So yeah, I think rogue is the class for me (Mage is pretty cool too).
Source: Youtube Channel gullberg
Sorry for not having a full blown post, I'm going to be very busy this weekend for work. So if you haven't, go try out the Dragon Age 2 Demo!
Friday, February 25, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
NewNews - Dragon Age 2 Demo (on PC and PS3)
So it's not the most current of news, but Dragon Age 2 has a demo out for everyone to try out (not 100% sure on Xbox 360). Being fortunate enough to play PC games and own a PS3, I got to try out the demo for both and compare the differences between them.
Source: Youtube Channel Games
I have to be honest and say that I didn't play Dragon Age: Origins and only tried out the PS3 version when I was at a game store. My experience with Dragon Age 1 made me feel like the game was really slow, the fighting was automatic and not directly controlled, and that it was going to be mainly about the story seeing how it's by BioWare who makes incredible stories for games (granted that it was only 5 minutes). So when I heard about the soon to be released Dragon Age 2, I kind of didn't care. Recently, I've been playing Demon's Souls and suddenly had an urge for good old Medieval themed RPG (and remedied that by playing Mount and Blade). Then I saw the demo was available for Steam and PSN and decided to try out the one on Steam for PC which led to trying out the console version out on PS3.
"How does the same exact game play so differently?" I kept asking myself this when I played the PS3 version of the demo after the PC version.
Steam PC Version
I turn to Steam a lot these days when it comes to PC gaming (when not free MMO related) and so I saw the demo available for it. When I got into the game, I was surprised to see that the camera was in the orientation of a top-down RTS action RPG that looked like Dungeon Siege with controls like World of Warcraft and Guild Wars. The skills for the character are lined up on the numbers like all other RPGs on PC and the gameplay is very fast-paced. It was hard to click on the enemies I specifically want to strike at because of how fast they were moving and how I had to keep moving the camera around. I was very surprised since I was expecting something similar to Demon's Souls where the camera was behind the character and the fighting was done through buttons rather than clicking. I got this impression from the five minutes I spent on the PS3 version of the first Dragon Age and wasn't expecting a top-down point and click Action RPG. The camera and fighting was really hard to control, but the game had a lot of action to it and gave a lot of control to the whole party for the player. I learned today from a video that it didn't have to be chaotic and can be very strategic:
Source: Youtube Channel 0Antar0
So if you're the type of player who is looking for a bit more challenge and like the point-and-click style action RPG with keyboard/mouse style controls, then the PC version is for you.
Playstation 3 Console version
This is EXACTLY what I was expecting and hoped for. The controls are a lot more responsive and makes much more sense from what I remember from the first Dragon Age. The camera is by default behind the character in a 3rd-person perspective and attacking and skills are executed through the buttons. The combat system feels much more different from the PC version and does an incredible job of adapting to a console controller. I was very curious as to how the game was going to adapt all the skills with the limited amount of buttons and the party mechanics with no mouse to point and click. Certain skills pauses the game to allow the player to strategically place where the spell or item to be executed at rather than having the player manually pause it like in the video demonstration for the PC version. The game plays very fluidly and works much like an Action hack-n-slash game which feels much easier to adapt to than the controls on the PC version. For those who want a 3rd-person action style RPG similar to Phantasy Star Online, Demon's Souls, or Vindictus, then the console version is the way to go.
I find the differences between the game mechanics to be interesting and think it's great for the developer to allow players to choose the style of play they're most comfortable with. The PC version is really exciting and it's interesting to have the choice to pause the game and strategically set where skills are executed. It's geared towards PC players who are accustomed to point-n-click RPGs, RTS games, and tactical games. The console version makes much more sense to the console gamer to make it into a sort of action hack-n-slash. It's going to be really hard to choose which one to buy, but I am leaning more towards buying a copy for the PS3 since I'll eventually be buying Diablo 3 for my point-n-click RPG desires. For those who have not tried Dragon Age before, go and try out the demo for the sequel.
Source: Youtube Channel Games
I have to be honest and say that I didn't play Dragon Age: Origins and only tried out the PS3 version when I was at a game store. My experience with Dragon Age 1 made me feel like the game was really slow, the fighting was automatic and not directly controlled, and that it was going to be mainly about the story seeing how it's by BioWare who makes incredible stories for games (granted that it was only 5 minutes). So when I heard about the soon to be released Dragon Age 2, I kind of didn't care. Recently, I've been playing Demon's Souls and suddenly had an urge for good old Medieval themed RPG (and remedied that by playing Mount and Blade). Then I saw the demo was available for Steam and PSN and decided to try out the one on Steam for PC which led to trying out the console version out on PS3.
"How does the same exact game play so differently?" I kept asking myself this when I played the PS3 version of the demo after the PC version.
Steam PC Version
I turn to Steam a lot these days when it comes to PC gaming (when not free MMO related) and so I saw the demo available for it. When I got into the game, I was surprised to see that the camera was in the orientation of a top-down RTS action RPG that looked like Dungeon Siege with controls like World of Warcraft and Guild Wars. The skills for the character are lined up on the numbers like all other RPGs on PC and the gameplay is very fast-paced. It was hard to click on the enemies I specifically want to strike at because of how fast they were moving and how I had to keep moving the camera around. I was very surprised since I was expecting something similar to Demon's Souls where the camera was behind the character and the fighting was done through buttons rather than clicking. I got this impression from the five minutes I spent on the PS3 version of the first Dragon Age and wasn't expecting a top-down point and click Action RPG. The camera and fighting was really hard to control, but the game had a lot of action to it and gave a lot of control to the whole party for the player. I learned today from a video that it didn't have to be chaotic and can be very strategic:
Source: Youtube Channel 0Antar0
So if you're the type of player who is looking for a bit more challenge and like the point-and-click style action RPG with keyboard/mouse style controls, then the PC version is for you.
Playstation 3 Console version
This is EXACTLY what I was expecting and hoped for. The controls are a lot more responsive and makes much more sense from what I remember from the first Dragon Age. The camera is by default behind the character in a 3rd-person perspective and attacking and skills are executed through the buttons. The combat system feels much more different from the PC version and does an incredible job of adapting to a console controller. I was very curious as to how the game was going to adapt all the skills with the limited amount of buttons and the party mechanics with no mouse to point and click. Certain skills pauses the game to allow the player to strategically place where the spell or item to be executed at rather than having the player manually pause it like in the video demonstration for the PC version. The game plays very fluidly and works much like an Action hack-n-slash game which feels much easier to adapt to than the controls on the PC version. For those who want a 3rd-person action style RPG similar to Phantasy Star Online, Demon's Souls, or Vindictus, then the console version is the way to go.
I find the differences between the game mechanics to be interesting and think it's great for the developer to allow players to choose the style of play they're most comfortable with. The PC version is really exciting and it's interesting to have the choice to pause the game and strategically set where skills are executed. It's geared towards PC players who are accustomed to point-n-click RPGs, RTS games, and tactical games. The console version makes much more sense to the console gamer to make it into a sort of action hack-n-slash. It's going to be really hard to choose which one to buy, but I am leaning more towards buying a copy for the PS3 since I'll eventually be buying Diablo 3 for my point-n-click RPG desires. For those who have not tried Dragon Age before, go and try out the demo for the sequel.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
GameLight Review - Project Blackout (Point Blank)
Official Site: http://pb.ntreev.net/
Source: Youtube Channel freemmogamer
Developers: Zepetto
Publisher: SG Interactive
Platform: PC
Release Date: December 10, 2010
Genre: Tactical First-Person Shooter
Pros:
-Lots of weapons to choose from
-Decent graphics with distinguishable color palettes
-Levels are moderately sized
-The game is free, easy to download, install and start playing
Cons:
-The usual lag is persistent and impedes on smooth gameplay
-Hackers are already on the rise with this game
-The hit-box for the head is hilariously large
-Not too different from the other dozen free first-person shooters
Project Blackout (originally Point Blank) is a free to play Online First-Person Shooter involving team-based objectives such as team deathmatch, plant the bomb, and such. The game is very similar to other free first-person shooters such as WolfTeam, WarRock, Alliance of Valiant Arms, Combat Arms, and Soldier Front with the shop allowing players to purchase a weapon for use of up to 1 day, 7 days, or other set durations. The game succeeds in creating a fast-paced, action shooter for those who want a quick game and instant satisfaction; however, the game suffers from a number of problems that disrupts the gameplay from being as smooth or fair as it could be. Despite being very similar to other free shooters in the market, there is still potential and content it can offer players that may not necessarily be available in other shooters.
Graphics
The level designs and amount of detail is rather intricate. They're bright and colorful with a wide variety of themes. The textures; however, are archaic and don't seem to fit into the modern day graphics. It's not entirely a bad thing since it makes the download a lot smaller and allows the game to run at its optimal speed at the highest settings. Though slightly blocky, the models are decent. The blood that comes out is unrealistic, but kind of funny. It comes out it blotches of red splashes and disappears immediately. The user-interface is easy on the eyes and easy to get around. As seen in the trailer, there's a wide variety of places and themes with both indoor and outdoor combat. The game's graphics are clean, crisp, and graphically runs very smoothly. Graphics: 8/10
Audio
The audio is very standard for a free FPS. The soundtrack is nothing special, the guns are not incredible, but not bad either. The sound of a player getting shot is kind of funny. Every hit, you'll hear the player go "euh ah oo". The voice that announces the streaks such as "double kill" or "headshot" sounds very similar to the voices in "WolfTeam". I wonder if it's the same guy. Not much to discuss, the audio is very average for the game. Audio: 7/10
Gameplay
Project Blackout plays similarly to other free FPS where the player logs in, create an in-game name, buy all the weapons they want to use and then join a game to start playing. The controls are very standard WASD movement, spacebar jump, and the shift is walk like in Counter-Strike as opposed to Call of Duty's run. Guns can be shot from the hip and is less accurate than aiming down sight (when given the option). Holding down the fire button for automatic weapons causes the spray to become wider and is indicated by the cross hair. As far as I can tell, body parts do have an effect on how much damage is dealt to a player. So shooting the chest is more likely to kill an enemy as opposed to their hands and legs. The hit-box for the head is rather large. I got one head shot after another just by spraying from the hip on the upper half of the body. It's possible to get a lot of headshots with a knife as well. There's a frequent amount of lag within the game that really affects hit boxes and accuracy to the game. I've had cases where I shot a player and their body ended up dead 10 feet from where I shot him from. Players die pretty quickly in following suit of the "tactical" sub-genre of First-Person Shooters. There's a good amount of weapons to choose from in the shop that players can buy and use for a certain duration before having to buy it again. There's five different game modes to choose from with a decent amount of maps to play on. Gameplay: 7/10
Overall
The game is pretty fun despite some of its set backs. It was nice to finish the download so quickly and be able to start playing right away. It's not better than a lot of the other free FPS I've tried, but I wouldn't mind logging on once in a while to play. There's lots of weapons to experiment with, missions that can be fulfilled for more money and experience points, and the maps are unique. If you're looking for an FPS to mess around on and want instant satisfaction, then I'd recommend trying Project Blackout. Overall: 7.3/10
Source: Youtube Channel freemmogamer
Developers: Zepetto
Publisher: SG Interactive
Platform: PC
Release Date: December 10, 2010
Genre: Tactical First-Person Shooter
Pros:
-Lots of weapons to choose from
-Decent graphics with distinguishable color palettes
-Levels are moderately sized
-The game is free, easy to download, install and start playing
Cons:
-The usual lag is persistent and impedes on smooth gameplay
-Hackers are already on the rise with this game
-The hit-box for the head is hilariously large
-Not too different from the other dozen free first-person shooters
Project Blackout (originally Point Blank) is a free to play Online First-Person Shooter involving team-based objectives such as team deathmatch, plant the bomb, and such. The game is very similar to other free first-person shooters such as WolfTeam, WarRock, Alliance of Valiant Arms, Combat Arms, and Soldier Front with the shop allowing players to purchase a weapon for use of up to 1 day, 7 days, or other set durations. The game succeeds in creating a fast-paced, action shooter for those who want a quick game and instant satisfaction; however, the game suffers from a number of problems that disrupts the gameplay from being as smooth or fair as it could be. Despite being very similar to other free shooters in the market, there is still potential and content it can offer players that may not necessarily be available in other shooters.
Graphics
The level designs and amount of detail is rather intricate. They're bright and colorful with a wide variety of themes. The textures; however, are archaic and don't seem to fit into the modern day graphics. It's not entirely a bad thing since it makes the download a lot smaller and allows the game to run at its optimal speed at the highest settings. Though slightly blocky, the models are decent. The blood that comes out is unrealistic, but kind of funny. It comes out it blotches of red splashes and disappears immediately. The user-interface is easy on the eyes and easy to get around. As seen in the trailer, there's a wide variety of places and themes with both indoor and outdoor combat. The game's graphics are clean, crisp, and graphically runs very smoothly. Graphics: 8/10
Audio
The audio is very standard for a free FPS. The soundtrack is nothing special, the guns are not incredible, but not bad either. The sound of a player getting shot is kind of funny. Every hit, you'll hear the player go "euh ah oo". The voice that announces the streaks such as "double kill" or "headshot" sounds very similar to the voices in "WolfTeam". I wonder if it's the same guy. Not much to discuss, the audio is very average for the game. Audio: 7/10
Gameplay
Project Blackout plays similarly to other free FPS where the player logs in, create an in-game name, buy all the weapons they want to use and then join a game to start playing. The controls are very standard WASD movement, spacebar jump, and the shift is walk like in Counter-Strike as opposed to Call of Duty's run. Guns can be shot from the hip and is less accurate than aiming down sight (when given the option). Holding down the fire button for automatic weapons causes the spray to become wider and is indicated by the cross hair. As far as I can tell, body parts do have an effect on how much damage is dealt to a player. So shooting the chest is more likely to kill an enemy as opposed to their hands and legs. The hit-box for the head is rather large. I got one head shot after another just by spraying from the hip on the upper half of the body. It's possible to get a lot of headshots with a knife as well. There's a frequent amount of lag within the game that really affects hit boxes and accuracy to the game. I've had cases where I shot a player and their body ended up dead 10 feet from where I shot him from. Players die pretty quickly in following suit of the "tactical" sub-genre of First-Person Shooters. There's a good amount of weapons to choose from in the shop that players can buy and use for a certain duration before having to buy it again. There's five different game modes to choose from with a decent amount of maps to play on. Gameplay: 7/10
Overall
The game is pretty fun despite some of its set backs. It was nice to finish the download so quickly and be able to start playing right away. It's not better than a lot of the other free FPS I've tried, but I wouldn't mind logging on once in a while to play. There's lots of weapons to experiment with, missions that can be fulfilled for more money and experience points, and the maps are unique. If you're looking for an FPS to mess around on and want instant satisfaction, then I'd recommend trying Project Blackout. Overall: 7.3/10
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
GameLight - Filler with video of Rise of Immortals
I'm really busy today and can't get to writing anything descriptive. Take a look at this:
Source: Youtube Channel riseofimmortals
It's a new free Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) game following the trend of Champions Online, League of Legends, and Heroes of Newerth from their DotA predecessor. Enjoy and see you tomorrow.
Source: Youtube Channel riseofimmortals
It's a new free Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) game following the trend of Champions Online, League of Legends, and Heroes of Newerth from their DotA predecessor. Enjoy and see you tomorrow.
Monday, February 21, 2011
GameLight - FPS Games of 2011
After playing 20+ First-Person Shooter (FPS) games in 2010, I guess it wasn’t too surprising when a few of the games I’m looking forward to in 2011 were shooters. Yes, there are a lot of shooters, like there always have been in the past, that look the same but don’t play the same. After having an extensive experience with a wide range of FPS games, I can see and respect the differences between them which makes it all the more difficult to choose between them all. I’ve picked out three to highlight on today: Bulletstorm, Homefront, and Crysis 2.
Source: Youtube Channel GamerLiveTV
Source: Youtube Channel GamerLiveTV
Bulletstorm – This game was announced quite a while ago and has caught my interest in its crazy, over the top, arcade feeling with the points and extreme methods of killing an enemy. The game is bright and colorful as opposed to the military shooter where everything is dark, brown, and muddled. Tactical shooters aren’t bad, but it’s nice to see that there can be variety among shooters within the industry (or genre). I’ve tried out the demo and laughed at all the crazy combos the game allowed the player to do. I was able to tether and enemy, pull them towards me, kick in the face, shoot them with an explosive, and have it collide with all his buddies in the back. What I was hoping for was a local, two-player split-screen co-op campaign that I could play with my friend. Games are lacking local multiplayer nowadays and it makes it hard to bring friends together to play some games at home. Because of this, I’m not very sure if I’m going to get it full price at $60. I might wait till it drops down to $40 or $30 before purchasing it since it’ll mainly be for the single player campaign.
Homefront – I remember seeing the banner for this game along the halls of E3 2010’s convention but didn’t see any videos or game booths promoting for it. When I got home to look at trailers for it, I was shocked at the premise of the story. North Korea and South Korea unites and attacks America North Korea
Crysis 2 – The game looks amazing! Truth to be told, I didn’t care about Crysis 2 until just a few days ago when I saw some videos of how the gameplay for multiplayer will look and how fluid all the actions and animations look. The visuals are breathtaking, which brings me to the big question: should I even get this for PC or should I get it on PS3? I don’t mind playing FPS on console, but there are times where I would like to play it on PC for that freedom using the mouse to whip around 180 degrees and such. But the problem is that Crysis 2 will be a very demanding game for the graphics card and processor and I don’t think my laptop can handle that. I had the same problem when choosing between PC and PS3 for Medal or Honor (I chose PS3 and am happy with that decision). So in the videos I saw, the nanosuit augmentations play a large part in the strategy against other players and emphasizes the Sci-Fi part of the game rather than just be another shooter. The sliding and fence hopping puts Brink in a very difficult position since those were the main features for their game. Will people still buy Brink if Crysis 2 has all the functionalities of it? I was actually really excited for Brink since their first trailer, but now I’m not very sure after comparing the gameplay videos between Crysis 2 and Brink. Out of all the FPS announced so far, Crysis 2 is on top of the list for me (and is the absolute last one to really cross my mind until just a few days ago). There’s only one thing I need to do first before it comes out…play through Crysis 1…
Here are the other FPS games coming out this year:
-Killzone 3 – I didn’t play the first two and I didn’t really like the controls after trying out the demo for Killzone 2. Perhaps the 3rd one will surprise me.
-Brink – I had a lot of hope for this one, but I’m not sure how it will play out anymore.
-Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 – I’m curious what Sledgehammer games have in store for the franchise, but it also worries me how the story will end (yes, I care very much about the story).
-Battlefield 3 – I didn’t play BF2 that much since I played it at a friend’s house, but it was a fun and interesting experience. DICE isn’t showing much of BF3 yet, so I have no opinions of it.
-Rage – I saw this at E3 and I’m not particularly interested in the game from what I saw so far.
-XCOM – The ideas they have for the game sounds interesting so far, but I have nothing to compare it to since I never played the original XCOM games.
-Resistance 3 – I stopped caring about Resistance after I got through the 2nd one. The first one was fun and I played through it five times on all the difficulty levels and I played the PSP spin-off “Retribution” and thought it was an interesting experience (not necessarily as fun as the original, but a good story and solid gameplay). Resistance 2 just disappointed me gameplay wise and story wise. The multiplayer was fun for a short while, and then I got bored of it.
-Duke Nukem Forever – It’s sad because it seems more of a joke rather than excited enthusiasm for the announcement of this game getting a release.
-Serious Sam 3 – The game stops being as funny after a while. I’m not sure what else they can really do with the series besides better graphics.
-Doom 4 – I never got into Doom that much. Doom 3 got kind of boring after a while and I never finished it. I really wanted to, but I didn’t feel like I made much progress.
-F.E.A.R. 3 - I haven’t played any of them, but I really should. Despite it being a horror shooter, I heard the gameplay was decent and players had a lot of fun.
-Conduit 2 – I’ve been meaning to buy the first one, but not for its full price. I would much rather buy the game at a lower price and play through the campaign than having the online multiplayer tied into it. I don’t think there are really all that many “public” online players on Wii, only private games held by friends/communities.
That’s it for today, here’s hoping for some good shooters in 2011.
Friday, February 18, 2011
VGCulture - Friday Ranting on Music and Call of Duty
Hey everyone, it's Friday! Yay! I honestly didn't know what to write about today since my mind has been clouded from last night's horrible experience on Call of Duty: Black Ops.
I'm not saying that it's a bad game (gracious no) because I sincerely enjoy playing it. But I haven't had as bad of a night playing the game as I did last night (5-8 consecutive loses, avg 0.68 kdr, frequently repeated death sprees, etc.). I decided to try out new loadouts with new weapons and different strategies. When I did, the night became progressively worse. I realized no one used akimbo attachment, or in Black Ops it's simply called dual-wield, and wanted to try it out. I tried it out on a sub-machine gun (I don't remember the name since I got it just last night) and could not aim to save my life (which is true for the most part but more so this time). The recoil was unruly and popped my aim up faster than I could kill a player with. I wasn't expecting that since I use Akimbo P90s in Modern Warfare 2. I replaced my three-shot burst M16 for a single-shot M14 to try out on Hardcore Deathmatch and it simply doesn't kill the player fast enough compared to those using a Galil or AK47. I still can't use a sniper rifle since I am terrible at it. I never liked sniping in Call of Duty, and it's one of my favorite weapons in FPS games (I use it in Medal of Honor, MAG, Resistance 2, and sometimes Counter-Strike Source) just because of how difficult it is to control it and how heavy the camping it has to be before successfully getting a good snipe. And I also tried out a dual wield shotgun which granted me no kills whatsoever. Among my failure for constructing solid loadouts like I did before, I always ended up in losing teams against players who were in their 5th and 6th prestige. I would get killed by players I never see or spawned behind me. What frustrated me most were all the attacks I made that never connected. Lag has been an issue in the game since the day it launched, but I can't complain about bugs, glitches and lag in the game because it balances itself out (oddly enough). Getting killed when I'm well behind cover because of lag really bugs me, but I have to admit that I get ridiculous kills too like when I killed someone with one shot with an M14 at their leg last night. I ended the night feeling overwhelmed, but what surprised me was all the things that were going through my mind. Instead of thinking "freaking camper" like I usually do, I was thinking "what worked and didn't work? What weapons should I change and did changing the kill streak really help? How can I react and aim faster? How should I face players who camp and snipe?" I think that's what I like about FPS like Call of Duty, being able to progressively grow as a player and get better at something I have an interest in. I guess it's the RPG gamer inside of me thinking up strategies with equipment, levels, and skills. As much as I hate getting repeatedly owned by high prestige players, I'd go against any pro player versus an aimbot hacker any day. I just keep in mind that I get better faster when going against players that much better than everyone else including me.
ANYWAYS, before I got into the night of playing Black Ops, I was searching and listening to music since I haven't had new music in a while. I had finished watching Scott Pilgrim vs. The World a few nights ago and really enjoyed it. The music really stood out to me and I did some research and found that a lot of musicians contributed to the movie. What surprised me was that Beck created most of the songs in the movie.
Source: Youtube Channel ScottPilgrimMusic
Along with the movie, I played the demo to the game a while back and was excited to hear that the animation was done by Paul Robertson (his art is insane and scary as much as it is awesome) and the music was composed by Anamanaguchi. I didn't learn of that man and the band until they were mentioned by friends within my game development class and club. The game's first level has a really catchy tune to it, but it's hard for me to remember it for some reason. I know it when I hear it. I listen to a lot of videogame music and have been running into some great composition and mixes lately from games that I've bought.
Source: Youtube Channel BlackRyuOmegaIII
This song sounds best loud and with heavy bass. It's an amazing experience listening to it. I have to admit that I never played through the original Bionic Commando and always meant to since I've always heard so many great things about it. I bought Rearmed on Steam and planned on playing it, but feel the need to play the original to fully appreciate this reboot. Power Plant is actually a remix from the original game. I like listening to a lot of peaceful tunes like ones that Nobuo Uematsu composes for Final Fantasy, but sometimes I want to find songs with high energy that makes me feel excited and "in the zone".
Source: Youtube Channel IndieGameMusicHD
I finished VVVVVV 1-2 weeks ago and really enjoyed the challenge it gave. The music really got me into the mood and really contributed to the whole experience throughout the game. It has an atmosphere of high energy, traversing, and a bit of 8-bit flavor (it doesn't feel nostalgic for me, but it's not a bad thing). The soundtrack can be bought HERE!
Source: Youtube Channel ARGCi
Do you hear that Bass? The bass is amazing. I haven't finished Shatter yet, but I had a really good first experience with the game mainly due to this song. It really got me into the grove of the game. The game was alright. It's break-out with some twists. I find the most exciting part of the game to be the boss battles. It really put me on edge and felt like a really nice challenge. The rest of the soundtrack is alright, but not as amazing as this one track. It can be bought HERE!
Other than that, I went back to listen to songs from Street Fighter IV, Metal Gear Solid 2 & 3, and a game called Lord of Arcana which had Nobuo Uematsu's compositions in it. That's it for now. I think I'm going to try playing some Call of Duty Black Ops and redeem myself for last night's disastrous matches.
 |
| Source: http://www.news.com.au/technology/call-of-duty-black-ops-offers-offline-multiplayer-practice-mode/story-e6frfro0-1225913375352 |
ANYWAYS, before I got into the night of playing Black Ops, I was searching and listening to music since I haven't had new music in a while. I had finished watching Scott Pilgrim vs. The World a few nights ago and really enjoyed it. The music really stood out to me and I did some research and found that a lot of musicians contributed to the movie. What surprised me was that Beck created most of the songs in the movie.
Source: Youtube Channel ScottPilgrimMusic
Along with the movie, I played the demo to the game a while back and was excited to hear that the animation was done by Paul Robertson (his art is insane and scary as much as it is awesome) and the music was composed by Anamanaguchi. I didn't learn of that man and the band until they were mentioned by friends within my game development class and club. The game's first level has a really catchy tune to it, but it's hard for me to remember it for some reason. I know it when I hear it. I listen to a lot of videogame music and have been running into some great composition and mixes lately from games that I've bought.
Source: Youtube Channel BlackRyuOmegaIII
This song sounds best loud and with heavy bass. It's an amazing experience listening to it. I have to admit that I never played through the original Bionic Commando and always meant to since I've always heard so many great things about it. I bought Rearmed on Steam and planned on playing it, but feel the need to play the original to fully appreciate this reboot. Power Plant is actually a remix from the original game. I like listening to a lot of peaceful tunes like ones that Nobuo Uematsu composes for Final Fantasy, but sometimes I want to find songs with high energy that makes me feel excited and "in the zone".
Source: Youtube Channel IndieGameMusicHD
I finished VVVVVV 1-2 weeks ago and really enjoyed the challenge it gave. The music really got me into the mood and really contributed to the whole experience throughout the game. It has an atmosphere of high energy, traversing, and a bit of 8-bit flavor (it doesn't feel nostalgic for me, but it's not a bad thing). The soundtrack can be bought HERE!
Source: Youtube Channel ARGCi
Do you hear that Bass? The bass is amazing. I haven't finished Shatter yet, but I had a really good first experience with the game mainly due to this song. It really got me into the grove of the game. The game was alright. It's break-out with some twists. I find the most exciting part of the game to be the boss battles. It really put me on edge and felt like a really nice challenge. The rest of the soundtrack is alright, but not as amazing as this one track. It can be bought HERE!
Other than that, I went back to listen to songs from Street Fighter IV, Metal Gear Solid 2 & 3, and a game called Lord of Arcana which had Nobuo Uematsu's compositions in it. That's it for now. I think I'm going to try playing some Call of Duty Black Ops and redeem myself for last night's disastrous matches.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
VGCulture - Games in 2011
I decided against writing about "repetitive gameplay" since I need a break from critical thinking and writing. I should have done this about a month and a half ago, but I wanted to talk about some games that's coming out this year. Along the titles is a small note or comment:
Source: Youtube Channel machinima
-Brink - I'm not quite sure what to expect, even with the videos and descriptions of the game. I'm hoping for a fast-paced action shooter. I guess it's kind of like Mirror's Edge in a competitive multiplayer environment.
-Arcana Heart 3 - I want this game, but not for $60. Maybe $40 is reasonable.
-Homefront - Despite the controversy and the shocking premises of the story, I'm curious as to how this game will play out both in campaign and multiplayer.
-Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 - I'm going to get this eventually, it's on top of my "want" list.
-Street Fighter X Tekken - An interesting mix, but I'm going to have to see some more gameplay first.
-Tekken X Street Fighter - Aw, what the heck...they should just put the two games together.
-Dark Souls - OMG YES. I'm still working on Demon's Souls, but I'm very sure I'll like Dark Souls already.
-Gameboy 3DS - I'm going to wait it out and see if there's any games worth buying for it first.
-Sony NGP - Ugh, it's probably going to be expensive, but I'm curious to what sort of neat games come out.
-Crysis 2 - The game looks beautiful. I haven't played the first one yet, so I'm not sure what to say.
-Deus Ex: Human Revolution - I'm not sure what to expect out of this game either. I'm actually still playing the first one (got it last year) and like it, but I heard the 2nd one was terrible. I'm keeping an eye out for this one.
-Battlefield 3 - Ack, so many FPS coming out so quickly, I can't keep up. Battlefield has been a good series for me so far, so I'm really hoping for something magnificent from BF3.
-Diablo 3 - I might have to buy this the first day it comes out. I never played the first 2 Diablo games, so I'm super excited about this one. I tried the game out at BlizzCon 2008, so I'm sure it's several times better now.
-Dragon Age 2 - Meh, I need to play the first one before I can have opinions about this one.
-Bulletstorm - It seems interesting, but I lost faith after learning it was co-op "online only". We'll see.
-Guild Wars 2 - I really didn't care too much before, but the more I learn about it, the more excited I get.
-Little Big Planet 2 - Mmm, I would probably want to play the custom games more than the actual game.
-Dead Space 2 - I never got to finish the first one because it crashed on me...I might pass this one
-Killzone 3 - I honestly didn't really like Killzone 2 from the demo. The controls were awkward and loose. But the developers made this one from the ground up, so maybe this one will be good?
-Portal 2 - Portal's fun, but I'm not too excited about a sequel.
-Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception - I need to play the first two. I heard the 2nd one was amazing.
-The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - I totally missed out on the Elder Scroll series. I wonder what 5 is like.
-Ghost Recon: Future Soldier - I'm semi-excited, but am just expecting another GRAW-like game.
-Mass Effect 3 - MULTIPLAYER! Once I beat the first two, I'll be so ready to play this one.
-Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 - I tried applying for game tester to help development on this one. They're looking for people who has 10+ experience in the industry, haha. I have no feeling towards MW3...yet.
-Kid Icarus: Uprising - I missed the chance to play this at E3 2010 last year, but my friend said it was fun.
-Metal Gear Solid Rising - I may have to go buy this when it comes out. Raiden was a cool character.
-XCOM - I never even heard of the original game, but I'm very curious of what they'll do for this one.
-The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - I missed out on playing this one too at E3 2010, but I'm not too crazy about it. I need to really finish some games first.
That's about it, simple and to the point. I probably missed a lot, but it's February. There's still a ton of time to talk about up coming games in the near future.
Source: Youtube Channel machinima
-Brink - I'm not quite sure what to expect, even with the videos and descriptions of the game. I'm hoping for a fast-paced action shooter. I guess it's kind of like Mirror's Edge in a competitive multiplayer environment.
-Arcana Heart 3 - I want this game, but not for $60. Maybe $40 is reasonable.
-Homefront - Despite the controversy and the shocking premises of the story, I'm curious as to how this game will play out both in campaign and multiplayer.
-Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 - I'm going to get this eventually, it's on top of my "want" list.
-Street Fighter X Tekken - An interesting mix, but I'm going to have to see some more gameplay first.
-Tekken X Street Fighter - Aw, what the heck...they should just put the two games together.
-Dark Souls - OMG YES. I'm still working on Demon's Souls, but I'm very sure I'll like Dark Souls already.
-Gameboy 3DS - I'm going to wait it out and see if there's any games worth buying for it first.
-Sony NGP - Ugh, it's probably going to be expensive, but I'm curious to what sort of neat games come out.
-Crysis 2 - The game looks beautiful. I haven't played the first one yet, so I'm not sure what to say.
-Deus Ex: Human Revolution - I'm not sure what to expect out of this game either. I'm actually still playing the first one (got it last year) and like it, but I heard the 2nd one was terrible. I'm keeping an eye out for this one.
-Battlefield 3 - Ack, so many FPS coming out so quickly, I can't keep up. Battlefield has been a good series for me so far, so I'm really hoping for something magnificent from BF3.
-Diablo 3 - I might have to buy this the first day it comes out. I never played the first 2 Diablo games, so I'm super excited about this one. I tried the game out at BlizzCon 2008, so I'm sure it's several times better now.
-Dragon Age 2 - Meh, I need to play the first one before I can have opinions about this one.
-Bulletstorm - It seems interesting, but I lost faith after learning it was co-op "online only". We'll see.
-Guild Wars 2 - I really didn't care too much before, but the more I learn about it, the more excited I get.
-Little Big Planet 2 - Mmm, I would probably want to play the custom games more than the actual game.
-Dead Space 2 - I never got to finish the first one because it crashed on me...I might pass this one
-Killzone 3 - I honestly didn't really like Killzone 2 from the demo. The controls were awkward and loose. But the developers made this one from the ground up, so maybe this one will be good?
-Portal 2 - Portal's fun, but I'm not too excited about a sequel.
-Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception - I need to play the first two. I heard the 2nd one was amazing.
-The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - I totally missed out on the Elder Scroll series. I wonder what 5 is like.
-Ghost Recon: Future Soldier - I'm semi-excited, but am just expecting another GRAW-like game.
-Mass Effect 3 - MULTIPLAYER! Once I beat the first two, I'll be so ready to play this one.
-Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 - I tried applying for game tester to help development on this one. They're looking for people who has 10+ experience in the industry, haha. I have no feeling towards MW3...yet.
-Kid Icarus: Uprising - I missed the chance to play this at E3 2010 last year, but my friend said it was fun.
-Metal Gear Solid Rising - I may have to go buy this when it comes out. Raiden was a cool character.
-XCOM - I never even heard of the original game, but I'm very curious of what they'll do for this one.
-The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - I missed out on playing this one too at E3 2010, but I'm not too crazy about it. I need to really finish some games first.
That's about it, simple and to the point. I probably missed a lot, but it's February. There's still a ton of time to talk about up coming games in the near future.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
VGCulture - Rant on "Grind" and/in "RPGs"
Reference: Gamasutra - Grinding can be fun! by Simon Ludgate
Today, I'll be discussing on the topic of the word "grind" in videogames and touch upon the points in "Role-Playing Games (RPGs)" that led to the notorious word associated with modern day Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs). This post is a response to Simon Ludgate's post on Gamasutra titled "Grinding can be fun!" which started as a reply on Brice Morrison's blog entry A Necessary Evil: Grinding in Games which is also on Gamasutra. There is just too much to say after I read the article, and so here it is.
I've played over 50+ MMOs and still play some of them now. I love my MMORPGs, but I can't deny the fact that grinding has become a main part of a game's core mechanic in a lot of MMORPGs (specifically free ones) and has dumbed down a lot of games because of it. "Grinding" is a term "usually" used to describe the act of performing a repetitive task to progress to the next part of the game which consists of killing large amounts of enemies one at a time in one specific area to level up, gain currency to buy a necessary item, or to fulfill a quest. Players stop playing MMORPGs with "the grind" being the most common issue in every game. I admit that I hate it too (for very good reasons, 50+ games remember?). This has become apparent in a lot of RPGs and can be reflected onto even past RPGs. So when Simon Ludgate starts off the argument that "Grinding can be fun" by using "Tetris", of all games to choose from, as an example that gamers "grind" all the time, I was incredibly befuddled.
It's true that all player's have a different expectation of what they want out of a game and how they want to play, but that doesn't mean the rest of the game has to suck (going a bit casual there, but it sounds appropriate here). When I first heard about Demon's Souls and how ridiculously difficult it was, I was interested. When I heard that it was a unique multiplayer experience where the player can invade other players' games and PvP or team up to work together, I was convinced to get the game. I did get it much later since I was still in college and away from my Playstation 3 (Got it summer of 2010). I was "expecting" to team up with friends to play together, and perhaps participate in some PvP action. I was disappointed at so many levels when I first played. Multiplayer was done at random and set up by chance, the levels never change with the same enemies in the same exact areas every time, and there wasn't background music playing which astonished me. Being the stubborn man I am, I continued to play the game to see if I could at least start to play multiplayer. After working my way up to beating the first boss, all the levels were suddenly open for me to go to. I explored, discovered some new enemies and items, and died a lot, but eventually got around to beating the second boss and realizing that everything I was expecting out of the game didn't matter anymore because I found the way the game was designed to be purposeful and entertaining in a way I didn't "expect." I was always able to see the other players, but not interact with them. This gave me a sense of belonging in something much larger than my own game I was playing in. The levels and enemies may stay the same, but the way I played and the way the battles fought out changed each time. And the absence of background music finally made sense when I started to encounter enemies that I may not have seen but could hear. It allowed me to be more alert and keep an ear out for cues. Discovering new strategies against new enemies and finding stronger items all became part of the rewarding system if the player was brave enough to push forward. Though, character level have some effect towards battle, it doesn't impede on the player's ability to progress through the game and was largely determined by the player's own ability and knowledge. And finally, I experienced my first invasion and was about to engage in a player versus player bout. This literally happened last night after I beat the third boss and went to grab some extra souls (kind of currency used in the game) from an enemy and go back to the main base (the Nexus) to upgrade my "Soul Level". I went to "Shrine of Storms" (just to be specific for those who have played the game) and killed off one Skeleton which was more than enough and ran back to the teleport that brought me back to the Nexus. When I tried to go back, the game gave me a message that said: "You can't return during Multiplayer." I thought to myself 'I don't remember setting up to multiplayer' and turned around to see a blue text on the floor. Someone was requesting to come into the game and team up with me. It was the first time I've seen it before, but I didn't plan on staying in the level so I didn't accept. All of a sudden, in a ball of flame a player appeared and the screen displayed in large bold letters "YOU'RE BEING INVADED!" It was a surreal experience and I got hit by the player's magic right away. I started strafing left and right to avoid all magic fire and the player switched to his weapons to initiate an attack. I did my best to roll in and stab them but was taken down after two hits and thus I died and lost my physical body form that I had just gained from beating the third boss. I was "expecting" to participate in PvP eventually, but the invasion took me by surprise and I was engaged in it right then and there. So in rebuttal to Simon's argument that "The problem with grind isn't a problem with the game design, it's a problem with the player's expectations" I don't believe that a player should be the one to blame whether the game is fun or not. It was those elements of "surprise" and discoveries I DIDN'T "expect" from the game that made it all the more involving and interesting. The way Simon words it, it sounds like a game designer saying "It's not a glitch, it's part of the game design." (Something similar was said by one of the directors or producers of "Epic Mickey" and player's complaint about the camera orientation).
Simon really brought about a topic worth discussing, but approached it with a seemingly misconceived idea of what player's dread about "grind". His article leans more toward the concept of repetitive gameplay rather than a repetitive action. My arguments, in the end, are only my opinions and may not hold a strong claim (so it's okay to point things out like I have in Simon's article like he did with Brice Morrison's article). "Grinding can be fun!" and believe it can be for certain games, but I think Simon could have approached it better had he addressed the actual problem rather than the idea around it.
And about repetitive gameplay, I think I might talk about that tomorrow. It sounds like an interesting topic to touch upon.
Today, I'll be discussing on the topic of the word "grind" in videogames and touch upon the points in "Role-Playing Games (RPGs)" that led to the notorious word associated with modern day Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs). This post is a response to Simon Ludgate's post on Gamasutra titled "Grinding can be fun!" which started as a reply on Brice Morrison's blog entry A Necessary Evil: Grinding in Games which is also on Gamasutra. There is just too much to say after I read the article, and so here it is.
 |
| Source: http://trickster.ntreev.net/Download/WallPaper/2 |
"Yes, I'm going to talk about the grind in Tetris. Tetris is, by this definition, purely a grind. You do the same thing over and over again (move a block to the bottom of the map to delete "lines") in order to progress (to get more score). You grind to get a score and, once the game is over, that's it! You have your score! Care to do it all over again from the start? There's some parallel here to be made about Tetris "grinding" and WoW "grinding", I'm sure." - Simon Ludgate
Reading that one paragraph threw me off on a loop and made me question whether his definition of grind is the same one MMORPG players use:
"Grinding is a term used in video gaming to describe the process of engaging in repetitive and/or non-entertaining gameplay in order to gain access to other features within the game, or to allow the player to "grind" better/faster." - Wikipedia: Grinding (video gaming)
 |
| Source: http://maple-story.me/page/2 |
Simon is right about Tetris that all the player ever does is drop blocks down to form a line; however, he fails to mention the dynamics in gameplay and core concepts within Tetris as opposed to the monotonous task of "watching" the player's character killing the same spawn of enemies in a single area within World of Warcraft (WoW) which doesn't even apply any longer since they changed their game design. Tetris has one specific goal of "getting the highest score possible within the limits of the player's ability before they lose." Between the time the player starts the game and gets the "Game Over" screen, the player has to think fast and strategically on where to move, what piece fits best in each situation learned from past experience (assuming the player has played more than once), prepare for what comes next and foreseeing what the placements will look like and how it would be best solved. There's actually a lot going on inside of our mind when playing Tetris and requires a lot of cognitive work. It allows the player to think, react, and use skill to progress through the game. When the player "loses" or get the "Game Over" screen, they get the satisfaction or is "rewarded" with a "High Score". I am not going to use World of Warcraft as an example since I've heard that the grind is unnoticeable anymore after years of updates and expansions. I will instead use my own experience in MMORPGs as an example. This might not apply to the two games I'm about to mention anymore either since they both also have gone through a lot of improvements and updates. My experience with Maple Story was the epitome of what grinding was all about. I started playing the game when it first came to North America in 2005, and during that time there were barely any quests that changed the pace of the game or progressed the game any faster with experience points (and if they did it was to kill 500 of the same enemy type). The first 10-20 levels were bearable and pretty easy to level up to, but the game became quite difficult to progress after a while. I found myself sitting on a ledge where the enemy couldn't touch me while holding down the attack button until my character leveled up and was able to go to a higher level area. This was only done so that I was able to move onto the next area to progress through the game. The problem is that I end up doing the same thing routine when I get to the new areas. The game became predictable and the player loses sight of what to look forward to since nothing really changes or becomes exciting. I had the same problem with Trickster Online (pictured above in the beginning of the post) when I played and began to receive quests that had me kill 30, 50, 100 enemies of one area only to have me do it over again (and again, certain quests repeated 3 times from the same NPC). It wouldn't have been so bad if the combat was intuitive or interesting requiring skill or thinking. Unfortunately, the combat was clicking the enemy once and waiting for the enemy's life bar to drop down to zero with the occasion of the player using a potion or skill to speed up the process. Unlike Tetris, as Simon didn't point out, an MMORPG doesn't have a specific goal in mind for the player such as getting the highest score possible and is rather based on the experience the player has when playing the game. The game doesn't end and tell the player they have the highest score, only to keep doing what you did before and hopefully something good comes about.
"The problem is when games try to do too many things. WoW tries to be both a progression game and a PVP game and a Raiding game. So for people who want to play PvP and Raiding, the whole progression aspect is an unnecessary uphill climb preventing them from getting to where they want to be." - Simon Ludgate
 |
| Source: http://www.downandb.com/ |
There's a saying that goes "It's not the destination, but the journey that matters." This applies to videogames as well. If one wanted to know the ending of a game, just go watch it on Youtube. Is PvP what the player wants? Find a PvP intensive game instead. Simon touches upon this aspect in his article, but not enough on the game mechanics with a lot of MMORPGs. If the destination is that important, make the trip there worthwhile. If the game (with the developer in mind) puts the player through an arduous task, the player should be rewarded for it. With most MMORPGs, the result of fulfilling a ridiculous quest of killing 500 enemies is directions of where to get the next quest that requires 1000 killed enemies. That journey no longer has any real progression and instead brings the player back to where they started each time they are asked to do it again. There are certain games that are designed so that the real game starts when the player gets into Player versus player matches, and the ones that people complain about the grind usually requires the player to get to level 60, 80, or 120 before they're able to do so (effectively at least). As a game designer (and gamer) myself, I find it appalling that anyone should find it acceptable for anyone to play for several hundred hours before getting to enjoy the actual part of the game. Sure, the time taken to get to end game content prepares the player on how to play the game, gathering the right equipment, and understanding the game mechanics; however, it doesn't take someone 3-5 hours to learn how to kill a new enemy the player's never seen before. The gameplay between where the player wants to get to and where they stand should be as fun as the part of the game the player arrives at. When I first played Phantasy Star Online Ep. 1 & 2 on Gamecube and got to my first boss, I couldn't beat it. I had my character go through the same first level 1-2 more times before I was strong enough to take down the dragon. In-between that time, I had a better understanding of the game, I gained a few levels, and I discovered a few new items I was able to use that helped me in the battle against the boss. The shocking part of the game for me was when I found out that one episode only had 4 distinct areas. After beating episode 1, I wasn't sure if I wanted to play the game anymore since I had gotten through it once already. I tried out hard mode right afterwards and had a different experience from before. Enemies were harder, strategies had to be changed, and I started finding rare items. The game eventually spanned over 1000 hours of gameplay for me and I still play it up till now. I was rewarded time and time again for the efforts of getting from one point to another. There were times where I wasn't strong enough to get through an area and had to train or "grind" first. The grinding in Phantasy Star Online was different from typical point-n-click MMORPGs since it played in real time with the player utilizing different weapons, skills, and strategies through a progressive level rather than staying in a single spawn point to click on the enemy. There are so many MMORPGs that have the player sitting there clicking enemies with predetermined results based on statistics. Not all MMORPGs are like this, and here are some of the changes that made WoW less of a grind (as far as I know). Players can group up to do instances which are like private levels the player has to get through to fight a boss at the end. For Phantasy Star Online, that's already the main core concept of the game which eliminates the need to stay in one area. Back to WoW: PvP is available to players of lower levels and is restricted to their level group so that level 80's won't be one-shotting level 20's. Simon might be right about some players wanting only the end game content of PvP and Raids for MMORPGs like WoW; however, that shouldn't mean the rest of the game has to be so boring. In a MMORPG, the destination shouldn't be as important as the rest of the game. The journey should be the fun part. Phantasy Star Online Ep.1 & 2 (for me), like Tetris, had that dynamic in gameplay where the future was unexpected, the gameplay required thinking and it challenged the player. From the article, it seems as through Simon might have confused the word "grind" to "repetition", which is also another problem players have with games. Repetitive gameplay does have a bit to do with "grinding" but it's not the definitive definition for it.
"The problem with grind isn't a problem with the game design, it's a problem with the player's expectations. If a player expects to play the "end game" of a game and doesn't particularly enjoy the voyage there, then that voyage is a 'grind.'" - Simon Ludgate
 |
| Source: http://www.demons-souls.com/home.html |
Simon really brought about a topic worth discussing, but approached it with a seemingly misconceived idea of what player's dread about "grind". His article leans more toward the concept of repetitive gameplay rather than a repetitive action. My arguments, in the end, are only my opinions and may not hold a strong claim (so it's okay to point things out like I have in Simon's article like he did with Brice Morrison's article). "Grinding can be fun!" and believe it can be for certain games, but I think Simon could have approached it better had he addressed the actual problem rather than the idea around it.
And about repetitive gameplay, I think I might talk about that tomorrow. It sounds like an interesting topic to touch upon.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
GameLight - Marvel Vs. Capcom 3
WOOT, Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is out today! MvC3 came out a lot sooner than I expected and it's got everyone (well, I guess mostly fighting game fans) excited!
Source: Youtube Channel machinima
I'm excited, but I also don't intend to buy it right away. It's $59.99 and it has a lot less characters than I expected. I'm not sure what other modes there are besides just plain arcade/versus yet, but I'm not sure if that really matters. When I tried the game out last year, June of 2010 at E3, I had tried out Chris Redfield, Deadpool, and Dante. Besides Deadpool and Phoenix, there isn't really anyone else I'm excited to try out on the Marvel side (well, maybe except for X-23). On Capcom side, there's Amaterasu, Chris Redfield, Dante, Zero, Wesker, Viewtiful Joe, I mean there's a lot of really cool additional characters for Capcom. With a lot of the characters from MvC2 on Marvel side not in MvC3, it feels kind of a small roster (WHERE'S CABLE AND ROGUE?) What I really hope is that there's a ton of secret characters that Capcom didn't talk about and it will surprise those who have already bought the game and started playing.
Anyways, the game looks great. Sleek graphics, smooth combat, and amazing dynamics with the art style they went far (looks much darker than MvC2, but hopefully it's a good thing?). It's out for PS3 and Xbox 360 for $59.99. I'll probably pick it up if I see it on sale anywhere.
Source: Youtube Channel machinima
I'm excited, but I also don't intend to buy it right away. It's $59.99 and it has a lot less characters than I expected. I'm not sure what other modes there are besides just plain arcade/versus yet, but I'm not sure if that really matters. When I tried the game out last year, June of 2010 at E3, I had tried out Chris Redfield, Deadpool, and Dante. Besides Deadpool and Phoenix, there isn't really anyone else I'm excited to try out on the Marvel side (well, maybe except for X-23). On Capcom side, there's Amaterasu, Chris Redfield, Dante, Zero, Wesker, Viewtiful Joe, I mean there's a lot of really cool additional characters for Capcom. With a lot of the characters from MvC2 on Marvel side not in MvC3, it feels kind of a small roster (WHERE'S CABLE AND ROGUE?) What I really hope is that there's a ton of secret characters that Capcom didn't talk about and it will surprise those who have already bought the game and started playing.
Anyways, the game looks great. Sleek graphics, smooth combat, and amazing dynamics with the art style they went far (looks much darker than MvC2, but hopefully it's a good thing?). It's out for PS3 and Xbox 360 for $59.99. I'll probably pick it up if I see it on sale anywhere.
Monday, February 14, 2011
GameLight - Arcana Heart 3
Marvel vs. Capcom 3 releases in stores tomorrow on Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. At the moment, it's not the only fighting game that I'm looking forward to this year:
Source: Youtube Channel Bunnyspatial
Arcana Heart 3 is a 2D Fighting game that has an all female cast of characters based off of stereotypical personalities and looks from manga and animé culture. I guess the description on wikipedia explains it a little better with the characters "a variation of the moe archetype". So there's the Chinese fighter, the puppy girl, the magic caster, the tsundere, the school girl that can fight, etc. I first found out about the series when I saw the first game on Playstation 2 at a Play 'n Trade. Seeing how I wasn't home with my PS2 and it was something like $30-$50, I didn't feel like buying it. Still having the interest, a friend of mine said they had it and decided to bring it to a game night once and I got to try it out. Besides the novelty of having an all girl-cast fighting game, I wasn't expecting much out of it. The game was pretty fun, especially the air combos I did (I have no idea how I did it).
The game feels almost doujin (fan-made) but still retains a sense of fluid gameplay of a professionally made game. The first game was actually much slower which gave players more time to think between each chain of combos to perform. This third release looks much faster paced following the stylish action fluidity of games like BlazBlue and Melty Blood. I don't know too much about the game yet, but I heard there was over 23 characters to play from, a story mode, and a better combat system from the previous titles. What really attracts me to fighting games is the animation (not necessarily graphics), music (though that's very hard to judge), controls (I've played fighting games with really bad controls before), and an intriguing story (ever played Tekken recently? The way they create stories out of the plots of other characters in the game makes it an involving experience for me). I'm still not sure when the game will be out, but I'm glad an English version is being released. I just hope they give the option to switch the voice acting back to Japanese if they plan on dubbing in English. Here's hoping for an awesome game.
Oh yeah, Happy Valentines Day. Get it? Heart? Valentines? Yeah, that didn't cross my mind till just now.
Source: Youtube Channel Bunnyspatial
Arcana Heart 3 is a 2D Fighting game that has an all female cast of characters based off of stereotypical personalities and looks from manga and animé culture. I guess the description on wikipedia explains it a little better with the characters "a variation of the moe archetype". So there's the Chinese fighter, the puppy girl, the magic caster, the tsundere, the school girl that can fight, etc. I first found out about the series when I saw the first game on Playstation 2 at a Play 'n Trade. Seeing how I wasn't home with my PS2 and it was something like $30-$50, I didn't feel like buying it. Still having the interest, a friend of mine said they had it and decided to bring it to a game night once and I got to try it out. Besides the novelty of having an all girl-cast fighting game, I wasn't expecting much out of it. The game was pretty fun, especially the air combos I did (I have no idea how I did it).
 |
| Source: http://darkaquamarine.blogspot.com/2010/12/arcana-heart-3-official-wallpapers.html |
The game feels almost doujin (fan-made) but still retains a sense of fluid gameplay of a professionally made game. The first game was actually much slower which gave players more time to think between each chain of combos to perform. This third release looks much faster paced following the stylish action fluidity of games like BlazBlue and Melty Blood. I don't know too much about the game yet, but I heard there was over 23 characters to play from, a story mode, and a better combat system from the previous titles. What really attracts me to fighting games is the animation (not necessarily graphics), music (though that's very hard to judge), controls (I've played fighting games with really bad controls before), and an intriguing story (ever played Tekken recently? The way they create stories out of the plots of other characters in the game makes it an involving experience for me). I'm still not sure when the game will be out, but I'm glad an English version is being released. I just hope they give the option to switch the voice acting back to Japanese if they plan on dubbing in English. Here's hoping for an awesome game.
Oh yeah, Happy Valentines Day. Get it? Heart? Valentines? Yeah, that didn't cross my mind till just now.
Friday, February 11, 2011
GameOn - Free Games - Massive Multiplayer Online Games
This is my favorite topic for free games. Full blown online games that sometime reach up to 5GB worth of content put out into the free games pot. Free online games with absolutely no charge for the game or services was something for gamers of all ages to rejoice and a concept the (western) game industry just couldn't get (at first). These free Massive Multiplayer Online Games (MMOs) range from Action, RPG, Sports, Fighters to First-Person Shooters (FPS), Air Combat, and Racing. There's something for everyone and with over several hundred free online games available, you'll never have to go bored again!
Source: Youtube Channel CurseNetwork
The word "free" in games has actually become a really bad word for some/a lot of gamers. With a huge over saturation of cookie cutter RPGs and laggy FPSs, avid online gamers have become sick of the word "free" online games and would much prefer to pay for a quality game. Well, that's certainly not 100% true since a lot of pay-to-play online game companies have converted to free-to-play style because of the competition held by free online games. I am still very much in love with the concept of free online games just because I can try out so many different games and explore so much without having the obligation of paying for them. This concept started happening with Korean online game developers working with a free-to-play structure where players can play for free and have the option to use real money to enhance their game characters with items, equipment, and bonuses. This was quickly adapted in the western market and has done well for some companies (Zynga with their billion dollar business). Because of the huge success of the initial companies in the Western market, hundreds of Asian, European, and some American developed games launched all over the internet with similar structures to those that have been successful but ultimately lacks diversity and depth.
Advantages:
-Incredible/Quality games are free to download and play
-Graphics, music, and gameplay can be as good as commercially sold games
-All sorts of genres are available to find and play
-Most of the games are easy for all to learn and still have enough challenge for hardcore gamers
-Games have an immersive environment to them and can (sometimes) have a involving community
-Raises cultural awareness with some games retaining their original native language voice-overs
Disadvantages:
-RPGs all follow the same structure and require players to play for hours, weeks, or months before getting into the real parts of the games "instances, group quests, boss fights, PvP, GvG."
Source: Youtube Channel orihime09
Source: Youtube Channel wongliheng
Source: Youtube Channel viennakim
Source: Youtube Channel RiotGamesInc
Source: Youtube Channel hagbardc3line
Source: Youtube Channel CurseNetwork
The word "free" in games has actually become a really bad word for some/a lot of gamers. With a huge over saturation of cookie cutter RPGs and laggy FPSs, avid online gamers have become sick of the word "free" online games and would much prefer to pay for a quality game. Well, that's certainly not 100% true since a lot of pay-to-play online game companies have converted to free-to-play style because of the competition held by free online games. I am still very much in love with the concept of free online games just because I can try out so many different games and explore so much without having the obligation of paying for them. This concept started happening with Korean online game developers working with a free-to-play structure where players can play for free and have the option to use real money to enhance their game characters with items, equipment, and bonuses. This was quickly adapted in the western market and has done well for some companies (Zynga with their billion dollar business). Because of the huge success of the initial companies in the Western market, hundreds of Asian, European, and some American developed games launched all over the internet with similar structures to those that have been successful but ultimately lacks diversity and depth.
Advantages:
-Incredible/Quality games are free to download and play
-Graphics, music, and gameplay can be as good as commercially sold games
-All sorts of genres are available to find and play
-Most of the games are easy for all to learn and still have enough challenge for hardcore gamers
-Games have an immersive environment to them and can (sometimes) have a involving community
-Raises cultural awareness with some games retaining their original native language voice-overs
Disadvantages:
-RPGs all follow the same structure and require players to play for hours, weeks, or months before getting into the real parts of the games "instances, group quests, boss fights, PvP, GvG."
-Hackers, whiners, and foul-mouthed players frequently ruin competitive online games
-Lots of games lack depth with repetitive gameplay and monotonous activities
-Players who pay for items, equipment and level boosts have a significant advantage over those who don’t, causing imbalance in competitive games
-Lack of players, bugs, lag, and glitches interfere with the experience of the game which eventually kills off the community that played it
-Games that don’t have enough paying players on them will inevitably shut down no matter how great or entertaining it was
I’ve been avoiding MMOs for the past two years because of college and because I went back to playing a lot of console games after I graduated (until Steam pulled me back into PC gaming. Those sales are diabolical, and I love it, haha). Having played over 50+ online games, I started to grow tired of the same type of games that kept releasing one after another with no real difference or hook to them. But at the same time, it is because I have had such a wide range of experience in MMOs that I have a better idea of what games I would recommend.
Source: Youtube Channel orihime09
Ragnarok Online – This game has been around for a long time. It started out as a pay-to-play online game but has recently switched to a free-to-play model in response to the competition from free online games. Ragnarok Online is a top-down 2.5 dimensional MMORPG that emulates 3D using 2D graphics. Though this game came out a long time ago, it has many aspects that are great even by today’s standards. The music is magnificent and really draws the player in. One of the most interesting characteristics of the game mechanics was the amount of classes there were to choose from and the different types of stats build that could be made with each character to fit one’s playing style. The most mind boggling game mechanic was the freedom that the game gave. There isn’t a set story, a linear path one should take, or quests that takes players from one area to the next. This sandbox method of playing is rather intimidating at first since the game’s world is rather large with no direction of where beginners should go. I loved the freedom in the game. I got to set my own goals, played my own story, and let things happen naturally. I would get together with friends and run through a difficult dungeon to see if we can fight off the boss monster. Other times, I get caught up in conversations within a town with other players I’ve never met and we’d talk for long durations (I ended up talking to a group of players in Prontera for 2 hours about politics and global economy and it was pretty entertaining. It’s strange, but true). The game is still very successful and have plenty of players logged on each day.
Source: Youtube Channel wongliheng
Maple Story – I’m almost hesitant to even mention Maple Story as a recommendation. Maple Story is possibly my first real MMO that I started playing back in 2005. It was such an innovation for me at the time. It plays like a cross between a plat-former and an RPG a la “Metroidvania” with tons of weapons and classes to choose from. The graphics and music were charming and had a whimsical atmosphere to it. The problem was when it first started, its game mechanics were more geared towards the audience in Asia . Maple Story is one of the first Korean Online games that was brought over to the Western market with the free-to-play, micro-transaction structure and remains today as one of the most successful games of gaining a profit from it. I had created 10 characters when I first started since I was so excited to try out all the possibilities and eventually stuck with my Warrior to level as far as I could with it. After a while, I realized that all I was doing in the game was standing in one area for hours killing the same monsters that spawned until I reached a high enough level to take on enemies in another area to repeat the same monotonous tasks. I eventually decided to quit the game and not go back to it; however, the game has gone through a lot of changes that fit more towards the western audience for those who didn’t want to “grind” as much. Experience points are gained faster, quests are abundant, a combo system has been integrated, and lots of new events happen every now and then. I’m almost tempted to go back to it…
Source: Youtube Channel viennakim
Gunz: The Duel – Gunz has been one of the many MMOs that I played that had such an amazing experience. It’s a third-person action shooter where players try to eliminate each other in a competitive match utilizing various firearms and blades. Within the game, the player can dash in mid-air, scale walls, and deflect in-coming bullets with a sword. The game has a level up system that unlocks weapons and equipment for players to buy, but the game has more of a reliance on skill rather than levels, equipment, and items. The most thrilling part of the game for me was learning K-Style (Korean Style) which utilized all the weapons and techniques so that it’s possible to wall climb indefinitely, block in-coming bullets, shoot, slash, and dodge or recover while repeating when there’s an opening. It was something that really challenged my skill rather than demanding my time to gain experience points and farm for currency to get the next item. Unfortunately, hackers and pros either made people give up on the game or scared them away; therefore, not many people play the game anymore. Fortunately, the game is still being hosted by ijji and still has some players still on as well as having the quest mode where the player goes up against room after room of computer enemies. It’s worth checking out.
Source: Youtube Channel RiotGamesInc
League of Legends – Defense of the Ancients (DotA) was such an amazing game to me. There were so many characters and replay value to it. So it was no surprise that when I heard two of the contributing makers of DotA went on to create a standalone online game based off of DotA, I was ecstatic (meaning I was freaking excited!). League of Legends (LoL) is a Massive Online Battle Arena (MOBA) where two teams push their respective army into the enemy’s base and destroy their main building. The game is played as a top-down action RPG tower-defense hybrid and was first started as a custom campaign on Starcraft before being recreated as DotA on Warcraft 3’s map editor. Players fight and eliminate neutral enemies and player enemies to gain levels and gold in order to gain new skills and buy stat enhancing items to be strong enough to push into enemy territory. LoL addresses many problems that DotA had due to the limitations of the Warcraft 3 editor such as not being able reconnect after being disconnected, having all the skill’s hot keys spread all over the keyboard rather than being aligned, and making it easier to camera focus on the player’s character. The game also features player progression such as the rune system where players can buy stat enhancing items, a summoner level which grants a player more rune space to place runes in, and gaining points to buy characters rather than relying on the week’s random draft list to choose a character. The game runs on a micro-transaction model which allows players to buy characters, skin packs, and experience boosting items. LoL currently holds the most hours played from the games I’ve been playing in the past few years (150+ hours, which is a lot for me). League of Legends is much easier to learn compared to DotA, so this is one game I would recommend all to try.
Source: Youtube Channel hagbardc3line
Battlefield Heroes – Don’t be fooled by the childish demeanor of this game. Battlefield Heroes is a stupidly fun third-person shooter that follows a lot of the mechanics from the other Battlefield games in a cartoon style, mischief making war between the two teams. I had the trailer’s theme song stuck in my head for the longest time and have always heard about the game but never tried it. I downloaded and played it one day when I was still in college and enjoyed it a lot. It’s so satisfying whenever I got backstab kills, headshot snipes, and explosive kills (Commando all the way!) but it was a difficult class to play for sure. After about 1-2 weeks, I had to ban myself from the game since it was affecting my studies. The game can be addicting, but I never allow myself to get addicted to games even if I love them so much. This game also runs on a micro-transaction model where players can buy special weapons, perks, and experience boosting items. I haven’t played the game in a while, but I always feel the need to whenever I heard the main theme song:
I generally don’t play as much free MMOs anymore just because of how busy I get now. If I do find the time to play, these are the ones I log onto:
-Dynasty Warriors Online – Hack ‘n Slash MMORPG
-Vindictus – Mature Action RPG based off the Mabinogi world
-Quake Live – Fast Action First-Person Shooter
-Dungeon Fighters Online – Arcade -like Fighter RPG
-S4 League – Third-Person Action Shooter that’s similar to Gunz
-Mabinogi – Casual Fantasy Life MMORPG, a very relaxing game to play
-Granado Espada: Sword of the New World – MMORPG with the best music I’ve ever heard
-Ragnarok Online – Sandbox MMORPG
-League of Legends – MOBA based off of DotA
-Cabal Online – MMORPG with a twitch based combat system
There are a lot more games to be found and played and most can be found through game portals and publishers. Here are some of the ones I play/played on:
Thanks for dropping by! This has been a very eventful week. Have fun with those free games~
Thursday, February 10, 2011
GameOn - Free Games - Mods/Custom Maps
Mods are a beautiful thing. Mods can have impacts as small as a new game mode to an existing game to having a dramatic change that it embodies an entirely different game from what it was once built from. Counter-Strike, Team Fortress Classic, Killing Floor, Defense of the Ancients, Tower Defense and other popular games all started as Mods of another game and eventually became mainstream titles that are either played competitively or sold commercially. Mods have become an acceptable doorway for independent game developers to start their career path and is a popular topic for those who want to create games or play fresh new innovations.
Source: Youtube Channel MermanIShouldTurn2Be
I remember playing The Specialist. It was relaxing, the community was courteous to one another (for the most part), and it immersed me into its own world. A lot of mods seem to have that effect. Mods can be simple additional contents to a game such as a zombie mode for Call of Duty 4, or it can be a complete conversion from the game that it used to be like Deathball. It's a gateway to new opportunities and experimentation. A lot of the times, the people who play the game and give feedback are the ones who contribute to a polished mod and a full retail release.
Advantages:
-Lots of free games to download and play
-Participate in new innovations for videogames
-Playing the mods and giving feedback helps the developer/modder improve it
-The mods that you play may one day become a huge retail success
-Have a chance in being part of a modding team and work on a game
Disadvantages:
-Some mods require the original game that it was modded from
-There are lots of bugs and problems within mods
-Lots of "fan-made" games with ripped sprites and popular topics (Naruto games, some good, most bad)
-Modders might get busy or decide not to work on the mod anymore and will not continue to update
-Some mods and custom campaigns can get the modder into legal issues (World of Starcraft)
Finding a good mod to try out and play can be difficult. Finding a serious mod with actual content is easier when looking for a mod to games like Unreal, Half-Life, or Battlefield 2. But for games modded or created using a game maker or engine like MUGEN, you're going to have to look through several 1000 bad games where the focus is on the content of existing intellectual property rather than gameplay. It's really no one's fault for it. When first given the freedom to create something, the initial thought is creating a game out of something that we already know (I've gone through that phase before). So if you can withstand all the searching, there may be a chance to find some really good games.
M.U.G.E.N. - MUGEN is an engine known for creating fighting games, and I have seen some of the most craziest and sometimes awesome creations come out of this engine. The most common trend for using the engine is finding pre-created sprites and move-sets from other fighting games and putting them all into one huge game. This will be one of the harder engines to find a good mod/game on.
Source: Youtube Channel StefanBandicoot
-Super Smash Bros. Showdown - This game's site no longer exists and the game is nowhere to be found (I still have it) possibly because of legal issues. But this video goes to show you that there can still be good games made with the MUGEN engine and still be found. I played a lot of bad MUGEN games, but the other few I found to be rather entertaining.
RPG Maker (2000/2003/XP/VX) - RPG Maker is a program that gives a set of easy point and click Graphical User Interface (GUI) windows to create a world, set the characters, and establish the entire RPG. It's set up to be a typical Japanese RPG with a turn-based battle system. I've worked with it in the past, but not seriously enough to create a full fledged game. I worked with a team back in college on creating an RPG using RPG Maker XP and never finished it. One of these days, I'll create something with it.
-Shattered Samurai - Shattered Samurai was one of the games that really stood out to me as being creative in the way the developers (if we can call them that) utilized the program and created an action RPG rather than sticking to the pre-set turn-based battles. It has a whimsical mood to it and is done rather well for an RPG Maker game. This game was done in the 2000 version and so there might be more up to date RPGs out there that uses the VX version.
Game Maker - This is a program that's free to download to develop PC games. Instead of being limited to a certain genre, it allows the user to create any type of game they desire. This in turn makes design and development more difficult. This is the program I used the most to create games so far.
Spelunky - I mentioned on Tuesday about indie games of a game called Spelunky. Derek Yu created the game using Gamer Maker. The randomly generated levels, money system, controls etc. were all done with Game Maker. This little program can do quite a lot, which is the reason why I've stuck with it for so long. Spelunky is free, but whether it's fun or not really depends on the player. I found it to be entertaining and challenging if not frustrating.
Starcraft 2 Campaign Editor - You're going to have to buy Starcraft 2 to play any of the custom campaigns. Starcraft 1 had an amazing campaign editor (which I created over 30 maps with) that became the catalyst to having me consider going into the game industry as a developer. The editor for Starcraft 2 is much more versatile and has proven to be an excellent engine to create all sorts of crazy games. Furthermore, all the custom games can be downloaded and played within the game itself (I really need to find the time to play Starcraft 2...).
Source: Youtube Channel HuskyStarcraft
Metal Slug Starcraft 2 remake - There is no need for an explanation. The video explains it all.
Source Engine - Developed by Valve, the source engine has been an incredible asset for the company and for the modding community. Half-Life 2, Counter-Strike: Source, Team Fortress 2, Portal, Day of Defeat: Source, and many other games have come out of using the Source Engine. Valve, whose members came out of a modding community, has always catered towards the modding community and supported the creative endeavors modders pursued. Counter-Strike came out of Half-Life, Team Fortress Classic came out of Quake, and Killing Floor came out of Unreal Tournament 2004. Valve even has a section on Steam for players to download mods directly to their computers to play (as long as the player owns a game with the source engine).
Source: Youtube Channel GoldenEyeSource
Goldeneye: Source - For those who love and miss the amazing first-person shooter "007 Goldeneye" for the N64, you have to check this mod out! The team has been working on it for years now and has created an accurate experience of the original classic with improved controls, graphics, and extra content. The game is solely fan based and won't be sold. So as long as you have a game that uses the source engine, then this game is open to you.
For each of the engines or games they're modded out of, look up other mods to try out. There's plenty of games to be beta tested, and playing the game could help a fellow modder/developer out. This is my favorite site to check out Mods: http://www.moddb.com/ Looking up "RPG Maker Games" or "Gamer Maker Games" and such works too on search engines. Good luck and enjoy.
Source: Youtube Channel MermanIShouldTurn2Be
I remember playing The Specialist. It was relaxing, the community was courteous to one another (for the most part), and it immersed me into its own world. A lot of mods seem to have that effect. Mods can be simple additional contents to a game such as a zombie mode for Call of Duty 4, or it can be a complete conversion from the game that it used to be like Deathball. It's a gateway to new opportunities and experimentation. A lot of the times, the people who play the game and give feedback are the ones who contribute to a polished mod and a full retail release.
Advantages:
-Lots of free games to download and play
-Participate in new innovations for videogames
-Playing the mods and giving feedback helps the developer/modder improve it
-The mods that you play may one day become a huge retail success
-Have a chance in being part of a modding team and work on a game
Disadvantages:
-Some mods require the original game that it was modded from
-There are lots of bugs and problems within mods
-Lots of "fan-made" games with ripped sprites and popular topics (Naruto games, some good, most bad)
-Modders might get busy or decide not to work on the mod anymore and will not continue to update
-Some mods and custom campaigns can get the modder into legal issues (World of Starcraft)
Finding a good mod to try out and play can be difficult. Finding a serious mod with actual content is easier when looking for a mod to games like Unreal, Half-Life, or Battlefield 2. But for games modded or created using a game maker or engine like MUGEN, you're going to have to look through several 1000 bad games where the focus is on the content of existing intellectual property rather than gameplay. It's really no one's fault for it. When first given the freedom to create something, the initial thought is creating a game out of something that we already know (I've gone through that phase before). So if you can withstand all the searching, there may be a chance to find some really good games.
M.U.G.E.N. - MUGEN is an engine known for creating fighting games, and I have seen some of the most craziest and sometimes awesome creations come out of this engine. The most common trend for using the engine is finding pre-created sprites and move-sets from other fighting games and putting them all into one huge game. This will be one of the harder engines to find a good mod/game on.
Source: Youtube Channel StefanBandicoot
-Super Smash Bros. Showdown - This game's site no longer exists and the game is nowhere to be found (I still have it) possibly because of legal issues. But this video goes to show you that there can still be good games made with the MUGEN engine and still be found. I played a lot of bad MUGEN games, but the other few I found to be rather entertaining.
RPG Maker (2000/2003/XP/VX) - RPG Maker is a program that gives a set of easy point and click Graphical User Interface (GUI) windows to create a world, set the characters, and establish the entire RPG. It's set up to be a typical Japanese RPG with a turn-based battle system. I've worked with it in the past, but not seriously enough to create a full fledged game. I worked with a team back in college on creating an RPG using RPG Maker XP and never finished it. One of these days, I'll create something with it.
-Shattered Samurai - Shattered Samurai was one of the games that really stood out to me as being creative in the way the developers (if we can call them that) utilized the program and created an action RPG rather than sticking to the pre-set turn-based battles. It has a whimsical mood to it and is done rather well for an RPG Maker game. This game was done in the 2000 version and so there might be more up to date RPGs out there that uses the VX version.
Game Maker - This is a program that's free to download to develop PC games. Instead of being limited to a certain genre, it allows the user to create any type of game they desire. This in turn makes design and development more difficult. This is the program I used the most to create games so far.
Spelunky - I mentioned on Tuesday about indie games of a game called Spelunky. Derek Yu created the game using Gamer Maker. The randomly generated levels, money system, controls etc. were all done with Game Maker. This little program can do quite a lot, which is the reason why I've stuck with it for so long. Spelunky is free, but whether it's fun or not really depends on the player. I found it to be entertaining and challenging if not frustrating.
Starcraft 2 Campaign Editor - You're going to have to buy Starcraft 2 to play any of the custom campaigns. Starcraft 1 had an amazing campaign editor (which I created over 30 maps with) that became the catalyst to having me consider going into the game industry as a developer. The editor for Starcraft 2 is much more versatile and has proven to be an excellent engine to create all sorts of crazy games. Furthermore, all the custom games can be downloaded and played within the game itself (I really need to find the time to play Starcraft 2...).
Source: Youtube Channel HuskyStarcraft
Metal Slug Starcraft 2 remake - There is no need for an explanation. The video explains it all.
Source Engine - Developed by Valve, the source engine has been an incredible asset for the company and for the modding community. Half-Life 2, Counter-Strike: Source, Team Fortress 2, Portal, Day of Defeat: Source, and many other games have come out of using the Source Engine. Valve, whose members came out of a modding community, has always catered towards the modding community and supported the creative endeavors modders pursued. Counter-Strike came out of Half-Life, Team Fortress Classic came out of Quake, and Killing Floor came out of Unreal Tournament 2004. Valve even has a section on Steam for players to download mods directly to their computers to play (as long as the player owns a game with the source engine).
Source: Youtube Channel GoldenEyeSource
Goldeneye: Source - For those who love and miss the amazing first-person shooter "007 Goldeneye" for the N64, you have to check this mod out! The team has been working on it for years now and has created an accurate experience of the original classic with improved controls, graphics, and extra content. The game is solely fan based and won't be sold. So as long as you have a game that uses the source engine, then this game is open to you.
For each of the engines or games they're modded out of, look up other mods to try out. There's plenty of games to be beta tested, and playing the game could help a fellow modder/developer out. This is my favorite site to check out Mods: http://www.moddb.com/ Looking up "RPG Maker Games" or "Gamer Maker Games" and such works too on search engines. Good luck and enjoy.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
GameOn - Free Games - App Store/Android Shop (Mobile Devices)
The concept of free mobile games directly from the network providers is new to me, but I already find it to be the easiest place to find free quality games. When waiting for an appointment, the bus, or stuck somewhere with nothing to do, having an ipod touch, iphone, ipad, android, and other mobile devices can be pretty handy for keeping one entertained. With a simple registration for an account and a quick download, a number of free games are accessible to anyone with a modern mobile device.
Source: Youtube Channel squareenix
Mobile games have become a billion dollar industry and continues to expand further into our modern day society. They may not necessarily take over traditional games and consoles, but they're convenient, accessible where ever there's Wi-Fi (or literally anywhere for those with data plans), and does its job of keeping us entertained for the short durations we're stuck waiting somewhere away from our consoles and computers. But know now that a large portion of the free games in the app store and android shop are demos to actual games.
Advantages:
-Easy to find, download, and start playing right away
-Most games are short, to the point and good for killing time
-All the games are accessible from the device through the network's shop
Disadvantages:
-Eats up the battery to the owner's mobile device that might be needed for calls
-A lot of games are demos or short versions of the actual game
-Terrible controls for a lot of games imitating controls to handheld games like DS or PSP
It's really easy to find free games to try out or play with no charge, but finding the right game can be a bit more difficult. A lot of games look good, but play badly because of the limitation of touch screen only controls which don't do very well when one needs that tactile feeling when playing an action or fighting game. The best way to find a good game is looking for those that have the touch screen controls in mind. Does it utilize it successfully and make it easy for the player to understand and play? I'll try my best to list some games, but I can't ensure all of them are that great since I don't play too much on my ipod touch and I don't have an android...yet.
App Store for Apple Products (iPod, iPhone, iPad):
Note: To download these games, go to the app store of your device, open "games", choose a "category" and look under "top free". Yes, it's that easy. Log-in to your account, download, let it install and start playing.
-rRootage - Remember the game rRootage I talked about yesterday? It's free in the app store too!
-Call of Duty World at War: Zombies LITE - If you've played it on console/PC, then you'll know what it'll look like. The controls are a little tricky, and the LITE version is only about 3 rounds; however, it's a pretty good time killer if it's only going to be 5-10 minutes.
Source: Youtube Channel bael99x
-7Swords - This game is amazing, and entirely free (not a demo). It's essentially Fantasy Earth Zero for the iPod touch/iPhone where you create a character and play online with other live players. There are 2 factions to choose from to fight for when on the battlefield. You fight other players and the faction that reaches 0 points first loses. There isn't even registration needed. Just start the game, log-in, create a character, and start playing. Speaking of Fantasy Earth Zero, Gamepot will no longer be hosting servers anymore.
-Tune Runner - Not so much a rhythm game as it is a touch screen game where you match the symbol that's heading toward the little robot thing. At least it's a game you can play your music to.
-Angry Birds LITE - This game had the attention of the media, game industry and the population of mobile device players everywhere. I finally tried it out and thought it was a nicely designed game, but did it seriously cause that much attention to the media? It's fun, but not groundbreaking (maybe the sales were, but meh...).
-Coast Defense: Reloaded Free - If you've ever played Beach Head 2000 at the arcades, it's a lot like that game. The controls are decent and gives the player a lot of control. I don't know how far the free version goes, but I've already played so many levels and am still going that it feels like a full game. This is one of my favorites that I've played in the past thus far.
Source: Youtube Channel TheGameTrail
-Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus FREE - Remember I did a review on Modern Combat Domination last week? This is that same company: Gameloft. I actually haven't tried this game yet (since I don't have enough space on my iPod to download), but it looks so amazing! There's not harm in downloading a FREE game and trying it out. The most you'll lose is a few minutes of your time if you end up hating it, but I heard it was a very affordable price if you end up buying it. This is definitely a game I want to download once I get an iPad (or a new iPod touch with higher data capacity).
There is so much more at the app store. Just check it out. If my iPod weren't full of music, I'd get so much more games than I do now. If I ever get an iPad, it's going to be filled with games on it.
Android Market:
Note: I'm going to have to say right now that I've never played on an android before, so I'm not very knowledgeable about the device; however, I've been looking for games for it anyways just in case I do get one in the future.
Source: Youtube Channel KongregateArcade
-Kongregate Arcade - I talked a bit about Kongregate on Monday and how they had a lot of games. Well, if you download their application for your Android, you will have access to 300+ games that's compatible with the touch screen, record all your progress and badges to your Kongregate account, and be able to play any of these games for free like on their official website. This is the first application I am getting the second I get an android phone.
-Android Market Free Games - Free games right from the android market. It's very similar to the Apple App store where a lot of developers will create games compatible with both Apple products and Android phones. From the official market though, Apple has more quality free games.
-Appbrain - I just looked up "Android Games" on google and found this site. There are tons of sites with free applications and games, just search it up. These games are free through advertisements within the game or sponsors that support the developers to release a new game each week. Take advantage of it and have fun.
That's it for now. It makes me really jealous that I don't have an (up to date) iPod Touch with enough data capacity to play those awesome free games and don't have an android to check out the hundreds (thousands by now) of free games for the device. I'm going to have to charge my battery a lot once I get an android. Have fun, and remember to charge your batteries so you don't miss important calls or miss an appointment.
Source: Youtube Channel squareenix
Mobile games have become a billion dollar industry and continues to expand further into our modern day society. They may not necessarily take over traditional games and consoles, but they're convenient, accessible where ever there's Wi-Fi (or literally anywhere for those with data plans), and does its job of keeping us entertained for the short durations we're stuck waiting somewhere away from our consoles and computers. But know now that a large portion of the free games in the app store and android shop are demos to actual games.
Advantages:
-Easy to find, download, and start playing right away
-Most games are short, to the point and good for killing time
-All the games are accessible from the device through the network's shop
Disadvantages:
-Eats up the battery to the owner's mobile device that might be needed for calls
-A lot of games are demos or short versions of the actual game
-Terrible controls for a lot of games imitating controls to handheld games like DS or PSP
It's really easy to find free games to try out or play with no charge, but finding the right game can be a bit more difficult. A lot of games look good, but play badly because of the limitation of touch screen only controls which don't do very well when one needs that tactile feeling when playing an action or fighting game. The best way to find a good game is looking for those that have the touch screen controls in mind. Does it utilize it successfully and make it easy for the player to understand and play? I'll try my best to list some games, but I can't ensure all of them are that great since I don't play too much on my ipod touch and I don't have an android...yet.
App Store for Apple Products (iPod, iPhone, iPad):
Note: To download these games, go to the app store of your device, open "games", choose a "category" and look under "top free". Yes, it's that easy. Log-in to your account, download, let it install and start playing.
-rRootage - Remember the game rRootage I talked about yesterday? It's free in the app store too!
-Call of Duty World at War: Zombies LITE - If you've played it on console/PC, then you'll know what it'll look like. The controls are a little tricky, and the LITE version is only about 3 rounds; however, it's a pretty good time killer if it's only going to be 5-10 minutes.
Source: Youtube Channel bael99x
-7Swords - This game is amazing, and entirely free (not a demo). It's essentially Fantasy Earth Zero for the iPod touch/iPhone where you create a character and play online with other live players. There are 2 factions to choose from to fight for when on the battlefield. You fight other players and the faction that reaches 0 points first loses. There isn't even registration needed. Just start the game, log-in, create a character, and start playing. Speaking of Fantasy Earth Zero, Gamepot will no longer be hosting servers anymore.
-Tune Runner - Not so much a rhythm game as it is a touch screen game where you match the symbol that's heading toward the little robot thing. At least it's a game you can play your music to.
-Angry Birds LITE - This game had the attention of the media, game industry and the population of mobile device players everywhere. I finally tried it out and thought it was a nicely designed game, but did it seriously cause that much attention to the media? It's fun, but not groundbreaking (maybe the sales were, but meh...).
-Coast Defense: Reloaded Free - If you've ever played Beach Head 2000 at the arcades, it's a lot like that game. The controls are decent and gives the player a lot of control. I don't know how far the free version goes, but I've already played so many levels and am still going that it feels like a full game. This is one of my favorites that I've played in the past thus far.
Source: Youtube Channel TheGameTrail
-Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus FREE - Remember I did a review on Modern Combat Domination last week? This is that same company: Gameloft. I actually haven't tried this game yet (since I don't have enough space on my iPod to download), but it looks so amazing! There's not harm in downloading a FREE game and trying it out. The most you'll lose is a few minutes of your time if you end up hating it, but I heard it was a very affordable price if you end up buying it. This is definitely a game I want to download once I get an iPad (or a new iPod touch with higher data capacity).
There is so much more at the app store. Just check it out. If my iPod weren't full of music, I'd get so much more games than I do now. If I ever get an iPad, it's going to be filled with games on it.
Android Market:
Note: I'm going to have to say right now that I've never played on an android before, so I'm not very knowledgeable about the device; however, I've been looking for games for it anyways just in case I do get one in the future.
Source: Youtube Channel KongregateArcade
-Kongregate Arcade - I talked a bit about Kongregate on Monday and how they had a lot of games. Well, if you download their application for your Android, you will have access to 300+ games that's compatible with the touch screen, record all your progress and badges to your Kongregate account, and be able to play any of these games for free like on their official website. This is the first application I am getting the second I get an android phone.
-Android Market Free Games - Free games right from the android market. It's very similar to the Apple App store where a lot of developers will create games compatible with both Apple products and Android phones. From the official market though, Apple has more quality free games.
-Appbrain - I just looked up "Android Games" on google and found this site. There are tons of sites with free applications and games, just search it up. These games are free through advertisements within the game or sponsors that support the developers to release a new game each week. Take advantage of it and have fun.
That's it for now. It makes me really jealous that I don't have an (up to date) iPod Touch with enough data capacity to play those awesome free games and don't have an android to check out the hundreds (thousands by now) of free games for the device. I'm going to have to charge my battery a lot once I get an android. Have fun, and remember to charge your batteries so you don't miss important calls or miss an appointment.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)