Posts filed under: Games
I should probably put up a disclaimer regarding comments:
Disclaimer: Anonymously posted flamebait will be summarily deleted.
Moderation is in effect!
Also, I should clarify my remarks on repetition and the titles I used as examples. I really liked Halo 3 and God of War 2. I just felt that Halo 3 was over too quickly without giving the player enough chances to play with a lot of the toys. Likewise, God of War 2 was an amazing game, but DMC3 was really more my cup of tea–I liked replaying levels over and over until I could take on the harder difficulties. Basically, my argument is that familiarity can be a good thing.
Granted, apologizing for honest criticisms of games is no way to win over the flamebaiters, but I should probably do my best to not come across with too much negativity.
October 9, 2007
I just thought of another game that could’ve used more repetition: God of War 2.
Granted, it was an amazing game with some crazy cool parts, but like Halo 3, some of the protagonist’s badassery was dampened by the fact that you would be thrust from one completely unfamiliar situation to the next with no common frame of reference. It’s the classic picture of a vengeful hero who has been going in circles in the west wing of the antagonist’s base because he can’t find the right lever or whose quest of revenge comes to a very non-epic end when he doesn’t notice a particular climbable rock wall during an intensely cinematic moment and plunges with the platform he was riding on into the lava for the sixth consecutive time.
I thought Bioshock really nailed the whole repetition thing. Little variety in monsters, recognizable environment hazards (oil slicks, water, security systems), good level layout and a nice checkpoint arrow.
Also, The Dishwasher was in magazine (an Edge magazine, to be exact). Here’s a cell phone screenie:
The article is mostly on XNA, but it’s nice that they put some juicy screens in there.
October 8, 2007
Like most people out there (I hear) I got a copy of Halo 3. It’s a pretty sweet game, though, like others, I tend to think the single player experience skimped out a bit while still being pretty awesome.
Of course, we all know that multiplayer is where it really shines. I’ve only played a couple of games and already I’ve come across a lot of new content or better use of content that the campaign lets you play with for a grand total of about a minute. Spartan Laser, anyone?
I guess the prevailing idea for a good game is less repetitiveness = better game, but I tend to like familiarity. When they keep throwing new concepts at the player, it starts to feel like by the time you get used to one thing, they’ve moved you on to the next, and you never get to feel totally lethal because you’re always a bit bewildered (and bewildered and lethal are pretty much polar opposites). That being said, guess which gritty, gothic comic art style XBLA game on the horizon is awash with repetition?
I do have a stupid Halo 3-related question that needs to be answered–how on Earth do you search for a multiplayer Campaign game? I’ve found matchmaking, and have been able to start local Campaign games that other XBL users can evidently join, but is there any way to search for a Campaign game or are Campaign games expected to populate solely on invites? Seems like a dumb question, but I need resolution.
Anyway, I’d better get back to Dishwasher stuff. I’ve been playing around with adding the Katana into non-Katana weapons, which doesn’t change gameplay much but looks pretty cool. When the Dishwasher slams a cyborg while dual wielding a chainsaw and Katana, it just looks like it seriously hurts.
October 5, 2007
Here’s a sweet new track that’s going to be gracing The Dishwasher soundtrack. Listen for keyboard sweetness!
September 4, 2007
It’s been a fun week since the big news, and I’ve been loving all the notice I’ve gotten from the webs. Here are some good ones:
TeamXbox:
Earning a master’s degree in Computer Science is no small feat, and neither is creating a highly-polished video game han-solo-style in only six months. Yeah, James is one the smart ones, but his humble beginnings as a dish hand inspired the chaotic elements found in his winning entry The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai.
Kotaku:
One of the winners of Microsoft’s Dream-Build-Play competition, The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai will be making its way to an Xbox Live Arcade near you in the coming months. This XNA Game Studio Express hallmark was the fruit of James Silva’s labor, a stylish, two dimensional action shooter with all the right shoot ‘em up standards.
Gamespot:
The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai is a side-scrolling action game featuring over-the-top violence and a main character that uses an array of blades and guns to mow down adversaries.
Check out the buzz!
Also, thanks a ton to Epsicode for the good press!
August 21, 2007
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