You Are Lose!

Half-Life 2: Episode 1 - The Elevator of Doom

2009-02-25T10:28:00.004-05:00

After delving back into the world of Half-Life with Episode 1 recently, I got stuck in the first chapter on possibly the most frustrating gaming section of recent memory. There aren't even any enemies involved, just deadly, falling objects.

Near the end of the first chapter, as you try to make your way to the core of the Combine Citadel, you come across a powerless elevator that looks like it descends to the core. So I casually turned the power on for the elevator, and as it started moving, waited patiently for an expected Combine assault. After all, on a similar elevator ride in Half-Life 2, Combine soldiers fired on me the entire time. Unfortunately, I was dead wrong.

The Citadel core was unstable, and threatening to blow up the entire place. Thus, the walls had been constantly shaking. On the elevator, Alyx Vance, your indefatigable AI partner, warns you to "Look up" and "Watch out!" The danger in this section of the game was not soldiers or bullets, but huge falling chunks of debris from the unstable building. What made this section so annoying was that it only partially depends on the player's skill; there's also a significant luck factor involved. Combine this with 15-20 seconds of loading each time you fail and die, and you have a tedious exercise in figuring out how best to approach the situation.

Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that your elevator, in this high-tech, futuristic fortress, is made of frickin' glass!? Are you telling me glass is the most stable, strong building material the Combine had available? What this means in practical terms is that if a single large piece of debris hits your elevator: Boom, Crash! - instant death, load, wait, retry.

Granted, during this section, although you have no traditional weapons, you do have the super-charged gravity gun. One option is to use it to simply repel the 4 or 5 pieces of debris away from you. Apparently my timing isn't good enough, because that method just didn't work for me. The other option is to grab energy balls lining the walls and fire them at the debris to knock them off course. After dozens of hours of playing Half-Life 2, I'm pretty decent at aiming my guns, especially at large objects. But where the luck comes into play is that even if you hit the piece of debris with an energy ball, that's no guarantee it won't still crash into the elevator. The physics and gravity modeled in the game may still pull the debris right into you, or it might bounce off the wall and ricochet into you. Since this is a one hit death that is only partially within your power to prevent, it was incredibly frustrating. I must have played this short segment for nearly an hour before finally getting past it. I even had to make a quicksave halfway down the elevator shaft to give me a decent shot of making it through.

I suppose it wouldn't have been so bad if the loading time wasn't so long between retries. Usually the loading between sections isn't a big deal, because it loads a large area of the game and I don't die all that often. This is the closest I've been to hurling a controller across the room since the original Super Mario Kart. Thankfully, I made it past, and am now in the core battling the more forgiving Combine soldiers. Phew!!!

Did anyone else have a similar experience during this section of Episode 1? Was it just me? What other games have you become frustrated at in unexpectedly difficult/unfair situations?

Turn-Based or Real Time RPGs?

2009-02-17T13:46:00.002-05:00

After having played so many turn-based RPGs over the past year or so, I've noticed quite a few differences with Final Fantasy IX. Most recently on the DS, I played Dragon Quest IV, but I also played Persona 3 and Final Fantasy III relatively recently. I must have a strategic mind because I greatly prefer a turn-based system of battle, versus an active system such as in any Final Fantasy after number 4. I just don't like the idea that if I don't act quickly enough, the enemy will get to go before me or even sneak in an extra attack. This might be why I liked the strategic battles of Final Fantasy X so much: every enemy had a weakness I could exploit, and I always knew the exact turn order of all characters and enemies.

Back to Final Fantasy IX, it continues the FF tradition of employing a real-time battle system. Each character (and enemy) has a timer that fills up at varying speeds. When the gauge is full, that character can take an action. However, in practice, this system still largely replicates a turn-based system. At the most active setting, if you can input your commands without thinking too long, the characters and enemies will pretty much stay in the exact same turn order. So, for example, if the battle order is Character 1, Character 2, Enemy 1, Character 3, Enemy 2, and you don't waste any time picking your actions, that order will remain the same.

Of course, I'm still only partway through disc 2 (of 4). I would expect the real-time battles to get more complicated as the game goes on and you have more skills and abilities to choose from. But maybe not, if the fighter attacks, the thief steals, the mage casts his strongest spell, and the healer waits to heal. In typical usage, FFIX's active battle system is no different than a turn-based system. This may also change later as fast characters get faster, and may start to gain extra turns.

Plus, due to my turn-based preference, I set the battle speed to "Wait," so that the battles effectively pause as I think about which spell to cast. I'm not trying to make the game easier, I just like to have plenty of time to choose the best action.

Otherwise, Final Fantasy IX is going great. The first disc and a half have been largely story-based, with my party moving quickly from location to location, at the mercy of the plot. But I think the game world opens up a bit more on disc 3, and I have more freedom to roam around and go where I will.

I really like how each character has a predefined role or class. I much prefer these types of RPGs to the ones where characters are blank slates and all end up being copies of each other. In FFIX each character is unique: Zidane is the nimble thief, Vivi is the powerful mage, Dagger is the healing white mage, and Steiner is the brute physical attacker. I find unique characters preferable to a game like Final Fantasy VI, where each character can learn every spell in the game, and by the end they mostly are all identical except for a few special abilities.

This is also the first PS1 game I've played on my PS3. I'm not certain, but I think it looks better and loads fast than when played on my PS2. I'm not going to time the load times or anything, but it certainly seems to be pretty speedy. I've also been able to play quite a bit remotely via the PSP, which has been really nice for when my girlfriend would rather watch The Bachelor than me play a classic PS1 RPG.

I'll press onward in my 4th attempt or so to actually finish FFIX, although I will be slowly delving into Half-Life 2: Episode 1 soon. This should provide a nice contrast of games and playing styles.

Half-Life 2: A Stressful But Satisfying Experience

2009-02-12T10:09:00.006-05:00

As part of my effort to expand my gaming horizons, I've been trying to play games in genres I normally avoid. One of the biggest gaps in my gaming knowledge is First Person Shooters, which is why the first game I bought for the PS3 was The Orange Box. On Wednesday I finished my 2nd ever FPS, Half-Life 2 (the first was the original Halo.) I know that Half-Life 2 isn't the most difficult shooter, and that in the grand scheme of things this isn't the grandest of accomplishments, but for me it's pretty significant.

When I first started playing Half-Life 2 several months ago, I found it very stressful and a little unsettling. I wasn't used to the fast pace, enemies jumping out of corners and dark spaces, and constantly being shot at from myriad locations. But over the last few weeks, as I played the game more regularly and eagerly, the tense shout-outs became almost normal. While they were still a little stressful, they became more exciting and I actually looked forward to discovering what new scenario, set-piece, or battle lurked around the next corner or down the next tunnel. I don't think I'll ever become a hard-core shooter fan, trying to play all of them. My successful completion of Half-Life 2 shows that with a little dedication, I can delve into genres other than RPGs and strategy games and come out unscathed, probably all the better for it.

Just as with any type of media, it's important for consumers to be able to experience and appreciate different types within that form. I may not like very many romantic comedies, but I can understand what others see in a particularly well-made film. Similarly, I don't desire to play very many shooters, but I certainly see why they can be so appealing. There's a distinct thrilling from encountering a group of enemies and having full control over your character's capability to engage them and remove them as a threat. It's exciting and makes you feel very powerful, especially in a game as well-made and with such beautiful combat scenarios as Half-Life 2. My successful completion of this game gives me heart that other shooters are not beyond the realm of my capabilities. Bioshock will, I think, be even more intimidating as it subscribes to a freakier/creepier cast of enemies, but I know it will be well worth the journey.

In the meantime, before acquiring other PS3 games to expand my library beyond the single game I currently possess, I'm going to take a short break from Half-Life 2. Although I beat the game, The Orange Box also includes Episode 1 and Episode 2, each of which are about a third as long as Half-Life 2 and directly pick up the story. I believe these 2 episodes, along with the as-yet unannounced Episode 3, serve as a sort-of unofficial Half-Life 3. I'm going to take a break from shooting things for a little while, just to give my nerves a rest, and so my girlfriend will stop thinking she lives in the middle of a war zone.

Of the multiple console games I have yet to finish, the most likely games to work on before becoming a shooter aficionado again are the first disc of Final Fantasy IX, the first character of Odin Sphere, or figuring out where the heck I am in Jak II. I'm leaning towards FFIX as a way to continue using my PS3 and not have to switch around cables. Before my shooter hiatus, I should have one more post about Half-Life 2. For an inexperienced FPS gamer such as myself, it was pretty incredible and jaw-dropping. Except for the zombie infested Ravenholm section. That scared the pants off me.

A Newly Discovered Feature of the PS3

2009-02-10T14:08:00.004-05:00

I'm still discovering new features of my PS3, after owning one for about 4 months. Some features I am aware of, but can't fully take advantage of. For example, I can't play any games in high-definition because I do not yet own an HD-TV. Likewise, while I have rented one Blu-Ray movie, I don't really see the point until I have a better TV. After all, without an HD-TV and an HDMI cable, the picture doesn't really look better.

What I've recently discovered about the PS3, though, is an interesting little feature: the Remote Play ability to control your PS3 via a PSP. I don't know how many people actually own both of these devices, but their connectivity is pretty simple and, well, powerful. First you connect them via the USB cable, which basically registers your PSP with that particular PS3 system and lets them recognize each other. Then there are a couple of ways to get into controlling the PS3 with the PSP. The slightly more convoluted way is to power on the PS3, go to Network icon on the XMB, and set it manually to Remote Play. Then, do the exact same thing on the PSP and you're all set. What I think is the cooler way is to change the PS3 settings so Remote Play also enables a remote start. This way, if your PS3 is in standby mode and the TV is in use, you can turn it on and use it with the PSP without messing with the TV.

Ok, so you can turn on the PS3 with the PSP. What else can you do? Perhaps one of the best uses of this feature is watching video clips stored on the PS3 remotely. This is pretty good for me too, since I'm not really losing much quality because I only have a standard-definition TV. Less significantly, you can use the PSP's mobility to watch videos away from the living room (or wherever the TV is). I'm also not certain, but I believe a handful of PS3 games allow for Remote Play. I'll have to check on that.

I also love that PS1 games, as well as at least one PlayStation Network title, can be played remotely. I tested PixelJunk Eden, since it's the only PSN title I own, on the PSP. While it doesn't work nearly as smoothly or look as good as on a TV, it's still more than possible to play it. Remote Play is also particularly well-suited to playing old PS1-era RPGs. I've had an itch recently to play through Final Fantasy IX, which is one of the few Final Fantasy games I've neglected. The slower pace and lack of intense action makes games of this type easier to play remotely than more fast-paced games.

Which brings me to my biggest complaint about Remote Play: there is a noticeable lag when accessing the PS3 through the PSP. Since you're not using the PS3 directly, but instead over a wireless network, it's inevitable that a little of the finesse, of the near-instantaneous response time will be lost. This is why games like FFIX work so well remotely, while a 2D fighter might be a little more difficult. A second minor problem is that the PSP battery life was short enough on its own. By using the wireless connectivity constantly during Remote Play, it just runs down that much faster. So you can't expect to use this feature for an exceptionally long stretch of time.

This is a nice little addition to the PS3's feature set. It feels more useful than other handheld-console connections (such as GBA-GameCube), perhaps because the feature is not tied to a specific game. Instead, you have full access to the PS3, and can do pretty much anything you would normally. It's also very advantageous if you live in a household where the television is shared. If someone is watching a TV show, but you really want to play through the next dungeon in FFIX or start downloading a new demo, you can still do it peacefully. Just set the PS3 to standby, boot up the PSP, and go to town. Remote Play may not be perfect, but in certain situations it feels just right.

PS3 Trophies: What Are They Good For?

2009-02-05T13:35:00.005-05:00

As a kid, I collected many things: baseball cards, action figures, anything with 'Star Wars' written on it. Most of these items didn't have much value, but they meant something to me at the time. Especially regarding my binders full of baseball cards, most were not worth any money. Yet I cherished them because they represented larger than life personalities. And stumbling across a popular player in a fresh pack, an uncommon event, was pure joy. In some ways, Microsoft and Sony's inclusion of Achievements and Trophies (respectively) in this hardware generation reminds me of my earlier childhood hoarding tendencies.

I'm conflicted, though, in that I think trophies (I'll speak of them since I don't have a 360, although my thoughts should largely apply to Achievements as well) are both a welcome evolution to video games and an unnecessary burden. Much like with my baseball cards, I feel strongly compelled to collect as many trophies as I can, just because they exist. Similarly, I try to complete games I own as much as possible. This why Fire Emblem (GBA) still sits in my unfinished pile, because I still need to re-finish the game with another main character, Hector. So with the two games I have played that feature trophies (Pixeljunk Eden and LittleBigPlanet), I try to gather as many as I can.

Trophies work best for me when either the game itself is not excessively challenging, or when the unlocking of the trophy can be found through a mostly normal play through. For example, Pixeljunk Eden has a trophy for collecting all 5 Spectra in each garden, a reasonable and worthwhile request. Similarly, LittleBigPlanet has trophies for completing each main level or gathering all the stickers in each level. These trophies make sense within what the games set out to accomplish. Pixeljunk Eden is about repopulating and rejuvenating a large garden, thus capturing all the Spectra both furthers that goal and your sense of purpose within that world. LittleBigPlanet, while it includes numerous developer-created levels, is really about sharing and interacting with other users. Thus, the trophy for collecting all the stickers can only be earned by playing with others, either online or off, since some stickers require 2-4 players.

However, trophies are at their worst when they require you to go far outside the realms of normal activity within a game world. Sure, these types of achievements might be cherished by regular gamers seeking an extreme challenge from their tired old games. But I'm more of a Tourist/Completist, so events that force me outside the normal arc of a game don't interest me much. For example, one trophy in Pixeljunk Eden is rewarded for finishing a garden without missing any pollen. For those unfamiliar with the game, when your avatar swings into an enemy, they release a certain amount of pollen, which appears as a burst of numerous, extremely tiny drifting dots on the screen which disappear after a short time. Fail to grab even one of these, and you might as well start over. With so many games to play, I have no time for such tedium.

At the same time, the value of some difficult trophies is purely dependent on the characteristics of the player, and of the game itself. In LittleBigPlanet, I was immensely proud when I finally earned the Play trophy, for beating all the main story levels without dying. This was quite hard, because some of the later levels are long and reasonably nasty. But I didn't mind retrying levels until I earned this trophy, because the mechanics were relatively simple and restarting a level was quick and seamless. I didn't need an extraordinary amount of skill to earn this trophy. I mainly needed patience, and the ability to remember where I made mistakes and correct them the next time.

So my general attitude toward trophies is that the best ones are acquired through the normal course of play, or when the game is so compelling and fun in its own right that you don't mind replaying part of it repeatedly to earn one digital award. For me, they are also at their worst when they are excessively and purposefully beyond the realm of normal difficulty or expectations. I have so many games I want to get through, that trophies that are too tricky to earn aren't worth my time.

Nonetheless, these types of achievements are by and large an addicting addition to PS3 and 360 games when implemented with thought and care. But they are also easy to abuse, and developers can simply add them haphazardly because they are required to by Sony and Microsoft. But the good outweighs the bad. And it's now even easier to show off my collection than when I was a child. No more lugging around heavy binders of baseball cards. Now, all we need to do is exchange our user names.

A Final Mystery: The End of Persona 3

2009-02-04T14:14:00.003-05:00

What a week! Here in Kentucky we had a major ice storm last week. Several hundred thousand people were/are without power. Some won't even get power for a few more weeks. I was lucky, in that I only lost cable and Internet for a few days. Not such a big deal, when you consider that some people were unable to stay in their homes. But I'm back online now, and the city's slowly getting back to normal.

In gaming news, after returning LittleBigPlanet (bloody brilliant game!) I switched gears full forward into finishing off Persona 3. The lack of cable and Internet really helped quicken this goal. With no television, Internet, or ability to look for jobs, I had lots of free time to delve deeper into Tartarus. Mission accomplished! I beat Persona 3.

Ah, but I forgot to mention that I actually own Persona 3: FES, which is the special edition of the game, released several months after the original. What this means is that while the original, main storyline is the same (except for some added items and social links) there is an entirely new addition to the game. This mode is called The Answer (as contrasted with The Journey). It's supposed to expand upon the plot of the main game and explain what happened afterwards.

I have a couple of problems with this. First is that I just finished playing an 80 hour RPG. The last thing I want to do is now wade into a 25-30 hour extension of the game, which is largely a humongous dungeon crawl. Granted, the hearsay on the Internet seems to indicate that the story in The Answer is amazing and well worth the time. But I ask you this, Internet: is it amazing by universal narrative standards, or just amazing by the generally dull video game standards?

Second, what is the point of this extra chapter? I didn't feel like there were any loose ends left over at the conclusion of Persona 3. Maybe I missed something, but I now understand why Tartarus existed, where it and the Shadows came from, and why it had to be destroyed. I even think I have a tenuous grasp on the general theme of the game: Death. What is there left to add? One of my biggest pet peeves is when DVDs are released as unrated or with extra scenes added in. Except in very rare cases, I want to see the movie as it was originally released and intended to be seen. These additions rarely add anything, and usually detract from the overall worth of the film.

Does a similar concept hold true with video games? Admittedly, most video games are only released in one version. Very few receive updated releases. One notable example was Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence, which added better, more fluid controls and an online component to the original game. But releasing an addition to the story is quite different to improving the controls or fixing some bugs. The new Prince of Persia is similar to Persona 3 in this regard in that they are planning to release some DLC that tweaks the difficulty and adds on some more story segments at the end of the main game. In general, I think these kinds of additions are completely unnecessary. If the story is understandable and 'complete', it doesn't need further explanation. It's redundant.

Specifically with Persona 3, I think the game is fine the way it stands. It doesn't need an extra story to plod through just for some added insights. There are no loose ends, and everything fits together pretty well. That being said, I would like to play through The Answer and see if it really is as interesting as everyone says it is. Just not right away, because I am extremely burned out on Persona 3 and long RPGs in general. Since my PS3 has been neglected for the past few months, other than LittleBigPlanet, I'm going to return to Half-Life 2. A fast-paced shooter will be a nice change of pace. I can't wait to get back to tossing things around with the good old gravity gun!

LittleBigPlanet: The Smile Maker

2009-01-26T14:15:00.004-05:00

LittleBigPlanet is the most fun, charming, entertaining experience I've had since childhood.

Being currently unemployed and therefore on a very tight gaming budget, I rented LBP last week, largely because I was unsure if it would be able to sustain my interest over a long period of time as a purchased title. After five days, I now know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it could keep me entertained for months. My only hesitancy is that since I'm not interested in taking the time and intense effort to create a decent level to share, what's the point of purchasing a game when I miss out on 1/3 of what it has to offer? Now I know that the other 2/3's, playing through the Media Molecule-developed story levels and sampling the wide variety of community-developed levels, provides more than enough engaging content.

Play

The 25-30 levels Media Molecule created as the Story levels in LBP are brilliant fun. They slowly but surely introduce new ideas and types of play. First, you just run and jump. Soon, you kill enemies, including giant bosses, navigate deadly traps, and work your way through very complicated scenarios. However, while these levels are fun and interesting in their own right, they become even more fantastic when I remember that they were completely created using the in-game level creator. Every tool and technique Media Molecule used to make these levels can be borrowed and replicated by any player around the world, provided they have the patience to create an equally complex level. Part of the genius is that for playing through and thoroughly scouring every nook and cranny of the levels, you are constantly rewarded with new costumes, stickers, and building materials that can then be immediately put to good use in the level editor. Playing through the story levels is not a waste of time. In fact, it's completely necessary if you want to maximize your productivity when creating levels of your own.

While the story through most of the developer-made levels is largely forgettable (I couldn't tell you the plot in most of the areas), the ending is simply brilliant. It reminds me of Portal, in the sense that there is a satisfying ending to the story levels that is nothing like what you expect. The best praise I can give the ending is that I couldn't help but smile at the charm of it all! Media Molecule actually managed to ground the mythos of LBP in the real world. It's just amazing.

Create

For me, this is the least interesting mode of LBP. Granted, it's vast and allows you to build, create, and set-up nearly any type of object or experience you can imagine. However, my personal tendency is to play through levels rather than create them. I've tried messing around with level editors in the past, and it never lasts long. I will make the effort of creating a level or two at some point, just to fully check out what the editor is capable of, but that will have to wait until I buy the game. My rental is due back today at noon. : )

I'm not sure what Media Molecule expects out of the average user. Traditionally, very few people mess around with level creation. And of those who do, an even smaller percentage are even moderately decent at level design. So while some amazing levels have been created, a lot of them are pure garbage. It's too much to expect everyone to suddenly become a game designer, but the tools available do allow certain types of people to really put their creativity and imagination to good use.

Share

With only a five day rental period, I have barely scratched the surface of checking out what user-created levels are available. I've played quite a few based on Shadow of the Colossus, the famous Azure Palace and Little Big Calculator levels, and even a few reproductions of Super Mario Bros. that somehow have not been removed. I also plan on looking at levels focusing on pirates, ninjas, and Japanese themes before I take the game back. The ability to search for levels has been greatly improved with a recent patch, with levels being searchable by several different criteria. The ability to rate and comment on each level after you play it really helps to keep the community involved in the game, having total control over which levels and authors rise to fame and which sink to the bottom of obscurity. The variation and creativity of the user-created levels is seemingly endless. They could keep me entertained for a long time to come.

I am fully convinced that LittleBigPlanet is one of the most endearing, entertaining, and just plain fun video game experiences I've had in a very long time. It really makes you feel like a kid again. In some ways, LBP is more of a sandbox-style game than an open-world game like GTAIV. You can do, build, and play anything you want to. There are no serious punishments, or even a "wrong" way to play a level. You are encouraged and expected to explore each level as fully as possible. Jump and run around. Have fun. The world really is your own personal playground, and we're all better off for it.

(In)Consistency in Persona 3

2009-01-20T10:17:00.003-05:00

Ok. I know have complained a lot about Persona 3 recently, and how I grew tired and bored with its slow pace and plodding narrative. Now that I'm into December (when the game ends in January, I think?), the narrative has really ramped up. As such, I'm a little more involved in the story, and actually look forward to reaching the next full moon as quick as possible in order to see what happens next. But this renewed interest in Persona 3 doesn't mean that other aspects of the game don't stand out to me as problematic.

Since the beginning of the game, in fact since the first time my character died and I had to reload the game, one glaring flaw of the battle system has annoyed me to no end. When a character dies in battle, there a re a couple of ways to revive them, usually by using either a Revival Bead (item) or the spell Recarm. Then, the character is revived with some amount of health, and you hope they survive until you can heal them. This is a standard revival technique, found in nearly every RPG in some form or another. And it works very well, usually. Unfortunately, in Persona 3, the only character that cannot be revived, at all, is the main character, who also happens to be the only one you directly control in battle.

If the main character (MC from now on) loses all his health, he dies. Game over. No chance to revive him in the same battle. You then must spend several minutes watching scene, going through the title sequence, reloading, and backtracking. This is particularly annoying if you are stuck battling a difficult boss or guardian. Perhaps the reasoning for this aspect of the battle system is that since the player does not have direct control over his teammates, if the MC dies, it's Game Over because you can't bring yourself back from death. However, all of your teammates are capable of using items in battle, including Revival Beads. I've seen them revive each other before. At least one character, who usually serves as my party's healer, has the Recarm spell. Why, when the MC falls in combat, can one of the other characters not revive me? If they can revive each other, it makes absolutely no sense that they cannot revive me also?

Each party member can have a battle tactic assigned to it. So, for example, I could assign my strongest attacker to go all out attacking an enemy, or have another character target an enemy's weakness. If I have programmed all my teammates to attack, then I understand that they might not revive the MC. However, if, as I regularly do, I have assigned one character to always heal the party, why would that character not be given the chance to also revive the MC? There's no reason not to. When a simple stroke of bad luck (such as one of the frequent instant death spells being successful) conspires against you, it's not only unfair to instantly have to restart, but it makes no sense within the logic of the game world.

Finding myself very near the end of the game now, I find this inability to revive the MC a particularly glaring fault as I learn more about the themes and point of the narrative. I don't think it's much of a spoiler to say that the theme of Persona 3 revolves around death, and seems to be focusing on the characters' ability to accept and understand death. Perhaps, when I finally complete the game, I will be able to come up with some thematic reason as to why the MC is so fragile and able to be permanently killed. Until that point, it just adds to the tedium that sometimes pops up in this game.

I wonder if Persona 4 addresses this problem. I know that game gives you full control over the entire party, so perhaps the death of the main character does not lead to an instant game over. Does anyone know? I'd be very curious to find out.

I'm near the end, so my ranting about Persona 3 should come to an end soon, and I can move on and complain about something else.

Sometimes I Feel Like an Open World Game, Sometimes I Don't

2009-01-15T13:32:00.003-05:00

If there's one consensus among those who write about video games, it's that most of the top games of 2008 were characterized by their open ended nature. Fallout 3, Far Cry 2, Fable 2, GTA IV, LittleBigPlanet. These games want you to believe you can do anything and/or go anywhere. I often find these type of open ended experiences overwhelming. With so many options of what to do next, I often freeze up and find myself unable to continue at a solid pace. Sometimes, I don't even feel like starting up such a large, open world game. This causes me to spend way too much time thinking about what game to play, or what I should do next in that game, than actually playing a game.

I've recently been playing a lot of Civilization Revolution, which while open in terms of having numerous civilizations to play as and choices to make, provides a relatively short, clear game experience. More relevant is that I've also been reading a lot about and delving into Civ IV, which is an absolutely huge game. You can tweak the map settings, difficulty, starting civilization, and opponents any way you like. Games span hundreds of turns, maybe 20 hours of real-world time. There's always something new to see behind the flashing prompt, which reads "Press Enter to End Turn." Getting a handle on Civ IV, and playing it enough to feel semi-competent, is a tall order for many gamers.

That being said, it almost felt like a relief returning to Persona 3 last night after many months away from Gekkoukan High School and the random dungeon Tartarus. I know I've complained previously about how slow and plodding Persona 3 can be at times. And I think that complaint still stands. But after all the Civ IV decision-making I've been doing the last few weeks, the relative simplicity of Persona 3 was a joy to behold. What personas to fuse, what characters to spend time with after school to increase social links, and just keeping track of my daily schedule seemed simple in comparison. Plus, I had last saved just one week before the next major boss, so I quickly found myself facing an exciting, story-based segment. Since this was near the end of the game (finally), I witnessed several intriguing revelations.

I always like to have a couple of gaming options at my fingertips at any given time. I'm not always ready for the time commitment to a massive Civ IV session. Nor do I always want to slog through several more days of Persona 3. Even though spreading my gaming time amongst several games slows down my overall progress, the options help keep my sanity and enjoyment intact.

Plus, sometimes I just want to play through a few quick levels of New Super Mario Bros. You can't beat playing a game with such a classic, quick design. I love playing video games. I just don't want it to feel like a chore.

To Those Who Make Civ IV Seem Easy

2009-01-14T10:53:00.005-05:00

Civilization IV is a hard game.

And I don't mean hard in the sense of trying to make a difficult jump in a Mario game. I mean hard in the sense that there are dozens of different variables you need to keep in mind at any given time. I'm about 170 turns or so into my first game (out of 500 on normal speed, I think?). After a couple of brief wars, which I spectacularly failed, I have seven cities. In those cities, I need to regularly decide which units and buildings to construct, constantly monitor my workers to make sure they're doing the right jobs, make sure I produce enough research to advance technologically, make sure my empire's not going bankrupt, keep track of the AI personalities so they don't overrun me, and try to maintain a formidable military presence while also building infrastructure and wealth. Civilization IV is huge and extremely open-ended, and is proving to be more than a little overwhelming.

Which is why I greatly salute players like Sulla and Kylearan, who play this game all the time. In my constant reading about Civ IV, I regularly come back to their websites to read reports about games they've played, most of which were challenges on higher difficulty settings. They make it seem so effortless, yet I make many mistakes and stall out attacking a weaker civilization on the most average difficulty setting. Most of their posts are older, of challenges from a website called Realms Beyond Civilization. I don't know if they still play regularly, or will ever post commentary on their completed games again. But I really enjoy wading through their dense play-by-play walkthroughs of past victories. I don't know that I'm learning much myself, being such a novice, but it's pretty exciting and interesting to watch a pro take a fledgling civilization and turn it into a globe-spanning empire.

Perhaps the biggest lesson I've taken to heart so far is that the Civilization games are at heart economic simulations. If you understand that aspect of the game, you can be successful at the other parts. A successful economy in Civ leads to faster research, faster production, and even the ability to buy upgrades, units, and favors. It's a very powerful aspect of the game. Unfortunately, I'm mostly stumbling through everything, even though I feel like I understand the game in principle.

The learning curve on Civ is extremely high, perhaps more so given that I installed the main game and both expansions at the same time. This means I have numerous map options and settings to choose from, difficulty levels to master, scenarios to conquer, and a grand total of 34 civilizations and 52 leaders to choose to play as. Overwhelming is an understatement.

That's why I'm glad such a passionate fan community exists around Civilization IV, even more than three years after its initial release. Perhaps the best site for general information and strategies is Civfanatics.com. The community and forums are still very active, and there is a mountain of helpful information to search through. Sites like Sulla's and Kylearan's, despite being older and infrequently (no longer?) updated, inspire me with visions of the high peaks of success that are possible with this game.

Civilization IV is dense, complex, long, and utterly engaging. I may get tired of it quickly, and move on to other, more instantly gratifying games. But if I stick with it, I know that there is a small army of dedicated players out there willing to provide advice on my amateur tactics. Civ IV is a different beast from Civ Revolution, like comparing Mozart's Requiem to Mary Had a Little Lamb. Both are fun, but one makes me want to wail in confusion while the other makes me feel like a king.

Sulla and Kylearan, and others who have mastered Civ IV, I give you a tip of my hat.

Montezuma: How to Conquer the World Without Really Trying

2009-01-13T11:16:00.007-05:00

(The following are extracts taken from the diary of Emperor Montezuma of the Aztec civilization.)

4000 BC
The soon-to-be-mighty city of Tenochtitlan was founded today. It's not much to look at yet, but on the coast it will soon be a mighty city indeed. But before I can lead the Aztec people to world dominance, we're going to need some strong Jaguar Warriors.

3700 BC
The first (of many) Jaguar Warriors finished training today and set out to explore the wilderness. His instructions were as follows:

Explore the murky terrors of the unknown.
Seek contact with other people. If you meet someone, kill them!
I would like a nice gold bar, or maybe some spices, for my wife. See if you can find some.

2500 BC
Tenochtitlan is growing nicely, with thousands of citizens at my command. Two more mighty Jaguar warriors joined with the first, forming a mighty army. Being blessed by the gods, I gave them the ability to heal after battle. Now no one will be able to harm them! Hahahaha. Unless the enemy has tanks or something. That would be very, very bad.

My Jaguar Warrior Army headed towards nearby Kyoto to send a message to the puny Tokugawa that if you settle too close to the Aztecs, you're going to get burned.

1900 BC
Unsurprisingly, Tokugawa possessed no tactical finesse whatsoever. His capital was defended by but a duo of archers. My Jaguars had slaughtered countless barbarians, and were veterans of the battlefield. Kyoto soon became an Aztec colony.

Oh yes, and Kyoto was the Japanese empires' sole city. Thus, they have been completely annihilated. Good bye.

0 BC (0 AD?)
The last 2000 years have been largely peaceful for the Aztecs. Settlers founded three more cities to expand my empire, and scouts revealed that we have complete control of the entire western half of the continent. Unfortunately, upon discovering the mangy Mongolians and evil Egyptians on my eastern borders, my Jaguars are not strong enough to overrun them. Thus I sacrificed them and called my many scientists to my throne room and spoke, "The Mongolians are a blight to my eyes. You must create a weapon that can bust down their stone walls. Perhaps some type of device that throws rocks at very high speeds." So began the age of the catapult.

600 AD
With but two tiny cities crammed in a corner of the continent, Genghis Khan and the Mongolians have been eradicated, and the cities were welcomed into the mighty Aztec empire. Now to go after Cleopatra and the Egyptians. I am not ashamed to admit that they are very strong, with many strange technologies that I do not understand. Instead of bows, their archers carry long pointy sticks. No matter. My catapult armies can throw rocks very fast. Smash, smash, smash!

700 AD
At Cairo, the gods punished me. For my arrogance? No, for not building a sufficient army. Cleopatra is very smart and crafty. Her "piighkemen" easily kept my catapults and Jaguars from getting close to the city. They even had a strange shiny man on a horse with a sword. He terrified me so very much, he must be the devil. I ordered my scientists to make me a "nite," as I heard them called. Many citizens have been sacrificed to please the "nite" gods. They will be mine soon.

1400 AD
I am growing older, but my hatred for Cleopatra burns only the hotter with each passing year. Many centuries have passed since my deal with the devil, but I have now amassed many armies of Knights on the outskirts of Cairo. Dark-robed spies are waiting to sneak in and destroy defenses. The Egyptians have no light at the end of the tunnel.

1425 AD
The Egyptians no longer walk the face of this Earth. Cleopatra begged for mercy, but I snubbed out her light myself.

1450 AD
A scouting unit has revealed Emperor Napoleon's French to the east. I know I must annihilate them. The blood lust of the gods demands it. My son urges me to seek peace. But I know I cannot. I am growing old, and have but a few years to make my mark on history. Napoleon, make your peace with the world. There is no hope, and there will be no mercy.

1700 AD
What have I done? Millions have been slaughtered, forests cut down, cities demolished. And I, the sole Emperor of the World, the Universe, and Everything, sit atop it, seeing all, trusting no one. Was it worth it? What use is it to rule a world scorched by flames, scarred by warfare? Perhaps next time will be different. I won. But at what cost?

The Shortcomings of Civilization Revolution DS

2009-01-07T10:34:00.005-05:00

Despite the many things I enjoy about Civilization Revolution, as with most games there are a number of issues that could be addressed to make the game a little smoother. So I'll start this series of posts with a look at where Civ Rev falls a little short. Although I'm talking about DS version, I believe most of my comments probably apply to the PS3/360 versions as well.

One of the biggest problems with Civ Rev simply involves the interface. There's no map in this game. This is no problem at all in the early stages of the game when you're still exploring. Most of the area can be seen without scrolling at all. But later in the game when all the land and the other civilizations have been exposed, it can sometimes be a real pain to slowly scroll to the city or location you want to examine. The fastest way I've found to traverse the world is to go into the city view mode and keep hitting 'R' to go to the next city.

Another interface problem involves the city management screen. From here you can decide what your city will build next, and also determine how to allocate your workers. There are buttons to set your workers to focus on gold, production, science, food, or some combination of those. Unfortunately, most of the presets rarely are adequate for how I want to run my city. While there is a customization button, it becomes tedious to go into this customization menu and manually set your workers on the right tile every few turns. Here's where Civ Rev could have benefited from Civ IV. In Civ IV, you manually set your workers on the first screen when you opened the city maintenance screen, unlike Civ Rev where it's buried a layer deeper. I see no reason I could not also customize my workers, which is usually optimal, from the main city screen. This is a minor gripe, but in a game whose existence is based on being streamlined, fast, and accessible, I think an opportunity was missed.

One problem unique to the DS version is the lack of the Civilopedia. I know, this was largely unavoidable due to size limitations. After all, they did cram the entirety of a Civilization game onto a tiny DS cartridge. But with the removal of this resource that explains every single unit and feature in the game, I sometimes find myself unable to look up some information that the game will not tell me. For example, after creating a Cannon, I might forget the strength of that cannon a few turns later. The game won't tell me just by selecting the cannon, only when I'm preparing to attack another unit. I can also find out the Cannon's statistics by going into a city menu, going to the Unit Production menu, scrolling down to Cannon, and then switching back and forth between highlighted units until the statistics screen pops up. This is a small issue, but when striving for quick and easy access, this added time in every game does not help.

A few more minor nuisances:

You can't customize a map type. You can only play on a random map, so every time the map is mostly similar. You can choose continents, Pangaea, islands, highlands, etc. as in Civ IV. I would assume this was cut due to balance issues. With only one general type of map it would be much easier to keep the game more balanced, although different map types force you to use different strategies with different civilizations.
I've only finished 3-4 games, so this is a bit of a jump. But it seems like any civilization has a pretty decent chance to meet any of the four victory conditions, despite having civilization-specific advantages. You can play to maximize your civilization's inherent advantages, but you don't have to. In short, you can play as any civilization with any style you want to, and still have a good shot of winning any victory condition. (This could also be a compliment.)
Due to the faster-paced nature of the game, games too often rely on aggression and warfare, with very little room for diplomacy beyond buying/selling technology and paying one rival civilization to attack another.

I wrote a lengthy list of criticisms here, but I'm not really trying to devalue the game in any way. I really enjoy it. It's just as fun and addicting as it's PC big brother, as long as you accept it's limitations. That "one more turn" mentality is just as prevalent here, maybe more so since there's a little less to manage in any individual game. I know I'll play many more matches. I'm currently only on the middle of five difficulties, and will probably play the next few games at this level. The next highest will probably be quite the challenge, as the A.I. gets some resource and speed advantages that I don't.

While the "revolution" in this adaptation isn't quite perfect, it's a lot of fun. The core changes to game play really do speed things up; my games typically take 5-6 hours since I micromanage a lot.

Next up: a more specific civilization post.

Back in the Saddle in the New Year

2009-01-06T15:41:00.005-05:00

I've been away from the blogging game for quite a while now. Without going into too many details, it was largely because of a busy holiday time, my continuing search for a job, and general laziness. Oh yeah, and getting wrapped up in playing games instead of writing about them!

Even though I haven't written much recently, I have certainly stayed busy. The remake of Dragon Quest IV for the DS kept me busy through most of the Christmas season. As a long time fan of Japanese RPGs, it really scratched an itch I had neglected for far too long. One thing I like about JRPGs like DQIV is their repetition and relative simplicity. I know that typically a new town will lead to a new dungeon to explore. And if I'm not strong enough for a particular boss, I know I can walk back and forth in a room, level up, and try again. For me, (most) JRPGs are the comfort food of video games, an electronic macaroni and cheese.

As I've posted previously, I also spent as much time as possible on Persona 3, enjoying it but struggling to stay involved enough to see it through to the end. Not much news there, I have about three months of game time left, and at least three major bosses. The struggle shall continue, although it is getting easier.

Perhaps the biggest regret of the last few weeks is that I have neglected my PS3 almost completely, and I'm not sure why. One reason is that I want to rush through Persona 3 so I can play Metal Gear Solid 3, in order to finally play Metal Gear Solid 4. MGS4 is arguably the game I most want for the PS3, but I see no point in getting it until I play the third outing. My plan is to reinvigorate my PS3 attention by renting a game soon, ideally LittleBigPlanet or the new Prince of Persia. So we'll see how that goes.

Perhaps the biggest reason I'm not currently focused on the PS3 is that I'm completely engrossed in Civilization Revolution (DS version). It was next on my list after DQIV, after many months of neglect. I realize and accept that it's a simpler, streamlined version of its PC counterparts, and really enjoy it for what it is. It will probably be my game of choice for essays for the next couple weeks.

After starting Civ Rev, and seeing a holiday sale on Steam, I was immensely curious if the critically-acclaimed Civilization IV would work on either my or my girlfriend's computer. Unsurprisingly, it failed completely on my ancient PC, but runs quite smoothly on my girlfriends so far. Civ IV really is quite a beast of a game. There's so much to learn and do, I'm pretty sure it could be played forever, and would be my game of choice if I was stranded on a desert island (with electricity). Learning about the intricacies of Civ IV (as well as Revolution) has consumed my thoughts of late. There's just so much involved with both of those games.

Even though I've been somewhat lazy with the blog, I'm trying to rectify that in the new year. Here's to more consistent posting in the future!

P.S. I don't have a 2008 "Best of" list because I so rarely played any of the big games that were actually released last year.

Persona 3: The Slowest Game of (Last) Year

2008-12-19T11:36:00.003-05:00

Once again, The Brainy Gamer has approached a subject far more elegantly than I. In his most recent post, Michael talks a little about Persona 4. In particular, although he really enjoys it (just like last year's version), he really criticizes the game's lack of pacing. I'm still slowly trudging through Persona 3, largely based off Michael's recommendation last year. Well into my 42nd hour with the game, and maybe only halfway through, I had been trying to figure out for days what exactly bothered me about the game.

I love the atmosphere of it. The characters, for the most part, are believable and interesting. You have a great deal of freedom in how you choose to spend your days within the game world. The plot is interesting. I really want to see why this giant tower exists that I occasionally venture into to fight monsters, and why some people want me to stop. Although, it is a bit slow-moving. Wait a minute! That's it. The plot is extremely slow, and the pacing is lethargic. Of course, I was only reminded of this thanks to Michael's well-written post on P4. But I'll throw in my own two cents anyway.

As I've already said, in general, I really like Persona 3. Yes, it has a lot of familiar RPG trappings, but I really enjoy the many twists and additions Atlus made to the formula. The problem is that in a game that is somewhat accurately described on the back of the case as taking 70+ hours to complete, how do you keep the player interested enough to finish the game? I suppose I'm enough of a completionist, and invested in the game enough temporally to force myself through to the end. The slow pace of such a long game is, in my opinion, a detriment to what is turning out to be an interesting plot.

A two hour movie can ramp up or ease down the tension within just a couple of minutes. Even books, which take several hours to read, are more adept at alternately maintaining suspense and providing relief to the reader. The problem is that in an RPG of the length of Persona, there is a lot of downtime. Like Michael, "I accept the idea that P4's (P3's) narrative is punctuated by many hours of dungeon battles that deliver virtually no story at all." While the dungeon crawling occasionally feels a little tedious, the always-difficult battles do keep me engaged.

But when the game returns to more "official" storytelling, as Michael says, the characters often reiterate multiple times things which I already know. They have trouble getting straight to the point. And since the major plot scenes are fully voiced, and I'm often in a hurry, I constantly feel disconnected from the game by constantly pounding on the X button to speed through the dialogue. Thus it sounds like every character has a stutter. I never let them finish a sentence, because I can read much faster than they can talk. Usually, I just want to get on with it.

One technical aspect of the game also frustrates me, as I try to force the game to pick up the pace. As a PS2 game, Persona 3 must do a lot of loading: when you first start the game, every time you open the menu, when you enter a new area, when you open a door. It's never ending, and in a 70+ hour game, the two seconds it takes to open the menu really starts to add up. So while the in-game clock may say I've played for 42 hours, 2-3 hours of that could easily be time spent opening the menu.

Compare this to the other RPG I've been playing, Dragon Quest IV on the DS. As a cartridge-based system, like the SNES which it closely emulates, DS games rarely, if ever, feature excessive amounts of loading. I can access menus and go to new areas in DQIV pretty much instantly. It's a much more seamless process, whereas the constant pauses in Persona 3 constantly take me out of the game and add to my frustration at not being able to pick up the pace a little bit.

The pacing and loading problems of Persona 3 are by no means a deal-breaker. Anyone who enjoys RPGs should by all means give the game a shot. But they really do detract from the game's ability to weave together a solid narrative. And when I have a huge stack of games waiting to be played through, it's really frustrating to be stuck in this turgid world. As much as I like Persona 3, the length and pacing issues really make me question whether I'll be able to muster up the strength to tackle the 4th iteration. Other games will probably prove to be more important.

At any rate, Michael, thanks for another excellent post, and for finally helping me to see the problems I was having accepting Persona 3.

Do Some Games Benefit From Older Technology?

2008-12-11T11:37:00.005-05:00

Recently, on the excellent Verbal Spew, Jeremy Parish of 1UP posted an interesting article delving into the announcement that Dragon Quest X would be released on the Wii. A lot of people were surprised that DQIX was revealed a couple years ago to be destined solely for the DS. But really, in Japan as elsewhere, everyone and their grandmother has a DS. It makes perfect sense for a high-profile game to try to go where the money is. Similarly, the Wii has seen enormous levels of sales and popularity since its launch two years ago, so it should come as no surprise that Square-Enix wants to market DQX to as large of an install base as possible.

But what this really points to, I think, is that not all games derive direct benefits from a huge increase in graphical and technological power, a la the PS3 and 360. Parish writes that "it makes sense that Dragon Quest's sequels are headed to DS and Wii. They don't need PS3-level power to be heartwarming, and in fact too much tech would probably just get in the way. The hardcore gamers have their PS3s and Xbox 360s, but everyone has a DS or a Wii." I agree, not just about Draqon Quest, but about RPGs in general. In particular, turn-based RPGs such as Dragon Quest, some iterations of Final Fantasy, and strategy games such as Advance Wars or Jeanne d'Arc don't necessarily need advanced technology to achieve their goals.

As Parish says, if the goal of a game like DQV is to tell a slight spin of a familiar story, with a well-known turn-based battle system, it hardly needs to be remade for the PS3, right? If nothing else, if an RPG such as this were made for the PS3, the developers would devote extra time to producing top-notch graphics, figuring out the hardware, and maximizing the game's performance for the technological elite. This, in turn, takes them away from expanding and perfecting the story and battle system, which are the main draws of most RPGs anyway. More advanced technology is just a distraction from the most important parts of many RPGs. This is somewhat evidenced by the large number of RPGs on systems with lower specs, particularly the DS, but also the PSP and the continued support of the PS2 (see Persona 4).

At the same time, Parish does a great job of acknowledging that there is also a place (currently a very large place) for big budget, technologically advanced games. And there are definite advantages to having the power of a PS3 or 360 available. One of the biggest, I think, is just being able to clearly see what's going on in the game. Sharp graphics on a decent-sized HD-TV truly are a beauty to behold. Especially in fast-paced games like shooters, the ability to easily delineate everything in your field of vision is a huge asset. The simple ability to see clearly and evaluate your surroundings was often disappointingly difficult in previous generations, particularly during the early days of the PS1 and N64's attempts at 3D. I remember numerous times wondering what I was looking at in games like GoldenEye or Perfect Dark, trying to make out my enemy amongst a bunch of debris. An increase in graphical power is a major benefit for shooters and other action games that rely on the player's ability to constantly know what's happening around them.

But take any RPG, and this type of graphical fidelity is nowhere near required. Would or Persona 3 or 4 have been better on a current-gen system? Perhaps, but I don't think so. Everything they set out to accomplish, creating a believable high school-based world, developing your interactions with NPCs, and crafting an exciting turn-based battle system could all easily be accomplished on the PS2. You're never in doubt as to what you're doing. While a PS3 version would certainly have crisper graphics with more polygons, in this case, I don't think that's necessarily a benefit, and would potentially distract the developers from honing other aspects of the game.

What other games or types of games can benefit from a hardware downgrade? I think an argument could be made that high-profile sequels (e.g. MGS4 or GTAIV) don't always benefit from the newest technology. Are there any other genres or games that benefit from older, easier to use technology? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Let me know in the comments.

Portal: Simultaneously Enthralling and Disappointing

2008-12-05T15:46:00.002-05:00

Sometimes, expectations are everything. A big reason for buying the PS3 version of The Orange Box was Portal. But since being released over a year ago, the game has been talked to death, and I thought I knew everything about it going in. I was both right and wrong.

The first handful of Portal test chambers were magical and enchanting. They were short and simple enough for me to be able to absorb the atmosphere, soak everything in. I knew that there was no shooting involved, just the Portal gun, but I was somewhat surprised that you don't have full access to it until somewhere near the middle of the game. Despite having only one "weapon," this works really well to acclimate you to the handful of features of that tool. At first, the concepts of Portal seemed impossibly hard for brain to process. But as you are introduced to new techniques one by one, you naturally start to see where you can apply them in later levels. The portal gun really does affect the way you see the world and approach the puzzles in the levels.

Despite the slow and meticulous introduction of features, problems, and hazards in this game, I felt somewhat of a disconnect when I suddenly encountered lethal test chambers. Although I suppose that's part of the point. GLaDOS has gone off the rails and can no longer be trusted. No longer am I just going through the tests. I'm trying to escape. But I was completely enveloped in the non-lethal, "safe" encounters of the early levels. Personally, I would have welcomed the entire game resembling the first half, with no sentry turrets or pools of acid.

Speaking of GLaDOS, the voice of the computer controlling your experiences of the research facility, I think she's every bit as smarmy, humorous, and captivating as I had been led to expect. The problem was that while I caught all of her instructions, advice, and commentary in the first handful of levels, once the action heated up, I wasn't always able to pay attention to her. One play through of this game for a first-person perspective novice like myself is simply not enough time for me to absorb everything. Much of her dry and misleading commentary in the second half flew right by me, as I focused on more pertinent issues like surviving or crossing a huge pool of acid. GLaDOS adds a lot to the game, but I worry that I only appreciated her as much as I did because of the extensive amount of Portal coverage I had already read since its release.

On a final note, I was fully expecting Portal to be a three hour adventure. And I was fine with that. In fact, I was looking forward to a shorter game. But after getting stuck on a couple of the later puzzles, and wandering around lost in the final search for GLaDOS, my time with the game probably stretched out closer to the seven hour mark. Again, still not that long for a game, but much longer than I expected. And to some degree that ruined my experience of the game. I kept thinking it was almost over when I still had a while to go.

The larger issue here is that of learning too much about a game before it comes out. There's a good chance I'll have this problem repeatedly over the coming weeks as I check out numerous PS3 titles I finally have the opportunity to try. After reading dozens of articles about a particular game, it's bound to not fully meet my expectations. In a perfect world, I would go into a game knowing just enough to get an idea of whether it appeals to me or not. I don't want to know everything about a game before I play it. But as someone who constantly reads about games and the games industry, it's hard to avoid encountering too much about those games I most want to play.

I'll have to try to temper my expectations a bit as I begin future games. Portal was a lot of fun, and if I ever have the time, I'd like to play through it again. GLaDOS's commentary was funny and memorable, and the difficulty ramped up nicely. But somehow, it managed to be simultaneously what I expected and what I didn't expect. At the very least, I can be thankful that I'm "still alive."

Sony's Own Awards Show Highlights Their Struggles in the Marketplace

2008-12-04T14:56:00.003-05:00

When you use an RSS reader to keep track of updates on several blogs, you tend to see the same news story posted multiple times. Most recently, I was mildly interested to see all the major gaming sites post about Sony's 2008 PlayStation Awards. Each year in Japan, Sony hands out awards to developers based on how many copies of their game shipped. They generally range from Gold (500,000 to 1 million) to Double Platinum (2 to 3 million).

However, after a little googling for the results of previous years, I found that the number of winners and the platforms they're released on really pinpoint Sony's current place in the market. My full report is over at The Game Reviews. What I found was that over the last four years, the total number of winners has been cut in half, from 12 or 13 to 6. Furthermore, there are much fewer winners of a Platinum award or higher in the last two years. Most of the current winners only receive a Gold award, having shipped less than a million copies.

What this really underscores is how much of a success the PS2 was for Sony, and how difficult they're finding it to replicate that success with the PS3 and/or PSP. As we all know, the PS2 was a huge hit, and still sells thousands of consoles a month to this day. However, Sony's smaller number of awards show that the PS3 and PSP, as we already know, just don't have the install base of the PS2. While there are still a couple of PS2 games in the 2008 awards, there was only a single PS3 game.

I'll be interested to see next year's results. There should be an even smaller number of PS2 titles to be eligible for an award. How many PS3 and PSP titles will ship over half a million copies. I certainly can't imagine it being too much more than this year. I would love to see Sony's PS3 install base grow and expand. And a larger number of well-produced games that deserve our purchase can only be a good thing for the industry. Personally, an award won't really affect my decision on whether to purchase a game. But this multi-year glimpse into Sony sales numbers doesn't exactly paint a flattering picture for this generation.

What do you think? Are these awards significant? They are Japan-only, after all.

Regarding My PSN ID and Trophies

2008-12-03T11:11:00.004-05:00

In my Playstation 3 fervor of the last couple of weeks, I totally forgot that I can now play a plethora of games online, and easily add friends and share my PSN ID. My PSN ID is, simply, koreyjp. I have no idea why the jp is on there. Maybe I originally created it while in Japan? As you can see to the right, I added a cool little image to my blog, my PS3 Trophy Card, courtesy of Playfire. I know that trophies haven't been quite as big of a hit as Microsoft's achievements, partly because they're not implemented as cohesively or exhaustively and partly because of their addition as part of a late copycat syndrome. But all that might change in 2009, when all PS3 games are required to include trophy support.

So far, the only game I have that supports trophies is Pixeljunk Eden. I think trophies can be a good way to extend the life of the game, and a way of comparing your accomplishments with your friends. They're surprisingly addictive. I really want to get as many of the Eden trophies as I can. But it seems a bit ridiculous when Pixeljunk Eden asks you to complete a level without wasting any pollen. Really? I might just skip that one.

I don't have many games at the moment, but if any regular readers of this humble little blog want to add me as a friend, it's koreyjp.

Half-Life 2: A Great Way to Introduce New Weapons

2008-12-01T19:49:00.003-05:00

First-person shooters terrify me. On The Orange Box, I played Portal first to sort of ease myself into that perspective, even though there's no shooting. That only lasted a few hours (although quite a few more than I expected) so I'm now up to my neck in Half-Life 2. I know. It's possible I'm the only gamer left on the planet who hasn't played it.

I'm about one-third of the way in, and Valve created a breathtakingly paced game. It rarely slows down for you, and even when it does, you're just waiting for the next adrenaline-fueled task to pop out of the wall and challenge you. But what Half-Life 2 does exceptionally well is familiarize you with the weapons at your disposal within the game. If you've been running along with only a pistol and start encountering groups of enemies, you acquire their assault rifle. When lightning-fast zombies appear, you get a shotgun, which is perfect for blasting their ranks since they get close to you so quickly.

But the perfect example of acquainting you with new mechanics in the heat of battle is the gravity gun. It's acquired in the chapter titled "We don't go to Ravenholm." Up until this point in the game, you've largely been fighting through waves of Combine police and the occasional robotic seeker. But now, I know that nobody goes to Ravenholm because it's completely overrun by zombies. They're everywhere! The beauty of giving you the gravity gun at this point in the game is simple: it doesn't use ammo.

Up until this point, you can easily blast through soldiers with your assault rifle and gather more ammo than you'll ever dead from their bullet-riddled bodies. But in Ravenholm, there are no Combine soldiers. Only zombies. And as everyone knows, zombies don't use guns. They just unceasingly march towards you, arms outstretched. If you try to plow through Ravenholm with your standard arsenal, as I did, you'll soon find yourself very low on ammo. Logically, since the zombies don't use guns, they don't drop ammo when they die. Sure, there are a few hidden weapon caches, but they're not nearly enough to sustain you through this lengthy chapter.

Your only savior is the mighty gravity gun. And you'd better master it quickly, because the zombies aren't the most patient of teachers. You can then casually pull a barrel towards you, and then fling it at a zombie at neck-snapping speed. Even better, pick up a saw blade and watch it slice through as many zombies as you can line up. With no ammo in sight, the gravity gun is the only way to make it. Save your ammo for the numerous ambushes.

Unfortunately, as I already mentioned, I didn't know ammo would be so scarce in Ravenholm until I was well past the point of no return. But I've now hoarded enough ammo to safely see me through the rest of the level. And since I was forced to use the gravity gun so much, I feel much more confident and comfortable with it. Bravo, Valve. Excellent introduction of a unique, powerful weapon. Of course, I'm not out of the woods yet. In fact, I'm in the mines.

The Art of the Demo on PS3

2008-11-21T20:17:00.002-05:00

So far, one of my favorite things about the PS3 has been the absolutely huge number of demos available for it. This was especially useful since I had the PS3 to myself for three days before The Orange Box arrived and interrupted our honeymoon. I spent my first several hours with the PS3 just downloading and installing every demo that looked moderately interesting. And I still haven't tried all the ones I want to.

Unlike the Wii (which I still love), demo availability allows me to dip my toes into gaming waters I had previously avoided. As part of my new gaming initiative, I'm trying to play games that are "out of my element," to quote the philosophical Walter Sobchak. So I've tried out numerous shooters (loved Bioshock), Motorstorm: Pacific Rift (hated it, as expected), and even Super Rub-a-Dub (ughhh?).

But what I've really enjoyed about demos is their ability to both remind me of games I forgot about, and open my eyes to new experiences. I tested out the Ratchet and Clank demo, and was completely blown away by how much fun it is. It felt like the PS2 ones all over again. Pure joy wrapped in a colorful candy shell. And despite (or because of?) being cartoony and colorful, it looks really beautiful too. I also tried out Super Stardust HD, only knowing its reputation, and was again blown away by how fun and addicting that 5 minute demo was. I really wanted to keep playing, try to beat the first planet, and unlock a trophy. But alas, it was much too short. However, I shall buy it someday. It made the list.

Lastly, I just tried Pixeljunk Monsters. I had played Desktop Tower Defense, so I knew what the game was all about. And I feel very empathetic, because I totally get why some people would love this type of game. But it's just not for me. The continuous march of monsters is just too much pressure. I don't want to be responsible for the lives of my villagers against that constant threat of destruction. If I bought the game based on reputation (and my love of Pixeljunk Eden), I would regret it after the first level, and have to glue my hands to the controller to adequately play through it. But, and here's the important point, I understand it as a game.

There are still a dozen or so demos I want to test out, as well as an entire Half-Life 2 campaign to work on. So the PS3 is keeping me plenty busy. I'm just glad I'm able to dip my toes in the water before diving right in.

Why I Bought a PS3

2008-11-20T14:42:00.002-05:00

My second article is up over at TGR, about why I finally bit the bullet and bought a PS3. After arriving last Friday, I've been playing it pretty consistently. Unfortunately, I didn't have a full retail game until just Tuesday of this week, when I received The Orange Box from Amazon. It really is an amazing, great value. I felt portal deserved to be played first, and also that that would ease me into playing a first-person game, which I tend to avoid. It was every bit as amazing as I've heard people say for the past year, although I was a little disappointed/frustrated at points. For the foreseeable future, I'll be focusing on Half-Life 2, which already looks great even though I never played the first one. There are also a number of PSN games I've got my eye on, one of which will probably be swept up soon.

Overall, I really like the PS3. It has a really smooth interface, and there are a number of games out for it that I want. Most importantly though, I'm really enjoying playing games on hardware that sports such a big jump in graphics and technology, compared to PS3 and GameCube games. It feels good.

History of Console Prices: My First Feature Article at TGR

2008-11-17T12:00:00.002-05:00

I received my PS3 on Friday, have been enjoying it immensely, but will post some thoughts about it later. In the meantime, I wanted to advertise a little for my first published feature article over at The Game Reviews. I started by updating console price data first published two years ago at Curmudgeon Gamer. What I found was that while game consoles have indeed been getting more expensive, the relative price (adjusted for inflation) has actually decreased somewhat. Also of note, I talk about the added costs gamers face today, beyond simply buying a system and a few physical games from a store. Check it out. I think it's pretty decent for my first article.

My PS3 Has Been Delayed

2008-11-12T16:07:00.002-05:00

Why, when I find a Dell.com coupon online, do other people find it too? As I talked about last time, I ordered a PS3 at 15 percent off from Dell. It was expected to ship on Monday of this week. However, early Monday morning I got an email saying my shipment had been delayed. While there was no explanation attached, my theory is that other potential PS3 owners found the same coupon. With hundreds or thousands of customers simultaneously trying to get a PS3, I think Dell ran out of stock. My order is now delayed two weeks, I think, because they have to wait for another shipment from Sony. It's a little sad, because I was greatly looking forward to the PS3 arriving. But I think I'll be OK, because I'm still only maybe a third of the way through Persona 3, and am trying to finish up Jeanne d'Arc. So I'm still pretty busy with games.

Maybe I'll get lucky, though, and it's all a big misunderstanding. Dell, get your act together. I need that new PS3.

The Joys of Choosing

2008-11-09T18:53:00.004-05:00

Well, I finally did it. I bought a PS3 today. Of course, the only bad news is that it won't arrive until sometime between Thursday and next Monday. I hadn't planned on buying any game system, preferring instead to catch up on PS2 and GameCube games. Fortunately/unfortunately, last I week I saw blogs all over the Internet reporting that Wal-Mart would be having a super-amazing-deal on PS3s on Saturday. Buy a PS3, get a $100 gift card. Effectively, that almost gives you two new games of your choice for free. It's a great deal, especially since Sony has repeatedly stated that they will not be dropping prices this holiday season. The one-day sale started at 8. Thinking there wouldn't be a rush on systems, I took my time and made it to Wal-Mart at 8:15 or so. They were gone. I think I saw a woman leaving with the last one as I entered electronics. : (

In my frustration at having missed such a good deal, I scoured the Internet when I got home searching for another one. Luckily, Dell.com had a coupon code for 15% off all electronics, including PS3 and 360 systems. While not quite as good as the Wal-Mart sale, it still got me a PS3 for $340, which is basically like getting a free game.

The problem, though, is that I'm completely undecided as to what game to buy. Let me run through a short list of what I'm considering. Please, please give me some input and help me decide. I'll probably mess around with downloading demos, videos, and maybe buying one PSN game first. But I'll want a full retail game soon enough. Here we go, in no particular order.

Fallout 3 - I loved the quirky humor and apocalyptic setting of the first two games, and these turned me on to computer RPGs in general. However, I tend to play a lot of huge, lengthy RPGs/strategy games. Maybe now would be a good time to change pace.
Bioshock - It just made it's way to the PS3 last month after over a year of exclusivity on the 360. I have to eventually play the game that everyone still references. However, everyone has pretty much played and talked this one to death, so maybe I should play something new and fresh.
Call of Duty 4 - Similar to Bioshock, I really want to play the FPS that got so much critical acclaim. But it's older and might drop in price after World at War is released. On that note, maybe World at War (if it looks good).
Metal Gear Solid 4 - This is probably the game I actually want the most for PS3, despite its flaws, but I kind of want to play MGS3 first. So maybe I'll wait on this one.
The Orange Box - I've always wanted to play the Half-Life series and see what all the fuss is about, and I don't think I can call myself a gamer without playing Portal at some point. However, the PS3 version is supposedly the most glitchy of the 3 versions, although I've heard it's not so bad.
Far Cry 2 - I mainly see this as a good way to branch into a different genre of games, FPSs, which I rarely play. The things I've read about Far Cry 2 have been positive, and it's pretty new, but I'm more excited about some of the others.
LittleBigPlanet - Last, Sony's promise of changing gaming and allowing users an unprecedented degree of freedom. I think LBP looks cute and charming and very fun, but I'm worried I would only use 2/3 of the game. I would definitely play all of the developer-created levels, and I would play as many user-created ones as seemed worth my time. But I highly doubt I would invest much time in creating levels. I've pretty much never done that with other games.

So, that's my short list. Leave a comment and let me know what game you think I should purchase first. Ultimately, I'll choose whichever one I think I'll have the most fun with, but I'd like some other input too. And if you think of a game that's not on this list, let me know. I could easily have missed something great. So write me a comment. I need help.

Note: GTAIV is not on this list on purpose. I've never finished a GTA game, so I think I'll probably skip this one.

Writing For a New Site

2008-11-05T20:14:00.003-05:00

To all of you visiting me from GameSetWatch, hello, welcome, and thanks for stopping by. I've been pretty busy lately, and haven't had too much time to post.

The biggest news is I've started writing and contributing content to a small gaming website, TheGameReviews. So far I've just been posting news stories, but I'm nearly finished with my first couple of feature articles. Hopefully they'll be looked over, edited and put on the site in the not-too-distant future. Don't worry, I'll always link to whatever I write over there. It's really a great site. All the writers have a great dedication to integrity, and spend a lot of time working on really great articles.

I've also been slowly working (suffering?) through Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee along with the Vintage Game Club. I'm not quite sure how I feel about it yet, but it is frustrating constantly dying and dealing with occasionally clunky controls.

Anyway, I've been enjoying all the writing I've been doing lately, and hope to keep it up. Stick around!

Can a 40+ Hour Game Tell an Engaging Story?

2008-10-28T12:27:00.007-04:00

I have trouble remembering the details of a movie plot a few days or weeks after I've seen it. However, compared to my retention rate of significant events in video game stories, my movie memory is outstanding. Even the shortest of plot-based games (typically some kind of shooter or action game) are 6-8 hours long at the minimum. When RPGs or strategy games stretch into the dozens of hours, played over many weeks or months, how am I to be expected to recall something that happened in the beginning of the game.

As much as some game designers strive to create cinematic experiences, the nature of many games as a temporally-longer medium inherently works against that desire. Movies routinely place a small character or seemingly insignificant event near the beginning of the film. This bit often comes into play as a significant factor in the conclusion. And in a roughly two hour movie, it's usually not too difficult to recall this tiny bit of information (usually with some help from cues in the movie itself. But in a game that is many times longer, this technique is not only impractical, but also would require a great deal of explanation to catch the player up to speed.

The demands (by some) for longer games as a return on a financial investment in them can actually be a detriment to the ability of game designers to tell a cohesive, satisfying story. Due to the high cost of games, many people commonly think that more game play time equals a better value, simply due to the resulting price per hour. True, a $10 movie ticket might be a $5 per hour value, while a $60 game is a $1-3 per hour value. But this often can lead to repetitive game play, and the developers tacking things on to the core package just to extend the length of the game for its own sake.

Just like with anything, longer isn't necessarily better. Even in movies, one of my biggest criticisms is that the editors should have cut it down a little bit, tightening up the narrative. Similarly, as games like Portal have shown, games can contain compelling narrative elements without taking weeks to complete.

In the PSP strategy game Jeanne d'Arc, battles between story scenes can easily drag on for over an hour. Since this game typically requires a generous time commitment per play session, I don't pick it up that often. Thus I have trouble remembering what happened last time, what I'm supposed to be doing, and how the characters are connected. On the other hand, Shadow of the Colossus is much shorter, only eight hours or so, and also has a somewhat simpler story that is paradoxically thematically complex and nuanced. Through my sixteen battles with the colossi, I always know that I'm trying to bring a girl back to life. The story is never lost in the game play.

Particularly as I get older, I find I don't have the time to sit for hours and be engrossed in a game. The longer a game, the more likely I am to put it down for a lengthy time and forget major details about it. This is a major detriment, I think, to games' ability to tell a story, which is of course but one of their many functions. How can developers get around this problem? One common way now is to try to integrate the story into the game play itself. More importantly, I think the community and developer mindset of "bigger and longer is better" is a huge detriment. I would much rather play a tight, compact game like Portal or Shadow of the Colossus over a 40 hour epic. Of course, I wouldn't want this trend to reverse too much, or I might end up an old man rushing through ten minute games before I fall asleep in my underwear.

A Great Recommender of Games

2008-10-26T12:59:00.002-04:00

Despite my regular prowling of gaming news sites and blogs, most of my actual recent purchases have been recommendations made over on The Brainy Gamer blog. In particular, PS2 and portable games, since I currently have a grand total of 0 current-gen systems. I gave up my Japanese Wii upon returning to the states in favor of buying an American one so I could play games in English.

Anyway, based on Michael's recommendations, I have purchased Persona 3: FES, Parappa the Rapper, Patapon, No More Heroes, the greatest hits version of Odin Sphere, and played the demo of World of Goo. As far as I can tell, anything Michael recommends is pure gaming gold. He even made me want Yakuza 3 for what he assures is a brilliant story, despite my apathy towards open-world GTA-style games. There are quite a few other games he's mentioned that I'm interested in too, including Pixeljunk Eden, Zack and Wiki, and Gitaroo Man.

I'm not trying to be too much of a Brainy Gamer cheerleader, but Michael consistently has solid game recommendations, particularly for ones that are in danger of being forgotten. So check it out. I always look forward to his next update.

What do you do for fun?

2008-10-22T20:54:00.003-04:00

What do you do for fun?

Well, sometimes I go horseback riding, or hunting, or go out to the bars. What about you? What do you do for fun?

Last night, I fought a mighty colossus. It must have been over 50 feet tall! First, I had to figure out how to climb up on the massive creature, by climbing the nearby colosseum and jumping on his head. Then I had to hold on tight, and hope he took a break from flailing wildly around and trying to throw me off, so I would have a chance to stab him right in his weak spot! Phew. It was one of the toughest yet.

Huh?

Ugh, I mean, I like to play video games. Sometimes.

Although it did not occur, the possibility of the above conversation presented itself too me. Much of my free time had been occupied by Shadow of the Colossus recently, and upon being asked by someone I hadn't seen in years what I do for fun, I wondered what their reaction would be if I described my most recent virtual battle.

Granted, I don't know this person's familiarity with video games, but it's probably unlikely they're as involved with them as I am. This strongly reminded me of The Brainy Gamer's recent series of posts on not being afraid of "game shame," and trying to defend the value of "play." I really think Michael Abbott nailed at least part of the issue, when he identified that it's not just games that are seen as childish by the mainstream, but the idea of adults having fun and playing, whether it be a physical game, a video game, or just running around in the yard.

There is an embarrassing amount of game shame, in general, despite the proliferation of things like the Wii, and a variety of games aimed at a more mainstream audience. I've often thought twice about playing a portable game in public, or when many other people are around. To be fair, I think some of the poorly written encounters in video games are embarrassing in their own right. Thinking carefully about sitting through a cut-scene where a poorly-voiced scantily-clad elf throws awkward sexual innuendo at you while your girlfriend's sitting next to you on the couch.

Perhaps more importantly, why is it so rare for people to describe their game experiences, especially to non-gamers? On one level, I think it's because people without a background in video games will have no idea what you're talking about, so it can possibly be a dead-end conversation. At the same time, not all games are easily describable to others unless they have a vested interest in that game/genre.

Maybe the best approach is, when asked what I do for fun, to not just say I play video games, but explain why a particular game is unique or important. Explain how the art style, music, and grace of the colossi in SotC contribute to an overall melancholy mood, and a fear for the safety of your main character. This is something that's rarely achieved in any game. Or I could always turn on some personality mimicry and appeal to the other person's sensibilities.

Shadow of the Colossus is Both Beautiful and Haunting

2008-10-20T22:37:00.004-04:00

Regardless of how anyone might feel about the game, Shadow of the Colossus is definitely a unique game. Personally, I loved it, despite the somewhat tragic emotional themes. And if SotC had achievements or trophies, I would have earned one for "Refusing to seek help." This was one of those rare games for me where I didn't get frustrated and seek out the answers, although I came mighty close on two of the colossi to giving up.

Despite occasionally clunky controls, it's an amazing sensation to climb to great heights and try to puzzle out the secret to overcoming each of your huge adversaries. This is almost an action/puzzle game more than anything else, and there's always a good chance something unexpected will happen. One moment, you're making steady progress up a colossus' back/leg/wing. The next, a sudden gust of wind or wild shake of their head sends you tumbling, scrabbling for a ledge to save your rapid descent. It's exhilarating.

Of course, these game play moments that cause your body to tingle are in direct contrast to the sense of impending doom you feel after the defeat of each colossus. I know the main character is trying to bring a girl back to life, but something's not quite right in this empty, desolate world. A mysterious voice warns in the beginning that this quest may be more damaging to the main character than he can possibly realize, but we plunge ahead anyway.

I really like that he's not your typical hero, either. Yes, he defeats all 16 colossi, but he's just a young kid, maybe a teenager. And this teen is every bit as awkward and gangly as you and I were at one time. He runs and constantly stumbles, can only climb for a certain amount of time, and must concentrate and build up his strength before plunging his sword into a colossus. He's neither all-powerful not perfect. It's quite refreshing, and all this comes across through game play and visual cues, with a minimal amount of video 'lectures' from the director.

But after beating all the colossi with few interruptions, it's then a little jarring to have to sit through a 20 minute ending/closing credit sequence. But on the other hand, I thought it was both perfect and poignant.

SotC is by no means perfect, but it's extremely fun and entertaining, and should leave with you something to actually think about when you're finished. Plus, it's quite short, which is great for someone like me who has increasingly less time for games these days. If you've never played it, it definitely deserves your attention. Just because the colossus has a weak point, does that mean you should exploit it?

----On a side note, and with small spoilers, part of the ending reminded me of the end of FFVII: Crisis Core. And here I thought Crisis Core was the first game to have that type of ending...

Shadow of the Colossus

2008-10-16T22:54:00.004-04:00

Shadow of the Colossus has completely swallowed what little time I've devoted to playing games lately. Since numerous others have mentioned many of its merits extensively, I'll try to highlight what I have found to be most significant.

SotC feels like few other games to me, not necessarily because of the massive colossi per se, but more because the designers focused on a handful of mechanics (and colossi) and polished them to a glossy sheen. Nothing is superfluous, and both the world and your means of interaction with that world are ever-present from start to...well, probably finish, but I still have two more colossi to go. What this means, and what I think so few developers fail to understand, is that a smaller number of mechanics in a game which can be more carefully nurtured allow me, the player, to feel more immersed and get that world.

From the beginning of the game, with little in the way of fanfare or introduction, I know exactly what I'm capable of, as well as my limitations. I can run, jump, ride a horse, swing a sword, shoot a bow, and perhaps most importantly, climb. What the designers have done so well is take these handful of ideas, and create 16 variations with which I can use them to fell a mighty creature. Even the 1 or 2 colossus I found cheap and frustrating proved somewhat more unique and interesting in hindsight.

On an initial play through, there are no distracting side quests a la Zelda. The world is stark, barren, only containing your character, the colossi, your dead girlfriend laid out on a marble slab, and a mysterious voice from above. Barring a short cut scene at the start of the game, and minimal plot progression after every 4 or 5 colossi, you are truly on your own in this game. And you feel totally isolated. There's not even much in the way of a tutorial, with the first couple of colossi serving as learning stages on their own.

The stark landscapes and isolation are vitally important to the overall mood of the game, and (I hope) it's ultimate theme. It feels much more purposeful and meaningful as a desolate space than, say, No More Heroes. While Santa Destroy is empty, and can be read in certain ways as a commentary on the meaninglessness of many tasks in open-world games, the world in SotC are, I think, much more interesting emotionally. Killing a colossus means there's one less creature in an already empty world. How much more destruction am I expected to do?

I'm almost finished, and am extremely interested to see what happens after my final battle. I have a few more comments saved up, but I'll add those to my final thoughts on the game. I've read of at least one other writer that was unable to finish the game due to the emotional impact it had on him. I do question why I'm killing these colossi, these guardians, and what point it all serves. But I'm willing to press on regardless. I'll see if any of the mysteries are resolved soon enough.

Back in the Swing of Things

2008-10-15T09:28:00.002-04:00

After more than 3 months, I'm finally ready to start writing again. Through a combination of being extremely busy with lifestyle changes and being more than a little bit lazy, I've neglected my blog for far too long. In July, I was busy preparing for an international move, from Japan back to my parent's house in Kentucky. August saw me settling in, wishing I had my own place to live, and getting ready for a massive month-long European vacation with my girlfriend. September was my 7 country rush through Europe, and then recently I've been busy moving and getting settled into a house with my girlfriend. So I've been legitimately busy, and now I've got the unenviable task of searching for a job (career?) and thinking about what to do with my life.

But writing about games shall resume post haste! Probably later today or tomorrow. I've most recently been playing Shadow of the Colossus, and before that Jeanne d'Arc and Daxter. I've got quite a few thoughts on those games, and I'm also going to try to think more carefully about what I'm doing with this blog. See you soon.

Blizzard: A Case Study in Avoiding Sequel-itis

2008-06-30T09:05:00.003-04:00

With the entire Internet still posting and speculating on Blizzard's recent official unveiling of Diablo III, I think it would be a good time to mention a characteristic of Blizzard that few other developers can claim. Blizzard is one of only a handful of companies that doesn't pump out sequels year after year. There is usually a significant gap between their major releases. Perhaps this is partly due to the fact that Blizzard is juggling several popular, well-respected franchises. But I'd also like to think this extended wait between sequels is due to the quality and care Blizzard takes in crafting their games. Let's briefly look at a few of their franchises.

Warcraft: Orcs and Humans - Jan. 15, 1994
Warcraft II - Nov. 30, 1995
Warcraft III - July 3, 2002

Diablo - Nov. 30, 1996
Diablo II - June 29, 2000
Diablo III - Just announced (2009 at the earliest)

Starcraft - April 1, 1998
Starcraft II - TBA (probably early 2009)

With the exception of Warcraft II, Blizzard tends to have lengthy waits between their major sequels. They range from as little as 4 to as much as (potentially) 10 or 11 years. As much as I love many of Blizzard's games, despite not having played them too extensively, I think it's healthy for the game industry to not be glutted by repetitive sequels. Not only do Blizzard's releases tend to be quite spread out, but they also necessarily make many significant improvements and changes to the games to provide a largely new experience.

Of course, the biggest example of types of games that flood the market are the yearly releases of major sports franchises. I get that they're meant to coincide with the start of a new *actual* sports season. But most of those sequels aren't substantively different from previous versions. And even if they are, did you waste your time perfecting your skills in one Madden game, only have to relearn some things a year later?

Also, I know that Blizzard is not the only company to spend more time on their games and have lengthy waits between sequels. Obviously Rockstar (GTA), Kojima Productions (MGS4), and even Square-Enix (Final Fantasy and Draqon Quest series) have similar release patterns.

A healthy wait is good for us. And it can only help when a developer spends some extra time polishing off a game. What other developers avoid the "release a sequel every year or two" syndrome? As much as it pains me to wait for a highly anticipated game, isn't the wait usually worth it?

Note: The Blizzard release dates were taken from a combination of Gamefaqs.com and Wikipedia.

Could a Native American Enjoy Playing Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization?

2008-06-27T04:57:00.003-04:00

In a previous post, I wrote about the integration of culture into Civ III. A post by Ben Fritz on the Variety Cut Scene video game blog has got me thinking about the Civ series again. In short, Ben is quite upset that the recently announced Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization is a morally disturbing premise for a game.

In part, I'm inclined to agree. While I've been enjoying the Civ games, it's hard for me not to picture the many terrible things that happened either during or as a result of the actual colonization period. I don't think making a historically based game in itself is a bad thing. In fact, it's great. And hopefully causes people to be more attuned to the importance of history. Really, I think the greatest detriment of this new Colonization game is that it you can only play as one of four colonizing nations.

I think it would be more interesting, and provide for a different game play experience, if you could (only?) play as the Native Americans. While the core Civ games allow you to play as many different cultures, even some that no longer exist, you ultimately play the game in a similar manner. If you choose the Aztecs as your civilization, they can still come to conquer the world just like anyone else. Not to knock Civ too much, because I love it's core game play and attempt at incorporating as many historical 'milestones' as possible. But after reading Ben's article, it seems to me like the Civ games are really more about playing a "What if?" scenario than about accurately recreating history.

True, Colonization covers a much more specific period of history. But imagine if you could only play as the Aztecs, Iroquois, Shawnee, and Mayans, and were doomed from the start. It would be a much more powerful experience than performing the same old conquest again and again. This reminds of my last post, about how MGS4 is much more somber, and even sad, than previous versions.

I agree with Ben that there are deep, serious issues about power and colonization buried within all of the Civ games. However, unlike the RE5 race controversy, I think these issues are more difficult for the average gamer to recognize. Plus, it's easy to shrug and say, "What are you talking about? Colonization is ancient history. That doesn't happen anymore." Right or wrong, I'm glad Ben Fritz reminded me of the underlying themes of the Civ games. They are definitely worth exploring.

Sadness in MGS4

2008-06-26T08:01:00.003-04:00

A few days ago, as a guest blogger at Kotaku, Stephen Totilo of the MTV Multiplayer Blog described some of the thoughts about MGS4 he tried to get across in the New York Times article on the same game. He said, "Metal Gear Solid 4 is so unusual in that it's the rare game that asks them to be interested in something else: a march toward defeat, an interactive tragedy."

Granted I haven't played the game yet. Nor do I even have a PS3. But I've mentioned at least once on this blog that I feel like I too often play games that lead to inevitable success. There are so few games where something evil occurs at the end, or the narrative is focused on sadness rather than triumph, or the hero is ultimately unsuccessful. Small spoilers upcoming for Crisis Core: FFVII. I really loved the narrative in Crisis Core, and how the ending is bittersweet. Even though I already knew the general story arc, the actual presentation of it was more powerful than I expected. Despite the uncommon ending, it felt quite refreshing to experience something so different.

For the same reasons, I really want to play MGS4, and see just how much it really touches on sadder themes of loss. Totilo made a really great point. Games really need to move away from the "advance through the world, destroy final boss, everyone rejoices" pattern. I can only hope that more games follow suit.

Pata- Pata- Pata- Pon!

2008-06-25T06:20:00.003-04:00

I'm a mere 2 missions away from ending my divine link with the Patapon tribe. Short of a brain-stopping revelation in the final chunk of the game, I have a few final thoughts. I love my divine association with the Patapons. The game could easily have had no narrative link between me and them, with the drums being just a random rhythm-based game mechanic. But from the second I loaded up the game, I knew that the drums were divine instruments, the Patapons worshipped me, and I was a god with the power of life and death in my hands. To some degree, I really wanted to feel responsible for my Patapons, and my heartstrings were tugged in multiple directions as I struggled to find my way through the opening stages. But as I found my groove and helped my Patapons triumph over those dastardly Zigatons, I couldn't help but feel proud to have led my tribe away from the brink of extinction.

I have even had a vision that the Patapons actually reside inside the PSP. Despite being a mortal human for as long as I can remember, to the minuscule Patapons, I am someone to worship. And that unabashedly makes me stand a bit taller. If the 4 drums in the game are literally the face buttons on the PSP, then is it such a stretch to imagine that by inserting the game disc I activated their latent power? ; )

Much like the best portable games, Patapon has that addicting pick-up-and-play, just one more mission feeling that makes you completely lose track of time. Each battle is short, just a few minutes, and loading times are minuscule. In the beginning, I found it very helpful that the loading screens were covered with truly helpful game hints. These were often either things I didn't know at all, or things I had forgotten from the manual.

I'm rarely impressed by the attempted photo-realism of many current console games, so Patapon's art style feels perfect for me. But even beyond that, the minimalist style also warranted some unique graphical flourishes. The background has subtle wisps of wind that indicate whether your arrows will fly far and true or come up short. Even though I lack direct control of my troops, enemies are easily marked as "in range" by a change to the squinting, focused glare of my soldiers.

Sure, I wish some of the battles against the Zigaton army were replayable, instead of just the boss battles. And it's initially confusing to know which level of upgrade is the best for a given unit. But these small criticisms are greatly outclassed by the joy that is to be had in guiding my Patapon army across a desert, through swamps, and through the carcasses of numerous and diverse foes. If you have a PSP and haven't played Patapon, and are bemoaning the lack of announced PSP games for the future, you're doing a great disservice to both yourself and the game industry. Go get it. Now.

Back in Action

2008-06-22T07:18:00.003-04:00

My folks have not only left town, but have left the entire country and returned to good old Kentucky. It was great having them here, but it left little time for either playing games or blogging about them. So it's good to finally be back. (Also, the 'B' key on my keyboard is acting up. So if you see any words missing a B, it's because B is for some reason furious at me and refuses to go on the screen every time I tell it to.)

Meeting my parents in Tokyo for their first few days in Japan did allow me to bring my new PSP into public for the first time. Thus far, my PSP time had been spent in the (non) comfort of my apartment's floor chair. Since the original Game Boy, I've never been the type of person to take my portable gaming devices into public, I think for a combination of 2 reasons. The first was an embarrassment (which is largely absent now) of gaming in public, and the second being that I never had an opportunity to play games while on the go.

Living in Japan without a car, and relying on public transportation, has really showed me the benefits and joys of commuter gaming. It's a great way to pass the time on a train or bus, and take your mind off the minutes or hours until your destination. It's also made me realize that not all games are great (or even playable) in moving vehicles. DS touch screen games (such as Puzzle Quest) are virtually impossible on a train. Similarly, games where sound is an integral and necessary part of the game play are difficult to play on trains because, obviously trains are very loud.

And that brings me to Patapon, the $20 game that is the only thing I had time to play last week. I'm really enjoying not only the rhythm mechanics of Patapon, but the art style and character designs are incredibly unique and cute. If you can consider a militaristic army cute. has captivated me so much that I can't help but enjoy even those aspects of the game which I really want to dislike. For example, as was widely reported when the game was released earlier this year, it is a common occurrence in Patapon to have to stop every few missions to do some grinding in order to create stronger and better-equipped units. The game play is so interesting and fun, that I even am enjoying grinding for gear. Unlike many RPGs, I'm not bored at all by this.

I'm near the end of the main game now, and am currently doing some grinding to get the best army I can before doing the final missions. Hopefully, I'll finish the game later this week, and post some more thoughts then. In the meantime, I've got a small boat load of games (and other stuff) to ship home before I move back to the U.S. next month.

Random Game Playing

2008-06-11T20:17:00.003-04:00

I know I haven't been posting that often recently. I've actually been finding it hard to balance playing games with writing about games. Often, I've felt more like playing something than thinking of something to say about a game. Nonetheless, here are some random thoughts on what I've been doing recently.

After an extremely long hiatus, I finished Grim Fandango. It was a sometimes frustrating, but ultimately rewarding experience. Despite the dated graphics, the production-qualities are top-notch. The decision by LucasArts to basically remove death from their adventure games of the 1990s was extremely wise. It works especially well for this genre too. And most importantly, it encourages experimentation. When I regularly found myself unsure of how to proceed in the game, I would try to use promising items on every object and character in the game, sometimes to their annoyance. But other than being stuck as a player, I was never discouraged from trying unorthodox methods.

On some blog, I'm not sure which, maybe the 1Up Yours podcast, they were talking about Lego Indiana Jones. Much like Lego Star Wars, your characters have a 4 heart health bar. And they were wondering why even bother with a health bar when you respawn at the exact location you died in. For all practical purposes, there is no death in those games. In Grim Fandango, the no-death concept works because you're not really fighting anything. You're trying to solve environmental puzzles. Nobody is shooting at you or attacking you in real time. It seems like the only solution with the Lego games would be either invincibility with little fighting, or 1 hit kills, both of which sound like painful, inferior solutions.

Finally, I got the Widescreen Mod to work for Baldur's Gate, which I have returned to after a period of many years. It wouldn't work before because the Bioware website told me I didn't need to download a patch with my version of the game. Somehow they were wrong, I did need the patch, and now the mod works fine. And beautifully too, I might add. I'm just barely into the game, since I haven't had much time to play recently, but I'm excited to delve further into it. I've also enjoyed listening to and reading about the release of D&D 4th edition, despite having never played a pen and paper RPG in my life. It's still fascinating.

And that's it. I'll be on another break from the blog, as my parents are arriving in Japan tomorrow to visit me. But, I still have a 3 hour train ride to and from Tokyo, to get in some serious time with my still-fledgling Patapon army. Until next time.

Itagaki Leaving and Suing Tecmo

2008-06-05T23:36:00.004-04:00

JC Barnett at Japanmanship posted a take on Team Ninja's Itagaki quitting Tecmo and suing for unpaid bonuses. As someone else who lives and works in Japan, albeit in a school rather than a game development company, I couldn't agree more with JC's take on the situation. This quote from JC sums it up nicely.

"It certainly sounds like he was promised a bonus, but the excuse is that previous management had dropped the ball here. Again, I’ve seen this sort of stuff happen before, where management changes, or not, even, bring about contractual changes which are pretty much dumped on the employees who have no say in the matter. Or rather, they do, but they won’t. Unless they sue."

In a general sense, it's common practice for employees to be expected to not take advantage of any perks or benefits of their jobs. The official end of the working day for most teachers is, I think, 5:30. However, through a combination of truly being busy and being expected to stay as long as everyone else, very few teachers actually leave when the official work day is over. It is common for teachers to stay as late as 8, 9, 10 o'clock at night, every day. To be fair, it's a shame that many teachers are over-worked, especially those who are in charge of clubs and sports teams. However, with the exception of mothers with young children, I've found that very few teachers leave at a reasonable time.

So I can totally understand and appreciate JC's perspective. Personally, if Itagaki really did have a bonus that he wasn't paid for, I'm glad he's trying to get it. But also like JC, I don't particularly care for him as either a game designer or a persona. Regardless of the outcome of his lawsuit, it's likely that business in Japan will carry on as usual.

Crisis Core Complete...For Now

2008-06-04T07:50:00.003-04:00

I just finished Crisis Core. Literally, like 5 minutes ago. From my previous posts, I stand by my assertion that Crisis Core is an average enough game on its own, but as a prequel to FFVII, it's really incredible. The story is much more involving, and, to use a common English phrase used by Japanese people, it's very moving.

I'd like to briefly attempt the impossible, and touch on why I liked the ending without giving anything away to those handful of you have never played any game in the FFVII universe. Those of us familiar with FFVII know the outcome of Zack and Cloud before Crisis Core even starts. Their fates are preordained. Despite this, and the fact that Square knows that most of the people playing this game already know how the story ends, it still manages to do some interesting things. Essentially, Crisis Core explores the concepts of honor, loyalty, and even death to a great degree than many other games. The ending really manages to put you in Zack's shoes, and even attempts to explain some of the game play systems and how they are connected with Zack. The ending is sad, moving, and hopeful all in one, and surprisingly mature, especially in the super-emo world of Final Fantasy.

So, I think that's all that needs to be said about the ending. I'm sure it was vague and mysterious to those of you who haven't played the game, and hopefully interesting to those of you who have. I would recommend Crisis Core to about any PSP owner. The story is mostly intelligible, even to newcomers to the series. The exception is the lengthy ending, which I know would probably be a little baffling to a newcomer.

I went ahead and finished the main storyline of the game. But sometime in the future, I plan on loading up my save before the final boss and playing through the rest of the optional missions, just for completions' sake.

But for now, I have some other games on my plate. After reading about the Widescreen Mod for the original Baldur's Gate on PC, which lets you play the game in higher resolutions, I found I had acquired a very strong itch to play it. I played a couple hours of it once, but that was long ago. But I don't have enough space on my computer, so I have to beat Grim Fandango first to make room. And of course, I can't wait to delve further into Patapon now that Crisis Core is finished. So, I have plenty to do. And I'm sure you do too.

Crisis Core: The (Potential) Journey to 100%

2008-06-01T08:47:00.005-04:00

Well, I've reached a point in Crisis Core where I must make a decision. That decision is whether to go ahead and finish the main storyline of the game, so I can move on to something else (aka Patapon), or whether I should try to finish as many of the 300 side missions as I can (I've currently done about 50%). This afternoon while I was playing, I had decided to just go ahead and finish the main game. I was tired of the tedious side missions, which offered little reward, and were slowly beginning to hand it to me. But then I finally got a very powerful materia (spell) that should allow me to breeze through a number of the missions.

However, to get to the point of this post, in order to find and create that materia, I needed the help of a FAQ on the Internet. My question to you, the readers, is how much or how often do you seek help with games? Do you only seek a walkthrough when you get utterly stuck and frustrated beyond hope? Do you buy a strategy guide with every new game and play through the entirety of the game with the guide in your lap? Or are you, like me, somewhere in between?

I consider myself a moderate game completionist. Within reason, I like to see and do all there is within a given game. I want to collect as many items and do as many side missions as possible. But sometimes, it just doesn't seem worth it. And I nearly reached that point with Crisis Core. I tend to only seek assistance in the course of trying to not miss things. What I often find is that I can't help reading about a section of a game right after I complete it. And then I inevitably sneak a peak at the next section to see what's coming up. The thought of irrevocably missing out on some aspect of a game gives me chills. Not really. But I do try my best not to miss any missables.

This stands in stark contrast to film, which movies so often aspire to emulate. While I have no qualms about reading details of areas in games before I've played them (when necessary), I would never, under any circumstances, read too much about a movie I've never seen. It often ruins the experience. The same can not be said of many sections of games, particularly the tedious, repetitious bits.

So where do you stand? How much help are you willing to seek for games? And how do you think that affects your experience of them?

EDIT: After reading Diego/Kimari's comment, I realized that I forgot to mention another, important reason that I often check the Internet regularly while playing a game. The reason is that my gaming time is very valuable. Not only do I have a plethora of games yet to be completed, but I also have numerous other commitments and activities to do in my spare time. So my gaming time is limited, and simultaneously important. I don't want to waste it by running around blindly in a game, or repeatedly losing a fight. In short, I prefer to make constant progress.

Crisis Core: The Pros and Cons

2008-05-26T05:38:00.005-04:00

The biggest strength and weakness of Crisis Core on the PSP is that your enjoyment might depend to a large degree on your relationship with the original Final Fantasy VII. That being said, I'm really having a great time with Crisis Core, largely because I like seeing some events that happened prior to FFVII. It is my firm belief that without the FFVII brand and mythos, Crisis Core would have been a mediocre, repetitive game.

Just so I don't sound like I'm knocking it too much, Crisis Core is a very fun game, and does a lot of things right. First, it feels very much like a Final Fantasy game, from the spells, to the images, to the music, it's all there. Even underneath the action exterior lies the heart of a turn-based RPG. Even though you run around battles at will and attack when you have an opening, every button press does not equate to an action on screen. If you make Zack (the protagonist) attack, there is a slight but noticeable pause before you can input another command. Similarly, magic spells take a proportionately longer time to charge before casting. These pauses lend a bit more strategy to the game, since you must balance when you can attack, and when you need to dodge, guard, or heal.

Another thing Crisis Core does an incredible job of is the story. Granted, I haven't finished the game yet, I'm maybe 70-75% done. But your primary mission, and the central mystery of the game, is extremely compelling. Sure, Zack starts out as something of a typical whiny, annoying, young male emo with spiky hair. But as this tale of friendship, honor, and most importantly trust begins to unfold, Zack undergoes a distinctive and powerful change. He matures. I know, that's rare in a game. There's even a simple scene where Zack mourns the loss of a friend, simply crying on the floor. It's surprisingly touching to see such a genuine feeling of loss and sadness in a game character. I'm eagerly pushing ahead with the story missions, anxious to find out what happens, but also dreading the end of the ride.

However, as I said before, the FFVII brand recognition causes me to overlook some of the game's flaws. First of all, battles get very repetitive. At least in the early stages, and even up to where I am now, probably 90% of battles can be finished by simply attacking with the X button. But that's not so bad, considering that the ease of battle gives you an opportunity to mess around with the numerous spells you have at your disposal, with little worry about losing a fight. Still, it would have been nice to fight enemies that were more resistant to physical attacks and took different strategies to conquer.

A more glaring weakness, in my opinion, is the pace of the game if you are A) a completionist or B) just want to find some upgrades and powerful spells. While the main story line is, I think, comparatively short, there are 300 optional missions you can complete. As a nice move, these can be accessed from any save point in the entire game. They make perfect sense from a narrative perspective. Since you are a member of an elite military unit, you can undertake these assignments from your government, or other organizations.

But I found they really disrupt the flow of the game. You might do the first few chapters of the story, then when checking out the mission screen, find that you have several dozen missions ranked as "Easy" or "Normal" for you to complete. If you do all the missions you are able to, hours will pass by, and it really draws you out of the story. Plus, the majority of the missions provide you with items or spells that you don't really need. The payoff for most of them is minuscule.

Most of the 300 missions are in the 5-10 minute range, so they're perfect for pick-up-and-play on a portable system like the PSP. Personally, I would rather have had a smaller number of missions that were more integrated into the storyline, so I didn't feel as if I was being dragged out of the game every time I attempted one.

Crisis Core, while not perfect, is definitely an excellent action-RPG for the PSP, with one of the best stories I've encountered in a while. FFVII novices will miss out on some subtle nuances in the story, given that the rest of us know what will inevitably happen in a few years in the game world. However, I think the story would still be engrossing and intriguing regardless of your familiarity (or lack thereof) with the source material. Crisis Core is a worthy addition to any PSP owner's library.

Well, I've still got a lot of missions to work through.

Violence In No More Heroes - Blood-Free Japan

2008-05-21T08:15:00.000-04:00

I finished No More Heroes a couple weeks ago, only a few months later than the rest of the world. It was really fun, enjoyable, albeit flawed experience. It was by no means perfect, but I really loved most of the time I spent in that world. Plenty has been written about No More Heroes already. What I think I can add to the rich dialogue is a look at the differences between the Japanese and U.S. version. See that screen shot at the top. I never could see anything like that while playing my version of the game. Since I live in Japan, I purchased the Japanese version, largely because the cut scenes still have English dialogue, just subtitled in Japanese.

More specifically, I wanted to briefly examine the differences in the portrayal of violence in these 2 versions. They are extremely different. The Japanese version of NMH is completely bloodless. Instead of defeated enemies exploding in a shower of coins and blood, in Japan enemies explode in a shower of coins and...some kind of weird black goo. I didn't think it looked that strange until I was reminded that the U.S. version was different. Then after watching a few YouTube videos, I believe that these 2 versions provide vastly different play experiences.

That being said, I think the key difference is in the boss battles, and the differences are apparent on 2 levels. On the first, most superficial level, your successful assassination of a boss in the Japanese version lacks the gravity of the U.S. version. And I know the presentation in this game is way over the top, but the deaths of most of the bosses carry a certain weight to them nonetheless. Take a look at this comparison of the first boss in the game, Death Metal.

In my version, I could barely even tell that Travis had cut off both his hands. The altered visuals made it difficult to tell what exactly had happened. Death Metal's death also loses some of its impact in that all that's left of him is an unidentifiable black pile of...something.

The second level of differences in the death scenes is on a more thematic level. During the final cut scene of that level in my version, Death Metal is gone. He's basically evaporated just like any other enemy in the game, except for a tiny black patch on the ground. But in the U.S. version, Death Metal's hand-less, head-less corpse is left in full view during the cut scene, as Sylvia's men clean up the mess. While Travis cares little for what he's doing in the beginning of the game, the effects of the carnage do change his attitude later in the game. The bodies of the departed are a reminder, to the player first and Travis later, that the assassin game is a messy business.

But the Japanese version completely loses these important ideas. As the bosses and their deaths grow more outlandish and complex, the Japanese version remains uncertain and, well, a little awkward. If the deaths of the bosses in NMH carry emotional weight and importance, what is their significance if they are altered nearly to the point of being unrecognizable? I'd say it makes for a vastly different, and inferior, game.

But it was still a blast to play through. I know just making the blood black and eliminating some of the more elaborate death animations was the quickest, cheapest way to alter the game for the Japanese market. But it would have been pretty cool, in my humble opinion, if Suda51 had kept with the retro themes in the game, and made the enemy deaths harken back to the games of yesterday. Enemies could explode into balls of light like Mega-Man, get squashed like goombas, or just explode into pixels and be reabsorbed into the game world from whence they came.

Even though No More Heroes is a somewhat different experience in Japan, there are still plenty of strange sexually-themed games here that would cause the U.S. to have a national heart attack. After all, I doubt U.S. gamers will ever get, or want, to massage metrosexualized high school boys a la Duel Love. Japan is a strange place sometimes. But then again, so is everywhere else.

The PSP - My Thoughts

2008-05-18T10:01:00.004-04:00

After extensive testing, I find the PSP to be quite a good gaming machine. Although it is, of course, not without its faults, too. So I'd like to present some of my thoughts on my newest acquisition, especially in comparison to the DS.

The Good

Downloadable Content - So far, this is perhaps my favorite feature of the PSP. Logging on to the PSN Store and downloading demos, trailers, backgrounds, and themes to my PSP is something I haven't really experienced yet with gaming. I don't have a PS3 or XBox 360, and while the Wii has numerous Virtual Console games available, Nintendo's still exploring. And the DS, well, without any memory, demos are only as good as long as the system stays on.

Sexy Design - The PSP is a really beautiful piece of hardware, although the DS caught up a little with the DS Lite redesign. The bright, wide screen in particular is really nice, for both games and videos. And overall, the PSP feels really comfortable in my hands.

Great Games, Especially RPGs - Finally, after a few years, I feel like the PSP has enough games that I'm interested. I'm currently deep into Crisis Core, have Patapon waiting, and want to get many more games. The PSP seems to have an especially large number of great RPGs. I can't wait to get a few more.

The Bad

Load Times - My DS made me forget how nice it is not to have to wait for games to load. Since they're cartridge-based, load times are practically non-existent. But the PSP, as basically somewhere between a PS1 and a Dreamcast, is disc-based, and therefore features load times of various lengths, depending on the game. Crisis Core features constant loading, although each one is relatively quick. I forgot how annoying that can be.

Fingerprints - Man, the PSP is a magnet for fingerprints, both on the case and on the screen itself. Annoying, but not a big deal.

Shortest Battery Ever - Depending on the game, I've found I can only get around 5 hours of game time in before the battery needs to be recharged. After the beauty of the DS Lite's 10 hour battery, it seems like I'm constantly having to stop playing a game to charge the PSP. 5 hours is theoretically plenty of time, but it does make me want to get the bigger battery. Although at $50, I'd wait and keep my eye out for a sale.

The Untested

Online Play - I've noticed that the PSP allows both ad-hoc and online multiplayer, but I have yet to test these features. This is largely because I have no games that have an online mode.

Ease of Traveling - The DS is especially convenient for traveling. It's easy to carry in either my pocket or a bag, and it's been no problem to whip it out on a train ride or when I'm waiting for something. The PSP has thus far been under house arrest. But soon I will probably let it venture outside and make its way in the world.

Future Games - Although I bought the PSP because there were at least 5 or 6 "must-buy" games for me, the future looks a little less certain. There are a few RPGs of which I would be interested in a U.S. release (Star Ocean), and the demo of Secret Agent Clank was pretty fun, but there's not a whole lot on the horizon that I'm interested in. Maybe some more games will be announced at E3

So in conclusion, I love the PSP, but it's certainly not without it's flaws. It's certainly amazing that the technology is available to allow me to play games with near-PS2 graphics on a portable system. But that comes at the price of ever-present loading screens, and a battery with an insatiable hunger for loads of electricity. But overall, the system is very much worth a purchase, especially at the current price $170 in the U.S., I think. If you don't have a PSP, now's a great time to get one.

My PSP Game Library Has Finally Tripled

2008-05-13T09:08:00.006-04:00

As you can tell from the title, the PSP games I ordered from Play-Asia finally arrived, thus increasing my PSP game collection from 1 to 3. I would definitely use Play-Asia again, as shipping to Japan was free, and the games arrived only 9 days after I ordered them. Not too shabby.

I have only had a couple of hours to check out Patapon and Crisis Core, but they are both already amazing and fun, albeit in very different ways. In Patapon, I haven't even made it past the endpoint of the demo yet, and I can already see how addicting the mission-based structure can become. Crisis Core, I think, could eventually become equally addicting as the mission-based structure of the game opens up, but I'm still on the first story mission. The polish on that game is already incredible. If nothing else, Square-Enix pays a lot of attention to the visual polish and style of their games. Crisis Core is really quite beautiful.

After much deliberation, I think I'm going to focus most of my gaming efforts for the foreseeable future on Crisis Core. This isn't a knock against Patapon, because I wish I didn't have to choose. But during my wait for these games to arrive, I read an online summary of the story of Final Fantasy VII (which Crisis Core is a prequel to), and am very interested to delve back into that world.

Luckily, I finished No More Heroes yesterday, just in time for my new arrivals. So my next few posts should be a couple about NMH interspersed with some about the PSP and Crisis Core. Well, those Crisis Core missions aren't going to finish themselves...

I'm No Longer Exclusively Loyal to Nintendo

2008-05-06T08:00:00.004-04:00

As foretold last time, I purchased a PSP. Yesterday, as a matter of fact. Although Japan has several exclusive colors, I just couldn't see myself sporting an Easter green, pink, or blue PSP. So I ended up choosing the classic 'Piano Black' version. Long story short, I love it. It's a really beautiful piece of gaming hardware, and I'm glad the games are finally there to support my purchase.

Speaking of games, at this point I have only one. I bought Locoroco here in Japan, and am very happy with it. I try to limit Japanese game purchases to those that don't rely on a high level of Japanese ability, and in that regard, Locoroco fits the bill perfectly. It's a very cute and charming game, and there's not much out there like it. Plus, after my time in Japan, I totally understand how very 'Japanese' this game is. It's very kawaii, as they say. You control this cute little gelatinous blob, the Locoroco, and use the L and R triggers to rotate the playing field, which then slides your Locoroco in the appropriate direction. And...that's it. Very simple, but fun in small doses.

Now, just because I only have 1 game, doesn't mean I don't have plans to get several more. After all, I've only had the PSP for 1 day. I just received an email that my order with Play-Asia has shipped. I ordered the U.S. versions of Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core and Patapon, and to be honest, I can't decide which I'm more excited about. I downloaded and tested a Patapon demo immediately after opening my PSP, and it's a wonderfully charming and addicting rhythm game. I'm really looking forward to investing some time in that game.

Other than playing Locoroco and ordering PSP games, I've also been exploring the PlayStation store, and have downloaded several game demos and trailers. Of the demos, God of War: Chains of Olympus and Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow were both incredibly fun and intense for the short amount of time I was allowed to spend with them. They're both on my must-buy list. I also enjoyed the puzzle-styled atmosphere of the Echochrome demo, and will probably purchase it from the store at some point.

I'm very pleased with my decision to purchase a PSP. It's very different from the DS Lite in many ways, some good and some bad. I'll post more about those two handhelds next time. In the meanwhile, does anyone have any experience with the PSP version of flOw. It seems like most of the pieces I've read have covered the PS3 version. I really like the look of it, and at just $8, will probably buy it. Any impressions?

I'm Finally Going to Buy a PSP

2008-05-01T06:03:00.004-04:00

As promised last time, this post is about my soon-to-be-purchased hardware: a PSP.

I know that Sony's PSP has been out for over 3 years, but through the combination of owning and loving a DS, and having an ingrained bias against Sony, I had never even remotely considered buying a PSP until very recently. I'm not sure what changed my mind. I suppose it all boils down to the fact that there are finally several PSP games that I feel are worth owning. As is to be hoped, in my eyes, the value of a game system ultimately boils down to the quality of the games on said system. Plus, the PSP just looks really cool. As much as I love my DS, and that's a lot, the PSP is just a pretty sexy piece of hardware.

So, at some point in the coming days (or weeks) I will finally be putting down some hard-earned cash on a PSP. And I mean that literally. In Japan, people use cash for almost everything. The short list of games I want to eventually have includes the following, both new releases and older game:

Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core
Patapon
God of War: Chains of Olympus
Echochrome
Locoroco
Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
Daxter

If you have any other suggestions for great PSP games, I'd love to hear them. When I finally buy the system, I plan to pick up Locoroco here in Japan, and import the English versions of Crisis Core and Patapon. I'm also going to try and find any good Japanese exclusive games to pick up while I'm here.

And oh yeah, I'm a little annoyed that I also have to purchase a decent-sized Memory Stick Pro Duo, for game saves, demos, etc. I guess it's been a while since I've had to buy a memory card. I'm very excited about the PSP, and am glad I got over my reluctance to purchase one. For me, it finally looks to be a worthwhile investment.

Civ III Takes a Back Seat to No More Heroes

2008-04-29T08:38:00.003-04:00

So I was wrong. My first full game of Civ III actually took, according to the clock that pops up after finishing, 24 hours. Wow. That's a lot longer than I thought. Although I think it's actually a little closer to 20 hours, because I left the game running by itself a few times. Either way, that's a lot of time to devote to one play through of an infinitely replayable game. I just don't have that kind of time to commit to one game anymore, as much as that saddens me. Plus, Civ is so addicting, that it's very easy to just not stop playing.

With that in mind, I will be drastically cutting back on my Civilization play time now to focus on other games. I'll still play Civ III, but it will serve more as a second or third game, to be played a few turns at a time (if that's even possible) when I'm not doing anything else. One way to hopefully help with this goal, is that I'll be switching from playing the epic main game to trying out the 9 or so scenarios included in the Conquests expansion. I just started the Mesopotamia scenario, which is significantly shorter than the main game, coming in at a paltry 160 turns.

Since Civ III is on the back burner for the time being, what will I be focusing my energies on: the glory that is No More Heroes. I advanced up to the 4th assassin rank this afternoon, so I'm getting closer to the end. Soon I'll start a series of posts about NMH, which of course I know has already been talked up to death. But I'll try to find a fresh angle.

Tomorrow I'll post about the gaming gear I'm strongly considering purchasing in the near future. Until then, make sure to go outside and get some fresh air between GTAIV sessions.

Wrapping Up Civ III (I Hope)

2008-04-27T07:09:00.003-04:00

In my last post, I wrote about the cultural assimilation mode of conquest introduced to Civ III. I'm nearly done with my first full game of Civilization, and I have a few more thoughts about it. First is that Civ III does a great job of really giving you a 'feel' for the flow of time. A single game is played out over 540 turns or less, depending on how quickly you can meet certain victory conditions. At different points in the game, each turn represents differing numbers of years. For example, in the very beginning of the game, at 4000 B.C., each turn represents something like 50 years of game time. But by 1950 and the modern era, each turn represents only 1 year of the in-game history. What this does is really give you a sense of how daily life and scientific progress was significantly sped up beginning with the industrial revolution in the 1800s.

In its own right, 540 turns of a turn-based strategy game is a lot. I've probably spent at least 10 hours on my first game. But the last 150 turns or so really make you feel like your civilization is advancing at the speed of light. For the beginning of the game, you largely have the same units. Sure, there are a few upgrades, such as knights, but the number of units available to create doesn't expand significantly. However, in the modern era, once you start researching things like Flight and Modern Warfare, you suddenly have dozens of military units available to choose from, all of which are significant improvements over their predecessors. Your world, and the game, literally change exponentially overnight. The rush of scientific advancement is huge. In this sense, Civ III does an outstanding job of making you 'feel' the flow of time, and the weight of history.

Second, as I've already mentioned, this game is long. But as long as an individual game might last, I totally see how people could play it repeatedly, trying new strategies and new civilizations. The constant building and discovery of new things makes the game incredibly addicting. As of right now, Civ III would easily be my Desert Island Game. To compound the lengthiness, if you're engaged in a war (or two), the game slows down to a crawl. Because now, not only are you managing all your cities, but you also need to micro-manage all of your armed forces. And to be honest, as a Civ novice, I don't fully understand how the combat works quite yet. I've been successful only because I'm playing on the easiest difficulty setting.

As you can tell, I've absolutely fallen in love with Civ III. But it's also a huge time sink, so after I finish my current campaign, I'm going to devote my primary game-playing time to something else, and put Civ III as my secondary game. I just look forward to some day having a new computer and getting Civ IV. I'm also eagerly awaiting Civilization Revolutions, which I'll probably get for the DS. A faster, more stream-lined version of Civilization would be a blessing.

Cultural Assimilation in Civilization III

2008-04-24T08:14:00.004-04:00

One of the new features added to Civ III (way back in 2001) and refined in Civ IV was culture. Prior to Civ III, once the world had been settled, the only way to expand your borders and power was through military conquest. That's still a popular strategy in current Civ iterations, but with culture, if one of your border towns has enough culture, there's a chance a neighboring civilization's border town will defect and join your own empire. You'll even be notified with a message along the lines of, "The heathens of the Aztec empire have overthrown their government and pledged their loyalty to you." Of course, the same can also happen to your outlying cities if you don't manage their cultural growth. In Civ IV, you can even drop a "culture bomb" into one of your cities, greatly increasing its cultural score and also raising the chance of defection to your side.

Besides the fact that increasing your culture and stealing enemy cities is very enjoyably, I'm really intrigued by the developers' approach to this mechanic. First, this is viewed as a good alternative to war. Normally, once the world map has been completely settled by the various civilizations, the only way to expand your empire is through force. But culture provides you with a nice, clean alternative. While declaring war to secure a few more cities enrages at least one civilization (and possibly more depending on alliances), gaining another city through the strength of your culture has very few negatives.

This cultural acquisition is viewed as a positive development. No one declares war on you, your empire is bigger, and if you keep increasing culture you can possibly entice further cities. But what I was reminded of is how resistant some countries are to outside cultural influences. In countries like France and Canada, laws are in place to try to preserve their respective cultures. I believe that a certain percentage of songs on the radio must be by artists native to that country, for example. What I think Civ III brings up is the issue of how do people try to preserve their own culture, while also being open and friendly to things from foreign cultures?

The Civilization games are all about conquest and domination, but that's a post for another time. Even the 'peaceful' cultural alternative is just a different, non-violent form of conquest. But in the real world, culture is much more complicated than a numerical value. It includes vastly different things, such as food, religion, music, McDonald's, and even language. The balancing act between preserving your own heritage and growing through the inclusion of others is a delicate, controversial issue. And I wish Civ III's implementation of it was a little more complex.

That being said, stealing city's through culture does demonstrate some ideas about assimilation. Assimilation is simply the idea that a minority group will eventually be absorbed into the dominant group, although it's a very complex issue. When you obtain a new city by cultural means, the citizens within that city retain their original nationality. However, over time, as new generations of citizens take over, their nationality begins to change to that of your civilization. This is a rough approximation of the sociological idea about immigration that "what the son wishes to forget, the grandson wishes to remember."

The sociologist in me was surprised and delighted to find this little, pared down touch of reality. But I do wish there were more negative reactions to a strong culture in the game. Maybe an uber-powerful culture could lead to some civilizations being hostile towards you, because they see your culture as a threat. It's also important to remember that culture is not a one-way street. Even the dominant culture absorbs some aspects of the smaller culture.

Oh yeah. And if you declare war on someone in Civ III, don't be surprised if the rest of the world declares war on you in return. It happens.

Civilization 3 is My Kryptonite

2008-04-21T07:29:00.004-04:00

To those of you who found my blog courtesy of GameSetWatch, welcome, and I hope you stick around. Feel free to comment on any other articles as well. I try to respond to everyone who comments.

That being said, the GameSetWatch link was based on my last post about Ikariam. Unfortunately, I think I'm finished with it. For good. Last time I posted that I could see the beginning of the end. Well, that day has come. I can't foresee logging into my account and checking on my miniature Yamagata town anymore. It was a pleasant diversion, and I took great pride in sneaking in this game at work, but it's been replaced by something much bigger and better. Grander, even. The replacement is: Civilization 3.

For those of you who don't know, the Civilization series of games are turn-based strategy games in which you try to cultivate an empire from 4000 B.C. to the modern age and beyond. The game is highly customizable, and no 2 games will ever be alike. And I've absolutely fallen in love with it. Much to the chagrin of my girlfriend, I actually proposed to Civ 3 last night, but she said no, citing my amateurish civ-building ability.

At any rate, Civ 3 has grabbed me by the throat and is strangling me ever-so-slowly, turn by turn. I remember watching a friend play Civ 3 in college, and not really getting it. (What does it mean that I love video games enough to watch someone else play a turn-based strategy game?) But now, I get it. I totally see how the Civ series could have invented the phrase, "just one more turn." I'm still on my first play through, with just 1 of the 31 available civilizations, and I think I put in at least 10 hours this weekend alone. I can't stop. I always want to see my civilization grow just a little bit more, or research that next technological advance, or try to annihilate an entire country.

What I think is the beauty of Civ, the pure and utter genius of Sid Meier, is how the game provides you with constant feedback and updates. And I mean constantly. Every turn, a city will produce a new unit, or you'll need to decide what unit to create, or a new technology will be discovered and totally change your strategy, or another civilization will declare war on you. The list goes on and on. This game is so deep, I don't think I'll ever fully comprehend it. Surprisingly, I like that, unlike Brawl, where I'm annoyed that I will forever remain a novice fighter. Civ 3 constantly lets you know that you are advancing. It's very rewarding, and you really feel like you are in control of an entire culture.

I absolutely love it. I just need some way to curtail my adoption of this new hobby. Playing Civilization is almost a lifestyle unto itself. Stay tuned. I already have a couple more ideas brewing for posts about this amazing game.

Ikariam - The Joys of Civilization Contained in Your Browser

2008-04-15T08:58:00.004-04:00

Although it was more serious than what I usually post about, I really enjoyed writing 2 posts about race and video games. I plan to come back to topics like that in the future. I particularly think it might be fruitful to bring my sociological training to bear on the video game medium. I have a couple ideas for some more posts in that direction.

In the meantime, after that brief foray into race, I have several other things I'd like to post about. First is Ikariam, sort of a simplified browser-based version of Civilization. After reading about Ikariam on Japanmanship and Gamers With Jobs, I was inspired to try the game and write a recommendation for it on ThatVideoGameBlog. Now that I've played it a little longer, I would still recommend it, although I'm starting to see some flaws peek out from between the cracks.

First, while the graphics are nice enough to look at, and very similar in tone to the upcoming Civilization Revolution, there's no animation. Well, there are 2 dolphins that jump around on the World Map screen, but that's it. Even in your town, if you upgrade a building, there's no building-in-progress animation. Your building is just replaced by a bare lot with a couple of planks in it.

But that's all cosmetic, and not really such a big deal. What is a problem is that I've been playing it for about a week, and am starting to get a little bored with it. My town now has most of the available structures, and I can maintain I decent flow of cash and supplies. I even founded a very expensive colony to provide my capitol with better access to resources. But it's starting to get tedious. Essentially, at this point, the game boils down to pick a building to upgrade, wait several hours, repeat ad infinitum. There's a little more to the game than that, but not much.

I'm still enjoying watching my town expand and grow, but I can feel the beginning of the end. That feeling that soon, there will come a day where I just won't log in anymore. The one aspect of the game I haven't really messed around with much is the warfare. You can build armies and attack other towns, and even spy on them beforehand to gather intelligence. I've primarily focused on economic growth, so a small war campaign could be my last hurrah before I retire as commander-in-chief of my humble town.

Still, Ikariam is a nice little diversion. It's best feature is the ability to log in and make a few changes and upgrades to your town in just 5 or 10 minutes. So give it a shot. If you don't like it, you barely wasted any time at all.

Resident Evil 5 - The Dangers of Stereotyping

2008-04-13T21:09:00.011-04:00

My post yesterday about the intense reaction to N'Gai Croal's comments about the Resident Evil 5 trailer led me to think even more about it. And thanks to those of you who read my short post via The Brainy Gamer.

In my subjective experience of Japan, it does seem like there are very narrow views of not just race, but also ethnicity and nationality. As an example, I'm American, and have been repeatedly, seriously asked, "How many guns do you own?" My truthful answer is, "none." Yes, there are serious gun control problems in the U.S., but I have literally zero experience with firearms. What I think this illuminates is that Japanese culture, just like most others, tend to rely on stereotypes to inform their worldview.

A stereotype is a simplified image or idea held by one group about another group. These generalizations tend to hold that a group of people has some characteristic in common. In some ways, stereotypes are similar to making a good first impression. That first impression is what's remembered most, even if it's partially or completely inaccurate. If someone is presented with only 1 image or idea about another group of people (say, on TV), it's very difficult to think of alternatives to that stereotype on our own, at least until we're repeatedly presented with new information and slowly change our perspective.

Since pictures speak louder than words, let's compare a couple of images.
The first image, of course, is from the RE5 trailer. The second is of a common black stereotype, the brute. The brute image portrays black men as savage, violent, and extremely aggressive. Besides an advanced graphics engine, there's not that much difference between the two images. Giving the image of the savage African a different contextual back story doesn't change the socio-historical meanings associated with such a powerful image. Those meanings of violence, conquest, and domination are still there, even if the characters have now been changed to zombies. And I don't think Capcom means to imply these associations intentionally. But lack of intent doesn't negate the meanings that can be collectively inferred from the image.

I'm not in a position to comment on the development practices of Capcom, or their rationale in presenting the RE5 trailer in the manner they did. Even my perceptions of Japanese culture are very subjective, from having lived here for 2 years. But I do know that racial stereotypes are a very slow and difficult problem to overcome. Hopefully it will help as Japanese game developers, just like many other businesses in the U.S., start to diversify. As more people like JC Barnett at Japanmanship join Japanese developers, or more people like Andrea Rubenstein enter Japanese design schools, a wider variety of viewpoints might be incorporated into the design process. But then again, maybe the Old Guard will stay in power and only promote those who share their own narrow views of the world. Either way, changing the attitudes of individuals or groups is a long and painful process, and won't happen overnight.

I'll end with this: Is there such a thing as a good or positive stereotype? I argue that positive stereotypes do not exist. Even those stereotypes that have positive connotations are ultimately detrimental to society as a whole, if for no other reason than they are a generalization and obscure or distort the truth. A simple example of a positive stereotype gone bad is the idea that all Asians are really smart. This puts tremendous pressure on those Asian students who aren't naturally good at school to try to live up to their stereotype. It can lead to psychological problems, high stress levels, and even increased cases of suicide. Being smart is a positive attribute, but is detrimental when everyone in a group is expected to live up to an unrealistic standard.

And just as a reminder, everyone thinks in stereotypes at some point, and not just about race. It's a reaction to situations based on our learned experiences. Oh yeah, and everyone's at least a little bit racist, too.

Race in Games - Not Caring About it Doesn't Make it Go Away

2008-04-13T08:00:00.003-04:00

With the explosion over N'Gai Croal's comments about the Resident Evil 5 trailer, I feel like there's one issue that hasn't really been addressed yet. Basically, Croal said that we need to be careful with the kind of racial imagery as portrayed in the RE5 trailer, and a huge firestorm of comments erupted, some intelligent but most hateful, ignorant, and racist. This was particularly evident when Kotaku linked to the interview.

What really made me think, though, is demonstrated by this comment:

People who see all those little things "They're hidden in shadows, you can barely see their eyes, and the perspective of the trailer is not even someone who's coming to help the people. It's like they're all dangerous; they all need to be killed." are people who are keeping racism alive. If he was like the rest of us who didnt care and just want to play a kick ass game then racism would die a little...

Ignoring racial issues, in games or anything else, doesn't solve anything. If there's one thing I learned as a sociology major in school, it's that most things in society have meaning because they are socially constructed. Basically, over time, aspects have society literally come into existence because we agree that they exist. Race is a great example of this. Race itself, that people have different colored skin, has no meaning from a biological standpoint. It's just one of innumerable differences among people. But within the last few hundred years, race has come to be incredibly meaningful, largely as a result of slavery and colonial expansion. Just not caring about race and playing a "kick ass game" will not erase hundreds of years of economic, social, political, and psychological prejudices and injustices.

Furthermore, even if some people don't think a particular media text contains any racial issues, that doesn't mean they're not there. For example, as Croal articulates, it doesn't take a whole lot of imagination to see the problems in having a game where you shoot dozens of Africans. Granted, the game is not even out yet, but I agree that the trailer raises some concerns.

Croal's right. If video games are ever to be taken seriously, then developers need to think about issues such as race, sexuality, and gender. And so do we, the gamers. Because whether you want to believe it or not, race exists. And until there can be honest and open discussion about it, it will continue to exist and have meaning for millions of people for a long time to come.

Riviera: Final Thoughts

2008-04-10T06:42:00.002-04:00

I know the title of this post leads you to believe I'll be talking about Riviera: The Promised Land, and I will. But I first I have a short diversion.

After finishing Riviera at the end of vacation last week, I reached a mental state I'm very familiar with: I didn't know what game to focus on next. Although I have many games I need to finish, I'm always racked by indecision right after completing one. I also like to play 1 console game and 1 handheld game at the same time. I know that my Wii time will be devoted to No More Heroes, but I was torn between starting a new game of Riviera, or reacquainting myself with or Final Fantasy III or Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones. I played 1 chapter of FE, and think that will be my portable game of choice for a while. Which brings me to my point.

In FE, you always face overwhelming odds. Your group of 10-12 troops often faces 20, 30, or even more enemies. If you level up properly, the enemies should be at or slightly below your level, with the exception of the obscenely powerful boss. But this army imbalance was taken to a ridiculous degree on a mission I played a couple nights ago.

In this mission (#5x) you are only allowed 4 units (really 3, since the game blatantly marks one as a soon-to-be traitor) with which to attack and seize an entire castle, annihilating the 20 or so guards within. The odds are about 7-1. Of course, my forces prevailed. But what this really points out is how most RPGs (and many other types of games) rely on a horde of relatively weak, simple enemies and a vastly overpowered boss to provide a sense of challenge.

What's different about Riviera (aha, back on topic), and 1 reason I love it so much, is that not only are there no random battles, there aren't battalions of weak enemies to wade through either. As far as I know, the vast majority of the battles are pre-planned and unskippable. Any single encounter could potentially wipe out your party if you aren't prepared. And you certainly won't do very well in these battles if you don't exploit enemy weaknesses, which is an integral part of the game. Every enemy is a threat, and must be treated with caution, and some degree of respect.

Unlike my FE example, where 3 people slaughtered an army, if you invest your imagination in Riviera's world, you could reasonably expect the protagonists to actually fight the included number of evenly-spaced battles. While the bosses are a little tougher than their underlings, the same tactics apply throughout: fight fire with ice, and you'll be fine.

That being said, for me the game play is the primary reason to play. The plot is OK, but generally boring with an obvious ending that has little...gravitas. The dialogue is cheese-tastic, although the characters are all distinct from one another. There are 5 endings (I think), 1 for each party member plus a "true" ending that's much harder to achieve. As much as I like finishing games 100%, I would only earn any different endings as an indirect result of being drawn back into the addicting game play in a few months.

In the end, I can forgive the weak narrative and ham-fisted characters in exchange for invigorating game play mechanics, which allows for a great deal of player decision-making despite the illusion of linear narrowness. I highly recommend Riviera as fun, unique, quality RPG. It really stands alone as a unique entry in the genre.

Back From Vacation

2008-04-09T09:13:00.002-04:00

I returned from my spring vacation Sunday night, and am just now getting around to blogging again. The vacation was great. My girlfriend, her uncle, and myself traveled to Kyoto, Osaka, Himeji castle, and Hiroshima in western Japan. It was simply amazing, and very beautiful due to the prominence of fully-bloomed cherry blossoms. It was quite disappointing for it to end.

But I've been quite busy since then, and haven't had any time for blogging. What with accomplishing apartment and daily life tasks, sitting through endless ceremonies at school, and trying to adjust to the fact that 3 of the English teachers at my school (that's 75%) were transferred so I've been trying to get to know 3 new ones, it's been quite a stressful 3 days.

But I'm back, and I have some good ideas for my next few posts. One will be about a browser-based strategy game you may have read about recently, and another will cover a blood-spattered Wii game. Until then, I'm still recharging.

WiiWare: Quietly Disappointing

2008-03-27T00:45:00.002-04:00

WiiWare launched to to resounding cries of...ehh...on Tuesday of this week in Japan. I haven't downloaded or played any of the titles yet, but several people have been posting online about the mediocrity of the offerings so far. These same posters have also been bemoaning the prices of these games, which also happened with the launch of the Virtual Console.

Over at the Wired.com Game Life blog, Chris Kohler has written quite a bit about testing the current WiiWare crop. Here's what he has to say of the pricing structure: "When you buy a WiiWare game, you can't try it first, and if you don't like it, you're totally boned because you can't sell it to someone else or trade it in. WiiWare needs demos."

From the preview coverage I've seen, none of the current Japanese titles seem worth their cost to me. But I couldn't agree more that WiiWare needs demos. I would even like to extend that to seeing the availability of demos of full Wii Games. But my desire for demos is counter balanced by the fact that the memory in the Wii is depressingly small. I hope Nintendo eventually expands this, but who knows what they'll do.

Microtransactions are also starting to show up, even with the WiiWare Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles game, for which this feature had never even been announced. I've never been that comfortable with extra costs for games, thinking that everything I need and want from the game should be included in it from the beginning. But it seems like microtransactions are one direction the industry's headed in. Hopefully, some better games will be released for WiiWare in the near future.

In other matters, I'm leaving for a trip to Kyoto, Osaka, and Hiroshima tomorrow, and I won't be back until April 6. I may or may not be able to upload a quick post while I'm gone, because who knows what kind of Internet access I'll have. So, I'll leave you with this:

If challenge had a taste, you'd be quite delicious.

Nintendo's DS Download Service - Where Are All the Games

2008-03-25T20:09:00.004-04:00

Over on ThatVideoGameBlog, for which I write occasional news stories and editorials, I recently posted my impressions of both a demo of Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword and the DS Download Service on the Wii's Everybody's Nintendo Channel. The DS downloads are finally coming to fruition in Japan, after more than 3 months of stagnation. There haven't been any good downloads until Ninja Gaiden and Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2. Unfortunately, they were both offered for download for a limited time, and I believe they were supposed to be taken off the service yesterday. I'm not sure though, so I'll have to check.

The DS demos are a great opportunity for Nintendo to show off some games, especially less-publicized titles. Unfortunately, they've barely put this function to good use so far. The Ninja Gaiden demo really sold me in the game. I had literally no interest in it before I tried it, and would probably consider buying it now. In fact, I probably only downloaded it in the first place because it was the first actually game I'd seen available on the service.

Nintendo should definitely expand the selection of demos on offer. While this channel has been available for Japanese Wii owners since last November, I'm surprised a release date hasn't even been announced for North America yet. Maybe they'll release it closer to Mario Kart or Wii Fit. I know that creating a demo takes developers off the task of creating the whole game, but this is a great service that only benefit Nintendo. They should especially try to release demos of lesser known games. Nobody really needs a demo of a Mario game, or probably even Ninja Gaiden, because those games will most likely sell well regardless.

Next, I'd love to see some Wii demos, although I don't have hopes for this happening at all, partly due to memory limitations of the Wii itself.

Tomorrow I'll post probably my last post before I go on a short vacation. The topic: the just-released-in-Japan-yesterday WiiWare.

I Can't Resist Purchasing Good Games

2008-03-23T20:58:00.006-04:00

When it rains, it pours. I regularly tell myself to not buy a certain game, or any games, for a while. But my will inevitably breaks. I bought 2 more games over the weekend, one of which was planned. As promised, I finally bought No More Heroes. I'm not really going to talk about it much here. I've moved up to assassin rank #8, so I still have 7 more assassins to take down. I really enjoy it so far, but I'll post some of my thoughts on it in a couple weeks after I've had time to play it some more.

The other game I bought, which I always kept an eye out for but didn't intend to buy yet, was Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2 for the DS. I wish the title was a little longer, but I'll call it Ouendan 2 for the sake of simplicity. Wikipedia translates the title as "Burn! Hot-Blooded Rhythm Spirit: Hey! Fight! Cheer Squad 2." As you should be able to tell from the title, Ouendan 2 is a rhythm game, and was developed bu iNiS. iNiS is primarily a rhythm game maker, having made Ouendan 1, Elite Beat Agents, and also Gitaroo Man, which Michael at the Brainy Gamer heaped praise upon a few months ago.

The gameplay in Ouendan 2 is simple at heart, but so far incredibly difficult. There are three types of mechanics you use to tap out the rhythm of the J-Pop song. The primary one is the Hit Markers, which you just tap in time to the beat. Next is a Slider, where you follow a ball and slide the stylus along a track. Last are Spinners, which are discs you must spin in a circle really quickly to earn bonus points.

I'll talk more about my impressions of Ouendan 2 later, but I did want to touch on why I bought it. Part of the reason is that this is a fairly popular Japan-exclusive DS game. Seeing as I'm in Japan for a little while, I try to buy some games that are harder to get in the U.S. I'll also probably purchase Ouendan 1, although I rarely see it in stores. A second reason for buying Ouendan 2 was that I'm trying to extend my gaming interests a little bit, or at the very least I want to try games in genres that I rarely explore. I don't think I've ever played a rhythm game, so this should (hopefully) provide a good first experience for me. In fact, part of the reason I find the game so difficult may be because I've never played this type of game before. Of course, it's also supposed to be relatively difficult on its own.

So I'm glad I found the game, and that it was 50% cheaper than I had ever seen it. It looks to be a refreshing experience and a nice change of pace from the RPGs and strategy games I lose myself to.

Late to the Party - No More Heroes

2008-03-21T01:34:00.002-04:00

It often feels like I'm playing catch-up with video games, because I so rarely buy games, even high profile releases, as soon as they're released. With a few exceptions, I often wait to buy games when I have time to play them or when a blind passion consumes me and won't allow me to not buy the game. This is now happening with No More Heroes.

Although I had been in interested in No More Heroes for many months, I haven't had much inclination to buy it until recently. The primary reason was that living in Japan, with my terrible Japanese language ability, I wanted to wait until I could play it in English. I also reasoned that this is a game I would ultimately want to own forever, so I might as well wait until I return to the U.S. this summer to purchase it.

But then, I saw some Japanese TV commercials and game play footage, and realized that the Japanese release of No More Heroes has a surprising amount of English. All of the cutscenes are voiced in English with Japanese subtitles, and it looks like even the menus in Travis' apartment are in English. So it looks like I won't miss out on much by playing through the Japanese version. I also just see people talking about this game quite often, and there's not too much I can add to that conversation since I haven't played it yet.

But all that will change soon. I plan on buying No More Heroes within the next couple of days. Although I'm not expecting it, I also have a faint hope that the game might be discounted by this point, what with the abysmal Japanese sales figures.

This probably happens about once a month. I start seeing a game more and more on the Internet, even older games. I then start finding as much information as I can about it, and my every waking though becomes consumed with acquiring and playing this game. Most recently, this happened with Brawl, which I didn't intend to purchase at all. But I succumbed to fate, I suppose. If I purchase it soon, I'll report in next week on the adventures of Travis Touchdown, which most of you are already very familiar with.

It's Nice to Know Someone is Reading This

2008-03-19T00:59:00.004-04:00

Blogging and writing about video games is still fairly new to me. Not only am I trying to figure out more concretely my thoughts and opinions on the state of gaming, but I'm also trying to work through the technicalities of blogging efficiently and in a semi-professional manner. So when I get the occasional comment or email that someone has enjoyed something I've written, I'm always quite surprised and taken aback.

Having said that, I would like to particularly thank Daniel Primed over at his DP's Gamer Blog for thinking my meager blog was worth linking to and mentioning. Daniel, thank you. I really appreciate your recognition of this blog the other day. And thanks for pointing out some characteristics of You Are Lose! that I had previously not considered. I've never considered myself a gaming 'enthusiast,' and I'm trying to see how that word feels wrapped around me. Although I suppose it's appropriate and accurate, given that I have no professional or developmental ties to the game industry, and instead I just play games a lot and want to write about them in a (hopefully) intelligent manner.

I also hadn't noticed, although it's fairly obvious, that I primarily write about specific software. Looking back, I'm mostly interested in how certain games are played, what I feel while playing them, and more recently, how games try to successfully tie together narrative and game play. I'd like to thank Daniel for pointing these things out to me, and making me a little more self-aware of what kind of blog I'm working on here.

I also highly recommend Daniel's Gamer Blog. He consistently has a slew of posts about gaming, and writes in a very accessible and thought-provoking way. His topics range widely from software to hardware, Nintendo to Sony, and everything in between. It's one of the blogs in my Google Reader that I always look forward to.

Riviera: The Promised Land - Play This Game Now

2008-03-16T09:58:00.010-04:00

After completing Hotel Dusk last week, I had a decision to make: what game should I play next? Although I'm usually playing more than one game at the same time, I tend to focus on just one for completion's sake. Ultimately I decide to delve back into Riviera: The Promised Land, a largely overlooked Atlus RPG for the GameBoy Advance.

Riviera is completely unlike any game you've ever played, and I mean that as a compliment. I would describe it as a combination of an RPG, a dating simulation, and a modified point-and-click adventure. You improve your stats and gain more powerful items, can choose which of your female party members to compliment and impress, and explore the environment through menu-based choices rather than direct movement.

The game is comprised of about 7 large chapters, which are further subdivided. Each sub-chapter has anywhere from 3-10 screens, which you move between, battling demons and spending accumulated Trigger Points (TP) to explore the environment. You can take only 3 characters and 4 items into battles, and regular minigames pop-up where you must input a button combination or time a button press to avoid a trap. For example, in Chapter 1 there's a tribute to Indiana Jones where you must input a short button combination in order to avoid a large, rolling boulder.

There are no random battles, at least in the Dragon Quest sense, only in the sense that you don't know which screen has an enemy encounter. There's also no true movement. Each screen has a Move and Look mode, where you press a direction of the control pad to change screens or search an object, respectively. Every single battle takes careful planning of characters and items. You must exploit enemy weaknesses, and you don't fight the same enemies repeatedly, as in games like Final Fantasy. Each battle is almost a set piece, like a challenge you must overcome to be worthy of advancing.

The main reason I love this game is the choices you are constantly presented with, which I briefly touched on in a previous post. I find myself agonizing over a decision on nearly every screen. For example:

Which direction should I move in?
Your party is only allowed to carry 16 items, so if I find a powerful new item, what do I throw away?
What 4 items should I bring into battle? Is it more important to have a Thunder Sword or a Healing Rod?
If I'm running low on TP, should I search a chest or doorway, even though it could be detrimental?

Sometimes it's best to ignore environmental objects. A bad decision can: 1.) harm your relationship with one of the ladies; 2.) prevent you from acquiring useful items; 3.) waste valuable TP; or 4.) even reduce a character's HP by 5-15%. This last one I haven't quite figured out, because it seems as if you get the HP back either after a certain period of time, or after you clear the section. There are so many decisions that it's very easy to miss things. In fact, you pretty much have to miss out on sections of the environment of important items your first time unless you're using a walkthrough.

As much as I love the prominence of decisions, Riviera does have a few lackluster elements. Items have a limited number of uses, but in order to level up, a character needs to use an item a certain number of times. The best way to do this is in practice mode, which exists sort of 'outside' the game world. Although practice mode is necessary, the weaker enemies make it a little boring and it draws me out of the game narrative. Also, I found the story very confusing, largely due to a plethora of proper names that I can't quite wrap my head around. Finally, although I'm halfway finished, I just now feel like I have a good grasp on most of the mechanics. This is partly because there were a lot of new concepts I wasn't familiar with, and partly because I bought a used copy and had no manual to explain some of the finer points.

Other than the Practice mode, I really like how connected the game play is to your ability to find out about the environment and narrative. Essentially, doing well in battle earns you more TP, thereby allowing you to search more areas, get better items, and learn about the game world and characters. This, in turn, makes your characters stronger, thereby earning more TP in battle and so on. The mechanics are a big circle which feed into each other, and doing well in one area allows you to succeed in others. Although the combat system and item limitations seem very stifling and limiting at first, Riviera ultimately gives you a lot of freedom to experiment and try different things. Plus, with a different ending depending on which girl likes you the most, as well as numerous overlooked and ignored areas, there's compelling reason to play through the game again.

On a side note, in between chapters, you return to a home base of sorts. Twice, so far, your female companions have decided to take a bath during this break, and your character is able to go and spy on them. It's nothing too exciting, no nudity, just a static image with dialogue boxes over it. I would imagine that some people would be offended by this, but the game didn't sell well enough to attract any kind of attention. Plus, these scenes are completely tame, gratuitous, and well off the beaten path.

Whew. As you can see, I really have a lot to say about this great, overlooked game. I simply love Riviera. It's a lot of fun, and also quite charming and involving. The whole package is tied together really well, it's both simple and complex, and it's very addicting to just want to advance one more screen and see what happens. I highly recommend it, if you can find a copy somewhere. It's well worth the search.

Do You Prefer to Play Games By Yourself or with Others?

2008-03-13T20:49:00.003-04:00

Congratulations to...me! Yesterday's post was my 100th. I consider that a small, signifcant milestone. I've really been enjoying trying to contribute to this blog everyday, and am still ever so slowly trying to increase my minimal amount of site traffic.

Today's post takes it's inspiration from an article by Stephen Totilo at the MTV Multiplayer blog. Having recently delved in Smash Bros. Brawl, Totilo describes how he primarily plays it alone, largely ignoring the multiplayer components. He behaves similarly with many other games. As he acknowledges, this is quite ironic in that he edits a blog with the word "multiplayer" in the title. I can completely relate to playing games primarily by yourself, even multiplayer ones.

The only two games I played extensively with at least one other person were the original Super Mario Kart and Super Mario Kart: Double Dash on the GameCube. My friend and I played the original to death not just because it was great fun, but because neither of us were capable of acing the Special Cup through our own, individual efforts. We needed a little teamwork. Double Dash entered the scene during college, and my roommates and I would play and fight about it for hours.

Other than these two games, I've been primarily a solo gamer. I didn't have a N64 when Goldeneye was popular, and I rarely play shooters now. Even games whose sole purpose as a game is multiplayer, such as both Melee and Brawl, I play them by myself. That may be why I don't enjoy those types of games quite as much.

Why do I do this? I think the primary reason for me is that I much prefer to play games for their narrative, to unwind a compelling, interesting story. These types of games are often necessarily solitary affairs. This is the same reason I regularly read novels and watch films; to go along with the story and see what happens. A second reason is that when it comes to games, I'm just not that competitive. I'm more interested in finishing a game and moving on to something new than in trying to dominate my friends or master the controls. A final reason for me may be that of current consoles, I only own the Wii. Since most of my friends aren't into games as much as I am, I often play by myself, which is fine. And the Wii's online multiplayer is just now starting to develop, although I'm only moderately interested in it.

I'm even starting to lose my interest in Brawl, which will hopefully prove to be an excellent online experience. Maybe part of this is that multiplayer, competitive games are rarely complete, at least until you just grow tired of playing them. In Brawl, I'm focused on getting 100% on the SubSpace Emissary, and beating all the modes with every character. For me, that will feel like I've, in a sense, completed the game.

So what kind of gamer are you? Do you primarily play multiplayer games? Single player experiences? A little of both? Much like Stephen Totilo, I usually play by myself.

Wind Waker and the Emotive Power of Graphic Design

2008-03-12T01:26:00.008-04:00

The other day, Corvus at Man Bytes Blog posted an in-depth character design analysis of the Moblins from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Essentially, he tried to point out how exceptionally well such a relatively unimportant character was designed. The Moblins, and the various other members of the Moblin family, are essentially the grunts of the Zelda games. They are the enemies that you, as Link, repeatedly beat up on from the beginning of the game.

The Moblin's single-minded nature makes them easy to defeat, but they are an essential part of the Zelda mythos. As Corvus shows, despite their blunt stupidity, their character design in Wind Waker shows a painstaking attention to detail. Both their simplistic intelligence and attack animations are perfectly married with their lumbering, cartoon-y visual style. This consistency of design further applies to their facial expressions and limited emotional range, most often of confusion.

Corvus' description of the Moblins reminds me of games like Mass Effect and movies like The Polar Express. One recurring criticism of Mass Effect is that while it does have many cinematic qualities, the dialogue sequences are relatively sparse, with boring framing and a pinch of creepiness. While the game has a great story and dialogue, the emotive power of the characters is handicapped by the limits of the graphics engine. Bioware's attempt at realistic graphics is admirable, especially in their focus on realistic wrinkles. Unfortunately, realistic realism is incredibly difficult to pull off, and is likely beyond the power of current computing technology. Imperfect realism often creates a disturbing sense of creepiness.

For a really good example of this, watch the CGI film The Polar Express. I admit the graphics are breathtaking, and the story is sickeningly charming. But something about the hyper-real characters leaves a bad, bitter taste in my mouth. I concluded that it ultimately has something to do with the eyes of the characters. Looking into their glistening eyes reveals no hint of life or feeling, just emptiness, a void.

Games like Wind Waker, with their decidedly fantastic and unreal style, usually don't have this problem. Thanks to the cel-shaded graphics, the visual artists are allowed to explore a broader range of possible feelings, instead of trying to replicate a single realistic look. If you look in Wind Waker Link's eyes, it's natural to instantly recognize his sadness, confusion, or sense of wonder, often because that is exactly what you are feeling. Part of the reason Wind Waker's graphics work so well is that they allow me to closely empathize with Link because his expressiveness is often a mirror image of my own. Realistic graphics are currently unable to replicate true human emotion, partly because the vision of the artists must be focused on a single kind of representation of reality. They are unable to explore and experiment with different ways for characters to express the same thing.

As you can tell, I think stylized, unique graphics are vastly superior to attempts at photo-realism. Similarly, I think Wind Waker is one of the most beautiful games I've ever played, despite the sometimes too lengthy sailing expeditions. Lastly, make sure to check out Corvus' thoughts on narrative and game design at Man Bytes Blog. He has a lot of brilliant ideas, and I really enjoy reading his posts. Plus, he's dedicated enough to post pretty much every Monday - Friday, which is a rare treat.

Limitations in Writing About Games

2008-03-12T00:56:00.000-04:00

Recently, after commenting on other gaming sites, I've realized that my perspective on video games is quite limited. But I don't think this limitation is unique to me among those who are interested in writing about games as a medium. Specifically, the number of games I've personally played is crushed under the weight of the thousands of games I've never touched. Not only do I feel the relics of gaming history taunting me to play them, but I'm also able to play only a very limited number of current or recently released games. Historically, I missed everything prior to the NES, and was dependent on the occasional birthday or Christmas present to add to my game collection. Nowadays, I limit what games I buy due to the Japanese language barrier, and I have no experience with the 360, PS3, or PSP.

I also have limitations of both time and money, but primarily time. There's no way I'd be able to acquire every worthwhile modern purchase for every system, let alone for systems that have been long dead. Traditionally, I've rarely bought new games as soon as they were released, instead opting to wait for price cuts and pick up several cheap games at once. The new games I do adopt immediately tend to be first party Nintendo titles (Mario, Zelda, and Mario Kart come to mind). Even if I owned every major system, I wouldn't be able to stay up to date, although I might be closer than I am now.

This leads to an interesting situation: How much can I write about games I've never played? Is it acceptable to write about plots, themes, and mechanics of games I've just read about and seen footage of online? I would be limiting myself too much if I only referenced games I've played. But at the same time, I must be very careful when talking about other games to not over-step my second-hand knowledge. One final problem is that I, like most gamers, favor some genres over others, so I'm even less inclined to play examples of genres I don't particularly like. In my case, I find myself drawn to RPGs, action games, platformers, and a few strategy titles. I strongly dislike most sports games, and am terrible at shooters, so I tend to stay away from them. There are many exciting, thrilling, unique game experiences waiting for me. I just need to somehow figure out a way to manufacture a greater amount of time...

The Lighter Side of Things: Puzzle Quest

2008-03-10T21:04:00.008-04:00

It's often the case when I finish a game that involves a significant time commitment per gaming session (such as most RPGs or Twilight Princess) that I need to take a break. More specifically, I need to play a game that's a little lighter and fluffier for a few days. So, upon my completion of Hotel Dusk, I found myself re-embracing Puzzle Quest on the DS, which had been gathering dust on my shelf for many months. Actually, I just beat it as a druid for the first time yesterday too. I hadn't realized I was so close to the end. But I'm still interested in playing it, so I started up a new game as a Wizard. After just the first few quests, I can already tell a huge difference in the play styles of these two characters. But that's not the purpose of this post.

My reacquaintance with Puzzle Quest coincided with a blog post by Corvus on Man Bytes Blog, where he addresses some reader responses to narrative consistency. One reader wrote about the distractions he found with the integration of Assassin's Creed's user interface into its game world, which is a rare treat. I haven't played it, but I think it makes a lot of sense to try to integrate as many game elements as possibly into the environment and logic of the game world itself.

That being said, how is Puzzle Quest similar to Assassin's Creed in this regard? Some things are more abstract, such as your health and mana bars. But many of the game play elements take place within the game world. For example, if you want to level up a creature, you first have to buy a stable at your headquarters and then defeat your creature in puzzle combat. Similarly, many of the upgrading sidequests are maintained at your headquarters after you have purchased the requisite building. These missions, such as learning new spells or forging new weapons, are given a logical place within this world. The one aspect of Puzzle Quest, which is in fact essential to its very being, is the puzzeling mechanic itself. Is this an abstract representation of a fight to the death? Or are your character and an enemy monster literally sitting on either side of a puzzle, moving gems around and casting spells?

My initial opinion is that this is very much an abstract battle system. Your matching of three skulls is a signifier of swinging your sword and lightly scratching your enemy. I don't think they're literally playing a puzzle game against each other. But as a gamer, this doesn't bother me because I'm accustomed to using such abstract systems in games. Bejeweld-style puzzles are part of this world, and are literally integrated into it everywhere. To defeat a giant rat: puzzle combat. To forge an item: puzzle combat. To defeat the God of Death himself: puzzle combat. The very nature of the people and places within the Puzzle Quest universe is fighting through puzzles.

Later in his post, Corvus says, "It isn't the standard grammar of videogame design that's holding us back, it's the type of stories we're trying to tell. It's our juvenile focus on violence and hyper-sexualized characters that's the problem." And in that regard, Puzzle Quest seems antiquated. The plot that ties these puzzles together, while devoid of sexuality, is the most stereotypical fantasy story you can imagine. The characters have no personality, and are purely fantasy cliches.

But in this world, the puzzle game play is what keeps you coming back for more. It's very addicting. I plan on raising my wizard a few more levels before delving into a more time-intensive game. Sometimes it's nice to revisit a simpler world, where warriors and monsters solve their differences through Bejeweled, like gentlemen.

Hotel Dusk: All Adventures Must Come to an End

2008-03-09T21:09:00.005-04:00

In a previous post, I gave my thoughts on Hotel Dusk: Room 215, so I've already discussed the creative art style of the characters and what looked like the beginning of a great story. Now that I've finished it, after about 16 hours, I can say that the story only gets better as the mysteries begin to unravel. Based on the story alone I would recommend this game, although there are several serious problems with it.

While the dialogue and plot are top-notch, the game play itself is very slow and somewhat boring. Neither your character nor the scrolling text is capable of moving very quickly. Luckily, this is somewhat balanced by the structure of the game, which is broken up into 10 chapters. (The chapter formula contributes to Hotel Dusk's graphic novel-feel, as well as holding the DS sideways like a book.) I found myself trying to play a whole chapter in one sitting in order to remain aware of relevant information. This was a good pace for the narrative as each chapter took a little over an hour to complete, and the slow pace of the game kept me from playing for longer stretches of time.

The DS functionally is used moderately well, but it seems like there was a lot of untapped potential. By interacting with the screen you pick up and move around objects, open doors (a lot), solve jigsaw puzzles, draw pictures, and even decorate a Christmas tree. There are also a couple instances of closing and opening the DS itself to accomplish a task.

A topic central to both The Brainy Gamer and Man Bytes Blog is how game play and narrative intersect. In Hotel Dusk, I would argue that there is very little game play. The dialogue to game play ratio is about 4:1. The little game play that's available is closely integrated with your perspective as Kyle Hyde, but most of the time you just walk from room to room, repeatedly questioning people for information. When you can find people, that is. If you see a person standing somewhere, they're relevant to that chapter. If you can't find someone, you don't need to talk to them. This game is extremely linear.

The story is quite good, but the dialogue "choices" are flimsy and shallow at best. The correct choice is usually either blatantly obvious or of no consequence. Your brain will rarely get stressed. This is a game where you as the player are mainly along for the ride. There's little to do on the way, but the journey is thought-provoking and entertaining.

Despite its flaws and general lack of interaction, I found myself very involved in the story. I really wanted to help Hyde solve the mystery behind his missing partner. I think Hotel Dusk proves that adventure games aren't dead yet, but perhaps just in a light coma. If you like adventure games, give this one a shot. The story is simple but intriguing, and went in some unexpected directions. All your wishes just may come true, if you stay in room 215.

(Spoiler that's not a spoiler: Although the presentation in Hotel Dusk is somewhat ephemeral, this is not a ghost story of any kind.)

Why Are Video Games So Hard to Complete?

2008-03-08T00:18:00.013-05:00

Leigh Alexander in her Aberrant Gamer column has posted an article about "Completion Anxiety Disorder." Mainly she's explaining how she has a significant number of games that she hasn't completed, and possibly never will, and tries to explore why these games remain incomplete months or years later. She questions if it's because games are bigger and more complex now, we don't have time for long games, our attention spans have gotten shorter, or maybe that some games just aren't good enough to be worth the time investment.

I can certainly relate to this article. I would guess that a large percentage of my games, possibly more than half, have yet to be completed. Most of my games are ones I'm proud to own, and think of as quality titles. I think the most common reason I put games aside is because something newer and shinier comes along. Or maybe it's not that a game isn't good, but after a week or two of playing the same thing every day, I just want to play something different. And then it takes a long time to get back to that original game. I feel like this completion syndrome is somewhat unique to games. As Leigh points out, how often do you watch only part of a movie? Or listen to part of a CD? Books are probably more likely to be left unfinished, but I still think games are worse than books in this regard. After all, games often take a dozen or more hours to complete. It's easy to get distracted.

Do you, the readers, have much of an unfinished game collection? If so, why have you not completed these games? I'd be very interested to hear some other opinions.

Impressions of Hotel Dusk: Room 215

2008-03-06T08:30:00.009-05:00

Playing Hotel Dusk: Room 215 is sort of like taking an old, beat-up car on spring break. She's not much to look at, but she'll get the job done. The environmental graphics in Hotel Dusk are ugly as sin, but the story instantly grabs you by the throat and forces you to press onward. Hotel Dusk is an adventure game where you play as Kyle Hyde, a former cop looking for his backstabbing partner. From the moment you set foot in the hotel, and as every character begins to have some connection to your past, you can't help but want to unravel the mystery.

While the environments are visually insulting, the character art is rather inspiring and unique among games. Many writers have aptly compared it to the 1985 A-Ha music video, "Take On Me." The characters are black and white pencil drawings, but the shading is constantly in flux, making the characters seem a little more dynamic than the flatness found in games like Phoenix Wright. Talking to characters is a real treat, just to be able to see the attractive artwork and read the mostly believable dialogue. I can't even imagine the headache I'd get if the character graphics were as ugly as the backgrounds. I'll take stylistic graphics over realism any day of the week.

I'm roughly halfway through the game, and would so far wholeheartedly recommend it. However, I did have trouble adjusting to this game from Phoenix Wright. I kept wanting to present evidence and press for more information to advance the story, but usually all you need to do is find all the items and speak to the characters that are available. I also consider myself a speedy reader, and was disappointed that I couldn't tap the screen to speed up the dialogue. This game is very slow, so be prepared. Despite these small gripes, there's a lot to like, especially in the story department. The characters are all unique and have a good measure of personality, and the game's challenging without being too difficult. I've only been temporarily stuck twice in 8 hours of game play.

I've still got a number of mysteries to solve, and I'll write another post when I finish the game. Who says adventure games are dead? As long as the story has a good hook, I'll gladly welcome more games like Hotel Dusk: Room 215.

That VideoGame Blog

2008-03-05T19:02:00.002-05:00

Starting today, I will be contributing some writing to That VideoGame Blog. They had a link on their site advertising they were looking for some writers to volunteer to write for the site. This includes writing up news reports, more in-depth articles, or whatever. I'm pretty excited about it, and it should be fun. The only thing I'm worried about, which shouldn't be too hard, is eventually trying to keep my posts over there and here on my own blog separate. At any rate, check out the site. It's very clean and well made, and I look forward to contributing there.

Providing Meaningful Choices in Games

2008-03-04T18:55:00.004-05:00

There's a lot of talk in the gaming industry and gaming press about providing meaningful choices to players that drastically affect their gameplay experience. But despite that, I can think of very few examples where this has been implemented. Most choices in games are superficial, and you follow the same path no matter what you choose. While choosing to save or harvest the Little Sisters in Bioshock was a moral challenge for many people, it ultimately was not a game-changing decision. Assassin's Creed provides several methods of getting information about your next target, but you repeat these same few scenarios over and over. Designers let players choose different characters, items, weapons, and lines of dialogue, not to mention countless visual options for your character's appearance. Many choices presented in games today are merely illusory.

The best example of a game I've played with meaningful choices is Planescape: Torment. It requires a lot of reading, possibly having the most dialogue of any game I've ever played. Most of your choices involve your character having a high enough intelligence to be able to choose a dialogue option that elicits information from an NPC. Surprisingly, this even applied to the final boss battle, where it was possible to talk your way past him. Should choices block off elements of the plot or gameplay so you can't experience everything in one playthrough? It seems like it. Otherwise, what's the point of making a difficult decision if you can see both outcomes regardless? I suppose these sorts of complications are why so few games provide the player with legitimate choices.

Another game with a different kind of choice is Riviera: The Promised Land, a little gem I picked up not too long ago for the GBA. While your decisions don't affect the plot greatly, they are directly tied to your ability to succeed in battle. They also affect which of your female companions is most affectionate towards you at the end of the game. Quickly and pwerfully winning a battle earns you Trigger Points, which can be spent to explore the environment. If you don't do well in battles, you won't earn enough Trigger Points to be able to examine everything, and you'll miss out on valuable items and experience. At the same time, your female companions also give you advice and warnings, and you can choose whether or not to listen to them. As an example, I once searched a bush, and received an item. On the next screen, I tried to examine an identical-looking bush, but another character warned that it looked thorny and dangerous. I chose to follow her advice, and don't know what would have happened if I had ignored her. Although you must use your Trigger Points wisely, they ultimately only provide you with better items and weapons.

Are game-changing choices really needed? They would make for a more dynamic, personal experience. But I also love following a gripping game story through to a logical conclusion. If the gameplay is flawless, I don't even think about a lack of true choices. It's very difficult to make the player feel as if they are impacting the game world. But it looks like an increasing number of developers are going to try.

"Shut-up Already - I Know You Want a New Computer!"

2008-03-04T03:00:00.000-05:00

I always know I'm excited about something because my girlfriend gets annoyed at me for telling her the same thing over and over again. Right now, I've been repeatedly telling her the following: I want to get a new gaming-capable computer as a compromise for not having a 360 or a PS3. My desire for a graphically-advanced gaming machine has stemmed largely from my renewed interest in maintaining this gaming blog. It made me realize the vast number of games I'm missing out on by only owning a Wii. I do like the idea of limiting myself to only one console because I just don't have the time to play every worthwhile game that's out there. That being said, I'm starting to get the itch to play games I've so far missed out on.

As companies, I have a distrust and dislike of both Sony and Microsoft. The extremely high cost of a PS3 turns me off, and I'm wary of the 360's unknown but seemingly high failure rate. Although the recent announcement of a Metal Gear Solid 4 PS3 bundle sent a shiver of excitement down my spine. As a compromise, I'm going to get a decent gaming PC. I also need a new PC in itself, because my nearly 6 year old laptop is ready to fall apart. So when computer shopping, I'm going to make sure to include a good graphics card, processor, and plenty of RAM.

I think a PC will be a good compromise because many of the console games I want to play also appear on PC, especially 360 games. Right now my list of games includes Bioshock, Half-Life and The Orange Box, the soon-to-be-released Mass Effect, and both Knights of the Old Republic games. I've done a little research online and am very excited at the prospect of a new computer. But I need to calm down because I won't be buying it until I leave Japan in about 5 months. So what game systems do you have, and how did you justify your decisions?

Difficulty in Games: Too Hard, Too Easy, or Just Right?

2008-03-02T17:35:00.003-05:00

Whether or not adventure games are dead, they can sometimes be about as challenging as driving with your eyes closed. After just a couple of hours of Grim Fandango, I found myself stuck and bewildered. Early in the game, Manny finds himself in the Petrified Forest. I knew exactly what to do to get out, but I had no idea how to advance. I needed to figure out a maze, unbalance a pumping station to get hydraulics for my car, and eliminate some demon beavers near the exit. I'm not going to lie, I resorted to searching for hints online to help solve two of the three puzzles. And the last one was solved by my girlfriend. Petrified Forest - 3, Me - 0. I've since moved on, and am having greater success in the second section.

The larger issue here is that of game difficulty and time commitments. Have games become easier over time? I'm not sure if I know. Game design has changed drastically since the arcade or NES days, where you were expected to not only die, but die repeatedly. One of the biggest changes recently has been increasing the frequency of save points, and/or allowing you to restart shortly before your character died rather than at the beginning of a level. We see fewer and fewer games that increase difficulty by limiting where you can save. Will we ever see another game like Final Fantasy III for the DS, where you can never save in dungeons or buy revival items? Probably not. Even Fire Emblem, that bastion of permanent character death and denier of mid-mission saving, allowed players to save mid-battle in the newest release, thereby somewhat changing your strategy.

Is a decrease in difficulty in games in general partly responsible for the decline of adventure games? I remember being confounded by Myst for weeks on end. I got stuck on Grim Fandango after about 2 hours, and it's supposed to be comparatively easier. Granted, adventure games may just require a different state of mind than what I'm used to. Nonetheless, I still love playing adventure games and thinking about their mysteries. I especially love that I can get stuck in an adventure game, and then think about it constantly, trying to think of possible solutions until I begin playing again.

The reason I sneaked a peek online for Grim Fandango tips is that I felt I was wasting my time. My gaming time has decreased greatly over the years. Repeatedly trying to solve a puzzle and making no headway is too frustrating, when I could be making progress in other games. So I got a little nudge in the right direction, and am grateful for it. Similarly, if I find myself restarting a Fire Emblem mission several times, I give up and switch to another game temporarily because it feels like lost time.

I wonder if as other gamers of my generation grow older and have more responsibilities, their game time becomes more valuable to them. Personally, I don't want to play too many really difficult games because the time investment it takes to become proficient is too high for me. Of course, I don't want a cakewalk either, but I'd like to be able to make steady progress. I know that there's a place for challenging games like Devil May Cry 3 and Ninja Gaiden, and I'd like to see even more of a resurgence of adventure games. But I don't want to have to attempt the same scenario a dozen times with no results. I just don't have the time anymore.

Changes, Changes

2008-02-29T00:59:00.002-05:00

As you've probably noticed, I've been messing around with the layout of the blog, trying to find a simpler, better looking template. I also want to try to make some decent headers, but I'm new to both bloggin and picture editing, so it will probably take a will. I think I'll be changing the look of the site quite a few times over the next week. If anyone has any good ideas or tips for making a header, I'd love to know.

The Emulation and Digital Distribution of Video Games

2008-02-27T23:35:00.004-05:00

I've been catching up on podcasts from BrainyGamer.com, in which he was talking about how he doesn’t emulate older games on his computer much any more. This piqued my interest because I semi-regularly emulate NES, SNES, and Game Boy titles on my laptop because I feel like I have gaping holes in my gaming experience from when I was younger. For games that are 15 or 20 years old, it’s much easier to emulate them. It’s also much cheaper. Some classic, rare games are quite expensive today. For example, a game like Chrono Trigger currently goes for $50 or more on eBay, and that’s more than I’m willing to spend on most older games at this point in my life.

That being said, I know that emulation is both illegal and a form of stealing. If possible, I would choose to buy a classic game at a reasonable price and support the company that made it. But video game stores in the U.S. rarely have old used games. They limit themselves to the current and previous generation of games because of higher profitability. For two decade old games that aren’t in production anymore, 100% of the profit goes to the retailer, not the developer. The only recourse to find most used games is the Internet, which has its own issues of buying used merchandise sight unseen.

Emulation also sometimes leads to compatibility issues, and it’s often more fun to play a game with the physical controller and system it was designed for. The GBA game Riviera: The Promised Land provides a good example of how emulation isn’t preferable just because it’s free. Riviera is an RPG, but it tries to keep the player on their toes by having regular action scenes that require you to input a sequence of button presses within a time limit. Whether the outcome is beneficial or harmful is determined by your skill. I bought this game around Christmas, and the response time for inputting the commands is quick and seamless. But prior to this, I had emulated the game, and I found that neither the keyboard nor a PC gamepad were adequate for these sequences. I regularly made mistakes, and my characters would take damage or miss important items. Riviera is infinitely more smooth and enjoyable on an actual GBA.

Despite problems with emulation, I’m eagerly anticipating the future expansion of digital distribution, not just of games, but of all media. I’ve spent 5,000 yen (a little less than $50) on Virtual Console games on my Japanese Wii. If I had an American Wii, I probably would have spent more. Several classic games I want to play are already on the Wii, and more arrive every week.

What intrigues me, though, is what programs like the Virtual Console will look like in 10 years. Most of the best old Nintendo games will be on the Virtual Console at some point in the future. What then? Will the service be over? I suppose the upcoming WiiWare will provide additional original content. More importantly, what will happen to the Virtual Console when Nintendo releases its eventual successor to the Wii? Maybe we’ll be able to transfer our games to the new system. Or they could try to cash in some more, develop a new and improved download service, and release updated versions of their best games yet again. I fully want to support legal purchases of emulated games. But this is still a relatively new enterprise, so there are a lot of questions for the future without clear answers.

Here’s my ideal scenario: Someday, every single game from previous generations will be available for purchase and download. That kind of world sounds quite nice, and I won’t have to feel guilty about downloading and emulating games illegally. Until that day, I’ll continue my current emulation practices and buy what I can as it becomes available. I greatly prefer legitimate copies of games to illegally emulated ones. I’ve downloaded many games onto my PC, but as these games become available on the Virtual Console or I happen to find a good deal online, I’ll often go ahead and purchase them, deleting the version on my computer. I dabbled in Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones last year, but bought it in a store without hesitating. I played most of Super Metroid on my computer, but bought it on the Virtual Console the day it was released. Not only do these games play better than the emulated versions, but they make me feel a little better inside, too.

Turning the Tables in Tales of Symphonia

2008-02-27T02:35:00.002-05:00

IGN has just put up a preview of Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World, a direct sequel to the Gamecube RPG. What caught my eye was this brief description of what's been revealed of the plot. "One day Emil hears a calling and follows it into the mountains, where he meets Marta Lualdi, a 15-year-old tomboy whose mother was also killed in the unification of the two worlds. In a surprise twist, the characters learn that it was Lloyd Irving who was indirectly responsible for the deaths of their loved ones."

Lloyd was the protagonist of the previous game, and I most often chose as my primary character. What's interesting to me is that the two main characters want to hunt down Lloyd, the hero of the first game, possibly for revenge but definitely for answers. I have yet to personally play a game that switches character roles like this, and you are forced to view the hero you once identified with as the antagonist, at least temporarily. I have a strong feeling there won't be a deadly confrontation between Lloyd, Emil, and Marta, but one can always hope.

The only game I know of that does a similar perspective shift is Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, which Stephen Totilo wrote about at the MTV Multiplayer blog. He even compares the "moral quandaries" of Radiant Dawn to the critics' darling Bioshock. In the strategy game, you basically spend several hours leveling up a certain group of characters. Later, you are in control of the heroes from the previous Fire Emblem game, but your enemies have become the characters you just finished helping and getting to know. That's quite a surprise, and I wish I didn't know about it, because I would like to play both of those games someday. Luckily, if you just wait out a couple of missions, you can combine those two forces without losing any characters.

This perspective shift could work really well to surprise gamers, and deny their expectations about what might happen, particularly in a game typical of its own genre. I hope more developers follow these two examples, and take these changes even further.

The Future of Independent Games on Consoles

2008-02-25T20:31:00.003-05:00

What are independent games? I would say indie games are characterized by small budgets, small development teams, and often feature experimentation with or development of unique and innovative gameplay methods. The developers of indie games could be anyone from a ten person team at a small development studio to a single person working on a game in their parents’ basement after school. Just as independent films rose to prominence in the early and mid-90s, so are indie games currently on a meteoric rise in both popularity and feasibility. Indie games have been around for years on PCs, but it’s only with the current generation of consoles that it’s been possible for a wide variety of independent games to be created on home consoles on a larger scale. The Game Developer’s Conference (GDC) this week has revealed more information about both Nintendo’s WiiWare and Microsoft’s XNA services. These details made me start thinking about the further evolution of indie console games.

The Wii, PS3, and 360 have all had downloadable content available for a while now. The Wii’s Virtual Console consists entirely of ports of old games, while the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade are also used for original projects. The ability of these consoles to connect to the Internet and allow downloadable content is the biggest reason indie games can begin to expand on consoles. It’s a lot cheaper to digitally distribute games than to make physical disks and packaging.

Nintendo should have around 100 games stockpiled for the launch of WiiWare on May 12, but they will slowly emerge on a weekly schedule according to Nintendo’s baffling logic, much like the Virtual Console. Although pricing is unknown, I’m sure some games will be bargains and others will be a sickening waste of money, also like the Virtual Console. At first, people thought only small teams from big, licensed developers can release games. But it turns out any developer can work on WiiWare games. Nonetheless, there are still significant costs associated with this approach.

XNA, however, sounds a lot more invigorating. My pedestrian understanding of XNA is that it’s a set of development tools designed for easy use that anyone can freely use. Microsoft hopes both independent developers and members of the Xbox community utilize it. With a peer review process of approval, this system is really in the hands of the community much more so than WiiWare. This sounds like a potentially good way for anyone with a good idea and a little talent to get their name out there and profit a little bit.

The PC has more room for small, individual game creators, and is much more open than consoles. Andy Baio on Waxy.org, as posted on GameSetWatch, summed up my thoughts nicely. He talks about the dominance of middle-men on consoles.

“In the web industry, there’s nobody controlling distribution and I don’t need anyone’s authorization to launch a new project. But the gaming industry is dominated by gatekeepers.

For consoles, you can pay through the nose for the privilege to be on Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network or the upcoming WiiWare, and then wait months to be released into the pipeline. On PCs, there’s no clear monopoly, with distribution fragmented between a handful of game download portals and distribution frameworks like Steam.

Or you can go it alone and sell directly to your fans through your own web presence but, for the moment, this is very rare.”

While WiiWare is just a way for companies to make small games with lower production costs, XNA seems to be more open and allow more freedom for those outside the game industry. I’d like to think this is the future, where people with few corporate constraints are able to not only experiment, but also be rewarded for trying to change things. Of course, with more people able to develop and publish games, there will also be a proportionately greater volume of rubbish. Independent games are not necessarily worth your time, just more likely to be a little different.

Killing Dragons: A Significant Accomplishment

2008-02-24T19:24:00.004-05:00

I finally did it. Fire Emblem is complete (the first GBA one). Or at least as complete as it will probably be for a long time. To more fully complete it, I should play the second mode, which has most of the same missions, a different main character, some extra missions, and a slightly higher difficulty. But I don't have the time or energy for that right now. I'd rather play something new. Fire Emblem only took about three years, why should I dive right back into it? My save file clocked in at around 42 hours, but I could add on another 10 hours or so for mission restarts, and about 15 hours when I felt like restarting the entire game after a long break. It's probably more like 70 hours of play time. I think I'm starting to reach a point in my life where that kind of time investment for one game is unfeasible, as work and other responsibilities come to greater prominence.

Was Fire Emblem worth it? Absolutely. It's one of my favorite GBA games. But there are a couple reasons it took me so long to complete, both in gameplay time and real world time. The first reason has to do with my nature as a gamer. I'm very meticulous, and want to find every secret I can in a game. So I would try to recruit all the characters, find secret items, do all the side missions, and avoid any character deaths. I also tend to be a very careful planner, so strategy games take me somewhat longer than average to complete. For some of the 30+ missions, I may have spent almost as much time planning and optimally equipping my characters as I did playing the actual level.

The second reason my time investment was so high has to do with the nature of the game itself. As a strategy game, each chapter requires careful planning to maximize your resources and take the best units into battle. A small preparatory mistake can be very costly once the fighting starts. Except for the simply, early chapters, each mission is quite long, often taking an hour or more to complete, not including restarts. What I find a little strange, though, is how at odds this type of game is with the actual GBA itself. The GBA is designed for short, quick bursts of gameplay on the go, and it's possible to do that with Fire Emblem. It saves your game automatically after every single character action. But I rarely stopped in the middle of a mission, because I wanted to keep my attention of the flow of battle. So you can play Fire Emblem a few moves at a time on a train or on the toilet, but it doesn't really provide the same kind of tactical experience. Part of the reason it took me so long is I needed to devote a significant chunk of time to attempt a single mission. After several long missions played over a couple of weeks, I would just get burned out on it for a while and want to play a different kind of game.

This being said, Fire Emblem was incredibly enjoyable. I've already started the sequel, The Sacred Stones, although I don't plan on doing more than three or four missions because I need a break from this kind of game. I've got too many other games that need attention before I dive into another Fire Emblem game.

Impressions of Grim Fandango

2008-02-21T03:48:00.000-05:00

A highly sought after but rarely achieved goal for game designers is crafting a unique visual, aural, and even interactive style. The most prominent game of recent months that comes to mind is Bioshock, with its under–the–sea, failed utopia, art–deco style permeating every drop of its being. I’ve recently been researching PC adventure games from the 1990s, specifically the ones made by LucasArts. As always happens to me, I’ve now added about six of their adventure games to my ever–growing mental list of games I need to play. Of these adventure games, the one I’m initially most interested in is Grim Fandango, which I’ve just started playing. After a couple hours, its sense of style, unique identity and polish are simply beautiful.

Grim Fandango was one of LucasArts’ last big adventure games, released in 1998. It was a little more graphically advanced than their previous adventures, primarily in that it abandoned the SCUMM engine they had been using for years and switched to 3D character models on a static background. They also abandoned mouse control in favor of pure keyboard, joystick, or gamepad support. But what is most noticeable, and refreshing, is Grim Fandango’s consistent graphical atmosphere.

The world of Grim Fandango is based on the Aztec belief that when someone dies, they must go on a four year journey to their final afterlife destination. So the dead were buried with food, money, and even pets, anything that might be useful on their journey. Once a year, on the Day of the Dead, the spirits are allowed back into the living world, and the living honor the dead through parties, festivals, and skeleton–like dolls called calaveras. In fact, in the game world you play as Manuel “Manny” Calavera. He’s a travel agent selling packages to the dead to shorten their four year journey.

All the characters are modeled after these calavera dolls, which simply resemble skeletons. Imagine a typical skeleton, but wearing 1930’s style clothes and you have the general idea. What I find amazing is how LucasArts gave the characters so much emotion, even though they basically just have four black holes representing eyes, a nose, and a mouth. But that’s all they need. It’s almost a minimalist style of character presentation. It reminds me of the recent Lego Star Wars games, where the characters are simple Lego models that must convey their thoughts solely through facial expressions. Grim Fandango is similar, but elongate the heads and take away some of the facial detail. Extremely talented voice actors also help immerse you in the experience. If more games had such a talented, believable voice cast, we’d all be better off for it. Make sure you don’t switch from voice to text just to speed up the game. I’ve been selecting every dialogue option just to hear the character’s wonderful banter.

Besides the unique characters, the game takes place in a 1930s art–deco world a full decade before Bioshock. The beautiful colors, art direction, and furnishings really complement the noir–style detective story you’re presented with. From what I’ve read about it, the game takes place over four years, each time on the Day of the Dead. So I’m expecting plenty of lively environments beyond the initial city. Manny also occasionally has to go into the world of the living to do some reaping to get his clients. The living world is charmingly presented as a Picasso–style cubist painting, complete with blocky, disproportionate human features. I’ve never seen anything like it in a game before.

The only disappointment so far is technical: the dialogue during cutscenes isn’t playing correctly on my computer. It sounds like the dialogue plays twice, but slightly out of synch. On the other hand, my girlfriend has expressed what could be a brief interest in this game. She’s mostly intrigued because it’s an adventure game, and she remembers a brief foray into Monkey Island as a child. Hopefully, I’ll post more impressions when I finish the game, but so far it looks very promising.

EDIT: After a brief search online, I found and implemented a solution to the cutscene problem. I guess there are frequent problems with running older games on modern, faster computers.

Game Release Dates: Inconsistent

2008-02-20T00:07:00.003-05:00

Recently, I've been bothered by the question of why video game release dates in the U.S. are so confusing. Usually, companies will officially announce a date that a new game will be released, but this is often the shipping date, not the date the game will actually be in stores available for purchase. Why? Other than the developers and publishers themselves, and retailers, the people potentially purchasing the game don't really care about the shipping date. They only want to know the first possible day they can purchase the game. I don't understand why game companies don't agree to always advertise the release date when the game will be in stores. DVDs and CDs are pretty much exclusively released on Tuesdays. People know that every Tuesday, there will be some new products to think about purchasing. And ads reflect this reality. What's so different about games that release information can be so confusing sometimes? You never know if the published date is the shipping date or the in-store date. Granted, most new games are available on a Tuesday, but not always, and stores tend to differ. Game companies should coordinate their releases more to make it less confusing for the consumer.

Japan makes a little more sense. Super Mario Galaxy was one of the first games here I was really excited about. I couldn't wait to get it, and walked about 40 minutes in the rain to the closest game store to pick up a copy. But I was a little worried, because of all the confusion in the U.S. about release dates. I didn't want to walk that far to the store only to find out they weren't selling it until tomorrow. So I asked a student. And he assured me that games are released on Thursdays, this one in particular on November 1st. Indeed, this was the exact date I was seeing everyday in TV commercials. No confusion, no hassles. Except slightly sore legs the next day.

When is a game complete?

2008-02-19T08:01:00.004-05:00

My last post, where I once again realized my preference for single–player experiences over protracted multiplayer skill matches, led me to think about a different question: when has a video game been completed by the player? This leads directly into a larger issue currently being discussed about how games are different from other media and culturally important in their own right. The answer to the question, as is often the case, is probably that it depends. It depends on the game itself, the individual gamer, and even the larger gaming community.

The most unique thing about video games is the level of interaction required from the player. Television, movies, and books are, for the most part, relatively linear and straight-forward works. Once you read a book or watch a movie, you’re mostly finished with it; except, of course, for those classic works that you might revisit semi–regularly. Games, on the other hand, often contain many more options, secrets, or side–quests that extend beyond the main plotline or primary purpose of the game.

I would argue that the vast majority of games have a distinct plot and are trying to tell some sort of story. Many other writers have noted how a current game development trend is trying to give games a more cinematic feel. A large number of story–based games are mostly complete when you reach the end of the main adventure. For example, in Super Mario Galaxy, the main goal is to collect at least 60 stars so the planetarium has enough power to track down Bowser. Then you can defeat Bowser and officially finish the game and see the conclusion and credits. Some types of gamers are content with this level of completion. However, some games have no clearly–defined ending point due to their current focus on online multiplayer experiences. Beyond an often short main campaign, when is a multiplayer game like this truly over? Gamers play the most popular multiplayer games for many years after the original release.

For those entranced by the game and willing to invest the time, Super Mario Galaxy has quite a bit more to offer. Defeating Bowser once actually unlocks the player’s ability to collect the final 15 or so stars (out of a possible 120) in order to see the true ending. After this, you can also choose to collect the 120 stars again as Luigi to open up one final level. Super Mario Galaxy has a lot of game play beyond the main story. Thus, many games contain a number of optional activities or secrets available for the dedicated gamer. A great thesis was written by an MIT student, Kristina Lynn Drzaic, about the significance of video game secrets.

As another example, Final Fantasy games are well–known for their epic stories, and that’s arguably the main reason to play through much of that series. But epic side–quests are also one of Square-Enix’s trademarks, even though not many gamers are necessarily inclined to complete them. In Final Fantasy X, to get one character’s ultimate weapon, you have to dodge lightning strikes 100 times in a row. If you miss a single time, you have to start over again from zero. Thus for different types of gamers, which Mitch Krpata at Insult Swordfighting categorized into Perfectionists, Completists, and Tourists, games have widely varying personal requirements for completion, depending on one’s willingness or desire to accomplish sometimes ridiculous tasks.

Finally, the larger gaming community can sometimes extend the life of a game seemingly indefinitely. A great example of this is the PC strategy game Starcraft in South Korea, where it’s practically a national sport. Tournaments with highly skilled players are still regularly held there, for a game that’s nearly 10 years old. Similarly, a large competitive scene developed around Super Smash Brothers Melee, in which some players discovered advanced techniques that practically turn Melee into a completely different game. On top of this, especially in the realm of PC gaming, many games develop extensive modding communities, where the game is fundamentally and extensively altered to extend replayability.

What is the point of all this? I love how easy it is for different gamers to take away such wildly different experiences from the same game. Compare a competitive and a casual Melee player – they’re worlds apart, both in terms of skill level and in describing the game they both enjoy playing. Granted, the best movies also allow viewers to each take something different away from the theater, but you’re still almost entirely limited to what’s presented to you on the screen. Games allow gamers to choose their level of involvement much more so than other forms of entertainment. In the near future, it will be interesting to see if either Starcraft 2 or Super Smash Brothers Brawl develop and sustain the same kind of competitive, meta–game following that the current iterations have had for years.

How Long Can One Game Last?

2008-02-17T08:29:00.002-05:00

I've been on a break from video games for what will soon be a full week, which was a Valentine's Day gift to my girlfriend. Nice. Extra quality time. But we also had a small party at our apartment last night, which included a little Wii Sports and Brawl initiations. It was quite a lot of fun, and since it was a party, I got to play too without invalidating my present.

On to the point. In playing Brawl last night, I realized that I am and probably will always be much more of a single-player gamer than a multi-player gamer. I am much more interested in a good interactive story, with solid, fun game play mechanics than in trying to become an expert at a certain game or spend dozens of hours playing online matches against people. This inclination is probably a large part of why I often choose RPGs (like Final Fantasy), strategy games (Fire Emblem), or action/platformers (too many to name). I love Brawl, and I plan on playing it a lot more. I would also love to get really good with 1 or 2 characters (especially little Mr. Olimar). But deep in my heart, I know the reality is that I will probably slowly grow tired of Brawl over the next 3 or 4 weeks, and slowly move onto other story-driven games I have waiting, such as Hotel Dusk, Fire Emblem: Sacred Stones, and even Final Fantasy III. I also want to play some of the old LucasArts adventure games, of which I just got Grim Fandango.

Maybe this would all be different if I had a couple of friends always wanting to play Brawl, but I don't. It's a lot of fun, but I tend to move on to other games quite quickly after finishing one, mainly because there are so many classic games I haven't played yet. Brawl will still last me a while, but not the several years that some people can get out of it.

On a side note, I absolutely love reading Michael Abbott's posts over at the Brainy Gamer. He's a theater/film professor and writes about games from a thoughtful, academic perspective. And you also easily get the obvious feeling that he really loves games. I highly recommend his blog.

Million Man Brawl

2008-02-13T07:53:00.002-05:00

As an add-on to my last post, I also wanted to say that I really like Toon Link. He's similar to Young Link from Melee. Even though he's similar to adult Link, I always liked the Link from Wind Waker, he's smaller and faster, and his cartoony bomb explosions are soooo cute

On to the modes. The biggest addition is the Subspace Emissary, which is basically a protracted adventure/story mode. It's amazing. There's practically no spoken text, and you go through tons of platforming levels, with the occasional boss battle or regular brawl match-up. You're not playing it for the story, really. You're playing it for the awesome combination of Nintendo characters, such as Metaknight battling and then joining Marth, before Ike saves them both. It's a lot of fun, although a bit repetitive, so I can't really see playing through the whole thing again. In fact, after beating it, it said I was only 80-something% finished. Then I noticed that some of the locations on the map had a flag, and some were just flashing. It took me a while to figure out which ones still had hidden secrets (the ones with flags). So now I've slowly worked up to 94%, but I still have 9 or 10 locations to revisit. Some of them I've been through several times, and still can't find that one missed item or door.

There's also the re-included Classic mode, which is pretty much the same as always. I remember in Melee, I could rarely beat Master Hand at the hand without dieing, but now I've gotten a little better at battling the Hand. There are also 41 events (+20 co-op), Homerun Contests, timed brawls, target breaking, an all star mode where you fight the entire cast, and a boss battle mode. Oh yeah, and regular old multiplayer Brawl, with a ton of options. One feature I really like that I played around with for the first time last night is the ability to set which songs play on each stage. In particular, the Twilight Princess, Pikmin, and new Pokemon Stadium stages all have awesome music. So does Animal Crossing, just because it's so peaceful.

Next time: online brawls. Awesome, or a hassle?

Yet Another Inevitable Post of Brawl Impressions

2008-02-11T08:27:00.000-05:00

So, I've had Brawl for about 10 or 11 days now. And it's basically consumed my life. I love it. Which is surprising because it's unlike almost every other game I own. I usually go for RPGs, or strategy games, or slower paced platformers. But Brawl is amazing! And I'm saying that as someone who owned Melee, but was never very good at it and actually rarely played it. I didn't even get around to unlocking all the characters and stages in Melee, but I've already done that in Brawl in a around a week. And I'm not sure, but I think I'm actually improving a little. I've bumped my standard CPU difficulty up from futsu (regular) to muzukashii (difficult). And I'm pretty much holding my own. I'm slowly learning to shield more, block attacks, and throw my opponents. I doubt I'll ever really learn more advanced techniques, but I would like to improve still more.

My favorite characters right now are probably Snake and the Pikmin and Olimar, both of which are little different from the others and unique. Snake uses a lot of grenades, explosives, and weaponry (although he oddly doesn't have a gun). He was also surprisingly slow at first, but I've gotten used to that. And Olimar/Pikim is just super fun to play as. All the Pikmin have different strengths and weaknesses, Olimar's fast and maneuverable, and I love attaching the little Pikmin to an enemy and suck away their life. I'm terrible with the slower characters (like Donkey Kong), and sometime I'd like to play more with Pit, Lucas, Ike, and maybe Samus.

In my next post, I'll talk some about the modes and options in Brawl. Especially online mode, which has a lot of potential.

Smashtastic

2008-01-29T08:31:00.000-05:00

Wow. It's been an incredibly long time since I posted - about a month and a half. I went to America, came back, and am counting down the days until I can go back for good (6 months). I played quite a few games in the last 45 days, but I also sort of stopped keeping track of how many hours it's been.

My main interest right now is waiting for Super Smash Bros. Brawl (or Dairantou Smash Brothers X), which comes out Thursday here in Japan. Originally, I wasn't very interested in it, wasn't gonna buy it at all, and maybe would buy it for $20 sometime in the future in the U.S. But the Brawl hype machine has hit me with a big ol' smash ball, and I can't wait to get this game. It looks huge and amazing, with dozens of characters and stages, and a pretty extensive degree of customizability and hidden secrets. I was going to go grab it on Saturday before a dinner party, but if the weather's decent, I might make the half hour hike through the snow to Uki-Uki on Thursday instead. Plus, I've heard rumors that only 300-400,000 copies were made for the initial release, and many people are anticipating a sellout around launch. We'll see. I'm just praying for clear skies and a little sunshine to light my way to the Nintendo self-love fest that's being released in 2 days. Impressions soon to come, if you can tear the controller out of my cold, sweaty hands.

Out with the old, in with the new

2007-12-11T08:51:00.000-05:00

Last week, my video game time was dominated solely by Fire Emblem for the GBA. But I haven't even played anything at all since Sunday. I put in a grand total of about 6 Hours and 40 Minutes. I can't base this on the in-game clock, because it doesn't account for my regular chapter restarts when characters die. Although, due to a stupid mistake on my part, I finally lost my first character to permanent death a couple chapters ago. It was one I hadn't used much and was trying to level up a little. But he died, so no big loss really. Naturally, I'll try not to let it happen again. I'm about halfway through Chapter 26x, so I think I have only 7 more chapters to go. I should be able to finally finish this game through a combination of on the plane ride to the States and time at home. But, then there's the second story. This might take a while...

Otherwise, I've been focused on learning as much as I can about Japanese Mahjong. Somehow I've become fascinated by it. My goal in the new year is to find a Japanese Mahjong tutor. I really want to learn and to be able to play against people. If I can, it might feel like I actually take something away from Japan with me. Here's hoping I can find a good teacher.

Mahjong...Not the Tile Matching One

2007-12-06T07:59:00.000-05:00

How can you become incredibly passionate about something, even if you've never actually done it? I've recently fallen in love with the game of Mahjong, and I've never even played it before. Except that stupid Mahjong solitaire computer game (matching tiles), but that's different and doesn't count. The Mahjong I like is sort of a combination of Rummy and Poker. I really want to learn how to play. There are a dozen or so major versions of Mahjong, usually based in different countries. Naturally, I'm interested in learning the Japanese version, commonly called Riichi Mahjong (it sounds like "reach"). It's a 4 player game, where everyone's trying to complete a hand similar to Rummy, but with cool tiles instead of playing cards. My girlfriend's getting me a Mahjong set for Christmas, and more importantly, I hope to find a Japanese Mahjong 'tutor' to teach me. I feel like I know how to play the main game, but I don't really know much about the rather complex scoring and hand system. So that's my immediate goal: find a Japanese person willing to teach a foreigner with limited Japanese language ability how to play Mahjong. Quite a daunting task. I hope I actually see this desire through to the end.

Oh, and the best site I've found about Riichi so far is the recently redesigned Reach Mahjong. It's updated by the only 2 American professional Riichi players, and one British girl who they are teaching to play. Great site, although they're still working on bringing the new site up to date. Can't wait to start playing. I just need 3 friends who know how...

What I'm Playing

2007-12-03T08:31:00.000-05:00

Monday means it's time for my weekly video game update. Here's the numbers for 11/26-12/2.

Super Mario Galaxy - a paltry 0:15
Final Fantasy II - 2:40
Fire Emblem: Fuuin no Tsurugi (#6) - 0:40
Fire Emblem (#7) - 1:00
Total Time - 4:35

It was a busy week, with hardly any time for games. I only managed 4.5 hours. On Friday and Saturday, I didn't play anything at all, largely because there was a big school enkai on Friday night, and I spent Saturday recovering and shopping for Christmas presents. But that's ok. It's not a contest. I tested Fire Emblem 6 just because I'd been watching a lot of Fire Emblem preview videos on Youtube, and that made me want to play an easy mission. That, of course, led me to delve back into my nearly completed Fire Emblem 7 game, which I've been playing occasionally for a couple of years. I need to finally beat it. I finally beat mission 24 tonight, and I think there's around 31 or so. So I've probably got a good 10 hours of game play left. I'm hoping to work on it a lot on the long flight back to America. We'll see.

Busy Weekend

2007-12-01T21:24:00.000-05:00

It's been a busy weekend, with very little time for playing any games so far. In fact, I haven't played anything at all since Thursday, when I played a few minutes of Fire Emblem 6, the Japan-only GBA release. I just had a sudden urge for some turn-based, strategic combat, and I didn't feel like working my way back into Fire Emblem 7. Then Friday night was an overnight bonenkai (end of the year party) in Tendo. I wasn't looking forward to it, because my Japanese is shit and I usually feel a little awkward at some point. But I ended up having a great time. The first party had great food, bingo, and I got to talk to some of the new, younger teachers a little bit. And, the 1 teacher I really, really can't stand didn't talk to me at all. What a success! Then on to the second party in a hotel room with Kocho- and Kyoto-sensei (principal and vice-principal). It was tense, but fun. Then out to a strange, modern hostess bar, where I was forced to sing a song by myself. It was the first time I've had to sing in an open bar rather than a private room. I was terrified. I chose the classic "Copacabana," and I think it went pretty well. Thank you, alcohol. Oh, and 1 of my teachers did an awesome Elvis impersonation on "I Can't Help Falling In Love With You." Brilliant. Then on to ramen, and in bed at 1:30. Excellent night.

So Saturday was spent recovering, and doing some last-minute shopping for Christmas presents for my family. Today, also, will be shopping. I need to get a shogi set (Japanese chess) for my dad, but I'd really like to find him another present too. He's hard to shop for. So there might be little time for games today, too. But, less than 2 weeks until I leave for a much needed holiday in the U.S. Thank goodness.

Hanafuda - My New Passion

2007-11-28T07:55:00.000-05:00

My new passion is Hanafuda cards, which means I'm either an old Japanese man or a member of the yakuza. Because apparently nobody uses Hanafuda cards anymore except for the above groups. More specifically, I've learned how to play the game, Koi Koi, which can also be found in Clubhouse Games for the DS. I first read about Hanafuda over on High Dynamic Range Lying, a blog mostly about games by someone in Japan. Then, I realized, "Hey. I'm in Japan. I like card games. I bet I can find some of those." Then, of course, I felt like I saw references to these little cards everywhere. Most recently, Brian Ashcraft at Kotaku is giving two decks as prizes for a Funde Razor in Denver and New York. Just like the ones I purchased, they're made by Nintendo, although they must be a different quality or edition. And now that I've mentioned it, Nintendo, that giant video game company, is also one of the few companies that still makes Hanafuda cards, which is how the whole company started in the first place.

I'm going to try to find some different decks to be able to take home as souvenirs. What's most surprising is how really small the cards are compared to a regular deck of cards. They're kind of hard to shuffle and feel weird to hold. So far, I only have my girlfriend to play Koi Koi against. Luckily, she thinks it's fun too.

The Demo Channel...It's True

2007-11-27T07:54:00.000-05:00

As I was perusing the Wii forum on GameFaqs today, I found a thread claiming that the DS Demo Channel for the Wii had been released in Japan. Despite many posts of "Fake!" and "Liar!" I thought I'd check it out for myself, especially since my Wii was pulsing a calming blue. To my surprise, the light was not Toad thanking me for finding another power star, but was indeed the arrival of the Demo channel. The rumors are true. And in Japan, the channel is called Everybody's Nintendo Channel, which makes sense having checked it out myself. This new channel includes short interviews, commercials and previews of upcoming games, a feedback system so you can rate games. It has a very clean layout and is easy to use. Basically there's a big list of available videos, you click on one and it starts playing in a few seconds. You can then click to make it full screen. That's about it.

I watched a few incomprehensible interviews about Wii Fit, which looks cooler than I imagined. But for me, the Demo bit is sort of a disappointment at this point. It's definitely the coolest feature to come out for the Wii in quite a while, but most of the games available aren't...well, games. The ones I understand are a vision trainer, and English trainer, some sort of Tamogotchi thing, a ebook reader, and a few I just can't figure out. What I thought was a Pokemon Diamond demo was actually just a download for current owners of Pokemon Diamond/Pearl. Hopefully, this will be frequently updated with actual games, as this feature is amazingly awesome in concept. But Come On, give me some actual games, Nintendo.

Weekly Game Time Update

2007-11-26T07:57:00.000-05:00

After hours and hours of hard work and number crunching (or a few minutes), it's time for my first weekly update on game play time.

Super Mario Galaxy - 0:56
Final Fantasy II Advance - 4:37
Meteos - 0:10
Total Playtime - 5:43

My time this week was overwhelmingly spent on FFII, as you can see. The numbers might even be a little bit deflated, because my Thanksgiving weekend was quite busy. The one thing that stands out is my 10 minutes of Meteos, for DS. Not that I don't like Meteos, it's quite fun, but I needed to test out a DS screen protector that I had just bought. Stupidly, I saved a few yen by not buying the best one (a Hori model), and it looks like it won't last very long. Although it was surprisingly easy to put on.

I also ordered yesterday Finaly Fantasy III (which will complete my collection of the first 6 remakes) and Hotel Dusk as Christmas presents to myself. Although it's also to stock up on English games while I'm in the U.S. for Christmas. Everyone needs to treat themselves sometimes, right?

The Aesthetics of Video Games

2007-11-24T23:20:00.000-05:00

Over on Steven Poole's blog, stevenpoole.net, he's made his first book, Trigger Happy, available for a free download. From his site, it's a "book about the aesthetics of videogames — what they share with cinema, the history of painting, or literature; and what makes them different, in terms of form, psychology and semiotics." I've only read the first chapter, and so far it's very interesting. I've always found it a little difficult to track down more academic, intelligent discussions of video games, so I'm hoping this will prove to be a good read.

Some Gripes about Final Fantasy II

2007-11-21T09:27:00.000-05:00

Final Fantasy II. A pretty good, classic RPG, at least the Dawn of Souls version. But the leveling system is still mostly a flawed experiment. Mostly it's ok. As I've progressed through the game so far, my HP, weapon, and shield levels have all progressed at a rate appropriate to the enemies I've been encountering. As have some of the spells, especially the three main attack spells (Fire, Thunder, and Blizzard) and the Cure spell. However, the lesser-used spells (Protect, Teleport, etc.) rarely level up on their own. They're just not needed enough to level up the way the system intends them to. So if you want those spells to keep pace with the rest, you have to stop and cast them over and over again. Then heal, and repeat the process. Annoying. But even worse is leveling up MP. Your Magic Points don't increase just from casting one spell in a battle. Oh no. You have to use up a big chunk of your MP in one battle to have a chance of them going up at the end of that battle. What this means in practical terms is that you have to start a battle, have everyone cast spells or attack themselves, disregard the enemies completely, and hope they don't run away before you use up half your magic. The reason is because most enemies can be beaten by just attacking. So far, a few enemies are strong enough to require magic to beat, and some boss battles are made easier by magic, but in general magic just isn't needed enough for you to gain MP naturally. And it's a pain in the ass to prolong one battle against 4 goblins just to have a chance at raising your MP 10 points.

I like the system in principle, especially with becoming more proficient with certain types of weapons as you use them. Maybe a better system would be to have HP, MP, and statistics level up on their own, and weapons and spells level up based on usage. Anyway, I'm trying to hatch the lasy Wyvern in the world, and then find the last Dragoon. Off to battle!

Mario Galaxy Co-op

2007-11-19T09:37:00.000-05:00

I think I'm going to stop giving semi-daily updates on how much time I'm spending playing games. The main reason is that I'd rather get a broad overview of how much of my time I spend on games, and which games I play the most. Therefore, I'm going to try to start posting my play time on a weekly basis, maybe every Sunday or so.

In unrelated news, I forgot to post my thoughts about Mario Galaxy's 2-player Co-op mode. In the right circumstances, such as with a parent helping their young child play the game, it's brilliant. Basically, Player 1 fully controls Mario. Player 2 uses a remote and has a pointer on screen which can collect star bits, shoot stars at enemies, point out a good path to follow, and most importantly, freeze enemies and projectiles in their path momentarily for Player 1 to pass on by. This last feature is brilliant, and lets someone who is not that good at video games have a much more enjoyable time. I tried it out recently with my girlfriend, who gets frustrated quickly and easily with Mario games, and it definitely prolonged her experience. It's a great feature.

Back on Track

2007-11-17T09:24:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since my last post. I was busy going to a 3 day teaching seminar in Tendo, a nearby city. With commuting times and general exhaustion, I barely had time for playing any games, much less blog posting. But still, since Wednesday I've managed about 50 minutes of Mario Galaxy and much more time on Final Fantasy II, 2:53. The beginning of the game has felt really slow, though it's starting to move along a little now. I've played nearly 5 hours, and there's only been one real dungeon and one boss. Part of the problem was that a new set of mythril equipment opened up all at once in the shops, but it was super expensive to outfit everyone with the small amount of gold the monsters give at that point. So I toughed it out and beat up on endless waves of pathetic enemies. Boring, but I can't pass up a new set of equipment. Finally, though, it feels like I'm advancing the plot. Anyway, I'm exhausted after a long night of drinking, and an even longer day spent recovering.

Starting a New Game

2007-11-13T08:31:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I only managed a paltry 9 minutes of video game time, spent getting one or two stars as Luigi on Mario Galaxy. Today I had a little more time, and spent 16 more minutes on Galaxy, and 38 minutes so far on Final Fantasy II. I have to say, I like the very brief amount of time I've spent with FFII so far. But the leveling up system is already annoying me. Even in just this first hour of gameplay, trying to use every spell, and hoping your HP goes up seems tedious. Not to mention attacking yourself as a method of increasing your stats. For my first-ever play through of this game, I think I might try to avoid artificially leveling up as much as possible, and stick to the main story and fight random battles mostly normally. Perhaps with the exception of leveling up spells by casting them repeatedly if they prove useful. I'm sure there will be many more posts about this game.

And a quick note that Nintendo released the Check Mii Out channel yesterday, which is called simply, the Mii Contest Channel here in Japan. Seems like a pretty simple, quick time killer, similar to the everybody votes channel. It really seems like these little dinky channels should come out 1 every 3 or 4 months or so, rather than the greater part of a year that we waited for this one. Oh well. It's not really that important, or that big of a deal.

Welcome to My Galaxy!

2007-11-11T07:48:00.000-05:00

I beat it! Super Mario Galaxy is finished. And it only took me around 25 hours or so. Well, not really. SPOILERS

I played a little more today. For the few people who haven't accidentally read or seen it somewhere, after collecting all 120 stars in the main game, Luigi is unlockable as a playable character. So now my next task is to collect all 120 stars again as Luigi. The best thing is that he controls very differently from Mario. Compared to Mario, Luigi is faster, can jump higher, and also slides around like an idiot after you stop running. His third characteristic is quite annoying. Nonetheless, I'm looking forward to not only playing as Luigi, but just playing through the game again. It was a blast. The most plain fun I've had with a game in quite a while. But I'll probably take a break, and only play it occasionally now. I was addicted to it these past 10 days, playing it in all my free time, to the neglect of other games.

So for now, it's back to Tetris DS, Dragon Quest Swords, and maybe a Phoenix Wright 3 case. Also, I feel the itch to start Final Fantasy II on GBA. And usually, when I can't stop thinking about a game, I have to play it. Oh yeah, I was also in the middle of Dragon Quest III when I got Mario. A few of those games will, unfortunately, be neglected in the coming weeks.

Playtime today: 3:13 on Mario Galaxy. And yesterday: 1:44.

Mario Galaxy...The Challenge Finally Arrives

2007-11-09T06:44:00.000-05:00

Last night I managed about another hour of Galaxy, and so far tonight I've also played about an hour. This has brought my star count up to 105. Only 15 more to go! Surprisingly, I've run across a couple that are proving quite difficult to get. I even took a break to think them over. Both are purple coin challenges, where you have to collect 100 purple coins, sometimes with a time limit, or sometimes just with the difficulty of finding the well-hidden ones. One of the ones that stopped me the other night was on the Toy Galaxy. Your walking on an image of Luigi, but floor panels keep disappearing or flipping over, and many coins are suspended over a gooey pit of death. I think the secret might be long-jumping across the gaps. I didn't try that, but it should work. The other purple coin challenge is on the Ice Volcano Galaxy, and I'm completely stumped by it. I got a little over 80 coins, all the obvious ones. But there's one on a pillar that just looks like it's too high to reach. And from the very top of the level, I can see a couple of stars far away, on slightly less high peaks, and I have absolutely no idea how to get to them. I guess I'll have to try another time. Maybe I'll play some more later tonight? I don't know.

Wii Gameplay Statistics

2007-11-07T07:38:00.000-05:00

I added a few more stars to Galaxy, making my total 95. Only 25 more to go. The stars now are a little longer and more challenging to achieve or find. I spent a while on one of the "Find 100 Purple Coins" challenges just try to track down every last one of them. Not necessarily hard, just more time-consuming. I've noticed that now that I'm not in the middle of a 3 day weekend with tons of time on my hand, I'm able to commit much less time to games. I spent probably close to 4 hours playing Galaxy on each of my weekend days. But yesterday I only managed 1:30, and today I got 5 more stars in 0:53. Less time spent playing is not necessarily a bad thing, just an observation.

Another thought I had as I work on keeping track of my game playing hours, was that I'd like it if the Wii kept better track of my time for me. In the memo/message section, the Wii keeps track of how long each session is that you play with a particular game. What I would like to see is a better organized system. All I can see right now is a daily report. If I want to know how long I've played Galaxy, I have to go back and look at every single day's report, and add up all the times myself. I want the Wii to allow me to search for a game, and then show me statistics like my total playtime, how long or short individual sessions were, and maybe even be able to compare different games. I know this is a small thing that most people probably wouldn't even care about. Hell, maybe I'm only interested because of this project of mine. It'd still be a nice little touch, though.

Gameplay (Daily) Update

2007-11-05T08:44:00.000-05:00

Here's just a quick post about my game playing time for today. I had the day off from work, so I was able to get in a nice big chunk of time with Super Mario Galaxy. Again.

Super Mario Galaxy - 3:39 (over 6 play sessions)
Final Fantasy VI - 0:54

As you can see, I also managed to squeeze in a little time with FF6. I had saved right before facing Kefka for the last time at the end. I just wanted to quickly finish my first playthrough. About 20 minutes of time on it today was actually just the ending sequence and credits. I probably won't do the bonus content just yet. I plan on playing through it again in the not-too-distant future, and trying to collect everything and beat every side quest. Until next time.