• 28Oct 08

  ReEmergence of Retro and Arcade games

  I have been playing games since I was 4. Started my life with Atari and played lots of games since then on different consoles. Now I have an Xbox360, PC and Wii for killing time and I am playing quite a handful of games released today and still having fun. However when there is any news of any retro games getting a remake or makeover, I jump out of excitement. This is an excitement I never have when any new next-gen game is launched (well I just want to exclude few titles, coz I am an avid fan of such titles). I would like to share why arcade and retro games are so popular these days. So I distinguish the differences between AR (arcade-retro) and next-gen games (Crysis, Halo, Mass Effect) in several factors:

  1. Replaybility

  This is the first and possibly the main factor for the popularity of games. Think about games like Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved. People would love to play again and again just to beat the high score, a practice performed by gamers, especially in arcade. I am almost finished with Dead Space and GTAIV and I am not thinking to play them again for a long time (since Dead Space is scary and I will be completing 100% in GTAIV so no reason to play for a while). I would definitely love to play a round of Geometry Wars or 1942: Joint Strike or ever difficult Ikaruga. Some arcade games are short but filled with fun-stuffs so it adds up some replaybility. In any next-gen game if there are no variances in gameplay and plots, there is no reason to play that game again (provided the game is too long and straightforward).

  2. Fun-factor

  Any new next-gen games can take away the fun at certain point. Most of the gamers will disagree, I was seriously bored while playing Bioshock. So bored that I stopped playing. I am not saying that Bioshock is awful game. It is one outstanding game with innovative elements. It is possible that I am getting so bored in FPS games. That's why I temporarily shifted my interest to Bionic Commando: Rearmed for two reasons: gameplay is still fun and you can play for hours even you are getting killed at Super Hard and it also brings back my childhood memories. Geometry Wars is insanely fun when you become insame when you get big multipliers.

  3. Challenge

  Any arcade game can be challenging. It makes people spend their precious quarters a lot. Most of the retro games are pretty hard. Anyone remember Battletoads? Even new arcade games like Ikaruga are super hard even in Easy mode. Getting high score and getting into the top of the leaderboards in Geometry Wars is an insane task. The addition of online leaderboards made things even challenges. It drives players to play more. This applies mostly in arcade games. You dont expect this in Dead Space or Mass Effect or any other majority of new games. Halo series and COD series are exceptions since these games are meant to be played like that. I finished COD4 in veteren mode, but I still havent finished Bionic Commando: Rearmed Super Hard mode or even Battletoads (which is I think impossible). It seems arcade game developers like their games to be as hard as possible to make us cry.I newer games we can finish any game without a cheat code, but there was a time when cheat code was bound to be introduced for the first time in a game (I am referring to Contra).

  4. Co-op

  Co-op gameplay in arcade and retro games has been one of the primary fun-factors and still it is. You will find co-op functionality in most of sports games and few other games. People cant deny the fact that co-op increases the fun-level of gamplay to a significant level.My young sister dont play games that much at all, but she would love to play a round of Streets of Rage with me. Sometimes she forces me to play with her. True, Street of Rage is fun. I was introduced to the world of arcade games with a beat em up game. Now, thanks to XBLA, I can play a round of 1942 Joint Strike or Ikaruga with my dormmates (cause I naturally dont like to play alone when they are sitting for no reason).

  5. Money?

  It is safe to say that Arcade games are big money makers. Although they are sold for 5-15 dollars, a lot of people buy it. Most people naturally read reviews of any 60 dollar game before buying it.

  I just ran out of categories. Maybe you fellow gamers can fill up the rest. Till then, I sign off.

  • Posted Oct 28, 2008 5:33 pm PT
  • Category: Games
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• 28Dec 07

  Games that need sequels

  There have been so many announcements of so many sequels to come. Games like Resident Evil, Devil May Cry, Final Fantasy and Mortal Kombat (one of my most fav series. Oh yes! Mortal Kombat 8 is coming up and will be powered by Unreal III engine) are all having sequels very quickly. However the biggest surprise (and also relief) was the announcement of the sequel of Bionic Commando (one of the best NES that I have played). So I thought that maybe I should put a list, so the developers, publishers and fellow gamers can see and think about the idea. Here is the list:

  1. The Operative: No One Lives Forever 3

  This is one of my favorite series. No One lives Forever series had a different touch in the whole concept. The series was not like any other FPS in the market. The game was hilarious, had a 60s feel (which was an important factor), relied on stealth gameplay and of course the beautiful Cate Archer herself. Monolith hvnt confirmed nor denied the possibility of another NOLF sequel. The whole plot is not finished yet as the Director of HARM is still alive and Isako has to pay Cate Archer her debt.

  2. Vampire Masquerade: Bloodlines 2

  The dark concept and the environment of the whole game can be a major factor of the greatness of this game. The concept of the mixture of first person, third person and the RPG was indeed excellent. The character building system had a lot of variation and it had serious effect on the gameplay and the story plot. Even the music was dark. However the game was itself cursed (not vampiric curse) from too many bugs. I would like to request the developers to make a sequel of the game with new plot, more character ****s, more sexy chicks, more skills, more guns, more……..!!!!!! Oh yes!!! Less bugs!!!!!

  3. The Longest Journey: Dreamfall 2

  One of the best adventure games I have played. I really want to know what happened to the three protagonists especially April Ryan. Dreamfall left me so many mysteries and I want to know the truth. The truth is somewhere out there.

  4. Diablo 3

  There have so many hack and slash RPG games but nothing beats the Diablo series. Diablo II is rather old and was released 6-7 years ago and still people play this game, especially online. It seems that people are so determined to get to the top: Level 99. So what we want from Diablo III? More character ****s.

  5. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 3

  I don't know whether the game's gonna be a MMO or just an RPG (I wish it becomes an RPG), but when EA bought Bioware, my fingers are actually crossed. Despite the fact that the storyline (especially the ridiculously stupid ending) of the 2nd episode left much to be desired, I still want a sequel. Also bring Bastilla back!!!!!

  6. Baldur's Gate 3

  This is a game that I WANT. Although I still cant find a copy of BG2: throne of bal, the shadows of Amn was like a dream… I kno that a lot of u ppl are gonna kill me for this but id rather have a sequal to BG2 than NWN2. I mean how LONG can you stay content playing wid only 1 character =P.

  7. Chrono (Something)

  Both Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross were awesome (I liked the Chrono Trigger better). I played the story because of the storyline. It was quite deep. The developer should consider make use of today's technology and make another version of Chrono (Something) which can stand with games like Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts.

  8. (Something) Strike

  Most of u must have played smthin from the strike series (jungle strike, desert strike&hellip. And im sure those who hav will agree wid me that EA needs to start making more sequels. Nuclear Strike was awesome! WAY harder than the others and kept fans like me locked to the console for hours trying to finish that game. The series was EXTREMELY popular among the fans (although not a VERY big money maker) and the story line was cool. I WANT A SEQUEL WITH MORE VEHICLES!!!!
  
  

  9. Cadillacs and Dinosaurus

  Back in the 90s, people used to spend their quarters playing this button mashing arcade game. I am talking about the first one, not the crappy CDI version. It was one of the best beat em up games in the arcade, even better than Street of Rage. Fast gameplay was the major factor of the game's excellence. Hell, I remember we challenged each other to finish the game in 1 credit (2 lives). Why not more challenging levels and players? HURU-HURI-YA!!!!!

  10. NFS (with a better storyline or none at all =S )

  Ever since NFS underground, EA has been using the same storyline over and over and over again (Underground 1 and Most Wanted carried it out with excellence though). I mean don't the developers have anything better in their brains… u are the best, someone cheats u out of the top spot and ur girl. U beat all his minions and finally the 'boss' get the girl and enjoy a crappy ending… and the latest – pro street is even better. You are insulted after after your first race by some guy (who HAPPENS to be the best racer… just happens). So what do u do? U mow your way to the top and beat the guy (payback for the insult). wow… unbelievable… awesome… eye for an eye.

  • Posted Dec 28, 2007 11:40 pm PT
  • Category: Games
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• 13Nov 07

  Darkness falls on RPG, a new dawn of MMORPG!!!

  Its sad to say, that there are few RPGs nowadays. Hellgate London, the newest hack and slash RPG, was a major disappointment both for the developers and the players. I was having high expectations in this game. The online multiplayer was a rip-off. It seems that the developers are shifting their focus on creating new MMORPG games, most of them are subscription based. This is a total rip-off for college students like me, who just spend some free time playing games. Well developers and publishers are getting enough money from it. Rumor has it that my beloved Knights of the Old Republic game is becoming a MMO. This is very sad for hardcore RPG fans as they like to stick on straight forward storybased gameplay, which is fun after all. KOTOR has the reputation of having great storyline. MMO always ruins storyline. Like Guild Wars. I like this gamemore than any other MMOs that I played (primarily because it is free and gameplay is awesome).But the constant interruptions, like taking care of guild mates, doing pvp or farming really destroys the flow of the storyline in the game. I have notfinished any campaigns inGuild Wars. Its just like Iam focusing more on characterbuilding and other stuffs. Also MMOs wont let people play the whole game alone. You need a trusted partner. Getting a trusted partner is also hard in MMOs. Its better to make friends at least. In games like KOTOR and Baldur's Gate (sad that EA has bought Bioware),I spend my whole time thinking what to do next in order to progress in the campaign. Now I start to wonder how many RPG games gonna launch. Fallout 3 is coming, but I still dont know much about the contents of the games and my fingers are crossed.I am seriously waiting for a good pc RPG with a good storyline.
  • Posted Nov 13, 2007 1:23 am PT
  • Category: Opinion
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