• 19Apr 08

  So many impressions, so little time.

  Recently I've been playing tons of games. Some are from my backlog, others have been from playing at the local electronics market. Now that I've made friends with the workers, they're more than willing to pop in a game (if they have it) and play it for a while. A few of my impressions are from demos- I feel very proud of myself for figuring out how to download a PS3 demo to my PC then transfer it on to my PS3. Seriously, I get 32kb/second if I just use the PS3 under peak conditions and 128kb/second if I use my PS3. It's seriously night and day.

  Impressions, ho!

  Lair (demo)- I had been thinking about this game for a while- was it really such a trainwreck? Most of the reviews trash it, but there are some people who just swear by it. Fortunately, Sony released a Lair demo on the Hong Kong PSN (just to state that once again, Hong Kong...some people keep going to the Japanese store for it). It weighs in at 1919mb, the largest demo yet.

  Let's cut to the chase- how are the controls? I've played this demo almost 10 times now and I keep looking for what doesn't work in the controls- I can't find it. If you rock the controller quickly and repeatedly, yeah, it doesn't follow your command. But the motion controls work amazingly well. In fact, the demo includes analog controls and I prefer the motion controls by far. I'll admit that it took some time to get it right and the analog controls came faster to me, but they're not broken like the reviews suggest.

  Seriously, give this game a chance. If you have a PS3, just try the demo. Perhaps it won't sway you like it did me, but I'm starting to think that the reviews were just wrong. This game has moved up to my "buy when there's a lull" list. I would buy it now, but I got talked into Warhawk instead.

  Call of Duty 4 (PS3)- Getting to play this one was a bit of a surprise- I just walked in to say hi and the boss said in broken English that he had a new PS3 game to try. Given that his last one was Ridge Racer, I was less than excited. But he busted this one out, so I just had to see what the fuss was about. As a small caveat, I had problems aiming for most of the time I played it. I think this is because the PS3 was set to 4:3 on a widescreen TV. I only had a little chance to play after I corrected this.

  The first level blows- hard. I barely shot a single person. But the second and third levels? Definitely a lot of fun and I could see why people love this game. Then came the fourth level, with its infinite spawning soldiers. God that just sucked the fun out of it. Really, I can't believe reviewers were giving this game such high ratings with such an outdated game design. Also, I found several occasions where friendly and enemy soldiers would run past each other to take up positions, then turn around to shoot. Really, that scripted stuff was cool a few years ago, but now it's just unacceptable.

  The game has its moments, but it's not the best shooter in the world and bit overrated as far as I can tell.

  The Orange Box (PC)- First of all, let me thank my new Belkin Nostromo N52 for allowing me to play this game. I'm using a laptop and using WASD is an absolute pain. So I picked one of these up and its nearly perfect. I ought to write a review for it alone.

  So, what about the game? Well, Portal is still amazing and I still haven't touched TF2. But what about HL2 and the Episodes? They're good, but they don't stand out as much as I thought they would. There's definately some talented designers at Valve, but a few of the levels are total busts (I'm looking at you, Sandtraps). Perhaps had I played the game back in 2004 I would be more wowed. I picked it up on that Steam sale for $37 and I definitely don't feel ripped off. Maybe I just went in with too high of expectations?

  The most amazing part? I've beaten HL2, Episode 1, and am on the verge of being Episode 2. I would be done with that one, but I had to format.

  _____________________

  Well, that's a pretty good start, even though I've been playing tons more. I've actually learned tons about my own playing habits and hope to comment on that real soon.

  • Posted Apr 19, 2008 10:08 am PT
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• 6Feb 08

  Gamer Building 101

  There's been a lot of concern over whether the recent influx of new gamers will be beneficial or detrimental to us avid-to-hardcore gamers. Some argue that it will be good for the industry, where cheap and quick casual titles will fund the megagames. Naysayers will point out that if the megagames aren't as profitable as the casual games, there's no incentive for developers to make more traditional games.

  I tend to agree with the latter, but with a major caveat. Casual games could doom traditional games if they're more profitable, but the solution isn't to not buy these games- that would imply that somehow you were going to buy them before and most of those games we would never touch. The real solution is to get those new gamers more accustomed to high quality, traditional games.

  But if the hardcore games tend to be higher quality, why don't they just start playing those? Look at some of the best titles of last year as someone who's never played games and imagine approaching those games having never held a controller before. It's intimidating. Most Gamespotters have probably been gaming for a decade, or in my case, two. I started gaming on the Atari 2600 and haven't stopped. I've seen the change from 2D to 3D and the advancement of controllers from a simple joystick and button to our current controllers that have up to 12 buttons, excluding D-pad and thumb sticks. You and I, we've had time to adjust and hone our skills for complex games. Jumping into a modern game without any of that background is a difficult task.

  But new gamers don't need to be confined to simple one-button mini-games. They need to be taught how to play. And yes, it is possible. It took several months but I was able to convert my girlfriend from someone who thought games were for boys into a person who is excited for new games and actively looks for them. I've really been thinking about how I did this, partially because I am worried about the future of the industry but also I know a lot of guys would love to have girlfriends who love to play games.

  So really, this blog post is focused more on converting a girl, but the general rules probably apply to any non-gamer. As a final note, it does take some work and it's not quick. Just don't expect any overnight miracles.

  Things to Remember

  Looks are everything: Ever wonder why Harry Potter games sell so much? It's not because the gameplay is (usually) good or because it has magic. It's because it's Harry freakin' Potter. Visually, the game must be appealing to them. When it's a license they know and love, they're going to be far more interested in trying it out. But that doesn't mean you have to use a licensed game- my girlfriend saw Shadow of the Colossus and was in awe.

  Your games suck: Ok, don't take this too literally, but your games suck. Sure, YOU might like them....but that doesn't mean your padawan will. You can't use the argument, "but it got a 9.5 on GS!" Nobody cares. Only after they are able to play games reasonably well will they begin to understand the difference between lousy gameplay and good gameplay.

  Don't know the game? Even better!: Similarly related to number two, sometimes it's best if you go out on a limb with a game you've never played before. The reason? You will suck at the game too. It's rather intimidating to watch someone manhandle a game and then be given the controls to follow suit. But if you suck, it's ok for her to suck too- she'll be more likely to keep at it.

  So, those are the things you should remember. Now, for the actual progress. Remember how we said we've been playing for a decade at least, and in that time, we've seen a lot of changes to games? Well, we need to recreate that same progression. The good news is that it doesn't take nearly as long for a person to adapt compared to the time it took the industry to make these progressions.

  Phase 1- Support and Simple Gaming

  During the initial phase, gaming should never be more complicated than two buttons and moving left or right. For me, it started after I picked up Mario Kart: Double Dash. Initially, I drove and she threw things. Eventually, she'd drive for a lap and then switch over. This is what I mean when I say 'support.' She has to do something meaningful, though. Also, in this phase, introducing her to simple 2D games is probably a good idea. I'd recommend any traditional Mario game- they're easy to understand and play but still have great gameplay. If you have a Wii on hand, Wii Sports is also recommended as are some of the better quality minigame collections. The goal of this phase is to just get her to play and have a good time.

  Games I used- Mario Kart: Double Dash, Wii Sports, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz (minigames), Mario All-Stars, Worms Open Warfare 2

  Other possible suggestions- Rayman Raving Rabbids, Sonic the Hedgehog (2D), Mario Party, XBLA games

  Phase 2- Advanced 2D and Basic 3D

  So she's playing games- great! But we're still a bit in casual country. And by the end of this phase, we should be doing ok, but not great. So the last time we ended with basic 2D where it was generally run left or right. In this phase, we can introduce some more complex 2D games and begin going into 3D. For more advanced 2D, my girlfriend loved Loco Roco- I say it's complex because the constant tilting of the world. At this stage, you could consider a JRPG as well. As far as 3D goes, stick within the N64/PSX era or the PSP. They had 3D, but you generally had no control of the camera which is a good thing for gamers in this phase. The reason is pretty simple- they can focus on moving about and thinking in terms of a 3D world.

  Games I used- Loco Roco, Calling All Cars, Tokobot

  Other possible suggestions- Super Mario 64, perhaps an older Final Fantasy, Super Mario Galaxy, Pilotwings 64, Ico

  Phase 3- Complex 3D

  When I say complex, I don't mean in terms of features/choices. Really, what this section boils down to is using dual analog. Most games require you to use both, but it's actually really difficult to learn. The game I used to best effect was Shadow of the Colossus. The reason this game is so great for teaching how to game is that while you can use to second analog stick to control the camera, it's not always required. If you make religious use of the L2 button, the game is quite playable in most situations without using the right stick. My girlfriend got hooked on this game.

  With so many games requiring this, it's both a blessing and a curse. It's bad because it's so difficult, but given that there are so many games that fit in this section now, I'm sure you can find a game that she will be interested in trying. For my girlfriend, it's Stranglehold because Chow Yun-fat is in it (I live in China and she's Chinese). For your girlfriend, it could be Halo or Kingdom Hearts. This phase is really a long, hard slog so have some patience and keep encouraging her.

  Games I used- Shadow of the Colossus, Stranglehold

  Other suggestions- let her decide!

  My girlfriend certainly hasn't mastered dual analog yet, but she's getting better. She's definitely becoming hardcore- after she beat Shadow of the Colossus, she wrote a blog post (in Chinese, which is why I'm not linking it) probably twice the length of this about the game and how she felt about playing it. She included more than a dozen pictures to help visualize for all of her girl friends. She's already decided she wants to try Mario Galaxy, Ico, and Okami (which I never told her about- she found that one out on her own). I've created a gamer!

  These are just my ideas and how I got someone to become a gamer. But that doesn't make it the be-all, end-all solution. I'd certainly love to hear some suggestions on how to improve what I've provided here. What I think is important to remember is that your girlfriend/casual friend doesn't have to be confined to just minigames or "games for girls." Provide her with the tools, skills, and confidence needed to play more complex games and I'm sure most will try and end up loving it. It's always great to have your hang-out time revolve around playing games that you would play even if you were alone.

  • Posted Feb 6, 2008 8:19 pm PT
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• 30Jan 08

  Where do you get the time?

  So, I'm back home visiting, which basically equates to having nothing to do at all times. So, with so much time, I've obviously got to playing some games. Well, along with posting on these boards.

  Anyway, just before the new year, we had that big sale on Steam. I ended up picking up the Orange Box, Psychonauts, and Vampire: the Masquerade- Bloodlines. Just very briefly, I haven't even touched Psychonauts or Vampire. I've beaten Portal (and never expected to like) and am slowly working my way through HL2, which I'm not a major fan of.

  I picked up one of these games on the recommendation of a forum user on this site which I hold in fairly high regard. Now, this user said that he/she loved this game and was glad they picked it up. Within a week or so, the person had said they logged in 35 hours into the game already. Let's think about that. If this user had it for 10 days, that's 3 and a half hours a day. I have plenty of free time, whether I'm in the US or in China, and I never log this many hours into a game in such a short time (or rather, if a game is supposed to be finished in 10-12 hours, I don't finish it for weeks).

  I also often see users in general talking about games they've gotten and within days, talking about how they've already beaten the game. Perhaps I suck at games, but rarely have I beaten a game in such a short amount of time. I do have some recent successes beating games in rather short order: Portal, Ico, and Shadow of the Colossus. But Portal was well known to be a short 3 hours adventure, while Ico and Shadow of the Colossus aren't particularly long. GRAW2 was regarded as being short but it took me months to beat it. In fact, before those games, I couldn't even tell you the last game I beat.

  Do I just suck at games and because of that, I don't notice how much time I'm playing? It's a very real possibility, but to be perfectly honest, I've been a bit disappointed with gaming for the past few years with a few exceptions. I think I'll cut my losses with HL2 and try Pyschonauts/Vampire- perhaps I just need a good game to draw me in.

  • Posted Jan 30, 2008 2:07 pm PT
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