We know that some players currently engage in repetitive farming activities for the primary purpose of unlocking skills and items for PvP. Rather than preserving the effectiveness of farming for this purpose, it is our intention to address the larger issue of the need for farming by assessing how players acquire and unlock items, runes, and skills, and then by taking steps to ensure that players can acquire and unlock these things through normal gameplay. We believe that the most effective way to play the game should also be the most fun way to play the game. You can expect to see the first meaningful changes towards this goal next week.
This is definitely one to watch!!!LOL!!1!
I'll be sure and check back when they've removed the boring and repetiitve parts and put the fun in.
Friday, June 10, 2005
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
penny arcade: a loser is you
Can't tell the difference between hype and ideas. Plus that one guy's a christian and a neat freak, which sorta weirds me out.
Joke weak. And childish, too: It really shoulda been Will Wright's SPERM, with a big Citizen Kane poster of Will with the word SPERM. And the people in the audience could be clamoring for Will Wright's Sperm. That'd be great. Plus it like rhymes. But what do they give us?
well, it is funny to hear 'pee in my hair'. once.
Joke weak. And childish, too: It really shoulda been Will Wright's SPERM, with a big Citizen Kane poster of Will with the word SPERM. And the people in the audience could be clamoring for Will Wright's Sperm. That'd be great. Plus it like rhymes. But what do they give us?
well, it is funny to hear 'pee in my hair'. once.
i quit playing city of heroes
why? have a look below. 'What's bad' is bigger than 'what's good'. That's all there is to it.
That and i just can't stomach the tedious bullshit anymore after hearing about Will Wright's upcoming game Spore. i'll maybe do an in depth thing on it later, but for now, watch the video of the presentation he gave at GDC. It's a nice antidote to E3 and all the hype about the new consoles.
Despite what Penny-Arcade says, hype is not a the guy that made the game telling you about his game and demonstrating it to you before your eyes. Hype is going to a closed-door showing of prerendered videos that may or may not be from games from the new console coming out at the end of this year maybe.
Everything has a number on the end of it now. it's so fucking tedious. i'm becoming disillusioned, which really sucks because that's what i'm ostensibly studying for- to enter this diseased, retarded, navel-gazing, tail-eating industry. I thought i had a pretty good idea of what the industry was about- i did work for a couple game companies before deciding to go back to school. I worked in the trenches too- test. If you don't really like games and their potential, test will weed you out forthwith. It's like seeing the courtesan without her makeup, it really is.
Will Wright's Spore is the only thing i've heard lately that makes me prick up my ears and listen. So im soaking up information on this one.
That and i just can't stomach the tedious bullshit anymore after hearing about Will Wright's upcoming game Spore. i'll maybe do an in depth thing on it later, but for now, watch the video of the presentation he gave at GDC. It's a nice antidote to E3 and all the hype about the new consoles.
Despite what Penny-Arcade says, hype is not a the guy that made the game telling you about his game and demonstrating it to you before your eyes. Hype is going to a closed-door showing of prerendered videos that may or may not be from games from the new console coming out at the end of this year maybe.
Everything has a number on the end of it now. it's so fucking tedious. i'm becoming disillusioned, which really sucks because that's what i'm ostensibly studying for- to enter this diseased, retarded, navel-gazing, tail-eating industry. I thought i had a pretty good idea of what the industry was about- i did work for a couple game companies before deciding to go back to school. I worked in the trenches too- test. If you don't really like games and their potential, test will weed you out forthwith. It's like seeing the courtesan without her makeup, it really is.
Will Wright's Spore is the only thing i've heard lately that makes me prick up my ears and listen. So im soaking up information on this one.
What's bad about City of Heroes
What you see is not what you get-a simple example will suffice. Say you want to punch someone. Activate the basic punch ability. But you're not in melee range. Okay, no problem, you close in. But here a funny thing happens. Once you get into range, it'll activate the punch power and you'll take a swing. But keep running past the guy you want to hit. You can be nowhere near the guy you're swinging at, and you'll do your punch animation, and do damage. It's just a dice roll, your accuracy against his agility or whatever. Aim has nothing to do with it. The actual animations that you see your character perform have nothing to do with it. There's no skill involved. And every power works like this.
getting around is tedious- you really need to have a travel power, like flight or super speed, even if it doesn't fit your character. Also, those are the only two travel powers there are. Oh, i guess there's super leap as well. Teleport is available, but it's not a travel power. It doesn't work like you think it would. You can bring other team members to your position, which is undeniably useful, but you can't travel with it. You have to go where everyone wants to be manually (pedally) and then teleport everyone to your position.
Player vs Player is not very fun. Some classes are support classes. Some classes have 'hold' or 'entangle' type powers. It's not fun to have these sorts of things cast on you. Also, PvP takes place in an Arena that is separate from the main game. You don't earn anything in the Arena that affects your character, like experience. There's just an entirely new point system-Arena points. Putting something like this in the game is akin to fixing the failure of an intelligence agency (actually, two) to warn or prevent an impending terrorist attack by creating an entirely new intelligence agency, and all bueracracies appurtaining thereunto. The Arena is nothing but bragging rights and as such is useless. Everything should tie back into the main game.
Not much variety in powers-they're clearly spells, just like in an RPG. Fire, Ice, Earth. There really are no 'strange' powers like stretching or swinging on webs, or clinging to walls (wouldn't that be easy to program?), or sensing danger, or shrinking to the size of an atom or shapeshifting or even having a bow with high-tech goddamn arrows. Or a gun that shoots paste.
Many powers you would think would be interesting are not. You would think with super strength you could pick up cars and hurl them at enemies, or uproot lampposts and swing them like a giant Louisville Slugger or wrap them around groups of thugs or interact with the environment in some way. Nope. Buffs to defense, buffs to offense. A failure of imagination, or more likely execution. I know sometimes stuff has to be cut to make milestones, but...
The hero creation system is quite fun, but the interface is so poor, it looks like programmer art. it's clearly just dressed-up drop-down boxes. Is this really the best way? The background of the hero creation screen is black. What if you want to make a hero dressed in black? Well, you can't see him, that's what. You have only about 10 faces to choose from for your hero, and they're just bitmaps. You can't change the shape of your nose or the type of mouth for example. If you want glowing eyes, there's only one face bitmap that has glowing eyes. just. one. A lot of the accessories you can choose will clip through the body, i guess because you can change the body shape, but come on, that makes those accessories unusable.
Actually the interface of the whole game is awful. The text entry boxes, there's a little triangle below the level of the text that shows you where you are. You can never tell where you are in the text, the triangle is tiny and flashes on and off somewhat intermittently. Please, just give us a vertical line between letters. And please give us the ability to highlight and copy and paste. This may seem like a small thing, but you'll be typing a lot in this game. And if they can't even handle text entry properly...
One more interface issue- the icons that represent the powers in your HUD. They're all the same. Okay, there are 3 or 4 different types, and they're pallete-swapped to represent fire, ice, radiation, etc. Come on. If it's pallete-swapped, that means it's a different file, and if it's a different file, it can have different artwork. This was so disappointing to me, that the power icons were so similar, even for wildly different powers- holds or attacks, they all look the same.
Dancing. A major part of the game is social interaction, by design. Another major part of the game is waiting around for party members to arrive. Dancing is a cool thing to do while waiting and chatting, breaks up the tedium. So why is dancing so poorly implemented? It could be truly cool, but it totally falls down. Here's how it works- there's a selection calle Boombox, under which are a number of really shitty songs, loops really. When you choose one, your character whips out a boombox from another dimension, plops it down and starts dancing. Sort of. Really just moving a bit. No matter which song loops you choose, you do the same dance at the same speed. You can do other dances, but they're under a completely different menu and you cant choose the dance you want to do. You select 'dance' and you do one of about five dances at random. At random. And the dances... they're poor. They're just white-bread arm-flailing, you don't even move your feet, much less your hips. How much cooler would the game be if you could choose your dance, from actual dances. You know, real ones. Like the mashed potato, the swim, the frug, the fly, the Batusi ferchrissakes. The robot! The cabbage patch! Not whole dances, but moves that could be chained together. You could have a real dance party. And really, the music should be not complete songs, but tracks, so people could get together and make music collaboratively. That would be doing it right.
The fatal flaw of City of Heroes, though, is this- you can't be the hero you want to be. Copyrights. i completely understand why, but it's also a natural desire for people to want to play heroes they know and like. The powers of familiar heroes are in the game. Very similar costumes to familiar heroes are in the game. But there are developers roaming around the City who can change your costume and your name on the spot if you're too close to a licensed property. I totally understand why they do this- they have to, so they don't get sued. Again. They give you a free costume change when they do it and you can repec all your powers for free as well, they're not at all assholes about it.
Even so...
it's flawed at its core. The idea is self-defeating.
well, is that it? all i can remember... for now!
getting around is tedious- you really need to have a travel power, like flight or super speed, even if it doesn't fit your character. Also, those are the only two travel powers there are. Oh, i guess there's super leap as well. Teleport is available, but it's not a travel power. It doesn't work like you think it would. You can bring other team members to your position, which is undeniably useful, but you can't travel with it. You have to go where everyone wants to be manually (pedally) and then teleport everyone to your position.
Player vs Player is not very fun. Some classes are support classes. Some classes have 'hold' or 'entangle' type powers. It's not fun to have these sorts of things cast on you. Also, PvP takes place in an Arena that is separate from the main game. You don't earn anything in the Arena that affects your character, like experience. There's just an entirely new point system-Arena points. Putting something like this in the game is akin to fixing the failure of an intelligence agency (actually, two) to warn or prevent an impending terrorist attack by creating an entirely new intelligence agency, and all bueracracies appurtaining thereunto. The Arena is nothing but bragging rights and as such is useless. Everything should tie back into the main game.
Not much variety in powers-they're clearly spells, just like in an RPG. Fire, Ice, Earth. There really are no 'strange' powers like stretching or swinging on webs, or clinging to walls (wouldn't that be easy to program?), or sensing danger, or shrinking to the size of an atom or shapeshifting or even having a bow with high-tech goddamn arrows. Or a gun that shoots paste.
Many powers you would think would be interesting are not. You would think with super strength you could pick up cars and hurl them at enemies, or uproot lampposts and swing them like a giant Louisville Slugger or wrap them around groups of thugs or interact with the environment in some way. Nope. Buffs to defense, buffs to offense. A failure of imagination, or more likely execution. I know sometimes stuff has to be cut to make milestones, but...
The hero creation system is quite fun, but the interface is so poor, it looks like programmer art. it's clearly just dressed-up drop-down boxes. Is this really the best way? The background of the hero creation screen is black. What if you want to make a hero dressed in black? Well, you can't see him, that's what. You have only about 10 faces to choose from for your hero, and they're just bitmaps. You can't change the shape of your nose or the type of mouth for example. If you want glowing eyes, there's only one face bitmap that has glowing eyes. just. one. A lot of the accessories you can choose will clip through the body, i guess because you can change the body shape, but come on, that makes those accessories unusable.
Actually the interface of the whole game is awful. The text entry boxes, there's a little triangle below the level of the text that shows you where you are. You can never tell where you are in the text, the triangle is tiny and flashes on and off somewhat intermittently. Please, just give us a vertical line between letters. And please give us the ability to highlight and copy and paste. This may seem like a small thing, but you'll be typing a lot in this game. And if they can't even handle text entry properly...
One more interface issue- the icons that represent the powers in your HUD. They're all the same. Okay, there are 3 or 4 different types, and they're pallete-swapped to represent fire, ice, radiation, etc. Come on. If it's pallete-swapped, that means it's a different file, and if it's a different file, it can have different artwork. This was so disappointing to me, that the power icons were so similar, even for wildly different powers- holds or attacks, they all look the same.
Dancing. A major part of the game is social interaction, by design. Another major part of the game is waiting around for party members to arrive. Dancing is a cool thing to do while waiting and chatting, breaks up the tedium. So why is dancing so poorly implemented? It could be truly cool, but it totally falls down. Here's how it works- there's a selection calle Boombox, under which are a number of really shitty songs, loops really. When you choose one, your character whips out a boombox from another dimension, plops it down and starts dancing. Sort of. Really just moving a bit. No matter which song loops you choose, you do the same dance at the same speed. You can do other dances, but they're under a completely different menu and you cant choose the dance you want to do. You select 'dance' and you do one of about five dances at random. At random. And the dances... they're poor. They're just white-bread arm-flailing, you don't even move your feet, much less your hips. How much cooler would the game be if you could choose your dance, from actual dances. You know, real ones. Like the mashed potato, the swim, the frug, the fly, the Batusi ferchrissakes. The robot! The cabbage patch! Not whole dances, but moves that could be chained together. You could have a real dance party. And really, the music should be not complete songs, but tracks, so people could get together and make music collaboratively. That would be doing it right.
The fatal flaw of City of Heroes, though, is this- you can't be the hero you want to be. Copyrights. i completely understand why, but it's also a natural desire for people to want to play heroes they know and like. The powers of familiar heroes are in the game. Very similar costumes to familiar heroes are in the game. But there are developers roaming around the City who can change your costume and your name on the spot if you're too close to a licensed property. I totally understand why they do this- they have to, so they don't get sued. Again. They give you a free costume change when they do it and you can repec all your powers for free as well, they're not at all assholes about it.
Even so...
it's flawed at its core. The idea is self-defeating.
well, is that it? all i can remember... for now!
what's good abut City of Heroes
Conceptually, it's awesome- couldn't be better. You are... whoever you are in your everyday life, but at night you go to Paragon City, don your alter ego, and fight crime. It integrates the player's real life as part of the game, fitting perfectly with the comic book hero concept.
They did a good job in generalizing the crazy variety of possible heroes into high-level groupings they call Archetypes. The archetypes themselves are well thought-out in their interactions. It encourages grouping because a lot of the classes (Archetypes, but i grow tired of typing that) are support- or cooperation-based. There's really only one or two classes that can go off completely on their own. I call them the 'selfish classes'. Most classes however, have some sort of weakness that is compensated for by the strength of another class.
Teaming is the best part of this game. When everyone works together, all the support powers work together, you're an unstoppable team. It's awesome to behold.
They've got that Marvel love of cool words. It's shot throughout the whole game, but one example is that you can earn titles such the Unyeilding [your hero name], the Rugged [*], or the Tenacious X. Very cool. It's like you have a comic of your own like the Amazing Spider-Man or the Incredible Hulk.
The effects are very good. The types of powers are all visually distinct, flashy and cool, and very comic-booky. Energy blasts have those mod little op-art circles in them, they look great, pure Kirby Energy. The sound effects are also very good, all the more so when your remember that there's no sound in comics- you imagine all the sounds in your own head. They sound perfectly right for all that. I personally would have gone with sound effect words that pop up, Batman TV series stylee: ZOP! BORT! POOOO!
But some people might think that's silly. As if comics aren't silly.
Overall, i think they did a good job of integrating different types and styles of heroes and making them fit within their framework. You can play grim-n-gritty claw-slashin' heroes or cape-wearin paragons of justice if you so choose.
They did a good job in generalizing the crazy variety of possible heroes into high-level groupings they call Archetypes. The archetypes themselves are well thought-out in their interactions. It encourages grouping because a lot of the classes (Archetypes, but i grow tired of typing that) are support- or cooperation-based. There's really only one or two classes that can go off completely on their own. I call them the 'selfish classes'. Most classes however, have some sort of weakness that is compensated for by the strength of another class.
Teaming is the best part of this game. When everyone works together, all the support powers work together, you're an unstoppable team. It's awesome to behold.
They've got that Marvel love of cool words. It's shot throughout the whole game, but one example is that you can earn titles such the Unyeilding [your hero name], the Rugged [*], or the Tenacious X. Very cool. It's like you have a comic of your own like the Amazing Spider-Man or the Incredible Hulk.
The effects are very good. The types of powers are all visually distinct, flashy and cool, and very comic-booky. Energy blasts have those mod little op-art circles in them, they look great, pure Kirby Energy. The sound effects are also very good, all the more so when your remember that there's no sound in comics- you imagine all the sounds in your own head. They sound perfectly right for all that. I personally would have gone with sound effect words that pop up, Batman TV series stylee: ZOP! BORT! POOOO!
But some people might think that's silly. As if comics aren't silly.
Overall, i think they did a good job of integrating different types and styles of heroes and making them fit within their framework. You can play grim-n-gritty claw-slashin' heroes or cape-wearin paragons of justice if you so choose.
Friday, May 06, 2005
Video Games Can be Art
exhibit A:
The new console Sims game, Sims in the City.
first of all, i should warn you, i'm going to be giving away the "ending" to the game because i want to discuss how it does what it does. If you want to discover the end for yourself (and i highly recommend it, it's one of the best game endings ever.) then don't read any furthur.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
/are they gone?
what did i say? Right, the ending.
anyway, to meake a long story shorter, the console version of the Sims neatly folds the older PC version within it. Here's what i mean: remember the PC Sims game? It was basically a toy, not a game. You played with it. There wasn't any hrad-wired goal built into the game. Maybe Will Wright didn't like that or maybe he caught some flak for it. Either way, this new version has very clear goals. It's more focused. It's a better game for it. But the thing is, in the new Sims game, once you complete the goals, you basically have a house and people you can customize and no goals. Do you see? You get the first game as a reward for beating the new game.
genius game design, and i don't think people give Will Wright enough credit.
Oh yeah, so about the ending. You're given a house to decorate as you like, no more goals, and infinite money. but here's the thing, the big secret: You get as much money as you can crank out. Literally. The big reward is a money making machine. But you have to crank it yourself.
So are games art?
my definition of art is 'tells us something about our lives in the real world.'
The new console Sims game, Sims in the City.
first of all, i should warn you, i'm going to be giving away the "ending" to the game because i want to discuss how it does what it does. If you want to discover the end for yourself (and i highly recommend it, it's one of the best game endings ever.) then don't read any furthur.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
/are they gone?
what did i say? Right, the ending.
anyway, to meake a long story shorter, the console version of the Sims neatly folds the older PC version within it. Here's what i mean: remember the PC Sims game? It was basically a toy, not a game. You played with it. There wasn't any hrad-wired goal built into the game. Maybe Will Wright didn't like that or maybe he caught some flak for it. Either way, this new version has very clear goals. It's more focused. It's a better game for it. But the thing is, in the new Sims game, once you complete the goals, you basically have a house and people you can customize and no goals. Do you see? You get the first game as a reward for beating the new game.
genius game design, and i don't think people give Will Wright enough credit.
Oh yeah, so about the ending. You're given a house to decorate as you like, no more goals, and infinite money. but here's the thing, the big secret: You get as much money as you can crank out. Literally. The big reward is a money making machine. But you have to crank it yourself.
So are games art?
my definition of art is 'tells us something about our lives in the real world.'
Thursday, April 14, 2005
game balancing and testing made easy
1.Notice at what point the game begins to become fun.
2.Make that the start of the game
2.Make that the start of the game
im learning about addictiveness
i mean in games. how to put that quality in games. Been sampling mmorpgs lately. Sove of them hame that quality. I'm trying to figure it out.
You know what else has that quality? The Sims. Especially the new one for PS2. I'll tell you why. later.
You know what else has that quality? The Sims. Especially the new one for PS2. I'll tell you why. later.
fun to relax.
also have a programming class- through a weird accident, it's an
advanced programming class- way beyond my level. But i'm gonna give
it a try. It's cool, but a little daunting. I'm studying right now.
P.S. okay not really.
advanced programming class- way beyond my level. But i'm gonna give
it a try. It's cool, but a little daunting. I'm studying right now.
P.S. okay not really.
Thursday, February 17, 2005
but at least you can turn him off.
i'm sick. i think i've got bird flu or something. i don't feel like playing games. That's how you know you're really sick. Nothing seems fun. Actually, that's one of the main symptoms of depression.
anyway, short answer(we just had midterms): here's what i'm playing:
Rumble Roses- excellent nich-market game. One question remains- if you're going for that market, why leave out the most important feature
to that market? I'm talking about free camera and replay.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater- God, what a title. It's a totally other language. The game i can sum up in one word-meticulous. If you like meticulous games, this is your game.
Burnout 3:Takedown- Very fun game. Annoying DJ. Probably tring to be like SSX. And failing. The thing is, in SSX, the DJ gave you information. He told you who the next boss was going to be, he told you about the track you were going to race on, he told you when you were getting famous. Those things enhance the game. In Burnout, the DJ doesn't say anything useful, he's a shitty actor, and he repeats the same four messages ad infinitum.
but at least you can turn him off.
anyway, short answer(we just had midterms): here's what i'm playing:
Rumble Roses- excellent nich-market game. One question remains- if you're going for that market, why leave out the most important feature
to that market? I'm talking about free camera and replay.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater- God, what a title. It's a totally other language. The game i can sum up in one word-meticulous. If you like meticulous games, this is your game.
Burnout 3:Takedown- Very fun game. Annoying DJ. Probably tring to be like SSX. And failing. The thing is, in SSX, the DJ gave you information. He told you who the next boss was going to be, he told you about the track you were going to race on, he told you when you were getting famous. Those things enhance the game. In Burnout, the DJ doesn't say anything useful, he's a shitty actor, and he repeats the same four messages ad infinitum.
but at least you can turn him off.
Friday, January 28, 2005
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
