Games | The VidZone Network Blog

August 19, 2010

My Gaming “Blind-Spots”

I find it amusing they used what appears to be a Countach for the car. [Image credit]

I took the opportunity during my drive back to Orlando to catch up on some podcasts. One of which was the Kotaku podcast regarding “gaming blind spots”–games or genres that one just hasn’t experienced, unintentionally or otherwise. I figured I may as well air out my blind spots, but first some background…

I first started playing video games in the arcades around the turn of the decade between the ’80s and ’90s. Then one day my dad brought home an NES and I was a Nintendo gamer (owning all their systems) up until the Dance Dance Revolution revolution where I was gifted a PSone for Christmas. I was surprisingly spoiled and was bought many games and also rented games regularly. Some of my friends had Genesis, so I wasn’t completely shut-out from its offerings, but all other consoles prior I haven’t had much exposure to.

Starting in the PS2-era, I was able to buy my own things. If you know me personally, you know I have a massive collection of video games. If I had to bet, my collection from this period onward (across all platforms) consists of about 1000 games, give or take. Have I played them all? Heck, no! I have an awareness of why I bought these games in the first place, though, but that doesn’t mean I’m thoroughly familiar with them.  That’s why my “blind spot” list will likely include games I actually already own.

Now, let’s get started.

(more…)

Carl @ 2:32 pm
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July 13, 2009

E309: Shadow Complex impressions

In a nutshell:
It’s Metroid-vania in a secret underground base/cave system.

What I played:
About five minutes of an already-started, time-limited demo. I wandered the cave system and made my initial infiltration into the base. I didn’t shoot at anything.

Like:
Map: The game uses a grid-based map system both as a HUD element and as the actual navigational guide on the base’s computers. This allows you to quickly connect what you’ve seen in the game world to your immediate goals and location.

Sticky: Your character is a natural spelunker, and you always feel confident he’ll make a jump or at least grab on to a hand-hold. Because of the heavy platforming elements, this gives you a lot of confidence to maintain forward momentum.

Carl @ 8:56 pm
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E309: Forza Motorsport III impressions

In a nutshell:
Take one of the most exciting sim-style racers, fix what few problems it had, and add in even more goodies.

What I played:
A short two-lap race around a mountain track in a Lotus Evora. I also played it in the super-deluxe cockpit with triple-screen panorama, new Fanatec Porsche force feedback wheel, 5.1 audio, and motion base. The motion base is custom and does not utilize the already consumer-adopted D-Box motion code. It is uncertain if it will be an option in the final game, but it obviously received a lot of interest and attention.

Like:
Graphics overhaul: FM2 was very disappointing to me because it looks like an up-res’d Xbox 1 game. It ran smooth, but the textures and lighting were a bit muddy. Now everything is absolutely crisp and easily rivals the high bar Sony has set with its photo-realistic Gran Turismo series.

Aggression: Despite being a sim, the other AI racers don’t necessarily act like gentlemen all the time. They’re just as hungry to win as you and aren’t afraid of a little bump ‘n grind.

Unlimited rewind: At any point in the game, you’re able to hold down the Back button to rewind your race up to five seconds at a time. And unlike Grid with its tokens system, you’re allowed to use this feature as many times as you want. Considering that some later races last upwards of six minutes, this allows you to strive for a perfect run without throwing away half of your play time. However, I think this “instant gratification” system could hinder the less-dedicated drivers’ abilities to learn the track.

Dislike:
Loading: Again, this is an early build, and maybe there were some additional complications introduced by running on a triple-console/triple-screen, motion-base setup, but I was twiddling my thumbs for what felt like a quarter to half the time I actually spent on the racetrack. The results were well worth it, though, and the new rewind feature will drastically cut down on any need to completely reload the current race.

Carl @ 8:03 pm
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E309: Tony Hawk Ride impressions

In a nutshell:
Remember Sega’s arcade Top Skater and AirTrix? Imagine you no longer have the safety bar to hold on to and sometimes you need to bend down and “grab” the board, too.

What I played:
Two passes through an introductory street course and a 1-minute session on the vert ramp.

Like:
Responsive: I didn’t sense any delay between my inputs and action being executed on screen.

Range of movement: The board is a large enough approximation of a full-size skateboard, and the curved bottom is shaped just right so that you’re able to carve without too much effort.

Dislike:
Visuals: I know there are still months until shipping, but the graphics look like a step back from previous versions, or at least not on par with modern AAA titles. Everything is fairly brightly and evenly lit, and textures are painted broadly. In other words, it’s lacking in fine detail. I’d say it’s lit like something from last generation.

Carl @ 7:56 pm
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E309: Split/Second impressions


In a nutshell:
It’s Burnout where you can blow up the environment.

What I played:
Three laps around an airport.

Like:
Action indicators: The game tells you when a rival car is near a triggerable trap and informs you what button to press to activate it. The window in which you can activate the trap is generally of a fair length, so you won’t ever feel cheated.

Traps: What the team says is true, there will be plenty of traps to activate throughout the duration of the race, keeping the playing experience fresh. Also, as the race goes on, larger traps will become available for activation.

Tight, arcade control: Just like Burnout, it feels like you more or less have full control over your careening two-ton machine. This is especially important for maneuvering your way through the tracks as the debris piles up.

Frame-rate: Even at this early stage, everything moves along at a brisk rate and all the post-processing blur effects were turned on.

Dislike:
Not much really: Hopefully the amount of traps available per trap aren’t so limited that each progressive playthrough results in the same sequence of events.

Carl @ 7:33 pm
Filed under: Games,Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , —

July 11, 2009

Puzzle Quest Galactrix (NDS) impressions

After a whole battery charge and a half–which translates to about ten hours–I’ve yet to feel truly engaged by Puzzle Quest Galactrix.  Sure, it’s still plenty addicting, but I don’t feel as if I’ve really accomplished anything.  I’ve only engaged in about a dozen or so battles, unlike its predecessor Puzzle Quest Warlords where the roads are littered with enemies interrupting your travels.

Instead what serves as gates in your progression are literal gates.  There’s a large overworld map dotted with star systems you travel between.  Each star system, in turn, has its own free-roaming mini-map which contains some combination of planets, space stations, factories, asteroids, and the aforementioned jumpgates.  Since each star system can branch into several different directions, there are generally between three to six gates.

Each gate is locked to begin with and requires to you play a “hacking” variation of the game in order to be able to unlock it for any travel.  Rather than battling back and forth with some sort of opponent, the “hacking” game is a timed affair in which the player is presented with a series of colored gems that must be eliminated in the prescribed order.

The major problem is that the timer continues ticking while your combos rack up as new sets fall into place.  Usually in puzzle games, this is a matter of of chaotic enjoyment, but in Galactrix it often serves to impede progress and just eats up precious seconds waiting for it to end.  Sometimes the cascade contains the next color in the series.  However, (what feels like) more often it doesn’t.  It is truly infuriating to restart puzzles constantly because of what would normally be a welcome event in any other context.

To borrow a term from Resident Evil, I feel like the “master of unlocking,” a traveling galactic locksmith.  There are some missions asking me to do battle, but I feel completely overpowered.  I can purchase weapons and new ships, but I can’t figure out how to earn money, aside from selling the results of my mining (and perhaps winning battles?).  Mind you, asteroids are finite resources and are “destroyed” whether you win or lose the “mining” game.  It does seem they reset after some period, but I haven’t seen any indication of how to tell how long that cycle is and nor are there asteroids in every star system.

Oh yeah, and there’s a totally aggravatingly lengthy combination of loading and save screens between what seems like every action you take. I don’t know what’s so much more complex in this sequel, but I remember the original being pretty much instantaneous in every regard.

I’m still hooked thanks to the rapid consumption of individual rounds and the general gameplay, but I’m coming away unfulfilled within the greater scale of things.

Would I recommend it? From what I’ve seen so far, no. Stick with the original.

Carl @ 2:23 am
Filed under: Games — Tags: , , , , —

June 11, 2009

Back from E3: Quickie wrap-up

Highlights:

Zephyr attention: Tremendous turnout to check out our project. Met and chatted with a lot of people, from studio devs wandering the show, other indie devs, media outlets large and small, digital distribution portals, and senior/executive staff from mega-publishers.  Interestingly, we received a notable amount of interest from composers.  I’m sure most of them were just looking for a project to work on, but I asked a few of the more exciteable ones what drew them to our project in particular.  Our aesthetic had a lot of fans.  People love steam-punk and/or pirates.  They also noticed our Skies of Arcadia influences.  Unfortunately while we were out at lunch on the third day, a trio of Japanese SEGA folk demoed our game, each taking one of my cards.  Boy, that would have been a stellar group to talk with.

Forza Motorsport III: There were a trio of cockpit setups with three-screen panorama, 5.1 audio, and force-feedback wheel. One of them even had a full motion base that MS custom-rigged.  I spoke with one representative and he said he wasn’t familiar with the consumer-standard D-Box that’s already being used for Blu-Ray and PC; I directed him toward their booth.  One of my biggest peeves with FM2 was the sort of lackluster graphics.  That is no longer a concern, and I’m sure everything else will be great as always.

Great eats: The show allowed for a sort of FIEAn mini-reunion, and we were escorted to a slew of great dining spots.  There was heavenly Italian at C&O’s Trattoria, melt-in-your-mouth lamb french dips and spicy garlic fries at Cole’s, and a table-filling assortment of dim sum at Empress Pavilion.  Lastly, we made a pit stop at In & Out burger before catching our flights out.

Disappointments:

Being clueless: We spent the vast majority of our time demonstrating our game at the IndieCade booth, and we’re absolutely flattered and grateful for the attention.  However, that duty and the lack of a fast, reliable internet connection meant I couldn’t really read/watch what was announced, and we couldn’t spend too much time going hands-on with what was on display.  People at home knew a lot more about E3 goings-on than I did.

Activision booth: Where were all the games?  It was an impressive booth thanks to the massive screens running a loop of trailers plus the stage for celebrity appearances and DJs, but the only noticable play stations were Tony Hawk: Ride and Blur at the front.  I was really looking forward to getting hands-on with DJ Hero.  Most stuff was being show behind closed doors.  However, it was funny to see the Ghostbusters standing in line to meet Stan Lee.

God of War 3: It wasn’t that it sucked, it’s that I didn’t see anything new or noteworthy after spending a combined hour or so of my limited “goof-off” time budget standing in line and playing the demo.  The presentation continues to be fantastic, now using a lot more depth-related effects.  However, it failed to showcase any of the sense of scale that was teased by the early trailers.  (For that, Bayonetta‘s bridge battle helped make it Best of Show for me.)

Carl @ 1:21 am
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June 6, 2009

Xbox Live 1 vs. 100 beta impressions

1 vs. 100 (XBLA)

This could be a problem.  I’m a trivia fiend, and I could easily see myself becoming addicted to this game.  Similarly to Grid, you can earn points simply by participating.  Even if you’re a complete dolt, you’ll still be making positive progress.

There are one of three groups you could wind up in: The One, who is the active contestant; The Mob, who wins prizes if The One gets stumped; and The Crowd, who consists of everyone else participating.  The Mob starts off as a group of 100 players.  As individual members fail to properly answer a question, The One climbs their way up the prize ladder.  The One has a few “lifelines” which include polling the highest scorer, accepting the majority answer of The Mob, or accepting the majority answer of The Crowd.

What frustrates me is what I think I can attribute to lag or being physically too far from a server.  When answers are presented, less points are awarded as time clicks down until the player finally buzzes in.  Even when I know it’s the final choice and mash the button well before it’s revealed, I can’t ever score higher than 190 (out of a possible 200).  Those milliseconds absolutely do matter.

Players are given the ability to cheer, jeer, or dance by tapping the Y button and scrolling through various actions.  Behind you is also interactive lighting, which I call the “hype meter.”  It rises as you perform an action, but for a while I couldn’t figure out how to enter the last bar.  Or how one of the other players was dancing.  It turns out you’ve really got to mash on the button quickly, however once the dancing is initiated, you can slow down again.

Favorite thing: Xbox Live Primetime brings with it the ability to schedule pop-up reminders for events.  It’s fully integrated with the Xbox Dashboard, just like download and friend notifications.

Least favorite thing: The outcome of this question:  (Note: the answers are labeled to match the Xbox controller’s buttons in order from left to right.)  “What is the 24th letter of the alphabet? X. A A. X B. B”  Of course I hit the X button intending for the answer “X.”  About 1/3 of the mob also made the same mistake.  Stupid trickery!

Carl @ 10:41 pm
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June 2, 2009

E3: Zephyr ready for sail

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After an annoying Direct X issue, I’ve got Zephyr up and running at the IndieCade booth (#652, South Hall).  You can find us in the rear left of the hall.  Just look for Natsume’s cute stuffed baby giraffe at the Afrika kiosk.

Ing picked me up from the convention center after work, and took me over to Culver City, where I met up w/ Chuck and Corey. After picking up Jeff from the airport, we headed over to C&O’s Trattoria on Venice Beach for the best Italian food I’ve ever had.  I had them toss on some fried calamari onto some angel hair past w/ a simple olive oil, tomato, basil sauce.  Matched with indulgent, flavorful garlic knots, it was all perfect.  Unfortunately Victor gets into town Tues. morning, so he missed out.  However, plans have been made to keep up the FIEA mini-reunion each night, particularly on Chuck’s birthday.

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Carl @ 2:17 am
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May 26, 2009

Bundles vs. price-drop: value is in the eye of the beholder

Joystiq posted a leak that Sony’s sending out a new 80GB PS3 bundle exclusively to Best Buy, priced at the same $399.99 and scheduled for availability on June 9, the week following E3. Two years ago, the news of a $100 price drop made waves, but–assuming two relatively recent, non-Greatest Hits games–this bundle effectively the same savings: $100 or so.

The problem why this isn’t gaining any excitement (at least from the snarky, jaded gaming forum-goers) is that, while adding value to the current box, the actual out of pocket cost isn’t decreasing.

Is a penny saved, in this case, a penny earned?

The obvious argument against a bundle strategy is that it won’t be universally appealing because not everyone likes the same kinds of games.

It makes sense for Sony.  Though they’ve been able to streamline manufacturing and drive down costs, they’re still losing money on every box of hardware that leaves the factory.  However, software (especially if it’s Sony-published) is more or less “free.  They’ll “not make” money instead of “lose more” by using the software bundle strategy.

However, all Joe Consumer wants is that leading digit of the price to tick down to a 2. The first digit of an item’s price is a very powerful psychological force and why $299.99 is irrationally more attractive than $300.00, despite a penny’s difference.  Say it out loud. Two-hundred, ninety-nine dollars and ninety-nine cents. Three-hundred dollars.  All you can hear is “two-hundred” versus “three-hundred.”

However, the existence of this new bundle doesn’t preclude the announcement of a price-drop of a non-bundle package.  But if that existed, wouldn’t it have been uploaded to Best Buy’s computers at the same time?  Was it held back to prevent the same leaks that happened at Circuit City? If that’s the case, again, why wasn’t this listing held back as well?

(image credit: AP)

Carl @ 10:03 pm
Filed under: Games,Techniques — Tags: , , , , , —


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