Inside Man: inserting social commentary on video games into film

Spike Lee's Inside Man got a bit of attention in the gaming community earlier this year for a scene that showed a computer generated sequence made to look like a violent video game. I just saw the DVD on the weekend, and I have to admit I'm a bit suprised at the clumsily inserted social commentary. I could understand using the wounds of the World Trade Centre as a point of reflection in 25th Hour, but Inside Man's approach to criticizing violent video games simply felt gratuitous, from multiple viewpoints. It seems that the bigger Lee's budget, the lesser his tact.

Rebirth of the Arcade: a false alarm

After I wrote last week's post for The Cultural Gutter, I was given a link to an interview at Gamasutra that had been published a week prior. The interview was with Clint Manny, vice president of sales and marketing at GameWorks. The arcade chain was recently acquired by the Sega-Sammy Group, who has big plans to boost GameWorks' market share - and rebuild the U.S. arcade scene while they're at it.

DS lite: fashion wins again

As much as I enjoyed holding Nintendo’s glistening white lozenge in my hands, something about it didn’t feel right. The DS Lite was more screen than portable gaming device – which is fine for showing off the significant difference in brightness from its predecessor. In a game like Metroid Prime: Hunters, I almost didn’t notice the difference when using the plastic nub and touch screen because my thumb was naturally closer to the edge of it. However, in any other game, having the ABXY buttons packed together and so close the edge of the unit can be a little unnerving when you’ve got oversized man-hands. The easiest comparison to make is playing any GBA platformer on my DS and then going back to play it on the GBA SP: my hands felt cramped in the smaller playing space. The old DS may be unattractive, but it wasn’t overdesigned to the point of being almost unusable. Are we really past the point where it's unfashionable to carry around an ugly piece of hardware?

On a general DS note, I wouldn’t advise changing the Gameboy/Gameboy Advance display screen on the DS while a game cartridge is in the slot. I lost all of my progress in Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance (including my recent replay) when I switched from the upper to the lower screen, though I haven’t read of this happening to anyone else. It wasn't a big deal; I already know how it ends and my opinion of the game hasn’t changed two years later.

What Happened to the Arcade?

After exploring the relationships formed by console gaming, I thought about the place of the arcade in the evolution of the bonds shared by gamers. The friendly competition established by beating a high score in Galaga or mastering the moves of Street Fighter II seem like such simple pursuits when compared to the complexity of multiplayer gaming today. The Internet, voice chat and anonymous challenges have supplanted the community building that took place inside the local arcade. While a form of this pastime may have made its way onto home consoles, it's hard not to lament the loss of these hallowed dens of gaming. This month's article at the Cultural Gutter tries to figure out what happened to the arcade.

backward compatibility: is it really that important?

Back when the specs of the Playstation 3, the "Revolution" and the XBox360 were originally unveiled, the idea of backward compatibility was latched on to by many as a deciding factor between the three platforms. In the reactions that followed each company's announcement, it seemed that whichever platform would be stupid enough not to include the feature would immediately forfeit their position in the console war. Because the Playstation 2 has already set the precedent (with the GBA one year later allowing the use of both original Game Boy and Game Boy colour cartridges), there is now a demand for old games to work with new consoles. The cycle between generations has roughly stayed the same, but consumers want to be given more than an incremental graphics update for their dedication to a platform. In my haste to dismiss the next generation as merely imitating computers, I missed a crucial point: is backward compatibility even necessary for a console to succeed?

revisionist fantasy

With the success of Grand Theft Auto III and its many skins, or more recently the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, you'd almost get the impression that more open-ended gameplay is a requirement to be worthy of critical acclaim. In a completely original setting, this is easily accomplished. But what about movie or book adaptations? Is a move towards player freedom a necessity in these games that are heavily dependent on narrative that has likely already been experienced by the player? How can a movie adaptation be made so that it isn't simply a passive experience hampered by the constraints of a story, and actually empowers the player? In this month's article at the Cultural Gutter, I delve into this matter with a certain game in mind.

Dawn of Sorrow: Julius mode

From what I can tell, the upcoming Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin is introducing another playable character, with a series of puzzles that can only be solved while using both characters. It follows that a co-operative multiplayer version of the game is also available. Other than that, it seems like a return to pre-Symphony Castlevania. It also sounds like a game that I played last year.

Dawn of Sorrow's "Julius Mode" is unlocked by completing the ending where Soma (the character in the main game) assumes the mantle of Dracula. As Julius Belmont, you must go through the same castle to fulfill the destiny of the Belmonts. Subtracting the details of spell and inventory management, what remains is a veritable tribute to the Castlevania games of old. In fact, this same premise was used for Julius Mode in 2003's Aria of Sorrow. Only this time you have friends.

Dawn of Sorrow's Julius Mode gives you a team of three characters. Aside from the whip, Julius comes with a solid collection of traditional Castlevania powers like holy water, axes, and a cross boomerang. Yoko Belnades, who was a character from the main game, adds fire, ice and lightning spells into your repertoire of powers. Last, but certainly not least, as Julius you run into Genya Arikado (a returning character from Aria of Sorrow), who reveals himself to be none other than Alucard. While not having as many powers as the other two, he can change into a bat which allows entrance into some of the castle's otherwise inaccessible areas. The current character is switched at the press of the "X" button.

As such, balancing the use of these three characters becomes an entirely new game that focuses on the straight ahead side-scrolling action of Castlevania before it had been fused with Metroid. The game even allows you to level up the characters. Aria's Julius mode simply gave a full powered static character to plow through the game with, which was no easy feat during the last third of the game. My only criticism for this experience system is that the levelled-up life and mana pools are shared among the three characters, so the weaker Yoko will tend to drain the health pool faster than say, Alucard. Yoko's mana will recharge a lot faster, though. With regard to castle exploration, there are quite a few dead ends such as the "Ice Blocks" area that is extremely time consuming to clear with the whip, only to find that there's nothing at the other end worth pursuing. Though I'd hardly fault Konami for these shortcomings - they've essentially turned a bonus for completing the main game into a completely separate adventure.

E3 2006: in which I try to hate the games industry

The gaming mob is fickle.

The novelty of E3 continues to wear thin, for me at least. I'd rather selectively watch coverage on the internet than be stuck in line with a bunch of people who are probably not even supposed to be there. It's become an amusement park. A giant, throbbing, noisy commercial for games that might not even see release, but we're going to get super happy excited about anyway. How much can you really glean from a game's trailer or 5 minute playtest that's been built up after waiting for two hours? The software isn't even complete. Is it to say you've played it first? I'm having a hard time figuring out my former longstanding desire to attend an E3. The gaming mob is fickle.

the not-so casual gamer

What is a casual gamer? It's a term that gets used a lot more lately, as a larger audience is introduced to the world of games. It's also become a very lucrative demographic, because console manufacturers and game publishers aren't interested in selling their product to existing customers. They are in the business of making money, after all. And that includes reaching a wider audience. As games become more accessible, the definition has been muddied somewhat. Is a casual gamer someone who is content to play solitaire on a Windows 95 desktop? Or Diner Dash for days on end? What about sports gamers, who ground themselves in some form of reality instead of the blood and guts escapism of first person shooters? What about players of flight simulators?

In this month's article at The Cultural Gutter, I examine that the casual player of flight simulators may not be so casual after all.

exploring Coupland's views on gaming

I recently finished re-reading Douglas Coupland's Microserfs, a well-written tale about a group of Microsoft employees that leave the company to start up their own. I first read it back in 1999, partway through University. Though published in 1993, I had avoided the book due to the overwhelming praise heaped upon it by media that had become newly obsessed with the growing subculture of the tech savvy "geeks" that would be storming the business world with big ideas and half-baked business plans for the next seven years. I felt that it captured the sentiment of this period very well, despite having been written before this subculture went mainstream. I give Coupland credit for that. The first project for the start-up company in the book is a free-form "game", and through that he tackled the concept of "multimedia": the software industry's favorite buzzword at the time, and something most gamers were exposed to through games like Myst and the infamous Sewer Shark.

Besides the nuances of geek culture described within the book, what remains startlingly relevant is the main character's list of "The 8 Models of Interactivity", which were summarized after he attended a multimedia industry conference (see pages 139-143 for some very thoughtful remarks). I think these observations are entirely applicable today, and provide an effective touchstone in witnessing the evolution of the game industry.

F-Zero GX: a reappraisal

I played a bit of vs. battle F-Zero GX on the weekend. It's probably the first time in at least two months that I've even turned the Gamecube on. Thinking about having to start a battle over again in Path of Radiance because I've permanently lost a party member is enough to get the bile ducts flowing. But I assure you I'm coming to a point here.

When I first got my Gamecube, F-Zero GX was the first game I "reviewed" for the platform. I say that with a smile on my face because in hindisight I completely missed the fucking point of the game. Focusing on things like "story mode" and getting pissy over it being hard to unlock more vehicles (a trend that has sadly continued in every racer I've played since) is really not important. I would happily play the game with the default four racers, the ones that were introduced in the original F-Zero. It wouldn't make a difference. Because F-Zero GX is not about pulling stunts or rewinding time or launching red shells or realistic physics. It is about winning a race. Crossing the finish line is the only goal that could ever matter as the landscape blasts past you at 1200 km/h with the siren blazing that you need repairs badly.

F-Zero GX is about going fast at all costs. It is a racing game in its purest, most concentrated form. And that's why I still love it.

the hunted

Is Metroid Prime: Hunters really the best first person shooter for a handheld? More than likely, even though it's probably the only one in the eyes of the average gamer. Some people seem to forget that both Doom and Doom 2 were released on the GBA just a couple of years ago, not to mention the countless number of homebrewed Doom and Quake ports on portable devices. As a finely tuned FPS, Metroid Prime: Hunters certainly delivers what you would expect, carrying over elements from the Gamecube versions that made them some of the best games I've ever played. The controls are suprisingly easy to get used to, but the lack of custom configurations is limiting for those that aren't huge fans of the touch screen and default button assignments for Right and Left handed players. The aiming and "mouselook" with the Thumb-strap felt completely natural as someone who plays FPS on the PC regularly, and I'm impressed how easily this control scheme has been adapted for the DS. As a result, the multiplayer feels fast and action-heavy, and a lot like playing Quake III Arena. The race for the big weapons and bunny hopping to dodge rockets is usually most players' default strategy. The fact that it plays so well without me realizing I'm using a handheld is evidence enough that Hunters has managed to make full use of the DS' abilities. But that's where some reviews seem to end. What about the game?

xbox 360 quick hits, Part 2: Full Auto

At its best, Full Auto is a tease. For a game that calls itself "the world's most destructible racing game", I guess it's pretty accurate. You can destroy lots of things in this game. Buildings, street-side cafés, fences - well, as long as it's accessible from the race track. You aren't offered much flexibility to drift off of it. And if you were to compare it to Rock N' Roll Racing as I noted in Part 1, it might be a more accurate representation of the style of gameplay that is being offered.

However, while we were playing I couldn't help but reminisce about Carmageddon 2, which was a lot more open in its design. I'd even call it ahead of its time. Free form "races" with multiple conditions for winning (like killing a certain number of pedestrians, or destroying all of your opponents), and all of it doused with a thick red coating of ultra violence. As long as you could suspend your disbelief when you ran over the pedestrians with cubic heads. Full Auto doesn't allow you to simply go after your adversaries and destroy them, because you're in a race. Unless the objectives at the beginning of a mission stated otherwise, crossing the finish line was the only necessary goal to complete.

To be fair, you can do a lot of damage to the environment in Full Auto, but it has no real effect on the way you drive. You can plow through three fuel tankers causing massive explosions and keep going as if nothing happened. This apparent lack of repercussions is even stranger in the face of the detailed damage modelling of the vehicles.

I found that my car was exploding without any real warning beyond the damage indicator on the bottom of the screen, which I rarely checked due to the fast-paced nature of the action. My vehicle may have looked like a scrap heap on wheels, but it didn't drive any differently. It didn't cause me to rethink my strategy to conserve energy or shields - I simply kept driving until I was ultimately destroyed by gunfire, colliding with another car, or simply diving headlong off of the top level of a parking garage.

Though all this can be avoided: the "Unwreck" feature is a Prince of Persia-styled reversing of time to make a jump, avoid a rollover, or even being targeted by an adversary's machine gun. I wondered if a feature like this was even necessary. Is the ultimate point of Full Auto total destruction or winning a race? Carmageddon had an auto-repair feature you could use while driving (depending on how much money you had available). It was equally unrealistic, but was at least suited to the overall theme.

What bothered me was the lack of originality and variation in the weapons available to upgrade vehicles. They're often made up of one forward weapon and one rear, and categorized into "packages" like Assault and Melee. Individual components of the sets can't be interchanged. What's worse, like the other cars in the game, the weapon sets must be unlocked.

The available game modes are pretty straightforward, and actually kind of dull after the initial novelty of driving clear through a brick building with a hot rod wears off. The most glaring omission was the lack of a free for all or arena mode included in the likes of Carmageddon or Twisted Metal. In a game that's bent on providing wholesale destruction, why is it so focused on racing? Perhaps I was simply attributing features to the game it was never intended to have.

Nevertheless, there was something about Full Auto that just felt rushed, as if Pseudo Interactive started with a sound concept that got stripped down to meet the "arcade racing" requirement for the 360's library. I'd call it "Semi-Auto", but that's too obvious. It isn't a bad game. Just an unremarkable one.

xbox 360 quick hits, Part 1

A couple of weekends ago I spent the afternoon with fellow über-gamers Tony and Chris, where we gathered for some quality time with Chris' new XBox 360. I've since had the time to record some of the following impressions. Unrelated: Chris is an excellent cook.

Black: a first person shooter

There is a science in creating an edgy title for a game. Despite its simplicity, I'm positive that a lot of thought went into the name for Black. It's a first person shooter with big guns and destructable environments - definitely appealing to the average gamer. Well, the ones that didn't already play Red Faction anyway. Developers Criterion needed to keep it short and simple, so that no one will forget it easily. Like Halo. Except they have to make it darker sounding, because this game is about killing and blowing shit up. So what's a dark word? Blood. It's already taken. Sin. Nope, that's gone too. Wait a second - Black. What's darker than "Black"? I mean it's black - darkness in a word. The shade of gunmetal. The heart of a mercenary. Perfect!

Now, about the actual game.

The Xbox version was pretty easy to pick up and play, because the control scheme is an exact duplicate of Halo. The demo I played dropped me into the middle of a building on a decimated city block. Shattered glass exploded all around me with the sound of gunfire drawing closer. I blew open the door with my shotgun and ran out into the street. I must have surprised my enemies because they didn't fire at first; though don't think I was able to get the drop on everyone. Bullets ejected from windows on the upper levels of buildings nearby and peppered the street in front of me. I threw a grenade into a nearby wrecked car that someone was using for cover and it exploded in suitable movie-styled fashion, bringing down a nearby wall.

I then rushed headlong into the next group of enemies with my AK-47 blazing, the shell casings decorating the bottom half of the screen. All of the weapons so far felt substantial and responsive, with the accompanying sounds strengthening the effect. I felt tough. I felt untouchable. I was soon entranced by the dull roar of gunfire.

But what was I doing here? Was the objective simply "kill or be killed"? Are we really still at the point where that's reason enough to keep playing a first person shooter?

From what I've read the game is one of the shortest in recent memory. Like the name. I guess the devs wanted to distract you until it was too late, to prevent you from thinking that the game you have been playing for the last 8 hours didn't have a story. Or worse - that it was not anything of consequence in the genre.

evolving virtual worlds

In hindsight, David Sirlin's seemingly harsh remarks about what World of Warcraft offers the MMORPG scene could be considered flame bait - they certainly caused enough of a stir within the games community. I think the important point he brings to the discussion is the insistence of the current game model to reward players based on time spent in the game. Based on my own experiences in World of Warcraft, it was often infuriating to watch friends who had more time to spend gaming accelerate through the game, participating in high level instances that I could never hope to be a part of. As a result I was forced to play solo - definitely not a bad thing - but still feeling like I was missing out on something. While pure exploration is always a worthy pursuit, the game should be able to be experienced by all participants - not necessarily the ones willing to spend the most time staring blankly into their monitors.

Sirlin's article prompted a thoughtful list from Raph Koster, which in his words was more of a lament of the state of MMORPGs than a bona fide response. I think the most fascinating aspect of this list is that is speaks as much about the gamers than the games themselves (see: "Staring at someone who is talking the politest thing you can do. Because the only other option is to not look at them at all.")

There is an ongoing conversation at Terra Nova about this list. Ignoring the attack and defense of SOE and Koster, I think the antagonist in the discussion brings up an excellent point:

From this point on Talent will be one of the biggest determining factors in the success of any given MMORPG. When you see a screenshot from WoW you know it’s WoW. When you see a screenshot from Eve Online you know it’s Eve Online. When you see a screenshot from Chronicles of Spellborn you know it’s Chronicles of Spellborn. You can’t create the artistic talent reflected in those games with polygons, pixel count, or realism. You can’t replace the musical talent in those games with a movie soundtrack. You can’t substitute the depth and beauty of the lore created for these games with player created events. In order for a MMORPG to be a true success it has to have genuinely talented and inspiring artists working together to bring it to life – just like in any other artistic endeavor.

The first thing I noticed when I joined the beta of World of Warcraft were the incredibly unique environments. I was able to ignore the low poly character models and drawn-on shadows, because this game had style. The limited amount of background established by the Warcraft series had been fleshed out to make you feel like you were living amongst a contintent-spanning conflict. While I enjoyed Star Wars Galaxies immensely (before it was irreversibly changed into another Everquest), I tend to agree that it suffered from a lack of a definable style. To be given such a powerful license and still not manage to convey what made the movies so magical did irreperable damage to the game's reputation. And placing immediately accessible, famous NPCs into the revamped version is no substitute. There's nothing unique about World of Warcraft's gameplay - in fact, before I cancelled the gameplay had become mind-numbingly tedious. But that never stopped me from exploring, because there was no shortage of skillfully constructed atmosphere to take in.

I'm all for changing the current play model for modern MMORPGs; Star Wars Galaxies gave me a taste of what was possible. But first and foremost, I want to be entertained.

Resident Evil 4: the most overrated game of 2005

"You are Dead," Resident Evil 4 tells me as my avatar gets fried for the fourth time by the trap with erratically moving laser beams. It's this type of hamfisted advice that seems to be the undercurrent of the entire experience. The game isn't content to set up a rustic, chilling atmosphere for you to cautiously explore, and instead offers you many, many reasons on why you should be killing the things on screen, as if the player couldn't figure it out for themselves. If Michael Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer had made a game, I'm pretty sure this is how it would turn out. Only with less plot.

A Just War

What is the allure of the World War 2 shooter, exactly? As someone who's unapologetic about supporting this genre, it's a topic I enjoy exploring. You know, instead of just sitting around and complaining about how many were released last week (and by the way, that joke never gets old). Obviously there's something about them that resonates with gamer culture, though I'm sure with casual gamers to a greater degree as they are only exposed to the ones that get the most hype. And developers still manage to come up with new ideas for interactive war experiences, because they keep selling. An article I wrote over at The Cultural Gutter attempts to coalesce some of these thoughts.

Also, from this point on I'll be supplying material once a month for the video games section at the Gutter. Though I don't expect this to affect anything around here.

forging relationships in console gaming

Lost Garden brought attention to a very thought provoking aspect of console gaming and online play. Does online console gaming cultivate the same type of relationships as PC gaming?

Technically speaking, multiplayer originated on the console with two player games like the venerable Pong. Some of the best memories I have of the NES involved going over to my friend's house around the corner and playing Contra after school. Years later Mortal Kombat and Super Mario Kart on the SNES further strengthened this notion: multiplayer gaming was to be enjoyed with people you know. They were right there to mock, strangle and laugh with as the situation applied.

During this time, the PC was playing host to a little multiplayer of its own - and not of the hot-seat turn-based variety, but through the phone line. With the advent of the Internet, this model would be adopted by PCs and consoles alike.

We are now at a point where a successful, PC-like multiplayer model has established itself in the console marketplace: Xbox Live. It has a ton of useful features, including "Friends lists" to manage friends that are universally implemented across all games. Even games that don't support online play can still be monitored through your profile, allowing friends to see exactly what you're playing. It allows easy coordination between players outside of the game, as it is clearly modelled after Microsoft's own Instant Messenger. Live also supports random encounters: if none of your friends are online you can just as easily join any game that supports online play. Voice chat further deepens this contact between players. However having this ability at hand does not guarantee meaningful communication.

Sony's strategy is a little more directionless, and is applied on a game-by-game basis. Final Fantasy XI and SOCOM, for example, are games that allow anonymous interaction, but only FFXI has managed to assist in maintaining these relationships as this is intrinsic to the game's design. I've never played SOCOM, but I would like to think that there is some kind of Favorites list on the server browser so as to provide an indication of who you're playing with. Though where this information is stored is another situation entirely.

Similarly, Nintendo's WiFi service launched last year on the Nintendo DS, which now has a few titles that are supported that are dependent on "Friend Codes". Speaking from my experience with Mario Kart DS, it's extremely difficult to set up matches with Nintendo's WiFi network. The reliance on Friend Codes that must be reciprocated to even be useful followed with the coordination of a play session through other means (e.g. phone, email, IM) implies you should already know the person you're trying to play with. There are of course options to play random opponents through Rivals, Regional and Worldwide groups, but there's no way to keep track of these people. These random battles are passively obtained by the user - you can't set criteria, and it's not like you can add their friend code after a race, because everything is hidden except the user's nickname, wins and losses. They become single serving opponents, if you will, because the probability is extremely low you will ever face them again once you quit the race. There is no interaction in or out of the game; they might as well be AI-controlled bots.

However, a service like Nintendo's Wi-Fi network significantly broadens the accessibility of multiplayer gaming to the casual gamer. There's no need to purchase additional hardware (such as an ethernet adapter for the Gamecube or PS2) or sign up for an account (such as with Live). All you need is a wireless access point to the internet, which most internet-using households are equipped with these days. Continuing with the Mario Kart example, the the game itself is extremely basic so as not to be intimidating to the newcomer, which makes the overall experience a little more palatable. This is something that Tetris DS will be taking advantage of as well.

Animal Crossing: Wild World allows in-game chat, and the upcoming Metroid Prime: Hunters will apparently include voice chat. As new features like these get added to the online experience on the DS, I'm wondering if it will be as viable as a relationship-strengthening platform. My guess is it is simply acting as a testing ground for features to be implemented with the Revolution. Most importantly, though, I'm still left wondering where Sony's strategy is at. There hasn't been much talk about unified online play service, and while I hardly think they need it to survive (unfortunately a stranglehold on market mindshare and better hardware is still enough to sell the platform to their target audience), I think they owe it to themselves to show they are willing to advance with the rest of the industry. Though I still think it's important to ask: do console gamers even want online play? Or are they satisfied with the companionship that an additional controller or two will provide?

Further to this discussion, Raph Koster declared the single-player experience abnormal - unnatural, even. This is clearly a sensationalist statement - similar to Greg Costikyan's rant last year about the state of the games industry - but they both end up making some good points that are worth discussing. Obviously Raph is interested in online-only gameplay, being a part of MMORPG development himself. I'll submit that online-only play has its place in certain genres, but should in no way be the norm. Speaking for myself, I hate having to depend on others just so I can enjoy a game. That's why the solo experience in MMORPGs should still be rewarding; there's nothing like feeling forced to be "friends" with people just to complete a quest or experience the game the way it was "meant" to be played. It's frustrating in the way it limits the control of the player, and is dependent on so many other factors: connectivity, bandwidth limitations, etc.

I always thought that online play was for the gamer elite; traditionally only the hardcore would be able to set it up in the first place, not to mention submit themselves to the twitch gameplay offered by FPS or RTS and the strange satisfaction in playing with complete strangers. And while MMORPGs changed the face of the online gamer, their increase in accessibility expands the user base to the point where the casual gamer may not want to play with strangers, and the idea of guilds and other such social networks are more appealing. Whether we want to admit it or not, this is how the future of the industry is being directed: those that typically pushed the technology forward are disregarded in place of making this frontier more comfortable for new recruits. Gaming has no need to make new headway with existing players; this market has been captured for some time.

a rose by any other name...

Geek On Stun asks a very important question: "Will the Next Generation Be Wankable?" (Part 1, Part 2), with references to the recently released Dead or Alive 4 and the upcoming Rumble Roses XX. Sophomoric commentary aside, I think they bring up a disconcerting trend. Especially when the industry is "doing its part" to curb the sleazy use of booth babes at E3.

Ever since I saw Mai Shiranui coyly jiggle her way to victory in Fatal Fury 2, I was certain there would be a market for this kind of stuff apart from obviously sexual Hentai games that contain a disturbing number of transgressions against what is considered natural human contact. But anyway.

Partially clothed female characters have always been a staple of fighting games, even before Lara Croft's hot pants made their way onto the screens of PC gamers. It's like any issue of Maxim; it's covert enough to be sold on any news stand, but it still may as well be porn.

The girls in Dead or Alive were obviously popular enough to get their own outing in Dead or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball, a game I'm convinced is as practical as a comic character swimsuit issue and did more to embarrass the games industry than anything else. Rumble Roses XX - a game that features all-female wrestlers - has taken it one step further to allow modification of character bodytypes. The title implies that there might actually be twenty of these games, but I think they're just missing the third "X". Though the opinion of a female gamer is probably much more useful; I'm a member of the group these games are supposed to appeal to.

I'm O.K.!

Remember Splatterhouse?

I remember parents being up in arms over the game's presentation of ultra-violence, afraid that their children would don a hockey mask and run out into the street to whack people with 2x4s while praising the name of Satan. Except without the flying heads. Or shambling mounds of undead flesh. Of course, that was before Mortal Kombat made its way into the arcades, educating young children on the wonders of spine removal.

Now we have Jack Thompson, the self-proclaimed White Knight for parents against violent videogames everywhere, and a repeat offender when it comes to putting his foot in his mouth.

In a comment that was probably intended to be a joke, Thompson asked game developers to create a game about Osaki Kim, a man "swearing revenge upon the video game industry whom he is convinced contributed to his son's murder." In this statement would be a task that gamers would take to the bank.

Shortly after this proposal was handed over to the entire Internet, "Defamation of Character: A Jack Thompson Murder Simulator" was revealed. Even though it really had nothing to do with Thompson's idea, it was sure to mock publicly the sensationalist campaign he was waging upon the games industry. What's more, this game was a modification of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - a game at the very centre of his crusade against the video game industry. How deliciously poetic.

Bodythumper, the first original game to be based on Thompson's "modest proposal" was released shortly after. Though I think it was made out of principle than to actually create something worth playing.

With Thompson's proposal having such a stunted viewpoint on violence in videogames, I didn't think anyone could create a game that was actually, well, a game that would still be worth spending some time with. Insert a few over-the-top conventions of violent video games, make a few jokes at Thompson's expense, and call it a day.

Last week, Thompsonsoft released "I'm O.K.", the latest game to adopt Jack Thompson's design proposal. I didn't think I'd end up actually enjoying it.

After an extremely humorous cutscene that borrows heavily from the poor art direction in intros from the NES titles of yesteryear, you're given a bat and the violence begins. This is what made me think of Splatterhouse. The endless, almost nonsenical beatings that erupted into blood and gore. Enemies would drop coins that could be used to purchase bigger and better weapons between levels. But I didn't bother. I liked the bat. All of the elements of Thompson's proposal are in there: the detailed opening cutscene, the bloody trail blazed across a map of the U.S. and a visit to the fictional Paula Eibel's house.

Just when I thought it couldn't get any more gratuitous, I was asked to pee on the dancing brains of people I'd just bludgeoned to death. At this point I was speechless.

With "I'm O.K.", Thompson's sarcastic remarks have been given right back.

gaming in 2005: the year's best

The list is shorter this year, because frankly I felt 2005 was a weak year for gaming. There were a lot of very good releases, but there was no game that stood above the rest, immediately recognized for its strengths or unique contribution to the medium. World of Warcraft made great strides in capturing audiences worldwide in 2005 - what is it, five million concurrent subscribers now? The XBox 360 launched with one of the worst lineups since the Saturn, with an engineered product shortage that somehow convinced people they actually needed one. But in terms of a singular victory on any platform, I am hard pressed to name one. I also could have easily padded a list with the other games that I played last year that left me satisfied, but to do that would lessen the meaning of the other selections. These are, after all, the best games I played from last year, and as such should come across as titles actually worth playing, not just looking into.

mario kart DS

It's hard to imagine a Nintendo console without a version of Mario Kart. Ever since the mold was cast on the SNES, there have been numerous imitations. Even Nintendo's own following iterations didn't seem to capture the same charm as the original. This time Mario Kart DS provides the entire package, borrowing only those components from its ancestors that worked well and created one of the best games I played last year.

still waiting for a revolution

He may have taken six pages to say it, nevertheless Eric-Jon Waugh points out that Nintendo more than anyone is in need of something new and exciting to captivate the minds of gamers. Ever since the announcement last fall that revealed the Revolution controller, debate continues about the viability of the platform as a destination for some original - and practical - titles. He accurately points out that merely developing around the control scheme is not a solution; rather, the game's concept should be the governing factor. Five pages of game controller history may have benefited the point somewhat, but I focused on the underlying theme - Nintendo is too comfortable in its strategy.

Of course, this isn't entirely their fault, as third-party developers have become deathly afraid of their platforms since the moderate successes of the N64 and the Gamecube, and so Nintendo have had little to rely on except their existing franchises. We're seeing this again with the Nintendo DS, where new and improved versions of guaranteed sellers (Super Mario 64, Mario Kart, Animal Crossing and the recently announced Tetris) are overshadowing the unique releases (Meteos, Nintendogs) that explicitly take advantage of the platform's features. Not that there's anything wrong with releasing a better Mario Kart, but...it's still Mario Kart. Is that really the limit of their vision?

As always, it's impossible to predict where these things are going to end up. I'm as excited as anyone to see what the console has to offer beyond the tech demos and the resultant gameplay scenarios conjured by overactive imaginations and the radical redesign of what we've come to accept as a controller.

these clothes don't fit us right

online gaming addiction: a new disorder?

A great article by Nick Yee explores the foundations of "Internet Addiction Disorder" (IAD) and whether it actually applies to habitual online gaming. His conclusion is that it does not, and in fact attempts to disassemble the criteria established by Kimberly Young in a 1996 study to diagnose "internet addiction" in general. I really like how he compared gaming to what our society deems as acceptable timesinks: watching TV (annoyingly passive for a gamer), playing golf every weekend or working long hours. While he makes his own share of generalizations, the crux of his argument is that this "disorder" is not new, and actually stems from underlying problems the person usually possesses like low self esteem or depression - the same approach taken to address addiction to drugs, alcohol and gambling.

By calling it "online gaming addiction", the media encourages us to think that we're dealing with a very new problem…If people can develop behavioral dependencies on any activity, then why are we surprised that some people develop dependencies on online games? Why is it news? I contend it is mostly because we've always used the word "addiction" to mark out deviant social activities in a way that treats them as unique predators, as emergent problems which we've never seen before. But once we shift our framework to one of general behavioral dependencies, then we have to abandon this view. What we're seeing is actually a very old problem.

After enjoying World of Warcraft for just under a year, I contend that I drifted dangerously close to the point of what may be considered "addiction", where I actually questioned my level of involvement with the game. I never played for more than 4 hours at a time, but it was the routine of it all - nothing else seemed to matter. I needed to log in every day to check my mail to see if I won auctions, or to journey to a new area so I can get some quests off of my list. In-game social activity was minimal, which was even more disturbing. On days where there was server maintenance or I couldn't log in, I occasionally felt listless and didn't want to do anything else - not even play other games.

I can appreciate the allure of MMORPGs, because they are dynamic in the sense that there is real-time interaction between actual humans. Whether it's trading goods or joining a pickup group, even if no actual words are exchanged, it's easy to get the feeling that maybe there is more to the game than originally thought. Sadly, there isn't, and it's no replacement for real life. One of my favorite mental checks for any game is to think about what was actually accomplished after each session. What did I really have to show for the past two hours? Though don't be alarmed - this is no different than sitting in front of the TV for hours on end. I would much rather engage in a series of inconsequential quests than passively subject myself to someone else's idea of what is entertaining or exciting.

All of this also makes me wonder about the term "addiction": should we really be using it as a favorable descriptor for games? Many reviewers like to fall back on calling a game "addictive" because there really is no other way to describe an immediately absorbing brand of gameplay. But we have to be reminded that society at large views this term in a wholly negative light, and as Yee points out in his article, is associated with "deviant social activities". With gaming enthusiasts eager to have their passion recognized as an art form, perhaps it's time to start viewing the games on their individual merits instead of wedging interchangeable words into a game's qualities, which only serve to perpetuate the negative reputation of the medium in the long run.

no sinister plague will poison us

of course it's not dead you idiots

Without fail, the question "Is PC gaming dead?" is dredged up by self-proclaimed video game industry pundits every fucking year without fail. This time it's Daniel Morris, the former Editor-in-Chief of PC Gamer. And I'm tired.

I'm tired of reading the articles that ramble on about the successful sales of certain titles for whatever platform, while paying little attention to what's really happening in the industry. At least Morris rightly points out that both Valve and Electronic Arts are pushing their download service. With XBox Live and the XBox 360 moving towards more downloadable content and online play, and more multiports of traditionally PC-only titles, we are beginning to see the convergence of platforms. I have stressed this point before. PC gaming will never disappear because console gaming is destined to become PC gaming.

Of course industry mainstays like Nintendo will continue to advance the concepts of gaming, as September's announcement about the Revolution's controller sparked the most passionate debate about the future of gaming I have ever witnessed. They also unexpectedly made their mark with the Nintendo DS, convincing everyone - even pessimists like myself - that they can still innovate while providing accessible entertainment.

The Playstation 2 failed to provide an equivalent to XBox Live over its lifespan, and there is little promise being shown for the Playstation 3. Even Nintendo plans on offering a download service that would give gamers access to their classic titles of yesteryear. The thrust of this argument is that the console manufacturers are thinking about games online, because they all know that's what the market wants. Nintendo launched their WiFi service for the DS this year, and this is likely how they will provide online functionality with the Revolution. Aside from securing big-name publishers, what is Sony's plan for the Playstation 3? I am convinced that the average gamer is going to wake up any second and realize what is happening. Fancy new graphics can only carry a game so far. After playing Dawn of Sorrow I was enraged to the point of blindness that a third dimension had ever been invented.

Be reminded of the 3D engine wars from the late 90s. It's 2005 and Unreal is all but declared the winner. Then what? Does that mean we will begin to see an increase in creativity or a sudden interest in PC games? It does not. It means that PC gaming will continue to do what it has been doing forever, and that is releasing a variety of genre titles of varying quality. Just like every other platform.

Update: It appears the editing gremlins at Next Gen changed the title from "PC Gaming 2005: Not dead yet" to "PC Gaming: 2005" since the time I was first linked to the article and started writing this. Why, I wonder? Perhaps it was the "yet" that rankled a few PC gamers, or maybe the fact that there was no basis in the entire article for a solid argument against this point. A list of successful releases is not a defense!

Halo gets 2D treatment

I'm not big a fan of Halo by any means, but when I saw the announcement for Halo Zero, I knew I had to check it out. This isn't the first time a beloved FPS has had a dimension removed: nuclear vision's Codename: Gordon was based on Half Life. Of course, the Codename: Gordon project was officially sanctioned by Valve and was the first game available through Steam. Whether Microsoft opts to take any legal action over this fan-created platformer remains to be seen.

In terms of gameplay, Halo Zero takes everything familiar to players of the XBox version and translates them directly: the recharging health meter, the Covenant's many plasma weapons, the Warthog - and all with their original sound effects. It's great fun, and like Codename: Gordon and Abuse before it, the mouse is integrated perfectly into the action. While the game's developers say this is the "Final" version, there are still a number of small bugs to be found (such as a finnicky weapon swap), and the game's resolution makes the art look worse than it should. Still, the bright, colorful graphics and campy cutscenes brought me back to the days of the Genesis and SNES. Though don't kid yourself - it doesn't provide the fast paced arcade action of Gunstar Heroes or Metal Slug, but instead offers an enjoyable diversion that's more novelty than anything else.

some candy talking

actors should never quit their day jobs

Especially when they are terrible at it.

According to a few vague quotes in interviews Jessica Alba alludes to being involved in the design of a "non-violent X-Game where you can basically create your own character". This is fucked up on so many different levels I'm having a hard time forming sentences, but I had to record this somewhere so that my future decline into a swirling vortex of insanity can be traced back to this event. Someone hurry up and name the publisher so they can be branded a leper by the gaming community for all time.

I don't even want to speculate what this mystery "extreme sport" is; I'm sure it's whatever is currently airing in between the music commercials on MTV. When you see that this is considered "extreme", can an announcement for a game based on this dexterous display of everyday housework be far behind? I'll bet an actor somewhere with a career in a tailspin is just aching to get involved.

In the 80s, we were inundated with actors that stepped away from the camera in pursuit of short-lived musical careers: David Hasselhoff, Patrick Swayze, Rick Springfield...I'm disgusted with myself that I can actually put that kind of a list together. The embarrassing displays at the Spike TV awards last year showed both actors and music industry personalities wanted a slice of the video gaming scene. Is gaming the fashionable arena for this generation's hip-with-the-times celebrities?

This isn't to say that all actors should avoid the game industry. All you have to do is look back on Escape from Butcher Bay, one of last year's movie-based games that was actually well-produced, had design input from the movie's main actor and stood tall on its own as a game. I cannot hold the same sentiment, however, for the mind-numbingly incomprehensible movie it was based on. The irony!

sort of rotten and insane

Nintendogs continues the distortion of reality

I own a dog. She's five months old, and has been a ridiculous amount of work. But my wife and I love her. Despite whether the favour is returned or not, we spend time on her. Housetraining, obedience, and general manners - it's all important if you want to be able to live comfortably with a pet. It's because of these efforts she is growing into a fantastic animal companion for us. When I read about Nintendogs I see that exactly 8% of what I've spent the last five months doing is actually represented.

With hints of the Tamagotchi craze of the mid 90s, Nintendogs takes the features of DS and creates an entirely new interactive experience with a virtual pet. From a technology perspective, seeing how the voice and touch screen elements of the DS come together makes Nintendogs sound like a genuine accomplishment. Reading through some of the reviews, it seems that the underlying simulation is lost amid the praises for using the DS's capabilities to their fullest. Let's take away the fact that there is a cute puppy on screen waiting to be played with. What is the ultimate goal?

Nintendogs can hardly be considered a "game" in the traditional sense, as it takes elements from what we have come to expect from a "virtual" pet with that of a simulation of sorts. You can record yourself saying "sit", and your dog will eventually learn to do it on command. After three or four tries. You can "walk" your pup around the neighborhood where you might find accessories for your new dog, like a new...hat. You can enter your dog into obedience and frisbee catching competitions and win awards to buy more stuff for your dog. You can feed your pup to keep him happy, but he will never grow. It all might seem very appealing to some people, and it's entirely possible that Nintendogs' undeniable cute factor will prompt new sales of the DS. Though what I'd be more curious about is whether this game causes someone to go out and actually buy a dog. They'll be in for a surprise.

Where I thought this game would excel is in player-to-player interaction. A proper component of raising a dog is socialization, so what better way to exploit the DS's wireless connectivity? Through something called "Bark Mode", Nintendogs players can meet each other's pups in a generic-looking play room. However, all you'll be seeing is a "local" version of the other player's puppy; none of the activity is happening in real time. That means the other player can't call his dog back to him, or throw a frisbee and the both of you watch your dogs go after it. With the inclusion of dog competitions in the single-player game, it's all the more unfortunate that players can't compete with each other in obedience trials or even something simple like a race.

The most notable aspect of multiplayer interaction is that the game assumes the dogs will get along. You don't need me to tell you that every dog behaves differently, regardless of breed. Walking your dog through a park with other dogs usually results in friendly play, but you will occasionally go through the harrowing experience of having to put up with an aggressive dog and an owner that can't control it. Nintendo obviously chose a selection of lovable, cuddly breeds to include in Nintendogs, but that doesn't mean they can't be - or become - aggressive. It's obvious this game was made for kids, but is there any kind of reaction for poking your dog repeatedly with the stylus? Or neglecting it for long periods? Something tells me the experience is intended to be short term, with the results of this negative parenting never affecting the development of your virtual puppy.

I enjoy gaming because it's an escape from reality. This is main reason why I avoid sports games: as much as I can appreciate the "fantasy" aspect of controlling one's favorite team, I'd sooner go outside and play the real thing (which rarely happens anyway). The same can be said of Nintendogs. Where's the fun of actually walking with your dog? How empty would you feel yelling into a machine, only to have the insolent collection of pixels disobey the command? Would you show this virtual pet to your friends and expect some kind of reaction? This process of thought made me question where games in general are going. To simulate real-life physics to put a player in the middle of a compelling fictional setting is certainly an admirable goal; simulating the triviality of real life seems wasteful and indulgent. I'm sure a direct relationship can be found between obsessing over virtual lives with the popularity of reality TV.

While the thought of spending $40 plus the cost of a DS for a "dog" is probably appealing to some parents, the fact of the matter is you can still turn off the game. Your dog will never die of starvation or neglect, it will never run away, and will remain a puppy forever. I'd hardly call that a simulation, and it simply reinforces a fundamental flaw in game design: the lack of any real consequence.

it's a perfect day to lock yourself inside

PC gaming on the DS

A strategy I never anticipated for the DS was to host a series of PC ports. I should probably call them "re-imaginings", though, because an initial inspection of Age of Empires DS reveals only a passing resemblance to its forebear. The game has been turned into a turn based strategy title, with battles looking like something out of Advance Wars as opposed to the RTS classics of yesteryear.

Strategy First followed this up with news that turn based franchises Disciples and Jagged Alliance would be available for the DS as well. Along with Age of Wonders, Disciples helped re-galvanize the weakened state of turn-based fantasy epics and secured a position in my catalogue of PC favorites.

On a similar note, Paradox announced last month that their turn-based Europa Universalis II would be available for the DS sometime in 2006, with seemingly little visual modifications.

Nintendo has always been known to capitalize on past successes, as any Gamecube or Gameboy Advance owner can tell you. Instead of simply re-releasing old games, however, developers will be taking advantage of the DS's interface. The buttons coupled with a stylus will attempt to mimic the mouse and keyboard, the PC gamer's requisite control scheme. With two screens at a player's disposal to display information, I can see these titles succeeding in concept, though what remains of the gameplay will be the ultimate deciding factor.

The trend continues in homespun ports, with agile programmers utilizing a growing number of DS development tools to get SCUMMVM running on the DS. I've only seen photos of The Secret of Monkey Island running - but that's enough to get the gears turning. I've said before that Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis is easily one of my favorite games of all time; to think that I would be able to play it on the DS has me considering the purchase of a wireless network card to interface with my DS.

Based on my experiences with Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt, the first person shooter is another genre that has the potential to broaden the DS's library. Case in point: Heretic DS. Forget for a moment that Heretic was a feeble attempt to recapture the success of Doom. The programmer responsible for the port has not only managed to get the game to run with both screens in operation, it appears that he has essentially copied the design concept of Metroid Prime Hunters. Do not think for a moment that the lack of an analog control stick somehow cripples the DS. When you realize that the touchscreen is an extension of the control pad the potential for this platform becomes perfectly clear.

he hands the drill to his son

meteos: not quite tetris

Comparisons have been made between the release of the PSP and its flagship Lumines and the original Game Boy that allude it's some measure of the platform's success. These comparisons would be entirely valid, too, except for the fact that Lumines is a separate purchase from its already overpriced do-all platform. Tetris came with the Game Boy, and for some people that's all they ever played. Reviews claim that Lumines is the only game you will need for the PSP. Let's contrast the DS. Released four months previous, the standout launch title was Super Mario 64 DS. An excellent port, but it doesn't promote the short game sessions portable gaming should be striving for. It's also not a title that embodies the unique gameplay opportunities gestating within the DS.

Polarium was a puzzler released for the DS earlier this year to noncommittal reviews: it used the stylus, to be sure, but the gameplay was dreadfully uninspired. The color scheme was equally boring, and the game wouldn't seem out of place on a cellphone. DS owners were left feeling cold. Until some colorful blocks started falling from the blackness of space.

the new relics

"Technology is the knack of so arranging the world that we do not experience it." - Max Frisch (1911-1991)

As we move into the future, we love to reminisce about how we got by with merely 512 KB of RAM or toted around king-sized cell phones before this era of hyper efficiency. But no one ever seems to think about where this stuff goes once labeled "obsolete", while the usefulness period of modern electronics continues to shorten at an alarming rate. Sure there are eccentric collectors out there that are content to fill their garages with arcade cabinets, Apple IIs and the occasional 8-track player, but that's not everyone. After many attempts at getting some return at the neighborhood yard sale, this stuff invariably ends up in a city dump, buried amongst the wastage.

I was out walking the dog on the weekend and I noticed a large, weather-worn piece of black plastic from a distance in the dusty wasteland that is our neighborhood. A familiar looking shape glinted in the sunlight, and as I got closer I made out the "Sega Genesis" logo. The case was cracked open, and it was clear the elements had not been kind. A knockoff six-button controller missing its wire was found nearby. While thrilled with the possibility that this was uncovered in an archaeological dig of modern times, a more likely explanation is that the wayward console was simply dumped here as part of someone's garbage.

Electronics are deeply entrenched in our culture, and will naturally make their way into our waste stream. However game-related hardware can be considered fairly recent - the Genesis that I found was originally released in 1989. That our consumer cycle has already spit out this timeworn machine into my desert of a backyard amazes me.

What will future civilizations think of the byproducts of our wired society? Useless without power, how will they determine what these devices were originally intended for? Finding a clay jar or stone tools buried underneath layers of dirt and rock tells a simple story, but as our culture complicates itself with new ways to distract ourselves from reality, our purpose here is similarly clouded.

with rusted metal heart

carnival or bust

I have been invited to the Carnival of Gamers. Twice.

Flattered to be considered part of the "heavy hitters of the gaming blogosphere" that were so noted on the invitation, I still didn't bother responding. What was the point of asking someone to link to one of my old posts? I'm happy to write for myself. I went about my business.

The first ever Carnival of Gamers has come and gone, and left a few people's egos in its wake. Some have been inflated, and others put in check, but I was mostly interested in the flame war sparked by one man's rage against the gaming media machine.

It all started with a post over at Tea Leaves, which cried foul over the news that Gamespy modified the review score for Donkey Konga 2. According to Tea Leaves, this was evidently another strike against the current state of video game writing, though the post was styled as a typical rant common to most blogs and should not have even been dignified with a reply, let alone a post on the Computer Games website. This poorly formulated response to a haphazard collection of links caused an avalanche of commentary, most of them located at Buttonmashing's follow up post. I was a little disturbed watching Computer Games' Matthew Gallant try to defend himself, having no real position since he never bothered to slog through all the links.

While I agree with the spirit of the Carnival, the way in which it was carried out does the entire "gaming blogosphere" a disservice. There was no evident method for selecting the posts. It was even said that the only reason the Tea Leaves post was listed first was because it was submitted first. The Carnival itself is simply a collection of links with a few choice words wrapped around them. If I was someone interested in a particular topic, for example, the lampooning of online game journalism, how would I know where to look? Categories or headers for common blog posts would have done well in this regard. The organizer and proprietor of Buttonmashing also noted that he didn't like some of the posts. So why were they listed? To be fair to those who submitted links? How is it, then, that you can call the Carnival "the best and brightest video game bloggers from around the world!" I don't care if it's sarcasm: this is unfair to the readers that have been lured in from other websites that might actually take this statement, and the following collection of video game writing, seriously.

I think Matthew Gallant's complaint about the lack of editorial control is an excellent one. The Carnival may be providing links to some unknown weblogs, but if it's bad writing (or as we saw, provides a sensationalist negative opinion) it will reflect badly on the organizer, and the Carnival itself. Slashdot Games may have ripped into the Carnival as well, but why dismiss them? Instead of hearing what the commenters had to say, despite its negative slant, it was blocked out as an insult to the whole affair. It's one thing to link to a bunch of articles you enjoyed. If they're read by similar-minded people like the ones on the typical game blogger's links page I doubt you'll get any arguments. But when word gets out, you're likely to draw in those people that don't agree with you. Either learn to put up with criticism, or stop doing this. It's that simple.

The referrer log gazing on the Carnival's wrap up post was amusing. Calling it a great success based on some heavy linkage is hardly a comprehensive measurement. Of particular note are the links on Kotaku and Instapundit. Did they even read all the posts in the Carnival? I really doubt it, because they probably would have had more to say. Outsiders are lured into this realm expecting greatness, or at least a level of quality reflective of the linking website.

What's so bad about writing and nobody reading it, anyway? This is a classic symptom of blogger narcissism. I've been happily writing about games on this site since 2003, and whether I get visitors or not makes no difference on how I do things. Half the time commenters were trying to sell me vicadin or horse pills anyway. I write what I want, when I want, and I'm not trying to apply myself to some unwritten agenda that game blogging must be seen to be validated. Besides, once your gaming weblog gets attention, then what? Are you going to use it as a portfolio to get a job somewhere else? At a gaming website? At a gaming magazine? Railing against established media isn't exactly the best way to network with future employers.

I blame Penny Arcade for this obsession with internet fame. I have nothing against the guys, but the cult of personality that has sprung up around them is absolutely mind-boggling. They can say a bad thing about a game and influence thousands of people. Tycho can praise a game using his verbal gymnastics and people will be lining up at EB the next day. These are just the opinions of two guys, but that doesn't matter. Disagree with the mob and you've got a flame war on your hands. And isn't that what's happening here?

There's nothing special about game blogs, yet the Carnival's supporters seem to think so. Some of the posts at the Carnival were actually well- written, even if they weren't talking about something I was particularly excited about. Part of the problem is that sentiments are simply echoed throughout these sites' collective blogrolls. What's the point of reading at all if I'm not going to get a difference in opinion, or a new viewpoint on an old subject? What makes this different from weblogging in general?

Frankly, I'm a little embarrassed for those on both sides of this perceived battle. Making light of the negative comments from Slashdot Games is one thing, but when your own comments section erupts into the same type of defensive, ranty posts found there it undermines the purpose of the discussion in the first place. Furthermore, making a point of lambasting a professional game writer as if he were responsible for the mess that is games journalism seems kind of shortsighted. It's usually wise to assume that the mainstream media understands very little about weblogging. So is outright hostility how new readers should be introduced to this subculture of game writers? I wouldn't be surprised if visitors directed to the Carnival from elsewhere saw these immature displays and opted to never return again.

I have never made any claims to expertise or credibility. It's safer that way, and I'm a lot happier doing my own thing than trying to champion some cause that I don't believe is necessary. There's just something about self-aggrandizing self-publishing that smacks of inexperience. I'd hardly call Kotaku the pinnacle of game blogging. Do you enjoy sifting through advertisements to get to your information? Yet for some reason the underlying theme here is bringing attention to the gamebloggers, these unsung heroes of game journalism that might one day rise up against the firmly established gaming media empire. But for what? Ad revenue? Respect? A piece of virtual infamy? There's no way attention would be this important if something wasn't wanted in return.

The next Carnival is this week. Here's hoping the host exercises a bit more editorial control, before the Carnival is buried under the unfortunate stigma of its predecessor.

fools like us

there is still humour in game writing

Not since the halcyon days of Old Man Murray have I read such a scathing, yet wholly humerous diatribe on the bullshit currently drowning the industry. How fitting that it comes after the screenshot contest and orgy of empty promises that is E3!

Of note is the return of the crate commentary (#14): honestly, is there nothing more innovative to fill up a level's floorspace with? At least in Half Life 2 you could build things out of them with the Gravity Gun.

I also like what the writers insinuate about the online capabilities of the new consoles: as much as I love having the PC as my home platform, there is nothing more infuriating than installing a patch that doesn't work with your existing saved games, resets game settings, or is explicitly required to play the god damned game. The only genre that has an excuse is the MMORPG, which should be adding more content and not fixing the game like so many do. It's an unfortunate side effect of the development process, where in a rush to ship a product programmers rely on a future patch. While in most games this could be considered optimization, some are virtually unplayable until they are patched. Console gamers have been safe in their realm of uniform hardware specs and relatively bug-free games. I consider this a turning point where developers can use this technology to provide more functionality in games, or adopt the "release now, patch later" philosophy, a path that is often rife with frustration and disappointment.

Blizzard decides to create another Halo

After reading through a few playtests it's pretty clear Blizzard has taken the safe route and created another science fiction shooter. But why? After almost four years of development, no realistic release date in sight, and a completely new design, Ghost's development cycle has curiously avoided the scorn of the gaming media next to PR disasters Duke Nukem Forever and Daikatana. I mean it's Blizzard, right? They release games when they're done and deliver an oustanding product. However this time I'm not so sure.

For one, the recent official trailer makes it seem more action-oriented, and reminded me way too much of the beginning of Dawn of War.Through the Gamespot playtest, the writer makes reference to an "infiltration sequence", insinuating that this playing style isn't carried through the entire game. Quoth Greg Kasavin: "This doesn't feel like a stealth game--it feels like an action game in which stealth is an option." Said in a positive tone, as if this were a good thing. While I can appreciate that the developers are allowing players to take multiple approaches to each mission, think about Ghost units for a second. They were good for infiltration, but direct combat? Unless you were using Kerrigan there is no way a squad of Ghosts - let alone one - could survive a firefight with Marines. And while there are probably some areas where stealth is clearly the option (ie. an objective is swarming with marines that clearly outnumber you), I hardly consider this flexibility.

Though you can't actually jack any power suit, Nova's "lockdown" technique can be applied to adversaries to incapacitate them. There are, however, specific locations within levels where you can take control of vehicles and marine power suits, implying a certain linearity. The cloaking ability looks and sounds as you would imagine having played the RTS game, but I'm curious about its limitations. Traditional stealth games such as Thief and Splinter Cell rely on their environment to remain undetected. Will Nova have some kind of scanner to see if there are sentry posts nearby that can detect invisible units (as in the RTS)? Or will the suit be on some kind of battery, where power is drained as long as the cloak is activated? I have similar questions about her weapon loadout. Ghosts were armed with rifles in the RTS game, but according to the playtests she has multiple weapons at her disposal. Splinter Cell was far from realistic allowing you to carry a briefcase-worth of equipment in the tiny pockets of your vest, but I'd have an even harder time accepting that a rocket launcher, sniper rifle and flamethrower are hidden in the folds of Nova's skintight bodysuit.

Ghost will include an online multiplayer mode for the XBox and PS2, where you can be one of four character classes and partake in the typical deathmatching and capture the flag antics complete with pilotable vehicles that have become ever so popular on the console. The different character classes will make this interesting, creating mini-skirmishes right out of the RTS game.

It's likely that Blizzard used the excuse of "early build" to explain the game's visuals during E3, but they're less than impressive when considering that the game has been built from scratch since Swingin' Ape took over the project. It looks out of date already, and makes the gameplay Ghost is offering that more important.

Perhaps it was unreasonable to expect another Splinter Cell. As far as I'm concerned, Chaos Theory has fully established the series as leader of the genre. Metal Gear Solid doesn't count, as the games are decent, but cleverly disguised movies with scraps of gameplay dispersed throughout. While having an action-oriented game based in the StarCraft universe isn't a big deal in principle, the fact that the main character's function is stealth should have a larger bearing as to how the game is played. Indeed, in both Splinter Cell and Pandora Tomorrow you could plow through a level and not get killed, as long as you stuck to the shadows. But where's the challenge in that? If I wanted to do platforming while shooting a gun I'd play Ratchet and Clank; with Ghost I feel that Blizzard's valuable property is somehow being sold short.

get a look at the accident

E3: full of sound and fury, signifying nothing

An article at Corpnews put words to something I had been thinking about E3 the past week as I read about each day's events.

As a gamer, I've always wanted to attend an E3. It's the place where you go to be assaulted by the sights and sounds of gaming, possibly meet the people behind your favorite games, and get the chance to play something months before it sees store shelves - if at all. It's an idealistic view, and probably a lot further from the truth than I realize.

E3 2005 was earmarked by Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo as being the media event that would culminate in the revelation of their next generation consoles and first wave of releases. I would have loved to have been there. But as the time approached, and quickly passed, I realized that I learned more about the new consoles and games in the weeks leading up to the event. In a PR department's rush to secure mindshare, "leaks" are orchestrated to ensure that this information isn't lost amongst the onslaught of E3-releated articles. This may also provide a shopping list of sorts for E3 attendees, but aside from an actual hands-on playtest that might last five minutes, it didn't sound like there was much else to learn. There were no suprises; I knew what would be there. And at the end of it all I'm as excited about Age of Empires III as I was before.

The writer's complaints about The Corporation, a "medium-large gaming website", not having privileged access to games and their developers smacked of too much bitterness. I'll overlook those comments and delve to the larger issue: the gaming media itself. The advent of online publications and self-publishing has changed the face of gaming media, to the point where the line is blurred between someone who is genuinely a media representative, and someone who simply operates a gaming website or has a few articles online. I'm not about to get into the "blogger vs. big journalism" discussion, mind you - this is about E3's media screening process. Ten years ago it was almost impossible for the general public to get in. You had to either know someone in the industry, or sign up the day of the event to weasel your way onto the show floor. Now that you're able to register online, who's checking the credentials of those signing up as media? Then there's the general attendance: all you have to do to get onto the exhibit floor is pay for admission. No direct connection to the industry is required. I know there are gaming webloggers and site operators that were able to attend this year, and probably provided a valuable resource to the people that read their sites. A prime example: Penny Arcade goes every year. But what do they do? They create comics based on games that may influence someone to purchase (or stay away from) a particular title. But how much of the game-buying public actually visits the site instead of say, Gamespot or the latest copy of Gamepro? Better still, what about the major TV networks or newspapers? It's all about viewership: as gaming makes its way more into mainstream culture, publishers and developers have less time to spend with fan sites or the hardcore that are going to buy the game anyway, and elect to get their piece out to the largest audience possible. This shouldn't be a surprise - it happened two weeks ago with the XBox360.

Some people will tell you that E3 has been going downhill for a long time, and the real action happens at the Game Developer's Conference, or at private press events before the trade show. These are places where the developers themselves are allowed to make some noise about their game - not have booth attendants rattle off feature lists or half baked concepts to get the product into a display at Best Buy or satiate the general attendees. Instead of celebrating games, E3 seems to iterate everything that's wrong with games - flashy booths, pre-rendered "gameplay videos", strippers earning some extra cash as a gaming personality, and publishers trying to sell their latest sequel. When the number of people in attendance makes it all but impossible to walk around, let alone see the games, how much fun can it be? The hostility towards attendees sporting "media" badges that the writer complains about tells me that it's simply getting out of control. Either we let the gaming media and industry professionals do their jobs, or overrun the exposition to the point where it becomes nothing more than an amusement park. Indeed, I would have loved to have gone this year, but when streaming video is a web browser away, does being there actually make a difference anymore? I enjoy the thought of sitting comfortably at my desk than standing amidst a massive, sweaty mound of flesh clad in free t-shirts. Last year NCSoft gave us E3 for everyone; I'd like to see more developers take that chance.

no brakes this time

backwards compatibility the order of the day

At long last the XBox 360, Playstation 3, and Nintendo Revolution have been revealed, their specs devoured, and flame wars commenced. Aside from the Revolution being the only one without high-definition support, what intrigues me the most about the next generation is backward compatibility. Indeed, every one of these consoles pledges support for games of its predecessor, though perhaps some more than others. The Playstation 2 boldly started this trend, effectively doubling the library of games available to Playstation 2 purchasers. Sony is continuing this with the PS3, and as a result my current allegiance in the oncoming battle is for this platform. The specs look incredible, and the mindshare is deeply entrenched allowing developers to feel cozy in the thought that their games are almost guaranteed to sell. This is no indicator of quality; rather, it is security knowing that most games will be released for this platform. I missed out on some great games on the PS2 for reasons mostly limited to my own stubbornness, and I'm fully prepared to play catch-up over the next couple of years.

Nintendo's shrinking set-top console library since the N64 could have used this tactic, but their insistence on using archaic forms of media denied this possibility. Comfortably secure in the handheld market, however, Nintendo has smartly allowed compatibility with Gameboy games on all future versions of their handheld hardware (including the DS). The Gamecube has been home to some fantastic games; perhaps the Revolution will assure enough high-calibre titles for gamers to invest in the platform and realize what they've overlooked. According to this press release, the Revolution will also have access to downloadable Nintendo classics from the N64, SNES, and NES, no doubt making up for previous lost opportunities. It is unknown what this is going to cost, though charging $19.99 for a 19 year old game certainly worked for them on the GBA.

Microsoft is taking a different approach with the XBox 360, stating that this new hardware will be "backward-compatible with top-selling Xbox games." Though what this actually means is anyone's guess. Microsoft being who they are you could assume this means Halo 1 and 2 and consider the matter closed.

Backwards compatibility is a good trend to continue, because nobody wants to accumulate old hardware just so they can play the classics. It's also a great way for gamers to educate themselves on a bit of gaming history - there's nothing more annoying than reviewers falsely proclaiming originality, and consumers being none the wiser. Though all this talk about backward compatibility as a "new" feature makes me wonder where everyone's been for the last 15 years. Once again I'm back to lamenting the neglect of the PC. Console manufacturers would never admit that's what they're trying to emulate, but that's the way it's going (and the price is going up to match). Online gaming capabilities, its inherent abilities as a media center, its graphical prowess, backwards compatibility - these are all things that the PC has always done, and has for a long time. I fail to see why marketers insist on labeling consoles as "entertainment" systems, when in fact all they're selling you is an over-designed computer.

it seems so out of context

the XBox 360 is not the point

I think it's time to put aside the heckling and realize what that "special" (read: commercial) for the XBox 360 really means, because we're only going to get this chance once. Indeed, the Spike TV awards were collectively acknowledged as a huge waste of time - but at least it was 3 hours long (or whatever, I never actually got through it). This XBox 360 commercial was hyped even on Canadian television, all for what I gather was equivalent to a short segment on the home shopping network. Screenshots and specifications and superficial interviews by pop stars mean nothing to me right now. What I'm concerned about is gaming's new image. Quite frankly, it's embarassing.

What happened in the last couple of years? I mean, besides game culture going mainstream and Franz Ferdinand playing in the background of PSP commercials. This is a very dangerous direction for the industry to be heading. Focus grouping is not the answer to good games! This whole scenario absolutely reeks of market research and target demographics. How a blatant product placement on a channel full of product placements can be seen as otherwise is a testament to our culture. I don't want to hear about Halo sequels and polygons for the rest of my life as a gamer, which to be honest is being tested at this very moment. As I said in an earlier post PC gaming has taken a hit because of this newfound interest in catering to an entertainment-driven market. It's not as easy to market the type of games that thrive on the PC to people who want third person action or can actually stomach playing a FPS with a gamepad. The XBox 360 can play DVDs! Fantastic! I finally have an excuse throw my DVD player off my balcony.

I can't help but feel bitter at these developments. Gaming has always been a big part of my life, even if it meant getting my ass kicked in the locker room after gym glass. Now the ass kickers are playing video games. Will the hardcore be remembered after these turbulent times? Will the opinions of gamers who actually played Doom matter next to Halo's star on the walk of fame? It's extremely scary to think my hobby is being driven into the ground by gamers who care little for gaming history or its acceptance as more than a diversion. Do you want to be playing commercials in the next five years? Go ahead and pick up that copy of Madden. It won't hurt you...yet.

Oh, and The Killers? Give me a fucking break.

makes me want to give mankind a beating

games that copy movies that copy games

My favorite example of a game that copies another game that was obviously inspired by a movie is Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine. In 1996 Tomb Raider gave the adventuring archaeologist oversized breasts and dual pistols instead of a whip and genuine charm, and created an extremely successful franchise in its own right. After essentially ignoring the Indiana Jones brand for seven years (I don't consider Desktop Adventures a recognizable sequel) Lucasarts clearly designed Infernal Machine with the success of Tomb Raider in mind. Though the intentions were good and the spirit of Indiana Jones was intact, the controls and derivative gameplay made it an inferior game compared against its inspiration; a game that basically brought 3D platforming to the PC.

I think Vivendi Universal's Scarface: The World is Yours is next in line for this strange trend. De Palma's over the top, violent epic was the inspiration for many games, most notably the GTA series. In GTA III one of the radio stations is the entire Scarface soundtrack, not to mention your ultimate goal of ascending the ranks of Liberty City's underworld. The mansion you eventually get in GTA: Vice City was modelled after Tony Montana's stronghold at the end of the film. So why do we need a Scarface game?

"Having the chance to now bring gamers the authentic experience is an opportunity and challenge we are looking forward to," is the reason we get from VUG in a press release, though their reference to "cutting edge technology" is debatable. I might be missing something, but the screens look absolutely horrid even for a console port (yes, this will be on PC).

EA's The Godfather is another movie-game to tap into the free form gameplay of GTA, and will also feature some of the voice talent of the original film's actors despite being disowned by Francis Ford Coppola himself.

I know that GTA III+ is the latest trend in "mainstream" gaming - both Fear and Respect and 50 Cent's Bulletproof are hoping to grab audiences that want to live the thug life without fear of bloodshed or jail time sharing a cell with guy named Big Earl. I could easily compare this landslide of unoriginality to the copious number of WW2 shooters we've seen in recent years. GTA III was critically lauded because of its lack of linear gameplay. I remember spending many sessions simply stealing cars and performing stunts; the missions I found boring and repetitive. Casual gamers liked it for the unabashed violence and freedom to perform criminal acts without consequence. It's been the thorn in the side of lawyers eager to cash in on the video game industry's seeming complacency towards creating and selling "murder simulators" to our youth. Publishers are taking notice of this controversy and want to exploit it. Pretty soon the only complacency we'll be seeing is on the part of the consumer, who are more than happy to forego innovation and shell out money for a dated design concept.

i've got another

treasure tries it again with Gunstar Super Heroes

I caught some scanned screens from Play magazine from the upcoming "Gunstar Super Heroes" for the GBA. This follows the rumours last month that Sega had trademarked the game's title.

Treasure's involvement was also confirmed in the article, creating a significant amount of buzz for fans of the original Genesis game. However instead of losing control like so many others after hearing the words Sega, Treasure, and Gunstar in the same sentence, let me be straight with you.

Advance Guardian Heroes sucked. In fact, it was the worst game of 2004. It should also be known that Treasure developed Advance Guardian Heroes. Even though Treasure only assisted in the development of Astro Boy: Omega Factor, it was undoubtedly the better game, and one of my favorites from 2004. Omega Factor shared the same visual and gameplay style as Gunstar Heroes, and in hindsight was probably its true successor. My reluctance to accept Gunstar GBA lies in the sprites and backgrounds that are too reminiscent of Advance Guardian Heroes. I'm afraid to get excited because it would be too easy for Treasure to use the same engine that made Advance Guardian Heroes completely unplayable.

I like that classic titles are being retooled for the GBA: Zero Mission and Metal Slug are just a couple of other recent examples. It lends credence to why the GBA remains such a wonderful outlet for 2D gaming. What I don't like is the dependence on a brand that seems to give developers and publishers some kind of license to abuse the unconditional love of the fans that made these titles successful in the first place.

another medal

A recent interview at Gamespot shows that EA changed the name of their upcoming console only WWII shooter from the previously advertised "Dogs of War" to "European Assault". The reason for the change is unknown, though one can only guess at EA's logic behind replacing an unoriginal title with something more benign, yet equally bland. Also in this interview with military advisor Captain Dale Dye of the US Marine Corps (Ret.), Gamespot announces his likeness will be in the game as an NPC you fight alongside in one of the missions. Anyone familiar with military movies should recognize Capt. Dye, as he has been involved as a military advisor and actor with Platoon, Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers, and as recently as Alexander. Video games are nothing new for him either, as he helped develop the original concept of Medal of Honor shortly after working with Steven Spielberg on Saving Private Ryan.

Even if the intent of this article is to simply develop interest in the title, the release date is awfully close and I still don't know why I should be playing European Assault. It's nice to see that Capt. Dye is being honored with such a treatment after his long involvement with the series, but that's hardly a reason. I've played Brothers in Arms, and I know this formula can be improved. Is Medal of Honor destined to be the next Madden, shoveled out yearly with minimal improvements? I find it funny that Captain Dye says that the series has always been about realism. Allied Assault definitely succeeded in capturing the cinematic feel of Saving Private Ryan, and that's what made it so engrossing. But that selling point is wearing a bit thin, and I still consider Call of Duty a finer game than last year's Pacific Assault. Though my peers assuage this is hardly a genre to worry about, I still believe there is both educational and entertainment value left to be obtained.

extreme gamedropping

I have a very complex relationship when it comes to big media and gaming. On one hand, I'm pretty happy when an event like the upcoming release of Sony's PSP makes it onto the morning news, because for a split second it's like they're talking to me. But then I quickly realize that they're only repeating what everyone else is saying, information that the hardcore have known for months. It's like the news is posing for a second as an institution that's in the know. "We've got the finger on the pulse - not up our filthy asses." That would explain why Future Shop changed their front page to reflect the impending "Gaming Revolution" and its $400 price tag. To even consider this as a grounded statement would be ridiculous, but I'm still going to offer up a suggestion: wouldn't it be "1 day until the gaming revolution"?

As such it's with great trepidation that I watch any television show featuring a plot that orbits around something to do with video games or game culture. They almost always get it wrong, and although Law and Order: SVU did a decent job of balancing both sides of the video game violence issue, it was still more or less a puff piece on what is "wrong" with this generation of media saturated youth.

In another random spate of TV watching on Monday I was surprised to see Tony Hawk playing a dead body on CSI: Miami. He was a video game tester for "eXtrem3 Skatepark" or something, but was also moonlighting as a stand in for the development studio's owner who claimed he did all the tricks shown in the game. Hawk was murdered by a fellow tester - after being beaten by his wife who thought his long work hours were actually infidelity - coyly enforcing the belief that video games foster a subculture with violent tendencies. What impressed me was the timeliness of their commentary on how game development studios operate: the game's lead programmer complained that he hadn't been home in 72 hours, while a tester pleaded for a simple glimpse of sunlight. Infused with the bitterness of ea_spouse, a scene showed the receptionist sending flowers with generic notes to the spouses or partners of the staff, attempting to salvage relationships strained by so much time at work.

I find it interesting that video games are becoming more of a setpiece for television shows to base stories on. Their accessibility has embedded them in popular culture, so it's only reasonable to expect this to happen. Though what surprises me is the frequency in which this is happening, as if the writers have nothing else to use to depict the lifestyles of modern youth.

a selection of visual treats

The Zelda gamecube trailer that was released during last week's Game Developer's conference made me a believer. This isn't a darkening of the series so much as it is an aging of the series; Link's new adventure does not look like something you have to make excuses for to play. There are no tattoos or trite one-liners here; this is a calculated reframing of an existing, accepted universe. Graveyards no longer have cartoonish ghosts or creatures that you would sooner laugh at; the battles contain a legitamately creepy atmosphere. What actually gave me goosebumps - yes, motherfucking goosebumps - was the brief glimpse of what seemed to be Link's view of Return of the King's Path of the Dead. This new adventure could very well end up falling back to its traditional gameplay elements, but at this point I'm more interested in seeing more of what the game world itself has to offer.

Then there's the Episode III trailer. It furthers my theory that these trailers do an excellent job of building expectations. Then again, fans have been doing that for the last 20 years. I have this sinking feeling that this film will be incredible, and will somehow alleviate the growing pains that were endured over the course of its predecessors in the minds of fans. It almost feels like the entire plot could be summarized into one film, where Anakin's childhood and "romance" with Padme are glossed over in couple of scenes. The Clone Wars and associated galactic conflicts have been developed more by outside materials than Episode II itself, and this is something I hope Episode III corrects with the stunning space battles hinted at in the trailer. The movie is starting to look more like the original trilogy, with familiar looking spacecraft filling out some of the short scenes. The part man, part machine known General Grievous looks like a fascinating character, and even after those split seconds in the trailer it seems like an indignity for him not to be canonized in the official poster. The prequel trilogy's focus on droids is actually something to consider: could it be that the bartender in the Mos Eisley cantina had a hatred that was actually founded in these historical battles? It's this type of thing that allows Star Wars to permanently reside in my sphere of interests.

Somehow German gaming site Gamona has scored a high res feast of the upcoming Call of Duty 2 that was recently previewed in the April issue of PC Gamer. According to dates listed on EB Games and Gamespot, the game is due to be released this August, which I have a very hard time believing. The inevitable sequel announced last month was rumoured to have enlisted the assistance of id software's Doom III engine, but will instead be using a proprietary engine as noted in a portion of the PC gamer article. Though the screens do share similarities to the aging Quake III engine, I have to admit the models and environments look more natural. There will obviously be a campaign in North Africa, and while I do appreciate the added ability to choose which one to play, one of the screens almost looks like we'll be placed into the boots of a German soldier. All joking aside, this could be a big step for WW2FPS single player campaign. It's easy for a developer to motivate players by throwing a bunch of Nazis onto the screen and call them "The Enemy". What would be even more impressive is if Infinity Ward actually used this scenario to their advantage, and explored the other side of the war. Though I doubt the moral quandary that comes with it would be suited to fans of the genre's previously established conventions.

do not hesitate, show no mercy

the walk of game

There was a petition going around last week to add Mario to the walk of fame, something usually reserved for real-life entertainers. I can appreciate his influence on popular culture, but what purpose would this serve? Then I read about the Walk of Game, which is an exclusive set of sidewalk monuments dedicated to significant figures in gaming. At that moment it was true: gaming really has broken through to the proletarian!

In the official induction ceremony that took place yesterday, the lucky few:

• Nolan Bushnell - the so called "Father of the video game industry", creator of Pong and Atari Coroporation
  
• Shigeru Miyamoto - the creator of some of the best loved games and characters in the entire history of the medium
  
• Link - one of Miyamoto's creations, and star of some of the greatest games of all time
  
• Mario - I think this one speaks for itself, don't you?
  
• Sonic - Sega's attidude-drenched answer to Mario, and star of one of my favorite games for the Genesis console.
  
• Halo - a console FPS released in 2001
  

Halo? This makes very little sense to me, and in an instant I was able to delete the entire occurance from my short term memory. This "Walk of Game" that honors a FPS that in turn owes a lot more to games that came before is doing the industry, and its fans, a disservice. Are these blessed star shaped tiles limited to the world of consoles? What happened to Doom? It may not have been "story driven" - a fact that the website makes painstakingly clear as if to differentiate the game somehow - but it sure as shit spawned an entire legion of games to come after it. Not to mention the fact that it brought fan created mods to the forefront. A stunt like this stinks of corporate PR, and to rely on it to reflect opinions of the gaming majority would be like tuning in to the Spike TV Video Game Awards every year.

the winds of change

My wife is awesome. In most circumstances a guy with my hazardous preoccupation with games would be hard pressed to find a spouse that would actually pick up a gaming magazine on their lunch break for them. However an unforeseen mix-up occured after I kicked my PC Gamer habit, because she came home one day last week with a copy of Computer Gaming World as opposed to my new publication of choice - the infinitely more readable Computer Games. An easily forgivable mistake, and something that I have actually used to my advantage.

After reading Brian Hook's review of Computer Gaming World as part of my quest for PC Gamer's successor on my coffee table, I silently agreed that this magazine was not to be touched. However, considering the circumstances I figured it was a good opportunity to find out for myself what was lacking within its screenshot-laced pages. For it to be a "Game of the Year Awards" issue was an even happier coincidence; the cover clearly indicated World of Warcraft would be lavished with praise by yet another publication and I was curious to see their justification. (Aside: I got Computer Games magazine shortly after, who also gave World of Warcraft top honors in an issue that seems to be penned entirely by Cindy Yans. Needless to say I was overly unimpressed aside from Tom Chick's "Listmania").

Unsuprised by CGW's poetic love letter to Blizzard for gracing us with the gift of World of Warcraft, I turned to their RPG of the year award. Fresh off of the disappointment of Troika's closing, I laughed bitterly at their choice of Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines. Stating that "Bloodlines would have been tough to beat even in an RPG loaded year", I chuckled at how these lofty statements can never actually be disproven. Though I didn't read their full review, I got a pretty good idea of what it was like with this completely embarassing description:

It offers all the things roleplayers love in their games: a deep, balanaced character creation system, a truckload of interesting quests, a good story, and great NPCs to interact with. All of this goodness is wrapped in one deliciously bad package - a graphically rich, sexually charged midnight underworld populated by a wild variety of scheming evil, and occasionally flat out insane bloodsuckers and their hangers-on.

Deliciously bad? Holy fuck I wish I could write like that. But there's more:

[Bloodlines is] a game that truly rewards players for trying to get into the head of a "real" vampire instead of merely asking them to hack their way through the game world and that adds up to a little thing we like to refer as "award winning". Besides, how can you not love a game that lets you create your own personal ghoul? Exactly.

I hate to sound like a broken record, but Amit@Damned Machines is right - these idiots need to grow the fuck up. Game awards are important, as they tend to influence casual gamers that don't have the time or inclination to experience every one of the year's releases. Bloodlines may have won RPG of the year, but their endorsement is not something that would make me run out to the store and buy it. It won Best RPG of the Year, how about putting some effort into the reason why?

In the same awards feature under the "Best Trend" category rejoicing the number and quality of strategy games released in 2004 they plead: "Now if only someone would pay this much attention to the floundering role playing category that is dying a slow, painful death". I beg to differ, assholes. Clearly your heads are too far up publishers greasy rectums to notice two European developed isometric RPGs that came out last year: Sacred and Beyond Divinity. Two games that weren't even dignified as also rans in the RPG category because your layout designer fucked up and repeated the same information from the "Best Adventure Game" category the page before. Way to go. Oh, and stop whining about the fact that the PC version of Spider Man 2 sucked as if it was some kind of crime. If you didn't listen so much to your fellow whores at EGM you would know that you weren't missing anything.

They also go on about how great Silent Storm was in their "Best Trend: Good strategy games" blurb, but put it up against The Sims 2 in a truly odd category called "Best Strategy Game: General". Why not have a best sims category, and reward Silent Storm? It's clearly the only combat strategy game in the category (and a turn based one, at that), which was up against other nominees The Political Machine and Roller Coaster Tycoon 3. Instead they create a hand job of a category called "Best use of a game engine" so they don't seem so fucking myopic by not letting Silent Storm win something.

Though when you chip away all of this ranting, it essentially becomes another argument for better game journalism in print media. I still think there's a place for game magazines, but as I said before they have to stop trying to compete with gaming websites and focus on what makes their publication unique, lest they continue producing subpar material and almost certainly driving themselves into irrelevance.

A deeper exploration of a game's meaning and influence would make for a more readable account instead of a formulaic approach that amounts to tickboxes on an imaginary review content checklist. We've all heard the words "New Games Journalism", but instead of constantly reframing past accomplishments it's time to start thinking about how to apply this buzzphrase en masse.

I'm of the mindset that there has to be an old games journalism first. Based on what I saw in CGW, the writing that passes for current video game journalism is just a bunch of fucking book reports; there's no real analysis beyond the superficial. I'm just as guilty of examining the technical details or how a game is played as opposed to any feeling it evokes, hard as I try to promote the latter. That's only because as a medium, video games are still finding their feet. If you'll allow this lazy comparison, film has had a hundred years to develop trends, themes and conventions that allow critics to focus on the message - not the parameters by which they're brought to the screen. However, this is partly the fault of the games themselves: take any game and try to glean some kind of message that goes beyond the story and gameplay. Something that actually sticks with you or possibly changes your outlook on life. There's no way you'll see "encourages deep thinking" or "contains content that may cause you to question the state of the world" on a game's featurelist - it's nowhere near as appealing as "Awesome new graphics!" or "Realistic weapon models!". Games may be interactive experiences, but like films they remain discrete events that provide simple entertainment or insight into a moral quandary that tends to dissipate after walking away from it. Games as learning tools can accomplish so much more than simple escapism. Even though some video game aficionados (myself included) will sometimes attribute life-changing experiences to a videogame, rarely is this the developer's intentions. Call it cynical, but I just don't think we're there yet. That being said, if it must be called "New Games Journalism", so be it. Encouraging game writers and gamers alike to approach the latest title with this softer criteria can in turn influence developers to put this type of content in their games so it may be found. The medium can evolve, and perhaps establish itself truly as an art form instead of a simple pastime.

like a gyprock parachute

the regiment

In my haste to name the squad tactical shooters to be released this year, I seem to have overlooked Konami Europe's The Regiment for the PS2 and PC. The Regiment will introduce gamers to the world of Britain's SAS counter-terrorist force, which became world renowned in the televised takedown of the Iranian embassy in London in 1980. Powered by the Unreal engine (and making obvious allowances for the PS2), The Regiment will intermix fictional missions with a re-enactment of the famous operation at the embassy. I'm glad to see a developer examining this subject, as the inspiration for this genre has traditionally been very U.S.-centric.

intensity

I'm not much for TV watching. I'd rather sit down with a good movie if I'm going to be in front of a screen, though naturally my favorite type of entertainment is of the interactive variety.

One thing that always gets me into a frothy rage is the way computers and technology are portrayed in TV or in movies. How many hackers do you know have a fancy 3D interface to work with (Swordfish), or complain about deleted or corrupted data due to de-fragging (countless episodes of Law and Order). Video games are another beast entirely, as it is so easy to demonize them when they've been such a hot button issue.

I wasn't surprised, then, when I casually tuned in to Law and Order: Special Victims Unit last night to see them talking about this game called "Intensity", which was supposedly the basis for a crime. A hooker was run over by a car, beaten to death and left for dead. Clearly inspired by Grand Theft Auto III+, the show hoped to tap into the "subculture" surrounding the game (and I use the term loosely - the kids shown in the program weren't exactly credible gamers). Let's also forget for a moment that the graphics were embarrassingly bad (on a PC!), and all you saw during the show was the same sequence repeatedly.

I respect that the show tried to tackle this trendy issue, and I also like how the defense lawyer tried to pin the blame on the developers of the game only to lose because of the defendant's obviously sound mind. References to Columbine as video game violence manifesting itself were made, but ultimately the message I got from the show was that video games are just another form of media, and cannot be blamed for a person's actions. Though as video games are still a very new form of media, opinions on their influence on youth have not been objectively formed yet. You still hear the angry cries of bad parents or blowhard government officials basing their "facts" on inconclusive studies. I appreciate that this show revealed both sides of the argument, and that's a small step in the mainstream acceptance of our hobby.

we are what we remember

gaming in 2004: the year's best

The year 2004 will be remembered for being extremely favourable to gamers, PC gamers in particular. I don't think anyone could have expected the quality of the titles that were released during the dreaded Christmas rush. It's a pretty ridiculous custom that I'm never going to get used to, because the clout of the big publishers will almost always drive some unknown gem to the bottom of the pile beneath their ad-driven counterparts. Off the top of my head I regret not being able to play Baten Kaitos, or the Battle for Middle Earth, though most tell me I'm not missing much on the latter. I'm glad I got a chance to play GTA: San Andreas, one of 2004's many blockbuster releases. And even if it is basically more of the same, I'm much more comfortable with the deeper feel of this game, and most importantly, the soundtrack. I don't know if it's just early 90s nostalgia at work here, but it really is top notch. I look forward to its release on the PC this summer.

My excitement over PC gaming's numerous quality releases is reflected in the following list, once again not intended to be comprehensive. It's a welcome change from last year's many console ports.

humans are so played out

I've got nothing better to do on a Tuesday night. Sure, I can sit down on the couch and watch the tragic events unfold as my hobby is knocked back about 15 years and dragged through the mud of sophomoric humour and big chested babes. Video games are just for kids? After sitting through exactly 30 minutes of the absolutely ridiculous display of what some pointy haired network exec thinks gamers want, I'd have to agree.

Negative attention is still attention, so forgive me for further trampling the Spike TV Video Game Awards to death. I just fail to see the relevance of most of the categories, and even the nominees. X-Men Legends nominated as best RPG? I've got nothing against the game, but I'd hardly classify it as anything outside of a multiplayer action game. The Best military game category contained two RTS games, one of them not even based in reality. Why not just have a separate RTS category? It's pretty clear the categories aren't based on any set number of candidates, and you'd have more luck getting an explanation for the inclusion of a Best PC game category. And any awards show that neglects to even mention the biggest MMORPG release of the year, or worse, an entire fucking platform discredits itself.

Everything about this event just reeked of a half-assed attempt to get parents or clueless casual gamers out to the stores before Christmas. I mean the presenters couldn't have been more wooden in their delivery, forcibly confessing their love of video games. Even the crowd seemed stoical in their reception of each winner, not sure themselves of what was happening.

If this awards show was someone's idea of representing "gamer culture", there must have been some kind of misstep along the way to gaming's mainstream acceptance. Are "real" gamers not interesting enough? If you don't like Halo or GTA or Madden does that make you irrelevant? I'm not going to say I've got my finger on the pulse of today's youth - the gratuitous use of hip hop culture and its relation to gaming certainly confused me - but I think I've got an idea about what makes a good game. I'd also hold awards given to games by the industry that makes them in higher regard than those essentially bought with a publisher's advertising dollar.

stabbing yourself in the neck

EA games: purchase everything

In its latest move to control the known gaming universe, EA signed an exclusivity deal to be the only provider of NFL-licensed football games for the next five years. I've never been that much of a fan of sports games, but the ramifications of this agreement reach far beyond the realm of casual gamers or sports enthusiasts. Although the bid was open to other publishers, they really didn't have a chance versus EA's marketing clout and extremely deep pockets.

In response to concerns about product quality, EA's president of corporate communications Jeff Brown told GameSpot, "The onus is on EA to keep making a better game each year…that's the hurdle you have to clear every year." This is news to me, Mr. Brown. Just look at your track record for your other sports licenses that are still in competition - I mean what really gets changed each year that justifies the cost of another game? The worst part of this agreement is the precedent it sets for other sports licenses.

I'll stop myself before this erupts into another EA bashing forum - both Walter and n0wak have already covered this most succintly.

Trying to stay positive, Midway has taken their Blitz series and completely ran with this turn of events. According to the press release, the NFL has always frowned upon NFL Blitz's over-the-top and often crass representation of football, and without the restrictions of their NFL license are now welcome to do whatever they want - provided the players, teams and stadiums are entirely fictional. Of course, you could always go one step further into the realm of complete fantasy representations like Chaos League and Blood Bowl.

Interestingly enough, a deal that I thought had long since been processed is being blocked by some DICE shareholders. This procedure is not uncommon for the publisher of best selling games - Activision did the same with Infinity Ward last year - but the last thing this industry needs at such an early stage is to be suffocated under the weight of publisher conglomerates intent on making money, instead of fostering creativity.

a joke i'm dying to tell you

throwdown 2004: "I believe the lemon sauce was made from lemon pledge."

This past weekend was the second annual Throwdown LAN party, which I am happy to report was an excellent time, albeit without as much gaming. Two parts networking troubles, one part game hosting issues, and three parts really small teams, Throwdown 2004 still managed to be a very comfortable evening amongst good friends.

LAN parties are a curious animal. In their initial planning stages, they seem like the most obvious things to do for a gamer - get together to play multiplayer games. Their importance is increased even further if someone recently got a new computer. This newfound excitement leads to the planning of the event months in advance, drawing up lists of invitees, games to be played, and grudge matches to continue.

But as the time gets closer, the guests always inadvertently have some other engagement to pursue, and the list shortens dramatically within a few days of the event. Sadly, in my quest for the ultimate LAN I have eked out a meager gathering with two or three people on more than one occasion, almost always involving some cooperative RPG.

Although we did lose some attendees this time around, both Call of Duty and the Xbox provided good times indeed in between technical woes. Wrestling with multiple networking issues cut me deeply, and caused me to question my devotion to the PC platform. If I had a solid gaming laptop this wouldn't be an issue, but having to bear the weight of my PC and its appurtenances on top of the technical problems was a bitter pill to swallow in the face of a complete XBox in someone's backpack. Luckily there was plenty of Steam Whistle to go around.

Once again thanks to beto for hosting the event in his cozy apartment. And some recognition should go to Gamma Fodder who skipped out on a date with his wife for an hour to come play a very enthusiastic round of Call of Duty Team Deathmatch. Strangely, I haven't heard from him since.

Until next year!

valve flooded

As I waited in line to purchase my copy of Half Life 2, an uncharacteristically weightless box in hand, I thought about what game had me this excited before. Probably Call of Duty, but before that I doubt there was a game that was able to stir my emotions to the point where I would cease to exist should I not be able to play it upon release. Some might say that I should have gotten the game over Steam, and indeed they would be correct. Any service that allows the purchase and instantaneous acquisition of a game exactly one minute into the release day should be commendable. However, there's something comforting about getting physical media with my purchase, as I would not have to depend on a soft copy for re-installation.

I prepared my hard drive like I was expecting an important guest - upgraded video drivers, freed up space, and cleaned the putrid film off of my monitor. Maybe that last one wasn't entirely true, but there were some fingerprints. The 4.5 GB footprint is a new record, I think, as the previous holder may have been the PC port of Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance at 4 GB. What really disappointed me were the paper sleeves for the five CDs. I thought this disturbing trend was publisher-specific: I know my copies of UT 2003 and Neverwinter Nights went immediately into jewel cases while cursing the name of Atari. At $60 a box, one would think that the publisher would help us out with a little "value added" plastic case for these monstrous games. And the manual, or lack thereof, was printed on both sides of a 4x6 piece of cardstock. I know first person shooters are fairly conventional, but a little backstory or some nice art - something to pass the time while you're installing the thing - would have been nice.

Regardless of the game's delivery method, you still need to authenticate your game. This was strange indeed, given that the software isn't an operating system. And so in a great showing of audacity befitting of a celebrated developer, Valve did not anticipate an onrush of account creations and game authentications on the day of release, and let their customers annihilate their servers. And some report a wait of hours before being able to play a game they physically bought.

In typical fanboy fashion, players took to the message boards with untamed fury at their fingertips, decrying Valve as perpetrators of some crime against the fiercely devoted. Still, I do agree with the foamy-mouthed mob to some degree, as the amount of registration hoops I had to jump through to play a game I had in my hands was unnerving to say the least. And having to use a proprietary tool to start said game that is technically already installed on my computer, was adding an unnecessary layer of complexity. I appreciate what Valve is trying to do here, and all of the smug bastards that pre-loaded the game over Steam have been happily playing since the game went live early this morning. But to unleash a service like this on the unsuspecting consumer who simply wants to play, only to collapse under the demand, seems a bit unfair.

When I began to play though, these maladjusted thoughts quickly melted away, cast aside as petty inconveniences before the ultimate rapture. I confess that this onrush of euphoria could be compared to my first hours with Doom 3, but I find it strangely exhilarating that a game can make me fear for my life without a fiery skull or darkened corridor dripping with blood. And as much as it grieves me to admit, Half Life 2 makes me want to buy a new computer.

it took a lifespan

trailer binge

The new Episode III teaser trailer leaves me feeling a bit crestfallen. It was supposed to be an exclusive for paying members of Hyperspace, but as everyone knows this exclusivity doesn't last long. I found a few mirrors, but you can also grab it on the official site if you don't mind the wait. I liked how Obi-Wan Kenobi was spliced into the trailer to tell the story of Vader from his "certain point of view", connecting the two trilogies and preparing us for the ultimate fall from grace. Indeed, a battle between capital ships, a climactic face off between old friends, and the Emperor hovering over his new creation were all merely hinted at. I have to admit, regardless of how these movies turn out, the trailers have all been outstanding at building up expectations.

Planet Gamecube posted links to a massive number of demo reels from Nintendo Japan, most of which I've only been able to take cursory glances at. Fire Emblem for the Gamecube looks like, well, Fire Emblem for the Gamecube. I was completely enthralled by the GBA version, and this Gamecube version looks like a straightforward transplant into three dimensions. This isn't to say that its receiving the same treatment as Advance Wars, mind you, because the turn based strategy thankfully remains intact.

Seeing the DS in action was pretty fascinating, and even though Advance Wars DS only got a split second I can see how the second screen will be coming in handy. And naturally WarioWare will have some cleverly distracting minigames that utilize the touch screen. I have to admit I was a little uneasy about the Nintendo DS when I first heard about it, but I avoided outright condemnation of the thing like so many media outlets were quick to do. As the feature list became more tangible, most were quick to change their tune. I'm this close to adding it to my Christmas list, as the unique gaming possibilities are seemingly endless. I've also determined that the Sony PSP and Nintendo DS are not direct competitors; where one is satisfied to pander an existing mindshare, the other is pushing portable gaming in new directions.

You can also find some gameplay videos of assorted Gameboy Advance titles, and if there's one game I'm more interested in after seeing it in action it would be Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. A sound decision was made to include Advance Wars and its sequel in one cart - any fan of turn based strategy that missed out the first time now has no excuse.

I thought that Blizzard was the master of introductory cinematics until I played Dawn of War. That doesn't mean that the World of Warcraft intro video misses the mark; rather, it does a fine job of mixing together the various races of the game and puts them into a short film to let you know what kind of mess you're getting into. I read about the possibility of the Open Beta starting today, and I envisioned an Internet that was incessantly bursting at the seams.

"And lo, Blizzard did begin the Open Beta, and there was much rejoicing. But it was like a mighty flood unto their servers, as thousands of keys were secured in an instant."

i knew it wouldn't last

race for the prize

As a form of media, games remain fairly young. Gaming criticism for the most part also shares this immaturity: the fact that we can still attribute numerical scores to an experience makes for an extremely shallow assessment of a game's quality. And the constant quest for free product places most game reviews firmly into the realm of advertorial content. There are of course the exceptions to this unfortunate rule, but the trick is to get the average gamer to read them. Evil Avatar brought up this topic for discussion, specifically dealing with giving the traditional game review an overhaul. The original poster was of course referring to what's been dubbed as "The New Games Journalism". Kieron Gillen, the author of the New Games Journalism manifesto, make an appearance in this discussion. And also Always_Black, arguably the creator of this new form of examining games. It was interesting to hear them weigh in about the subject, although there is still much left to discuss about the state of gaming journalism.

I've indirectly visited this subject in the past, in a vain attempt to justify my own writings. Certainly a lot has changed since then, as there are now more gaming-related weblogs than a year ago (and a place to find them!). Critical thinking by hobbyists beyond over-the-top graphics or a licensed soundtrack is a step towards avoiding game review conventions. Most importantly, though, it makes up an even-handed view that might make the difference between hype and substance.

they're just humans

Call of Duty: United Offensive (PC)

The expansion pack has developed into a quandary for PC gamers over the years. While at first they were made to extend the life of a game, they quickly degenerated into a way for the publisher to capitalize on the original game's success while expending a minimal amount of effort. The expansions for FPS are infamously short, sometimes even adding in features that should have been in the original game. Disappointed in the inconsistent efforts of EA for the Medal of Honor expansions, I expected a lot from Grey Matter for the expansion to the similarly high profile Call of Duty. I'm happy to report that United Offensive delivers a substantial payload.

from rts to fps

Eidos announced yesterday the development of Commandos: Strike Force, bringing a well-known RTS/squad tactics series to the first person. This decision is most unusual when examining the reaction to last year's Commandos 3, and the media's reaction to the franchise overall. A cynic would say that they've given up the RTS route and are ready to move on to something new while carrying a recognizable brand. But I think in every RTS gamer there lies a secret desire to suit up as one of the many units at your command, instead of offhandedly ordering them to certain doom.

Regardless, this isn't the first attempt at making the jump from isometric to FPS as Command and Conquer: Renegade and the frustratingly elusive Starcraft: Ghost have shown. Even Savage, though not a pre-existing brand, allowed you choose between the two viewpoints in the same game. Whether this was gaming progress or not is still up for debate.

I always saw the Commandos series as being one of "those" games - Eidos and their flogging of standard bearers Lara Croft, Legacy of Kain and a port of FFVII in the late 90s put me off the publisher as a whole. Which of course changed quite suddenly when I played Thief. Furthermore, many reviews bemoaned the level of difficulty in Commandos, claiming most missions were incredibly hard - downright impossible in some parts - and that's not a quality I hold in high regard when looking for something to play. The concept was good, and hasn't really been attempted by anyone else, albeit the original Hidden and Dangerous did hold some similarities.

I've seen the screens, and Strike Force has been assimilated into the tedious conventions of the WW2FPS. I'm sure that stealth, a keystone of the series, will be a large component of the gameplay, but like C&C Renegade's unoriginal transition I really don't see the need for this venture. Starcraft: Ghost, on the other hand, intrigues me deeply and I am fully prepared to wait another six months for a more intimate view of the Starcraft universe.

running speed trials standing in place

a dark alliance

On a whim I decided to check out Dark Alliance for the Gameboy Advance, more because it was just there than actually wanting to play another game underneath a pile of new releases. I suppose overwhelming frustration surrounding my playthrough of Guardian Heroes Advance made me want to occupy myself with something more palatable on my portable game system, while not breaking the bank. Not to mention that there are only so many clever variations on the word "fuck" you can put in a review. Dark Alliance has recently evolved into a boilerplate for North American developed console action RPGs, and with the first game being cross platform I didn't expect much from its GBA counterpart, like the releases of Prince of Persia and Splinter Cell. In any case, I gave Dark Alliance a fair shake but there's probably some things you should know before tackling this one yourself.

1. Contrary to popular belief, the city of Baldur's Gate is really, really small. Consisting of the Elfsong Tavern, a Weapons/Armour dealer, a cemetery, and, most surprisingly, a shitload of sewers.
2. Barrels in civilized parts of the city cannot be broken. Perhaps this is from some enchantment put on them to keep the city free of debris, or to maintain the integrity of all storage repositories. Step into a dungeon, though, and you can smash barrels until you're blue in the face.
3. You can't carry more than two duplicate items at a time. Don't even try. I guess the vendors are worried about you flooding the market.
4. There will be an unavoidable bug at the end of the first act that prevents you from finishing the game. If you do not complete the quest in a particular fashion, charted by some unknown satanic ritual, you will break your save game and must begin again. Did I mention you get only one save slot?

Along with the faceless, unchanging character models, the indistinguishable monsters, and the completely bland environments that should embarrass the beautifully hand-painted backgrounds of Baldur's Gate, it was reason enough to go back and play Link to the Past again. At least there I can kick some god damned chickens.

I don't remember saying

a few thoughts on Fable

Not being the owner of an Xbox, I can't say I was especially excited about the release of Fable and its promise of an RPG redefined. Like Halo before it, Fable is the latest big name genre title meant to convince people why they got an XBox in the first place. Not to say the the 'cube is any better; both platforms seem to get the short end of the third-party stick when it comes to RPGs. So when I was invited to a gathering to play Fable, I took it as an opportunity to see what all the Xbox-humping was about.

Because Chris was too damn impatient to wait, he had already purchased his copy and played for a short time before the "Fable Summit", firing off an unexpected three word review of "holy fucking shit". Naturally I became excited at this point and was ready to see what Mr. Molyneux had for us after his critically lauded Black and White. Since Chris already had a go at it, and Tony preferred to uh...watch, I was left holding the controller and taking my first steps to becoming a renowned hero in the land of Albion.

master of magic: the sequel

Easily one of my all time favorite games is Age of Wonders. Age of Wonders (and even its contemporary Disciples) brought a refreshing combat-focused approach to the genre, as opposed to the traditional kingdom management and resource acquisition of the Heroes of Might and Magic series. When I first started reading reviews, everyone was comparing Age of Wonders to the venerable Master of Magic. "The heir has been found," they sang, and then awards were distributed and everyone continued about their business.

Now there's possible confirmation of a sequel to Master of Magic. For me, this falls distinctly into the category of "age old classics that shall never be touched", sharing space with the likes of Axis and Allies and The Bard's Tale.

Stardock Entertainment, the makers of Galactic Civilizations - a game hailed as a legitimate replacement for Master of Orion - has been in talks with Atari to get this game made. This is probably a dream come true for some, but it should be noted that Atari is responsible for Master of Orion 3, another piece of Microprose's IP obtained when it was dissolved by Hasbro over the last couple of years.

Along with King's Bounty, Master of Magic is said to have laid the groundwork for the sadly neglected fantasy turn-based genre. Connoisseurs of classic PC gaming can pick both up at The Underdogs, but you can't say I sent you there.

we lived in a crater

master of magic: the sequel

Easily one of my all time favorite games is Age of Wonders. Age of Wonders (and even its contemporary Disciples) brought a refreshing combat-focused approach to the genre, as opposed to the traditional kingdom management and resource acquisition of the Heroes of Might and Magic series. When I first started reading reviews, everyone was comparing Age of Wonders to the venerable Master of Magic. "The heir has been found," they sang, and then awards were distributed and everyone continued about their business.

Now there's possible confirmation of a sequel to Master of Magic. For me, this falls distinctly into the category of "age old classics that shall never be touched", sharing space with the likes of Axis and Allies and The Bard's Tale.

Stardock Entertainment, the makers of Galactic Civilizations - a game hailed as a legitimate replacement for Master of Orion - has been in talks with Atari to get this game made. This is probably a dream come true for some, but it should be noted that Atari is responsible for Master of Orion 3, another piece of Microprose's IP obtained when it was dissolved by Hasbro over the last couple of years.

Along with King's Bounty, Master of Magic is said to have laid the groundwork for the sadly neglected fantasy turn-based genre. Connoisseurs of classic PC gaming can pick both up at The Underdogs, but you can't say I sent you there.

we lived in a crater

pacific assault

As much as it burns many gamers to see game publishing behemoth EA succeed, it's not from lack of a solid lineup. The entire EA Sports brand, Need for Speed, The Sims and of course Medal of Honor have all proven to be guaranteed moneymakers, regardless of quality. The cynical might even say that EA's reliance on past successes and hard focus on sequels make it the whore of the industry; in the case of Pacific Assault I'd say that they've at least been paying attention. Not to be outdone by its competitors, EA has incorporated the best aspects of Allied Assault, the squad-like gameplay of Call of Duty and some brand new features all its own.

At half a gig though, the demo is criminally short and barely allows you to get into the game. Needless to say I've played through it around 20 times, intent on gathering as much reconaissance as possible from the meager mission included. The Unreal engine makes this tropical setting visually credible - from the waving palms to the fighters flying overhead. Although objects like towers and aircraft explode more believably this time around, terrain and most objects are static and suffer the same fate as other games using the Unreal engine. I can use oil drums on an airfield for cover, with no need to fear a stray bullet causing my protection to blow up in my face. Vegetation is similarly indestructible. With the Unreal engine comes improved physics, and character models now fall realistically instead of the awkward contortions of Raven Shield and Unreal Tournament 2003/2004.

The frantic and chaotic feeling of battle definitely took a few pointers from the presentation of Call of Duty. You can hear your fellow soldiers yelling "grenade!" when you or the enemy cuts one loose or medics tending to the wounded, gently assuring the fallen that things will be okay. As another realistic touch, when one of your squadmates falls, shouts of "he's gone, forget about him!" are heard above the gunfire and explosions. Assigning character to each of the AI controlled allies is something that we will also see in Brothers in Arms.

Taking damage in this game is quite interesting, as your physical state will deteriorate the more wounds you sustain. You will move slower the less health you have, and your vision will become blurry. You could say this was just an influence of Doom, but it's much more realistic than being able to run around aiming perfectly with next to no health. A great design decision was removing randomly placed medkits; instead, you have a limited number of times you can call a field medic who will come over to fix you up. This process is not instantaneous, and while he is tending your wounds you are essentially incapacitated. As a result there is still a chance you can get hit by nearby fire. This adds a much needed level of realism, and certainly adds a cohesiveness to your squad, because the medic doesn't just magically appear. He's always around, assisting your wounded sqaudmates. As a result you will have to defend your medic, because he is unarmed and will usually be taking fire with the rest of your squad.

There are also no dropped or placed ammo reserves - you can pick up any weapon and use it, and that's pretty much how you're going to replenish your supply. One of the biggest complaints about the Medal of Honor series was your inability to go completely prone, even though the enemy could, providing some extremely imbalanced firefights in low-cover situations. Pacific Assault thankfully allows this. Both were features of Call of Duty's that were wisely integrated.

Probably the most noticable addition, though, is your character's ability to issue basic squad commands such as Attack, Retreat, and Regroup. This can be useful in completing objectives, or if you're in a tough spot and need reinforcements, but the demo didn't really let me use these real-time tactics to their full extent. As part of the larger campaign though, I can definitely see them coming in useful.

I can't really say much about the enemy AI at this point, as the demo takes place in an especially brutal battle at Henderson Field at Guadalcanal. The Japanese use mostly swarming and "banzai" tactics, but they do take cover and launch distance or grenade attacks where the terrain allows it. This could all be simple scripting, but the AI seemed to respond to my playing methods: I played it safe in some instances, firing from a distance; in another play through of the demo I ran full on into the enemy. The latter seemed to prompt close quarters retaliation with bayonets. You can apply the real-life tactics of the Japanese in that sense, because their answer to eliminating US Forces was constant waves of soldiers doing these "banzai" attacks; whether they could actually manage to secure the position was almost happenstance.

Taken as a whole, I can easily see myself purchasing this game strictly as a fan of the genre. Pacific Assault isn't that much of a departure from the tried and true elements of these games: supress the enemy, jump on that stationary gun and eliminate fighters flying overhead - I mean this stuff has been done to death. But I can still see some innovation peeking through: the use of basic squad maneuvers, the field medics you can call for assistance, and for me this is enough to keep play interesting. Most importantly for EA, though, this game will be released before Brothers in Arms, which will be supplying many of the same improvements to further rejuvenate a tired genre. After a number of delays, my anticipation of this title has only dwindled somewhat; as the year comes to a close there are just too many games competing for my attention.

drawn to the ground

still waiting at star's end

When I first heard about the Star Wars Trilogy coming to the GBA, without seeing the game I immediately assumed that UbiSoft was simply publishing LucasArts' incredibly fun games for the SNES. After seeing these screens though, it becomes painfully evident that this is not the case. If anything, it looks like UbiSoft used the same engine found in the GBA version of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Due for release in a couple of weeks, this game hopes to capture "all the exiting moments from the classic trilogy" in one game, while capitalizing on the release of the classic trilogy DVDs. The game looks as astoundingly terrible as Flight of the Falcon, and like an idiot I'll eventually give in to the Siren's call. This whole situation reminds me of the Star Wars Gameboy game that my friend stuck me with to replace my copy of Mario Land 2: The Six Golden Coins that his brother sold while on loan. That game was probably one of the worst I've ever played, and the only reason I forced myself to even touch it was deep resentment towards myself for ever lending Mario Land 2 out in the first place.

Adding to these feelings of betrayal is news about how Jump to Lightspeed is going to work. Sure, SOE is luring people in to pre-purchasing the game with a juicy guaranteed spot in the Beta this October, and an exclusive Naboo Flash Speeder to pimp yourself out in, but there is something about this ploy that absolutely reeks of "bait and switch". Going to the official SWG website, you can read all about how flying into space requires a visit to a terminal planetside, where you click "launch", are subjected to yet another loading screen and then suddenly you're floating in space. This might as well be a separate game, because as the design stands there is no real connection to the original planet-based game. With my initial fears confirmed, I doubt I'll be picking up the expansion, out of principle if nothing else. The game has way too many loading screens as it is, and to completely neuter what made the movies so exciting takes a lot of potential immersivity and further world building out of the game. I've definitely given Galaxies the benefit of the doubt, and I've done my best to see past the community backlash and empty promises from the development team on the vitriol-soaked bulletin boards. I wouldn't blame the development team entirely, though, as they're probably overworked to meet their deadline and secure more players before Blizzard does. As for the launch of Everquest II, the money is all going to the same place so I doubt it really matters. Galaxies does have some good qualities, though, and I'm not about to give it up just yet. I'm already starting a new character to become a Jedi as a result of the new publish. Nevertheless, the temptations brought by playing World of Warcraft will lead to a very tough decision this November.

Now, please excuse me as I dust the cheetos off of my Revenge of the Sith t-shirt.

don't play truth or dare

I have a bad feeling about this...

Considered as a media event alone, Doom 3 is a veritable blockbuster. It could easily be the most highly anticipated computer game of all time. I'm hearing about Doom 3 from people who don't even play games. This makes it very uncomfortable for me, because how are you supposed to reply to that? Getting passionate about comptuer games with someone who can barely discern the difference between pixel shading and bump-mapping would be a waste of time and energy. The release of Doom 3 was talked about on the radio, television and in newspapers - just like the opening of Episode I or Fellowship of the Ring. The mainstream news media once again looked upon the hardcore lined up to be the first to get it with morbid fascination. I imagine this will be the same when Valve decides that Half Life 2 is ready to go gold, but when that will be is anyone's guess.

I'll admit I have a soft spot for the shooter that spawned an entire genre, but I doubt anyone bought Doom 3 for nostalgic purposes. Doom 3 is a new benchmark, the game you will play in front of your friends to show off your rig. The visual proficiency of the graphics engine will remain unmatched for some time - finally seeing this engine in action while secretly dreaming of what other developers will do with it was worth the price of admission. Despite my two year old computer specs, I was pleased beyond belief to learn that I didn't need a new video card to run the game with medium textures, all details turned on and at 1280x1024. Clothing and surfaces look amazing, and there is a realistic sheen to the metal throughout the Mars base. What I really have to comment on are the skin textures, whether it be on the human characters like Bertruger shown in the cutscenes or the Pinky demons crying out for your flesh. It seemed to move and stretch, even though I knew it was just a two-dimensional tile covering a bunch of polygons. This made the monsters especially creepy, but unfortunately they didn't explode the way I thought they would. Instead, in a very feeble spraying of blood the bodies kind of just disappear with a wisp of hellfire. The limited palette for the environment was also a little disappointing. Drab tones may have worked for Doom II and Quake, but after a while it becomes monotonous. Indeed, feeling like you've been somewhere before can be claustrophobic and inspire a real sense of panic, but when you get to the game's later switch hunts it quickly develops into an annoyance.

When I first started playing I was immediately taken in by the atmosphere; It truly flows from this game. It's like seeing the trailers for a scary movie: you know something bad is going to happen, it just becomes a matter of when. And when it does happen, you're suddenly in the middle of something terrifying, running for your life. When I encountered the zombies and demons for the first time, I have to admit I was scared. Again, the skin - just watching the creatures move made me cringe and want to get out of there in a hurry. There was something unsettling about seeing the zombies shamble towards me. I knew I could kill them, but it was more a feeling of inevitability that creeps up, telling you that you'd eventually die by being outnumbered - not from lack of firepower. Coupled with the ambient banging of metal grates and screaming radio chatter, I felt I was part of an event much larger than the genre - this was a groundbreaking game and Doom 3 deserved every high score.

These feelings of elation were quickly replaced after a few more encounters, as I realized that in small numbers the monsters don't do much damage on Normal difficulty. The first time you're attacked by a demon jumping from a concealed corner, it can be pants-soilingly scary - but it's not like Far Cry. In Far Cry, if you let the mutants get too close you're more than likely going to die. After being attacked by Doom 3's demons a few times, you get to see how much damage can be done and getting hit becomes more of a nuisance. If you know you're going to walk away alive, what use is there to fear for your virtual life?

The use of darkness and shadow is on par with the Splinter Cell series and Thief: Deadly Shadows. Though moody to the extreme, it's used as a cheap tactic more often as the game progresses, a result of the asinine decision to make the flashlight an entirely separate item. The flashlight is indispensable given the game's enveloping darkness, and you're expected to whip it out for every dark corner, having to switch to a weapon if you stumble upon a demon or wandering zombie. Luckily in the days since release, someone has already solved this problem with the Duct Tape Mod, which works great. Without the sticky-light I suppose fending off demons could be more terrifying, but when you're being attacked from all sides having no point of reference except sets of glowing eyes and no real hope of defence it's clear the challenge is artificial.

Another unfortunate design decision is the use of "monster closets", or small mini-areas that are opened after walking over hot spots or picking up items. These are tactics used in the id games of old: Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, and Quake. Worse still, monsters will occasionally spawn behind you after you've cleared a room. Again: at first this is kind of scary, because you have no idea where your enemies are coming from. But after being ambushed like this repeatedly, it just becomes another hasty design decision that makes the game appear scripted, and your presence in the gameworld irrelevant.

Using the same tactics as games such as System Shock 2 and Tron 2.0, the plot that isn't delivered through the meager cutscenes can be found in bits of documentation you find in PDAs spread throughout the facility. Listening to the voice journals or reading emails isn't essential to the game, so the PDAs become more or less a supply of access codes you can use to open up the locked doors and supply lockers on your jaunt through the base. I'd say the computer and object interface screens have reached a new level or realism in Doom 3: instead of a zoomed-in view or a separate screen, the aiming reticle becomes a cursor with which you interface with the objects directly in your field of view. After such a massive disaster, there is a surprising abundance of weapons, ammo, armour and health packs strewn about the ruins of the base. While some doors malfunction, every single airlock is in perfect working order. These criticisms probably seem nitpicky, but it's obvious that id were going for some sort of realism in the retelling of their FPS classic and this is just inconsistent with the intended feel of the game.

The on-weapon ammo display is a big deal to some reviewers, but I remember seeing this type of weapon readout in Unreal Tournament. That doesn't mean it isn't useful, it's just one of many features grafted onto this game from a previous title. Considering this, I found it especially strange that none of the weapons had a secondary fire mode. I mean if you're going to copy a game, fucking copy it. The sounds from the weapons are also less than encouraging. I'm supposed to fight demonic hordes with a shotgun that is put to shame by the original Doom? The weapons, like their sounds, feel weak and insubstantial - I found the only reliable weapon in the game without insane load times was probably the chainsaw. At first I thought it was as tiring as the spam emails you find, but it's surprisingly effective against many of the large enemies as long as you can afford to let them get close. This lack of a decent arsenal made me think back to FarCry, and how incredibly realistic the weapons felt and sounded - I mean those made my desk shake. I also found it a little peculiar that I could recognize some item pickup sounds lifted straight from Quake III such as the armour shards and health packs.

I like the fact that there isn't much of a musical score to this game, as it would seem a bit stupid if you were sending zombies and demons back to hell to some arbitrary nu-rock theme. The whispering of otherworldly voices, the clanging of bulkheads, and the sound of your own footsteps are more than adequate enough to set the mood. At one point, fending off the spider sentries in one of the many darkened rooms with my machine gun, the only light coming from my gun and the ammo readout made me feel like I was in Aliens. The enemies kept coming and I was running out of bullets fast, evoking a real sense of last-stand desperation. I listened for the clicking of the spiders as they traversed the ducts, just waiting for them to pop out and attack. It was a great moment, but one of the game's few.

For the first bunch of objectives, it was fun to be constantly scared, frantically reloading and not knowing what to expect next. But after a while other feelings set in. Not quite apathy, but closer to boredom. At this point I had a Matrix-like revelation where I could strip away the beautiful graphics and be left playing a 10 year old game, which depressed the hell out of me. At the elevator at the end of each level, I half expected to see my score, number of kills and secret area tally pop up. From people I've talked to that have finished the game, I'm about halfway through, having just entered the Communications Tower Area. So far the game isn't much of a challenge, and it's unfortunate. The linearity is painfully obvious, and although the narrow corridors and passageways serve a purpose in establishing atmosphere, over time it felt like a rail shooter, as if each new hallway was simply a conveyor to the next room of demons and undead to kill.

I dutifully read the PC Gamer review after finding out they gave it a 94%. I figured this would be the gaming event of the summer, possibly even the year. It's funny that I began this post with mention of The Phantom Menace, because I could easily equate the release of this game to that movie. My anticipation for both was extremely high. I was euphoric after experiencing each for the first time, but as I had a chance to reflect the shortcomings made themselves agonizingly known. I hate being so negative, because it seems like such a contemptuous thing to do when all PC gamers have been waiting for this moment whether they've played the original or not. But the way I see it, the hype was bound to backfire on four years worth of lofty expectations. I just cannot give this game the praise that others deem it worthy, and I would hardly call it a "masterpiece of the artform". The engine may make me want to mount my computer screen in the most unnatural of ways, but the frustratingly uninspired level design, artificial scares and the lack of any substantial gameplay make Doom 3 a chore at times to blast through. My hope is that someone else can put this amazing technology to good use.

burn it backwards

gas powered: Dungeon Siege II

Up until a couple of weeks ago, Gas Powered Games was going to have Dungeon Siege II ready for this Fall according to my watch list for 2004. A recent announcement has now pushed it into Spring 2005, which makes me wonder how much play balancing needs to be done in the game. The engine is more or less complete from the looks of it, and despite my offhand comments about its E3 showing will probably hold its own against the competition - as long as their promises of a more refined RPG experience are fulfilled.

At first glance, Dungeon Siege seemed like the exact remedy for fans that grew tired of Diablo II. It provided an enormous new world to explore, all beautifully modeled in three dimensions. It seemed like an evolutionary step in the genre, as long as you were careful to erase all prior knowledge of Darkstone. I played the hell out of Dungeon Siege when I could finally run it on my new PC, but in hindsight I look on the game a little more objectively. Easily the biggest complaint with the game was the lack of character customization and player involvement. At the time I felt this was completely natural - if you use a particular skill more, you get better at it. There were tons of items and different armor types to at least modify the appearance of your character, but in terms of fiddling with stats, those features were nonexistent. A particularly resourceful player could even script their party to play through the entire game unassisted, complete with collecting loot.

In Dungeon Siege II, Chris Taylor's team at Gas Powered Games is planning to change all that. With a highly customizable skills system and more combat involvement, DS2 may turn out to be more of an RPG than its predecessor. Like the original game, there are no classes for the main character: you simply equip a weapon or spell and train. Along with gaining experience by weapon or spell usage, you will get Skill points to spend whenever you level up. It's a welcome change to have added flexibility in multi-class character development, and a feature that borrows from the open character concept of the Divinity games. The careful expenditure of these points will unlock new abilities for your character - including the more potent Powers. Because this is a party-based game, though, some definite balancing will be required to prevent it from becoming an exercise in micro-management.

The new Powers can be particularly devastating, and will harm your party members if used hastily. So you will want to avoid unleashing a fiery blast upon a creature that your party is clustering. To that end, while issuing commands when the game is paused, you can combine these special attacks for a more efficient use of your party's Powers. Obviously there will be limits on the use of Powers successively - your characters will need to recharge to use them again. The Powers will be managed separately from the mana pool, however, and you will still be able to cast the normal array of spells while the character is recharging. The basic spells from the original game appear to have remained in the same state.

You might remember from the original game the variety of monsters that you had to battle during your long journey through its diverse landscapes. Similar to Diablo II, there were occasions where you would find monsters that were double your character's size. But where the former was happy to repaint existing monster sprites, Dungeon Siege provided a much larger array of enemies to cut down. I even remember fighting an Ice Dragon on more than one occasion in Dungeon Siege, its intimidating stature filling up a good portion of my screen. This time around, many of the monsters are designed to fill the hearts of even the most stalwart of adventurers with fear. Just take a look at the Morden Viir calvary: not only is it a fine example of some of the new enemies you will be fighting, it does a damn good job of making me want to play this game. Taylor boasts that there are also specific super-sized boss monsters that look like they've been ripped out of Final Fantasy - completely overshadowing your party and surely in possession of some earth-shattering attacks.

Besides the lack of hands-on character advancement, one of the biggest problems with Dungeon Siege's development was that it tried to be everything to all levels of gamers. With Dungeon Siege 2, Taylor again states that there will be "something for everyone", but the way I see it some part of this equation has to give. I want Dungeon Siege II to succeed, because the original took the successful "click-kill-reward" formula and still managed to come up with something fun to play and great to look at. But with games like Guild Wars, Knights of the Old Republic II, and Dragon Age heading to the PC in the next year, it's going to be tough to compete if all that is being offered is a rehash of the past.

I don't doubt that Taylor and his team will put together a solid RPG, but my initial impressions of Guild Wars always seem to obscure the view. Massive Single Player campaigns are important, and the Siege Editor was a valuable tool that was gladly accepted amongst the player community, extending the product's life with some standout mods*. Still, when you think about what has already been accomplished with Guild Wars, DS2's tweaked engine and added control over character development may not be enough to move units in the face of its delay until after Guild Wars' target release. Even party based combat, the management of which was not even necessary in the original, is easily bypassed by another outstanding feature in Guild Wars: you play with humans.

*A footnote: If you're interested, I highly recommend at least taking a look at some of the mods and total conversions that have been developed since Dungeon Siege's release in 2002. Copperhead, although not maintained anymore, is a great looking futurisitc mod that actually managed to model firearms. The Elemental has been called "biblepunk" by some, but don't be scared - it's actually quite amazing what has been done with the original game's engine and interface. And of course there's the unofficial re-imagining of Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny, called Ultima V: Lazarus. Strangely enough, you will actually need the the original Ultima game to play this mod.

let me walk these coals

the blood way

I always found the idea of sprite comics to be amusing; to consider memorable characters from the 8-bit video games of yesteryear in situations outside their natural environment in theory should provide instant comedy. For the most part this isn't true, but I'm not about to start a tirade against the world of sprite comics.

Instead I've come across something that might be considered a developing trend - I'll leave that for others to decide - where old video games are revisited with Flash. With Mega Man vs. Ghosts 'n Goblins, Staticreator took Mega Man and put him into one of the hardest video games ever made and let nature take its course. Or what about Mega Man vs. Metroid, where Mega Man is transported to the planet Zebes to create an alternate universe where the alien menace is destroyed by an android with an arm for a blaster cannon.

What I really need to mention, though, is Castlevania: The Blood Way. Instead of taking existing games and merging them, an entirely new adventure has been created with all the sensibilities of any other Castlevania game, taking the shape of something that could easily appear on the GBA. You'll recognize a few sprites here and there, maybe even a theme song from the venerable Symphony of the Night - but that's where the comparison ends. You haven't played with Ethan Belmont before, and The Blood Way's first full level does a fine job adding itself to the Castlevania lineage.

all this heavy irony

joint ops

If you've read any of the reviews of Joint Operations: Typhoon Rising, you might find yourself looking at the words "Battlefield 1942/Vietnam-killer" more than once. The surface comparisons are easy: battles take place between two teams on large-scale maps, with a selection of pilotable vehicles that can be brought into the fight. The standard player kits are also present, allowing you to outfit your avatar with the tools of a medic or sniper. In Joint Operations, Novalogic takes a terrorist insurrection in present-day Indonesia and creates the setting for a multiplayer FPS in which Joint Ops (consisting of traditionally allied countries) take on Indonesian Rebels.

Novalogic is probably best remembered for its Delta Force series, the latest of which was last year's questionable Black Hawk Down. I even go so far as to call Joint Operations a kind of unofficial sequel to this series, because it plays very similar. In fact, the biggest disappointment is the graphics, as if they decided that the already aging engine of BHD was the zenith of their graphical prowess and would settle with basing their Battlefield 1942 clone upon it.

Unlike BF1942's 64-player server limit, JO supports up to 150 players, making this the biggest game of its kind. The maps, as huge as they are, still fall prey to the action clustering around control points, and even on the most populated servers (the demo had a 100 player limit), I would run great distances just to find someone on my own team, let alone the enemy. Control point capturing is simply a matter of having enough team members in the area to overtake it. I have to admit, due to the larger number of players in a given map control points don't change hands so quickly, which make battles that much more challenging. This also depends on the skill level of the players; I wouldn't attribute it to the game itself.

For those used to Battlefield conventions, you might want to take some time practicing before jumping into a live game. Each vehicle is equipped with one driver seat, and a number of passenger seats depending on the vehicle. The default controls aren't the same, and I found it a bit annoying that I basically had to be right outside the driver's side before I would be able to get into the vehicle's driver seat. This isn't ideal when you're being shot at by base campers.

Novalogic also brings something original into the equation: weapon loadouts actually make a difference in how fast you move. This theoretically eliminates the guys in Battlefield: Vietnam who would basically outfit themselves with the Human Tank package, armed with a bazooka and grenade launcher. Doing the same thing in Joint Ops during the fully customizable player package selection - including different types of uniforms - would make you just as powerful, but a much slower moving, easy target.

The overhead map, although fairly detailed, is essentially useless in combat. Player tags flood the map, and you really only need to know where the control points are and who currently has possession. There is also a utility for setting up Fire Teams: smaller squads within your team that can be set up to easily monitor fellow players while taking objectives. I think Joint Ops was trying to take the battlefield strategy route with these features, but the depth of the game just isn't there.

I guess Novalogic wanted to be the one to beat everyone else to the modern combat theme, but there isn't much of a departure from the formula established by Battlefield given what takes place during a conquest match. I've been told by fans of JO that the demo is not a very good indicator of what the full version has to offer. But when you're talking about a multiplayer-only game, the promise of more weapons, player skins and maps aren't reason enough to make the investment. Besides, until EA's official take on modern warfare, there's always Desert Combat.

I find Nintendo's lack of faith disturbing

Nintendo's president has gone on record as saying "customers don't want online games", basing his bold statement on the poor Japanese sales of Hot Shots Golf 4 for the PS2, which supports online play, compared with its offline precursor. At first I took this in stride, since it was not much of a change in their tune after reading some of the things Nintendo was saying at E3 this year.

It's pretty clear that online play is the direction set-top consoles are headed. It's also surprising that Nintendo can remain so stubborn in their shortsightedness, when the success of games exploiting XBox Live is staring them in the face. Even Final Fantasy XI, which required existing PS2 owners to purchase the game and a hard drive to play, managed to capture an audience. Granted, the world of consoles may feel it isn't ready to fully embrace MMORPGs as True Fantasy has shown, but the fact that Square and Sony have managed to create a universe that can be shared by both PS2 and PC owners is a step in the right direction, showing they are at least willing to give it a try.

About the closest thing Nintendo has come to an online presence is Phantasy Star Online, and even that was only a moderate success, which ended up as some sort of card game. I don't exactly count LAN support, because unless you're using Warp Pipe you still need to be sitting next to your opponents.

There may be hope with Homeland, a new RPG by Chunsoft that plans to merge a single-player and online-only adventure into one package. Although it doesn't exactly look like much, Chunsoft seems to be taking a hint from games like NWN, and has one player act as the DM who will be in charge of spawning monsters and getting NPCs to give out quests. The online version of the game will come with a server that will allow players to connect, and a matching service that will give players the opportunity to join these player-served games. This eliminates the need for a central server to log in to, making your online adventures as chaotic or controlled as you like. The game is set for an early fall release in Japan, with no known North American date yet, but I think we can anticipate it making an appearance. As brilliant a multiplayer experience as Crystal Chronicles was, the potential for large-scale adventures of this type is there. Nintendo just has to realize that there are gamers like me that are willing to play them.

Tales of Symphonia arrives in stores next week, providing a multiplayer RPG adventure for the Gamecube. It supports up to four players with normal controllers (which is probably a relief for some people), but this is only limited to the battle sequences. I was drawn to this game because it fills a visible gap in the Gamecube's library. The combo attacks unleashed in one of the gameplay videos remind me of Crystal Chronicles, but have taken the form of a more traditional Japanese RPG. The character and battle magic animations look great in 3D, and even though the reviews claim its story is not such a departure from the conventions of the genre, it looks to be a satisfying title that will tide me over for these slow summer months.

changes are no good

the legend of zelda: four swords adventures

I was looking forward to Four Swords Adventures as soon as I found out it would be using the same type of controls as Crystal Chronicles. Any game that takes advantage of the Gamecube/GBA connectivity beyond the bonus unlocks of Metroid Prime or peripheral gameplay of Wind Waker should be encouraged, despite what the general opinion is. The GBA-as-controller is not a problem as long as the game itself can justify it; sadly with Four Swords Adventures this is not the case.

With Four Swords Adventures, the question begs to be asked: how many times can Nintendo repackage an old Link adventure? The graphics are incredibly dated, and no matter how pretty the effects are they still look like they've been taped onto the sprites and pixelated backgrounds. This is probably the most outstanding fault against the game: it feels old. For instance, I knew where to find every secret passage and most puzzles were easily solvable based on past Zelda games.

The theme of "the four who are one" continues from the Four Swords game included in A Link to the Past for the GBA, except this time you have to save six maidens and Princess Zelda from the evil Vaati, which I suppose is reason enough for adventuring through seven areas of three dungeons each. This is the essence of the Hyrulean Adventure, which can be played by one to four people.

Regardless of the number of human players that start an adventure, there will always be four Links on screen. This is because every puzzle in the game requires the action of four players, heavily stressing the cooperation aspect of the game. The surplus Links simply become companions, who follow the human player's character. You can perform formations with the group, which becomes handy in both object push/pull/lift and combat situations. You can also throw your teammates to get across chasms, which I found especially amusing.

The primary currency of Four Swords Adventures is Force Gems: collecting entire sackfuls is imperative. The object of each dungeon is to collect enough to power the Four Sword, and only then will you be able to face the Boss in the final dungeon of each area. They also become a kind of performance metric, because at the end of each dungeon stats are tallied and one player is declared the "winner", an event that could only be considered ironic. As long as you have collected Force Fairies and enough gems, you can be instantly resurrected with a Gem deduction penalty. Naturally this takes away from the Four Sword's power. Curiously, the Force Gem tally for each player is shown on the main TV screen, but not each player's life meter. The perceptive player could see this as being a subtle hint toward's the game's true purpose.

Each player is only allowed to carry one special/magic item at a time, and you can't carry them over into other dungeons. Similarly, any new heart containers you gain will also be removed upon entering a new dungeon. Four Swords Adventures is very much like Crystal Chronicles in this respect, as every dungeon seems like a discrete instance in time. Perhaps this is a limitation when using the GBA as a controller; it's very possible that player-specific data can't be stored anywhere and so it is reset for every new dungeon. But I find that very hard to believe.

I found it pretty distracting to have gameplay switch constantly between GBA and the TV. It's almost like constant validation of the use of the GBA as a controller, because if you take away the indoor views, there's really no point to it. Indeed, the group will have to split up to perform certain tasks, but you still can't go beyond the borders of the current screen without collecting the party. If a player is still inside a building or cave, and another tries to leave the area, a small window will pop up on the TV screen showing a GBA-view of the player that's still inside. The odd thing is that in single player mode, this also happens when you go inside, whether you're using the standard controller or GBA.

Depending on who initiates conversations with NPCs, it only appears on their GBA, even though most times the information is valuable to all players. Certain cutscenes will show dialogue on-screen, but it's more for story advancement and not clues for solving quests. A big problem I had was that if a GBA is disconnected (whether by pulling out the cable or batteries dying) the game will automatically quit to the main title screen, even during play. No graceful exits like in Crystal Chronicles, where the game would wait for the GBA to reset and allow players to continue with the dungeon.

For experienced players, this game isn't much of a challenge. All the traditional clues for secret passageways and puzzles are self-evident. A veteran group of Zelda gamers could get through the whole game in a weekend without really trying. Now mind you, the controls and objectives set up by the game are a lot easier to grasp for new players. I played this game with The Wife, who enjoyed the cute characters and simple gameplay a lot better than the occasionally complicated controls and snap tactics during boss battles in Crystal Chronicles. I agree, although they are both essentially hack and slash cooperative adventures - one of them just happens to be infinitely more pleasing to the eye.

Some other additional features of the game include Tingle's Tower, a bonus area that you gain access to in each new set of dungeons. This holds unlockable bonus games, whose sole purpose is to put Force Gems into your pockets. This is especially useful before venturing into the Boss dungeon, because without your sword fully powered up you won't be able to proceed. The Shadow Battle available from the game's main menu is a two to four player Zelda deathmatch, which was about as interesting as the battle mode from Mario Kart: Double Dash. This may be fun for some, but after a few rounds it's clear that the Hyrulean Adventure is the core of the game.

If you can somehow cut out all the shortcomings of this game, you'd have yourself a pretty addictive co-operative adventure. But playing parts of the game on my GBA felt a lot more natural than looking at the TV screen, where the same graphics are a lot bigger. In that sense, I'd much rather be playing A Link to the Past: Four Swords with a link cable.

As a cooperative game, Four Swords Adventures has its definite benefits: it's not a hard game to get into, and the puzzles are for the most part easy to get past. But we've all played this game so many times, and as nice as it is to go through it with a friend, I can't justify the cost. Maybe if this game came out before Crystal Chronicles I'd possibly be a bit more lenient in my judgement, as it would be the first game to exploit the GBA as a controller. But when you're basically looking at a 13 year old game that's been overly stylized for 2004, I'd sooner lump this in with the NES Classics and Shining Force. If anything, Four Swords Adventures has made me appreciate the multiplayer brilliance of Crystal Chronicles even more.

in static pallor

a journey into Star Wars Galaxies

After playing Guild Wars I have to admit my interest in MMORPGs was made tangible. In order to drum up interest in the Jump to Lightspeed expansion for Star Wars Galaxies, Fileplanet offered up a free 14-day trial of the game a couple of weeks ago. Despite my previous inclinations to avoid this game altogether, curiosity got the better of me and I jumped into a queue. At 1.9 GB, I figure there was about 3 CDs worth of data to be downloaded. I would never have guessed that at the end of it all I would be trying to convince myself of reasons not to buy the game, or its expansion due in October.

a shining in the darkness

So here I am in my local EB and this guy is talking to me about the copy of Shining Force: Resurrection of the Dark Dragon I bring to the counter.

"Have you played the original?"
"Would I be buying this if I hadn't? Look at the fucking cover."
"Yeah, it's pretty hideous isn't it. This is more than just a port, though - some of the battles have been tweaked to make them easier, and there's this new card bonus system..."

I stopped him before he could continue. After all, I've pretty much been waiting for this game since I got my GBA. I figured I would ask him about Four Swords Adventures while I was there, because the price tag seemed a bit steep (I guess from the "free" GBA-GCN link cable included in the box). He had not played, but we got on the subject of the Gamecube. The only thing worse than a non-gamecube owner is a reformed Gamecube owner. "Oh, I sold mine. There aren't any games for it." I'll skip over that and move along to the next part of the conversation, because frankly it made me want to punch him in the face. Like any true game geek, opinions are worn on sleeves, and so he proceeded to give the thumbs down to both Wind Waker and Metroid Prime. Now Wind Waker I can understand to some degree - the makeover wasn't for everyone, and the storyline may have added to the perceived childishness of the title. But Metroid Prime? I asked why (politely of course), stating that I was a devout PC gamer and it made me even question the validity of most FPSes post-1999. The guy claimed it was "unexciting", complained about unwieldy controls, and an overall sense apathy towards the title. Slightly perturbed, I left the store with my new purchase trying to focus on why Shining Force is so fucking awesome.

I can't help but reiterate the disgrace of the cover - I really wasn't kidding. Any new gamers that didn't have the opportunity to play the original will be immediately turned off if they happen to see it while browsing. This deeply troubles me, because these same people might not even look at reviews after this initial visual assault.

The most noticable difference to players of the original game will be the graphics. Back in its day, the Genesis was pretty hot, but they definitely needed an update. The world and battle maps still smack of tilesets, but on the smaller screen the poor quality isn't as noticable. The character portraits have also been redrawn, giving them a distinct anime feel, instead of the saturday morning cartoons of the original. The close-up battle character models were also redone, looking softer and more three-dimensional, kind of like the battles in Golden Sun. A few of the game's battles were tweaked a little, as some may remember them getting excessively hard after only the second chapter. What comes to mind is the battle with the Laser Eye superweapon at the crux of the Runefaust army - I remember having to replay the mission constantly, because no matter how much I strategized as soon as I got near the Eye itself my forces would be annihilated with one blast.

The turn based combat system is elegant in its simplicity: surround your enemies and attack, repeat as required. The menu interface is straightforward to navigate, and it's clear where Camelot's influences were when they designed Golden Sun's. Very little effort was spent detailing the weapons and equipment part of the game; most of the time character skill improvements alone will make all the difference in battle. Every 100 experience points a character earns they level up. However the most experience is gained when killing a monster. Like in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, it becomes apparent very quickly who your strong characters are, as the gap between your seasoned squad and backup characters grows wider. You can upgrade a character's class every 10 levels by Promoting them, which brings with it increased attributes, attack and defense bonuses. I will remember not to promote Zylo, though, as he is much more useful in his untamed state. I learned that the hard way when I first played Shining Force; upon being promoted Zylo gained this really lackluster magic attack that didn't do nearly as much damage.

What some players might find useful is a new card system, that uses cards you can find scattered in dungeons or town buildings. They will either have a specific action or a member of Shining Force on them. This new system is controlled by Mawlock, one of the game's new characters that does not start in the party. Instead, chapter epilogues contain a parallel storyline with Mawlock and Princess Narsha of Runefaust, who eventually join up with the Shining Force halfway through the game. Only then can he actually use the cards that you've been finding up until that time in battle. Each card can either provide Mawlock with a character's ability (using their respective card), create a clone of that character to fight on the battlefield, or give temporary power-ups to a character. In theory this should balance the field later in the game, because most of the end battles are still pretty hard. With that said, I still feel that the new system and characters feel forced into the original game's flow, kind of like seeing the new material in A New Hope: Special Edition.

With all the noise everyone is making about the NES "classics" being re-released on the GBA, Shining Force should recieve as much, if not more, criticism. The game is essentially the same as the original. Which is fine for me, because as soon as I started playing my strategies of the past gently bubbled to the surface, allowing me to get through a good portion of the game before I stopped for the day. I suppose there's a bit of nostalgia at work here as well, as I was able to look past many of the game's faults. Yes it is a remake of a game that was great in its day, but with the new subtitle I expected a bit more, at least enough to justify the cost of the game. I suppose that's Metroid: Zero Mission talking again, but it's true. Nintendo has set the standard.

I couldn't help comparing Shining Force with FFTA, because without Shining Force I doubt the genre would exist in its current form. But when you're faced with the choice of a game that is based on a deep character upgrades system, and combat mechanics that make me want to bathe in their complexity, it's hard to accept Shining Force as analagous. The graphics are dated, the combat is simplistic (I kept trying to approach enemies from behind for better attacks) and the theme music is extremely limited. If you want this game to rekindle fond memories of the Genesis version, by all means get Resurrection of the Dark Dragon because it's a fine port. And anyone who hasn't played Shining Force, but considers themselves a fan of the genre, might be interested in this bit of gaming history. Otherwise, you'd be better off spending your money on Fire Emblem or Tactics Ogre. I may have been waiting for Shining Force on the GBA, but I can't say it was worth my own hype.

deadly shadows

While it may be easy for some to dismiss Thief: Deadly Shadows as a mere console port or cash grab from fans of the original, I do not pledge allegiance to that group. Clearly Ion Storm is going through some rough times after the hugely exaggerated reactions to Invisible War. If the demo is to be taken as truth, Deadly Shadows is by no means a bad game. Instead I think Ion Storm Austin should be commended for at least making the proper effort in updating one of PC gaming's classics.

The Dark Project and The Metal Age both had good stories, and so far Deadly Shadows is doing its best to bring you back into the series' familiar underworld. The dark, animated storybook cutscenes also make a return, which was yet another feature that set the original game apart from the stiffly animated in-game cutscenes of most 3D games at the time. The tutorial level that sets the tone and story up for the rest of the game is well thought out for a change. For those unfamiliar with stealth action, a set of glowing footprints that guide you through the path of least resistance (and light) to each objective is helpful.

As much as PC gamers were opposed to the third person view, don't find it detrimental to the game at all. I also like that I can go completely flat against walls, because most times the guards will simply walk past oblivious to who stalks them, something that was almost impossible to do in the previous two games due to the limitations in NPC pathfinding. I think the reason I found the new third person view helpful in some areas was my time with Pandora Tomorrow. The lack of night vision goggles, however, was a little unnerving and actually made me keep a certain amount of lighting in an area, just so I could see what I was doing. To make gaming even easier, you could turn up the gamma or play with alll the lights turned off, though the latter I think is more for mood than anything else.

At the most complex, the AI for the guards provides only a moderate challenge - and even then it's when you get caught, because Garrett is only equipped with a dagger this time around. The guards talk out loud about their actions ("Hm, guess I better check over here to be sure..."), making them easy to predict and therefore avoid. I'm going to make another unfair comparison to Splinter Cell here, because of my recent playthrough. The guards are definitely tough in SC:PT, and will often run right for your position regardless of how well hidden you think you are. Deadly Shadows's guards often go back to their post after very little investigation, and I was able to run around most areas attracting a bit of attention with my noisy footsteps, but rarely was I ever noticed. As a result normal mode is way too easy, a drastic change from the difficulty I found in Thief 2.

I remember reading in one of the previews that interactive lockpicking would be new feature in the game, as opposed to having the disposable lockpicks in the previous Thief adventures that would automatically open doors. Now, like in Splinter Cell, there is a bit of interaction on the part of the player. Instead of lock tumblers in SC, you have three rings of defense in a lock, where you must move the lockpick controlled by the mouse to find the "sweet spot" in each, depicted by a greater amount of movement in the lock mechanism. At first I was a little annoyed by this, especially when a guard is patrolling nearby and the cover of shadow is not as plentiful as I hoped it would be. But once you get used to this new system, it's not that bad, and actually gets you to learn the "feel" of a lock, and anticipate how easy it will be to pick.

The lighting engine is very good, and a huge improvement over the previous games. It ably emulates the vast spectrum of light and darkness, and the fact that some guards carry torches and in effect a moving light source is a beautifully added touch. However, the graphics engine itself is far from spectacular as I once thought. Indeed, the Unreal engine is used, but the textures and character models leave a lot to be desired. The graphics are actually a bit taxing on my system, reminiscent of the unoptomized engine of DX2. I imagine that some tweaking of the .ini file will be necessary to get it running smoothly on most systems. There are load screens in between sections of buildings as well, which were extremely jarring once I had sunk comfortably into the atmosphere. Furthermore, the Havok engine doesn't belong in this game. The fact that I can brush up against a barrel and send it careening down a flight of stairs makes little sense, and when I try and hide a body I might as well be able to fold him up into a neat little package - because that's what their apparently disjointed limbs make it look like.

The hand drawn maps and loot quotas require you to explore most of the levels thoroughly, at least giving the impression it's open-ended. There are multiple entry points - the level in the demo didn't require you to follow the "set-up" from the previous level - but the action always remains linear. When you walk into a room, if there are valuables nearby they will give off a kind of glow or shine. I don't remember this from the previous games, and in my opinion just another way to make the experience less interactive. Players should be able to figure out for themselves what's valuable or not - obviously stuff locked in a chest will have some kind of value attached to it. It immediately reminded me of XIII, where the game automatically zoomed in on important items in a room.

All your equipment is supplied at the beginning of each level, which is another departure for the series. Traditionally, loot collected in the previous level would be automatically traded for its gold equivalent where you would then be able to outfit yourself with whatever you thought you would need. A certain level of strategy would need to be applied at this stage, because knowing little about your mission you would want to get the largest variety of tools possible: whether you want to rely on only water arrows, and get a rope arrow or a couple moss arrows for noise suppresion was entirely up to the player. Luckily, the mechanical eye that replaced the one Garrett lost in Thief is also usable, but unfortunately not right away.

Fans of the series should not be wary of this game. It's not the evolution that everyone wanted, but it's far from being the evisceration that was feared. In light of Pandora Tomorrow's innovative multiplayer mode, a band of thieves taking on a castle full of guards protecting valuable treasure, or even people, would have been something I'd have liked to try. The series' theme and setting are perfectly matched, and I believe that it was successfully captured in Deadly Shadows. I'm reluctant to shower it with praise, but I'm positive that existing fans will be happy with the way it turned out. Although slightly disappointing in some respects, I will probably get this game for completeness, because after the recent layoffs at Ion Storm and Warren Spector's tenure coming into question, it's hard to tell where this series will end up.

the city's been bled white

the unseen guest: E3 2004

E3 2004 turned out pretty good, but I'm not completely depressed for not being able to attend for reasons stated earlier. There is a certain sweetness to Guild Wars' gameplay, something that made me forget about not being able to witness the spectacle of the Nintendo Press conference, or playtest many of my anticipated games of this year. There was something for everyone it seemed: the hardware everyone wanted to see, the hardware everyone wanted to hate, games making yet another appearance and a pretty big surprise (but not really if you think about it). And then there was the big announcement from Sega that left everyone scratching their heads. (isn't everyone tired of The Matrix yet?)

I hate always having to make this disclaimer, but remember that this shit you're reading is just yours truly making a record of their gaming travels. I don't ever make the mistake that what I say is important, insightful, comprehensive, fair, balanced - you get the picture. The following, then, is a list of games and technology that stuck out in my mind as being particularly interesting - don't confuse this list for being some sort of "best of show", because not all of it was that great. Even though I wasn't there, a small part of my soul was thanks to the magic of the Internet.

Guild Wars wrap up

I think I was more disappointed about not being able to play Guild Wars anymore than not being able to attend E3 2004 at all. The E3 Alpha test officially ended today at approximately 3 am EST, and with it the deletion of my Ranger/Warrior and Warrior/Monk characters. A lot of players I talked to agreed that this game shared more than one similarity to Diablo II - including the minimalist interface and addictive, straightforward gameplay.

I was only able to complete two quests during the Alpha test, as the game got difficult really fast despite the ability to enter combat with NPCs and fellow PCs alike. Being limited to a Level 15 character did not lend itself well to these situations, even though enough experience could earn you skill points which I'll come to later. A feature that was an absolute dream come true was the automatic treasure balancing. Once you uncover a hidden stash or a monster drops an item, the game will reserve items for players in your group randomly, clearly labelled if you press ALT. Gold will be divided evenly among the group members. If a player drops out or is killed, the items become up for grabs, but I'm not sure if this is what is intended. In any case, this treasure reserving system allows players to focus on clearing an area instead of worrying that they'll get stuck with nothing. Being a relative newcomer to MMORPGs, I'm not sure if this method of managing loot is used elsewhere - but it's brilliant.

I stated before that the engine is truly revolutionary in the way that it handles game objects and low-bandwidth situations by streaming as required. The game's monsters are incredibly detailed and smoothly animated, and the environments are incredible to behold. Viewing the North Wall for the first time (a setpiece in one of the quests) was completely jaw dropping. The camera is smooth and intuitive to use, allowing you to change angles or zoom in and out of the action as necessary. There's no camera tracking, though. The controls may be easy to pick up, but it's still annoying to occasonally be stuck in objects or terrain, or have to scroll wildly just to get a good view (which was often fatal during combat).

The Guilds feature had not been implimented in the game yet, but I imagine it will be something similar to the Blood Pledges of Lineage. The Class skill system is more or less complete, and provided a good look at what to expect from the game's character management system. Each Class's unique skills are obtained through using Skill Gems, something that can be used like a magic item (with limited charges), or you can use the Skill points that are earned with experience to permanently learn the abilities. But in order to do this, you must pay a trainer for your particular class in town. What I found amusing was the market that erupted for Skill Gem trade - as if it didn't occur to players that the Alpha would be ending after three days. Both Health and Mana regenerate fairly quickly, but your Skills take a few seconds to recharge after each use. The system could use some refinement, but I wouldn't be entirely disappointed if it remained untouched. There is really little roleplaying involved; instead, the focus is on combat and improving your character's equipment, reinforcing the Diablo II-like comparisons.

There will be no montly fee as with traditional MMORPGs. I'm not sure that the MMORPG monthly fee applies itself well enough to the game's content anyway. The persistent world may exist in Guild Wars, but it's fairly interchangable at this point, as the game is just about group-based quests and combat. Having everything online also eliminates cheaters and you're constantly getting new content and items to keep play interesting. I applaud ArenaNet for this basic, yet refreshing approach to RPG game communities. Where Guild Wars may run into problems is an exponential increase in user base as the game realizes its potential. Because of the one time fee, it may be difficult to maintain the game servers in response to user demand (much like Battle.net suffered during Diablo II's initial few months). ArenaNet seems to have a plan though, as they intend to sell downloadable "chapters" after the game's launch to provide large amounts of new content at once (presumably, entirely new areas to adventure in.)

Some interesting bugs I came across were mostly graphical: the lack of clipping allowed me to walk through solid obstacles like pillars and trees. The water and liquid effects look great, but there are no ripple effects when you walk through. Naturally, an Alpha will have these types of shortcomings - but this Alpha was suprisingly playable, even more than most games currently at retail. If ArenaNet needs eight months to fine tune things this will be an outstanding product upon release. After spending three evenings with this game and a bunch of suprisingly normal players, Guild Wars has my gaming dollar this November.

clouds move too fast

Guild Wars: E3 for everyone

The word has been out for some time that Guild Wars planned on starting an open beta test that would have taken place during E3 this this week, starting on May 12th going until May 14th. But due to overwhelming demand, the great people at ArenaNet have decided to let us in early, giving us an extra couple of days to get comfortable with it. Players will even be interacting with those that are at E3; but it's no fucking replacement for actually being there. It's a great gesture though, and clearly seems a worthwhile way to generate interest in their game. Even though I'm waiting for World of Warcraft to jump into the MMORPG scene, most of what I'd heard about Guild Wars sounds great. A completely open beta, a free service even - this kind of practice should be more commonplace. Although only a 62 KB download, I caught it on this month's PC Gamer demo CD.

ArenaNet is made up of a few Blizzard expatriates, and given what I've seen so far it certainly shows. From the soundtrack to the game's hyperintuitive interface, all the earmarks of something from Blizzard's studios are here. Furthermore, ArenaNet has outdone themselves with the game's visually stunning engine. There is very little lag, and all game assets are streamed as required, so the game is extremely light on system resources. My only complaint is that I can't really get a feel for the strength of my character, as all new characters created during this test are locked at level 15. Because of the game's focus on combat and a team-based approach to questing (not entirely unlike groups in Diablo II), having a fairly decent character to complete many of the quests shouldn't be as tedious to obtain as traditional MMORPGs. I plan on having some more thoughts at the end of the test this weekend, but if you're in Khylo be sure to stop by and say hi. Tell them Valhagen Thesselier sent you.

This pre-E3 hype gets worse every year. Nintendo unleashed a flurry of new information at their press event regarding their Zelda franchise, as well as pictures of the DS I'm sure weren't intended for the eyes of commoners until tomorrow. With Metroid DS and a game from Square Enix, it might be enough to get people to see past the cumbersome design. Another surprise was a brand new Zelda game for the GBA, to be developed by Capcom. The Minish Cap is a magic item that first appeared in the Four Swords for the GBA, and seems to be central to this new game's story. It's difficult not to get caught up in the E3 hype, and some people are even declaring the console war over after viewing the trailer for the next Zelda Gamecube title. I admit the trailer makes it look pretty good, but aside from an updated Ocarina of Time I'm not really feeling it. And I'd hardly call the new Link "dark"; he still looks like a kid to me. I'm looking forward to the monsters and the new gameworld, but I think I'll be saving my excitement for Metroid Prime 2 (Dark Samus? Just what the hell is going on here?).

Oh and remember that Advance Wars title for the Gamecube? It now has a name: Advance Wars: Under Fire. Kuju Entertainment has taken an excellent strategy game and turned it into some sort of third person shooter with minimal battlefield tactics.

still waiting for next week's chemical blast

battlefields 2.0

I'm a little concerned at the prospect of Battlefield 2, which is being named as the true successor to Battlefield 1942. It leaves me thinking that Battlefield: Vietnam was probably a quick little money maker in the interim to pad BF2's development, even though it has garnered some very respectable reviews. It doesn't seem to be picking up the momentum I thought it would - some gamers I've talked to are still happy to play Desert Combat or Eve of Destruction and are in no rush to pick up BFV. And Desert Combat appears to be what Dice is going for in Battlefield 2, which I find a bit strange. Sure, they gave the guys at Trauma Studios their big break - but does that also mean taking their mod, slapping it in a box and selling it to PC gamers? It's an easier route to be sure, but definitely not one to take if they want to retain the fanbase.

According to the press releases Battlefield 2 will take "modern warfare" and put it into the familiar gameplay format of Battlefield 1942, upgrade the graphics and base the physics engine in some semblance of our reality instead of allowing tanks to jump 50 feet in the air and crates block the 5 ton blast of a Sherman tank. Dice also plans to include a "Commander" mode that gives the more strategy inclined a larger view of the battlefield and allows them to issue commands to ground troops. The new playable factions are the US, China and some fictional middle-eastern conglomerate. With the screens depicting a desert setting, I can't really see why I should be uninstalling DC anytime soon. Still, the Savage-like FPS meets RTS is an interesting design concept and definitely fits as an improvement to the genre. The only thing that puzzles me is Battlefield: Modern Combat. Why make a Battlefield game for the PS2 so late in the console's lifespan? The screens only cause a deep sadness in me for PS2 owners.

A couple weeks ago I started playing Call of Duty on "Hardened" after watching the "Carentan" episode of Band of Brothers. Playing through CoD is still as breathtaking as the first time, but now that the idea of Brothers in Arms is in my head, it's hard to focus on what made me enjoy CoD in the first place. The recently announced first expansion for CoD entitled "United Offensive" contains three new campaigns from the same nations in the first game, and is supposed to be ready for October. The Americans will be tackling Battle of the Bulge, the British will be involved in some sort of bombing campaign, and as the Russians you will play through the Battle of Kursk. The ending of CoD gave a brief taste of the Ardennes, and I hope that Grey Matter has enough sense to try and capture the gritty realism of Episodes 6 and 7 of Band of Brothers, moreso than the Spearhead expansion did for MoHAA. I can't say I'm looking forward to sitting in the back of a plane on the new British missions in a game that has primarily been all about infantry combat, though. As a huge fan of CoD I should be excited about this - and I am - but while the concept of adding more content to an already great game is tantalizing, why not just focus on bringing us an outstanding sequel? I suppose my apprehension can be blamed on the downward spiral of expansions that were released for Medal of Honor - Spearhead was fine, but Breakthrough was not an experience I want to repeat.

I might as well talk about Men of Valor since the subject is already at hand - a couple of movies were released recently, and although 2015 knocked me on my ass with Allied Assault I can't say I'm impressed with this outing. You can really notice the similarities with MOHAA than say, comparing it to EA Pacific's Pacific Assault. It would be different if 2015 went out of their way to capture the era like Dice Canada did for Battlefield Vietnam, but some of those screens make me think this is just a mod on top of an engine that's long since been discarded as old technology. Even Shellshock: Nam '67 seems to have secured the style of combat dictated by the dense jungles of Vietnam; I won't hold the fact that it's a multiplatform title against it.

sith lords of the old republic

Obviously The Ziff-Davis Empire is launching a campaign of exclusivity on fans of KotOR, because they allegedly have some exclusive information on Sith Lords, the now confirmed sequel that takes place five years after the original. The information, screenshots and concept art were slated to appear in both of their gaming mags this month. But everyone knows this doesn't last long - even the previously mentioned MP2 screens were originally in the print version of Game Informer, and succumbed to the same fate. But these are just technicalities; gamers don't care where the information comes from - they'll devour anything that even resembles the taste of meat.

Gamesradar has posted more substantial information, bringing out some great new points about the game. Development will be handled by Feargus Urqhart's Obsidian Entertainment as rumoured earlier this year. I think it will be a given that the same graphics engine will be used - there weren't many complaints on that front for the original and it gives the developers more time to focus on story. Combat will remain the same, but this time you will have two quickly selectable weapon configurations like NWN or Lord of Destruction. This is a great addition, in my opinion, because switching from blasters to melee weapons mid-combat can get annoying fast - especially when enemies retreat.

Something that KotOR did extremely well is the way it handled your character's alignment. Depending on what path you choose, you can open up a whole different set of quests. Of course, you essentially end up at the same place, but the journey is always different. I think there's room for improvement here though, as I found it unfortunate that another plot doesn't develop when you turn to the Dark Side - surely the killer of fellow Jedi or innocent civilians would develop some sort of reputation. This is something I'm hoping that Sith Lords addresses. One thing that has been considered is the effect of your character's alignment on the party. This time you won't have NPCs like Carth or Bastila clucking in the background when you do something evil - they'll simply go along with it and eventually become evil too. I see posibilities for some really inventive story-weaving and gameplay here.

I go out of my way every month to read PC Gamer - but it's coming to point now where its monthly input is almost cursory to the mass of websites I frequent. The Slow Death of Video Game Magazines has been heralded by the online gaming media for years, but I haven't see any real change in print media's landscape to adapt. There will always be print-only exclusives like the recent MP2 and KotOR2, demo CDs, or some other tantalizing morsel that will try and make you pay for the whole package, even if it involves grumbling under your breath the entire time. I'd like to think the quality of writing is better; after all, instant presses are more succeptible to rumourmongering and just plain sloppy journalism. I think that print gaming magazines are where the industry needs to start changing - they have a guaranteed source of income that they can afford to spend on refining the craft to create a genuine model to follow, instead of relying on sensationalist headlines, annoying flash advertisements or clickthrough pages. To leave gaming media in its infant state to the easily swayed drones of online Big Media would be grave mistake.

singing lines from all our favorite songs

shining guardian souls

Unfortunately IGN has been at it again, this time hinting at a real-time version of the highly acclaimed Advance Wars series for the Gamecube called "Cube Wars". This was originally attributed to a passing mention in IGN's Gamecube mailbag a couple of weeks ago. Given the success of Advance Wars on the GBA in North America - the first versions to even see release here - I expect that there is some truth to this. Putting the game into real-time takes a bit of the purpose out of the game (I can hardly imagine playing Command & Conquer with a controller), but I'm still adding it to the E3 watch list.

In another GBA to Gamecube move, a significantly upgraded Fire Emblemwill be released in Japan later this year. As Fire Emblem is another long running series that first appeared in North America on the GBA, I hope to see the eventual release of the Gamecube version here. Slightly jealous of PS2 owners who got to play Disgaea, I think the Gamecube is due for this type of tactical strategy.

There's equally good news for the GBA - the success of Final Fantasy Tactics Advance has softened the relationship between Square-Enix and Nintendo enough to produce a port of Final Fantasy I & II, and there is further speculation that the elusive Final Fantasy III would be ported as well, a game that fanboys have been lusting after ever since they learned of its existence. One thing seems to be guaranteed though, and that's a brand new Final Fantasy adventure for the GBA.

My hopes for Shining Soul were high indeed, and now the sequel has arrived in stores to fairly indifferent reviews as well. Things have much improved since the last installment - which is good - and the co-operative adventuring still has my attention. Now that I'm more or less done with Sword of Mana I can probably give it a try. Unfortunately, Shining Force: Resurrection of the Dark Dragon is the victim of a badly designed cover, and should hope that fans of the series will look past it for a faithful adaptation. Kind of like Age of Wonders: you'd have a better chance explaining the hype surrounding Franz Ferdinand than why I picked up that box at my local software shop. But I'm glad I did.

In a recent edition of Gamespot's Rumour Control a version of Treasure's 1996 classic Guardian Heroes for the GBA was mentioned. Maybe I really do hold a special place in my heart for Treasure's side scrollers, because I also have fond memories playing this game on a friend's Saturn back when it was released. It was a frenetic and crude action/RPG, and if anything reminded me of Street Fighter Alpha with the ridiculous melee combos you could perform on your enemies. The gameplay was similar to any side-scrolling beat-'em-up, but Guardian Heroes provided you with multiple storylines to travel through. Depending on dialogue with NPCs it would take you on a completely different quest, which was refreshing for a console RPG at the time. A direct port has been denied, so I suppose Treasure is creating an entirely new adventure. There is a rumoured September release for a Japanese version - but neither Sega or Treasure has confirmed this.

another occupational hazard

The reaction to the scanned Metroid Prime 2 screenshots was like reopening the old wounds sustained when the original was released. With the introduction of multiplayer, it has some riled up enough to call it a "Quake clone" or that it's trying to be Halo. Even the controls scheme itself has been brought back out for public flogging - it seems that a game that looks like a FPS should, in fact, be an FPS. But it should be pretty fucking clear to anyone that's actually played 'Prime that it is not. And as you well know I'm completely happy with the way things turned out.

Along with official screens the new title has been released at Nintendo's site: Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. I'd say the subtitle is very fitting, given that multiple power suits will be running around in multiplayer mode. Unfortunately the comparisons to Halo don't stop at the multiplayer, either - someone has already compared the mysterious figure in the silver power suit wielding a pulse rifle to the Master Chief. There's always room for interpretation, but give me a break - is every science fiction game since Halo's release going to be compared back to it?

I trust that Retro Studios uses the Metroid universe such that they would at least integrate the multiplayer component into the main game's story. There is probably a very good reason why there's more than one person sporting the power armour - perhaps the Chozo's technological secrets have been unearthed by another force other than the Space Pirates. Maybe it's the Ing, a new race as noted by the official site, who have come to use this technology to fuel their war machine on the planet that hosts Echoes' setting. Once again Samus will have to regain her power suit's upgrades and weapons, and I'm pretty curious to see the reason for losing them this time.

To lay underneath the red sky there

gearbox does world war 2

Whether you think it's a tantalizing advertising campaign or cheap marketing gimmick, Gearbox Software has still managed to turn some heads with their recent "teaser" website for Brothers in Arms. The site first opened a few weeks ago at warstory.net, where they posted a few quotes about the state of war-based FPS, and how they have been lacking the distinct flavours of frontline battlefield combat. Before even the first screens were revealed, you could hear the sounds of gamers lamenting another WWII shooter and decrying how the genre has already been done to death. Unfortunately, my predisposition towards war-related games has firmly planted me in the camp of those who believe that only the execution of these games can be overused; World War II as a subject is absolutely brimming with material to base an action-adventure on.

Gearbox is being intentionally coy about the engine, but it will most definitely be part of publisher UbiSoft's E3 lineup. Some rumours are saying it's a brand new engine, and others hint that its grand scale battlefields put the CryEngine to good use. Looking at some of the screenshots it's hard not to be skeptical; all of them look doctored or modified in some way to give them an all-too-realistic polish. But according to most "previews" (and I use that term loosely; most are nothing more substantial than speculation given after an inital viewing), this soft appearance is all part of the engine. I must admit these initial screens remind me of when I saw Call of Duty for the first time.

BIA plans to take a more strategic approach to battle, depending even more on the actions of squadmates. Wishful comparisons were quickly made to something like Ghost Recon, and although some elements are there, the field command options are much more simplified. Through this new approach, Gearbox promises gamers realistic tactics. It's not enough that your fellow soldiers provide covering fire - you are now able to issue general commands as well, including supressing hostiles and moving into position, instead of letting your AI controlled squadmates follow your lead like in Call of Duty or Medal of Honor: Allied Assault. Having a limited number of armaments also restricts your ability to take on the entire Wehrmacht yourself, something MoHAA and even CoD allowed you to do. I'd like to see punishment for trying to go it alone in BIA, as it doesn't make sense that you can abandon your squadmades on a whim to race ahead because they can't bunny hop bullets.

It's also clear that Gearbox is going for realistic environments, as this composite shows. Using historical photos and battlefield accounts of the airborne assault on Normandy to build most of the environments, and the actual story based on the experiences of a platoon seargeant in the 502nd parachute infantry regiment adds a bit of credibility to the game's reason for being. Gearbox also plans on developing the characters of your squadmates, something that Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault is also attempting to do. I'd consider this an advancement of sorts, because it's one thing to provide decent AI to fight alongside you, and perhaps add a nametag to them, but when you start getting involved in their backstories, the deaths of these NPCs starts to carry a bit more weight.

I sense that this game is also heavily influenced by Band of Brothers, but where Spearhead has failed, I think Brothers In Arms has the ability to make up for the character development and emotionally charged combat. Both the XBox and PC version will be available sometime in October. It's hard to make a proper judgement call given all this pre-E3 hype, but I'm not afraid to say I'm very, very interested.

miles above the sea

.kkrieger

A project like .kkrieger cannot go without mention. Like Wolfenstein 5K, The Produkkt have managed to optimize a completely playable first person shooter into 96 KB, which some have said is smaller than the UT2004 readme. As a game there isn't much to it; you played the same thing in 1992. I just think the idea of a hyper-optimized game borders on genius, especially when examining the world of consoles where hard drives still seem to be a luxury (and even Microsoft has reconsidered for XBox 2). When the latest titles need to come out on DVDs just to be manageable, this type of game development is extremely refreshing.

The Twin Snakes

I remember getting to play Metal Gear Solid and Thief: The Dark Project around the same time, and falling hard for this new style of stealth-based gameplay. Why not reward players for avoiding fights, instead of starting them? Coming up with cunning ways to trick and outwit your opponents without the use of force seemed like a high concept, something the PC needed desperately to rejuvenate a tired genre. I only spent a couple of late evenings with MGS on a friend's Playstation back in University, but the challenges of Garrett's adventure kept me up nights (the best time to play it) as soon as I got my hands on the full version. Incidentally, both Metal Gear Solid and its sequel were ported to PC - but there's really no need to go further, as they were mediocre console ports with gargantuan install sizes and ridiculous system requirements.

So what would possess Nintendo and Konami, with the help of Silicon Knights, to team up and create a remake of a game that's barely 6 years old? The Metal Gear franchise had been gladly taken up by the Playstation, and given the hype surrounding Snake Eater and the series' rabid fan following, I would hardly think a remake would have been necessary to increase awareness. Perhaps this is me being overly optimistic, but I see this as a way of Konami testing the waters (so to speak) before committing to any future projects on the Gamecube as I explained in my earlier post about Castlevania. In simplest terms, Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes is a graphical and usability upgrade to a classic game.

What I remember most vividly about the original is the number, length, and depth of the cutscenes throughout the game. Indeed, I recall asking the first time I played, "Do you actually get to play in this game?" Metal Gear Solid was equally about creating an engrossing game, as it was about creating a believable and solid story. Alas, if you've played the original, The Twin Snakes adds no new surprises - all story elements are left untouched. Thus, the magic of playing through this incarnation would be to see the spectacular graphics if anything else. Curiously the original was contained on two CD-ROMs; this version, too, takes up two Gamecube discs. The effort that went into the sounds, voice acting and amazing score makes itself known as early as the beautifully scripted opening scenes - I was already captivated by the time the new "The Twin Snakes" title came across the screen, in the same manner as a well produced Hollywood film. Even the game's menu screen, cold and dark with snakes emulating a DNA chain - as trivial as this sounds - evokes the same type of stylish design as Metroid Prime's.

In the face of these excellent cutscenes, the game still uses talking "sketches" of the main supporting characters when you use your codec radio transmitter in game. I hate to nitpick on this small detail, but this was something that bothered me when I played the original. Why not have 3D animated busts, or add further realism to the codec tuning interface and show nothing at all? It would certainly add to the game's atmosphere of mystery and intrigue.

One thing I like about MGS is the difficulty level - it remains consistently challenging. With very little interaction around the cutscenes, every game sequence was made to count. Save points aren't an issue, as you can pretty much beat every new area in a few tries and autosaving takes care of the rest. I'd be careful to call it seamless, but the game does a pretty good job of convincing you that you're the one moving the action along in your favorite espionage thriller. Due to these bursts of strenuous and calculatingly paced gameplay, it seemed that much more rewarding to watch the cutscene that followed. The AI has improved: the guards are very sharp, and ruthless in their tactics. In most stealth action games a stray bullet in a closed room wouldn't make a difference. In The Twin Snakes, I was in one room early on in the game while well hidden and no guards in sight, and accidentally let a shot loose from my pistol. This caused the alarm to go off and a host of support guards quickly found my hiding spot, and made extremely short work of Solid Snake. Until you get your hands on the heavier weapons you have no chance against the guards unless you take them out individually, and the radar comes in quite handy for this. When attacking multiple targets, the new first person view (I hear this was cribbed from Sons of Liberty) makes this really easy. The top down view during combat in the original Metal Gear Solid was extremely unwieldy even with the laser sights.

To be fair, after playing Zero Mission I'm starting to expect a lot from remakes, as I'm sure many other people are. But it still would have been nice to insert some additional content into the game, maybe a "lost level" or two that bridged the familiar ones. Perhaps the story lies in too delicate a balance for this kind of manipulation, though, and I can respect the developers for that. On the whole I'd call it a great package if you haven't played the original. Minus some minor tweaks this is essentially the same game, so don't expect anything new here. If anything, this Gamecube port conveniently gives me an excuse to add it to my collection. Having never owned a Playstation, I kind of missed out on getting to know those revolutionary first-generation titles that have formed the genres of today.

good luck doesn't last forever

Sonic Heroes (GCN)

Sonic Heroes is a game I wanted to like. After playing the demo I was almost positive that this would be a return to form for Sonic and Friends, going back to what made the original Sonic adventures so incredibly fast paced and fun. I think my expectations may have been a bit misguided, though, because Sonic Heroes does not live up to its incredible potential.

The game's intro is like watching the beginning of your favorite Saturday morning cartoon - the music is awesome, and gets you into the spirit of the game. The cutscenes, although nicely animated, cannot make up for the spartan plotlines for each team. The game's story was clearly an afterthought; but I was more interested in getting to the action. The water surrounding the first few Team Sonic levels is like awakening a gamer's collective subconscious - you would swear you had returned to the Green Hill Zone. But this feeling doesn't last long.

götterdämmerung!

I'm not sure if anyone remembers 2002's Hearts of Iron, which was a pretty good real-time strategy game covering the political climate of 1936-1945 by Strategy First. Although technically a World War II-based game, you can control any country regardless of their historical "value" to the time period, letting a truly resourceful player lead any nation to victory. Like my absolute favourite board game Axis and Allies, HOI takes great care to replicate the economic and military strength of every country at the time when you begin the game, providing a fairly realistic battleground. The game's focus on the "industrial capacity" of your country effectively governs its ability to wage war, similar to A&A's industrial production credits. It also makes diplomacy and shared resources a viable option, instead of the typical "world domination by force" strategy. However the AI proved to be underdeveloped and abstract, making little to no sense in its tactical maneuvers. I remember declaring war on many countries with negligible diplomatic or financial repercussions, which ended up nullifying a lot of these meticulous details. Although the game is in real time, a lot of the mechanics would have been better suited to a turn-based framework. Some gamers inexperienced with the genre may find the game a bit daunting at first, especially with the barely informative tutorials and occasionally cluttered interface.

Strategy First released the 1.06 patch yesterday, which further improves the AI and adds a new scenario, "Götterdämmerung", which covers the final years of the war. I'm interested enough in the AI improvements and new scenario that I've reinstalled the game; here's hoping it provides an adequate - and more realistic - challenge this time around.

close your eyes and you will lose the fight

I guess I'm better off now that the North American release of Beyond Divinity has been delayed by a couple of weeks, and won't actually arrive in stores until the end of April. I find this a bit odd, if only because Larian is crowing about how they're making some final adjustments based on reactions to the demo, while the German version will be out in stores as soon as this week. I don't pretend to understand their motives; I'm still entranced by the elegant and simple beauty of its predecessor. I can say with certainty that my gaming time over the past week has been spent half-heartedly in the jungles of Vietnam, but this isn't anything against it. I just can't remember feeling so enmeshed in the fibre of a game since my weekend of adventures accross Northern Europe.

I did, however, find time to acquire the Multiplayer demo for Pandora Tomorrow. The final product mind you, not that bug infested version that was released prematurely. I am mostly pleased with the results, but there are some issues that I feel need addressing.

Let me get right to the point: the interface is shit. Anyone who has grown accustomed to the brand-intrusive, but easy to use Gamespy search engine in something like MOHAA or BF1942 will feel like they've had their hands chopped off and replaced with large anvils. It's extremely unwieldy, and does not make the usage of Ubi.com transparent like it was with Raven Shield. Trying to join a game was even more of a chore - the pings of active games were all over the place, and the browser wouldn't update inactive servers that I was furiously trying to connect to. Still, I'm not about to hold it against the entire experience, because the demo is still relatively fresh and prone to a number of faults and frailties from user demand. Up front these annoyances were a little more than I was expecting, but getting to experience this newly fashioned Spy vs. Mercenary gameplay mechanic is something that I'd much rather be talking about.

The graphics and level layout in the included "Mount Hospital" are good, but nothing especially eye popping. I found that the Mercenary view seemed more of a taped-on addition to the game; something about it just didn't feel right. The mouse felt unresponsive and I felt crowded by useless details on screen. Instead, I was much more at home playing a SHADOWNET Spy. With a nonlethal tazer as your only weapon, relying on your surroundings is paramount. The tasks seem simple enough - deactivate some Cryogenic control panels or somesuch - but when you throw a couple of player-controlled Mercs into the building with motion sensors and laser sights on fully-automatic rifles things tend to get a bit nerve wracking. I was fortunate enough to find a nice enough group of people to play with: a simple 2 on 2 battle where we took turns playing each side. These tense bursts of action divided up by terrifying moments anticipating your opponent's next move are something that the typical FPS will never see. You actually have a reason to wander about cautiously as the Mercenary; as the Spy you'd do well to stay out of sight free of worry that you'll be labeled a camper. I still think at least eight players would have made this an even better game, but then a sequel to address this is probably already on UbiSoft's "To Do" list given the reviews.

The class-balancing and pacing of the multiplayer component is well designed, and I have to give UbiSoft credit once again for establishing the model that I'm sure future games in the genre will no doubt try to imitate. I'll be picking up my copy post haste; but to be honest I'm more fascinated by the thought of another engrossing single-player campaign.

miles above the sea

living in the shadows

The Pandora Tomorrow Single-Player demo was released this week, with the multiplayer demo closing in fast. The single-player demo - although familiar at first - certainly feels different from the original game. The graphics have been tweaked and look a lot cleaner on the PC, although I don't remember night vision being so jaggy. Taking a break from clickfest RPGs and a replay of Call of Duty it was tough to get back into the gameplay. All the high-tech gadgets are back, and Mr. Fisher is sporting a few new maneuvers. I don't think we're going to be disappointed with the final product. The "Train" mission is like something out of a modern spy thriller film; I would agree that it skillfully sets the tone for the entire game.

Hearing Tycho's colourful description of how much of a departure the multiplayer mode is from the standard merely bolstered my anticipation of the game. Playing Raven Shield in co-operative or adversarial will heighten your sensitivity to the controls and even the slightest movements on-screen, so if Pandora Tomorrow captures even a fraction of this style of play I will be happy. Though multiplayer is limited to four players, this is still UbiSoft thinking ahead and laying the groundwork for the future in stealth gaming. I'm still looking forward to Thief: Deadly Shadows, but they are missing an opportunity by not including some sort of multiplayer functionality while proudly listing "Warren Spector" as one of the game's features.

After reading this week's announcement by Flagship studios about their partnership with Namco, my first reaction was one of shock. It's not that often a console developer/publisher picks up a studio that is made up of some of the most brilliant and original PC game designers of the last decade. Many PC gamers weren't very subtle about showing their distaste of the entire situation, either - there were rumblings about how Flagship's current project will end up as some impetuous console port of which there will be no escape. Although I secretly share the same fears, a publisher of Namco's prowess can only be a good thing for a new development house. Almost the entire crew of people that brought you the Warcraft and Diablo series are working on this new RPG, and at least sound dedicated to their PC fans. Whether this is just a ploy for Namco to expand its North American market remains to be seen.

I just felt like writing about that new Forgotten Realms game for the PS2 on Wenesday. I had no idea the new title and a Gamespot preview would be released the next day, but I'm happy to chalk it up to gamer's premonition. There aren't any new details about this "Demon Stone" that you haven't read already either in GMR's preview or gamespy's from last summer. Even the screens were already at Worthplaying. The game takes more of a KOTOR-style approach to party based combat, allowing to switch between each member during battles - except it's missing everything that made the former game great. I'm sure that it will make a fine distraction for those looking for an action RPG on their PS2, but this is probably the last you'll hear of it from me. Good luck with that, Stormfront.

Interestingly enough, both Larian Studios and RPGDot picked up my "preview" of Beyond Divinity. After having a lot of time to consider the demo, and realizing just how much game time I've devoted to Divine Divinity, I've decided that I'll be picking up my copy in April. It also appears that my webserver is on its last legs, as this recent referral and a surge in comment spam/ping spam activity has given it a real pounding. In other words, I've decided to sign up with a proper host so I can give this place a little more breathing room. As a result the site may be inaccessible over the next couple of days.

you chewing your tail is joy

On Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3

The Wife purchased Super Mario Bros. 3 for the GBA a couple weekends ago, and I keep meaning to talk about it. It got a lot of good reviews - and deservedly so - because it perfectly recreates the Super Mario 3 experience as seen in Super Mario All-Stars with a few minor improvements. The most notable being the remixing and addition of a few new sounds, like Mario's voice, which we all most definitely could do without. Another thing I noticed is that all the Mario Advance titles - even Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga - contain a separately playable update to the original Mario Brothers, which can be enjoyed by two players if you have the means to link up. It's a small thing, but a nice gesture nonetheless. As Super Mario 3 is hailed by many as being the greatest Mario game ever made (looking back at the hype it's hard to believe anything else) and the best selling video game of all time, I would call this latest manifestation a grand accomplishment. If we're comparing remakes though, Zero Mission still has it beat.

just to watch it burn

Being released in the same week, it almost seems unfair. I felt as if I was being forced to choose between two very solid titles and well-loved franchises. But I'm going to be walking away with my pre-ordered copy of Battlefield:Vietnam. I've already seen what Unreal Tournament 2004 has to offer in the amazing demo, so it essentially came down to me being more interested in BF:V's subject matter. Strangely enough, if you look back two years Battlefield 1942 was released a month before UT2003. And UT2003 was largely forgotten; I think many gamers felt that it was just an attempt to cash in with fans of the 1999 original, with a game that had no recognizable reason for buying into it aside from the massively updated engine. I got it anyway and haven't regretted it since. The gameplay was even more fast-paced and Bombing Run quickly replaced CTF as my game mode of choice. For UT2004, a number of new features have been introduced - like the amazing Onslaught, which is taking the online circuit by storm. Don't get me wrong, though, as I am definitely planning to partake in what the gaming media are calling the best FPS and multiplayer game of the year so far.

review: Metroid Reloaded

I was left feeling cold by Metroid Fusion, chastising it for being a sneaky remake of Super Metroid that was tweaked out and put into a different package. It's one of the better titles for the GBA, though, so actually investing in that purchase would not be a mistake. This time around I can't use that excuse, because Nintendo has made it clear we are seeing a massive redesign of Samus Aran's first encounter with Metroids. But what players didn't know was the extent of the surprise at the end of the game. And I plan on divulging, so beware of the spoilers interspersed in this review.

Metroid: Zero Mission is a retelling of Samus Aran's mission to planet Zebes, which first appeared as Metroid on the NES in 1986. And as I've noted before, it's very similar to the facelift that the original NES Mario Brothers games underwent for Super Mario All-Stars on the SNES. The same exaggerated, cartoonish styling was transplanted onto Metroid to yield Zero Mission. The visuals are definitely the strong point of this game, followed very closely by the much improved soundtrack. Where Sword of Mana seems like Secret of Mana with a few minor changes, Zero Mission is a completely refreshing take on a classic adventure.

Like any Metroid game, you start with nothing and are driven by an unseen force to acquire new powerups and weapons. The simple formula has been repeated time and again in this series (and others like it), yet gamers never complain. I suppose the simple act of getting and replacing your suit's many upgrades is reward enough. And the moderate level of difficulty lends itself well to marathon sessions where you've obtained about 10 new missile tanks and wonder where the fuck the time has gone.

Some of the weapon and power suit upgrades are actually carry-overs from Metroid sequels, like the Speed Booster from Super Metroid and the "Power Grip" that first appeared in Metroid Fusion, which allows Samus to hang off of ledges. Adding these new abilities provides a different experience from the original, and each of the game's areas were redesigned to suit.

Zero Mission tends to feel more free-form than Fusion, because sequence breaking is a lot easier. You are no longer limited by locked elevator accesses and different "sectors". It essentially starts once you get bombs and can bomb jump your way to unreachable corridors or Power Tanks. After a while it becomes very obvious where you're supposed to go, however, and there is always a way out.

My game clocked in at just under four hours, and this was played over the course of a week or so. Sure there were some challenges, but I think my largest complaint with the game is that it was too easy. When you have the Automap to fall back on, it's very difficult to get lost, and you occasionally get clues as to where to head next. All powerups are revealed in this manner as well (as they were in Fusion) and it's just a matter of blasting your way to them. Unlike the original Metroid, where part of the game was actually remembering where you were (this is where graph paper came in handy). Even Ridley - traditionally one of the hardest bosses - was a pushover. Kraid was the only boss that presented a real challenge. Mother Brain was easy to defeat as long as you had a sufficient missile loadout.

If you're even slightly into this game, by now you've heard about the additional mission that takes place after the destruction of Mother Brain. The "suitless Samus" sequence, while fun for awhile, quickly became annoying due to your lack of a power suit and no real way to defend yourself. I almost felt like I was playing a 32-bit version of Starcraft: Ghost.

Playing through Metroid Prime revealed some interesting information about the origins of Samus' Power Suit and the Chozo civilization, but Zero Mission takes it a step further. At the end of the game, you see a close up of some scribbled graffiti on the mural that you fought previously to gain your fully powered Armour back. It shows a young Samus holding hands with some Chozo elders, which fully canonizes some information about Samus' heritage that was mostly made up of fan speculation and snippets from game instruction manuals. There was also a short animated sequence you saw after destroying Mother Brain where you see the same situation. If you don't mind looking at pictures (unless you can read Japanese), there is a e-manga Shockwave cartoon that goes into a little more detail on this subject. From what I understand, as a child Samus was the survivor of a Space Pirate attack on her home planet that was led by Ridley. She was taken into custody by the Chozo and grew become the fearless bounty hunter we know today. As far as I can tell the comic is officially sanctioned material.

I could easily recommend this game above Metroid Fusion, because Zero Mission truly captures the feel of the only two fully original games in the series: Metroid and Metroid 2: The Return of Samus. Metroid Prime was a departure in many ways, but the more I think about it the more I can compare it to Zero Mission and its quasi-openness and automap directives. If you want a highly addictive side scrolling adventure, you cannot go wrong with Zero Mission - in fact it's impossible. Nintendo could have easily gone the lazy route and just prettied up the graphics on the 1986 classic. But they did more than give the game a comic-like style - they included familiar powers that have been introduced into the series since its debut, as well as added a novel end sequence where you can play as Samus sans power armour. And to be able to unlock the original 8-bit Metroid and two galleries (Fusion and Zero Mission) make this an excellent package. I'd hate to see this series devlove into incestuous remakes, but I think Nintendo had to get Zero Mission out of its system. Another original Metroid game for the GBA and the Gamecube (like Metroid Prime 2 for example) would be a more welcome addition to the series.

those evil-natured robots

impressions: Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles

Crystal Chronicles is a game that most gamers were watching with great interest, whether they wanted to play it or not. Since jumping ship to create Final Fantasy games for the Playstation, Square has been reluctant to develop for Nintendo's home console. And Crystal Chronicles was to be a very large undertaking, with its departure from the traditional turn-based combat system, asking players to make a significant investment for the controls, and all the while promising an engaging multiplayer adventure. And with many reviewers crying foul after seeing their own hype backfiring in their face, is the game actually worth playing?

I'm going to delay delivering my assessment to recount a bit of an anecdote surrounding recent Valentimes [sic] Day. That's when we picked up our reserved copy of Crystal Chronicles, you see. Ever since The Wife gained access to my GBA after I moved in, she occasionally played Metroid Fusion or WarioWare. She became interested in the idea of actually owning her own, and with Crystal Chronicles on the way I happily obliged knowing the multiplayer requirements. What better way to celebrate Valentimes [sic] Day, than with a Fire Red GBA-SP and Crystal Chronicles?

After connecting our respective Gameboys and starting a multiplayer adventure, I figured it would all be fairly straightforward, because seriously, who reads the instruction manual any more? Console games are usually self-revealing. After a solid half-hour getting used to the GBA/GC interface controls, we were on our way. Crystal Chronicles features some of the most beautiful visuals I've ever seen in a game. Leave it to the Gamecube, though, because that's exactly what I said about Metroid Prime. The Game Designers Studio has managed to convince me once again why I own this console. The music, put simply, is moving. I was emotionally stirred after viewing the opening movie, which served as ample introduction to the adventure to come.

During the first half hour of actual play I was absolutely livid, because I was almost certain that I had a terrible game on my hands. The controls felt awkward, the action lists were too complicated to modify while under attack, and the Crystal Chalice did not make me feel like we were in control of the action. But after our first boss battle I realized the truth. Wielding devastating spell combo attacks, coordinating our healing efforts and eventually killing the first boss monster brought me back to the days of Diablo, where only a coordinated assault guarantees victory. The Multiplayer adventure is where this game's design really shines, and should be the only reason you purchase this game.

I know exactly why reviewers had such a hard time with Crystal Chronicles. It forces you to stick together, share inventory items and spells and explicitly binds you by teamwork. What these people failed to understand – and Tycho nailed on the head – is that the game isn't meant to be convenient. Teamwork is an essential – nay, mandatory - component of gameplay. If you're expecting to breeze through it on single player and enjoy the same experience, you're absolutely wrong. You need to play this with other people; to fully understand the concepts behind the game it is essential. The single player option was thrown in so that players wouldn't feel obligated to buy a GBA, and is completely devoid of excitement. So you get a moogle companion to carry the Chalice - big deal. The game becomes little more than a more polished version of something like Dark Alliance.

Inventory management is completely discrete – it's all contained on the many pages of information accessed on the GBA. There's no need to pause the whole game just so someone can put on their Ruby Earrings. Randomized map, treasure, and enemy radars forces communication between players, as does the mandatory carrying of the Crystal Chalice. The game took a lot of flak for the Chalice concept, but I didn't find it annoying at all. In fact I found that whoever had the map was the best person to carry it, and even if you're attacked you automatically drop it.

The game may not share the turn-based combat of previous Final Fantasy games, but the environment and characters are saturated with it. The real-time combat is one of the main things that turned players away from this game; it didn't "feel" like a Final Fantasy adventure. I would love for more Final Fantasy games to share this visual style, though. I am more at home with the soft looking, child-like characters of FFTA and FFCC than the androgynized brooding male leads of recent Final Fantasy games. It's getting ridiculous, and I think having these characters present in Crystal Chronicles helps evoke the atmosphere of innocence and wonder, instead of making you feel uncomfortable playing a male who spends as much time in front of the mirror as his female counterpart.

I found the GBA-GCN connector cable was a little flaky at times, as we had to restart our GBAs more than once during play because they would freeze up. Luckily this wouldn't affect the game, though – Crystal Chronicles just waits to reconnect with the GBA. Unfortunately if you're in the middle of a boss battle and all players are resetting their GBAs you'll probably die before the link is restored.

After every dungeon you return to the world map and have the option to save your progress. There aren't many spots where it autosaves, so rather than making dangerous assumptions that it might save after a pivotal cutscene you're better off saving right off the main map. As many of the critics have noted, you lose your spells and magical abilities every time you leave a dungeon, only having to re-collect spell spheres when you enter a new one. You also must go right through to the end – there's no clearing an area, exiting and saving like we tried. Once you beat the area's boss then it's safe to save your progress and move on. There are multiple slots that will store different characters, so theoretically you could jump into an existing multiplayer adventure with newly created characters. As an added bonus, you can bring your memory card and GBA over to a friend's place and load up your existing character for an adventure.

Crystal Chronicles is not a conventional console game. It marks Square's triumphant return to Nintendo's home console lineup, and reminds us that going online is not necessarily the solution for a truly captivating multiplayer experience. I wouldn't call the game's execution perfect; the story is a loosely bound explanation for leaving your home village, and the mysterious miasma enveloping the land is not beyond reproach as the sole reason for the party to stay together (why not because they like each other?). You may still be thinking to yourself that this is a clever marketing strategy to get people to spend more money on Nintendo products, and in some respects you might be right. But I honestly can't see this game working in any other fashion. The combination of beautiful visuals, a superb soundtrack, and completely practical control scheme make me think that it was worth the wait. Maybe it's not a spectacular RPG, but it will at least be remembered for its willingness to see past the perceived boundaries of multiplayer console gaming.

more zero mission

The remixed graphics are a definite strong point of the game, but the recreated music is high up on my list of outstanding improvements as well. The newly remastered "Brinstar", "Kraid" and "Ridley" themes add a very pleasant flavour to the easygoing experience of the game.That is, until I was exposed to the astounding Metroid Metal and Relics of the Chozo projects yesterday. I've said my piece before about the Symphony of the Night soundtrack, and how hearing traditional guitar rock intertwined with familiar 8-bit themes is candy for the ears. Electronic or techno interpretations of your favorite video game music is a natural progression. But when you throw rock at the source material, it creates an entirely new musical vision - as if Joe Satriani had a controller in his hands first.

there's always a way out

A personal mantra whenever playing an installment in the Metroid series or one of the recent Castlevania GBA titles is, “there's always a way out”. I trust in the game designers so completely, that if I found myself wandering into unauthorized territory there will always be an exit, no matter how lowly my skills or power suit upgrades are. This has come into play many times while playing Zero Mission, which gives the impression that the game is more free form than it actually is by simply pointing you towards your destination instead of locking you inside a prescribed sector. Coupled with the new automap – a luxury only dreamt about in 1986 - the game is very easy to traverse.

This past weekend, however, my pet theory was put to rest, because sometimes there isn't a way out. I obtained my very own copy of The Sands of Time a couple of weeks ago, and was happily approaching the 50% completion mark on Saturday when I decided to take a break, pleased with my progress. When I sat down to play again, I restored the savegame only to find myself back at the reload screen with the Prince's familiar words, “No, that's not quite how it happened”. That's strange, I thought to myself. Thinking it was some sort of misload of the game, I turned off the 'cube, yanked out the memory card and did an NES-style cleaning, then started it up again. This time I managed to wander around for a few seconds before hearing the Prince's mocking “No, no, no. That's not what happened. Let me begin again.” Alright, this isn't funny. I was talking to the Gamecube now. Was my savegame corrupted? Did someone fiddle with the memory card while turning the power on and off? After a few times of trying to reload my game with no success, I trolled the message boards. It was hard for me to accept that I was possibly face to face with a bug in the game, but that was indeed the case. Farah, your companion for the better part of the adventure, can apparently get stuck between areas if the pathfinding screws up. And even worse she can die en route - by falling off a cliff or into a spike-filled chasm. Trudging through many heart-wrenching tales of woe by gamers that had to restart the adventure because of a similar bug, I quickly resigned to the fact that I, too, would have to start over.

“Save early, save often” is another mantra, mostly for PC RPGs or absurd missions like Sniper Town. However when dealing with console games and limited save slots, sometimes you don't have that flexibility. In the case of The Sands of Time, three save slots is more than enough to alternate safely without trapping myself in one of the game's bugs again, something that even the Dagger of Time cannot reverse.

Coming in 2002! 2003! 2004!

The number of slipped release dates seem to increase every year. In fact, I'd like to point out that World of Warcraft, having been previewed after its Fall 2001 announcement will finally be released this summer. I love the PC games industry: a truly magical place where they take the phrase "When it's done," and fucking run with it.

World of Warcraft

I'm happy that it will at least come out this year. I've said before that this would be the one that would get me into MMORPGs finally. A pre-alpha build of the game was leaked late last year, but the Beta test (which I signed up for) continued on as scheduled. So as far as I'm concerned the June 2004 launch date is a done deal. And the rumoured $10 US per month would be entirely reasonable, when you look at what Blizzard can do for the online gaming community for free.

Thief: Deadly Shadows

The game has taken a lot of flak from fans regarding the third person view, and have all but resigned to the fact that it will be another console port. The new engine looks fantastic, and I don't doubt the gameplay we have come to love in the series will be present. But I am also fairly certain there will be provisions made in the game to accomodate XBox players, and this may prove fatal to the game's reception on the PC. I'm still looking forward to it though. Garrett leaps from the shadows in May.

Unreal Tournament 2004

Remember this one? I was pretty sure back then that it would be out by the end of the year. You might have tried the Beta Demo by now, which was fairly impressive. The graphics are as sweet as ever, but being a seasoned UT2003 player there were no improvments made to the engine. Instead Epic was too busy creating some fantastic maps, and a brand-new mode of play called Onslaught. Onslaught will be the reason people buy this game. The construction and control of power nodes, vehicles and multiple spawn points draw more than one comparison to Battlefield 1942, but the controls are even more arcade-like. Those looking for a tank-on-tank deathmatch will be disappointed. The demo's included Assault map where you're defending a moving convoy displays real creativity in level design for this game. UT2004 will ship in March in two flavours: a six-CD regular version, and a special two DVD set that includes a short "making of" documentary.

DOOM III

After massive hype, delays, and some curious monster design decisions, the game seems to be shaping up quite well. A lot of people will tell you DOOM pioneered multiplayer gaming, and first-person shooters as a genre. It's possible that this version of the revered classic will be genre-defining as well, but somehow I doubt it. id Software has always been about coding a spectacular engine first, and building a story second. Expect to see some great games based on the engine in the next couple of years. The game is expected to ship by June, but it will probably be closer to mid-summer.

Half Life 2

The code theft, the constantly shifting release dates, and the promises of the developers with respect to the Source engine all seem to be changing daily. Gabe Newell and the folks at Valve break down some details about the engine here and here, but they divulge no actual release date. It could be anywhere from Spring to late Fall. After hearing that the game would be available as a paid download through Steam, it struck me as a bit weird that the author of Bit Torrent was recently hired by Valve. Perhaps Steam won't be up to handling the loads upon the game's release? In any case, as a fan of the original, I expect nothing less than a spellbinding single-player campaign and a flexible engine for modders to work on.

stay on target: gaming hit list for 2004

For the most part, making lists about games that are supposed to come out shouldn't be common practice. Especially when the industry is so unpredictable with the ever increasing number of slipped deadlines. I've read too many magazines and web sites over the years where the same game appears on these lists two, even three years in a row. But I think the majority of game commentators have given up on Duke Nukem Forever by now, as it's hard to take a developer seriously when they haven't doled out so much as a screenshot in three years. I'm mostly putting together this list out of necessity, because it seems a lot of great games coming out this year are being overshadowed by 2003's most anticipated titles: Doom III and Half Life 2. And don't worry, I'll get to those after. The standard caveat also applies - this list is not meant to be platform-complete, just a reflection of my personal picks for this year.

return to zebes

It was fairly inevitable, but UbiSoft has given the official word that a follow-up to The Sands of Time is already in the works. When it comes to sequels I think UbiSoft is dead serious, because Pandora Tomorrow is already shaping up to be a completely different game experience. Watch the multiplayer video and you'll see what I mean. This is the kind of gameplay I wanted to see when Thief was released. The only downside on the Pandora front is that it will remain an Xbox exclusive for a few months before the other platforms arrive in stores this summer.

A couple of games on my 2004 Hit List are coming out this week: Metroid: Zero Mission and Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles. The reviews have been rolling in for each, and it appears that everyone's falling all over themselves to give Zero Mission the thumbs up, while simultaneously trying to disassemble Nintendo's first Final Fantasy since the SNES.

According to some info at Gamerfeed, there is at least 20% more content in Zero Mission after the Mother Brain battle that typically ended Samus' first adventure in Metroid. There is also quite a bit more bonus material, such as being able to play with Samus sans power armour and the original 8-bit version of Metroid, making this more than a worthwhile purchase. I checked out some of the screens in Gamespot's review, and I must admit I like the visual overhaul, it's reminiscent of what Nintendo did with Super Mario All-Stars.

Crystal Chronicles, on the other hand, has had to run the gauntlet for almost every media outlet. It seems that everyone has something to say about the required GBA controller for multiplay, the paltry storyline, or some of the game mechanics that prevent it from being a straightforward dungeon hack. I've preordered this one (suckered in for the free GBA connector cable I suppose), so I must admit I was a bit worried. That is, until Tycho spoke up and told it like it is. Those guys have been playing the import since it was released in mid 2003 and didn't have anything bad to say then, so his reaction isn't suprising. However he does point out how amazingly imperceptive the reviewers are, who appear to be hell-bent on lowering gamers' expectations for this widely anticipated title. Personally, I can't wait to pick it up this weekend.

It's nice to hear about mod teams getting a nod from the developers of the games they were based on. The publisher doesn't always make the best decisions for their product, but for the most part the cream rises to the top. DICE, the creators of my beloved Battlefield 1942, have recently announced a parntership with Trauma Studios, the makers of the extremely popular Desert Combat mod. Those guys invented mobile spawn points long before Secret Weapons, and completely deserve this recognition for their talent and dedication to the community. I'm looking forward to the announcement about their upcoming game.

*some notes about GMR magazine

A couple of months ago I was in an EBGames and was somehow persuaded into subscribing to GMR magazine. I really can't remember what happened, as it was probably during holiday shopping. Now I'm well aware of the far-reaching tendrils of the Ziff-Davis Conglomerate, but I'm not sure if I was prepared for the lack in quality of this publication.

It tries to be a Gamer's game review mag, cuddling up and acting all friendly with its witty remarks about publishers and Samus Aran's power armour, all the while cleverly disguised as an EB catalogue. But after reading three issues I've come to realize that there are almost no scores below 4, and the number of PS2 reviews clearly outweighs the rest of the review content, regardless of the game being multiplatform or not.

The quality of writing is that of ephebic males trying to impress us with the fact that they managed to get a job writing about games, while being completely terrible at it. In one particularly shocking review, one Tom Price gave Call of Duty a 7/10, claiming that Medal of Honor: Allied Assault was better. I steadfastly believe – and I am not the only one - that Call of Duty improved on nearly every facet of Medal of Honor's gameplay, whether it is the chaotic, superbly crafted battlefields, the amazing AI, or the solid campaigns. Clearly they are not PC gamers, and instead simply review such titles so that they may continue to pantomime the multiplatform gaming magazine. I'm grateful for the heads up about Darkwatch this month – I'm sure those that have a PS2 or Xbox will have a lot of fun with it – but other than that I remain emphatically unimpressed.

Since the god damned inception of the internet, printed publications have been on the chopping block, seeming out of date next to their website adversaries beyond the occasional exclusive scoop. And even those don't stay exclusive for long. It's pretty hard to justify the purchase of gaming magazines, especially ones that are comfortable with their underdeveloped sense of humour and amazingly unoriginal metaphors. I mean fuck, you can at least try to make your half-assed reviews interesting to read. Let your eyes quickly pass over this one next time you're staring blankly at the magazine rack.

is that a pearl I'm supposed to keep

six gun justice

After Take Two's announcement back in December about Rockstar resurrecting Capcom's Red Dead Revolver, some comments got me thinking about the revival of western shooters as a genre. I believe there is a trend in the works here - because we can expect at least four new titles this year based on America's historic Wild West. Obviously game developers have taken a look at the current market and clearly saw the glut of WWII-themed games and made the move into another, equally adaptable territory.

Anyone with an NES probably would identify Gunsmoke as the true beginning of the genre - cleverly dodging two hideous titles that used the system's gimmicky light gun: the morally questionable (and racially insensitive) Shooting Range and Wild Gunman. But since then, nothing much has managed to really capture the setting in a game.

Aside from recent turds Mad Dog McCree and Western Outlaw, which both brought new definitions of pain to reviewers, two more titles are appearing on the PC: Wanted: Dead or Alive and Dead Man's Hand (also on XBox). The latter seems like traditional FPS fodder, but Wanted: Dead or Alive (originally titled "Wanted Guns", the publisher decided to change the name for the North American release) has taken a zoomed out third-person perspective almost reminiscent of Dungeon Siege. Could it also be taking an Action-RPG approach? It would certainly do well to set it apart and add a little depth to the setting, instead of simply tacking on a different skin to the same old shoot 'em up formula. The information on W:DoA is pretty scant right now, as it is not expected until Christmas, so this is pure speculation on my part.

The consoles seem to be having all the fun though, as Red Dead Revolver will be developed exclusively for the PS2 and XBox. But this isn't the game that interests me. In the current issue of GMR*, I read a preview article for Sammy Studios' first North American-developed release: Darkwatch: Curse of the West, which is being handled by their new San Diego studio. In this game you take on the role of a vampire who is a member of a secret society known as The Darkwatch. In Blade-like fashion, your main goal is to cleanse the old west of an undead scourge. The engine looks pretty good for a console title, and I like the fact that Sammy wasn't afraid to make it a traditional first person shooter, with certain horseback sequences taking a third-person perspective. The developers also took some time creating their own style for the game, even though it's simply a derivative of the "take a setting and darken it up" theme (and almost borrowing from the Will Smith crapfest Wild Wild West). Nevertheless, I am disappointed that it will only be available for PS2 and XBox this Christmas. Where's the love for the Gamecube, Sammy? Now that you have a huge stake in Sega, I think you can afford to take the perceived risk.

in the third person

Nintendo made it really hard for people to accept their new toy, and in my opinion brought the severe media backlash upon themselves. Sure, after reading the millionth weblogger/game reviewer/self-made gaming pundit's witty retort, the whole “DS as Virtua Boy 2” thing gets a bit tired. I'll even confess my own guilt in the knee-jerk reactions posted previously, although I do still see the possible good. And then there were those that tried to salvage what they could from the scraps of information about this new gaming device, namely GGA and Ludonauts (warning: gassy but well-intentioned). Cobbling every one of these reactions together, it's still just pontificating and speculation. Even in the interview with Nintendo of America's PR department in the form of Beth Llewelyn, we received no new information except maybe the orientation of the screens and the format of software, but even that isn't the soothing salve that the Nintendo faithful were looking for. Gamerfeed has a pricing estimate that correctly places it in the less than $200 USD category, effectively competing against the PSP (assuming of course that is the intention at this point) but almost twice the cost of a GBA-SP. They even let on that there is development already ongoing for a game of Shigeru Miyamoto's devising, codenamed “Buzz”. I shall cleverly point out that this conveniently gives a name to the current animosity towards the company. Despite the negativity, I'd say Nintendo's announcement last week definitely did the job – there isn't a gamer on the god damned planet that can wait to see the DS revealed at E3 this year, even if it's just to see it fall flat on its face. If you say no, you're lying. I can smell it. So how about we all just sit back and relax, let the world merrily continue to spin on its axis, and see what Nintendo has in store.

Remember the Thief III petition that went up as soon as Deus Ex: Invisible War landed on the shelf? I think this press release is a little more fuel to throw on the petitioners' burning effigy of Warren Spector. Ion Storm even revealed the game's proper name: Deadly Shadows. Yes, a third person view will be provided, but you can still go back to First Person. Being able to view all angles around Garrett is an intriguing design decision, and will allow access to new avenues of thievery. I imagine this new perspective would also come in handy during jumping puzzles, and give a little more breathing room when trying to perfectly place that rope arrow. Let us not make any more references to Lara Croft or crippled console ports; the graphics still look great and I am confident that the latest game in this respected series will not end up like Deus Ex's ill-begotten sequel. I say this because the game has been delayed not once, not twice, but three times before its current release of May 2004.

After binge gaming on Metroid Prime yesterday, my brain was soft enough to withstand the 2004 presentation of the Golden Globe Awards. They're kind of like the Oscars, except pointier. I am no way endorsing these totems of all that is wrong with the North American entertainment industry, but it sure was nice to see Peter Jackson getting noticed for all of his hard work. The cynical person might say that the Hollywood Foreign Press was just jerking him off; after all, it was the last film in the trilogy so they might as well ride the crest of the wave. I mean what the fuck was wrong with Fellowship? These stupid things are a good indicator of who's going to curry favour with the Academy in March, so perhaps it's finally time a movie featuring a supporting cast of hobbits, elves, and orcs shows everyone that it's okay to take the genre seriously.

dangling precariously

I'm not sure how to react. Should I be enraged? Should I make a clever mockery of the codename "DS"? Somehow I knew the collective reaction to Nintendo's big announcment would be negative, given their persistent vagueness in the press. The aptly named "Nintendo DS" portable gaming system (probably a modded Gameboy Advance) will come equipped with two processors and dual screens* allowing you to view a map while still playing a game, manage character inventories, or view the game from different angles simultaneously. The concept itself is not even new for them, and it seems like a waste of everyone's time - including Nintendo's. Through some blind sense of loyalty from gamers they will still manage to survive 2004, maybe even 2005. But if they lose the battle on both fronts; that is, Sony gains the upper hand with the PSP and its outrageous price I will not mourn the loss.

Maybe things work differently over there in Nintendo's Super Lucky Research Facility. I mean the president said himself this device wouldn't be liked by the majority of people. Inconsiderate of these facts, I nurtured a small ember of hope that the mystery device would be some attachment or retrofit to existing GBAs that would help it compete with the PSP until their next generation handheld was available. Some good may still come out of this, however, because beyond the dual processors the press release states it will have "up to 1 Gigabit" of memory (which works out to about 125 MB). Could this be a testing ground for the next Gameboy's architecture? Perhaps it will act as an even more detailed display during multiplayer game sessions in Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles. You know, since they're basically making prospective Crystal Chronicles players buy GBAs at knifepoint. Well, maybe just a really powerful cattleprod.

* These aren't real.

it hath arrived

An unexpected surprise this week was finding the Zelda Collector's Edition in our mailbox. To be honest I'd kind of forgotten about it, as Knights of the Old Republic has a Force Grip of sorts upon me. In addition to the full versions of four classic Nintendo games, it includes a 20 minute playable demo for The Wind Waker with three save games that insert you into different spots in the game. Unfortunately, being a timed demo, just when things start to get interesting it boots you out.

Some initial notes I should make are mostly in reference to Jim Munroe's hastily written and delusional review. Having only played small portions of the overall game, I can't comment on story. But for a guy that only played the full version for a few hours more before quitting, neither should he. Jumping, although a bit strange to get used to, is exactly the same as the N64 versions. I think I prefer the Prince of Persia approach, however, where you can jump whenever you want and it's just the type of jump that is executed will differ depending on where you're standing. Still, there should be no surprises there. I'm all for improving a game's design, but when it's worked for six years, I'd be reluctant to change it. I agree that the in-game dialogue and story presented via text is a bit archaic, and at times can be tedious to read and emotionally vacuous. However as one person commented on Jim's review, Link is one of those characters that shouldn't have a voice. Just look at Mario - I love the character, but that high pitched squeal of his is embarassing. Furthermore, would it be that bad to get a kid to actually read? This should be a good thing, in light of conservative media's belief that the game industry has already got them fantasizing about killing sprees. There are other subtle design changes making Wind Waker an engaging experience, such as the music swelling with each blow of your sword when you are attacking an enemy. Once again I am reminded of watching a movie unfold before my eyes - a colorful, whimsical, and animated movie maybe, but entertaining nonetheless.

I've played through each of the included missions, and even though I knew that I would probably like this game, it actually went out of its way to convince me. The cartoony appearance is perfect for the setting, and the controls and interface are exactly like the N64 Zelda games requiring no real learning curve. One thing that some Nintendo-deriding gamers fail to realize is that they have a firm grasp on what it means to make a fun game. Spending these brief but precious moments with The Wind Waker has accelerated it to the top of my "must buy" list for the GCN.

There is also a retrospective on the disc, which I understood as meaning "retrospective documentary". Settling in for a short film showing interviews with Nintendo's famous game designers, I was sadly mistaken. It was nothing more than a trip through time to the Zelda theme and watching mini gameplay movies go by. From the Legend of Zelda to The Wind Waker, it's all in there. I suppose it makes do for nostalgic purposes, but I remain disappointed. And for some reason Nintendo put a separate movie including rougly 2 minutes of gameplay footage from The Wind Waker. Since the disc was free (and by free I mean buying two recently released games), I don't really mind that the content was so limited. To be honest all I really wanted were the full versions of the N64 Zelda games. Unless you're buying a Zelda Gamecube bundle in the near future, don't worry about it.

After messing around with most of the stuff on the disc, I decided to fire up Ocarina of Time, as it was the most recent Zelda adventure that I remember playing. And as many people will tell you, the reason they bought an N64. I don't even remember time passing during that massive gaming session. The textures are blurry and blotchy, the characters all have low polygon counts, the background colors are extremely bland - traditionally these are all grounds for me tossing a game aside. However I was looking at it through a PC gamer's eyes. If one looks back to the N64, it wasn't that great. But neither was the Playstation! And just one generation later (minus the PS2 of course) we are starting to see games on the same level as those you would find on a mid-range PC. This is a good thing, but as more and more console games are ported to PC as an afterthought, it could also spell trouble. I'm not saying that PC gaming is on its way out, but as more North American developers jump on the console bandwagon (Interplay can burn in hell for all I care) we are starting to see a dropoff in both quality and even quantity of PC games.

Silent Storm went gold this week, and hearing that an anticipated game will meet its scheduled release is always good news. I played through the demo and was extremely pleased with the results. It will be gracing the shelves this Tuesday, so watch for it. In the meantime, how about a Q&A revealing some of the game's peculiarities? All that talk of laser guns, power armour and alternate history is making me nervous. However I'm willing to make the sacrifice of questionable story writing for rock solid gameplay.

Now that the reviews for Sonic Heroes are starting to appear, I'm torn as to how I should handle this title. Mostly relating to my original assessment that heralded the return to Sonic's roots on the Genesis. Apparently it was all an illusion, as those that have played beyond the demo have made it known. I'm probably going to rent it, or at least get preoccupied with Silent Storm enough to hold off until next month's big realease: Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles.

2003 was kind of a shitty year for entertainment for a lot of reasons, so don't expect it to get off the hook so easily. I have a list of about 20 games I'm looking forward to in 2004, but before I get to those I'm going to lay out the best and worst last year had to offer (games notwithstanding). Well, mostly worst. Because I can't say I'm a fan of wasting my time on a much-hyped product.

Like a thought brushing up against a sigh

an open letter

Dear Nintendo,

All the obfuscation and blowing smoke up the asses of your loyal fans about your new product is not very nice. I am sure your intentions are pure in that you want to forward the industry and the gaming experience as a whole while maintaining the element of surprise. However this latest interview with your President confirms my worst fears. Saying things like "we want to create a product and an experience that hasn't been experienced before," echoes the same sentiments made in regards to the Virtual Boy. And we all know how that turned out.

It also worries me that your President is conceding defeat when he says that 2004 "is the year when we'll join the fight in earnest with this new product." There is nothing wrong with the Gamecube. Its library may be lacking, and more people may have bought PS2s than Gamecubes and XBoxes combined last year, but that's nothing to be ashamed about. I understand you want to increase connectivity and convergence between your platforms, which allows the delivery of interesting gameplay and content. Without online play you have still managed to innovate and create wonderful games for both the Gamecube and Gameboy Advance. A lot of people are eagerly awaiting what you plan on showing us at E3 2004. I have learned to love you over the past year, so please don't fuck this up.

Your Friend,

Gatmog.

resurrection of the dark dragon

It looks like someone at THQ was listening. Both Magic Box and Shining Force Central posted some tantalizing news about a new Shining Force game for the GBA entitled Shining Force: Resurrection of the Dark Dragon. Gamespot has the announcement as well, but according to SFC the screens they attached to it are the same ones as Shining Soul 2. Although boasting that they have the first available screens, it isn't uncommon for Gamespot to include screens of a related game if the "real" ones aren't available. Dark Dragon is supposed to be a remake of the Genesis game released way back in 1992, including some new enhancements like a more detailed battle system, new characters and a "unique card system". Could this be something along the lines of the Laws system in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance?. In any case, the release of a title like this for the GBA would definitely be a dream come true for me.

But before everyone gets too excited, Moogie at SFC notes that THQ may have simply renamed Shining Soul II for its European release, probably to avoid the poor sales met by Shining Soul. Resurrection of the Dark Dragon is set for release in Europe in April, with no North American release in sight. I suppose I'll just have to sit here and pout as details become available.

As if the Phantom wasn't bad enough, Apex Digital and Alienware have partnered to create a PC "console" that was revealed at CES last week. Known as the ApeXtreme DISCover, it will apparently play PC CD-ROM games and DVDs right out of the box. I'm not exactly sure how this is going to work, such as how games will be patched or how the graphics will carry over to your standard television. It seems to me there's a growing trend in the marketplace where some people have taken it upon themselves to try and bridge the gap between PCs and consoles as if it's a necessary thing. HardOCP has some more details if you're interested, including a photo; personally I think the thing doesn't have a chance, regardless of the $300 US price point. (Thanks to Evil for the original scoop on this one.)

Just in time for CES, some more rumours have circulated about the Playstation Portable's price point. Evil estimates the conversion to be around $450 US. This is in line with the original estimate of about $550. With its release expected in November, could this thing be destined to fail? I doubt Nintendo has much to worry about, but that doesn't mean they should rest easy. I trust that the next Gameboy will be better, but more importantly realistic.

Gamespot has a great two part interview with Feargus Urquhart, formerly of Black Isle studios and now lead developer at Obsidian Entertainment. He talked about the demise of Black Isle and the screens of Fallout 3 that appeared soon after. He also noted that Interplay seems to be responding to the uproar surrounding the cancellation of the game, and there is a real possibility of development restarting, although he'd much rather see a team dedicated to the full realization of the franchise to complete it. Personally, I'd rather see the game left alone unless it's going to be done right. Obsidian is currently collaborating with Bioware on their first project, which is an as yet unnamed RPG for both PC and consoles. I suggest reading this interview, because aside from the bitterness towards Interplay, it's a great discussion on PC RPGs and the threat of consoles that makes me curious to see where Obsidian will be taking us in their first game.

Update: SFC has confirmed that Dark Dragon is indeed a brand new game for the GBA. More appropriate screens can be seen at Gamekult, which are more of the same set that were posted at Magic Box with their announcement.

So I threw you the obvious

gaming in 2003: the year's best

I wanted so desperately to add Metroid Prime to my personal Game of the Year list, but as it came out late 2002 I've kind of missed the boat on that one. I spent a lot of time trying to work my way through the game's many challenges over my holidays, and it never fails to surprise. And with Metroid: Zero Mission and possibly even Metroid Prime 2 on the way, I will be extremely happy in 2004. With that blatant Metroid-worship out of the way, it's time to get to the obligatory year-end round-up for gaming in 2003.

Since I now possess three gaming platforms, selecting something that is deserving of the "Game of the Year" title is that much more difficult. It used to be that I would casually make up my own lists for the PC by genre and then compare it to each media outlet's results when the time came. This year, though, I must carefully select the top games considering each platform I own to form one mighty list of games. Despite knowing that people may actually read my reviews and actually consider them, the intention of this list is that if you take away one thing from my site it will be these selections. I will then pompously proclaim my chosen overall "Game of the Year 2003". Note that this list is in no way intended to be comprehensive or inclusive, because I haven't played everything and I don't own all the consoles. These are simply one gamer's opinions and the comments section is wide open for anyone else's views. And I just got my Gamecube in October so no bitching about me not including The Wind Waker. I realize that it's quite good and I fully intend on adding it to my collection eventually. So let's get down to it, shall we?

put a nickel in the graveyard machine

I can't believe I'm commenting on the matter of the NY Post's asinine article regarding Take Two Interactive and the Grand Theft Auto games, because to have something like that published on the internet, under the guise of "journalistic integrity" makes me want to prove these fuckers right. What started as nothing more than a blatant publicity stunt and cash grab has been fabricated into a plot to destroy a game publisher, and has now suddenly become the story of the year and the general public's window into our hobby. How is it that games that are two years old are now suddenly the cause of youth violence everywhere, even though every two-bit journalist's comment and "supporting argument" are taken out of the context of the game? My mind is boiling over with anger, to think that proletarian news media has taken upon itself to crucify a hobby that has only in recent years become recognized as a mainstream entertainment medium. MTV already has a god damned awards show for the kiddies to consume. This type of publicity couldn't have come at a worse time.

The Post's article goes on to say that the video game ratings system is "totally unenforceable", and I'm just going to go ahead and reference a past post with an anecdote proving him wrong. Sure it's only one situation, but to completely dismiss the video game ratings system is the same as saying that a movie's rating is pointless because kids are going to sneak in anyway. We need parents and an informed public to make the kind of decisions that would potentially keep a game like Vice City or Manhunt out of a child's hands. Frankly I'm appalled that someone with such limited knowledge of our hobby can say that the GTA games have "incredibly realistic graphics" and call the game "10,000 times worse than the worst thing anybody thinks Michael Jackson ever did to a little boy" in the same fucking sentence.

Obviously kids are playing these games, and a California legislator has taken it upon himself to introduce a "Games Bill" to restrict even further the sale of Mature-rated games to minors. This would include stocking Mature-rated games apart from the rest of the titles, much like you would stock pornographic videos separate from the rest of the crap on your local video store's shelves. It's these types of decisions that put our hobby in danger of becoming a controlled substance, where you need to fill out applications in triplicate, have a doctor's note and an ID card that says "Registered Violent Gamer".

This isn't the first time we've seen the attempted passing of such laws: back in April Washington state passed a law that would ban the sale of violent video games to minors, which was then challenged by the Interactive Digital Software Association (ISDA), and then subsequently overthrown due to its unconstitutionality. Let's hope the people making the decision on the "Games Bill" have the same foresight.

like a tired soldier

the official beverage of QuakeCon?

I saw the new packaging and logo design for PowerAde whilst shopping for groceries today. And for a good 10 seconds, I went comatose Prince of Persia-style, initiated by some marketing shill's idea of a sick joke.

So either I've spent too much time staring at my PC game box collection, or the new logo for PowerAde bears some unmistakable similarities to that of Quake III: Arena.

the air inside is cadmium red

Could it be that we were all too eager to lament the loss of one of the greatest game development studios, that we didn't see the truth? This PR clown would like us to believe that, because in an interview with IGN he said the ex-Black Isle developer's claims may be false. So we're going to believe this now, even after there was a semi-formal announcement that the "Black Isle brand will live on" despite its closure? Please, give your customers some credit. I can see Interplay keeping the Black Isle brand around as a selling point only, based on its fan credibilty. Telling us in the same breath that there will be a Fallout game, but not necessarily for the PC is just another way of saying you've abandoned that shit. Brotherhood of Steel is hardly a replacement for one of the finest CRPG series ever conceived. Whatever it takes to sell games, I suppose.

Take-Two took some time out of their busy schedule to announce two new Grand Theft Auto games to see release in 2004. Naturally they will be PS2 first and PC second, so this news technically shouldn't carry much weight. However, in the same announcement they let us in on the obvious: Manhunt will be heading to the PC next year, probably one of the most violent games we've seen in a while (past discussion). For some reason they also felt the need to give us the release date for Duke Nukem Forever, a game that has long surpassed Daikatana in its perpetual development. Telling us Late 2004/Early 2005 is pointless; at this point in its seven year development cycle nobody cares about it anymore. My advice to 3DRealms: your engine better be really fucking good if you want to take people's attention away from Doom III and Half-Life 2.

On the Gamecube front, Nintendo's November sales data made its way onto the web. Double Dash was a grand success, and probably served as an entry point for a lot of people because the sales of new Gamecubes are still holding. Even in comparison to sales of all console software, it managed to do well. Not bad, for a remake.

Add another log to the fire: gamepot reported that PC games may be taken from the shelves of EB and Gamestop (US). In light of the stats that were reported a few days previous about how game software has dropped in general, this seems like the typical "sky is falling" reaction to the state of our favorite hobby. It hardly seems reasonable that a specialist retailer like EB would eliminate a large portion of their inventory, because that would certainly result in a loss of customers (myself included). I've always found that EB has stressed the pre-ordering of games - PC titles especially - but to even consider doing away with the sales of PC games would be madness. I suppose they've gotten burned by trying to cater to such a wide audience; just looking at their PC software backstock there's a lot of crapware in there. And if you think about the PC gaming market right now, most of the highly acclaimed games of 2003 were console ports: Splinter Cell, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Halo, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, and Knights of the Old Republic. Don't get me wrong, though - PC gaming is not on the downturn and you'll still be able to purchase your favorite titles at your local game store (the CEO of EB even said it himself). I think it has just been an interesting year, because us PC gamers have managed to make do despite the delays of two highly anticipated games.

A particularly inspired soul decided to write an open letter to Atari regarding copy protection activated by the recently released patch for NWN's latest expansion. SecuRom has reared its ugly head again, to join those that have been burned by ToEE and Call of Duty. I give him props for fighting the good fight, but given that this isn't the first time Atari has unleashed a headache-inducing SecuRom protected game this year, they sure have a funny way of reacting to customer complaints.

hit the one that's self-destruct

when the hobby gets serious

There's been a flurry of general news relating to the videogame industry in the past week. Some stupid prick decided to pull a gun on one of the organizers of a Counter Strike tournament in Los Angeles over an inter-clan dispute. This story could be damaging on a whole new level if mainstream news media descends on it in their typical knee-jerk fashion. Just in time for Xmas, the organization known as "MediaFamily" posted a list of games that are considered unacceptable for underage human consumption. And Take Two submits like a bitch to the demands of New York's Mayor Bloomberg and pledges to remove all offending content relating to "killing Haitians" out of future copies of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (even though it was taken way out of context to begin with, but we won't hold it against them – he's got a reputation to fabricate).

It's difficult to view this information objectively when you have a view from the inside. And by that I mean that I am a huge fan of games and take this hobby very seriously. As a subculture, we are quickly moving into uncharted territory. Videogaming in general has taken a huge leap in the past five or six years in mainstream acceptance. It has become a viable medium and billion dollar industry that is consumed on the same level as movies, television and music. Naturally, Big Media and government agencies alike love to pin the blame for youth violence on video games lately because of the products of a few developers (Rockstar and Running With Scissors come to mind). It's a fairly new form of entertainment by mainstream standards, and because of that it makes an easy target for interest groups to spread uncertainty among the clueless public. As another recent example, Project Gotham Racing 2 was victimized by Australian government, as it apparently “sends the wrong message to young people...It is actually glorifying speed and power." Last I checked this game was rated E, and includes no graphic depictions of violence (discussion at Clickable Culture). As one person in the industry has pointed out, these types of actions against our games concerns everyone not just the purveyors of "murder simulators".

On the weekend I was in an Electronics Boutique. The mall was packed, but I didn't expect to be met with a lineup a mile long inside that tiny store. It became clear to me that this hobby is big business. Production values will go up along with levels of expectations. Money will be pumped into the hardware vendors just like the computer industry. The best technology will not necessarily be the top earner, but that's even true now. Before the Playstation, consoles were considered to be just another toy. Now, they are an entertainment unit, just like your TV or DVD player (and some are DVD players). Pretty soon we'll start seeing awards shows broadcasted in Prime Time, along with numerous typically mainstream news magazines covering the “Game of the Year”. Will this dilute the industry? Probably, all you have you do is look at Hollywood and the absurdly antiquated movie business. Does Big Media want a piece of the games industry? You bet. Just like your movie of the week tries to sell you morals and the beliefs of the government in power, you'll start seeing that crap in games where the art is lost and the not-so subversive message is brought to the forefront. All I have to do is refer back to Take Two's completely shortsighted move to compromise their year-old product to satisfy the political aspirations of New York's shitwheel of a Mayor.

The Wife told me an interesting story about another EB (she went alone, presumably buying my Xmas present) where she waited in line behind a mother and her 9 year old son. On the counter ready to be purchased was a copy of the Xbox Grand Theft Auto Double Pack. Seeing the young lad and obviously clueless parent, the salesperson said, “Ma'am this game is rated Mature. Do you know what subject matter it contains?”. The woman stared blankly. “The main purpose of the game is to run around stealing cars, killing people, picking up prostitutes, selling drugs and otherwise causing havoc within a city for bonus points [I think he meant to say 'money'].” Before anyone gets all upset at the obvious simplification of the game, the point had already been made. The woman was clearly shocked, and refused to purchase the games. The kid's reaction was “But you don't see anything!”, no doubt in response the the bit about the prostitute. The concerned mother did not budge. The ESRB Video game ratings have been around since 1994, and to the best of my knowledge they should more or less work as seen here. I remember when Mortal Kombat came out, many groups were concerned that it was the pinnacle of violence and that kids should have nothing to do with it. By today's standards, though, it's nothing. In fact looking at the stiff FMV quality of the animations the violence is almost laughable.

Video game ratings were developed for a purpose, and although it's taken an ultraviolent game like GTA to make that point, both vendors and parents are starting to take notice. In fact, a nationwide campaign was announced this week for all American software retailers to begin asking for ID before a Mature-rated game can be purchased. This was technically supposed to be going on all along, but this campaign puts a system in place to educate consumers, and give retailers an incentive to enforce the ratings. A good start, but like television and movies it doesn't replace an informed parent.

Black Isle Studios dissolved

Probably the worst piece of gaming news I've read in a while is that Black Isle Studios was shut down by Interplay. The word came through the official Interplay messageboards by way of Damien Foletto, one of the developers on the BIS team.

Sure I went out of my way to slag Lionheart, but that was by far the low point of Black Isle's almost flawless track record. For a group of developers to have supplied the CRPG world with titles like Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale, and Fallout with equally successful sequels, single handedly change our expecations for what a single-player CRPG should be with Planescape: Torment and then be cast aside because its parent company wants to focus on consoles is deplorable at best. So instead of seeing the Fallout 3 project to completion, Interplay has decided to dedicate their developers to pumping out titles like Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel and Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II. Both of which franchises, I would like to emphasize, started out on the PC. I wish the former Black Isle Studios team the best of luck.

Add this studio to the obituary of those that helped revolutionize the game development industry. Another personal favorite, Warren Spector's Looking Glass, closed its doors in May of 2000.

at the top of the stairs, you shove

Gamecube Impressions Part V: Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

It's hard to take anything gamespy says seriously anymore, let alone read it at all. Their own arrogance and lazyness have made them irrelevant, and even though they're usually the first to review a new game I can't honestly name anyone who considers them a trusted source. Not like gamespot is any better, with their ads slapping you in the mouth every couple of minutes to make sure you know that what you're reading isn't free. But at least they don't pull any exclusive shit just so that people will visit their site every once in a while. In their latest efforts to shock gamers, a recent "Spy/Counterspy" alleged that Nintendo has lost their knack for originality by releasing slightly different versions of past titles. The case in point was obviously Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, and seeing as how the game is all but placed on the pedestal of best of 2003, I'd hardly think that it's a result of Nintendo being comfortable. Moreover, the award of multiple Golden Joysticks to some of Nintendo's titles released this year shows that they still have the ability to create an engaging experience. In the business of games - especially consoles, where their typical audience has the attention span of a goldfish - you need to put out those types of titles to bring in new gamers that may have otherwise turned an eye away from your console. I would have hardly considered a Gamecube on the sole basis of say, Viewtiful Joe, but show me screens of F-Zero GX or Metroid Prime and I'm right up against the glass. It should also say something that during the Thanksgiving weekend south of the border, Nintendo has reached #1 in console sales. The reasons have been mentioned before, but again I am very happy for them.

As promised, I'm going to try and string together a few sentences to describe my experiences with Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. The day we got it, both of us were grinning and wide eyed. It was a great looking game, it was colorful (a typical characteristic of Mario games), the controls were dead simple, and of course the tried and true Kart racing gameplay was all there. But this time, you get to bring a friend.

The addition of "co-pilots" for each kart was a great gameplay decision, because it opens up a cooperative approach to the Grand Prix. Victory can be shared by both people, even when one isn't that great of a driver, because they'll be the ones lobbing shells and banana peels at your opponents. Of course if you decide to play versus the AI or Human opponents, you'll have control over your accompanying character. You can throw either forward or backward, and although you can't see anything behind you (a rear view would have been nice) it's pretty obivous when someone is trying to overtake you.

The kart designs are fun and clearly represent their intended drivers. As with Mario Golf, character size has the most impact on Kart performance. The small characters will only be able to drive the light karts, which will accelerate faster but have a low top speed. At the opposite end, the big characters like Bowser and Wario will only be able to drive the heavy karts, which tend to go a lot faster but have poor acceleration. The game supplies some highly impressive visuals in this respect. All the characters are smooth looking and well animated, right down to the rear character shifting their weight when you make turns. There are more karts and characters that are unlockable through winning the Grand Prix on each difficulty level.

The power-ups shouldn't be unfamiliar to fans of the SNES original, however Double Dash gives each character their own special power up. My personal favorites, the Koopas, can carry three shells at once, providing extra ammunition to secure first place. The most entertaining is the Chomp Chain, which is Baby Mario/Baby Luigi's special ability. I remember seeing this thing in Link's Awakening. It's a giant, barking, sharp-toothed ball on a chain that spins out all opponents in front of you while giving an added boost by pulling your cart. Another great feature is the ability to "steal" powerups. If you bump into an opponent on the road, your partner will automatically reach out and steal any powerups they are carrying.

One thing I noticed while getting used to the controls is that I couldn't seem to press the “Jump” button that was so handy to get over barriers or take shortcuts in the SNES version. Quickly scanning the game manual I found that there isn't a jump button; you can't jump at all in Double Dash. After playing through all of the Championships numerous times, I can't really say that it's a necessary thing. But when some of the track shortcuts require a Mushroom boost for you to leap a chasm or risk falling to your doom, I begin to miss the ability to jump.

Battle mode is probably the most disappointing part of the game. Being weaned on the excellent SNES version, I was expecting larger, track-style arenas - not cage matches. The areas are too small and it's far too easy to win both the "Shine Thief" and "Balloon Battle" modes. Even the way the balloons are oriented - floating above each kart - are a pale imitation of the 16-bit predecessor, where they rotated around the bumper.

Completing all the main Championships at 100cc unlocks the Special Cup, which in my humble opinion is the best set of tracks in the game. Wario Colliseum, Dino Dino Jungle, Bowser's Castle and Rainbow Road - the names smack of Nintendo's usual sillyness but I assure you their designs are ingenious, and shockingly similar to F-Zero GX's. Maybe it's just me playing too much F-Zero GX, but they definitely had the same feel. No track barriers, and an ample amount of corkscrews, powerslides and gravity-defying turns for your kart.

As I said before, the feeling I get after playing Double Dash can be compared to meeting up with an old friend and not having anything to talk about except the past. Yeah, those were good times, weren't they Mario? This is by no means a bad game; the level of quality and polish upon which Nintendo prides itself is clearly present. However beyond going through each Grand Prix there really isn't much to it. If you own a Gamecube, you can do no harm by purchasing Double Dash; even in comparison to other so called "kart racers" it stands apart.

Lucky for me, a friend that works at EB hooked me up with a copy of Double Dash with the Bonus Disc. I never really expected to get much from the disc; happily I was surprised at what was included. The Star Wars: Rebel Strike demo had a foot mission where you dodge lumbering AT-ATs on the plains of Hoth armed only with a blaster pistol, which was most likely the opening level of the game. I found myself wandering around aimlessly in the third person, asking myself "that's it?" repeatedly. Not exactly the way you get people to buy your game. The minigames included from Mario Party 5 were fun, and it would make a great investment for some fluffy multiplayer action. Sonic Heroes looks great; Sonic Team has successfully recreated the thrilling speeds that were first experienced in Sonic's first adventure on the Genesis. Controlling three characters at once and having to stop to use their special abilities makes the gameplay a bit choppy, though. But I was won over by the smooth camera panning when my three-person team separated at the bottom of a series separate loops to run around them individually. It's one of many slick effects, and aside from the awkward controls I'm pretty much sold on this game. The Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles movie made me want to weep. How could I have underestimated this game? Even The Wife approved. It's pretty obvious from recent posts that this is on my watch list for 2004, and could be next year's Wind Waker - the reason people buy a Gamecube. It's never too late.

straight over a cliff and into the sea

not so invisible war

The backlash over the recently released Deus Ex 2 demo was pretty deafening after the annoucement the game had gone gold. Along with the other throes of disappointed PC gamers, I sounded off on the weekend after I played through the disappointing demo with mixed results.

Some claim that the demo's many ailments can be fixed by doing a number of .ini tweaks, but I don't buy it. It seems like an awful lot of effort for a demo. Adjusting that incredibly bulky and hamhanded HUD and fixing the mouse responsiveness was fairly easy to do, but if you're looking to enhance the graphical performance you can forget it. And somehow a demo patch being released before the game goes retail on December 3rd seems like a pretty tall order. Naturally the gaming community was pretty vocal about their opinions, and prompted a response from Warren Spector himself on Ion Storm's forums. Some especially feisty gamers have even started a petition to delay the release of the game for some additional QC, despite the fact that it's already gold.

While I never really got to play the full version of the game until I got my new video card last year (it came free along with some other great games), I enjoyed it a LOT, and it was plastered with more "Game of the Year" awards than I've ever seen lavished on one title. I think for some people it was a little hard to step beyond the hype and accept a sequel that may have been "streamlined" for multiple platforms. I hate to sound like I'm aping these DX fans that are thirsty for Ion Storm's blood, but some of the design decisions that were made over the game are just plain outlandish: A unified ammo system, ridiculous and unresponsive AI, the complete gutting of the skills system and the linearity of the missions are the ones that stick out in my mind. Deus Ex played like a futuristic RPG, and allowed a lot of creativity in completing mission objectives. I'm not entirely sold on this new "Biomod" system, as it seems like a watered-down version of character advancement from the original.

The reviews for Invisible War have already started rolling in, including Gamespy's peculiar 4 star rating for both XBox and PC despite the complaints sprinkled throughout and the game's obvious technical shortcomings.

As a PC game designer, Warren Spector's name resonates with many people. Before Deus Ex, he was the man responsible for bringing us the Ultima Underworld series, the original System Shock and one of my personal all-time favorites, Thief: The Dark Project. Like Larry Holland did with Secret Weapons Over Normandy, Ion Storm Austin is trying to break into the console market with an established brand. However they both forgot that the complex and unique designs of the originals were what made them so appealing.

unknown quotients

"We just sort of made ours up."

Last week saw the boys at Penny Arcade celebrate their 5th anniversary. I probably speak for gamers everywhere when I say that these guys have our dream job: playing the latest games all day long, with the only worry being the idea for the next strip and typing up a post to go alongside it. And relative the gaming community at large, their opinions and their readership are a force to be reckoned with. In the words of Gabe, "Not bad for a couple of guys that don't know Frank Cho." Indeed. I wish them all the best and five more years of hilarious game related commentary.

Gamespy flexed its "industry muscle" again late last week and made the demo for Deus Ex 2: Invisible War a 24-hour subscriber exclusive. I got it along with 99% of the Internet yesterday, sans subscription. If anything Gamespy's shenanigans are merely an annoyance; if publishers had any business sense we would be swimming in bit torrents supplied by our favorite community websites where they can all share a piece of the adspace pie. I planned on saying a few words regarding the demo of one of the most anticipated titles of 2003, but for some reason the assholes at Ion Storm forgot to optimize it for a normal person's computer. Although I built my current system in October 2002, it's pretty beefy even by today's standards. There's no way I should have to watch a slide show at 1024x768. It's just not right. So rather than get all upset at what could have been a decent game, I'm just going to say download it at your own peril and enjoy the new cumbersome interface and linear style of gameplay. I wonder if the press will excuse Mr. Spector this time.

toase.net has kind of taken a Gamecube-centric slant as of late. The Wife and I picked up a copy of Mario Kart: Double Dash!! this weekend, so this not likely to change in the short term. We've played it quite a bit, winning all three 50cc championships in the amazing co-op mode. There have been some naysayers about this new approach to Maio Kart, but in my opinion adding a co-pilot to each kart is a welcome change. The game looks as good as ever and I intend to write about it very soon. I have not forgotten about my Game Machine, though - my Jedi Training is almost complete. Let it be said that the review is en route. Did I ever mention how fucking cool it is to decimate your enemies wielding dual lightsabers?

Happily, I learned that the Sword of Mana official site is now online. The game will be released just in time for the holidays, which makes me wonder how long this Xmas list of mine is going to be. I thought it was a wholly-original addition to the Mana universe that takes place before the SNES game, but it's actually a remake of Final Fantasy Adventure that was available for the Gameboy way back when. After Golden Sun, I'm hoping that this will fill the RPG void on my clamshell companion. Something interesting I came across related to our pals Square-Enix are their growing talks with MSFT for some sort of XBox exclusive. It's quite obvious that they are in need RPGs on their system (kind of like my precious Gamecube) and what better way to do it than with the most widely popular series in existence? I wish them luck, Squenix had to get a new development studio out of Nintendo before they'd supply them with Crystal Chronicles.

I caught a rumour about the price for Sony's PSP, which shows an estimate of $550 US. The specs are impressive - there's no question. But if Sony wants to compete, well that's another story. The fact that the first developer attached to the PSP claims they want to "distance" themselves from the "child-oriented" GBA is pure nonsense. What, you're going to make games that suddenly compel executives to trade in their 256-color cell phones with Centipede for one of these things? It's time to dislodge that head from your ass.

This weekend we also found some time to view Ang Lee's take on The Hulk. Eric Bana was pretty good as the Green Goliath, and Ms. Connelly as hot as ever, but what the hell happened to the plot? Maybe that gamma-irradiated french poodle got to it, I've no idea. The movie went from riveting to absurd in the space of a few scenes (see climax). I wonder, how is it that you can get guys like Nick Nolte - who supplied a brilliant performance - and have it mean absolutely nothing? Way too long and probably the weakest of the recent Marvel adaptations. Watch me as I step in line for Spider Man 2.

i'm willing to find out what impossible means

Gamecube Impressions Part III: Soul Calibur II

According to industry analysts, console sales have peaked and it will all be downhill from here. I'm sure we will see many attempts by Sony, MSFT and Nintendo to get our Holiday dollar, so now is definitely a good time to buy. With announcements for the next generation of consoles to be flying around in 2004 you'll probably have at least a year's worth of play in it. In my opinion it was a very smart move for Nintendo to lower their prices in the Fall as kind of a "last gasp" attempt to move units before heading into the holiday season. I'm also willing to bet that the people that bought a 'cube on the sole basis of it being accessibly priced are quite happy with their purchase, myself included. Nintendo sent out a very glowing press release regarding their successes with the lowered Gamecube price: they managed to sell 254,000 units in October. That's quite a hefty number, but looking at it realistically these are most likely purchases made by people who already own a PS2, Xbox or PC and are just getting a second console. Still, it's good for Nintendo and any developers that were shying away from the platform. Some other figures were released this week regarding console software sales, adding support to my arguments about the success of the GBA. The #1 and 2 spots for the GBA were held by Super Mario Bros. 3 - a remake of a thirteen year old game! - and Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. I should also note that Soul Calibur II continues to be a big seller for the Gamecube, which I plan on discussing today.

chasing the Luftwaffe

Larry Holland should not be a new name to PC gamers. This is the guy responsible for bringing X-Wing, TIE Fighter, and of course Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe to our respective hard disks. All of them classics as far as I'm concerned. So my natural reaction to hearing about Secret Weapons Over Normandy was to get ready to join the fucking RAF. This weekend the official demo was released, and once again those ass goblins at Gamespy have played the "exclusive" card and made the fans bend over backwards.

Gamespy's obsession with exclusivity must be an attempt to remain relevant to the community, because one could care less about the reviews they've been crapping out lately. Once you unpack the demo, it doesn't install. Instead it contacts a remote server and spits out a registration code. That's right, you need a registration code to play a god damned demo. The concept makes my spleen sizzle with anger. What the fuck are they thinking? I want to try Lucasarts' latest game and they make me do all this bullshit first? As if waiting in a download queue wasn't bad enough.

Notice I haven't even mentioned the quality of the game yet. Like the headaches associated with getting Call of Duty to run, I sucked it down Daikatana style and installed the demo. When the game starts it asks for your "unique identification code so this demo can only be played on this computer". Imagine my eyes rolling back into my head at this point, if you can.

The game plays fine in 1600x1200, but for reasons only known to multi-platform developers the menus and hangar interface are stuck at a god awful 800x600. The graphics are incredibly disappointing in-game. Maybe all this recent Gamecube playing has spoiled me, but the model textures are so low-res it's almost laughable. The engine itself is adequate and gets the job done, but I'm very reluctant to lavish any praise. My ability to fly through the paper thin trees or buildings during bombing missions didn't help.

As with any game I rarely take a look at the controls until I start fumbling my way through actually playing. I quickly realized I had to use my Gravis Xterminator if I wanted to control my Hurricane and dispatch meine Feinde with ease. The game's playing style is a little too arcade for my tastes, but I was willing to overlook it while playing the demo's campaign. After a while though I realized that the plane handled like a supercharged tank with wings, as I could hardly pull off any tight maneuvers. Tweaking the controls (the ones you were able to tweak) didn't do much and proved to be more frustrating if anything else. Furthermore, the camera views never really worked to my advantage, and after becoming somewhat skilled as a Tankbuster in BF1942, it was a little frustrating to watch myself miss ground targets repeatedly on bomb ing runs.

I can understand what Totally Games and Lucasarts were trying to do. I mean what game developer doesn't want to capitalize on the Industry's current obsession with WW II, and for the PC gamers, the Secret Weapons heritage? This game is nothing more than a distant relative to Luftwaffe, simplified and distilled for console gamers everywhere. Crimson Skies this is not - the PC version doesn't even have multiplayer.

If you're looking for a WW II Air Combat sim, you'd be hard pressed to find one in this game. However if all you need is an arcade-styled shooter based on the European Air War in WWII, I'm sure Secret Weapons Over Normandy will suit just fine. To be honest though all it made me want to do is re-install IL-2 Sturmovik: Forgotten Battles. It at least provided me with a more in depth - and highly playable - experience.

Update: It looks like the demo has escaped the clutches of Gamespy. You can get it at 3D Gamers or even Worthplaying if you feel like it.

Gamecube Impressions Part I: F-Zero GX

Thus begins a mini-series where I recount the two-and-a-half week romance with our new bundle of joy. The Gamecube is the last of its kind: a stand-alone, dedicated gaming console. I mean Nintendo never messed around with DVD movie playback, and why should they have? Any gamer's household will already have a dedicated player. Perhaps their choice to go with proprietary media may have been a hasty one, as it doesn't allow the flexibility for backwards-compatibility like PS2 owners have enjoyed, and Xbox owners will probably see in the future.

In recent months the Gamecube seems to be picking up steam and it's most certainly a result of the price reduction for the Fall. I mean at $99 US, who wouldn't pick one up as a second system, if only to have access to all of the fantastic Nintendo exclusives? They've even resumed production of new Gamecubes after a few months hiatus, which signifies at least another year left in the console's lifespan. I could hazard a guess that half of Nintendo's problem is their dearth of developers. I think they have set their standards and expectations too high and completely misjudged the market, especially after their bumbling around with the N64. I highly recommend this great interview with Nintendo of America Senior VP George Harrison that lays out what went wrong with their approach to selling the Gamecube and the future of Nintendo in North America. We can only wait and see if Nintendo has the market clout it thinks it has to keep the titles coming.

real men use cannons

In response to this article:

I'm all for gun control, but that doesn't stop me from appreciating the virtual kickback of an M1 Carbine or a Flak Cannon. Next time, try writing something less ranty and maybe we'll take you seriously. Excuse me while I fire up Call of Duty multiplayer.

curious juxtaposition, isn't it?

where the action is

So you've heard the news. This PC gamer has succumbed to his better judgement and purchased a console. This time, it's serious - we're not talking a pocket-sized gamestation. However having the most excellent F-Zero GX and Metroid Prime at my disposal hasn't stopped me from playing the hell out of Call of Duty, which I completed in a mere three days after picking up my pre-ordered copy on Friday. Keep your eyes peeled for a full review in the next day or so.

In some offhand console developments, IBM recently won the contract to create processors for the next XBox which can go alongside the ATI-powered graphics processor. With this news it seems strange that the Gamecube - a console that already possesses a similar system architecture - has done so poorly. The price drop has helped at least, but I think the biggest hurdle is mindshare. Even though the PS2 is sporting inferior technology you can't beat its catalogue of games. In yet another marketing gimmick to sell 'cubes, Nintendo announced the Zelda bonus disc bundle. It includes the full versions of the original Legend of Zelda I & II, both N64 Zeldas, and a playable demo of The Windwaker.

Some concept photos and specs for the Playstation Portable also made the rounds today (you can check out a larger version here). It looks a little too shiny and smooth, and uncannily like a phone (N-Gage, anyone?). And what's with the D-pad and buttons being flush with the surface? It doesn't look entirely usable. This also goes against Sony's original promise of an analog stick for the controller. But hey, it's just a concept model. Nobody would be stupid enough to mass produce a poorly designed prototype, right Nokia?

we're not going to make it; he explained how the end would come.

glad I got my suit dry cleaned before the riot started

With all the backlash surrounding the N-Gage, it's no wonder that a member of the so-called "Extreme Street Team" decided to speak out last week against some of the claims made by Nokia regarding sales. I actually got to try out my friend's N-Gage this past weekend. He happens to be manager of an EB near me, so I figure that's his excuse for owning one. It's suprisingly small and has a thin profile. I played Tomb Raider, and although the screen would probably make sense to be wider than it is tall, again it's actually not that bad. The port to the N-Gage was pretty faithful from what I remember about the PC version, and completely playable using the control pad. However don't think that this is some sort of endorsement - there's no way in hell I'd drop that kind of money for a shitty phone and a mediocre game platform.

Interestingly enough, I recently read about a 3D engine that has been specifically developed for portable gaming devices such as the N-Gage, GBA and certain model cellphones that will allow Quake and Quake II engine games to run on these platforms. You can see some example screens