This is it – the final blog. As I previously said, I may well continue it on a semi-permanent basis after all my work is out of the way. That would involve changing the name though as it pretty much insinuates that there’ll be 28 posts and 28 posts only.
For my final blog I’ll be asking you, the readers, what you thought of it? Anything would be good – positive, negative, whatever really. I was just interested in feedback because if I intend to write this in my spare time it would be good to know where I was going wrong or, in rare cases, where I’m going right!!
Also, and this is important, I’m being graded on this work and some feedback from some of the people who’ve read it would be great.
As a final swansong here's a video featuring unsung heroes of gaming. Games that were amazing and yet failed to catch the publics eye. In other words - my kind of games!!
For now people, I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this blog. It’s been hard to keep up at times due to the restraints of the internet at my house and the ever increasing wealth of work that I have to do for college.
Stay tuned amigos!!!
Monday, 11 May 2009
The fanboy mentality.
This is the penultimate blog that I’ll be posting – it’s been good, we’ve had some laughs and we’ve all learnt something. It would be good to keep this up on a semi-regular basis but at the moment I’m so swamped with work that it’d be impossible at the minute. Possibly in the next 3 weeks or so I’ll pick it up again.
Anyway, onto the blog. Today is the thorny issue of fanboys, the definition of which is someone who vehemently supports one format despite any decent releases on other rival platforms. I’m only mentioning this because I recently came across the most ardent of gaming zealots in my flatmate Nick. He’s a genuinely annoying and ridiculously passionate individual when it comes to....almost any subject really, but he really starts foaming at the mouth when Microsoft are mentioned. While it’s been made fairly clear that I’m not a member of the Bill Gates fan club it hasn’t reached the point yet where I’d murder him and defile his corpse like Nick would.
He is such a fan of Sony that I’m fairly confident that if I fired a gun at a PS3 (not mine), Nick would leap in the way and take the bullet himself, sparing the Playstation a grisly death.
I don’t really understand the fanboy mentality and I’ve tried discussing this with him at great length. As far as he’s concerned it doesn’t matter what games are out for a certain platform – it only matters which company makes that console. For instance, when I bought my PSP he practically proposed to me and became my best friend for a few days – quite the opposite when I came home with a DSi though. When he found out that I had one he made me feel like I was trying to cheat on the PSP, like I was conducting my DSi activities in privacy like some sordid affair.
I’ve met many like him in my time as a gamer, especially online, and I was just curious as to whether anyone had certain predilections toward a specific format and why? I could understand that for some cost would be an issue but any reasons would be ace.
Anyway, onto the blog. Today is the thorny issue of fanboys, the definition of which is someone who vehemently supports one format despite any decent releases on other rival platforms. I’m only mentioning this because I recently came across the most ardent of gaming zealots in my flatmate Nick. He’s a genuinely annoying and ridiculously passionate individual when it comes to....almost any subject really, but he really starts foaming at the mouth when Microsoft are mentioned. While it’s been made fairly clear that I’m not a member of the Bill Gates fan club it hasn’t reached the point yet where I’d murder him and defile his corpse like Nick would.
He is such a fan of Sony that I’m fairly confident that if I fired a gun at a PS3 (not mine), Nick would leap in the way and take the bullet himself, sparing the Playstation a grisly death.
I don’t really understand the fanboy mentality and I’ve tried discussing this with him at great length. As far as he’s concerned it doesn’t matter what games are out for a certain platform – it only matters which company makes that console. For instance, when I bought my PSP he practically proposed to me and became my best friend for a few days – quite the opposite when I came home with a DSi though. When he found out that I had one he made me feel like I was trying to cheat on the PSP, like I was conducting my DSi activities in privacy like some sordid affair.
I’ve met many like him in my time as a gamer, especially online, and I was just curious as to whether anyone had certain predilections toward a specific format and why? I could understand that for some cost would be an issue but any reasons would be ace.
Sunday, 10 May 2009
What would your dream game be?
I've often wondered what kind of game i'd make if i could. These days games developers tend to stick to safe options and genres that they already know but if i ever get the opportunity to make a game i've thought long and hard about what i'd create.
Firstly i considered a type of RPG like Shadow Hearts because that's probably one of my favourite games of all time. However, i think if i had unrestrained artistic license i'd make a game based on the life of a sea otter.
It would be a lot like Ecco the Dolphin in that you lived the life of a sea otter, probably having to rescue your sea otter brothers along the way. Part of the game could involve you choosing your favourite rock to store in the pouch in your armpit, maybe different rocks could give you different powers? Generic game abilities of fire, ice, etc would probably work.
Imagine this but with an otter. I'd probably get Sega to help me out just in case i lashed it up.
There could be mini games in between levels where you have to hammer the buttons on the pad to smash clams and crustaceans on your furry belly.
A sea otter smashing things on its belly.
Anyone got any dream games??
Firstly i considered a type of RPG like Shadow Hearts because that's probably one of my favourite games of all time. However, i think if i had unrestrained artistic license i'd make a game based on the life of a sea otter.
It would be a lot like Ecco the Dolphin in that you lived the life of a sea otter, probably having to rescue your sea otter brothers along the way. Part of the game could involve you choosing your favourite rock to store in the pouch in your armpit, maybe different rocks could give you different powers? Generic game abilities of fire, ice, etc would probably work.
Imagine this but with an otter. I'd probably get Sega to help me out just in case i lashed it up.
There could be mini games in between levels where you have to hammer the buttons on the pad to smash clams and crustaceans on your furry belly.
A sea otter smashing things on its belly.
Anyone got any dream games??
Disgaea 3 - similar to a fine wine.
I already own the original Disgaea and its sequel on the PS2 so when i bought a PS3 it was with the intention of playing games like Disgaea 3 that you just wouldn't see on the 360. Needless to say i wasn't disappointed although two things must be pointed out with this game as it was with the two before it. Firstly it really is an acquired taste and a niche taste at that, and secondly it can initially seem very overwhelming.
Disgaea is an S-RPG (strategy) at its core and it tends to be fairly harsh with first timers. It pretty much assumes you'll know what you're doing straight off the bat and for some this can seem extremely daunting due to the games deceptively complex nature. If you don't like stats and figures then it's probably best to give Disgaea a wide birth, every battle in the game is conducted like a game of chess and can take a very long time to compete. Put the time in though and Disgaea will reward you greatly.
It's easy to be tricked by the games characters and worlds because the person in charge was clearly on some pretty funky drugs when they were working. The ideas behind the narrative are very Japanese and this can sometimes leave you feeling quite perplexed and almost left out of the joke as you try and work out what they're actually getting at. Accompanied by a crazy (and annoyingly addictive) soundtrack that is resoundingly bubblegum pop the feel of the game is very whacky which belies how complex the game dynamic actually is.
The introduction to Disgaea 3 gives you an idea of how strange it is.
The amount of upgrading and levelling up you can do here is absolutely astounding, it's actually a shame that there isn't a multiplayer element to it because it would be good for players to show off their characters and probably their lack of a social life.
With enough perseverance your team can attain levels of up to 999 and the items that you collect also have their own development levels. Rather than improve with use Disgaea has a novel method with which to improve your items - actually entering the item in question to change it from the inside :p
Every item, including weapons, have a number of floors within them and the further your party travels through the item (by winning strategic battles) the more advanced the item becomes until it reaches up to level 9999. Seriously, the extremeties to which you can push your partys statistics in this game are insane.
Disgaea is massively popular in Japan, so much so that it spawned an anime series. I've yet to watch it but i'm guessing it's not all there.
If you love anime or have a lot of time on your hands and enjoy methodical, strategic battles with a very tongue in cheek approach then this game will sit very will with you. Obviously this is only going to be a very small majority of players so for the action lovers among you it will almost certainly not be your cup of tea.
My verdict:8 (but that's because it's my kind of game.)
Disgaea is an S-RPG (strategy) at its core and it tends to be fairly harsh with first timers. It pretty much assumes you'll know what you're doing straight off the bat and for some this can seem extremely daunting due to the games deceptively complex nature. If you don't like stats and figures then it's probably best to give Disgaea a wide birth, every battle in the game is conducted like a game of chess and can take a very long time to compete. Put the time in though and Disgaea will reward you greatly.
It's easy to be tricked by the games characters and worlds because the person in charge was clearly on some pretty funky drugs when they were working. The ideas behind the narrative are very Japanese and this can sometimes leave you feeling quite perplexed and almost left out of the joke as you try and work out what they're actually getting at. Accompanied by a crazy (and annoyingly addictive) soundtrack that is resoundingly bubblegum pop the feel of the game is very whacky which belies how complex the game dynamic actually is.
The introduction to Disgaea 3 gives you an idea of how strange it is.
The amount of upgrading and levelling up you can do here is absolutely astounding, it's actually a shame that there isn't a multiplayer element to it because it would be good for players to show off their characters and probably their lack of a social life.
With enough perseverance your team can attain levels of up to 999 and the items that you collect also have their own development levels. Rather than improve with use Disgaea has a novel method with which to improve your items - actually entering the item in question to change it from the inside :p
Every item, including weapons, have a number of floors within them and the further your party travels through the item (by winning strategic battles) the more advanced the item becomes until it reaches up to level 9999. Seriously, the extremeties to which you can push your partys statistics in this game are insane.
Disgaea is massively popular in Japan, so much so that it spawned an anime series. I've yet to watch it but i'm guessing it's not all there.
If you love anime or have a lot of time on your hands and enjoy methodical, strategic battles with a very tongue in cheek approach then this game will sit very will with you. Obviously this is only going to be a very small majority of players so for the action lovers among you it will almost certainly not be your cup of tea.
My verdict:8 (but that's because it's my kind of game.)
Just a quick one.
Has anyone played a truly difficult game in the last few years? I mean a game that you genuinely thought you wouldn't be able to finish or a part that you reached that you simply couldn't get past?
I ask because i'm currently playing Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia on the DSi and it's f'ing solid. I've already managed to get 80% of the way through it but the last few levels and enemeies are ridiculously hard. My brother is also playing through it and had to play the same part over and over again just to find one item to complete a quest - the area in question was also the hardest in the game by far. Konami are known for making you work for your money though.
For me probably the hardest game i've played is Ninja Gaiden on the XBox and probably Ninja Gaiden 2 on the 360 - just because they're so brutally punishing. The sparse save points coupled with the fact that just one lesser enemy could easily end your life made it an immensely frustrating but ultimately very rewarding experience. I remember completing it on the hardest difficulty and practically crying, i was that happy.
I was working in Game at the time that Ninja Gaiden was released on XBox and because of the rave reviews it recieved people flocked to buy it but many brought it back because it was just too difficult for them to play. One boy, about 11 years old, brought it back and when i asked him why he was returning it he started crying and said it was too hard. He was that broken.
This guy completed Sigma on the Master Ninja level which makes him close to super human in terms of reflexes.
I ask because i'm currently playing Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia on the DSi and it's f'ing solid. I've already managed to get 80% of the way through it but the last few levels and enemeies are ridiculously hard. My brother is also playing through it and had to play the same part over and over again just to find one item to complete a quest - the area in question was also the hardest in the game by far. Konami are known for making you work for your money though.
For me probably the hardest game i've played is Ninja Gaiden on the XBox and probably Ninja Gaiden 2 on the 360 - just because they're so brutally punishing. The sparse save points coupled with the fact that just one lesser enemy could easily end your life made it an immensely frustrating but ultimately very rewarding experience. I remember completing it on the hardest difficulty and practically crying, i was that happy.
I was working in Game at the time that Ninja Gaiden was released on XBox and because of the rave reviews it recieved people flocked to buy it but many brought it back because it was just too difficult for them to play. One boy, about 11 years old, brought it back and when i asked him why he was returning it he started crying and said it was too hard. He was that broken.
This guy completed Sigma on the Master Ninja level which makes him close to super human in terms of reflexes.
Thursday, 7 May 2009
A minor gripe with Microsoft.
I recently went round to my Mums house to see my brother and have a bit of a session on the 360 but we were abruptly distracted by our hatred of Microsoft and their money grabbing tendancies.
It transpires now that if you're the proud owner of an XBox 360 and a Silver account you're actually penalised in true Microsoft style. Whereas before a Silver account gave you access to demos and chat facilities you're now presented with a turse note informing you that because you're not a Gold member you now have to wait a week or so before you can access the things that you were previously allowed access to.
Once again Microsoft, good effort for alienating your game playing following once again. Obviously the last time that i recieved excellent customer service courtesy of Microsoft was when my 360 got 3 red lights and at every point i turned i hit a brick wall. Obviously this was a few years ago as my 360 was one of the first batch to get the ring of death but the degree of customer support from Microsoft was absolutely shocking.
Good times. As my 360 was one of the first to go i remember my immense confusion as to why it wouldn't turn back on. Xbox services were also confused and repeatedly told me that i hadn't plugged the power cable into the mains.
Spending hours on the phone speaking to a host of Europeans with a tenuous grip on the English language, they would ritually go through the ropes with me telling me to ensure the power cable was plugged in and that i wasn't completely retarded. Despite me telling them what the actual problem was they rigidly stuck to the generic list of questions that they ask every other person who phones up complaining about a faulty machine.
With all the money that Microsoft makes i couldn't believe that they (initially) wouldn't replace faulty machines. That was enough to insense me, but now that 360 users either have a Gold account or, basically, nothing - means that once again Microsoft have kicked their audience in the teeth. Bravo!!
It transpires now that if you're the proud owner of an XBox 360 and a Silver account you're actually penalised in true Microsoft style. Whereas before a Silver account gave you access to demos and chat facilities you're now presented with a turse note informing you that because you're not a Gold member you now have to wait a week or so before you can access the things that you were previously allowed access to.
Once again Microsoft, good effort for alienating your game playing following once again. Obviously the last time that i recieved excellent customer service courtesy of Microsoft was when my 360 got 3 red lights and at every point i turned i hit a brick wall. Obviously this was a few years ago as my 360 was one of the first batch to get the ring of death but the degree of customer support from Microsoft was absolutely shocking.
Good times. As my 360 was one of the first to go i remember my immense confusion as to why it wouldn't turn back on. Xbox services were also confused and repeatedly told me that i hadn't plugged the power cable into the mains.
Spending hours on the phone speaking to a host of Europeans with a tenuous grip on the English language, they would ritually go through the ropes with me telling me to ensure the power cable was plugged in and that i wasn't completely retarded. Despite me telling them what the actual problem was they rigidly stuck to the generic list of questions that they ask every other person who phones up complaining about a faulty machine.
With all the money that Microsoft makes i couldn't believe that they (initially) wouldn't replace faulty machines. That was enough to insense me, but now that 360 users either have a Gold account or, basically, nothing - means that once again Microsoft have kicked their audience in the teeth. Bravo!!
Tuesday, 5 May 2009
Is it rewarding or just padding out a shallow experience?
I read an article in a games magazine the other day where a journalist was ranting about things that are “hidden” in games. Things like emblems in Resi 5, bobble-heads in Fallout 3 or pigeons in Grand Theft Auto. The journalist claimed that the pursuit of these objects was extremely tedious and was simply padding out the longevity of the game. They believed that after you’ve played the game to death the last thing you want to do is trawl back through the game, searching every nook and cranny for a tiny item so that you can tell your friends that you’ve completed everything the game has to offer.
He claimed that, in this sense, the games are unfair because they’re making you partake in these mundane tasks when you could be doing something far more constructive. Like playing another game for instance. Or maybe the games developers could spend more time developing extra levels or better unlockables as opposed to hiding little emblems throughout the game.
I for one disagree with this opinion though. For some reason I thoroughly enjoy the intrepid search for the elusive hidden item. I spent ages hunting for bobble-heads in Fallout and the sense of elation that I felt when I’d see one tucked away in a corner in an abandoned bunker is without precedent. Bobble-head hunting actually became something of a joint venture as my girlfriend also joined the fore and would sit for ages as I scoured the nuclear wastes in search of these little toys.
At the exact moment that i saw this i would've been leaping around like some kind of mad fool. Such is its power.
It’s a guilty pleasure but I’m not ashamed to admit that I also spent considerable time trying to spot emblems in Resi 5. I found the game itself only really came into its own after I’d completed it once and unlocked all the various modes and it was then that I began my hunt for the shiny blue medals. The bonus of unlocking all these was that you could gradually use them to unlock different weapons and figures, definitely adding to the longevity of the game itself.
See it there? In the distance? That shiny, Blue emblem just poking out of that building? It's the stuff of dreams.
For those of you who can't be bothered to slog through and check out every corner of the game YouTube is here in your time of need!!
I was genuinely hacked off when I read that article because I couldn’t fathom why anyone would moan that a game was trying to pad itself out. Surely that’s a good thing? Or am I missing the point? Maybe it’s because I have eternal patience when it comes to games – many is the time that I’ve had to level grind in an RPG, walking around in circles endlessly waiting for the next random battle to happen so my character can go up one level and gain a new ability. Probably in light of that, looking around for a few hidden objects in order to progress in a game doesn’t seem like that big of a deal to me. And anyway it’s not like people sit there dredging through a steaming pile of a game that they hate for no reason at all – they play everything the game has to offer because they want to, because they enjoy the game and want to get as much out of it as possible. Usually these collectibles are integral to the game itself anyway and it’s up to the player as to what degree they want to pursue them.
In the end is it really constructive to moan about games attempting to drag out the experience they offer when there are games companies out there making absolutely dire gaming experiences?
He claimed that, in this sense, the games are unfair because they’re making you partake in these mundane tasks when you could be doing something far more constructive. Like playing another game for instance. Or maybe the games developers could spend more time developing extra levels or better unlockables as opposed to hiding little emblems throughout the game.
I for one disagree with this opinion though. For some reason I thoroughly enjoy the intrepid search for the elusive hidden item. I spent ages hunting for bobble-heads in Fallout and the sense of elation that I felt when I’d see one tucked away in a corner in an abandoned bunker is without precedent. Bobble-head hunting actually became something of a joint venture as my girlfriend also joined the fore and would sit for ages as I scoured the nuclear wastes in search of these little toys.
At the exact moment that i saw this i would've been leaping around like some kind of mad fool. Such is its power.
It’s a guilty pleasure but I’m not ashamed to admit that I also spent considerable time trying to spot emblems in Resi 5. I found the game itself only really came into its own after I’d completed it once and unlocked all the various modes and it was then that I began my hunt for the shiny blue medals. The bonus of unlocking all these was that you could gradually use them to unlock different weapons and figures, definitely adding to the longevity of the game itself.
See it there? In the distance? That shiny, Blue emblem just poking out of that building? It's the stuff of dreams.
For those of you who can't be bothered to slog through and check out every corner of the game YouTube is here in your time of need!!
I was genuinely hacked off when I read that article because I couldn’t fathom why anyone would moan that a game was trying to pad itself out. Surely that’s a good thing? Or am I missing the point? Maybe it’s because I have eternal patience when it comes to games – many is the time that I’ve had to level grind in an RPG, walking around in circles endlessly waiting for the next random battle to happen so my character can go up one level and gain a new ability. Probably in light of that, looking around for a few hidden objects in order to progress in a game doesn’t seem like that big of a deal to me. And anyway it’s not like people sit there dredging through a steaming pile of a game that they hate for no reason at all – they play everything the game has to offer because they want to, because they enjoy the game and want to get as much out of it as possible. Usually these collectibles are integral to the game itself anyway and it’s up to the player as to what degree they want to pursue them.
In the end is it really constructive to moan about games attempting to drag out the experience they offer when there are games companies out there making absolutely dire gaming experiences?
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