• 15Jun 09

  Interesting Developments

  I saw a blip on the GS front page this morning for an action/adventure/FPS game called Interstellar Marines. Starship Troopers and Halo and Gears, oh my, popped into my head. Because we've never seen a space marine epic before, right? But I am a total junkie, so I watched the video. Turns out the game may be less remarkable than the story behind it.

  We all hear a lot of debate about mega-publishers vs. indie devs and how big business screws up creativity. One little Danish developer has decided to take on the world and go completely community-based, grassroots development and distribution. They're called Zero Point Software, and they're building the game on their own (they may have some capital funding; I don't know) with community donations.

  The four guys behind it started off working in somebody's basement and have grown the team in the past few years. They issue lots of making-of-type videos and articles to keep the community involved and informed, including we the gamers in their development process. It's a very nice ongoing window into the game (unlike the big outfits that show up at E3 and GDC etc. and release snippets periodically to keep hype going). Now this is a reality show I can get behind! Plus, it's always nice to see a dev from a country other than the US, Japan, or England getting some love and providing a fresher aesthetic.

  The game looks cool, if a bit derivative (some serious Star Wars influence going on there), but the premise/backstory is sound, and they promise unpredictable twists, so I'm giving the benefit of the doubt. Frankly, I just want to see if they can do it. So I decided to donate, fully realizing that they may never even finish the game, let alone the planned trilogy. I'm sure there are lots of folks trying to do this elsewhere, and I'd love to hear about it. This just seems like a fairly unique instance in the community and business model aspects of game development, and I am intrigued to see how it turns out.

  • Posted Jun 15, 2009 12:50 pm PT
  • Category: Games
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• 21May 09

  All That Glitters

  Armageddon is upon us. Stock up on toilet paper and duct tape. I've gone Gold.

  With the onslaught of multiplayer gaming in the last few years, much to the detriment of single-player experience, might I add, those of us who eschew faux online camaraderie with strangers are quickly becoming the gaming equivalent of Luddite dinosaurs. Since I pride myself on attempting to remain open-minded about most things, I recently learned how to play online with a friend. It was on the Wii, but hey, it still counts! Especially after she shot me when we were trying to figure out who was whom. Turns out we weren't in a match, it was just us. So when I respawned (now in my vocabulary, thank you), I shot her back. Four times. Then we found the online matches. We shot a couple people, they shot us back, rinse, repeat. Whee.

  This not-very-heady experience (did I mention the Wii has no voice capability except in one stupid game? Good luck coordinating your efforts) pretty much sodded multiplayer for me as I had expected. But I keep hearing these reports of how much fun it is (on Xbox Live, with actual voice capabilities). I guess it helps if you actually know people online to talk to. I don't. But I saw an ad for Gamerchix Girls' Night on XBL, so I thought, what the heck. I'll give it another go sans the Halo Boys. The GC manifesta is one of congenial competitiveness, which I find far more appealing than the now-stereotypical foul-mouthed trashtalkers. The biggest problem of online gaming is the noob factor-there seems to be no allowance for a learning curve, but if you don't have experience in multiplayer, how do you get any if you're just going to be penalized, trash-talked, or downrated for the lack thereof? Especially when you'd rather play the actual game with a storyline instead of memorizing spawn points on every map available.

  So I signed up and finally got myself an Xbox Live Gold membership, jumped into Fable II multiplayer (their selected game for that Wednesday night)...and spent an hour listening to whiny teenaged boys whose voices haven't yet broken begging for money and master weapons. Seriously? I even gave the one kid a pile of gold, seeing as I had a 9-figure bankroll, and he just kept whining for money without so much as acknowledging it. Charity aside, I just wanted him to shut up. I guess I'm too old and crotchety to hang with the Clearasil crowd. Since I don't know anyone and couldn't talk to anyone because we were all drowned out by aforementioned whiners, who kept repeating their hilariously hopeful gamertags (----- Assassin, ----hero) as if that would make them miraculously transform believably into their alter egos (which, apparently, are sizeable), I couldn't get a word in to ask anyone with settled hormones if they wanted to play co-op or trade those bloody dolls. At least not before the headset stopped working. Now I'm never going to get that wretched collector achievement, and while I usually don't care much about them, the probability of leaving only one or two undone is making me OCD.

  In all fairness, Fable II doesn't have lobbies (see how quickly I learn?) where you can pick whom to play with, but geez. I think multiplayer as a sidebar innovation for single-player RPG is an interesting sidebar and maybe a nice component for those who like that sort of thing. However, I certainly hope my beloved RPGs don't go the way of shooters and completely give way to MMOs. Which is a whole 'nother story better told elsewhere, but suffice to say, if I may borrow a phrase, how special a Hero are you running around Bowerstone with 40 other "only heirs to the bloodline"? Yes, I know, the alternate universe schtick, but still.

  I guess I am waiting for a more robust online experience that consists of more than just running around and shooting at each other. Fable II's rudimentary multiplayer is a step in that direction, a development I will watch with interest. Believe it or not, even the upcoming 1 vs. 100 looks mildly intriguing in a gameplay space, and I hate gameshows.

  Don't get me wrong: I can see the appeal of playing online with friends, and understand the advent of social gaming in our increasingly electronically connected world. I don't understand, frankly, why couch co-op has died in favor of online--if a friend comes over, we can't play together in my living room, we have to be in our own houses? Doesn't seem very "social" to me. My friends with Xboxes aren't online, so what's a girl to do?

  I have three months on this Gold membership, so next time the 'Chix play a game I actually have (maybe I'll pick up my third version of World at War), I can start my learning curve. If I still can't get into multiplayer, at least I got to register for a couple Gold-only contests, so I feel like I achieved something in this experiment. And maybe I'll dig through my pile of games and just randomly try multiplayer and see how it goes. I hate to feel like I'm missing out on any corner of gamerdom, see.

  I will never value multiplayer over the single-player experience that I feel is the heart and soul of gaming, so I'm not going over to the dark side any time soon. But since multiplayer has become such a cornerstone of modern gaming, and has the potential to be I'd be remiss not to at least explore it before further griping about its increasing domain!

  • Posted May 21, 2009 5:21 pm PT
  • Category: Games
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• 16Feb 09

  Wii don't know what to play

  So a good friend of mine got mad at me the other day because I may have neglected on purpose to mention when my birthday is, because I do not care. So in retaliation, she sent me a Wii so I can play against her (or with her, when she stops being pissed off) online.

  A, I have really awesome friends who amaze me, so here's my little happy gratitude balloon out to the universe.

  B, I need help picking us some Wii games with multiplayer that do not suck. I see many Wii titles, but usually they look like they suck or are single-player only. If you have a Wii, and you play online, please help me, Obi Wan. We're planning on picking up Resi 4 and CoDWaW, and probably Madden 08 because she has that one already. Is Super Mario Galaxy or Wii Fit (don't laugh at old people) online, or couch co-op only? Clearly, I need to go shopping and talk to some teenagers, because my research is coming up empty. [Bemusement of the Day: If Gamespot emphasizes multiplayer so much, why don't they sort their game database by it?]

  If I'm going to have a second console in my house making my PC jealous, I will be needing some decent single-player games to make the wrath worthwhile. No More Heroes, check. Metroid 3, check. ... ... Ok, I'm tapped out. Help me. Thank you.

  • Posted Feb 16, 2009 9:53 pm PT
  • Category: Games
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