gamesecosse

Brand New Video Games Blog

2009-05-13T20:09:00.001+01:00

Why not have a look at my new blog about video games and all kinds of related subjects: passion4games

New blog and website

2009-02-09T21:15:00.001Z

Will be moving most of my work to http://passion4games.typepad.com/passion4games/

Types of Gamers

2009-01-21T15:03:00.003Z

The link from the title points to a Wiki on the different types of gamers that exist in the world. This effectively scientifically analyses gamers, but in reality we are obviously not as defined. There are a number of sub divisions of casual and hardcore players. A casual player can be anyone one plays Solitaire on their PC during the coffee break, or could be a console playing gamer. There are thousands of what I consider to be casual gamers who play sports or fighting games. They maybe play with their friends over a few beers.
There are also competitive professional players, or even cyberathletes (as some may be known) who travel the world and play in large tournaments for money.
There are also hardcore gamers like myself, who find the rich worlds and stories behind games immensely captivating. We tend to love action adventure and single player story driven games.
Very different to us are the perfectionist players, who will stop at nothing to complete a particular game 100%. They will unlock everything, beat every difficulty setting and always try to beat their high score. This type of gamer is a phenomenon I don't particularly understand. They generally make excellent computer programmers - many of the good programmers I have met in the past can stay up all night in order to get their one piece of code to work. They're incredible!

Bad design, or is it just me?

2009-01-20T13:58:00.003Z

Been playing through Dead Space in the evenings. I managed to enjoy the first 4 chapters before the fifth sadly forced me to restart from the very beginning. This isn't the first time this has happened with survival horror or action game games, and I suspected I might run into problem from the outset of Dead Space. First things first, I think my general gaming skill level is pretty low, with respect to joypad skills at least; puzzle solving is a different story. I tend to find even the normal difficulty setting a challenge, which I suppose is kind of embarrassing. But that aside, I see a recurring problem with this survival horror genre.
These titles use a 'limited space' inventory system, so in other words you can only carry a certain limited amount of health, ammo and other beneficial equipment (possibly specific to the game). Any extras you find have to be ignored, or you can drop items to make space. This is done, I imagine, to add that extra dimension of strategy to the game, and on paper it sounds very viable. However, personally, it doesn't float with me. I've only recently come to realise how frustrating I find it!
Obviously, gamers around the world enjoy this design approach. I ask why? The WHOLE POINT is that you don't know what is around the next corner, so how the hell can you prepare for it with the required items!? Maybe you need to have psychic abilities that mere mortals like myself simply can't comprehend...
I replayed a section with minimum ammo about 30 times and finally passed it, only to be thrown into another enemy swamped area with next to no ammo, making it impossible, hence the restart, this time on easy mode... Why not put unlimited storage capabilities or change the mechanic in some way to stop this from happening. Are there people out there who really enjoy repeating the same thing 1000 times?

Tekken 6

2009-01-12T16:39:00.004Z

I've been following this game's development through the internet over the past few months, it's not out on console until Fall 2009 but it's shaping up to be awesome. The game is already out in the arcades in Japan with 2 existing versions: Tekken 6 and Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion, the latter being an update featuring 2 new characters as well as several other upgrades including new customization options. The fact that the console release is not for a good long while gives the team plenty of time to perfect the game. I'm hoping for many good things from Tekken 6.
I was looking through tekkenpedia at some of the screens and noticed a heavy emphasis on customisation. If the arcade version features so much customisation, then I can only assume the console release will expand on this with the aid of DLC. This concept also makes the idea of separate character costumes (ie. the 1P and 2P outfits with a possible third unlockable) a thing of the past. I believe that Tekken 6 characters are designed independent of their costumes allowing various items of apparel to be mixed and matched. This is somewhat similar to Soul Calibur 4, although it has the added feature of full character creation, which from what I've seen is very impressive.
Thinking again about the arcade machine, there is a deluxe cabinet which has 4 separate monitors with a fifth, larger monitor for TEKKEN-net matches. I feel that it is a shame that the arcade scene is virtually non existent in the UK these days. Fighting games are by far best played against human opposition and although I am personally not particularly skilled at them, I love the representations of the martial arts that not only Tekken, but most fighting franchises contain.
Finally, I found several videos of high level Tekken 5 Dark Resurrection play from the Evolution West tournament a few years ago. Have a look here. Remember, this is a last gen game but still looks awesome. Tekken 6 will be huge...

The Silent Protagonist

2008-12-22T13:15:00.004Z

I've been playing through Dead Space over the last few days and so far I'm very impressed. It's one of the most atmospheric games I've played, and was obviously heavily influenced by the film Event Horizon, which happens to be my all time favourite film! There seems to be a reference around every corner, along with the general design of the game's setting - the Ishimura (a deep space mining vessel)
As an action/survival horror game, it follows the formula to great effect. Lots of gore, disturbing human abominations for enemies which creep up on you from behind in the dark, and of course practical action based challenges & problem solving.
As the player you assume the role of Isaac Clarke, a lowly engineer investigating the stricken ship Ishimura. However, Dead Space adheres to the 'silent protagonist' method of storytelling, which naturally only works with video games (with a few exceptions).
It may seem strange to those who don't play games, but it is as the name suggests, the main character never says a word for the duration of the game, the supporting cast provide all dialogue and you as the player robotically carry out tasks. Although on paper, this sounds dreadful, it actually works very well and you will forget the fact that your character is silent before long as the game sucks you in...
There are very good reasons for this approach, the main being that it allows the player to create their own interpretation of the character. It's likely that you will never see the character's face during the game either.
Dead Space achieves this with the use of a visor combined with a full body suit. The end result is that the only tie to Isaac Clarke that we have, is the name 'Isaac Clarke'. The suit could be worn by anyone!
The potential for a sequel is also very much increased, as we do not have to 'become' another character, or indeed become Isaac again in a different setting. I have found myself disliking certain games and films as a result of not relating to any of the characters. This problem is negated here. There will apparently be a Dead Space sequel which I'm looking forward to. It's a new IP and will hopefully become a great franchise. I recommend it to anyone who likes sci-fi and of course, a scare!

More about Karate

2008-12-09T16:11:00.005Z

That previous marathon post started me thinking and I feel compelled to reiterate that last paragraph. It really became a rant. I've turned into yet another angry blogger...!
I would like to say to any young person thinking about starting karate, beware of egotistical old men at your chosen club. They are not as good as they believe they are.
There is a rare breed however; grand masters who have devoted their entire lives to karate, and descend directly from the Funakoshi or Harada lineage. These are not the people who I am referring to in this blog and I have the utmost respect for them. Although they do happen to be the people who the egotistical old men model themselves on.
After changing karate clubs, my training took a far more gritty, streetwise, and athletic theme, steering away from intense technical & philosophical workouts, although this was still present. With this change came new ideas and indeed different types of individuals to train with.
It is commonly known that the strength of Shotokai is in it's diversity, and this new club prompted me to start practicing 'my' Shotokai rather than the sensei's. I am after all, far taller and heavier than average, and can use this to my advantage.
Having said this, I, along with almost every other karateka in my style, must remember 'soft' karate. Only after years of training, I realised that my size and power can be combined with relaxation rather than brute force to achieve great results.
All of the above is fair enough, but it does not hide the fact that in it's element, karate is, believe it or not, an athletic activity. You actually need to be fit. Why do people not understand this!?
The brainwashed old men of above feel that they can start karate in their sixties, train for 5-10 years and then think of themselves as 70 year old grand masters. You would not take up football in your sixties and then expect to be able to keep up with the University under 19s squad! Why do you think karate is different!?
As you have probably deduced by now, the point is that this is very different from being a genuine 'soft karate' grand master, so to speak. They can perform amazing feats in their seventies, but not without 50+ years of blood, sweat and tears. Exactly how I train presently.
It sickens me to see these ridiculous men cruising up the grades, getting praised, etc when they can't even complete the warm up. Some believe they could defend themselves against a thug 50 years younger & faster. I would honestly hate to think what would happen...
I'm aware this post has not promoted the idea of older generations taking up new hobbies, or even sports and events for disabled individuals. For this I apologise, but there are separate competitions for disabled people within most sports. This is superb. Once again though, people seem to see karate differently...

Karate Myths

2008-11-18T22:11:00.006Z

During some 'research' earlier today, I stumbled upon a website, or rather a web page, which talked about karate from a very 'true to life' perspective. I was instantly intrigued just by reading the title... The page itself lists ten myths about karate which are generally believed, as the page itself states, either by karate practitioners, or indeed those who only know about karate from films.

I can only say that the article brought a smile to my face; it's strangely (and sometimes sadly) true throughout many clubs all over Britain, or at least mostly true... Please follow the link and have a read. I have my own similar opinions:

1) Karate is an ancient art.

This is actually not true as the article states. There are many ideas and oriental teachings, possibly meditation techniques that are indeed thousands of years old, and some of these do relate to the martial arts of today. However Gichin Funakoshi is regarded as the founding father of modern karate; he lived from 1868 to 1957...

2) Karate is good for fitness training

The article denies this, but please believe me when I say karate really is very good for your fitness. I can understand the author's point of view, fitness is a strange phenomenon. It can be subjective, ie. some people can exercise for years and never really improve their fitness. Combine this with the fact that no matter what sports coaches say, fitness is relative to your chosen discipline, in that somebody who plays football will become 'fit for football', but not necessarily karate. There are many different ways to be fit.
Remember, I am speaking from the perspective of a young karateka in his early twenties. I have trained since I was seven. If you begin karate in your forties, when your day job involves ridiculous hours in front of a computer screen, then yes, you will likely struggle, as you would in any sport.
Training regimes do vary from club to club, but all I can say to those few who have trained for many years and don't see any improvement in fitness, is come train at my club!

3) Bowing and formality is an essential part of karate training

Once again, this is denied to an extent. I am a little indifferent on this matter. Although I agree that you must always respect your practice partner and that traditions should be upheld, I do think sometimes clubs take it so far to the extent that it becomes a form of vanity. There really is nothing wrong however, with a little 'oriental spirit' within your dojo and training sessions...

4) He's a green belt; that means he's advanced/intermediate/beginner

I personally despise the belt system. The varying levels of skill between different practitioners of the same grade is very apparent. There should also, in my opinion, be a strong differentiation between juniors and seniors. Many of the concepts within martial arts are beyond the comprehension of children or younger teenagers. Although this is similar in many sports to an extent, it plays a far greater role for martial arts.

5) Black Belt is a universal standard

'if one organization can get students from beginner to black belt in two years, and another takes ten years, the standards of proficiency of newly-qualified black belts from the two organizations cannot possibly be the same.'
Fantastic. I'm glad somebody has finally just come out and said it. I feel it's something that many people are fooled by. Deep down, I think many know it's true but few actually want to believe it. Usually those who got a black belt in under a year!

6) Karate training will eventually come to hurt less

As he correctly states, it won't. Why should it? It's a demanding physical activity.

7) Move number X in kata Y should be a block, not a strike.

Karate is very open to interpretation. That is why there are so many different 'styles' with one actual named style (ie. Shotokai). There is also a school of though that says there is no such thing as a block, everything is offense. It doesn't really matter, whatever works for you...

8) To master karate, one must achieve inner peace and tranquility

The idea of practicing karate to make oneself a better person is true. Sorry to disagree with the piece again. You finish a hard days work and want nothing more than to put your feet up with a beer and watch Deal or No Deal... Well maybe... But you go to training and feel 120% better after... Or you should...

9) No comment

10) There are secret karate techniques known only to the most advanced practitioners

Of course there isn't. But grand masters who have been training for 60+ years do demonstrate the idea of 'soft' karate. They use no muscular strength and believe me, if you randomly decided to pick a fight, you could not get anywhere near them.
The problem is, this idea has been misinterpreted. Many clubs have ridiculous old men who train; they have maybe trained for 5-6 years. They maybe have a bad knee or hip. They of course cannot perform athletic feats. To make up for this, they see themselves as 'Mr Miyagi' , as a supposed grand master, who practices soft karate as if there is some divine intervention involved. I have trained with several of these types of individual in the past. I love they way they talk about their training - 'I've reached first dan and now see that it's only the beginning... etc' It's CHRONIC... They are kidding themselves.
Nobody believes in soft karate more than me, and there are many martial artists who have devoted their entire lives to karate, and yes, they are now old men who are genius karateka. But that whisky drinking, cigarette smoking, old bloke in your local club with that massive ego likely isn't one of them...

Finally got to play Uncharted...

2008-11-17T20:54:00.003Z

I'd been meaning to play this game for ages, and now that I've finally got round to trading in the abysmal Guns of the Patriots, I'm enjoying exploring the jungle-like settings of Drake's fortune.

As a number of reviews have stated, Drake's Fortune is neither original, nor pushing any boundaries. It is a textbook action adventure game. To me, it virtually defines the genre in it's purest form. It is also one of the most enjoyable games available. In a sense, fun factor is really all a game needs.

Games these days try to impress their fan bases with many bells and whistles: Extreme customisation options, comprehensive online modes, random additional features, etc. All things which add depth along with far greater time commitment demands. This is far from a bad thing, but it can become slightly tiresome when every new title tries to push interactive entertainment's boundaries.

Uncharted simply gives you a game to play. It's basic in concept: Several key characters, bad guys, a cracking good yarn, and water & explosions! It's a rare type of game these days. One that you can enjoy on a lazy Sunday, and indeed one that you can pause with impunity, without keeping your online comrades waiting while you use the bathroom...

Working as a Game Designer...

2008-11-17T19:49:00.004Z

As I think I 'mentioned' (at least once) in a previous post, I'm currently on a work placement at a video games company in Dundee.
It's absolutely fantastic, the job, and whole industry... I can't really begin to say how much I'm enjoying it. It's absolutely true, the fact that designers must the 'jack of all trades' type of person. I think many people would be surprised to learn about some of the very varied tasks a designer faces on a daily basis. Some are of course regarded as more enjoyable than others, but so far I'm thoroughly enjoying everything, even the mathematical, spreadsheet work, which I would never have anticipated! This is an incredible, satisfying career that I think many take far too lightly, but it's possibly one of the toughest around. The future is very bright indeed...

I could do that if I wanted...

2008-11-11T20:16:00.003Z

There was always that kid in school, that no matter what you've done, you can guarantee that he's done it twice as well, or at least something twice as well. In a similar fashion, there were always kids that would come out with the almost comical; 'I could do that, I just don't want to...'
Interestingly, the latter is remarkably true of later life... Coming up with concepts for video games is something that a lot of people think they could 'just do' if they tried. I wouldn't say I could 'just do' law if I tried.
Ok, in a strange sense, I suppose you can do anything if you set your mind to it. However, it's the facile nature people tend to associate with certain very demanding careers. As I have learned recently, game design hides a great deal of blood, sweat and tears, so to speak. And it's fantastic!

It's been a while...

2008-11-09T11:16:00.002Z

I seem to have been signed off for a while. I mainly blame this on the fact that I've been trying to shape my career of late. Immediate bill paying, money making is very separate from chasing a dream. In other words, working in a kitchen is possibly the most mind numbing work known to man but it's got to be done. You try to gain work experience by applying, etc. What feedback do you get? Erm, we were looking for someone with, wait for it... work experience!! Catch 22.
Anyway, I've managed to get a design placement at a company in Dundee. It'll be awesome...!

Pseudo Visionaries

2008-10-17T18:39:00.003+01:00

I recently read a magazine article referring to 'quasi-visionaries'. It was not used as a derogatory term, rather to simplify refer to the type of wannabe game designers who create their own animations and generally try to impress with their multimedia computing expertise. I have met a lot of these people and sadly, without sounding negative in every post ;-) I think they are (A) A thing of the past and (B) Partially mistaken about the demands of a game designer.

The stereotype video gamer is still a spotty young man who never leaves his room, and whose only friend is his PC and/or game console. Every year, thousands upon thousands of these people try to break into the video games industry. I can't see any reason why these people should make good designers...

As recently as 6 or 7 years ago, the trend for becoming a designer was to get your hands dirty with programming, etc and then graduate to design concepts. This trend has changed somewhat. Design and coding really are separate disciplines and require different types of individual.

Writers are rapidly becoming more involved with the whole development process, rather than being brought in late to piece together some dialogue for action heavy titles. The work of the designer overlaps with the work of the writer, while the coders do their actual job! Neither position is better than the other, but I'm just tired of being a clever, rounded individual, well travelled (fairly), athletic, experienced having had many hobbies and interests (and upheavals). NEVERTHELESS being told that I wouldn't make a good game designer because I am not very good with Adobe software...!!!!

Metal Gear Solid 4 - My 180 degree turn around

2008-10-17T16:57:00.006+01:00

After completing MGS 4 a few days ago, I have to admit that I was a little hasty about praising it. This blog is going to represent my complete change of heart about MGS 4.
I really was mesmerised by it after about the half way point, and was expecting much more to come. progressing through the game, drawing towards a dramatic conclusion, hopefully with a number interesting plot twists. Guns Of The Patriots did not deliver at all.
My first point I'd like to mention, I imagine to the surprise of no one, is the fact that there is more cutscene than game (well, almost). Many gamers see cutscenes as a thing of the past - I am not included. I'm not against set pieces, but these cinematic sequences in MGS 4 were a little mind numbing to say the least. The problem the series has had in general, is that it talks its way through the story, as opposed to acting it out. This is largely down to the complexity of the plot. But I think it'd be better if the game lost the ego trip and just simplified matters.
The ending was actually terrible. An hour and a half of reminiscing, and of course Meryl's wedding... Apparently, there were 'answers' in this game. I didn't see too many. I feel that they could have done far more with the story.
On the note of the wedding, it was preceded by a ridiculous cutscene during the final chapter - A romantic fire fight starring Meryl and husband to be Johnny, against a continuous stream of enemies. He proposed to her in between shooting the bad guys. I won't say any more...
In terms of gameplay, it was good but not great. The octocamo was very cool, but each short section between cutscene felt like a chore, rather than a challenge to be enjoyed.
In many ways, modern action adventure games are falling into the trap of trying to attract gamers with many bells and whistles, while forgetting intuitive gameplay. I'll give you an example: MGS 4 features a plethora of weapons - rifles, SMGs, rocket launchers, explosives, etc as you would expect. Each with a detailed 3D model and description. The problem is that it is easier to simply run through the game with one automatic weapon. In fact, there are many situations where any other approach is suicidal!
The game boasts all this potential choice but never really lets you choose. I would rather a game featured only 5 weapons, but encouraged the player to use all of them in elaborate & varied ways.
If you remember the original Metal Gear Solid, every item was required at some point in the game. The C4 explosive charge was needed to destroy the walls. The Nikita remote controlled missile launcher was also called upon. These are simple examples, yet this basic creativity is not seen in Guns of the Patriots.
There are many gameplay elements that could have been included - an underwater section anyone?
I just wonder why the review scores are all so high? The reviewers must be seeing something I'm not...

Shadow Moses Island

2008-10-08T15:56:00.002+01:00

I'm playing Guns of the Patriots right now. I've just crossed a snowfield and arrived at the Heliport from MGS 1! This came as a surprise to say the least, although with Kojima anything can happen. I love it when sequels revisit old haunts. This game is absolutely incredible...

Low, Mid, High

2008-10-02T15:40:00.003+01:00

A basic principle of the offensive techniques with respect to one-on-one fighting games is the differing attack heights - low, mid and high. This fairly sensible and indeed obvious gameplay system is really the building blocks of the genre. It allows for the depth and diversity the players crave, and in turn allows for the many play styles along with their individual strengths and weaknesses.
It's strange that this should be the foundation of the fighting genre, as it's a basic concept within Shotokai Karate and indeed all martial arts. (They are all the same to me...! Maybe I'll explain that later!) During certain training drills, attacks are aimed at 3 heights: The area above the groin (ouch) or belt height, referred to as gedan, The solar plexus, referred to as chudan, and the throat or face, referred to as jodan.
Do not misunderstand the simplicity of this! This is a very simplified mechanic, and for the purposes of training only. Naturally, an assailant in the street is never going to attack obviously gedan, chudan, or jodan, but practicing with this basic system gives you the dexterity and skills to deal with a more realistic confrontation. It's a generic mechanism and was developed over many years and must not be taken at face value. Shotokai requires a great deal of spirit and use of the imagination, which allows the practitioner to see beyond the raw, simplistic seeming methods. There are many other skills within the martial arts which work off similar principles.
I'm once again relating video games to the martial arts, and it's very apparent here. Okay, so a game shows the mechanism in its raw form, and could never truly include the mind, body, spirit idea of Shotokai (well, maybe...) but there's a very good reason the low, mid, high system works - it is Karate...

Dead Space

2008-09-21T16:14:00.002+01:00

Dead Space is an upcoming survival horror title for which I've been following the development of online over the months. The main reason for this is that the game seems to have been heavily influenced by the sci-fi horror film genre - a favourite of mine. In particular, the film Event Horizon comes to mind. I understand that it's not exactly a mainstream movie, but it's very well written, atmospheric and hugely under-rated. It follows a rescue squad investigating a deserted research vessel in Neptune space, which has been possessed by a malevolent life force. Cue disturbing hallucinations, blood and a shocking climax. I recommend everyone who is even vaguely interested go and watch it, you won't be disappointed.
Indeed, very similar to the premise of Dead Space. It shows that success is not all down to originality, and Dead Space knows this, apparently full to the brim of movie references. What is equally or even more important than originality, is spotting a trend and then sticking to a formula. If it works, why change it?
It's almost mathematical in nature...

Where game ideas come from...

2008-09-16T15:44:00.003+01:00

Listening to a game development conference at the Edinburgh Interactive Festival certainly inspired me to continue endlessly pursuing my dream of working as a game designer. I have read countless job descriptions and personal quality lists online and in magazines with regard to the coveted position of game designer. They all of course say more or less the same thing, but there are sadly many people who still believe programming and design are the same thing. As it was stated at the conference, a designer should essentially be a "jack of all trades". Somebody who has many interests and has taken part in many different activities over the years.
It's true that this life experience is where creative ideas come from, in any media. Of course, a designer must be an avid gamer, but if that is all they do, then their ideas will be hopeless clones of existing titles. Apparently, Tōru Iwatani, the designer of the arcade classic Pacman, got the idea from working on his garden, watching insects and flowers in the grass! Similarly with the 'Octocamo' camouflage system in Guns of the Patriots, inspired by the blending characteristics of the octopus. I can see a wealth of ideas floating around which would make terrific games. With the industry, it's a question of getting a foot in the door...

Guns of the Patriots

2008-09-08T15:58:00.002+01:00

I'm working a lot at the minute so I can justify going out and buying this game within the next few days...! It's the kind of game you hate to read about just in case surprises are given away...

Violence takes many forms...

2008-09-07T20:01:00.005+01:00

The argument regarding violence in video games has been raging on for years, and I've certainly touched upon this topic in previous posts. Probably so long ago I've forgotten, but I've just finished reading an interesting article on the CGS website by Paul "ReDeYe" Chaloner regarding violent video games. It talked about an incident in Thailand that I confess I had not heard about - The story of a 19 year old GTA obsessive who stabbed a taxi driver to death.
Naturally not good news, but also brutal is the fact that it is just another trophy for the 'violent video game opposers' to hold and show to the world. Of course the article on the CGS is from a video gamers perspective, and reinforces the correct notion that people will commit violent crimes regardless - video games are continuously 'lashed' for being responsible for all of this crazy world's ills.
Something that I had noted about the last supposed GTA reenactment was the fact that the perpetrator was only 17 years old and was not legally entitled to purchase the game. Anybody who regurgitates cliched phrases about 'what violence does to our children' were beaten away (with a big stick) with the stalwart argument that the young man should not even have been playing GTA. But then anybody who hasn't watched an 18 rated film before that age probably lives in a cave... Nevertheless, I believe many still haven't come to terms with the idea that with the constantly evolving industry, the word 'game' now doesn't necessarily need to be associated with children. GTA is really not for young gamers. Will anybody ever realise that?
Violence is generally thought of as a single entity. ie. A game (or film) is either violent or not. This is a very naive way of looking at it, and again, is probably promoted by non gamers, who haven't seen the wide array of action on show in today's next gen titles. The combat which makes up the Soul Calibur series is purely fantastical, colourful, totally unrealistic and generally light hearted. This cannot be compared to the sadistic executions of the Manhunt series. ReDeYe believes that game creators should take a little more responsibility over what they include in their games. Very true.
There is nothing out rightly wrong with violent video games, films or books. However, gratuitous, sadistic gameplay for no real reason is a different story. Again this would apply to any media. GTA 4 is very violent, but there are terrific characters, a superb setting and an A+ game beneath which cannot be disregarded.

If a child re-enacted a murder from a book, parents really should take it upon themselves to never let their children read ever again... hmmm ;-)

The Internet in GTA IV

2008-09-04T18:00:00.004+01:00

I've just spent the last hour browsing through the internet included in GTA IV. After setting up Niko's email account, I just lost track of time while looking at craplist.net, and also the very witty Burger Shot website. The store locator page was particularly amusing, as it was composed of just one line, stating that you can find Burger Shot simply by walking in any direction for two minutes! Very Nice... The site also poked fun at the fact that no matter how large your fast food meal, you will still be hungry an hour later... The whole game is naturally full to the brim of satirical references and jokes. The feeling that it's all too true to life tends to come across very strongly.
The game's internet is similar to how I had anticipated, and indeed all the hype the game has received does prepare you for the game's wealth of detail. I think it would be very interesting to play the game from the perspective of somebody who has an interest in games, but has possibly not read any previews or reviews, and is not up to speed on the industry's developments. I feel that they would be very much blown away by it...

GTA IV Progress - How awful is (was) Vlad?

2008-09-03T17:08:00.005+01:00

I've recently had the chance in between shifts to really get to grips with GTA IV. I'm not attempting to review the game in this post, but I'm inclined to agree with the 'great but not perfect' crowd. Mainstream reviewers did deem it the game to end all games - However, I did notice a good number of user reviews, especially on GameFAQS, that did not like the game at all. 2 out of 10 was the predominant score! It is fantastic, and should be played, but there are a few flaws that I'll talk about another time...

To be honest, I'm not quite sure how the plot will develop, but I think Niko is a fantastic lead character. Although he is a violent criminal, there is definitely something likeable about him. I imagine this is maybe part of the reason the game is so successful.

On the other hand, Roman's associate Vlad is one of those awful people the world could do without. From the first meeting, you as the player, really despise him and if you're anything like me, you'll wonder when rather than if he'll meet with a sticky end! Sorry for a possible spoiler, considering there are multiple paths through the game, but his execution on the spot came a lot earlier than I expected. It might not have been the most gory moment in gaming ever (a bullet through the eye is fairly tame now), but it was so satisfying. This is a violent game, and some may abhor that aspect, but on this occasion they should make an exception!

Why are Video Games denigrated?

2008-08-29T13:56:00.008+01:00

Why are Video Games so denigrated when other creative media are not? This is a question that has interested and irritated me for quite a while and I have already touched upon this idea in some earlier posts. There are double standards regarding criticism of video games. Most older people subscribe to the idea of not judging something without knowing about it. It has become something of a truism. So why does this not apply to video games? If you ask somebody who disrespects video games, which games they have tried themselves, they will most likely reply 'none'. Or possibly begin analysing the appeal of Pacman, and wonder why the youth of today waste their time moving 'a wee man around a screen'. Please crawl back under your rock... Either that or they will complain about the violence of certain games without batting an eyelid at films such as (the admittedly brilliant!) Pulp Fiction
I find it irritating that people can get away with this, but I sometimes believe that the key to the problem is down to a few, seemingly innocent factors.
The first of these is in the term 'game' itself. The definition of the word which instantly springs to mind is 'amusement or pastime'. But many games of today share the qualities of film and similar artforms while other, more competitive games have tremendous depths of playability which puts them on a par with many sports. The fact that video games are called games in the first place gives mainly older generations the instant wrong impression.
The second problem I believe is largely down to what developments certain people have lived through in their lives. An old school teacher once told me that I would certainly not still be interested in video games when I was in my thirties. But this assertion disregards the many changes and developments which take place in an individual's lifetime. Of course old age pensioners are not going to support video games when they did not spend their young years surrounded by them & technology. They would have to make a conscious effort to become interested - and many do! These are the people I have a lot of respect for. But maybe, just maybe, I'll be reflecting on the Playstation 3 when I'm in my 70s, while my grandchildren are raving about their personal Virtual Reality systems!

Non arguments when reviewing

2008-08-18T18:11:00.003+01:00

I recently loaded up Shenmue 2 on the Xbox and started another run through the game, something that I haven't done in a while. It really is my favourite game (or rather series) of all time and to me it simply never gets old.
Certain reviews of games give lists of pros and cons as well as a final verdict. I noticed that a particular review stated that a negative point for Shenmue was that the fighting system was not as versatile as the Virtua Fighter series. (From which it was derived) The word 'duh' comes to mind in childish sense! Of course it isn't as versatile, Virtua Fighter does not have a wealth of RPG/adventure gameplay to contend with. A dedicated fighting game will have a terrific, sharp combat system compared to that of an action adventure game, but it must be understood that despite the fact that it (probably) isn't possible to implement a hugely detailed fight system into a title like Shenmue, it is also unwise to do so regardless. The target audience is different and many of the gamers who enjoy adventure based titles are not going to be hardcore, professional tournament level fighting game players that would be attracted to the likes of Virtua Fighter. They would probably not enjoy the game as much if the combat system was too demanding, no disrespect to their abilities! Maybe I'm just not very skilled! The whole point of my argument is that some reviewers out there do not make valid points about the games they are discussing. Some games, like Shenmue, I feel are judged very harshly and it is one of the most underrated titles ever released...

The Championship Gaming Series - Sore Loser...

2008-08-04T17:30:00.017+01:00

I was just looking at some weblog entries from the Championship Gaming Series. The team in question here are the San Francisco Optx, following their tough defeat at the hands of the Birmingham Salvo (holy crap, Britain beating the USA, this should NEVER happen!)
Most of the entries were standard, casual passages about life after defeat, but one very much stood out from the crowd, namely from the female Optx DOA 4 player, Vanessa. Titled 'The Day After' (more like 'The Morning After'), the post attempted to disguise its true nature under the veil of 'a good old fashioned vent' but in actual fact it's just pure, unrefined sour grapes. The belly of the beast considers the semifinal in which Birmingham's Messy defeated Carolina's Offbeat in a final round decider. Offbeat had won 5 rounds in a row, but lost the 6th to send Carolina crashing out. The poorly written blog demeans Messy, ranting about how he essentially didn't deserve any credit for winning the final round, when he had been dominated by Offbeat for the previous five. It seems to deny Offbeat choking for some reason, and even worse, denies Messy pulling through for his team, calling it an embarrassment! I'm sorry, but Offbeat actually stood up to taunt Messy before the final round... Messy remained seated, kept his focus and won. If that isn't pulling through then please tell me what is!? Oh, and during the world final itself, Messy defeated NinjaCW, the heavy favourite.
Winning when it really matters is exactly what all legendary sportsmen and women, no matter what discipline, have in common. It's a quality that Britain does lack in a number of areas, so it's great to see them triumph at the CGS.
Both Messy and Offbeat are terrific players, but I would agree that the North American DOA4 skill level is higher than that of the UK, and I dare say the rest of the World. It's just a vapid, pointless attempt at criticising an underdog for showing the skill and determination on the day. The behaviour of NinjaCW after his defeat was also appalling. A very lame handshake with Messy, followed by him completely ignoring ODEE, Birmingham's Manager, on his way off the arena. NinjaCW then lay inconsolably face first on the side of the arena...
Gaming is now branded a sport, the gamers branded 'athletes'. This ungraciousness in defeat is not how athletes behave. NinjaCW, like myself, is also a karateka, and his televised amateur dramatics do not conform well with the honourable actions of a true martial artist.
Aside from all the negativity of the blog and indeed this post, Vanessa did congratulate the Salvo on their win. This was great to see, and she is a fantastic player, but for some reason I seem find the phrase "I don't give a f**k" floating around some of the message boards of the American DOA4 players. It's great to know you don't give a f**k, about what exactly? Maybe you all enjoy thinking like this, but evidently, Birmingham don't take no crap from nobody, san.

Messy, you sure can hold your nerve under pressure.
RattlesnK and the Counter Strike Source team, you're awesome.
Vanessa, just keep thinking of that scoreboard. Hmmm, what was it again? 22-15 to Salvo?

Silent Hill Homecoming

2008-08-03T13:32:00.004+01:00

I have always been a big fan of the Silent Hill series, and the latest iteration is looking impressive. One of the changes the developers have made is that the protagonist, Alex Shepherd, enters the fray with a certain degree of combat skills.
In the past, the combat in Silent Hill was deliberately cumbersome. The protagonists were fairly inept; they were ordinary people in (very) unusual situations. This idea certainly changed the feel to the game, and in a sense, added more atmosphere. It also defined a slightly different gameplay style to many other action adventure based titles, a style that was reactive rather than proactive, in that the player's mindset could not revolve around the idea of killing anything and everyone in sight.
Although the game has not been released, the fact that the hero is no longer your average everyday Joe could change the gameplay. This might all be for the better depending on the mechanics, engine and generally how well it all comes together, after all, the development team has changed. I'm just wondering what secrets Shepherd's Glen hides...

Critical Finishers Again

2008-08-02T14:42:00.007+01:00

This seems to be a popular topic on the internet in relation to Soul Calibur 4. I think that the inclusion of these Dragonball Z-esque finishing moves is terrific. However, from what certain message boards are saying, these moves are a bit of a Nightmare (pun intended) to pull off. Others say that they are too easy! The timing seems to be the issue, but this ultimately comes down to reaction time, which will suit some gamers more than others, hence the mixed response. As with myself, spending a lot of my time playing adventure titles has not given me the sharpest joypad or arcade stick skills, so I think no tournaments for me!
An issue which has surfaced is that actually satisfying the criteria for executing a critical finish is difficult to achieve before the health bar has been fully depleted. It's probably easier to just win the round! This is really a natural obstacle for such a game element, largely because fighting game rounds are normally short. Of course, it's not surprising to hear that they're no problem to pull off in practice, but in the heat of a match it's a different story. I see them being very rare during high level tournament play.
It's a strange phenomenon during most video games, that you often have a lot of options and/or items at your disposal, but only really require a few to play or even beat the game. The best games force you to play elaborately, punishing rash play. Having said this, it's great to see interesting new features implemented throughout legendary franchises.

Grand Theft Auto IV - Just beginning

2008-08-01T14:54:00.008+01:00

I've just started playing Grand Theft Auto IV and already I'm beginning to get withdrawal symptoms from being away from Liberty City. I know I'm a bit late in buying it, but I'm usually forced to wait a lot longer after release before I buy A+ titles! Just graduated and job hunting! It is absolutely incredible as everyone has said, and being developed in Scotland makes it just that bit more flavoursome. This is fantastic for the increasingly successful games industry here.
Good to know that America is not wholly responsible for such a contribution. I have a feeling I'll not need a new title for a long time, so I'll post about the sights and sounds and all the best bits as and when they happen.
I love the ironic adverts and jokes in the game. It's peculiarly Scottish - this kind of humour - whether it's about ourselves or other people. Some may find it irritating but you can't live in Scotland without being able to 'take a joke' as they say.
Sandbox environments are not necessary in creating top class games, but you cannot help but be impressed by them, especially when there are so many side quests available, which add considerable longevity.

Soul Calibur 4 - Soul Charge?

2008-08-01T14:05:00.003+01:00

I've been browsing online and I can't seem to find anyone who'll confirm that soul charges have been removed... Have they gone?
I watched some early playtests and previews about a month ago, and they mentioned the removal of soul charge. However, these were earlier builds of the game which meant that the developers may still have included it at the last minute.
A number of professional reviews didn't mention soul charge at all...
Several videos on Youtube show characters glowing gold. Is this some other gameplay element, or some story specific power up?
Have I really missed something!? Maybe I was staring at it the whole time!?

Soul Calibur 4 - Critical Finishers

2008-07-21T18:41:00.004+01:00

I was just browsing Youtube for Soul Calibur 4 videos and I happened to come across a compilation video of all of the critical finishing moves included in the game. I suspect this was as a result of popular demand, but in a way, it ruins the surprise of seeing the moves 'live'...
I was very impressed with the moves themselves - all of them are visually stunning. There are also some neat camera tricks to behold besides the usual Soul Calibur pyrotechnics. The finishing move for Zasalamel in particular is very cool. He opens up a vortex and sends his opponent through. Zasalamel is actually a man who has the ability to reincarnate, so in a bizarre way, his finisher involves him doing to somebody else, exactly what he wishes would happen to him! ie. Crossing into another world. Or maybe I'm reading into it too much!? Who cares? It looks good and adds another dimension to the gameplay.
Finishing moves have always existed in the fighting game genre, but Mortal Kombat's fatality moves are probably the most widely recognised examples. They are very brutal and generally involve the non-surgical removal of vital organs. Soul Calibur 4's finishers are not blood thirsty, but vicious nonetheless. Of course, they are tricky to pull off and may only become a telling factor at high level play. It will be interesting to see how they impact the traditional SC mechanic...

What a wonderful world this is...

2008-07-14T22:01:00.005+01:00

I love the way the people on this planet of ours are so caring and understanding of each other. I think about the lonely individuals out there who have difficulties with regard to human relations, who would indeed cherish friends or partners over anything else.
Iwao Hazuki once said "treasure your friends" because your friends will be there for you long after your parents have gone. Many sadly don't understand this concept. A wonderful world this really is...

Virtua Tennis 3 - Disappointing

2008-07-14T21:07:00.004+01:00

I have always been a huge fan of the Virtua Tennis series - I played the first and second Dreamcast iterations to death and amazingly, even compared to 'next-gen' titles of this day and age, they can still be highly entertaining. Their simplicity was the major attraction to most gamers, although despite this, there was a bizarre depth to the gameplay. I say 'bizarre' purely because it was difficult to pin down exactly why the simplest, arcade-esque of control systems allowed for so much variation.
Knowing this, I was very excited for the 3rd installment on PS3, but once I'd got over the novelty of the fact that I was actually playing a PS3(!), I realised how disappointing the game really turned out to be...
My view will probably contradict many reviews. The game generally received very good but not outstanding reviews. However, I feel that these give the game a little too much credit - It is definitely more of the same, arguably not enough to satisfy next-gen hunger - but the major problem is that the game is unbalanced to hell. I've procured this term from the fighting genre, but I'm referring here to the power of shots. Originally I had thought that the problem was my own, that I just wasn't good at the game, but it isn't me. On the harder (and only challenging) difficulty settings, long rallies against the CPU don't really occur, you can easily 'blow' the ball into the corner out of their reach, but if you don't, you can be sure they will. As a result, the matches become stale, you find yourself simply waiting for the CPU to give you the green light, to hit that unreturnable cross court shot, or else see the ball fly by in a flash.
Losing is more frustrating than it should be. When you are beaten by the CPU at a competitive game (be it fighting or sport), you, the gamer, should feel the urge to give it another go, to rethink your approach. VT3 has an air of hopelessness, as if the CPU has decided whether it will win from the outset.
Another criticism I have is the diving shot, It has always been over exaggerated in this series, but this time the developers have simply got it wrong. You'll often find your player diving to retrieve balls well within your reach. If you're just slightly out of position you'll dive, floating a very weak return to be punished severely. This alone made me put the pad down on occasions. Very disappointing.
I'm reviewing this as a veteran, I can imagine that you'll have more fun with this game if you're new to the series. However, VT3 is an arcade game at heart. I love sports, so the chances are that I'm slightly biased towards simulation style gameplay. Top Spin 3 anyone?

Alone in the Dark - Playing with Fire

2008-07-10T15:41:00.004+01:00

This title would be a pyromaniac's wet dream...
The idea of using fire, whether it be extinguishing or starting, to aid progression through action adventure games is 'age old', but the recent Alone in the Dark iteration takes the use of fire to new heights...
From the reviews I've read, the main entity in Alone in the Dark seems to be fire. It is apparently the only method of killing enemies, and is also used to solve the plethora of problems that confront the player during the course of the game (problem solving being an integral gameplay element to almost every survival horror title). Without even playing the game, you can imagine many of the situations that occur frequently throughout the adventure - combining bottles with flammable liquid to make molotov cocktails, attaching gasoline cans to structures to destroy them, or just simply using fire extinguishers.
This practical, 'hands-on' approach the game takes to solving problems is interesting; the developers have designed an inventory system that allows for a lot of item manipulation. Although it does depend on the gamer, this system is likely to appeal to many casual gamers - mind-bending puzzles are an acquired taste (I do have a fairly analytical mind) and can destroy certain gamers enjoyment of AAA titles. This extensive use of fire is a great way of keeping the practical element abundant throughout.
Alone in the Dark is an old franchise, but this modern day release has received mixed reviews and although the fire effects were heavily praised, the game was criticised for having many glitches and abysmal driving sections. Nevertheless, it is a sequel to what was regarded as the first ever survival horror.

Video Game Influence

2008-07-04T18:27:00.003+01:00

While I'm thinking about video game influence on our society, I need to mention a video I watched recently on the internet involving a particular comedian who I'd better not name. I get the impression that he is actually against the (sadly) common belief that video games are responsible for all of the world's ills. On the stand up show, he starts on the whole 'game violence' topic, but jokes about the idea of retro games affecting children. Well, It's kind of difficult to be influenced by two paddles and a square moving between!
What about Pacman? You see, this is a strange one, because people ARE actually influenced by it! Sitting in a room all day, listening to repetitive music and munching on pills...
Why don't we start blaming it for all the drug problems in the world!!

Combat Depiction in Video Games

2008-07-03T12:23:00.002+01:00

I'm writing this post as a follow on from my previous passage on martial arts and video games. I find it very interesting how fighting sequences are glorified in video games. I use the word 'glorified' here, but not in the negative sense. I am not referring to the 'effects of violence in video games on our children' and other similar absurd topics.
Many games include ridiculous pyrotechnics during hand-to-hand combat. Namely, explosions whenever a fist makes contact, or possibly swirls of light and even flashes of lightning accompanying moves and attacks. I personally think these are much needed, and make any game far more aesthetically pleasing. Realistic is boring. That's why it's a game!
Aside from the light and fire, games encompass the opportunity to include many other supernatural elements, such as teleportation or time travel.
Although these are fantastical, they do however occasionally point to true martial arts philosophies. The focus of power and energy is the main thing. This is practised during training for real, whereas in a game you would actually see the energy as a blue flash of light... This has the potential to be a deep topic, far beyond a practical blog entry. It'll be interesting to see how martial arts become depicted in games in the future, will it change? I don't think so, not greatly at least, but it presumably will become more elaborate.

Graduation

2008-07-03T11:13:00.003+01:00

Last Tuesday, I graduated from Glasgow University. It's just incredible how fast four years have passed. I often think back to that first day when I moved into halls of residence. How far all of us have come since then...
The actual ceremony was fantastic, a great day. The achievement itself didn't really hit me until after I had received my scroll. It was then that I realised just how high profile Glasgow University is, the top one percent in the world! And there are a lot of Universities out there!
Once the crowds dispersed from the University main buildings, my parents and I headed to the Ubiquitous Chip for a pleasant post graduation dinner, followed by a night out with my course mates. Needless to say, University has gone out with a bang...

Street Fighter IV

2008-06-12T14:33:00.005+01:00

I was just reading about this title on IGN, or rather looking at gameplay videos! I imagine it's common knowledge within gamer circles that although the title is rendered in 3D (with a hand drawn appearance), the gameplay remains 2D.
Personally, I am not too interested in retro gaming. I always look to the future, and like to see new and innovative ways of modern technology use in video games. If the technology is there, then why not use it? Typically, I find the individuals who continuously rave about games from the 80's, are rarely genuinely interested in the industry. I'm trying not to let this become another rant, and there is nothing wrong with enjoying retro games. I am specifically referring to those who dismiss any complex modern game in favour of 'a few sprites on the screen'. If you dislike any recent AAA action adventure title, simply because it's too complicated for you, or in other words, you can't be bothered to learn the game, then the chances are that you are not really interested in video games. period.
This idea is apparent in Street Fighter IV, although, as I realised after watching the gameplay videos, it seems to find the halfway house. The game does not disappoint it's age old fans, who fell in love with the 2D gameplay, but it does seem to look like a true next gen game nonetheless. The visuals are very impressive, particularly some of the pyrotechnics involved with projectile and special moves. I also like the way the 2D plane pulls rotates and ultimately ventures into 3D to show these special moves. Once again, straying away from the retro aspect. A very good thing.
One final thing, I love the hand drawn appearance of the characters. Nice touch, and very suited to the feel of the game and in fact the whole series...

The best place to hit someone...

2008-06-10T16:37:00.005+01:00

People generally regard a bad leg or any weak area of the body as the worst place to hit someone. Surely it's the best place to hit someone!!
I still remember practicing with a particular character from my previous karate club. On one occasion, I tagged or made contact with his weak leg during a foot sparring session. He seemed to complain for the rest of the practice. More experienced karateka (someone who practices karate) find themselves being tagged frequently during sparring regardless of the fact that Shotokai is in theory a non contact style (during training at least). This is mainly because they have to learn to defend themselves against realistic threats, such as would occur in the pub on a Saturday night... However, this 'incident' was not properly handled by my training partner, who was more experienced than myself. If he was on the street and someone took a dislike to him, he couldn't very well tell them not to hit him on his bad leg!!
It's this attitude that can ruin practices for many. People tend to think they are better than they really are, (with anything) and shut off the possibility of learning from someone who is less experienced.
In theory, an individual who has maybe only been training for 2 weeks, should be able to turn around and tell me if they think that something that I am doing could be improved. In reality, this would sadly never happen and the higher grade would just dismiss the idea...

Maybe another possible reason why GTA IV is so good

2008-06-09T21:15:00.006+01:00

Okay, so I still haven't bought the game but this idea was something that struck me when walking through one of the less salubrious areas of Glasgow by myself. When you move to a large city, it can be, in a sense, oppressive. You feel like a small, insignificant part of a much larger machine. There is so much that you feel cut off from. This is particularly true for me as a graduate who is starting to look for work. I must start at the bottom of the pile and have realised that there are so many others, older than me, and indeed 'ahead' of me. It makes you realise how little power you actually have...
With GTA IV, although you begin in a large, unfamiliar city, you are cast in the role of a 'rock hard' character, who takes part all the illegal activities which, in effect, keep us all under control in real life. How many times have you been told not to go to a particular area, or not to trust a particular company/website, etc...!!? In GTA IV, you are the very person you would be afraid of in real life! This sense of power is very appealing to many, it suspends the disbelief.
I feel that there are other subtle hints towards this in the game. For example, the fact that you can climb to a high point, and look out over the cityscape. Being in a position where you can see a whole city sometimes makes you feel as if you own it... Or maybe this is just me!
Think it's time to look away from a computer screen for a bit...

Martial Arts and Fighting Games

2008-06-01T17:45:00.009+01:00

Due to the fact that combat is and will remain an important theme among many modern titles, it follows that many martial arts styles will be referenced in a number of ways throughout the industry. Naturally, 3D Fighting is the obvious genre to consider, although adventure and RPG games such as Shenmue use martial arts to form a core gameplay element. (in some ways in a more creative sense as the nature of the RPG is to develop the characters' abilities over the course of the game rather than simply using what has been given at the outset).

I have always found martial arts depiction in video games an interesting idea. It is of course anything but realistic, although some titles attempt to recreate more realistic combat sequences than others. This is not necessarily a positive or negative with regard to a particular game or series. A totally realistic fight sequence would be over in less than a second!!

However, I still believe that there are a lot of individuals out there who do believe martial arts teaches you various moves that could be executed during a bar brawl... They really do play too many video games!

Having said that, there are some strange similarities. My main example here is relaxation. Martial arts centres around inner relaxation. With regard to fighting games, you simply cannot input complex command with speed if you are tense. Relaxed, nimble fingers are

GTA IV

2008-05-24T18:37:00.002+01:00

I'm thinking my next gaming purchase is going to be GTA IV. I couldn't believe the scores it received from just about every review source in the world! I know that free roaming adventures are not for everybody, but the sheer detail the development team have incorporated into the fictitious Liberty City is immense. No matter what type of games you enjoy, I feel that you can never really fail to enjoy a game which receives this much praise...

PS. It's great that Scotland is very much heading to the forefront of games development as a result of this title!

Exams Finally Over

2008-05-24T18:34:00.002+01:00

Finished my final honours exam a week ago today. Your life is planned out for you throughout school, and then suddenly you finish University and there is no sign to tell you where to go next...

Hostel 2

2008-04-30T17:15:00.002+01:00

Recently watched the follow up to the film Hostel. Horror is pretty much my favourite movie genre, so I've gone past the point of no return when it comes down to being shocked and/or scared by the events in these films. However, I feel that this film somewhat redraws the boundary line of what is acceptable in film. The violence is gratuitous beyond belief. It essentially all centres around the theme of 'fetish', with characters being executed in very brutal fashion, merely to provide sexual pleasure to the killer. Murders methods include non-surgically removing genitalia (shown in full) and a particularly memorable scene involving a scythe, blood bath and the token naked woman. The Saw series comes close to this with it's strong scenes of torture, but I feel the sexual nature of Hostel allows it to take the award for most-sickening. Some may disagree, I don't know.....
And they blame video games for creating psychopaths...!

Assassins Creed Again

2008-04-25T19:22:00.002+01:00

Posted about this game a while back, but now I've really had a chance to get my teeth into the game, it's time for another post.
I noticed that the game recieved VERY mixed reviews, but looking at them now, I'm inclined to agree with the selection of articles which were disappointed with the game. The title is fairly good to begin with, setting the story in motion, but as soon as the stage is set for the core game mechanic (ie. information gathering followed by assassination), the game becomes tedious. The repetitive gameplay, and a somewhat uninvolving plot... It is very disappointing, especially from a title I had expected to be groundbreaking.
A small part of me thinks that this is a prime example of a production that's all money and no 'spirit'. It's as if the designers have not played enough games themselves! Failing to realise what makes a game entertaining.
Being forced to repeat similar tasks does not sound like an attractive proposition within any context, let alone an entertainment medium!
This idea instantly puts Assassins Creed in deep sh.. well, water. Flawed in concept alone.
In a similar fashion to keeping plot twists secret until the climax, gameplay must have an element of surprise about it as well.
Enough, time to get back to the Maths...

Super Battle Opera / Tougeki

2008-03-27T15:08:00.005Z

I've been following the developments of the upcoming Tekken and Soul Calibur sequels due to hit the shelves later this year. During one of my internet sessions I stumbled across the Tougeki, also known as the Super Battle Opera, which is a massive fighting game tournament held in Tokyo each year. It's regarded by many as the 'world cup of fighting games'. I feel that I should probably have noticed it long before I did, but serious competitive or professional gaming has never been something I've grown up with...
The tournament itself accommodates many games, all arcade versions as far as I know, but Soul Calibur 3 AE was the title that I personally found the most entertaining. There are several videos on the web from the latter stages of the tournament. One in particular, a semi-final match between Ivy and Zasalamel, which really showed off the skill of the players. Their reaction time really is split second, not to mention other qualities such as coordination. I play these fighting games but I'll never have the magic these players have...
Tougeki seems like a fantastic event, which is very good for the industry and indeed the genre, but there are many other fighting game tournaments all over the world, all with talented players. I feel that it is the competitive aspect that 'makes' this genre.
The Tougeki website is in Japanese but there is a wiki .
- Notice the really cool overhead screen. Any game would be awesome on a screen that size!! Well maybe...

What's the point?

2008-03-24T13:16:00.005Z

Been away for a while, so now that i'm back I think it's time for another token angry post. Guess this one's not gonna be quite as long...
Me, being as cool as I am, remember sitting down, many years ago, casually playing a video game (Crash Bandicoot, I think) when I was asked.... No, sorry, rather told that 'video games seem a bit pointless really'. Ok, no great crime, but in a way it made me notice many others who have the same point of view... If I begin to talk about career prospects, etc, I'll guarantee someone in the crowd will totally dismiss any value of video games.
It comes back to the tragic double standards I have mentioned before...
I like to relate it to playing the piano. Take 2 people, one plays the piano, and the other plays games. Everyone knows who would get the respect, who would be told how wonderful he was... The gamer would be told to take up a real hobby! Games are pointless, eh.... If it comes to pointlessness, doesn't sitting down at a wooden box hitting black and white keys to make noises and getting payed for it seem pretty pointless in comparison?
I can't say that!! Nobody's allowed to say that!!
Don't tell me they're pointless. So are films in that case (even more so as they require less brain power) Today's video games are majestic, artistic creations. They're fantastic and the people who judge simply don't have a clue...
If you think about it long and hard, you realise that there's no real point to existence in the first place...

PS.
Don't hit me with the argument that games need music to function. Different forms of media all link together. I'm merely referring to 2 stereotypical people with different interests...

Rainy Woods

2008-02-25T12:03:00.003Z

I should mention Rainy Woods briefly while I'm on this train of thought. I saw it on the same demo disc as Heavy Rain, and I originally assumed it to be a title of similar ilk. As it turns out, Rainy Woods is more of a survival horror title, but the dark atmospheric mood seems to be shared between the two. I will write more about this game as information is released...

Heavy Rain

2008-02-25T11:32:00.002Z

I first noticed this game on a demo CD from a magazine. From what I've seen (little at the minute), it looks to be another David Cage attempt at blurring the boundary line between game and film in a similar fashion to Fahrenheit. Although the game is said to be different from Fahrenheit in many ways, I expect another dark, atmospheric thriller aimed at mature gamers. Apparently, the game will also have no supernatural elements. This is something which doesn't stand out as particularly special, but as it happens, 90% + of games in existence include something "out with this world", even if it's not directly related to the protagonist, or even controllable by the gamer.

I am one of those who believe Fahrenheit was a little over-rated, but I still have high hopes for this number...

Uncharted

2008-02-11T19:15:00.000Z

Ok, it's true I probably shouldn't blog about games I haven't played but I find the title Uncharted intriguing in a particular aspect. It is very far from original - in fact, as far away as possible. You could imagine a million and one game designers, or more likely, prospective game designers trying desperately to formulate new, creative, original game ideas and being repetitively rejected. Suddenly, a majorly successful (and justifiably so) 'action shooter with a few puzzle elements' surfaces. All done before.
I'm sounding bitter here and I really don't mean to, the game did receive rave reviews (but detailed the unoriginality) and if a formula works, then why change it? Too original and 'wacky' can prove disasterous financially but sadly, money is the major factor in the industry. For game design, it's who you know rather than what you know.
Like University, it's not about trying to be smart, just about regurgitating what you've been fed.... hmm, strange...

Project hand in

2008-02-05T13:17:00.000Z

Unbelievable how quickly this year has gone (how often have I said that!?) but it feels awesome to finally get my project out of the way. We were given plenty of time to write it up, but I managed to shake the temptation to leave it to the last week, something I have been guilty of in the past...

Soul Calibur Techniques

2008-01-22T20:20:00.000Z

I've found myself playing the age old Soul Calibur 2 of late with some flatmates.
I bought the game a year or so ago and played it a fair bit, but it's only now that I'm getting the chance to play against another human player. It's true that's it's really the only way to improve and appreciate fighting games in general.
I don't pretend to actively know the move lists, but I've started to try different combinations of buttons, instead of hammering only X and Y. The difference is incredible...
I had sometimes doubted the skill of the so called 'tournament level' players and pro gamers. However, this has really changed my attitude. I can see how an individual could master the game if they practised to an extent whereby the moves become second nature...

Fahrenheit

2008-01-09T15:08:00.000Z

I recently read a very interesting article dealing with the PS2 and Xbox title, Fahrenheit. The over-opinionated piece of writing in question tore the game to shreds, and really attacked the game's foundations. Before I start, I have to admit that I entirely agree with every point made in the article, however I feel that it was written by a pretentious academic type, believing himself to be far more clever than he truthfully is. (hopefully not quite as bad as me!!)
The game itself is an attempt at reviving the age old adventure genre, and something I respect greatly. However I think the game was highly over-rated.
Fahrenheit is a game that believes itself to be a film. For Example, the 'New Game' option was replaced by 'New Movie'. This is a minor characteristic, but a result of this fairly original notion is the included gameplay tutorial, whereby the director includes himself in the game, and instructs the player through the basic game actions as if on a film set. While clever in a way, you do tend to see how much Fahrenheit loves Fahrenheit.
I am not going to list each and every point from the article, but some did bring a smile to my face. Firstly, the characters are weak, especially the supposed protagonist, Lucas Kane. The man has little that is attractive about him. Video game player characters are often slightly 'empty' due to the fact that they are effectively everyone and must be generic, but Lucas Kane is boring, simply put.
This article also reminded me of the chronic section where you must find a file from a shelf in police archives but need to skilfully prevent Carla, the second principal character, from hyper ventilating the whole time (she is claustrophobic) using the trigger buttons. It provoked what I thought was unnecessary frustration and was thrown in as a clever attempt at creating gameplay, but in practice, came across as a tired task purely for the sake of adding more minutes to that time-in-game counter.
For anyone who has played the game, you'll remember this infamous section well...
Okay, so the above may appear to be hyper critical, as even the greatest games have similar flaws every now and then. Sadly, the major problem with Fahrenheit is the fact that the story which was said to be on par with a Hollywood blockbuster, is just not very good. It is as if many events take place, dropping hints throughout the game, but all ultimately head off independently. There is no significant twist, nothing memorable, and no clever plot element drawing the story together. I found it almost impossible to follow.
I recommend trying the game if you haven't already, to see if you can relate to any of this post. That is only if you can stomach the whole game. I could, but I've tried to repeat the experience without success...

CGS

2008-01-01T16:40:00.000Z

I've been watching the Championship Gaming Series on Sky One for the past week. I'd visited the website several times but it came as a bit of a surprise to see the action televised. It's apparently the first true professional video gaming organisation, revolving around a league structure with paid players.
The whole idea is very good for the video game industry, it brings video games into the spotlight, and casts a more serious aspect to gaming. It also appears to redraw a more firm boundary line between pro or high level gaming, and casual (or amateur) gaming. Like any sport, the featured games are versatile enough to define a huge array of differing skill levels between players.
From watching the matches, I realise now how good these gamers actually are, and the practice that's required. Although games are my passion, I am very much an average player, without any great aptitude.
Having said that, competitive gaming is a different world to what I and many gamers alike are accustomed to. I have always been more interested in single player, story driven games and have had little time & opportunity to get into online competition, etc.

I'll need to write more on this topic...

Check out the website at http://www.thecgs.com

Christmas

2007-12-20T15:37:00.000Z

Can't believe xmas is just around the corner. Seems like no time since it was the summer...

Adventure Game's Natural Flaw

2007-12-10T16:50:00.000Z

No matter how strong an adventure title is with regard to the main elements of video games. ie. Graphics, gameplay, etc. The lifespan of the game will invariably be fairly weak. The nature of the genre is the problem here. After playing through the game, solving all the puzzles, and unravelling the story line, there is no real reason to repeat the experience. With action adventure, this is not the case, as combat sequences can be enjoyed many times over.
However, traditional adventure games' sedate pace can become tedious on re-runs.
In a slightly bizarre way, I feel that they are their own worst enemy, as the genre itself is very opposing of the fuse between adventure and action adventure.

Shame About Adventure Gaming

2007-12-07T21:39:00.000Z

I could write a great deal about the adventure genre, so I'll try and spread it out over a few posts, but the main point I want to talk about is the apparent decline in popularity of adventure games. Although it is very much not the same with films, there is a clear line between adventure games and action adventure games. The latter often involve combat sequences, violence and a certain amount of 'joypad skills'. Adventure titles are commonly mistaken for these...
A true adventure game typically consists of an intense story driven experience, simple character control with regard to gameplay, but many taxing puzzles and mental tests. They theoretically should not include playable combat, but some more modern examples do so, yet are still viewed within the genre scope of 'adventure', to the dislike of the purists.
Sadly, the genre has decreased in popularity considerably, and is effectively considered 'dead' these days. This may be partly due to the changes in the way gaming is viewed by the public, multiplayer gaming over the internet, and with even developing technology. These days gamers want to play more intense, competitive games. They like pyrotechnics and indeed gun fights, fantastical settings, violence, you name it! Few still like the subdued pace of adventure titles, the idea of a solitary gamer playing with no high score reward at the end of the game. The job title of pro gamer now exists, and there are many competitions of all shapes and sizes all over the world. Of course, adventure games will never find a place in any such event...

Assassins Creed Again

2007-11-26T16:13:00.000Z

Was reading a full magazine review of Assassins Creed today, which blatantly gave away the apparent plot twist in the game. Ok, so I had heard from a number of sources that this was a major talking point for this particular title. The game itself gives away this twist very early on, which does seem to quench the experience somewhat. Having said that, this may be due to the fact that this particular twist does tend to conflict with the setting and general game mechanic. A better option might have been to make it public early on in the development, leaving room for further twists as the gamer approaches the climax. You never know...

A final thought though, in the event that the development team had left 'it' to the end, then the game would certainly go all M. Night Shyamalan on us!

Inverness

2007-11-19T19:50:00.000Z

Had a boat race in Inverness last weekend. It involved a 3am start in order to drive up to Inverness, unload the boats, etc and then race. Actually, it wasn't so much a race as a time trial, so every boat started at different times but it was a 5k course which took about 20 minutes of hard rowing. The whole thing generally went well, but our boat was an old relic from the 60s, so it was heavier and slower than most of the others. Was absolutely shattered when I got home, but it was well worth it...
Now I'm off to catch up with my Uni work that seriously slipped down the priority ladder...

Assassins Creed

2007-11-13T20:49:00.000Z

Assassins Creed has certainly been one of those next-gen games to catch my attention, and although I've been loosely following it's progress, I must admit, I didn't expect it to be released so soon. Anyway, I've just looked at a few American reviews of the game, and they both surprised me to say the least. This game was hyped as the experience to define next-gen, and it certainly was on my purchase list, but now I'm not so sure. One article heads the whole review as the 'the first next-gen disappointment', with the other allocating it a very average 3.5 stars. Although the game is far from mediocre, I would have expected much better, and it doesn't seem like it's going to go down in history as a legendary title.
The game is designed to be fully free roaming, whereby the player can scale any building in any of the game's 3 entirely living, breathing cities. This already sounds fantastic, however, I get the impression from these reviews that the game is actually all a display of next-gen technical prowess, with no 'glue' to hold it all together. Apparently, it's very repetitive and also has an 'dry' combat system.
I don't know what to make of the criticism, I really does look the part after all. Will it be worth the cash?

Tennis Games

2007-11-09T21:43:00.000Z

Looking forward to getting my hands on Virtua Tennis 3 in a few weeks. I played the 2 prequels to death on the Dreamcast. I don't play too many sports games in general, but there are a number of excellent examples of modern tennis sims - you can certainly enjoy them even if you're not too keen on tennis. The Virtua Tennis series seems to focus more on arcade action with a very simple control system and pick up and play gameplay. The first 2 titles had no 3 or 5 set match options, although this has been rectified with the 3rd installment, presumably to the relief of most fans.
The Top Spin series is equally addictive, but definitely from more of a simulation perspective. The developers have managed to implement a control system whereby, you can strike the ball very hard but radically increase the risk of sending it out. Likewise with drop shots. It may not sound like much, but in practice it makes for many exciting points, especially when you're stretching to reach a ball. Do you go all out and crack it down the line for an amazing winner?

A Mathematical Theorem

2007-11-07T16:18:00.001Z

Was reading a textbook (which will remain nameless) for my project the other day. At the beginning of one early paragraph, it clearly states "All mathematicians were very young when they were born". I'm not sure what to make of this theorem.
Hmmm, it seems obvious, but there might be a way to disprove it, possibly by counterexample or contradiction, even...?

Silent Hill 5

2007-10-31T15:15:00.000Z

Was reading a gaming magazine yesterday and noticed an article about Silent Hill 5. It pointed out that the original developer Team Silent has disbanded and The Collective are now the team with the task of creating the 5th iteration in the series. The magazine seems to be worried that the game may lose the unique atmospheric feel of it's predecessors. Personally, I'm not sure what to think. The magazine does have a point, considering the plot outline and supposedly 'empty' monster designs but Silent Hill has never really disappointed.
This magazine also seems to think SH2 was the best in the series. Strange, what about the original...?

4th Year Project

2007-10-28T14:45:00.000Z

Been working on my project more than anything else lately. The synopsis asked me to research the developments in Mathematics that took place in the 19th and 20th centuries. These developments turned out to mainly revolve around set theory, which has indeed formed a very strong foundation in modern Maths. It's obviously difficult for me to explain in a few lines, but many concepts wouldn't exist had it not been for set theory. In a (very) naive way, you think of a collection of objects as a set, before refining it with more rules and conditions. ie. A set is the 'bare bones'.
Another interesting thing I discovered was the idea of infinity as thought of in the 19th century. Apparently, infinity was not thought of as an entity in existence, as such. This is not a particularly good way of describing it, but this idea meant that you could say x tends towards or approaches infinity, but to say x = infinity meant nothing. It takes a minute or two to get your head around the concept, but pure maths is full of brain teasers.
Anyway, enough Maths for now.

Karate in Wales

2007-10-23T16:00:00.000+01:00

I'm just back from the weekend Shotokai course in Wales. It was a fantastic experience, as well as just a chance to get away for the weekend.
It all started with an 11 hour drive to the South of Wales, so as you'd expect, by the time we arrived at our accommodation, we were all shattered. Amazing how tiring sitting down is!
The next day began with a 2 hour training session on the beach, followed by lunch, and then another practice to conclude. As Glasgow was the guest club, we all took the chance to explore the Gower and do a bit of sightseeing in the latter part of the afternoon.
These residential courses always involve a club dinner, which was first class, and also gave everyone the chance to relax and socialise with people from other clubs (Bristol, London).
The course concluded on the Sunday with a demanding 7 hour practice, part of which ended up being actually in the sea! The idea behind this was to change the practice environment and effectively put everyone in a situation to which they weren't accustomed. It really is a true test of balance, when you're trying to move and turn with your feet constantly sinking into the sand...
The car journey home was made especially tough by practice beforehand, and my contact lenses meant that I had to stay awake for the duration!
All in all, I had a great time, and I'll look forward to the next course in April, which is in Loch Lomond, and just that little bit closer to home...

A Long Drive

2007-10-19T09:40:00.000+01:00

I'm off to Wales today with the karate club for a weekend course. Really not looking forward to the 8-10 hour drive...

Still Life

2007-10-13T20:15:00.000+01:00

Still Life is really a whodunit in video game form, it was originally a PC game but console versions followed. This is certainly a dated title, and even in it's day, it was a budget game, but one specific aspect of it makes it blog worthy, to me, at least...

Throughout the game, you control 2 central characters, a female detective in modern Chicago, and her grandfather in 1920s Prague. The game is structured with 7 chapters alternating between Chicago and Prague but both tie in nicely with each other. The basic plot revolves around 2 serial killers. Victoria McPherson is the modern day detective who reads an old report from a case her grandfather Gustav McPherson was working on back in Prague. It becomes apparent that the modern killer is in fact a copycat and this is the main factor which drives the game forward.

I'm sure you can imagine what makes up the bulk of the gameplay - finding items, talking with other characters, puzzle solving, etc. However, it's the climax which I want to talk about...
You'd hope that after playing through the game you'd get some answers to the mystery, kind of like every detective tale. Not Still Life though...

Before I complain any more I will say that the 1920s killer is actually revealed, but this was very much a secondary objective for the player. It was blatantly obvious who it was! I assumed this was to add flavour to the story, building up to a shocking revelation at the very end.
The real crime of this game was the fact that it encompassed a masked villain, whose mask was even knocked off at one point, although his head was turned (the first thing that came into my mind was "It's gotta be someone we know"). It built up to an unmasking at the end, then decided not to bother. Quite possibly the most unsatisfying ending ever!

Been Busy Recently

2007-10-13T19:58:00.000+01:00

Seem to have been on the go constantly for the last few weeks. Ok, so this is my excuse for having not blogged in nearly a week.
I've been trying to get my teeth into my project lately, along with maintaining the martial arts and the rowing. Anyway, this is really just a quick post to get me started again...

Alien

2007-10-08T19:37:00.000+01:00

Watched the original Alien film last night. It reminded me of one of my earlier posts about Halo, where I briefly mention how the game borrows certain ideas. It's awkward to define exactly how the ideas are reused, but the general feeling of the 'Pillar of Autumn' (which is a great name for a space cruiser, by the way) is very similar to the military vessel from Aliens. I also noticed how similar the sergeant from Halo is to the sergeant from Aliens...
Coming back to the original Alien, I think this film was the birth of a general 'formula' of sorts. There have been numerous films and even games of the survival horror variety, which involve usually a team investigating an installation (ie. the whole setting), possibly under the rule of a tough but fair team leader, they then discover something terrible, and fight for their lives. In the end, only one or two of the cast survive. The mechanic obviously differs between titles, but the general spirit is the same.
I am really aiming this post at games and films, and games are always going to be slightly different in nature, usually involving a more isolated character, rather than a team working together, but the formula nevertheless holds as supporting characters are ousted one by one.
Of course, all of the above is not necessarily a bad thing and if a formula works, then why change it?

Video Game Protagonists

2007-10-04T15:29:00.000+01:00

Although there have been many attempts of late by developers to blur the boundary lines between film and video games, there are some unique aspects to video games which will always remain in place. Some of these are fairly obvious, and many films could never really be translated to the video game world & vice versa.
However, one characteristic which many don't notice is the development of the protagonist in video games. Because you, the player, assumes the role of the main character, he/she therefore cannot have too much depth. This character must be an 'empty shell' to a certain extent, and allow the player to be this person in their own, individual way. Having said that, this concept is fairly loose and differs depending on the type of game, although the central character must always have attractive traits for the player to be able to enjoy the game and relate to him/her. Typical RPGs are at the extreme end of the above concept, where you create a generic character from a template at the beginning and develop them throughout the game. Each to their own, but I always feel that no matter how much customisation the game allows, the character will always be a little 'numb'.

Realism regarding Video Games

2007-10-01T21:12:00.000+01:00

Realism in video games is an interesting topic.
Many gamers criticise certain games for lacking realism without really stopping and thinking. First of all, it's important to notice that realism can to be interpreted in different ways, depending on the game and even the genre. By this, I mean that if you are considering an action game, then after the player throws a grenade, I would expect it to explode and maim anyone in the immediate vicinity. On the other hand, if the player character has to stop for bathroom breaks every so often, the game would be terrible! There has to be a balance, but it's only a game after all! Unrealistic aspects of games almost always add to their appeal. Flashes of lightning don't happen in the dojo too often but they make fighting titles infinitely more aesthetically pleasing.
Earlier I mentioned varying degrees of realism depending on genre. This is particularly applicable to sports titles, where a recreation close to the real thing is often much appreciated. However, I'm inclined to believe these games don't really try to simulate the actual sport, but try more to make the gamer feel as if the are controlling a televised match. It's a strange one, but it rings true with football and tennis sims in particular. Play one and you'll start to see what I mean...

Shotokai Karate

2007-09-29T21:52:00.000+01:00

Started training regularly again now that the summer holidays are over.
I realise I'm going to have to be careful when I'm talking about martial arts - I know there are a lot of people out there who study styles other than Shotokai which have ideas or more accurately, attitudes I disagree with. I'd better not mention any names...
First of all, Shotokai as in the way I have been taught, is a pure oriental art and is not competitive in any way. I like to think of it as the true essence of the martial arts. So very poetic, but it is true. Training sessions involve certain practices that may seem unusual to the inexperienced bystander. It's very hard for me to explain, let alone put into words, but it's all about learning how to relax and focus, not to mention how to follow another person's movements closely. In other words, you can generate a lot of movement and power without using brute muscular force and can read other people to a high degree. This is a very basic description, but I could write about this for days. It's important to remember that the very thing that throws the human's state of mind and body into the most turmoil is a threat to your life, and the martial arts attempt to teach that reaction out of you, so you'll essentially remain calm and focused at all times even when being assaulted. It's a subconscious state and is not something you can actively think about and turn on and off. Of course this is easy to say and nothing is ever simple, but years of practice and a little life experience helps, to say the least.
One of the main attractions of Shotokai is it's accessibility. It's open to anybody - you can even practice if you're in a wheelchair, albeit slightly differently.
Just to finish, someone once told me that in their style (no names again), you are always trained to defend from one side and attack from the other. Great... So if I decide to pick up the nearest chair and take a swing, what are you going to do? Defend left, counter right? Hmm, yeah...

First Week

2007-09-25T14:42:00.000+01:00

Today was the first day back at Uni after the 16 (or there abouts) week break. Luckily for us mathematicians, we don't begin classes until next Monday. This was definitely a pleasant surprise, although I had suspected as much. It should give me some time to start on my final year project, which I still haven't got round to...
This week seems to be comprised of 'useful' talks about job applications and the like, not to mention a free buffet lunch afterwards! Hmmm, isn't food just the best thing in the world?

Soul Calibur 4

2007-09-23T14:24:00.000+01:00

Was just looking on IGN and noticed that there are some new Soul Calibur 4 screens. This game looks amazing!

Starting back at the Gym

2007-09-23T13:27:00.000+01:00

Been getting back into weight training now that I'm back in Glasgow. I've always enjoyed it but I seem to go through spells of regular training, to then neglect it for several months at a time. I suppose I have other commitments but I'm not going to make excuses this year! The fact that I've taken up rowing as well this year should be good incentive to keep going to the gym.

I don't intend to stop karate either, but I'm the kind of person that needs a little 'me' time once in a while, so I really hope I don't burn out with my course workload...

Pick up and Play

2007-09-18T16:06:00.000+01:00

Many modern video games tend to involve complex gameplay along with elaborate and complicated control systems. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it's also very true that sometimes the best games are the most simplistic. Being able to pick up the controller and play from the outset is a trait which makes video games infinitely more appealing to the majority of players, particularly casual gamers. Obviously, the game must still include a learning curve, and give the player the chance to drastically improve with practice. Some genres lend themselves to playability more than others, but this doesn't mean it cannot be achieved with any title, to a certain degree.
Virtua Tennis is the definition of simplicity, and is one of the most enjoyable games ever released, even if you have no solid interest in Tennis! I played it to death after it's release in 2000 on Dreamcast and I still enjoy going back and playing it today.

Travelling Around Europe

2007-09-16T19:59:00.000+01:00

Earlier this summer some friends and I backpacked around Europe. Had an unbelievable time, I guess it's one of those things that's always going to give you stories to tell. We used Inter-rail tickets and travelled in a loop all over the continent, trying to keep the everyday expenses down!
Prague and Amsterdam were my favourite places along with Paris (I had never been before), although that did involve a night camping on the street outside Gare de Nord after a cock-up with the train booking! Amsterdam, as you could imagine, is a world socially and culturally unique from the rest of Europe. Everyone was a little overwhelmed with the lack of censorship and openness of sex and sexuality. You really need to visit to fully understand it - needless to say, we made the most of it.
In Germany, we stayed with a friend from University and explored Hamburg and Bremen, not to mention a quaint German village. One of the benfits of having friends living abroad!
Other cities we covered on our quest were Vienna, with the best pizza restaurant in the world, well maybe... And Venice, which was another experience never to forget.
I had heard that Marseille was a dangerous city and this was confirmed, especially when you arrive gone midnight with nowhere to stay...

Max Payne

2007-09-16T14:41:00.000+01:00

I decided to give the original Max Payne yet another run through; it's a bit dated by today's standards but it's still entertaining to play.
Censorship seems to be becoming one of my favourite topics! I noticed Max Payne was given a 15 certificate - I won't pretend that I fully know the process for rating video games (yet, at least), but I think 15 was too low considering some of the material in the game.
Aside from the gritty, raw violence, which really glorified firearms, there were other strong themes:-
Particularly during the early stages, drug abuse and prostitution played a large role, although Max Payne never indulged in the latter himself. However, in the plot is where my main evidence lies. Max is an anti-hero, he is killing in the name of vengeance. His wife and baby daughter are murdered by drug addicts in the very unpleasant opening scenes. I don't have any children myself, but that doesn't stop me agreeing that this scenario is the worst thing that could ever happen to anyone...
To be able to even remotely relate to Max, if at all, I believe the player needs to be more mature than any 15 year old...

Starting Uni Again

2007-09-14T20:44:00.001+01:00

Just a really quick post.

Next week is Freshers Week at Glasgow. The week after I'll be starting my courses again. Really looking forward to my final year as a student. Hope all goes as planned!

Fighting Games

2007-09-11T15:26:00.000+01:00

I've have always played more action adventure games than fighting games in the past. This is probably due to the fact that I am an only child and most of my gaming endeavours have been single player only - I always knew that fighting games, whether 2D or 3D, were infinitely better when played against a human opponent, so they were never my first choice for purchase. I also never really took to the gameplay very quickly although I really enjoy Soul Calibur; I guess I'm always going to be better at playing adventure style games.
Having said that, I find the Beat 'em Up concept interesting. It has become fairly specialist over the years and there are only several franchises churning out A+ standard fighting games and they will continue to do so. Fighting game fan bases tend to remain faithful to their particular game. With adventure titles, players will often try a varying number of games for different stories and experiences. However, when the focus is only on the fighting, it would be pointless to change to a game with a different style and engine, in particular, that doesn't necessarily suit you.
The established and successful Fighting series are very hard to compete with - like I said previously, pulling players away from their chosen game seems well nigh impossible, so it would be a serious financial risk to develop a new title. Even if it was only slightly technically inferior, I could imagine it losing money.

Like many things, some people will always be better than others. For the elite players, there are various national and international tournaments. To become that good, you really have to treat the game as a full time job!

Halo

2007-09-06T15:12:00.000+01:00

Halo is generally regarded as not only one of the most successful First Person Shooters around, but as one of the most successful video games ever created. The sequel was seen as not quite as pristine, but then once you've achieved perfection, the only way is down. The original was the benchmark game, and deserved all the credit it got, but I've sometimes wondered why it was so good and could even be enjoyed by people who didn't really like video games...

There are countless FPSs out there and all are created by expert development teams as is (just about) every game. I guess it comes down to the same phenomenon which makes all successful bands, writers, etc (and even businesses in some cases) ; It just comprises features that, when gelled together, seem to miraculously appeal to many people. Every game has been created through hard work, time and money, but some totally flop, and the few lucky ones become legendary. This may seem a little negative, but it rings true.

Halo is not exactly ultra original and 'borrows' from the Alien movies in some respects. It has an engaging, yet standard sci-fi plot and is also fairly simplistic in nature, especially the control system. So why do we all love it? You tell me!

City Centre Life

2007-09-02T15:33:00.000+01:00

I've recently moved into a flat in Glasgow city centre for my final year of student life. I guess it was a bit daunting; it's not exactly the most orthodox of places to have a flat, amongst all the bustle and noise. Surprisingly, the main worry of noise doesn't seem to be causing any problems as the flat is at the back of one of the buildings, overlooking a courtyard. The location really is excellent; it certainly makes transport & everyday life very easy, but I'll have to try and stay away from fast food!

Gamecube

2007-08-31T14:52:00.000+01:00

Although I've never really been a Nintendo person but I couldn't resist buying a Gamecube when it was only £20. I guess the idea was that it would be a communal console for my flat considering all the good multiplayer 'Mario derived' games out there. (kart racing, golf, etc) After visiting some games shops & speaking to the staff I concluded that they were effectively trying to get rid of their stocks of pre-owned Gamecubes; many staff also deemed the Gamecube to be heavily under-rated. I would tend to agree, despite not really knowing anything about the machine (yet). I imagine that this is largely because the Gamecube is regarded as less powerful than the Xbox and PS2; the game discs are also smaller meaning they store less data, although some of the more complex games are released over 2 discs to avoid storage capacity problems. It is obvious the target audience for the Gamecube is younger than for other machines, purely by the style of the games released. However, these are apparently some of the most fun games to play and with 4 controllers, they should make for some good banter, maybe...
Having said this, I did also notice that there are a fair few adult orientated titles as well - the remake of the Resident Evil series being the one to note for me.
Considering the slightly over-priced next gen machines, I imagine the Gamecube will be a good investment...

Rowing

2007-08-26T16:45:00.000+01:00

Yesterday I got back from a (very) preliminary Rowing trial in Newcastle regarding the 2012 Olympic Games. Ok, so this sounds impressive, but it was really just aimed at discovering basic raw talent among young people regarding several sports - Handball, Volleyball and Rowing, (You need to be over 2 metres tall for Volleyball before even being considered) with the latter being my section.
The event involved a strength test, an endurance test and finally a short coaching session on Rowing machines. I generally fared well, with the strength test being my best as I had imagined. However, it was the endurance test which was probably the most interesting. This was done on an arms & leg exercise bike where you had to increase your speed over time, with the bike also increasing resistance over time, very tough for everyone but I found I did well.
I had always suspected that the dreaded leger test - used through school to test stamina - was more suited to small people and this was confirmed by the coordinator yesterday. Since I'm 6'4" and 108kg I'll always find the leger test doesn't reflect my true endurance with relation to my size. After all, you couldn't expect a 300lbs American footballer to run a Marathon, but you also wouldn't tell him he's not an athlete!

Metal Gear Solid 2

2007-08-21T15:21:00.000+01:00

The Metal Gear Solid series is probably one of the most successful series in history. It really made it's break in the modern gaming world with the release of Metal Gear Solid on the original Playstation. This was actually the third game in the series, following on from Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake released in the late 80s and early 90s. I have to admit it was a masterpiece and I certainly enjoyed every minute, but because of its success, the hype for the sequel was very strong. Of course, having a small fortune pumped into the production resulted in a generally pristine game - excellent graphics and the usual, but enhanced Metal Gear Solid gameplay. It was loved at first by everyone and naturally received rave reviews; it was only after several months that a lot people finally realised that they were just that bit disappointed.
I can't deny that it's a great game by comparison to many, but considering the older games, along with the subsequent installment; Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, MGS 2 is, in my opinion, the weakest title in the series. I think this is largely to do with the fact that it 'forgot' to include a game with all the special effects - it seemed at times to be one large cutscene with a bit of gameplay. I believe it tried to be too clever for it's own good, especially with that attempt at a plot! However, the real flaw is with the 'essence of the storytelling' within the game. Far too much telling and not half enough showing. (and I do know about this being the son of a professional writer)

Censorship in Videogames

2007-08-20T11:00:00.000+01:00

Violence in video games is always going to be a major issue. I could talk about it for days, and everyone will have their own ideas, but I'll try and stick to what I think is most important.
Firstly, for anybody who has played the game Fahrenheit, you may have noticed a small article on a computer within the game, talking about violence in video games and the effect on our culture. It effectively turns it into a joke - detailing a murder committed by a teenager, mimicking a video game scene. It then goes on to slate video games for their violent material and effect on today's youth; while of course, totally dismissing the fact that this had anything to do with the availability of firearms in the US!
My second point is definitely something that got me thinking. Several years ago, I remember talking to somebody with a military background, who hated violent films and video games. He claimed that they were for twisted imaginations, and suggested that the person who enjoys them should possibly take a trip to Sierra Leone to see piles of dead bodies for real... It then struck me, that just maybe, it is better to release that testosterone by playing a game rather than killing in real life. After all, in this day and age, and in the UK at least, nobody is forced to join the military although I'm aware that that is not the case worldwide...
Finally, I just this minute skimmed over an old article about the murder of a schoolboy relating to the game Manhunt. The first thing that stood out to me was the age of the perpetrator -17. You can't justifiably complain, when he shouldn't have been playing the game in the first place! And he was probably a very troubled individual anyway - so anything, even a film or a book could have triggered his behaviour.

Careers in the Video Game Industry

2007-08-18T14:26:00.000+01:00

If you browse through the internet for video game industry jobs (I happen to be thinking of Wikipedia at the moment!), you're bound to find various descriptions of each position.
The well known jobs include programmers, testers, designers, etc. But designing is always the 'desirable' one, partly because most people misunderstand it to some extent. A lot of young people think the designing is 'coming up with a few cool ideas and getting paid a fortune for it'. However, at designing's highest level, this is not too far from the truth, but many forget that there is a lot of tough paperwork and other jobs to be done at the same time. Like with many careers, that 'dream position' is never one you can just 'swagger into'.
I was also thinking about jobs in testing. These are again thought of as being very 'desirable' by many people. ie. getting paid to play games, but the job in reality is hard work - testing involves extremely long hours, not to mention complicated problem solving. Ok, so this post is beginning to sound like a textbook topic, but my own opinion is that testing is, I daresay, effectively at the 'bottom of the pile' in gaming careers - I do know it is seen as a 'stepping stone' to higher positions and believe it or not, playing games every waking minute is bad for your physical (and mental) health.
A final thought; is testing maybe one of those 'addictive' jobs? I could imagine that quite a few testers start as recently graduated students, at about 21 or 22, hoping to earn a bit of 'quick' money for 6-8 weeks before moving on, and then find themselves at 30 still doing the same thing! I can't really judge, but this did cross my mind...

Gamesecosse Website

2007-08-17T15:15:00.000+01:00

I'm currently in the process of creating a 'full blown' Gamesecosse website to live in tandem with this blog.
It'll not be an over complicated site by any stretch of the imagination; but I hope to discuss some of the more interesting aspects of games and the games industry. I will, of course, link it to this blog when it is up and running in the near future...

Double standards regarding video games

2007-08-15T16:03:00.000+01:00

I've been meaning to blog about this for a while. I feel very strongly about it - this post goes out to all those unwilling to 'open their mind to the horizons'.
Sorry, I don't mean to sound like a typical student, imagining that I'm cleverer than I really am, etc. And I'll hopefully try to keep the anger down, here goes...
I have always tried to promote modern video games to older generations, to show them that these days, they encompass more than "a wee man running around the screen shooting anything that moves". I also try to tell them that the target audience for games is now 16-30 year olds, rather than children. But nevertheless, the feedback I get is always the same - a flurry of judgemental comments. So then I decide to ask this stereotypical person which games they play themselves; and the answer: None. What a surprise!
Why is it, that people are allowed to judge video games without knowing anything about them? If I was to say, for example, that piano playing is pointless and crap, then I would be regarded as a moron! But hey, how can I judge when the only musical instruments I can play are CDs and the air guitar!
I also imagine, that these particular people probably watch 5 hours of TV a night and then tell me how they think video games are a waste of time. Who are they kidding?

University life

2007-08-11T13:01:00.000+01:00

It's a fact, time always goes by really quickly when you're enjoying yourself. I've had a great time at university and I'll be going into my final year in September; feels like no time since I was just starting in first year!
I've been thinking how much things change over the four years that you're there - when you start in first year your course is everything (well, for some, at least) and you think you're important, probably because it's the first time you've had proper independance. (that is only if you do the right thing any move away from home!)
By the time you get to fourth year things change, you realise the's a lot more out there to see and do, and I guess you start looking to what's ahead...
I especially hate people saying things along the lines of; "when you finish uni you'll have to get stuck down to a 9-5 job", as if it's the end of the adventure! Life's only just beginning!

Ninja Gaiden - just too hard

2007-08-07T14:05:00.000+01:00

Although the original version of this game has been out for a while, (I always keep up to speed with the industry yet always have to buy games late - student budget!) a few updated titles were released, namely Ninja Gaiden Black and recently, Ninja Gaiden Sigma for the PS3.

All are awesome games, but the original was supposedly one of the hardest games ever released - this is maybe a bit extreme, but it certainly is very challenging. There is no easy difficulty setting, only normal and hard, and I hate to think what hard is like! In the updated games the developers tried to address this, but they apparently only really took pity on us gamers with the Sigma installment. Ninja Gaiden Black does include a feature where the game pokes fun at you by making the gameplay VERY easy if you fail early on, and you also have to wear a pink belt!

This aside, the game is outstanding - there is a ridiculous amount of depth to the fighting system and storyline, which does not pan out quite as you'd expect. One of the game's more mysterious characters, the Dark Disciple (a tall person whose identity is disguised with a mask and electronic voice distorter) plays an important role and does turn out to be somebody you know...

Although these remakes have been very successful, the same story can only appeal for so long and the game really now needs a full blown sequel, which is apparently on it's way to next-gen consoles, but won't see the light of day for quite a while yet...

Silent Hill

2007-08-05T15:11:00.000+01:00

I've always loved the Silent Hill series of games (It's a survival horror, adventure series) and I only recently went back to playing the second game in the series.
It's very atmospheric - Silent Hill is a small resort town surrounding a lake somewhere in the US although we are never told exactly where. The main problem is that the town's very haunted, with lots of nightmarish creatures roaming the streets. On top of that you are required to explore different areas of the town, following the plot of the game and also solving puzzles and riddles along the way. These are interesting, and they further build on the whole occult theme. If you toggle with the difficulty settings, they rapidly become the hardest gameplay element, in my opinion. They all vary - for example, one involves reading a cryptic poem and then deciphering from that, the order in which different coins should fit into slots. I sometimes find these infuriating, although they're all do-able if you think 'outside the box'.
Puzzles of this fashion are very good for you and your problem solving ability and certainly prove that computer games are not solely for children and more importantly, comprise more than just shooting anything that moves...

Glasgow

2007-08-02T17:34:00.000+01:00

I sometimes think it's nice to write down what you're thinking at the time - I guess that's kinda what I'm doing here!
Was thinking about the difference between country and city life the other day. Half (or rather more than half) of the time I live in the beautiful city of Glasgow, but I stay in a small village in the country the rest of the time, for my summer holidays. There's always a real contrast - I'm an only child so I've always needed some peace and quiet, but when I was younger I'd never realised how 'efficient' the city is, not to mention buzzing!

Gamefaqs

2007-08-01T13:50:00.000+01:00

Was browsing through gamefaqs last night. In case you haven't used or heard of it, it's effectively a computer game guide database - just type in the name of the game you're looking for in the search box and you'll get a list of strategy guides and help files for that game. (They're all .txt files so they'll load up very quickly)
There should be all sorts of different types of guide depending on the game - possibly walkthroughs or more in depth pages about individual characters, etc. There's also some really good ASCII art on some of these FAQS.
You'll definitely find this site a lot more interesting if you play a lot of computer games...!

Facebook

2007-08-01T13:07:00.000+01:00

I've only recently set up a facebook account - hadn't realised how good it was for keeping in touch with people without having to write small novels for emails!
Anyway I've posted a link to this blog on my wall; it's all part of trying to establish more of an online presence. I guess it's always nice to have some results show up when you google your own name, especially with my unusual surname...

Welcome

2007-07-31T16:13:00.000+01:00

Hi and welcome to Gamesecosse. I had originally created this blog a few years ago to solely discuss video games from an alternative perspective, but this didn't really come together...
Anyway, I'm back online again and this time I've decided write a personal weblog with an emphasis on computer games and that whole industry. Keep in touch!