Fuck yes.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Monday, January 15, 2007
Monkey to Man
Man, there’s like a million posts I have ready in my head but just no time to write them. I’m finally able to put to page my experience with my family and the Wii.
The Wii is by far the easiest system to be able to start playing and no exactly what to do. On top of that, you can actually be really good. As I’m sure it’s evident by the fact that I have my own blog about games, I’m a core gamer. In fact, gaming is my hobby as well as my job. With that said, I was consistently handed my ass by people who had never played video games in their life.
What was also interesting is that everyone gathered in the living room simply to watch. Even after the curiosity wore off, my family still stuck around to watch the back and forth tennis matches or the tight games of bowling.
However, I think the best part for me was actually being able to play games with my parents. It’s been something I’ve tried to do for years. When something is so important to you, you like to share it with the people you care about and I’m happy I was finally able to let my parents into that world, if only for a little while. What’s amazing is that they may pick up the system for themselves. Imagine. My parents with their very own gaming console.
I’m so proud.
The Wii is by far the easiest system to be able to start playing and no exactly what to do. On top of that, you can actually be really good. As I’m sure it’s evident by the fact that I have my own blog about games, I’m a core gamer. In fact, gaming is my hobby as well as my job. With that said, I was consistently handed my ass by people who had never played video games in their life.
What was also interesting is that everyone gathered in the living room simply to watch. Even after the curiosity wore off, my family still stuck around to watch the back and forth tennis matches or the tight games of bowling.
However, I think the best part for me was actually being able to play games with my parents. It’s been something I’ve tried to do for years. When something is so important to you, you like to share it with the people you care about and I’m happy I was finally able to let my parents into that world, if only for a little while. What’s amazing is that they may pick up the system for themselves. Imagine. My parents with their very own gaming console.
I’m so proud.
Saturday, January 6, 2007
Review - Zelda: Twilight Princess
Zelda: Twilight Princess is awesome. The story is well crafted, the characters are interesting and dynamic, the puzzles are unique and challenging, and the world is beautiful.
That being said, I will never play it again.
Save for a large chunk of the music, everything in the new Zelda is absolutely amazing. I really enjoyed playing through it. But, as I’ve said earlier, Zelda has no hook, no special something, that makes me want to come back for more. Now that I’ve solved all the puzzles and experienced the story, there’s simply not enough fun to bring me back for another run.
You start the game in your lazy, peaceful village. After a couple hours of masturbatory tutorials, the story actually starts. After a couple more hours of aimless fighting and puzzling, you finally go to your first dungeon. After several more hours and two more dungeons, the real game finally starts. From here, it’s the typical fare of collecting items from dungeons in order to beat the big bad and save the day. Be ready from some unexpected (and some expected) twists and turns in the story.
The character design in particular is something I was really impressed with. Every character in the game is distinct and memorable. They all have their own quirks and idiosyncrasies. There are even a few subplots between characters if you pay attention.
One of the major nitpick complaints I had was having Navi the fairy on screen all the time. Absolutely unnecessary and I challenge anyone to prove otherwise. Its only purpose is to show the user where their cursor is when it’s not in use. On top of it always being there, it makes an annoying jingly fairy sound whenever you move the cursor. Again, completely unnecessary and it never should have made it past QA.
My only major complaint is the fact that the sound design, especially the music, sounds like it was ripped straight from the N64 versions of the games. It’s not distracting or even a huge deal, but it’s a definite disappointment.
There’s really not much more I can say in this review. Twilight Princess follows the Zelda formula exactly, almost to a fault. Despite my few complaints, I would recommend this game to anyone who enjoys this style of game. It’s got a high production value, a long, involved story, and engaging gameplay. 8/10
That being said, I will never play it again.
Save for a large chunk of the music, everything in the new Zelda is absolutely amazing. I really enjoyed playing through it. But, as I’ve said earlier, Zelda has no hook, no special something, that makes me want to come back for more. Now that I’ve solved all the puzzles and experienced the story, there’s simply not enough fun to bring me back for another run.
You start the game in your lazy, peaceful village. After a couple hours of masturbatory tutorials, the story actually starts. After a couple more hours of aimless fighting and puzzling, you finally go to your first dungeon. After several more hours and two more dungeons, the real game finally starts. From here, it’s the typical fare of collecting items from dungeons in order to beat the big bad and save the day. Be ready from some unexpected (and some expected) twists and turns in the story.
The character design in particular is something I was really impressed with. Every character in the game is distinct and memorable. They all have their own quirks and idiosyncrasies. There are even a few subplots between characters if you pay attention.
One of the major nitpick complaints I had was having Navi the fairy on screen all the time. Absolutely unnecessary and I challenge anyone to prove otherwise. Its only purpose is to show the user where their cursor is when it’s not in use. On top of it always being there, it makes an annoying jingly fairy sound whenever you move the cursor. Again, completely unnecessary and it never should have made it past QA.
My only major complaint is the fact that the sound design, especially the music, sounds like it was ripped straight from the N64 versions of the games. It’s not distracting or even a huge deal, but it’s a definite disappointment.
There’s really not much more I can say in this review. Twilight Princess follows the Zelda formula exactly, almost to a fault. Despite my few complaints, I would recommend this game to anyone who enjoys this style of game. It’s got a high production value, a long, involved story, and engaging gameplay. 8/10
Friday, January 5, 2007
Review - Sam & Max Episode 1: Culture Shock
After being canned by Lucasarts back in 2004, things didn’t look good for the Sam and Max series. Thankfully, Telltale Games picked up the license and has breathed new life into our heroes. In a bold move, Telltale has decided to present Sam and Max in a purely episodic format.
As I discussed in my previous post, the new version of Sam and Max is contained in an episodic series much like a TV show. Assuming Telltale continues with the same format, each episode is a self-contained experience that is part of a broader world and storyline. You’ll see familiar faces in each episode and you’ll find inside jokes and references to past experiences, but the particular episode requires no prior knowledge of the world or its characters.
As for the game itself, Episode 1: Culture Shock was a lot of fun. I enjoyed the humour in the game and the premise for the case was clever. That being said, I found this episode to be far too simple. I can walk through the entire story in roughly a sentence or two which is really disappointing. I felt really ripped off after finishing the game and not because it was a short game from a time perspective. It seems very much like the story is just getting started and there’s more to come when the game ends.
The puzzles are much as you would expect from an adventure game like this and are satisfying enough. There were a few times that I was mystified and forced to hit the net for answers and a couple puzzles that were tough to figure out without choosing just the right conversation choices to get the hints.
The game looks great. The graphics really suit the world and its style and are really sharp. The opening credits are super stylized and I loved it; a very 70’s feel. The sound is also well done. The sound effects are very fitting and the voice acting is tremendous. For such a small game, there is a ton of dialogue and it’s pretty much all got a punch line.
If you are looking for a short and sweet adventure game, I would definitely recommend Culture Shock to anyone. Despite its flaws, it really is a great experience that you’re sure to enjoy. 7/10
As I discussed in my previous post, the new version of Sam and Max is contained in an episodic series much like a TV show. Assuming Telltale continues with the same format, each episode is a self-contained experience that is part of a broader world and storyline. You’ll see familiar faces in each episode and you’ll find inside jokes and references to past experiences, but the particular episode requires no prior knowledge of the world or its characters.
As for the game itself, Episode 1: Culture Shock was a lot of fun. I enjoyed the humour in the game and the premise for the case was clever. That being said, I found this episode to be far too simple. I can walk through the entire story in roughly a sentence or two which is really disappointing. I felt really ripped off after finishing the game and not because it was a short game from a time perspective. It seems very much like the story is just getting started and there’s more to come when the game ends.
The puzzles are much as you would expect from an adventure game like this and are satisfying enough. There were a few times that I was mystified and forced to hit the net for answers and a couple puzzles that were tough to figure out without choosing just the right conversation choices to get the hints.
The game looks great. The graphics really suit the world and its style and are really sharp. The opening credits are super stylized and I loved it; a very 70’s feel. The sound is also well done. The sound effects are very fitting and the voice acting is tremendous. For such a small game, there is a ton of dialogue and it’s pretty much all got a punch line.
If you are looking for a short and sweet adventure game, I would definitely recommend Culture Shock to anyone. Despite its flaws, it really is a great experience that you’re sure to enjoy. 7/10
Tuesday, January 2, 2007
S&M
I wrote my previous post about episodic content purposely ignoring the new Sam and Max series. At the time, I hadn't yet played it and my cursory web search on the game did not prove clear enough to speak about it. I played the first episode and I'll be writing a review shortly, but I want to talk quickly about its use of the episodic format.
Sam and Max is exactly what I was talking about... sort of. You've got a set cast of characters as well as a few supporting characters that I imagine will pop up in future episodes and most importantly, the episode was a contained experience. At the beginning of the episode, you are hired to solve a case and by the end, you've cracked the case and arrested the bad guy.
Now here's where the "sort of" comes in. The pacing is terrible. While it is everything I wanted, it's executed in such a poor way that you feel ripped off. There are really only two goals in the episode: find the bad guy and capture the bad guy. It felt very much like the game was just about to get going when it ends.
I imagine that Telltale will get better at this as they release new episodes. They're breaking new ground and it's not surprising to see some bumps. But, if they can tighten up the experience and perfect the timing and pacing of the episode, this could be the start of a really awesome format. I can't wait to see what happens.
Sam and Max is exactly what I was talking about... sort of. You've got a set cast of characters as well as a few supporting characters that I imagine will pop up in future episodes and most importantly, the episode was a contained experience. At the beginning of the episode, you are hired to solve a case and by the end, you've cracked the case and arrested the bad guy.
Now here's where the "sort of" comes in. The pacing is terrible. While it is everything I wanted, it's executed in such a poor way that you feel ripped off. There are really only two goals in the episode: find the bad guy and capture the bad guy. It felt very much like the game was just about to get going when it ends.
I imagine that Telltale will get better at this as they release new episodes. They're breaking new ground and it's not surprising to see some bumps. But, if they can tighten up the experience and perfect the timing and pacing of the episode, this could be the start of a really awesome format. I can't wait to see what happens.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)