• 15Aug 09

  Uncharted

  Ucharted is one of the best games i ever played.According to the awesome graphics and visuals, the beautyfull voice acting and the fantastic feeling of treasure hunting makes this game so remarkable. But there some downfalls that i noticed. The first one is in the gameplay. The covering system is not working quite well, the enemys can really fast surround you because there are a lot of them. And the second one isthe story. Enemys are everywhere when they supposed not to know those places. But ofcourse this a 2007 game. All in all this game rocks and you really love it. I can say in my mind that uncharted is anincrediblegame but the people who were developing it ruinned a bit the game. Hope when the sequel of the game uncharted 2among thieves will be ready the drowbacks will be fixed and ofcourse the visuals should be much better because now is 2009! and i forgot to tell i recently got the platinum of uncharted and dead space. i will post the pics later

  • Posted Aug 15, 2009 10:12 pm PT
  • Category: Games
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• 25Jun 09

  Are Games Getting Dumber?

  Somewhere between handily completing Assassin's Creed and breezing through nearly all of the missions in Grand Theft Auto IV, it struck me. Have games of today become dumber? This is not to suggest that the stories contained in these games are dumb: Assassin's Creed and GTA have both been praised for their incredible storytelling. What I mean is that it increasingly feels as though game designers feel that we the players are dumb, that we need our hands constantly held throughout a game, lest we throw down the controller in frustration.

  These two recent console games, while obvious examples, are not the only offenders in this recent trend of dumbing-down the challenge factor in videogames. The recently released Too Human features automatically scaling enemies so that players will never encounter any foe that is way beyond their level of experience. Fable II will include a "Breadcrumb trail" so that adventurers will never get lost while traveling from one objective to the next in its sprawling fantasy world.

  

  A bread crumb trail leads the way in Fable 2.

  
  Compare these modern examples with titles that - not too long ago - offered considerably more challenge and really tested both the reflexes and intelligence of players. I grew up with graphic adventure games like Kings Quest, The Secret of Monkey Island, and Conquests of Camelot, all of which are famous for placing taxing levels of difficulty on the player. In a text-based PC adventure game from the 1980s, a typical player interaction might go something like this:

  Player: "Get ye flask"
  Computer: "You probably can't reach the flask"
  Player: "Walk over to the flask and pick it up"
  Computer: "Your legs are tired. Perhaps there is another way?"
  Player: "For the love of God get ye $#!%#$ flask"
  Computer: A lightning bolt appears and incinerates you. You have been returned to your last save point, made 4 hours ago.

  Of course, modern developers have argued strongly that some retro conventions - such as text-only input and broken save systems, deserve to be laid to rest. But even beyond those technical limitations, games from that period placed challenges in the way of the player that are sorely missed in the current crop of adventure games. One of the greatest features of early PC adventures was their ability to make the player feel as though he or she were really exploring a new landscape. There were no overhead maps or radar screens, no invisible walls keeping players from wandering into dangerous territory. Gamers had to feel out the landscape on their own, in some cases even creating pen and paper maps in the real world to keep track of their location in the game. That was one of the reasons why we loved Etrian Odyssey, an RPG for the DS that uses the touch screen for mapmaking. But games like Etrian Odyssey are an increasing rarity in a market that seems to reward simplicity over challenge.

  How did this happen? How did game developers arrive at the notion that what we really wanted all along was less of a challenge in our videogames? Part of the answer can probably be found in the massive economic success of the video game industry. As the digital entertainment market approaches the popularity of film, games have come to resemble Hollywood movies in many respects. Publishers seek to create games that will have massive appeal with the public -- a public that increasingly includes new and less experienced gamers, as companies seek to reach out to new consumers. The recent game Spore might not be satisfying to hardcore gamers, but it will undoubtedly sell millions of copies by appealing to more causal PC owners like my father, who has never played a real-time strategy game before. Adventure games have definitely suffered from this phenomenon. They are very expensive to make, because of their extensive use of artwork and voice-acting. Because of that, they must be able to appeal to a large enough audience to recoup the initial cost of development. Consequently, developers are taking less risks and designing their games for the lowest common denominator.

  
  
  Modern adventure games are expensive to make.

  
  All hope is not lost. A small but vocal resistance has formed, made up of hardcore masochists, completists and those who remember what games were like before they became mass-market commodities. These devoted thrill seekers will actually take great care to make their gaming experience as difficult as possible, even in "nerfed" titles like Assassin's Creed. In that game, some hardcore fans decided that playing with the HUD activated was cheating, so they forced themselves to play without a radar map. By forcing themselves to actually hunt for the next objective, these players argue, the experience is improved, and actually approaches the level of difficulty found in earlier adventure games. The hardcore can also be found on YouTube. These are the ones doing speed runs in their favorite 2D platformers, trying to shave a few seconds off of their previous and untouchably fast performance. And of course, multiplayer shooters like Call of Duty 4 offer unlimited challenge, as gamers square off against human opponents that are just as skilled as themselves.

  For a real, challenging adventure game, however, options are somewhat slim these days. I hope that some game designers remember the glory days of adventure gaming on the PC, and seek to implement some of the best features from that era in new projects. Give players a sense of control over their destiny, let them make mistakes and suffer the consequences, and let them explore the virtual worlds you create without limitation. Above all, force players to use their brains to interact with your game, rather than simply spoon feeding them cutscenes. Those things are what make gaming great, after all.

  • Posted Jun 25, 2009 8:39 am PT
  • Category: Editorial
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• 31May 09

  Top Ten Games That Should Be MMOs

  # 10 Kingdom Hearts Online

  In 2002, the company now known as Square Enix launched a game that combined its popular Final Fantasy series with an unlikely partner in Disney. It melded FF characters with classic Disney characters and settings. While the premise might sound absurd at the outset, audiences enjoyed it and the game spawned a number of sequels.

  Kingdom Hearts Online would give both Square Enix and Disney Interactive a new and interesting title to add their MMO libraries.

  "Rejected Selection" - Tetris Online

  Players can choose from up to seven different classes: Straight Line, L Shape, J Shape, Cube, S Shape, Z Shape and T Shape. Each class has its own role, but players must work together to accomplish their goals. The quests may be repetitive, but players will love the fast paced action.

  #9 Madden Online / EA Sports Online

  Nobody does sports games as well as EA. They have games in every major sport, headlined by the consistently best selling Madden football franchise. With sport-based MMOs gaining momentum within the genre, it may be time for the Sports branch of the mighty Electronic Arts to try their hands at an MMO.

  Developers could focus on their flagship Madden franchise and make a football game, or take advantage of their many professional league licenses to let players try to develop multi-sport talents to compete against the best in the sport of their choosing.

  #8 Battlefield Online

  The Battlefield franchise has always been about online player vs. player action. Soldiers compete against each other on their choice of a number of maps. Over the game's last few incarnations, moves have been made to add an RPG style experience and levelling system so that players can advance their soldiers, giving them access to stronger equipment and abilities. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to take the RPG transformation one step further and meld the maps into a single world, giving the MMO community an updated modern war game with a familiar face.

  "Rejected Selection" - WWE Smackdown vs Raw Online

  Create your own wrestler and battle other players for the World Heavyweight Championship. Quests include hitting your friend with a steel chair, keeping Hulk Hogan's ego in check, posing for the crowd and passing your steroids test.

  # 7 Age of Empires Online

  Blizzard started their move into the MMORPG realm by adapting an RTS series, and Microsoft could do the same with their popular franchise (now that Ensemble has been shuttered). Realm vs. Realm action is a perfect fit as some of the greatest civilizations from Earth's history battle for supremacy.

  Historical MMOs don't have a fantastic track record, at least when it comes to Ancient Rome (Imperator, Gods & Heroes), but mix together all of the popular empires within a single era of history, add a little bit of war and violence, a crafting and discovery system, a city building (and destroying) system and Microsoft might be looking at a hit MMO.

  #6 BioShock

  The massive popularity of 2K's submerged first person shooter alone merits BioShock's consideration to be a candidate for an MMO makeover. If you add on the game's retro flavour, its combination of technology and super powers that look a lot like magic and its well crafted storyline, it becomes a no brainer.

  The entertainment world is abuzz these days with prequels, so why not make BioShock Online a prequel that dates back to the 1950s as strife began to grow in Rapture leading to the revolt and eventual breakdown of their civilization?
  #5 Nintendo Universe Online

  As MMOs aimed at children become more popular, the idea of a game set in the Nintendo Universe becomes more and more appealing. It wouldn't be the first time that Nintendo put their iconic characters together in a game, but this time it would allow gamers to create their own Nintendo alter egos, maybe **** after Mario Brothers, Zelda, or Metroid franchises.

  Possible Premise: Join the Nintendo Universe characters as they hunt for the kidnapped Princess Toadstool who seems to be perpetually located in another castle.

  #4 Neverwinter Nights Online

  This already popular and well known RPG franchise would make a perfect MMO, its multi-player mode could be easily adapted to a more open, MMORPG format to allow players to experience perhaps the most iconic of Dungeons and Dragons game world: The Forgotten Realms.

  This idea doesn't take anything away from Turbine's efforts with DDO. Their game takes place in Eberron, the franchise's newest property, while Neverwinter Nights takes place in The Forgotten Realms, one of the oldest and most iconic Dungeons and Dragons settings. It's strictly a setting thing.

  "Rejected Selection" Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego

  Now players of all ages can be frustrated as a group as the wily criminal known as Carmen Sandiego slips through their fingers despite leaving such tough riddles behind as, "She went to the country whose flag features a maple leaf."

  #3 Left 4 Dead Online

  The MMO genre is screaming (and running for their lives) for a zombie invasion ****MMORPG, and Left 4 Dead might just be the franchise to do it. The existing game already incorporates a few MMO concepts like small group teamwork and PvP. The game also establishes the fact that cities are in ruin as the zombie plague spreads. Louis, Bill, Francis and Zoey are only a few of the immune survivors and there are undoubtedly more out there, just trying to keep from getting eaten or beaten to death by the undead masses.

  Why stop at allowing players to create survivors? Why not make this game a true PvP game and give players access to zombie characters as well? One side tries to live while the other tries to feed.

  #2 Grand Theft Auto Online

  The Grand Theft Auto franchise is arguably the ultimate in sandbox, open world gaming. Many players have expressed an interest in playing a similar game that goes a bit deeper than even the current multiplayer allows. Questing, PvP, faction building... these are all aspects of the game as it exists. Throw in a persistent world and an interesting advancement system and you've got an MMO worth looking at.

  While a Grand Theft Auto MMORPG would most certainly carry an "M" rating, potential loss of a younger audience would be undoubtedly be offset by the massive popularity of the franchise. With apologies to APB, having the actual license matters.

  "Rejected Selection" - Leisure Suit Larry Online

  Take the Grand Theft Auto Online concept, then remove all elements of the game where the character isn't in a strip club or trying to get laid, and you've got an MMO adaptation of Leisure Suit Larry. You don't get many clothing options (leisure suits only), and quests are often quite linear, but who's going to notice?

  #1 Starcraft Online

  This article began with Blizzard, and it will end with Blizzard. Starcraft, the studio's sci-fi real time strategy series is perhaps the game that MMO players want the most. The reasons are many and varied, but Blizzard's proven track record in moving from RTS to MMO, combined with the game's worldwide recognition and popularity make one wonder why this game has yet to be announced.

  For some time now, the MMO community has known that Blizzard is working on a new MMO project. Speculation that the game is going to be an adaptation of the company's Diablo franchise is doubtful given that WoW already covers the fantasy genre. A Starcraft entry into the growing field of sci-fi MMOs though might be quite good for business. Or maybe they'll shock everyone and do something really off the wall. Time will tell.

  • Posted May 31, 2009 4:32 pm PT
  • Category: Editorial
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