Gamer in Development

Devil May Cry 4 Pc Review (IGN Style)

2008-08-02T18:51:00.001-07:00

Ready your keyboards demon hunters! Devil May Cry 4 for PC has arrived.

The landscape of PC games has long been dominated by real-time strategy and FPS games, which makes Capcom’s offering immediately stand out amongst the pack, but is Devil May Cry 4 worth the attention? Depends on your willingness to forgive deficient level design, an unlistenable soundtrack, and mediocre plot for the rewarding combat system. Long time fans will recognize most of the flaws detailed in this review from previous incarnations. If you loved the previous titles then my score should do little to sway you from picking this up. But for PC users interested in taking their first dip in DMC’s crimson stained waters, read on.

Our hero showing his only emotion, angst.

Our story begins with Nero, a graying teen dressed as a Japanese rockstar, on his way to meet up with his Disney-princess-like girlfriend Kyrie at a local church. The cathedral is house to a religious group known as "The Order of the Sword", whom worship the demon Sparda as their patron saint. (Sparda’s legacy has been the DMC series plot focus since the original) Lo and behold this church sermon doesn’t go quite as planned; a devil named Dante crashes the party and vacates the skull of the order's head priest. At the behest of the religious order, Nero pursues the previous franchise hero. Along the way Nero learns that not everything is as it seems, shocking!, rescues a damsel in distress, my hero, and learns to accept yourself as you are, yeah. Obviously DMC4’s plot isn’t its greatest selling point, but it serves a suitable breather amidst the frantic action.

And boy oh boy, what intense action it is. Players will combat the hordes of the demonic realm as either newcomer Nero or mainstay hero Dante. The two dance about the battlefield like ballerinas dealing death and carnage. Foes are sent to the sky with sword swipes, only to be suspended there by your hail of bullets. Even crazier, these pinned opponents can be used as mid-air stepping stones for even greater combos. Physics need not apply here; this is all about fun and most importantly, style.

In the world of Devil May Cry 4 your success is determined by your artistic decimation of the enemy. As you maintain combos without taking a hit from the enemy, you’ll go up in style rank. Of course- the Devil May Cry series wouldn’t be a pillar of the action genre if it was this simple. The rank gauge only fills when the player mixes up their attacks and employs all their side weapons. On screen this system is represented with a range of phrases; the most basic level is “D for Deadly”, but true masters will achieve the coveted “SSS for Smokin’ Sick Style”. Once the player has completed a stage, the game factors in their style rank, completion time, and items used and collected to award the player with Proud Souls. These act as currency to purchase new combos and upgrade the player’s arsenal. A nice feature of the weapon/combo store is the ability to refund any purchased items; allowing players to experiment without the guilt of wasting Proud Souls.

Let’s begin by examining the tools available to the neophyte Nero. Standard of all Devil May Cry characters, Nero possesses both a gun and sword. In the beginning each act as one would expect. The gun Blue Rose is a powerful revolver, and the sword Red queen is part motorcycle and sword. I’ll return to that sword in just a moment, but for now a quick look at the Blue Rose’s capabilities.

Similar to real life revolvers Blue Rose is powerful and slow to sling lead. Different from real six-shooters is the ability to charge the gun. If player's upgrade this ability to its fullest, the charge shot will plant a ticking time bomb inside the opponent’s body. The explosive radius of the bomb is great against swarming attackers.

What constitutes for a motorcycle sword? - Apparently any blade with a hilt that can be revved and spout fire. Red Queen without the rev ability functions like any other sword in an action game. Players press specific string of buttons to perform combos, boring. Add in the rev system, called Exceed, and things become enjoyable complicated. Similar to Blue Rose, the sword can be charged up to three times for stronger attacks. One level filled equals one boosted attack, but if all three are filled, expect a screen alight with flames. Exceed attacks go beyond mere cosmetic and damage changes. The potential of revved strikes is apparent in the move Streak. When used with no gauge, Nero dashes forward and performs a wide-slash. Level three Streak involves Nero dashing forward three times accompanied with attacks, and the flames increase the damage zone. One final element of the Exceed system for hardcore players is Instant-Rev. If the player presses the rev button at the precise moment the Exceed gauge will fill completely.

Burn baby, burn!

Nero has one last weapon up his sleeve. Cursed by an unknown force, Nero’s left arm has been imbued with demonic powers allowing Kung-Fu grip. Titled Devil Bringer, players can grab enemies from near and far to deal out suffering. Combine all three of Nero’s abilities for greater destruction. Change an opponent into a walking bomb with a Blue Rose charge shot, throw this enemy into a swarm of enemies using Devil Bringer, and follow it up with Red Queen’s level three Streak. Perhaps the best feature of Nero is his choice in taunts. Nero joins one of two characters on PC to employ air guitar as a victory pose, a salute to Team Fortress 2’s Pyro as the other. Nero is simple enough for action novices to enjoy, yet suitably complex for DMC enthusiasts.

The only ability shared by both Dante and Nero is Devil Trigger. Since the two have demon blood running in their veins, why not harness this power. This technique grants extra wallop behind their blows and regenerates health until the Devil Trigger runs dry.

The loud-mouthed Dante plays wildly different than Nero; which brings me to my first complaint. Devil May Cry 4 is organized into 20 missions, the latter half of which belong to Dante, excluding the final mission. After hours spent becoming accustomed to Nero’s play style, the developers thrust gamers into the shoes of Dante, without a tutorial. Capcom’s probable assumption is that players will be familiar with Dante’s moveset, as he is a clone of DMC3’s Dante. But, as producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi stated numerous times in interviews prior to the games release, Devil May Cry 4 was intended as a gentle introduction to the series. Even worse, the difficulty ramps up the moment Dante steps into the picture. Gamers unfamiliar with the wise-cracking devil will combat not just the AI, but a general lack of knowledge.

Dante’s repertoire of attacks has grown with each installment of Devil May Cry, and at this point is too vast to dedicate great attention to in one review. As Dante, players are in charge of four melee arms, three guns, and four forms of style. Most of these features were from Devil May Cry 3, but a few are new to the series.

Unique to the fourth installment is the weapon Lucifer; represented on Dante’s shoulders as a pair of skeletal wings dipped in silver. Lucifer summons fourth mystical roses which can attach to the enemy. Another press of the attack button and Dante drops a rose upon the ground, detonating each of the embedded flowers. Lucifer is perfect for players favoring defense. Another new entry in the DMC universe is the transforming attaché case, Pandora. Instead of releasing sin upon the world, players can unleash the simple pleasure of a Gatling gun, or even pilot a floating missile defense platform.

The last integral skill at Dante’s disposal is his Style forms. The four styles add additional moves to the player’s weaponry: Swordsmaster adds melee attacks, Gunslinger provides new functions to the guns, Royal Guard for defense, and Trickster for evasion. The greatest change from Devil May Cry 3 to 4 is the ability to switch between all of these weapons and styles on the fly. The depth provided by Dante is immense, which makes the glaring absence of a tutorial all the more distressing.

But this fault pales in comparison to the other incomprehensible design choices in Devil May Cry 4. Most of which are tag-alongs from previous Devil May Cry's and fans may be forgiving of these faults, but to still be plagued by design issues from 2001 screams laziness. Capcom has yet to find a better way to seal players in a room than a magical barrier, seriously? Does the soundtrack need to be smothered in eight layers of goth? Beyond the boss fights, enemy AI remains as brain dead as ever. The worst offenders though, are specific to the 4th installment of Devil May Cry.

We’ll begin with Dante’s missions. Nero at the start of the game chases Dante through a Venetian city, lush forests, a military compound, and the Order of the Sword castle. When players are handed the reins over Dante, guess where you must travel? That’s right. You must return all the way to the start and for added punishment, face nearly every boss over again! Capcom boasted before DMC4’s release that it would be the longest title in the series to date. I can understand why, they reuse the same levels over twice. This isn’t Castlevania’s Reverse Castle, this is copy and paste. Only exacerbating this issue is that once Dante's missions are over, players will fight the bosses for a third time in Mission 19.

Can you overcome fate?

As terrible as this boss gauntlet may seem, it doesn’t compare to the way Mission 19 is completed. Think back to the Sega Genesis game Gunstar Heroes. Do you recall that awful board game stage? You know the one where a set of dice to determine if you escaped the god-forsaken board game, or were forced to repeat the entire ordeal over. Capcom thought the idea of leaving player progress up to fate was a grand idea. And, as this reviewer can attest, nothing is worse than 30 minutes of progress stolen from you by a dice roll; especially when boss fight squares are on the board. Maybe you’ll luck out and transverse the board in a single roll, but my guess is that your fist will be shaking as mine did.

The developer also deemed that the missions focused on Nero should have puzzle twists. Generally the obstacles are easy to overcome: escort a spinning metal top, dodge lasers, find keys, and so on. Slightly less enjoyable were the platforming segments involving Nero's Devil Bringer; the awkward camera and targeting system make these tasks more difficult than need be. But, the real issue with these puzzles is that they pull you from the action, and any moment away from the action places focus on DMC4's flaws.

Everyone loves Dante's unique brand of insanity!

Hiroyuki Kobayashi's attempt to inject drama into Devil May Cry 4 and achieves only passable results. Certainly the story has the makings of an epic journey. An evil cult's attempt at world domination, the hero’s girl falls prey to said cult, and it’s up to you to set things right. The problem is intrinsic to Nero's personality. Between each mission we watch Nero nonchalantly move forward without any emotional fluctuations. In half of the scenes Nero is yawning at the proceedings, making it difficult not to stifle a yawn yourself. I must admit, that I skipped over a few scenes to return to the action. Dante’s entrance in the story almost saves the boring introduction. With subsequent DMC entries Dante's ego has grown to hilarious proportions. Dante delivers the insanity and spectacle appropriate for an action game. You would think that their diametric personalities would balance the experience, but only one of them is truly necessary in this bombastic series. Nero may be fun to play as, but he should be relegated to second fiddle in later Devil May Cry’s.

Outside of the vocal performances, the audio elements of DMC4 are ostensibly its weakest link. Capcom has hired musical artist Jason “Shyboy” Arnold to once again perform a little audio masochism on gamer's ears. His unique brand of torture is a dense collection of faux-screamo tracks, that plague you nonstop. After you’ve listened to a few of his “masterpieces”, pay a visit to the options menu to mute the awful. Don’t forget PC’s have the wonderful ability to play MP3’s in the background. The sounds of battle serve their function, but they lack the necessary impact to raise your pulse.

Gamers worried that their keyboards will render the action game unplayable needn't worry. The standard key layout works admirably and was how I completed the game. Your QWERTY keyboard won't bar you from achieving those "SSS" ranks. Still, the game was designed for gamepads in mind.

The extra content found in console versions is present, and Capcom even saw fit to add two new features to the PC edition. If players travel to the options menu they'll find a Turbo option selectable. Flip this bad boy on and Devil May Cry hits ludicrous speed. Turbo boosts the games overall speed by 25%, and having played the console versions, I can say in confidence that this is the definitive method of play. Devil May Cry 4 for consoles was a tad slower than previous DMC games and this option matches the speed to DMC3’s standards. Also a new difficulty mode, titled Legendary Dark Knight, increases both the enemies’ health and numbers. We’re talking a jump from previously 4 enemies in a room, to a sea of upwards of 50 demons. If you’d like a taste of real exhilaration, throw yourself into the masses presented in LDK mode.

For those burned by Capcom’s previous ports, Devil May Cry 4 is the first to get it right. You don't need a super computer to run the crazy action in this game. In fact a mid-range rig should easily conquer on screen barrage. If you’re still worried that you computer isn’t quite up to snuff. Let Capcom alleviate your fears by using their benchmark program to measure your performance. The program even describes your quality of play via the DMC's Style ranking system, cute.

Closing Comments

After many failed attempts, Capcom finally brings a competent console port to PC users. Does the game deserve a place in your PC library though? Surrounding Devil May Cry 4’s great combat system is a collection of design choices that are in desperate need of an overhaul. If you’re strictly purchasing DMC4 for its golden combat, than the price of entry is perfect. Otherwise, you’ll find the numerous faults of DMC4 too difficult to swallow. Oh, and in the future Capcom, leave the six-sided dies to yahtzee.

8.3	Presentation Over-the-top cut-scenes make their return, but the 4th entries' attempt at real drama falls flat. One part serious, plus one part silly, equals all parts mediocre. Menu screens are difficult to navigate thanks to DMC4's console roots.
8.5	Graphics Devil May Cry 4 was beautiful on consoles and remains so on PC. Most assets are largely unchanged in the PC edition, but the clarity offered by antialiasing gives everything extra sheen. Runs flawlessly on most mid-range rigs.
7.6	Sound A limit should be placed on the number of throat-choking metal tracks in one game. At least the vocal performances are soft on the ears.
8.5	Gameplay When Devil May Cry 4 focuses on its greatest strength, combat, you’re sure to have a good time: but back-tracking and environmental puzzles drag the entire experience down. This is unfortunate because new-comer Nero alongside veteran Dante is a blast to decimate foes with.
8.7	Lasting Appeal Gamers eager to slay more demons will be pleased by the additional content served after the credits. New difficulty modes, additional costumes, a 101 floor dungeon called Bloody Palace, and artwork are sure to keep DMC fans pleased for quite some time.

Overall: 8.3

(Score is not based on average)

Screenshot Gallery

Snatching My Heart

2008-08-01T19:28:00.000-07:00

Over these last few weeks I've debated the continuing of my Snatcher video series. After some thought I have decided that a multi-part video for one game is both excessive and unwarranted. Quite a few internet users have created videos examining Snatcher, and dare I say they are technically superior to mine. Though secretly I shall forever stand by mine as the primo featurette. Why continue to litter the internet with unoriginal tripe anyway?

This decision has lead to the creation of a new dilemma. Resting inside a folder on my computer is 70 gigs of snatched Snatcher footage. Since I've chosen to discontinue my Snatcher series these videos are of no use to me, but that's 70,000 innocent megabytes potentially sentenced to digital execution! A cruel and unjust fate for so magnificent a game. In order to preserve my experience in some form I've included a write-up and some videos. A taste of the bittersweet experience provided by old-school adventure gameplay coupled with great storytelling.
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Snatcher can be likened to a great John Carpenter film. The material presented is neither high-class nor innovative, but there is an infectious charm that is impossible to resist. After watching the movie-like introduction, credits included, and listened to the complementary synthesized jazz overture, even the most cynical of gamers will find a smile on their face.

Konami for quite some time has been my favorite game studio in the soundtrack department. (My morning alarm is the Zone of Enders 2 theme) Released in a period when sound design for games was relegated to primitive midi orchestrations, Snatcher boasted CD-quality beats. The music is not fully orchestrated MP3s, however the audio fidelity is much stronger than Super Nintendo or Genesis games, due to the storage size in comparison to cartridges.

Digitized saxophones and synthesizer wails accompany the player as they guide Gillian along his journey. As unpleasant as midi-arranged acid jazz may sound, the audio is perfect for the material. The soundtrack evokes a sense of nostalgia when grooving along to the 80’s inspired soundtrack. Perfect for a game in the very early 90's.

From the onset, Snatcher’s story appears rudimentary and unimaginative, “A man with a mysterious past captures T-1000 robots in a dystopian future, with overarching cold war themes.” The premise of an amnesic hero uncovering their past whilst pursued by the bad guys is beyond cliché; are there any words beyond cliché, perhaps cliché-er? Most character designs appear almost patent-infringing similar to the sci-fi anime Akira. And you may expect me to say that Kojima’s masterpiece avoids being stale with a fresh take on the formula, but this isn’t quite the case.

The genius of Snatcher’s storytelling is Kojima’s willingness to play with gamers expectations. As the videogame market has grown, development studios have become entangled with the directives of publishers. In essence, as the industry has become big bucks, directors have lost the freedom to experiment. The modern gamer going into a videogame purchase understands the features expected in a product. Every year the videogame market is flooded with new games of this standard. Upcoming titles such as Gears of War 2 and Call of Duty 5 are prime examples of this trend. Both are phenomenal games, but their designs are creatively bankrupt. Konami has come to accept Kojima as their leading man, in lieu of this he’s received a wider range of freedom than most developers. This freedom allowed Hideo Kojima to overcome mundane design, and playfully experiment with the worn expectations of gamers.

An example of Kojima’s offbeat creativity is the breaking of the fourth wall. It’s not uncommon for lead character Gillian Seed to directly communicate to the player on the proceedings. Near the introduction of Snatcher, the character Metal Gear remarks that the player should turn up their television to hear a ticking time bomb. Obediently, I cranked my television’s volume to full blast. Seconds later the explosion rocked my ear drums to oblivion; Metal Gear MKII commentated that I, the player, should have turned the volume down. Kojima may have ruined my speakers, but the novel demonstration of a player’s willingness to follow orders, was a fine trade off for my speakers. Snatcher relishes in the fact that it is indeed a videogame. Our market is overburdened today with gritty sepia-toned shooters; Snatcher is a welcome reminder that games can funny.

The best moments to be had in this classic is during the excellent cut-scenes. Narrative in videogames since its origins to the 16-bit era was told only by text and still images. Developers had no other options for a number of technical reasons. When consoles began to use disk drives, the barriers preventing Kojima from a Hollywood gaming experience were gone. Proper 3d graphics and computer generated content was still years away, so Kojima employed anime inspired animation to punctuate Snatcher’s plot.

The story begins with a voice-over describing the world around the player. A mysterious plague in the 1950's reduces the population by as much as half. Robots since this incident emerge each winter to hunt humans. The world's in a crisis and you're there to pick up the pieces. After thirty minutes of playing, you'll come face to face with your first Snatcher, escaped the previously mentioned time bomb, and explored several of the seedier settings of Neo Kobe. The dramatic finale clocks in at about 30 minutes, and by this time you’ll be so mesmerized by the preceding hours, that no force in this cosmos can remove you from your seat. The quieter segments also receive focused attention, onscreen characters are perfectly emoted; quick smirks, sly glances, outraged expressions, and so forth are charming to witness. Snatcher is only ordinary on the exterior, inside the exuberance of the presentation shines through.

Destroying rogue androids and rescuing ladies in chains, all in a day's work.

Hideo Kojima’s second outing isn’t without faults. I’ve spouted quite a bit of hyperbole up to this point, and it’s time to bring things a little closer to Earth. Snatcher at the time set the bar of what a skilled developer could do with a videogame story, but the gameplay is less than stellar. Imagine those old Goosebumps choose your own adventure books, as the reader progresses from page to page the book allows the reader to alter the story by choosing a branching path. The wrong decision leads the reader to flip to a false conclusion. Replace The End with Game Over and the talking puppets/ooze/mask with flesh stealing robots, and the differences between Snatcher’s gameplay and a Goosebumps book disappear; except R.L. Stein’s writing is the casu marzu sort of cheese and Kojima’s is a rich provolone. But even if the writing is top-notch, gamers are still just reading, not playing. Even more discouraging is that the story follows a single linear path. After completing the game once, the player will have experienced all that Snatcher has to offer.

That is if and this is a big if here, the player can overcome a few obtuse and poorly-designed puzzles that stand in their path to the credits. As a gamer who’s overcome the conundrums of old-school adventure games or a Silent Hill, I believed I had earned my Sherlock Holmes stove pipe, but Snatcher quickly put me in my place. A well-designed puzzle results in that sensational “aha” moment when everything becomes clear. Most of Snatcher’s challenges elicit such a revelation, but others left me dumbstruck. This could be my own user error or perhaps poor design. I’ll use a story from my own experiences to elaborate.

Late in the game, players are asked to spell out the name of the villains’ hideout using the letters O, L, E, E, N. My first theory was to rearrange the letters to form a possible word or name. After a few failed anagrams the game informed me to think about how the letters were arranged. Obviously I was on the right track. Cut to a few minutes later and after using an online anagram generator, I had completely run out of possibilities. At my wit’s end, the game throws me another lifeline. Perhaps there are letters missing from the name. My puzzle had become infinitely more complicated. Was one letter missing, or two, or even more? Did these missing letters fit someone between the previously given letters? Another round of failed guesswork and it was time for an FAQ. The elusive name was Queens. The character Metal Gear MKII laughingly remarked that the answer was obvious. Apparently I was to assume the letters originated from a neon sign that was partially burnt out. This implied deduction isn’t entirely farfetched, but why was I mislead with the letter arrangement tip? This wasn’t the only puzzle to skyrocket my blood pressure. Another puzzle involving two switches and a set of doors was particularly maddening. For the sake of your controller or keyboard, remember to keep a guide handy to overcome Snatcher’s occasionally unintuitive puzzles.

Much like Hideo Kojima’s other games, Snatcher excels in presentation and storytelling, but playing the game is only passable entertainment. There is an obvious eschew in the design to favor of the cinematics to gameplay segments. The story is as thrilling as a rollercoaster with no brakes; peppered with great 4th wall breaking comedy. The truly tragic issue is the linearity of the experience. Regardless, this sci-fi film/game is perfect for any player in the mood for a classic adventure.

Mystery Block Tuesday: The Soul Burns Bright

2008-07-29T07:42:00.000-07:00

July 29, 2008

After a long hiatus my rumour mill is making a return to the blogspace. You would think that a column concerning videogame rumours would be easy to gather materials for, but industry news has been unexciting lately. E3, which usually contains big announcements, held no surprises for gamers this year. Even the small conferences held by key developers like Capcom, Konami, EA, or Bioware showcased titles we've been aware of for some time. Certainly Resident Evil 5, Mirror's Edge, and Dead Space still look amazing, but the demos on display were the same as those a year prior. At the very least, the press deserves a hands on of the updated builds. Why ruin a perfectly good opportunity to garner hype for your product? Speaking of games with hype behind them, Soul Calibur IV is landing on store shelves as I speak, er, type. In celebration, this recent rumour concerns the weapon-centric fighter.

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Theory: Soul Calibur IV's console specific fighters, Yoda for Xbox 360 and Vader for PS3, will go cross platform to battle for Jedi supremacy via downloadable content.

Evidence: In a fighting series known for it's ensemble cast of period piece stereotypes, the appearance of beings from a galaxy far, far away was a polarizing moment. On one hand the players can be greatful Yoda is in another fighter that isn't Star Wars: Masters of Teräs Käsi. In the opposing camp, a samurai versus a master of the elements of the cosmos seems a tad unfair. Also, a katana after colliding with a lightsaber should produce a puddle of steel. Though as my more Star Wars knowledgeable friends informed me, a light saber is composed of cortosis weave, which incidentally cannot cut high-density objects. Go figure. Regardless of your support or opposition of these alien invaders, Namco Bandai saw their addition as a plus and even placed the iconic figures on the boxart.

If you do happen upon the cover of Soul Calibur IV you'll notice the Jedia masters are unique and exclusive to either Xbox 360 or Playstion 3. Cloaked green muppet Yoda has aligned with the Microsoft rebels, and the always pessimistic Vader joins empire Sony. Players could only dream of the star-studded match up, until hackers recently sensed a sith force residing on the Xbox 360 disc and have uncovered Vader within the data. Even more incredible is that his code is fully functioning. Providing gamers with the user-made patch the ability to wage the epic lightsaber battle glitch free. Which begs the question,"Why wasn't this available from the start?"

My immediate guess, and likely yours as well, is that Namco Bandai is going to offer the additional fighters as downloadable content. Does this mean the developers intended the extra fighter to come at a premium? Forcing gamers to pay for content already on the disc is quite the swindle, but it wouldn't be the first game to do so. Beautiful Katamari in October of last year required 200 Microsoft points to unlock the final four levels. The profit gained by locking out content until paid for is apparent, but nothing infuriates me more than a developer gimping their product for increased margins. Perhaps the Soul Calibur IV leak being broadcasted across the major presses will persuade Namco Bandai to provide the update free.

Possibility of being true: 90%

Note: Seigfried's Ultima Pointy Crystals sword can overcome any cortosis weave.

Monday Soundboard

2008-07-28T15:37:00.000-07:00

The beginning of the week can be a drag if you're returning to a 9 to 5 job you hate. Those long hours spent wondering if you'll survive till that blessed final day in the work week. I'm here to save you from those doldrums with a taste of audio delight. Why waste those minutes at work pretending to be productive? When you could easily listen to podcasts while wasting your bosses' money! Now that is efficiency.

(Right-click and Save Target as to download.)

1up Yours!

GFW Radio

1up FM

Giant Bombcast

Player One Podcast

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"A man chooses, a slave obeys."

(Andrew Ryan, Bioshock)

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Weekly Bits & Bytes: July 20-27

2008-07-27T16:46:00.000-07:00

Videogame industry news moves at the speed of light and is impossible to keep up with if you have a job, wife, or life; I lack all three! Free of all those frivolous duties I can constantly refresh my favorite game sites for the latest industry press. It's great to be the king of gaming trivia, and to be a good king I must share my knowledge with you serfs who lead lives of priority. Prepare thyself for ye gaming updates!

Update 1: Indie-d Summer Time

GamesRadar, the gaming site more known for their brand of snarky top (insert number here) lists, has compiled a list of games from the industry unknowns. In celebration of the sweltering summer days they've rounded up a whopping 365 indie games to play on these breezy evenings. All free, all amazing. The high game count may seem a bit daunting to shuffle through, but have no fear because the list is grouped by genre for easy picking. After downloading a number of them myself, you truly can't go wrong with their stellar selection.

365 Days of free games

If you still would like a more structured guide to the prime pickings, I'll riff some stylings from GamesRadar with my own top ten.

TOP 10 Indie Games From the "365 days of free games" List
Click upon the unknown, and experience these gems.
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1. Rose and Camellia
2. TrackMania Nations Forever
3. Cave Story
4. Guest House
5. Knytt Stories
6. Echoes
7. Shift
8. Clean Asia!
9. Dino Run
10. 5 Days a Stranger (The first entry in a five part series.)

Honorable Mention: The other 355. Seriously, I had to pry myself from these games to write this post.

Update 2: Bounce Trounce

If you're a fanatic of fighting games, like me, you're probably clamoring for Soul Caliber IV's release later this week.

The latest addition features much of the same gameplay as previous Soul titles. Buff men wield large slabs of meat against voluptuous, scantily clad women. Newly updated for Namco's latest are: mammary gland expansion for each girl, a clothing destruction system, and a climax move usable against the unclothed opponent. In fighting games I prefer light and quick over strong and heavy, so I often choose XX chromosome aligned characters. Usually the hyper-sexualized appearance of my fighter poses no issues, but Soul Caliber IV has gone into sexy overdrive. Behold a picture of sword-chain-whip wielder Ivy for comparison.

Soul Caliber II Ivy Pre-Op ---------- to ----------- Soul Caliber IV Ivy Post-op

As a dedicated Soul Caliber fan I can appreciate the extra eye candy while mastering moves, but are gamers so shallow that we only seek greater cup sizes in sequels? Answer... yes.

Update 3: Why So Serious?

Actor Gary Oldman, who plays commissioner Gordan in Batman films, recently let slip information on a videogame tie-in to the Dark Knight film. The news of the still mysterious game was uncovered during an interview between Gary Oldman and G4 ComicCon coverage. Details are sparse, but the actor described the game featured numerous action sequences.

This is particularly interesting because the previous movie adaption Batman Begins was entirely stealth based. I've yet to play the first game, but weren't jazzed by the sneaking gameplay.

"The fear system is so weakly implemented, the stealth elements are so heavily swayed by trial and error and the game's progression is so tediously scripted, I never became the Dark Knight."(Ivan Sulic, IGN)

If the developer is willing to abandon their system, there is promise of a successful game yet.

After seeing the film there are a few difficulties I can foresee in making a Dark Knight videogame adaption. Even though the film featured some exciting sequences, the ratio of drama to action seemed nearly 4:1. Unless the developers pad the game with extra levels and storyline not featured in the film, expect a very short game runtime. I'm always wary of film to game adaptations after suffering through Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. Nightmares of the escort Princess Amidala missions haunt my dreams still.

Coming Attractions: Pumpkin Kings Edition

It may be a bit early to look forward to Halloween scares, but developers over this summer have shown a number of horrors awaiting us in October. Enjoy these horrifyingly good teasers of what you and I will be playing later this year! (Twinkle, twinkle little star will never be the same.)

Dead Space

Siren: New Translation

Silent Hill: Homecoming

Capcom Announces Dead Rising Wii

2008-07-16T17:57:00.001-07:00

Includes 64DD accessory to unlock Wii blast processing!

Japanese gamers flipping through their latest issue of Famitsu were shocked, and likely confused,to find screenshots of Dead Rising Wii Edition. Back in 2006 when I saw the first images of the digital Thriller simulator I thought,"Wow!-this is the first game where next-gen system power brings new gameplay." The revelation that the gameplay pictured above would playable on Wii, insanity.

Gamers proficient in moon speak have translated the magazine preview for extra details. Supposedly the port will be sparingly downgraded to be playable on the Wii and will include extra content. Gameplay additions known thus far are waggle control, an extra boss, and more costumes. My impressions after seeing the scans is generally positive. The textures have been smudged and blurred to PS2 quality, but the army of shambling undead are accounted for. Provided below are the Famitsu scans for you to pass your own judgement.

Nintendo\Sony Conference Live Blog

2008-07-15T08:39:00.000-07:00

Tis the Season for E3

2008-07-14T15:57:00.000-07:00

Today is the day, the beginning of the greatest game convention of year and probably last year of the Electronic Entertainment Expo! Professional bloggers around the world are covering this event live. So why shouldn't I?-Rhetorical. Using a live chat feed program and my boobtube I'll cover the Nintendo press conference tomorrow. The experience should provide some good writing experience.

I'm also proud to show off a bit of my future website. The basic template is finished and I'm formatting the site in dreamweaver.

You may also notice that my corner of the net has been a little quiet. Prepare for far more updates in the future. In these last few weeks I've amassed quite a collection of half-written articles, that will change. I hope everyone enjoys their E3 festivities!

Mystery Block Tuesday

2008-06-24T19:39:00.000-07:00

July 1, 2008

Today marks the creation of a new feature for this blog of mine, known as Mystery Block Tuesday! This column will commentate on the latest gaming rumors and speculation on the net. And what better way to start this endeavor than with a personal crackpot theory.

________________________________

Theory: Computers will gain the ability to play Xbox 360, Wii, and PS3 games.

Evidence: Two weeks ago a crafty Neogaf forum poster had cracked the login screen to a Microsoft marketing website. The contents of the site were PR statements on unannounced games, questionnaires pertaining to these titles, and details regarding additions to Xbox Live! Services. Intellisponse the marketing group behind the site has yet to comment on the leaks. This site however has been a Microsoft affiliate for numerous years; which gives the information credibility. The leaks primarily concerned Activision games, fourteen Spiderman game concepts and a 360 balance board Tony Hawk, but the most interesting leak was a software/hardware item labeled Trioxide.

First reported on gaming blog Kotaku, the PC product Trioxide allows gamers to play all current generation consoles on their desktop. Further details are sparse, the item would come with two different price tags; a $49 dollar edition and a $299 version. Why such an immense gulf between the prices? An even better question is whether this is a hardware or software peripheral? The very best question being how this product could avoid a barrage of legal suits?

I scoffed at the idea when I first read the news two weeks ago, but after some candlelight pondering, solutions to these issues began to formulate in my mind. Maybe Trioxide isn't nearly as impossible as it first seemed.

The first question to be resolved is in what form Trioxide would arrive. Are users going to install the software on their computer and then emulate the games, or could the device plug into your computer? The software route when evaluated is the least likely. Emulation software is an inadequate process of running console games on PC. Transforming the hardware framework of a modern console to run on a computer framework eats processing power, and even the best emulation suffers countless software errors. If someone is forking over nearly 300 rupees for a product, it should work out of the box. Of course a hardware solution also features numerous issues. The product would still be incompatible with most computers and there is also the legal matter of whole-sale replicating hardware without permission.

Unless, of course, you were given the legal go ahead to reproducing the hardware. Now presenting Exhibit A. Electronic Gaming Monthly's rumor section is a well-known article for posting more fact than fiction. Most gaming sites post information from the EGM rumor mill as fact. For those too lazy to click upon Exhibit A, the article reveals that the magazine's rumor section claims that Microsoft is allowing third-party Xbox360 production. This opens the opportunity for a company to produce the Microsoft console after monetary values are settled.

This wouldn't be the first time a hardware device allowed users to play console games on their computer. The Sega CD for instance was manufactured into IBM computers. The $299 also falls in line with the most basic version of Xbox360 hardware. But then what does the $49 version include you ask? My guess is that the device is a capture card. These wonderful usb devices allow a console to plugged into the usb adapter and then be routed to the PC. The bonus of such a setup is the ability to play on a computer monitor. For those less tech savvy, monitors feature HD-quality displays. A high-def experience without the expensive television.

Another key issue to address is Xbox Live! Services. Multiplayer is a big focus for Microsoft's Xbox360 and to lose a portion of their audience to a device would be counter-productive, but even this has a possible fix. Welcome to Games for Windows, Microsoft's software community service which is attached to all computer products. Users signed up to this service play and communicate much in the same way as Xbox Live!. Perhaps the services could combine into one network. A big endeavor for a third-party console producer, but Microsoft would receive a few benefits. For example, Games For Windows was created by the corporate giant to revitalize the somewhat debilitated PC games market. What better way to bring more gamers into the PC fold than by attracting console gamers. This would also increase the Xbox360 software market for potentially increased revenue.

A few questions remain. How would the Wii or PS3 be included with Trioxide? I haven't a clue, but perhaps the product was never meant to include all three at first release. And lastly, how would Trioxide function on diverse computer hardware? Certainly not every PC would be capable of using this hardware, but then why take the financial risk if this is true.

I've done my best logical deduction to uncover the possibilities of Trioxide's existence, but it remains a very unlikely prospect. This argument has been fabricated on conjecture, rumor, and speculation of other sources; which devalues all of the above, but remains worthy of consideration.

Possibility of Being True: 40%

Note: No mathematical system exists for rumor debunking.

Snatcher Episode: 00 Complete

2008-06-23T19:31:00.000-07:00

Preparing Thy Self for MGS4

2008-06-19T15:56:00.000-07:00

Metal Gear Solid 4 was heralded unto us stealth loving gamers last week for the greater of gaming kind. Millions are gleefully sneaking our spandex clad hero through MGS4's lush vistas and witnessing cutscenes of Hollywood production values. One of those millions not glued to the tube with dual-shock 3 in hand is my pitiful self. A bona fide stealth expert since the days of the original MGS, I can only dream of the battle to be won against Liquid Ocelot. The worst of this predicament is that the internet has become a veritable minefield of plot spoilers. Every seemingly-innocent link related to MGS4 a coy disguise by the poster to ruin the suspense. Usually the discovery of spoilers for film/movies/books causes me no worry because the experience is half the fun, but Metal Gear Solid's plot has grown so convoluted from sequel to sequel, that inevitably the final chapter must be a train wreck. However all the reviews I've read have claimed otherwise, and I am so very curious how Kojima escapes his non-painted corner.

Back to why I'm not playing Metal Gear Solid 4. The reason is both my lack of ownership of a PS3 and the absence of cash to resolve prior problem, and the latter issue is from a few failed job interviews. Without the cash you can't play with the stache. A simple equation I should resolve as quickly as possible. My combat edge weakens with each additional day as a non-MGS4 citizen.

In order to hone my skills again and pass the time till MGS4 is in my paws, I am going to pay tribute to Metal Gear Solid 4 creator Hideo Kojima by playing all of his titles. Recording my experiences with each and posting them across my blogs. A day after I complete the title I'll provide a write up to summarize my time. Quite a few of these games will be easy to capture because I own copies of the PC versions of the games, but Boktai and the original Metal Gear's will be more difficult to capture. (Emulation will be used to record a few select games)

The Games in Order Are:
-----------------------------------
Snatcher
Metal Gear
Metal Gear: Snakes Revenge
Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake
Metal Gear Solid
Metal Gear Solid 2
Zone of the Enders
Boktai: Sun is in Your Hands
Zone of the Enders 2
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots???

Look forward to my first update with Snatcher footage!

Enjoy Metal Gear Lupin in the mean time...

-Ciao!

Itagaki the Grand Destroyer!

2008-06-17T15:07:00.000-07:00

Tomonobu Itagaki using his corporation destruction technique.

Recently Team Ninja's founder, pictured above-the creator of Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive series- resigned after claims that Tecmo executives had created a hostile work environment and that the company failed to pay contracted bonuses. Itagaki has deservedly filed a suite against his previous publisher for these damages, but this is only where the battle begins.

Apparently Itagaki wasn't the only Tecmo employee deserving of bonuses. Thirty-Six of Team Ninja's workers were contracted a few thousand yen for the completion of Dead or Alive 4 and Ninja Gaiden 2. Itagaki advised his Ninja clansmen to follow his example and unofficial sources report that all 37 employees are suing the company; with nearly the same number vanishing from the studio. Tecmo an industry staple since the days of Nintendo may fall by the actions of one employee.

In response to the mass exodus of employees and possible legal battles, stock holders have abandoned the company. (On June 4th, one day after Itagaki's resignation, stock fell by 10.6 percent)

This leaves me with only one question. What will happen to my beloved Tecmo Bowl Ds?

Where in Ivalice have I been?

2008-05-22T18:58:00.000-07:00

The last two weeks have been a gauntlet of lows and highs with productive results. I survived another semester of finals and as that chaos drew to a close, family arrived to spend quality time together.

While my brother was visiting he kindly purchased an early birthday present for me, an electric keyboard. Endlessly tapping away on the monochromatic keys has developed strange new muscles in my forearm. The development of these sinewy muscles causes me no discomfort, unless I purposesfully press upon the tender area. I'm having a wonderful time becoming acquainted with the keyboard and may possible have recordable rewards in the near future, or at least be able to play Still Alive fine.

I'm also feverishly working on my Dungeons and Dragons campaign. My approximate goal of completion is next week. The groundwork is completed with the small blanks left to filled, which consequently D&D usually amounts too, the miniscule details.

Sadly I've only made small progress in my Maya. At this stage I understand only the basics of the provided tools. This will change as the summer progresses.

As of late my literary activities have been more focused on the reading of stories, not writing them. This is primarily because I have checked so many books out of the library, that if I don't hasten to read them I'll have quite a few fines. But I still plan to complete my first short-story before May draws to a close.

In more exciting news, I'm planning to create a website in the very near future! After toying around with HTML for the last couple of weeks, I can say in confidence that I am capable of hosting a website. What would I place on this site? This is the bit that excites me most. I hope to create a website that hosts a substantial database to gaming news and information. A virtual hub to the most popular gaming sites, blogs, forums, podcasts, and so on. Another feature I plan to host is full video playthrough of games with commentary and reviews. Not only will I review titles, but I will also host my entire gameplay experience from start to finish. Players curious of any software title will be able to witness the entirety of the title in full.

My older brother recently expressed interest in gaming podcasts and he asked me to use my impressive videogame knowledge to select a few prime choices- I'm so very humble. Just below is my fine selections.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
GFW Radio
Posted on: Wed. or Thurs.
Basis: Weekly
Lenghth: 90-120 min.

The Bombcast
Posted on: Tues.
Basis: Weekly
Length: 90-100

1UP Yours
Posted on: Fri.
Basis: Weekly
Length: 90-120 min.

Player One Podcast
Posted on: Sun.
Basis: Weekly
Length: 80-100 min.

Hardcore Gaming 101 Podcast
Posted on: ???
Basis: Monthly
Length: 30-90 min.

Retronauts
Posted on: ???
Basis: Bi-Weekly
Lenght: 90-110 min.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That's all for now!

-Ciao

Breathing In, Breathing Out, Finals Over!

2008-05-16T13:17:00.000-07:00

Two very stressful weeks have reached their end. I've successfully passed another college semester much to my relief. Monday will mark the beginning of my summer plans, but for this weekend, relaxation.

-Ciao

Context Sensitivity: Leaping Forward in Gaming

2008-05-06T21:57:00.000-07:00

These last couple of years have been a fantastic period of innovation for videogames. One of my favorite innovations in game design is the trend of simplifying overly complex actions into simplified context-sensitive controls. A general rule of game design is, "The less the player has to manage, the more fun the gaming experience will be." Context-sensitivity champions this concept and is leading a new era of gaming.

A great demonstration of the evolution of this gameplay mechanic can be found in the classic videogame standard of the jump button. Ever since the days of Donkey Kong, players have hopped their gaming avatars across digitized levels by pressing a button, but as industry grew so did the need for more buttons to manage more actions. Developers wished to give players more freedom and discovered that the one or two button controller configuration wasn't enough.

Sega in response to this growing issue creates a novel equation to solve this issue, more buttons equals more actions can be mapped to the controller. Thus the six button controller is born. Years later the formula devised by Sega has led to numerous console controller inventions, such as the Super Nintendo's addition of left or right shoulder buttons and Nintendo 64's analog stick. Standard console controllers today, excluding the Wii Remote, feature the configuration of; four face buttons, two analog sticks with corresponding buttons, four shoulder bumpers with varying degrees of sensitivity, and a pause button or console menu button.

Even with the retail space afforded by such controllers, developers are facing the question once presented to them in the Nes days, "How do we fit complex game mechanics on such a limited control scheme." There has been numerous methods devised for such an issue and context-sensitive actions is one incredible byproduct.

Returning to the analogy of how jumping has changed over time by ways of context-sensitivity. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, I believe, was one of the first video games to feature automated jumping. The player loses the ability jump with a press of a button and instead merely needs to move beyond an edge for the character to leap forward. This isn't quite the same as modern day context-sensitivity because the player has zero input on the action, but it marks the beginning of reducing standard videogame avatar actions to an automated system.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time with automated jumping.

Another forefather to context-sensitivity is a gameplay mechanic known as quick-time-events, or QTE for short. The first appearance of this mechanic was in the Dreamcast title Shenmue. A quick-time-event boils down to an in-game cinematic that requires player input to continue gameplay. If a player fails to input the correct commands then the game ends or an adverse condition occurs. The videogame Indigo Prophecy uses this system extensively and is the core mechanic which drives the title's narrative.

Context-sensitivity was born from these two gameplay innovations and is a staple of modern gaming. Gameplay once deemed too complex to be adequately mapped to the limited interfaces of console controllers, can now be relegated to single-button presses with interactive Hollywood-quality cinematics.

Assassin's Creed demonstrated the depth of context sensitivity

This long diatribe is intended as a precursor to videogame trailer released a few days ago, yes I spent this much text for a single video, but you'll understand my reasoning after witnessing the trailer.

Every action in the above trailer was performed with two button presses. Developed by studio EA Blackbox, creator's of SKATE, is their latest game a Sci-fi parkour title known as Mirror's Edge.

I believe we're entering into a Golden Age of gaming.

-Ciao gaming compatriots!

Summer Dreams

2008-05-05T18:45:00.000-07:00

As my finals approach once again so do the days of careless daydreaming that occur during summer, but this year I'll change this lackadaisical routine. Of course the best way to accomplish this is to arrange a workload with set goals, sadly though I have only a few ideas in mind.

One of my desires is to increase the amount of daily creative writing I complete, this number is currently hovering around zero, unless, of course, you consider my blog posts as pieces of art. I do... anyways, back to topic before your laughter ends in a hospital visit. Swirling about in my head are four stories that I've been dying to commit to page. Each of them are inspired by the styles of some writers I have been reading lately: Camus, Rand, Asimov, and Kafka.

Lo and behold, I also happen to have four free months of vacation, with no small amount of trepidation, I shall challenge myself to finish a story per month. Each of them will be short in length, from five to twenty pages, and my focus on each will be to express the central theme with as little additive fat as possible. Lean stories told in the most straight-forward manner as possible. It will be a good exercise in preventing my nature of layering sentences till the point of collapse.

One issue I must resolve is where to upload these masterpieces once finished. The template provided by this website is unsuited for hosting pages of story. This leads me to my next need.

By the time my required academia suffering beckons again, I hope to have learned enough html to build a custom blog, or even better, a site to host my projects. Searching the net I found quite a number of good html tutorials. The rest will be up to me, best of luck me!

I've wrote quite a bit without mentioning my videogame career goals. No worries because I won't neglect the sticky business a moment longer.

The top six goals I have are; play more games, obtain total mastery of Maya, develop basic C++/- fundamentals, write industry related articles, structure a D&D campaign, and create a card games for my portfolio.

1. Play More Games: As my youth slips away from me so does the free time I once had, and this has left so many titles I wished to play in the shadows. I truly feel saddened that I've yet titles like Beyond Good & Evil, Jak Series, Ratchet and Clank, Sly, Psychonauts, and so on till et nauseu. The main deficit in my gamer diet is platformers, as the previous list indicates so well.

2. Mastery of Maya: This is a tall order for a program with such depth, but I believe my conviction is strong enough to become an above average CG artist. I've already cleared the first 100 pages of my beginner's Maya handbook, so push on tenacious me.

3. Basic C++/-: A well rounded developer is the successful developer. Too bad math is my kryptonite and I hear them vidjagames run on those doohicky compooter langidges. I can already see my hunched form basked in the computer glow, eyes bloodshot, brain fried, and fingers aching from evaluating impossibly large databases.

4. Write Industry Related Articles: I'm sure my future employers would love to see evidence that I understand the business upon which I'll be entering. The ultimate goal is to gain a few of my pieces published on a site such as Gamasutra, or Frictionless Insight, or Kotaku. That sort of notoriety would simply be tops.

5. Start a D&D Campaign: Dungeons and Dragons is an absolutely phenomenal way for me to stretch my analytic game design muscles. Plus I can torture my friends in my creations. It would also be a blast if I could enlist my potential employer into my campaign. That really would be a cool learning experience to hear their perspective on my creation.

6. Create Card Games: I would love to meet a prospective employer, impress them in my professionalism, and when I leave provide a polished trinket for their enjoyment. The cards would feature some pleasant artwork, and God willing, would be honestly fun to play.

I've provided the best rundown I could muster on my summer plans. All that's left is the hard part, sticking to the posted plans. In the next two weeks I'll give some meat to this skeletal construct and then all missions will be go. That's all for tonight.

-Ciao Everyone

Blogidy Blog Blog

2008-05-04T20:09:00.001-07:00

I am posting here to announce that I will be posting here tomorrow. End Post.

Short and sweet.

-Ciao

Quiet on the War Front (Project Update)

2008-04-28T14:25:00.000-07:00

Still no news from the studio on the application I've sent, but no worries for me because I'm diligently studying finals.

As for the CG project, I was considering the potential individuals to reference for the models and came to a selection on one of the two.

To represent my favorite character in Atlas Shrugged, my choice was the actor/singer Jared Leto. I'll provide the book's description of Francisco D'Anconia and afterwards an image of Mr.Leto.

_________________

Nobody described his appearance as Latin, yet the word applied to him, not in its present, but in its original sense, not pertaining to Spain, but to ancient Rome. His body seemed designed as an excercise in consistency of style, a style made of gauntness, of tight flesh, of long legs and swift movements. His features had the fine precision of a sculpture. His hair was black and straight, swept back. The suntan of his skin intensified the color of his eyes: they were a pure, clear blue. His face was open, its rapid changes of expression reflecting whatever he felt, as if he had nothing to hide. The blue eyes were still and changeless, never giving a hint of what he thought.

_________________

Another reason why I chose Jared Leto was because his performance in the film Lord of War displays many of the mannerisms held by the character Francisco D'Anconia.

Now to search for an actress that resembles Atlas Shrugged's protaganist Miss Dagny Taggart.

Deuce Blog Work and Project Concept

2008-04-26T15:45:00.000-07:00

Two blogs, two times the updates. Small update today because of how busy I am, college finals reside in the fifth circle of hell. Also an idea for a Maya project.

I called the Game Studio I had applied to once again and recieved word that he was going to email me soon. When I think of an email response to a resume I think failure, but even if I recieve the red stamp at least I'll recieve some good feedback.

Pretty soon I'll begin drafting up concept drawings and keyframes for my first Maya project. As my first project, I chose to go the simple route and recreate a scene from one of my favorite books, Atlas Shrugged. The scene will only last around three minutes and is set in a sparse hotel room with just two characters. The setup may be basic, but I still face alot of work.

A quick suggestion to everyone out there in internet land. Find a live feed of Grand Theft Auto IV and be dazzled as it exceeds every bit of hype it has recieved. Truly amazing.

-Ciao

Tools of the Trade

2008-04-23T18:35:00.001-07:00

Today was the day I had called a developer studio for the first time, and I recieved the answering machine. After leaving a very shaky voice message in their voice box I have decided to call again later, this time with a bit more bollucks in my voice. Seriously, my voice, on that machine, probably wasn't the brightest idea. I was more nervous than I have ever been previously.

On to the brighter topic of this post. In preparation for a job in the game industry, I have decided to gain some valuable skills as a dev member. Being more creative than analytical, I have chosen character modeling and level design as my avenue. While in Barnes and Noble I picked up an introductory manual on Maya, and also a For Dummies C++ book. The next item on my list of items to own is Unreal Tournament III. Since the game comes with Unreal Engine 3, and the modding community is thriving.

In the following updates I'll post my progress in these endeavors, but it will be quite a while for my efforts bear results.

Ciao for now!

-Alexander

Planned Success leads to Success?

2008-04-22T11:08:00.000-07:00

I'm going to place my trust in the above statement. For the last few months I have tirelessly researched the methods of gaining a job within the industry, and I have come to a few conclusions. (The list is not in order of importance because each of them are integral.)

1. It isn't the specific degree which counts, but the hard evidence of your efforts.

Developers are searching for candidates who have gone above and beyond their expected efforts. Simply because you have a degree in computer science doesn't give you a 100% application success rate. You have to show your sideline work in Videogame development. Your name on the credits of a burgeoning HL2 mod, or the play tester of an Indie game. It's all those little things that make the difference.

This also answers the question of attending a college in Game Design. I've grown wary of searching for that perfect game school which will mold me into a developer. They merely teach you the principles of good design philosophies, which can easily be gained without a tuition by analyzing your favorite titles. Of course these schools can give you test runs in Maya, C++, and other fundamentals, but these also can be accomplished on ones own time, with considerably less money lost.

I won't entirely discount these schools because some individuals need the focused curriculum to succeed. I could very well be one of these individuals. Though before reaching such a conclusion I will gain my English major.

2. Good communication skills are IMPORTANT!

Game design just like all creative industry requires incredible coordination and clear communication between team members. Before gaining a position in this complicated network, you will need the interpersonal skills to open the path. Networking is a huge part of the game and the most important tool for the greenhorn to gain a job, and for the established dev member to keep his/her job. This ties into my next point.

3. Push, push, push until success has arrived.

A few days ago I had submitted my resume and cover letter to a respective company. Most unknowingly sit back and wait for the doors to open to their success. Wake up from such illusions because you, personally, must open the door. On Wednesday I will call the developers up and ask them about my resume.

Worried that you'll appear pushy? Don't, because a pushy person will still be more memorable than the one with no presence at all. Just don't cross the line of being a car salesman. Developers are very busy people, and taking too much time from their schedule reveals that you're an inconsiderate nitwit.

----------------------------------------------------------

I have to face all of these issues if I ever hope to make it in the biz. On the first point, I have yet to participate in any game related endeavors. However, I have begun to search for mods to change this deficiency.

The second rule is evident in these blog posts. By posting here, I am growing stronger in expressing myself.

As for the final bit of advice, I have submitted to my first QA tester position. Sure I'm unexperienced, and frankly frightened about the undertaking, but I will still push forward. Tomorrow will be my first conversation with the Lead Tester of Black Lantern Studios. If I receive a no from them, I'll simply pick myself up and try again elsewhere.

The moral of the story being this, "Try your best to improve yourself, and everything else will come with time."

I'm going to link a collection of internet sources that have been useful to me. Many thanks to all the founders provided in the links below.

http://www.sloperama.com/advice.html
http://www.igda.org/breakingin/
http://gamecareerguide.com/

Good Luck to all those fellow game industry newbs fighting with me!

Will he be the Chosen One?!

2008-04-20T20:40:00.001-07:00

Bravado aside, I completed my cover letter and resume for the QA position. For those invisible witnesses out there, I will soon post these documents for your entertainment. First I must uncover how to post these pieces of glory.

While posting I should pimp out two incredible indie games.

Noitu Love 2 is a love letter to the 16-bit games of yore, and damn if it isn't fine. Imagine if Gunstar Heroes was ratcheted up to volume 11. It feels strange admitting that my all time favorite side-scroller has just arrived, via an Indie Developer.

http://www.konjak.org/
Konjak is permanently my hero. Once I purchase the game you'll read a gameplay dissection here. (The website features a 2 level demo for any unbelievers.)

The second title to have stolen my gaming heart is an XNA title called Pizzicati. Relaxing and soothing, similar to fl0w. But wait until you reach level 18, which will leave you questioning your gaming masculinity. But, hey, at least the game makes cute symphony sounds. That helps your now tortured soul, right?

gcoope.googlepages.com/pizzicati_0_2_2.zip

A direct link to the madness.

Ciao y'all!
-Alexander

Midway unveils the newest Mortal Kombat and...

2008-04-19T14:17:00.000-07:00

the least likely mash up in gaming history is revealed. For those who have not heard the news or the digital screams of Mortal Kombat fans, Midway has revealed that the latest title pits the Mortal Kombat roster against the DC universe. I'll let the teaser trailer speak for itself.

I can only surmise of three possibilites as to how this concept came about.

1. A MK and DC obsessed fan sent the Midway staff his badly written compendium of fanfics over this very subject and with these epics a blank check.

2. Midway is suffering from their weaker than expected 2007 fiscal year and needed a cash tie-in to survive.

3. Someone on staff really drafted this concept.

Regardless of which answer is correct, number two for me, the most important aspect of any title is gameplay. Midway is more than capable of producing a great game. Color me interested! I only wish the teaser gave us a better glimpse of dark knight versus snowman combat. How cute that they ended the trailer with, "Koming Soon".

Why, hello there wide internet world!

2008-04-18T18:32:00.000-07:00

My name is Alex Wolken and my goal is to work in the industry that preoccupied my life from childhood till now. Videogames have become one of the veritable loves of my life, and my first taste of gaming occurred when I was four.

My older brother coming home one day brought in our first gaming system, the Atari 2600. As a kid I absolutely loved the wood paneled, ribbed top, and often utensils created washboard music on its liqurish surface. We bought a number of the classics such as pitfall, pacman, and even that cute little alien ET. Even at that tender age I recognized how terrible that game was, though the emotion wasn't specifically hate, but frustration that described my experiences. I never once made it past the first screen because that little bastard kept falling into holes, and my poor child's brain couldn't compute the actions needed for escape. I believe that this was the first title which made me consider the gameplay elements of a good software title. ET was also my first experience in game trading. Which is a funny story for another post.

This is where I end my first post and begin my blog and journey into the Game Industry. In my following post I'll tell you about my first steps in gaining a QA Tester position. I'll probably even post my resume and cover letter for your amusement. Ciao for now!