Say hello to my little friend ;)
(If you click it, it gets bigger ;)
Showing posts with label Games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Games. Show all posts
Thursday, May 19, 2011
New monitor
Ok, so it's not new, we've had it for a couple of years now. But it's never really been used as a monitor until recently.
(If you click it, it gets bigger ;)
(If you click it, it gets bigger ;)
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
Immersion in Single-Player games
Although your character may play an integral part in the game world, and while the game itself may revolve around your character, the game world cannot, and for the purpose of immersion, should not.
MBP has been playing Mafia II lately, and is a little disappointed that unlike in the first Mafia game he cannot hail a cab or catch the train.
I remember being able to catch trains in both the very first GTA and GTA3, and unlike in some games featuring public transportation the GTA trains were not always waiting for you at the station. Sometimes it was you who had to wait for the next train, but this only helped to add immersion. It made the city seem more alive if things were happening when you weren't there. Clearly the trains weren't just sitting around all day waiting for you; they actually had a schedule to keep. And that's how a game world should be. NPCs need to have lives of their own. Even if it's little more than driving or walking to the store, talking to the NPC store owner, then going back home. It's little things like that which make the world feel alive, rather than random people, standing around in random spots, doing nothing.
How often do you see people in the real world standing on a street corner all day staring off into space? Except for homeless people, hookers, and the occasional alien invasion, probably never.
One immersion-breaking part of Mafia II was being unable to enter all but the most game-crucial buildings, such as Gun Stores and Diners. Fortunately this meant I was able to take refuge from the police (just a big misunderstanding, really) by hiding in a Gun Store. Unfortunately a roving officer found me, and he too entered the store. Unfortunately, for him that is, he came in with his gun drawn, and the Gun Store Owner responded to this apparent threat by shooting him. Amusing. Unrealistic and immersion-breaking, but amusing in a random kind of way.
Also unrealistic but not quite so amusing was the very strong bias of the Police to ignore any crimes (misdemeanors, etc.) where you were not the perpetrator. If you struck a pedestrian with your car the police would chase you relentlessly, but if you were the pedestrian victim of a Hit & Run, even if it occurred right in front of the police (yes, I deliberately set one up as a test), they would turn a blind eye and go on their merry way. Unrealistic, immersion-breaking, and not quite so amusing.
Single Player games which try to immerse you within their game world, such as the GTA and Mafia series, need to ensure that world feels as real as possible, but when your character is the only person in the world whose actions seem to matter, the only thing that does for immersion is break it.
MBP has been playing Mafia II lately, and is a little disappointed that unlike in the first Mafia game he cannot hail a cab or catch the train.
I remember being able to catch trains in both the very first GTA and GTA3, and unlike in some games featuring public transportation the GTA trains were not always waiting for you at the station. Sometimes it was you who had to wait for the next train, but this only helped to add immersion. It made the city seem more alive if things were happening when you weren't there. Clearly the trains weren't just sitting around all day waiting for you; they actually had a schedule to keep. And that's how a game world should be. NPCs need to have lives of their own. Even if it's little more than driving or walking to the store, talking to the NPC store owner, then going back home. It's little things like that which make the world feel alive, rather than random people, standing around in random spots, doing nothing.
How often do you see people in the real world standing on a street corner all day staring off into space? Except for homeless people, hookers, and the occasional alien invasion, probably never.
One immersion-breaking part of Mafia II was being unable to enter all but the most game-crucial buildings, such as Gun Stores and Diners. Fortunately this meant I was able to take refuge from the police (just a big misunderstanding, really) by hiding in a Gun Store. Unfortunately a roving officer found me, and he too entered the store. Unfortunately, for him that is, he came in with his gun drawn, and the Gun Store Owner responded to this apparent threat by shooting him. Amusing. Unrealistic and immersion-breaking, but amusing in a random kind of way.
Also unrealistic but not quite so amusing was the very strong bias of the Police to ignore any crimes (misdemeanors, etc.) where you were not the perpetrator. If you struck a pedestrian with your car the police would chase you relentlessly, but if you were the pedestrian victim of a Hit & Run, even if it occurred right in front of the police (yes, I deliberately set one up as a test), they would turn a blind eye and go on their merry way. Unrealistic, immersion-breaking, and not quite so amusing.
Single Player games which try to immerse you within their game world, such as the GTA and Mafia series, need to ensure that world feels as real as possible, but when your character is the only person in the world whose actions seem to matter, the only thing that does for immersion is break it.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles
After reading the fun Anton is having with this old Gamecube game, I'm actually tempted to drag my copy out as well. Especially as I can now play it on the Wii (good ol' backwards compatibility) over my 50" Plasma where it will hopefully still look as good as I remember, if not better.Unfortunately I'm not sure where both our GBAs are, so I don't know if the boy and I can multiplay like we used to do (back when he was 4), although if I can find them I'm pretty sure I can lay my hands on the GBA-GC connector cables.
I seem to recall that "leveling up" the craftsmen in your village needed to be done a certain way, at least if you wanted access to the best weapons & armor in the game. The completionist in me is turned off by this.
Why can't we just play games anymore?
Why do so many games have us do so much outside the game when we're not playing (online research, etc.) in order to maximize our enjoyment of the game when we are playing?
Sure, we don't have to do that, but if you don't then there's a good chance you won't experience everything the game has to offer. It's almost enough to put you off playing. Almost. If we didn't already have plans for this Thanksgiving weekend, I'm pretty sure I know what I'd be doing over the holiday weekend ;)
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
Can "Piracy" be justified?
Obviously I'm not talking Piracy as in Yar, Maties! or the more modern-day Somalian Pirates, but rather software piracy.
As a long-time video gamer with a preference for Nintendo's games, I have at various points in my lifetime owned:
2 of the original-style Gameboys;
2 of the remodeled Gameboys, (in the U.S. known as Gameboy Pocket)
1 Gameboy Advance
2 Gameboy Advance SPs
4 Gameboy DSs
1 NES
1 SNES
1 Nintendo 64
1 Gamecube
1 Wii
Plus numerous games for each system, anywhere from at least 10 titles (per system) to...24 carts for the N64, 27 Gamecube games, ~30 DS carts, & 22 Wii games.
Does this large support for the games industry justify me owning an Acekard (actually three of) and downloading DS Roms for which I do not own the actual game?
If you said, No, No!, Hell No! (or any variant thereof) I actually agree with you. No amount of purchases and past support for a games company justifies a current practice of pirating software.
But let's take a look at Dragon Quest IX.
In the vein of one of Nintendo's other largest selling franchises, Dragon Quest IX is a single-player game. Yes, I know it allows for multi-play using the DS's Wi-Fi capabilities, what I mean is once someone such as my son starts playing his copy of Dragon Quest IX nobody else can use his cartridge to play the game unless they delete his saved game file, or play his saved game.
But what if I don't want to play my son's game, and I don't want to delete his game? What if I want to create my own character and start from the start of the game?
Then I can wait for my son to grow bored with his copy of the game so I can delete his file and start my own. And hope that in a week or two he doesn't ask for it back.
Or I can buy a second copy of the game. Either a brand new copy which directly supports the developers, or a second-hand copy which doesn't directly support the developers but still lets me play the game myself.
Or I can download a ROM of DQ IX, which not only doesn't directly support the developers with a second purchase of their awesome game, but is like throwing them the bird for (IMO) being greedy pricks and not allowing multiple save files per cart, which was a common industry practice up until a few years ago.
In this particular case I went with Option No. 3. I downloaded a ROM for which I own a first-hand purchased, legitimate copy of that particular game.
Now for the sake of the argument we shall limit this discussion to this particular situation, and not include those situations where I may (or may not have) downloaded ROMs for which I do not own an actual copy of the game.
So, when the developers of a game deliberately limit the functionality of their game in a deliberate attempt to force a family to purchase multiple copies of said game...IF the family purchases at least one legitimate copy of the game, is it now justifiable for them to download a ROM of the game so the rest of the family can each play their own copy of the game?
What if, in the case of DQ IX, the game includes a feature whereby the family can multiplay with each other, and they do so using 1 legitimate copy of the game and 3 ROM versions? (I'm not actually sure it's possible, but I don't see why not. I'll let you all know later.) Is it still justifiable because they own 1 legitimate copy of the game? Or should anyone who wants to multiplay purchase a legitimate copy of the game?
In this case I would agree that anyone who wants to multiplay DQ IX with their family should buy a legitimate copy of the game. But if everyone is quite content to play the game on their own, why should we have to buy multiple copies of the game when it's a very common industry practice to have 3 Save Files per Cart?
So if we own a legitimate copy of the game, I consider downloading a ROM of said game for immediate family members to use to be an acceptable practice, even if the law disagrees with me. Because while Section 117 of the Copyright Act makes it acceptable to make & use back-up copies of legitimately purchased & owned software, it's not acceptable to download copies of said software; apparently you must make the back-up copy yourself. Too bad that making a back-up copy of a DS cartridge is beyond the means of the average consumer.
I guess I'll just have to continue to be a Pirate. Yar, Maties!
As a long-time video gamer with a preference for Nintendo's games, I have at various points in my lifetime owned:
2 of the original-style Gameboys;
2 of the remodeled Gameboys, (in the U.S. known as Gameboy Pocket)
1 Gameboy Advance
2 Gameboy Advance SPs
4 Gameboy DSs
1 NES
1 SNES
1 Nintendo 64
1 Gamecube
1 Wii
Plus numerous games for each system, anywhere from at least 10 titles (per system) to...24 carts for the N64, 27 Gamecube games, ~30 DS carts, & 22 Wii games.
Does this large support for the games industry justify me owning an Acekard (actually three of) and downloading DS Roms for which I do not own the actual game?
If you said, No, No!, Hell No! (or any variant thereof) I actually agree with you. No amount of purchases and past support for a games company justifies a current practice of pirating software.
But let's take a look at Dragon Quest IX.
In the vein of one of Nintendo's other largest selling franchises, Dragon Quest IX is a single-player game. Yes, I know it allows for multi-play using the DS's Wi-Fi capabilities, what I mean is once someone such as my son starts playing his copy of Dragon Quest IX nobody else can use his cartridge to play the game unless they delete his saved game file, or play his saved game.
But what if I don't want to play my son's game, and I don't want to delete his game? What if I want to create my own character and start from the start of the game?
Then I can wait for my son to grow bored with his copy of the game so I can delete his file and start my own. And hope that in a week or two he doesn't ask for it back.
Or I can buy a second copy of the game. Either a brand new copy which directly supports the developers, or a second-hand copy which doesn't directly support the developers but still lets me play the game myself.
Or I can download a ROM of DQ IX, which not only doesn't directly support the developers with a second purchase of their awesome game, but is like throwing them the bird for (IMO) being greedy pricks and not allowing multiple save files per cart, which was a common industry practice up until a few years ago.
In this particular case I went with Option No. 3. I downloaded a ROM for which I own a first-hand purchased, legitimate copy of that particular game.
Now for the sake of the argument we shall limit this discussion to this particular situation, and not include those situations where I may (or may not have) downloaded ROMs for which I do not own an actual copy of the game.
So, when the developers of a game deliberately limit the functionality of their game in a deliberate attempt to force a family to purchase multiple copies of said game...IF the family purchases at least one legitimate copy of the game, is it now justifiable for them to download a ROM of the game so the rest of the family can each play their own copy of the game?
What if, in the case of DQ IX, the game includes a feature whereby the family can multiplay with each other, and they do so using 1 legitimate copy of the game and 3 ROM versions? (I'm not actually sure it's possible, but I don't see why not. I'll let you all know later.) Is it still justifiable because they own 1 legitimate copy of the game? Or should anyone who wants to multiplay purchase a legitimate copy of the game?
In this case I would agree that anyone who wants to multiplay DQ IX with their family should buy a legitimate copy of the game. But if everyone is quite content to play the game on their own, why should we have to buy multiple copies of the game when it's a very common industry practice to have 3 Save Files per Cart?
So if we own a legitimate copy of the game, I consider downloading a ROM of said game for immediate family members to use to be an acceptable practice, even if the law disagrees with me. Because while Section 117 of the Copyright Act makes it acceptable to make & use back-up copies of legitimately purchased & owned software, it's not acceptable to download copies of said software; apparently you must make the back-up copy yourself. Too bad that making a back-up copy of a DS cartridge is beyond the means of the average consumer.
I guess I'll just have to continue to be a Pirate. Yar, Maties!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Is Penny Arcade redefining Piracy ?
"If I am purchasing games in order to reward their creators, and to ensure that more of these ingenious contraptions are produced, I honestly can't figure out how buying a used game was any better than piracy." - Tycho, Penny Arcade
Wow! Those are strong words.
They're also true.
Now before you start ranting make sure you understand what Tycho is saying, or rather, what he's not saying, because he's not saying buying a used game equals piracy, even if that's what you think he's saying.
Tycho is saying that if your intention is to reward a designer for making an awesome game, buying a used copy of the game has the exact same effect as pirating the game, because if you buy a used game the developer will never see a dime of your money. (Click here for currency conversion rates)
If your intention is to reward the designer then buying a used copy of the game sends the exact same message as if you pirated the game. That's all Tycho is saying.
Wow! Those are strong words.
They're also true.
Now before you start ranting make sure you understand what Tycho is saying, or rather, what he's not saying, because he's not saying buying a used game equals piracy, even if that's what you think he's saying.
Tycho is saying that if your intention is to reward a designer for making an awesome game, buying a used copy of the game has the exact same effect as pirating the game, because if you buy a used game the developer will never see a dime of your money. (Click here for currency conversion rates)
If your intention is to reward the designer then buying a used copy of the game sends the exact same message as if you pirated the game. That's all Tycho is saying.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Mafia II - Demo review
I like it, but then that's to be expected. I like the GTA series and Mafia II is essentially GTA Mafia.
The Demo offers you 10 minutes of play (or you can hack the Timer for...er...a more thorough review? Yeah, that works. Nothing like a good rationalization.) within a small portion of the game world, and if you go outside the boundary you "lose" the Demo's linear mission. Fortunately the 10 minutes is the only timer in the Demo so once it's no longer counting down you pretty much have free reign within the Demo, or at least within the Demo's playable area.
One of the things I didn't like was the biased, heavy-handedness of the police. Rounding one corner I had a minor fender bender with another car. The police were perhaps 100 yards ahead of us and both myself and the other car came to a complete stop, but as I looked on the police car's lights came on and the built-in police scanner announced a Hit & Run. The cop car's doors opened and the police began running back towards us, guns drawn.
A Hit & Run? What Hit & Run??? We'd both stopped our cars. There was no Hit & Run!
Then I was being pulled from my car and arrested at gun point, for a non-existent Hit & Run.
Later I would deliberately run in front of a car traveling in front of a police car, and despite being struck & injured and the offending car continuing to drive on in a classic case of Hit & Run...the police did nothing.
Another thing I didn't like was being forced to install Steam along with the Demo. I don't really have any rational reason for not liking Steam, but I object to having to install & run a third party program to play the Demo when that program has absolutely nothing to do with the game (yes, yes. I know Mafia II can be multiplayed via Steam, but that's Mafia II the GAME, not Mafia II the DEMO). That's actually almost enough to turn me off buying the Game, if I'm forced to play it via Steam. And yes, I know I can tweak Steam to run it in Offline Mode but why should I have to? If I only want to play Mafia II as a Single Player game, and only as a Single Player Game, why do I need to install & run a Third-party peer-to-peer client?
But the game is good, or at least the Demo is, and by inference the Game must be, too. After all, it's GTA Mafia. What's not to like?
I liked how 'Cover' worked in combat, with the ability to use Mouse Look to scope out the situation prior to Right-Click/Leaning out to shoot. I also liked that cover wasn't always bullet proof, and that you could still be shot while 'taking cover' if you weren't careful.
If you don't care one way or another about Steam, and if you liked the GTA series, particularly those from III onward, you'll probably like Mafia II. I like it too; I'm just not sure I like it enough to overlook the forced bundling of Steam along with it, even if I do understand why it's been included. Personally, I think the User should have the option of not installing Steam, and being able to play Mafia II as a Single Player-only game.
The Demo isn't enough to convince me to pay full price for Mafia II, but it has reminded me that I never bought GTA IV, and with it being available now for just $20 I might finally add it to my library.
*edit* I did find this amusing. I was experimenting with the hand-to-hand combat system, which is fun, even if it's not Tekken. In fact it's just left-clicking or right-clicking for a light hit or heavy hit, but your avatar does throw combos as you gain the upper hand, or your opponent if you're losing the fight, which is a nice touch. After beating up on a few guys I drew the attention of the police, managed to resist arrest (by beating up the arresting officer), then successfully fled the scene of the crime. However, I was still a Wanted Man and thus prone to attracting attention if a cop saw me, which one did.
While playing you come across the odd tip, and one Tip said to be careful brandishing weapons in Gun Stores because Gun Store owners are armed themselves.
Now it just so happened that I attracted the attention of the local constabulary while outside a Gun Store, and with it being one of the few building you can enter I quickly ducked inside and hid behind the counter. When the cop chased me inside he drew his gun and shot at me...and was promptly blown away by the Gun Store owner.
I doubt the Gun Store owner has become a Wanted Man now himself, but I did find it an amusing touch that he was willing to defend himself against a perceived attack by shooting a police officer.
The Demo offers you 10 minutes of play (or you can hack the Timer for...er...a more thorough review? Yeah, that works. Nothing like a good rationalization.) within a small portion of the game world, and if you go outside the boundary you "lose" the Demo's linear mission. Fortunately the 10 minutes is the only timer in the Demo so once it's no longer counting down you pretty much have free reign within the Demo, or at least within the Demo's playable area.
One of the things I didn't like was the biased, heavy-handedness of the police. Rounding one corner I had a minor fender bender with another car. The police were perhaps 100 yards ahead of us and both myself and the other car came to a complete stop, but as I looked on the police car's lights came on and the built-in police scanner announced a Hit & Run. The cop car's doors opened and the police began running back towards us, guns drawn.
A Hit & Run? What Hit & Run??? We'd both stopped our cars. There was no Hit & Run!
Then I was being pulled from my car and arrested at gun point, for a non-existent Hit & Run.
Later I would deliberately run in front of a car traveling in front of a police car, and despite being struck & injured and the offending car continuing to drive on in a classic case of Hit & Run...the police did nothing.
Another thing I didn't like was being forced to install Steam along with the Demo. I don't really have any rational reason for not liking Steam, but I object to having to install & run a third party program to play the Demo when that program has absolutely nothing to do with the game (yes, yes. I know Mafia II can be multiplayed via Steam, but that's Mafia II the GAME, not Mafia II the DEMO). That's actually almost enough to turn me off buying the Game, if I'm forced to play it via Steam. And yes, I know I can tweak Steam to run it in Offline Mode but why should I have to? If I only want to play Mafia II as a Single Player game, and only as a Single Player Game, why do I need to install & run a Third-party peer-to-peer client?
But the game is good, or at least the Demo is, and by inference the Game must be, too. After all, it's GTA Mafia. What's not to like?
I liked how 'Cover' worked in combat, with the ability to use Mouse Look to scope out the situation prior to Right-Click/Leaning out to shoot. I also liked that cover wasn't always bullet proof, and that you could still be shot while 'taking cover' if you weren't careful.
If you don't care one way or another about Steam, and if you liked the GTA series, particularly those from III onward, you'll probably like Mafia II. I like it too; I'm just not sure I like it enough to overlook the forced bundling of Steam along with it, even if I do understand why it's been included. Personally, I think the User should have the option of not installing Steam, and being able to play Mafia II as a Single Player-only game.
The Demo isn't enough to convince me to pay full price for Mafia II, but it has reminded me that I never bought GTA IV, and with it being available now for just $20 I might finally add it to my library.
*edit* I did find this amusing. I was experimenting with the hand-to-hand combat system, which is fun, even if it's not Tekken. In fact it's just left-clicking or right-clicking for a light hit or heavy hit, but your avatar does throw combos as you gain the upper hand, or your opponent if you're losing the fight, which is a nice touch. After beating up on a few guys I drew the attention of the police, managed to resist arrest (by beating up the arresting officer), then successfully fled the scene of the crime. However, I was still a Wanted Man and thus prone to attracting attention if a cop saw me, which one did.
While playing you come across the odd tip, and one Tip said to be careful brandishing weapons in Gun Stores because Gun Store owners are armed themselves.
Now it just so happened that I attracted the attention of the local constabulary while outside a Gun Store, and with it being one of the few building you can enter I quickly ducked inside and hid behind the counter. When the cop chased me inside he drew his gun and shot at me...and was promptly blown away by the Gun Store owner.
I doubt the Gun Store owner has become a Wanted Man now himself, but I did find it an amusing touch that he was willing to defend himself against a perceived attack by shooting a police officer.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Quick Review: UFC Undisputed 2010
I had a chance to play the PS3 demo of UFC '10 at Best Buy on the weekend, and I liked it. It was very quick and easy to pick up the basics, especially as it used Tekken-like controls with each of the 4 primary buttons being for left punch, right punch, left kick, & right kick. It made it very easy to string combos together while also demonstrating the infeasibility of throwing right roundhouse kick after right roundhouse kick after right roundhouse kick, etc.
Being UFC the game is more than just striking and fighters do go to the mat and can attempt submission moves. Not knowing (at the time) how to get out of a submission (or apply one) I settled for knocking my opponent the fuck out! Hey, it's UFC, right? It's not figure skating. So for the most part I was throwing combinations and going for a knock-out punch, and if I happened to knock my opponent to the mat I'd move in and hammer him with left-right-left strikes to the head until he pushed me away and the referee broke us up, or I broke through his defense, broke his nose, and knocked him the fuck out!
To demonstrate the engine's eloquence and subtlety my son took his turn and made it through the first round after cutting his opponent up (strikes to the head can cut while blows to the body leave nasty looking welts). When the bell sounded to start the second round my boy slowly backed away from his opponent while throwing several big, right hands that found nothing but air. But the fourth or fifth punch he threw finally connected and it must have found the sweet spot because his opponent went down like a poleaxed steer. One punch and Bam! (And we're not talking Margera) Knock out. Lights out. Game over. Thanks for coming.
Unlike my victories which came after several devastating head shots this was one, perfectly thrown punch that just knocked the recipient out for the count. So you can brutally beat your opponent into the mat, you can finesse your way to victory, or, as I'd find out in one of my matches, you can yield to an arm bar or some other various submission hold.
It's apparently getting quite high reviews and having played the demo I can understand why. It's controls are easy to pick up and it's probably loads of fun at a LAN party or just when you get a few mates around, but it also hints that if you're prepared to put in the time it could rival the fighting games of yesteryear for depth and complexity.
If I had a PS3 (or XBox), this is definitely one I'd be adding to my library.
Being UFC the game is more than just striking and fighters do go to the mat and can attempt submission moves. Not knowing (at the time) how to get out of a submission (or apply one) I settled for knocking my opponent the fuck out! Hey, it's UFC, right? It's not figure skating. So for the most part I was throwing combinations and going for a knock-out punch, and if I happened to knock my opponent to the mat I'd move in and hammer him with left-right-left strikes to the head until he pushed me away and the referee broke us up, or I broke through his defense, broke his nose, and knocked him the fuck out!
To demonstrate the engine's eloquence and subtlety my son took his turn and made it through the first round after cutting his opponent up (strikes to the head can cut while blows to the body leave nasty looking welts). When the bell sounded to start the second round my boy slowly backed away from his opponent while throwing several big, right hands that found nothing but air. But the fourth or fifth punch he threw finally connected and it must have found the sweet spot because his opponent went down like a poleaxed steer. One punch and Bam! (And we're not talking Margera) Knock out. Lights out. Game over. Thanks for coming.
Unlike my victories which came after several devastating head shots this was one, perfectly thrown punch that just knocked the recipient out for the count. So you can brutally beat your opponent into the mat, you can finesse your way to victory, or, as I'd find out in one of my matches, you can yield to an arm bar or some other various submission hold.
It's apparently getting quite high reviews and having played the demo I can understand why. It's controls are easy to pick up and it's probably loads of fun at a LAN party or just when you get a few mates around, but it also hints that if you're prepared to put in the time it could rival the fighting games of yesteryear for depth and complexity.
If I had a PS3 (or XBox), this is definitely one I'd be adding to my library.
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