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Archives for 2010

It’s Mass Effect 2 Eve!

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It’s my favorite time of the year, the hours before a new, highly anticipated title is launched. Ever since finishing the first Mass Effect (two years after it was released), I have been anxiously awaiting the sequel to drop. I came home to the most awesome email ever:

(My Gamefly Ninja move has worked again. I could keep Mass Effect 2 for 45 bucks right now. I am a Gamefly Ninja!)

For whatever reason, I avoided most of the pre-launch info with a righteous zeal. I’m not sure why. I’d peep the occasional screen shot or watch a video, but I ignored most coverage the various sites have had. Was that a mistake? I wanted to avoid all spoiler talk and go into the game “pure.” This is actually something I’ve thinking about (spoilers) lately and hope to talk about that more in a future post.

Due to not keeping up with the previews and coverage leading up to launch, I don’t know exactly what changes have been made to the sequel or what to expect. So here is my short Mass Effect 2 wish list:

  • Let’s get this one out of the way first: no more elevators. Duh. The shorter the loading waits, the better. Early in the original game, there were dialog between the characters during the elevator rides, which made them bearable. If I have to sit in an elevator, I need more of these.
  • Make the side-quests mean something. I was never really interested in doing in any of the side-quests in the original because there wasn’t any real compelling reason to do so. I started finishing them near the end, which unfortunately turned out to be too late in some cases. I hope the new side-quests will enrich the main story and flesh out the new characters.
  • I loved the first person conversations from the first one. I’m not a big fan of how the main character in Dragon Age never talks. I hope Mass Effect 2 continues the great BioWare tradition of meaningful conversations.
  • Finally, I hope I can bring over my saved character from my finished game but use Shepard’s original model. I tried to make a “new Shepard” but he ended up looking like an extra from Planet of the Apes. I’d really like to revert back to the original Shepard. I did notice on today’s Penny Arcade post that Tycho mentions that there will be a way to maintain your character, even if you don’t have access to your save file, so it’s good to know I’m covered. Scratch that, reverse it.

As a service to you, fellow Mass Effect 2 fans, I posted a bunch of screen shots on Flickr to prime the pump. This game looks great. I’m hoping it is great

Mass Effect 2 01

Dragon Age First Impressions

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Now that I’ve spent a little time with Dragon Age: Origins, I thought I’d post a few impressions.

Initially, I didn’t think Dragon Age: Origins was going to do it for me. Things started out really slow. I didn’t care for what at first glance appeared to be a rather generic story. Some of the graphics were distracting. Controls didn’t feel right. I was not impressed.

Now that I’m about five or six hours into the game, I’m happy to admit things get much better. The story, now that I’ve read some of the background (via the Codex) has me buying in to what’s happening. I quickly became comfortable with the controls.

Graphics are still a bit of a disappointment. It’s probably nit-picky and petty, but some of the character models look really bad. I know the game has been in development for a long time, but it’s surprising that Mass Effect, a game two years older, looks just as good (if not better) than Dragon Age. Maybe that’s due to the fact that this game was obviously designed for PC first, consoles second, but some of the models are very distracting.

I had read in more than one place (Josh most recently) about how Dragon Age had a potentially steep learning curve but I thought I was good enough to start the game at a higher difficulty level. WRONG. After an hour of dying needlessly I set the difficulty back to normal and moved on. I don’t know why I have this need to do things the hard way but I’m getting better. I’ve decided that after I gain a few more levels I think I’ll give the next difficulty up another try now that I’m getting the hang tactics system and my guys aren’t as squishy.

And one last thing. Normally with BioWare games, I’m almost always go with the “good” options. In conversation I say the “right things” and when offered a moral choice I “do the right thing”. This game, I’m trying to be a “bad guy” or at least not a knight in shining armor. It’s hard. On more than one occasion I’ve felt a twinge of guilt as I send an orphan packing or see a “-10 Alistair” after I make a decision. If nothing else, that’s got to count for something in terms of emotions in a video game.

This Game You Should Play: Star Guard

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Star Guard is one of those rare games that come along and wow you on simplicity alone.  The premise: guide the spaceman through the castle and defeat the wizard. You are green. The bad guys are red.  Along the way, you get little bits (ha!) of narrative in the form of text overlays.

The controls are simple: shoot with X and jump with Z. The left and right arrows are for movement. The author of the game suggests using a gamepad, and I would concur with the later stages of the game. There will be the need for some fast shootin’!

The game’s charm comes in its accessible gameplay and little nods to humor via the enemies and their placement in the levels. However, this platformer probably has the simplest aesthetic I’ve ever played in a game since Combat on the 2600. At most, six colors are used.

There are a few perks for the diehards such as a hard mode and a trial mode (the levels are timed) that can be played on the game’s nine levels. In hard mode you get one life whereas in normal they are infinite. There are checkpoints in the levels, and when you die you continue from them. There’s an interesting twist that the enemies and traps you’ve set are still gone from your first failed run through a level (if you got, say, half-way). In essence, you could go through a section and not have to do anything but reach the exit if you had earlier died at the end.

It’s available for Windows and Mac as a FREE download from developer Vacuum Flower’s website. See the key word? FREE. It was made in Flash but has it’s own executable. Perfect for a USB stick game on the go.

Lastly, it’s a 2010 Independent Games Festival Finalist in the Excellence in Design category. Based on the fun I’ve had with this title the last three days, it should be a contender.

Set your DVRs

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Got this note from EA’s PR peoples and figured some of you would be interested. I know I am, but I’m also torn. I’ve been avoiding any and all info about Mass Effect 2 to go into the game pure and unsullied as possible. I have seen a few of the teaser videos for the game, so maybe I’m already corrupted. Either way, check it out:

Tonight the SyFy Network will debut the special TV documentary, Sci vs. Fi: Mass Effect 2 , featuring celebs, creators, and experts discussing 2010’s first blockbuster videogame, Mass Effect 2 and its place in the sci-fi pantheon. Tune in to the Sy Fy Network for the premiere airing on Tuesday January 19th at 11 PM EST/PST and 10 PM CET. The show takes an in-depth look at both the science and fiction of Mass Effect 2, and features interviews with in-game voice talent Tricia Helfer and Yvonne Strahovski, Sci-Fi fan favorite Wil Wheaton and journalists Jessica Chobot and Adam Sessler among others.

Weekend Gaming

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Another weekend is upon us. This weekend may not present many opportunities to game for me, but when they do I’ll be engrossed in Dragon Age. So far I like what I’ve seen and am looking forward to seeing a whole lot more. If I only get a moment or two for gaming it will probably be some Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer. I’d also like to get back to Borderlands, so that is always an option.

What are you playing?

Modern Warfare 2 is a Japanese RPG

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Or maybe it’s an MMO. Either way, who knew? (Probably a lot of people, but not me)

I mention jRPGs because right now, I am in the thick of “leveling up” my weapons and all I could think of was Disgaea. In Disgaea, items are actually places you can “enter” and by progressing through the levels of the item, you actually make it stronger. You can also increase its attributes by taking out certain monsters (both specialists and bosses). In Modern Warfare 2, every weapon has a set number of challenges that systematically increase the “power” of your weapon. You can unlock things like sights, camouflage, and stronger ammo. It’s addictive, just like Disgaea was.

The beautiful thing about MW2‘s system is that, as far as I can tell, the improvements are small enough that they don’t knock the balance of the game out of whack. While I may have unlocked the thermal scope, heart monitor and grenade attachment, I am limited to using two (after unlocking another perk) attachments. It works perfectly. And even if I do happen to fully upgrade/unlock my current weapon of choice (A SCAR-H) I will probably move on to another weapon to continue the process.

Therein lies the hook. Raph Koster definitely had it right in his book, A Theory of Fun for Game Design. I know it’s is more complex than this but it it turns out that our brains are wired to enjoy doing repetitive things that we perceive as being fun. The designers at Infinity Ward have honed this to a razor’s edge. It’s like they looked inside my brain and tailored Modern Warfare 2 to pretty much inject fun directly into my brain.

I am a simple man who has simple (gaming) needs. I was actually going to discuss these things in conjunction with Torchlight and Borderlands, but this is just as good a time to talk about it as ever. I only need a few things in my games. I need to see little numbers popping up off the bad guys (multicolored numbers, if you are really trying), I need lots of things to unlock and I’ll take some leveling up (the more the better). Take all those simple things and throw in a robust statistic tracking system and I am in heaven. I haven’t played a ton of jRPGs, but I have played a ton of MMORPGs. Both of those game scratch that numeric itch.

So while it has its flaws, Modern Warfare 2 is almost the perfect game for me. It has these simple things I like, in spades. To recap: I need: Stats (check), Little Numbers (not quite what I want, but I’ll let it slide), constant progression (Leveling up (check)), and Unlocking (that’s a gigantic CHECK).

So I think I have a new favorite FPS on the 360. Halo 3 has been unseated and I’m not sure it (or Halo: Reach) can regain the throne. I don’t know how much I really believe this, even as I’m typing it, but if Halo: Reach doesn’t incorporate some these mechanics, I don’t know how much it will grip me.

In my Hands

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In my (overflowing) hands:

You would think I already have enough games to play, and you would be right. Gamefly, however, would like to disagree with you and sent me a copy of Dragon Age: Origins for the 360. Of course I’m excited about this, but I really just want to play some Modern Warfare 2 and Borderlands. But I’ll make the sacrifice!

Fun Games of the Year 2009

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Finally, capping off the long list of Fun Games of 2009 is our final list, the coup de grace of lists, the absolutely definitive “These were the Fun Games” list: The games we had the most fun with in 2009:

James – I think I’ll have to go with Killing Floor for the most fun I’ve had with a game that came out this year. The gameplay is fun because of the teamwork required (up to six players), the variety of weapons, and the amount of action you get out of it. There is nothing like welding a door shut while the monsters try to break the door down and needing to cover your rear from the monsters charging you and your friends. Not to mention the perks you get that level up the more you play. Very, very fun game, can’t wait to get back to it!

Jason O – Let’s just get this out of the way and announce that Red Faction: Guerrilla was my game of the year. However, Batman: Arkham Asylum follows close on its heels. Overall I think this was a great year for games. Phantasy Star 0 has become my goto game for defeating boredom with the power of the Nintendo DS, while Wolfenstein, Borderlands, and Dragon Age: Origins have all become welcome additions to my library. Also, at the point where XBox Live Arcade was beginning to feel like a novelty we had Shadow Complex this year. For me, 2009 was the year of incredulity. Borderlands, Batman, and Shadow Complex each represent three distinct genres or gameplay styles that have little appeal to me and yet all won me over in a big way.

Nat – This was a stellar year for me. Every new title I purchased but one was a complete winner in my book. It’s Batman: Arkham Asylum that was the overall winner. It was close between inFamous and Assassin’s Creed II, but something about being Batman was pure joy. If I were to rate this game it’d be a 9.9–almost perfect. I continue to go back to the challenges and I’ve contemplated a second play-through. I really cannot say much more about this game than what’s been said, but it is a blast to play.

Will – My overall Fun Game of the Year for 2009 is also my winner in the Xbox 360 category: Borderlands. I enjoy FPSes, RPGs, and cooperative play. I also appreciate when I can play a game alone, but have the experience enhanced when others join in the fun. I had two sticky points during the single player campaign: Mothrakk and Old Haven. I sent an invite to a friend in each instance asking for help. They joined my game, we got through the mission, then they dropped out. That kind of flexibility in Borderlands‘ game design is something that goes a long way with me.

Tony – If we went on shear amount of time played, Spider Solitaire would be my FGoTY for about the eight year in a row. But, since this is the Fun Game for 2009, It doesn’t qualify. That being said, I’m going to call Batman: Arkham Asylum my Fun Game of the Year, 2009. I mentioned some reasons why in the Xbox 360 FGoTY post, so I won’t rehash them here, but I forgot to mention how much I enjoyed the ending. It may have been a bit over the top, almost cheesy, but I loved it nonetheless. In a year of great gaming, Batman was the cream that rose to the top. I do worry that a sequel will lessen Batman’s impact on gaming but I’m also anxious to see what more we can expect!

So I think we can give, by virtue of two and a half votes, Batman: Arkham Asylum Buttonmashing.com’s 2009 Fun Game of the Year, with Borderlands garnering a respective second place. And let’s be honest and cliche about it: with all these fun games, the real winners are us gamers.

So that was our list for 2009. What games topped your list? And what has you most excited about 2010?