, the station for men. cheez. Anyway, it might be cool. i gotta think she made the right choice, especially based on the concepts my teacher said they submitted to her.
Pamela Anderson Racing? What a horrible idea.
i hope my instructor doesn't read this.
Anyway, the class split into two groups, and we hashed out game proposals given the constraints of one year to release and low budget. The other team had a really cool concept of a sort of Hollywood RPG, where you come to the big city as a nobody and try to make it as an actress. Winning an Oscar was the goal. It had a real cynical edge to it- you could get parts by sleeping with producers and you had to choose your clothes carefully to keep people interested in you and your fame meter up. They didn't really seem to have an idea of what the gameplay itself would consist of.
i'll tell you what our team did next time. i have to shut down this machine because the printer is going wonky. thing's got a mind of its own. fucking haunted printer.
it was a good assignment because it's real-world experience. Sometimes you have to work on things you don't like. it was based on an actual event. My teacher had to submit proposals for actual Pamela Anderson games to his company when she (the actress in question) was shopping around for something to spend money on. She thought a game might be cool. She eventually ended up going with Stan Lee's production company to make an animation called Stripperella. i haven't seen it, as i don't have cable and can't watch Spike, the station for men. cheez. Anyway, it might be cool. i gotta think she made the right choice, especially based on the concepts my teacher said they submitted to her.
Pamela Anderson Racing? What a horrible idea.
i hope my instructor doesn't read this.
Anyway, the class split into two groups, and we hashed out game proposals given the constraints of one year to release and low budget. The other team had a really cool concept of a sort of Hollywood RPG, where you come to the big city as a nobody and try to make it as an actress. Winning an Oscar was the goal. It had a real cynical edge to it- you could get parts by sleeping with producers and you had to choose your clothes carefully to keep people interested in you and your fame meter up. They didn't really seem to have an idea of what the gameplay itself would consist of.
i'll tell you what our team did next time. i have to shut down this machine because the printer is going wonky. thing's got a mind of its own. fucking haunted printer.
Friday, August 06, 2004
doom3
i am now downloading other special drivers to make doom3 run better. there's no denying it. They've got me.
doom3
um, it's pretty good.
yeah, pretty, um, pretty good...whew
i've been playing it a lot and thnking about it more. Always a sign of a good game. And there's some clever things they do to get information to you, the player. And the more information you get, the deeper the story becomes. which is a wierd thing to say about an id game. I mean, id, right?
i especially like reading people's PDA's, reading through their email. especially knowing that they're the corpse in the room or the zombie you just killed. It's a wierd feeling.
but i especially wanted to talk to you about the graphics. Okay, i'm an artist, so that's my thing, so i'll devote a special post to the graphics.
yeah, pretty, um, pretty good...whew
i've been playing it a lot and thnking about it more. Always a sign of a good game. And there's some clever things they do to get information to you, the player. And the more information you get, the deeper the story becomes. which is a wierd thing to say about an id game. I mean, id, right?
i especially like reading people's PDA's, reading through their email. especially knowing that they're the corpse in the room or the zombie you just killed. It's a wierd feeling.
but i especially wanted to talk to you about the graphics. Okay, i'm an artist, so that's my thing, so i'll devote a special post to the graphics.
Thursday, August 05, 2004
Wednesday, August 04, 2004
i saw one of the programmer's secrets!
i'm so excited! In a popup window that appeared when it was auto-restarting my computer.
The name of the popup box was 'should not see me'.
neat. i saw something i shouldn't
The name of the popup box was 'should not see me'.
neat. i saw something i shouldn't
I could be killing zombies right now. instead i'm just killing time.
Hey, DOOM3! i'm all excited about DOOM3! Gonna get to play DOOM3! Hey, DOOM3!s been announced, it's coming out soon! Oh boy, DOOM3! coming out soon, coming out next week, coming out today! Oh boy, DOOM3! Hey, i got DOOM3! i'm taking it home, i'm reading the box! 'Disturbingly lifelike' it says. Oh boy, DOOM3! Hey, i'm installing DOOM3!Hey, it takes up two gigs. All right,DOOM3! is finally installed, hey i'm running through the menus in DOOM3! Let's play! let's play DOOM3!
...hey, there's my desktop...
why doesn't it work? guess i gotta find out why.
and i can do it, that's not the fucking point. i shouldn't have to do it. i really think this is why console games are so much bigger than PCs and probably always will be: There's a certain class of people who are willing to put up with that shit, hell, some even like it-it's like you have to 'prove yourself worthy' to play, kind of like a sensei, but, most people,they just aren't.
like DVD players. Simple controls. Simple. and they work every time.
(58% of file 1 (of 3)) downloaded)
...hey, there's my desktop...
why doesn't it work? guess i gotta find out why.
and i can do it, that's not the fucking point. i shouldn't have to do it. i really think this is why console games are so much bigger than PCs and probably always will be: There's a certain class of people who are willing to put up with that shit, hell, some even like it-it's like you have to 'prove yourself worthy' to play, kind of like a sensei, but, most people,they just aren't.
like DVD players. Simple controls. Simple. and they work every time.
(58% of file 1 (of 3)) downloaded)
Thursday, July 29, 2004
sorry i haven't updated
i've been starting school. A little hectic. As soon as i get the hang of it, i'll write in more.
considering that's what this blog's supposed to be about.
right now i'm writing a bio of a famous game developer for the class Intro to the game industry. Isn't that cool? I chose Shigeru Miyamoto. Perhaps i'll post it when it's done. It's due tomorrow.
considering that's what this blog's supposed to be about.
right now i'm writing a bio of a famous game developer for the class Intro to the game industry. Isn't that cool? I chose Shigeru Miyamoto. Perhaps i'll post it when it's done. It's due tomorrow.
Harvest Moon: Save the Homeland
This game could never be made in the United States. Not anymore. And it's a shame, because it's a great one.
Marketing would be all "Urrrr How do we promote this?" "Cross-marketing promotion with Nascar?"
Marketing genius-boy pops up and says "I know- John Deere!"
"I like the cut your jib, my boy"
and promotions all around. Let's kick off early, it's been a long day.
They don't realize it's not a game for people who farm. It's a game for people who don't farm. They're such literal-minded idiots..
Marketing would be all "Urrrr How do we promote this?" "Cross-marketing promotion with Nascar?"
Marketing genius-boy pops up and says "I know- John Deere!"
"I like the cut your jib, my boy"
and promotions all around. Let's kick off early, it's been a long day.
They don't realize it's not a game for people who farm. It's a game for people who don't farm. They're such literal-minded idiots..
Friday, July 16, 2004
Magic Pengel
very cool game. it's also very flawed.
The basic concept is the same as Pokemon- you make little creatures fight for your amusement. My girlfriend hates this sort of game. It is rather a fucked-up concept if you think about it. However, the creatures are not real, so their pain and love is only in your mind.
where it differs (slightly) from the Pokemon template is that you get to draw your own creatures. Part of the fun of this is figuring out the relationship between what you draw and the attributes and animations of the finished creature. There is a 'book' in-game which explains some of these things. example: "doodles that are low and wide are more likely to have the 'stomp' skill". This actually works out rather well, as the abilities your creature has seem to flow naturally from it's shape and color.
i got class right now. 'overview of the game industry.' that's my class. Isn't that great? More later as i come up with it.
The basic concept is the same as Pokemon- you make little creatures fight for your amusement. My girlfriend hates this sort of game. It is rather a fucked-up concept if you think about it. However, the creatures are not real, so their pain and love is only in your mind.
where it differs (slightly) from the Pokemon template is that you get to draw your own creatures. Part of the fun of this is figuring out the relationship between what you draw and the attributes and animations of the finished creature. There is a 'book' in-game which explains some of these things. example: "doodles that are low and wide are more likely to have the 'stomp' skill". This actually works out rather well, as the abilities your creature has seem to flow naturally from it's shape and color.
i got class right now. 'overview of the game industry.' that's my class. Isn't that great? More later as i come up with it.
Wednesday, July 14, 2004
DOOM3 is gold
Oh yes it is.
if you're like me (and a lot of people are), then you remember when you first saw someone playing DOOM.
Wow. So this is what they mean by 3-D graphics. (actually, it's not really 3-D. It's something called 2.5D. You can't tilt with relation to the horizon. Essentially, you couldn't look up. Even so. Awesome game, great action game, above all-the scariest fucking game ever.
i'm really looking forward to this one.
if you're like me (and a lot of people are), then you remember when you first saw someone playing DOOM.
Wow. So this is what they mean by 3-D graphics. (actually, it's not really 3-D. It's something called 2.5D. You can't tilt with relation to the horizon. Essentially, you couldn't look up. Even so. Awesome game, great action game, above all-the scariest fucking game ever.
i'm really looking forward to this one.
Sunday, July 11, 2004
Magic Pengel
the problem with this game is just that moving around is fucking annoying. Getting from place to place means you have to walk there. How boring is that? Just like real life. Games are, and should be- cut to the fun parts. Life. But better.
just use a fuckin menu if you have to. just cut out the dull parts at all costs.
i don't like the idea of experience points. in a game like this. I like the *idea* of improving your character, but i just don't like points. as such. Seeing the numbers. it seems somehow wrrong for a game like this. they should be more concrete in a kid's game.
Make them into objects.Make them into objects.Make them into objects.Make them into objects.
more if it think of it. i am, though, beginning to 'understand' it.
just use a fuckin menu if you have to. just cut out the dull parts at all costs.
i don't like the idea of experience points. in a game like this. I like the *idea* of improving your character, but i just don't like points. as such. Seeing the numbers. it seems somehow wrrong for a game like this. they should be more concrete in a kid's game.
Make them into objects.Make them into objects.Make them into objects.Make them into objects.
more if it think of it. i am, though, beginning to 'understand' it.
Thursday, July 08, 2004
some lousy cartoons about games
Utterly horrible.
The gags are formulaic, they're all variations on a theme. The artwork is shabby even by game standards, and worst of all, the cartoons are not visual. Most of them consist of a person standing there with a lot of text above them. A lot of text which describes a situation which might have been interesting, had we seen it.
This one is especially bad.
the artist seems to think that the mere concept of a gun-toting teddy bear is enough to make us laugh. I got news for you pal, there's already games about ultraviolent stuffed animals. Multiple games. It's kind of been done.
The gags are formulaic, they're all variations on a theme. The artwork is shabby even by game standards, and worst of all, the cartoons are not visual. Most of them consist of a person standing there with a lot of text above them. A lot of text which describes a situation which might have been interesting, had we seen it.
This one is especially bad.
the artist seems to think that the mere concept of a gun-toting teddy bear is enough to make us laugh. I got news for you pal, there's already games about ultraviolent stuffed animals. Multiple games. It's kind of been done.
Friday, July 02, 2004
Wednesday, June 30, 2004
i go to school on July 12
i can't wait to see my classes. The catalog has neat class names like 'on the nature of fun'. Awesome.
something to ponder
If ICO was so good, why did it fail? Everybody says it's great, everybody references it when the subject of game design comes up. Why wasn't it a success?
Have you ever noticed that
Japanese games always use the game rendering engine somehow for the credits? Even if it's just characters dancing or walking by or something. it must be a tradition or something. i think it's cool.
one other thing
about Stretch Panic that nicely plays into the whole 'twisted fairy tale' motif. A neat little feature. You can see and play with all the models for the bosses in the game. you can rotate all around them and even put different textures on them. There's even a mirrored texture where you can actually see an animated picture of the main character waving back at you. pretty neat, huh? Also, pretty useful, because you can check your progress, see how many of your sisters you've freed, and whose left to go. Good feature. But the twisted part of it is that you use it to humiliate bosses you've defeated. You have the stretch ability in the Hall of Shame, so you can pull out and snap their helpless bodies. Rather sadistic fun.
Why do they always put new cover art on when they bring games to America?
Why do they always put new cover art on when they bring games to America? Really bad new cover art. They were doing this when i was back at Sega and they still haven't learned. Sega did the same thing for Guardian Heroes. Put just awful cover art on it. Here, see. (i love this cover. not only is it ugly, it's wrong. it appears to show one of the six playable characters fighting what is actually his ally. Wonderful. How did this get by? No one with any experience with the game looked at it, that's how. Like i said, Marketing people.) They probably thought the original art was too anime-like. Back before that was a selling point. Guardian Heroes was a Treasure game, too. Poor guys, always getting the shaft. That's why they're 'cult' and not 'mainstream'. but not the only reason, as their games still have flaws- and sooo... back to Stretch Panic and its flaws.
why do manuals in American games suck so bad?
why do manuals in American games suck so bad? If you've ever imported games from Japan, for instance, you'll know that they have beautiful manuals. Full-color printing, nice paper, good-looking art, sometimes they're even written in the 'theme' of the game world. Manuals in america are all exactly the same: The World of "insert game here", Getting Started, Main Menu, Controlling "insert character here", and my favorite- Notes. A blank page. They always have it.
Actually, i know why. it's because manuals are handled by the Marketing dept. in American companies and by the Art dept. in Japanese companies.
Actually, i know why. it's because manuals are handled by the Marketing dept. in American companies and by the Art dept. in Japanese companies.
Treasure games- Stretch Panic and the pure joy of physics
Ah, Treasure. such good games. All their games, they make you learn a unique gameplay mechanic, something entirely unique. It's usually a little hard to get the hang of at first (which is why i think their games never do that well-(and for other reasons (of which more later))), but it always, always pays off. Pretty soon you're doing cool stuff with it, coming up with your own strategies, and discovering those strategies were already thought of by the creators. Sometimes there's even levels built around them.
Which is why i think Treasure makes 'gourmet' games, 'connoisseur' games, or to put it another way, games for gamers. Also, Treasure games are always incredibly weird. Even for Japanese games, they're wierd. I think they're great. But not a lot of people like that. A lot of people are turned off by unfamiliar stuff. But they're some of the most creative and original games around.
The other thing about Treasure games is that they never tell you anything. They make you figure it all out for yourself. It's logical, it can be figured out, but you gotta do it yourself. Kind of the Zen Master approach to gaming. An example of that in Stretch Panic, the game i'm gonna examine here, would be this: There are three types of damage you can do in Stretch Panic. Actually four. they correspond to the different attacks you can do. They fill up a star-shaped pie chart that represents the damage done. Not the health, the damage. Like the opposite of a life bar. anyways, you can defeat a boss with any type of damage, but red damage gets you points, and green damage you get by using your super special attack. It's the only way to free your sisters in the boss battles. Which is the point of the game.
I had to figure all that out for myself. The manual wasn't much help. See what i mean about hard to get the hang of? There's a certain threshold you have to get over, beyond which it gets really cool. Probably not a lot of people will. But hardcore gamers will.
Stretch Panic (called Freak Out in Europe and Hippa Linda(Stretching Linda)in Japan) is a game about stretching. In the same sense that Super Mario 64 was about running and jumping. In the most basic and simple sense, 'running and jumping is fun'. All the gameplay comes out of that simple mechanic. For Stretch Panic it's stretching. Stretching is fun.
The story actually integrates with the game well. It's a gothic fairy tale about nonconformity, a sort of Ugly Duckling story. You were laughed at and mocked by your sisters for being different, but now it's your unique skill that gives you the power to save them. The skill of scarfery. You've got a familiar, a sort of magic pet that takes the shape of a scarf so you can carry it everywhere. The scarf has a hand on the end of it which can be used to reach out and grab and stretch anything in the world. So you set out to free them, one by one. Accumulate. A video game thing. Because of the numbers.
The game is basically all boss battles. The bosses are your sisters. It's really incredibly simple, because the point is the gameplay. Using the stretching. Stretching is cool, once you get the hang of it. You couldn't do it without the analog stick. It feels very stretchy and non-mechanical. You can do damage to bosses by plucking and releasing a lot of times quickly, or you can hold on for a longer time, stretch them farther out, and then release for more damage. It's really unique.
There's a trick to it. That's the short review of the game. Each boss has a trick to defeating them, where you have to use your stretch power in a new way. And you can figure it out. It's not something cheap, like you have to have a certain weapon to defeat a certain boss. just a certain skill.
Now for the bad stuff. It's not like the game is all good, and its flaws are what prevented it from becoming a success. To start at the most superficial level, the cover art was really poor. Covers are really important, i think people don't understand how important. And the cover for Stretch Panic really hurts it. It was Published in America by Conspiracy entertainment, a smaller publisher, with presumably a smaller budget for cover art.
As for the game itself, bad decisions were made. For instance, there's an aiming mode, where you the camera snaps into place directly behind you. You can lock on to a target and move around it, complete with a very cool 'tunnel vision' lens effec, but... your character's head is so large, that it very often obscures your view of your target. So annoying. They really should have gone for a first-person view (this makes the most sense if you're aiming). Or a camera position that was just a little higher. Or make the player character transparent, like in Super Punch-out.
but you know, there's pleasure to be had. if you master some skills.
Which is why i think Treasure makes 'gourmet' games, 'connoisseur' games, or to put it another way, games for gamers. Also, Treasure games are always incredibly weird. Even for Japanese games, they're wierd. I think they're great. But not a lot of people like that. A lot of people are turned off by unfamiliar stuff. But they're some of the most creative and original games around.
The other thing about Treasure games is that they never tell you anything. They make you figure it all out for yourself. It's logical, it can be figured out, but you gotta do it yourself. Kind of the Zen Master approach to gaming. An example of that in Stretch Panic, the game i'm gonna examine here, would be this: There are three types of damage you can do in Stretch Panic. Actually four. they correspond to the different attacks you can do. They fill up a star-shaped pie chart that represents the damage done. Not the health, the damage. Like the opposite of a life bar. anyways, you can defeat a boss with any type of damage, but red damage gets you points, and green damage you get by using your super special attack. It's the only way to free your sisters in the boss battles. Which is the point of the game.
I had to figure all that out for myself. The manual wasn't much help. See what i mean about hard to get the hang of? There's a certain threshold you have to get over, beyond which it gets really cool. Probably not a lot of people will. But hardcore gamers will.
Stretch Panic (called Freak Out in Europe and Hippa Linda(Stretching Linda)in Japan) is a game about stretching. In the same sense that Super Mario 64 was about running and jumping. In the most basic and simple sense, 'running and jumping is fun'. All the gameplay comes out of that simple mechanic. For Stretch Panic it's stretching. Stretching is fun.
The story actually integrates with the game well. It's a gothic fairy tale about nonconformity, a sort of Ugly Duckling story. You were laughed at and mocked by your sisters for being different, but now it's your unique skill that gives you the power to save them. The skill of scarfery. You've got a familiar, a sort of magic pet that takes the shape of a scarf so you can carry it everywhere. The scarf has a hand on the end of it which can be used to reach out and grab and stretch anything in the world. So you set out to free them, one by one. Accumulate. A video game thing. Because of the numbers.
The game is basically all boss battles. The bosses are your sisters. It's really incredibly simple, because the point is the gameplay. Using the stretching. Stretching is cool, once you get the hang of it. You couldn't do it without the analog stick. It feels very stretchy and non-mechanical. You can do damage to bosses by plucking and releasing a lot of times quickly, or you can hold on for a longer time, stretch them farther out, and then release for more damage. It's really unique.
There's a trick to it. That's the short review of the game. Each boss has a trick to defeating them, where you have to use your stretch power in a new way. And you can figure it out. It's not something cheap, like you have to have a certain weapon to defeat a certain boss. just a certain skill.
Now for the bad stuff. It's not like the game is all good, and its flaws are what prevented it from becoming a success. To start at the most superficial level, the cover art was really poor. Covers are really important, i think people don't understand how important. And the cover for Stretch Panic really hurts it. It was Published in America by Conspiracy entertainment, a smaller publisher, with presumably a smaller budget for cover art.
As for the game itself, bad decisions were made. For instance, there's an aiming mode, where you the camera snaps into place directly behind you. You can lock on to a target and move around it, complete with a very cool 'tunnel vision' lens effec, but... your character's head is so large, that it very often obscures your view of your target. So annoying. They really should have gone for a first-person view (this makes the most sense if you're aiming). Or a camera position that was just a little higher. Or make the player character transparent, like in Super Punch-out.
but you know, there's pleasure to be had. if you master some skills.
Friday, June 25, 2004
Meta Gear Solid 2
a very sophisticated and well-made game. One of the only games that not only works on multiple levels, but even contains many levels in the first place. Maybe i should say 'layer' instead of the frequently-used game term 'level'.
anyway, there's a lot to discuss with regards to Metal Gear, and i'll probably get to it later, but one thing i just noticed was that there are visual themes running throughout the game as well. Like the hexagon. The Plant where most of the action takes place is a cluster of hex-shaped towers. the title screen itself has symbols for chemicals used as graphic elements- they're hexagons. A later level has you running about in a world that may or may not be a VR simulation (i mean, within the game's story, not in 'real life', where you (the player) really are playing a VR simulation-see what i mean?) and glowing hexagons appear under your feet. Hexagons everywhere- a visual theme.
i think this is great, putting this amount of thought into the graphics. It isn't just 'try to make everything look as real as possible'. It really is art. When i make a game, i want to put that much thought into all aspects of it.
this game really is art. i'll definitely be writing more about it in future.
anyway, there's a lot to discuss with regards to Metal Gear, and i'll probably get to it later, but one thing i just noticed was that there are visual themes running throughout the game as well. Like the hexagon. The Plant where most of the action takes place is a cluster of hex-shaped towers. the title screen itself has symbols for chemicals used as graphic elements- they're hexagons. A later level has you running about in a world that may or may not be a VR simulation (i mean, within the game's story, not in 'real life', where you (the player) really are playing a VR simulation-see what i mean?) and glowing hexagons appear under your feet. Hexagons everywhere- a visual theme.
i think this is great, putting this amount of thought into the graphics. It isn't just 'try to make everything look as real as possible'. It really is art. When i make a game, i want to put that much thought into all aspects of it.
this game really is art. i'll definitely be writing more about it in future.
here's a shitty article about games
http://www.igda.org/columns/ivorytower/
no permalink, sorry. I'll bet the writer doesn't update very often anyway.
hilarious stuff. the story of a metaphor stretched to the breaking point.
In a sense, Game Studies are the new Space Invaders . Just like the menacing aliens, their appearance provoked both amazement and diffidence. Game studies have been often perceived as a menace, something that needs to be wiped out at sight. For a long time, academics have been considered like ‘aliens', intruders, and trespassers by game designers, game journalists, game players, and even by other academics, who felt the urge to defend themselves from the apparent invasion.
after awhile, i realized that he's not really talking about games at all, but just defending his job. Game Academician. wow.
i leave you with this:
CNN stands for Counter-Strike News Network. Read: it is not just about polygons and power ups any more.
no permalink, sorry. I'll bet the writer doesn't update very often anyway.
hilarious stuff. the story of a metaphor stretched to the breaking point.
In a sense, Game Studies are the new Space Invaders . Just like the menacing aliens, their appearance provoked both amazement and diffidence. Game studies have been often perceived as a menace, something that needs to be wiped out at sight. For a long time, academics have been considered like ‘aliens', intruders, and trespassers by game designers, game journalists, game players, and even by other academics, who felt the urge to defend themselves from the apparent invasion.
after awhile, i realized that he's not really talking about games at all, but just defending his job. Game Academician. wow.
i leave you with this:
CNN stands for Counter-Strike News Network. Read: it is not just about polygons and power ups any more.
Thursday, June 17, 2004
my other blog
it's about drugs. Thought i'd link to it here because there's some overlap between drugs and games. Don't think there isn't.
meatparticles.blogspot.com
caution: may be incoherent
meatparticles.blogspot.com
caution: may be incoherent
about games
i also plan to discuss games here on EiD. Not so much review them as to describe what makes them work or not work. You know, to learn from them.
i mostly play console games. They're cheaper, and far more innovative, than PC games. i like a good FPS or RTS from time to time, but my PC is shit, so i can't run the new stuff. Maybe i'll get a new one when Half-life 2 or Doom 3 comes out. Maybe. But see, that's my point. Sequels.
i like weird, quirky, original games. Music games, shooters. I also like un-original but well-polished games like the Final Fantasy series. Also, good art in a game is a big plus, just because i'm a visual person. Sound too, good sound is a must. Not a lot of people pay attention to sound, but if a game has good sound, it's an awesome experience. An example? Okay, remember in SSX, when you jump, did you notice that all the sound changes? They do a flanging effect or something on the music when you're in the air and it seems like the world recedes and there's nothing but you. It makes a little 'zone' for you. And that's the point of games, to enter the mental space called the 'zone'. you know what i mean if you've experienced it. SSX. the music in that was just great too. Good enough to listen to by itself and with enough variety that you don't hear the same song over and over again. But you do perk up when your 'favorite' song comes on. But the best part was the 'Untracked' level. it had no music. That's genius. Knowing what to leave out.
Games i don't really care for are sports games, racing games. They're fine as far as they go, and a perfectly valid genre, with as much right to exist as any, but just for me, i can't get into any game that has reality as its goal. Games to me are about doing stuff you can't do in real life.
i mostly play console games. They're cheaper, and far more innovative, than PC games. i like a good FPS or RTS from time to time, but my PC is shit, so i can't run the new stuff. Maybe i'll get a new one when Half-life 2 or Doom 3 comes out. Maybe. But see, that's my point. Sequels.
i like weird, quirky, original games. Music games, shooters. I also like un-original but well-polished games like the Final Fantasy series. Also, good art in a game is a big plus, just because i'm a visual person. Sound too, good sound is a must. Not a lot of people pay attention to sound, but if a game has good sound, it's an awesome experience. An example? Okay, remember in SSX, when you jump, did you notice that all the sound changes? They do a flanging effect or something on the music when you're in the air and it seems like the world recedes and there's nothing but you. It makes a little 'zone' for you. And that's the point of games, to enter the mental space called the 'zone'. you know what i mean if you've experienced it. SSX. the music in that was just great too. Good enough to listen to by itself and with enough variety that you don't hear the same song over and over again. But you do perk up when your 'favorite' song comes on. But the best part was the 'Untracked' level. it had no music. That's genius. Knowing what to leave out.
Games i don't really care for are sports games, racing games. They're fine as far as they go, and a perfectly valid genre, with as much right to exist as any, but just for me, i can't get into any game that has reality as its goal. Games to me are about doing stuff you can't do in real life.
a title is very important
the title for this blog comes from a wartime Disney educational cartoon about how the Nazis supposedly indoctrinated their children. i chose it because it reminds me of the 'video games are bad for children' debate which always comes up every few years or so. Usually when a republican president is in office.
Personally, i'm happy that videogames are now ranked with rock music, drugs, and dungeons & dragons as leading corruptors of youth. okay, maybe not so happy about dungeons & dragons.
It was either this title or 'Murder Simulator'. Maybe when i found a game company that's what i'll name it.
Personally, i'm happy that videogames are now ranked with rock music, drugs, and dungeons & dragons as leading corruptors of youth. okay, maybe not so happy about dungeons & dragons.
It was either this title or 'Murder Simulator'. Maybe when i found a game company that's what i'll name it.
lengthy non-interactive intro cine
hey. i'm a long-time college student (on and off, you know the deal) and this summer i'll be transferring into a school that gives degrees in video games. Specifically, this one:
http://www.aicasf.artinstitutes.edu
i thought game people might be interested in seeing what goes on, what getting a degree in games might entail, what kind of classes you take, what kind of freaks you meet, and so on.
i love games. i'm part of the first generation that grew up with video games and i've watched them change and grow throughout my life. However, for thirty-plus years, there's never been a school that's given degrees in this new art form. I know, there's DigiPen up in Seattle,they've been around for awhile, but that's not quite the same. They're owned by Nintendo, so it's kind of like a feeder school for them. Also, i don't live up there. So i jumped at the chance for this one.
I've worked in the industry before. I started out as a tester, worked at various companies, Sega, LucasArts, Mindscape, never really got anywhere. Don't get me wrong, being a tester is a good job, especially for someone young. But it's really hard to move up. If you're any good, they need good people in test, and if you're not, then you're not likely to move up either.
I eventually made my way up to game artist, did some modelling and texture mapping, shipped two games (on time, i might add) but then the company was bought up and they let all the internal artists go, which also happens a lot. Eh. So i decided to start over with the school thing. Let's see what it's like.
http://www.aicasf.artinstitutes.edu
i thought game people might be interested in seeing what goes on, what getting a degree in games might entail, what kind of classes you take, what kind of freaks you meet, and so on.
i love games. i'm part of the first generation that grew up with video games and i've watched them change and grow throughout my life. However, for thirty-plus years, there's never been a school that's given degrees in this new art form. I know, there's DigiPen up in Seattle,they've been around for awhile, but that's not quite the same. They're owned by Nintendo, so it's kind of like a feeder school for them. Also, i don't live up there. So i jumped at the chance for this one.
I've worked in the industry before. I started out as a tester, worked at various companies, Sega, LucasArts, Mindscape, never really got anywhere. Don't get me wrong, being a tester is a good job, especially for someone young. But it's really hard to move up. If you're any good, they need good people in test, and if you're not, then you're not likely to move up either.
I eventually made my way up to game artist, did some modelling and texture mapping, shipped two games (on time, i might add) but then the company was bought up and they let all the internal artists go, which also happens a lot. Eh. So i decided to start over with the school thing. Let's see what it's like.
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