Inter competition

The debate rages on daily if not hourly somewhere in this world and I’m pretty sure at this very second you will start the very same debate. What is the best gaming platform ?

While the short answer is that it comes down to personal choice, Microsoft has stepped up to the challenge and provided the means to put this to an end. They recently announced that Games For Windows Live would be free to all PC users and that they would be able to challenge gamers on the 360. While this is not a new feature, the cost that was attached to owning a Games for windows Live Gold account has been dropped.

Coupled with this, they have now announced that gamers on the XBOX360 with silver accounts (the ones that can’t play multiplayer but can do everything else) can play certain games that have been released on the games for windows live platform. This means that there’s no reason for all XBOX and PC gamers to not step up to the challenge and beat the living daylights out of each other.

While it must be stressed that this was announced as a time limited offer (so make the most of it), I am very sure that we will be seeing this kind of service from Microsoft in the next few months leading up to the release of their new dashboard for the 360.

As always Iam up for the challenge. If you have a games for windows live account or a live account, my gamer tag is humanstalker. Send me an invite and we can game some time.

‘Nuff said

CAD-comic

Just plug it into the back of my head

I love tactical shooter games, the more real, the better.

In the online PC version of COD4, on a full-ish SGS server your life expectancy is insane, some people stop playing online because most of the time, you don’t survive the duration of a single clip. Ja, that would happen in real life as well if you’d run in the in the middle of the street, spraying-&-praying. A lota players are playing a semi-realistic game, arcade style…

I’ve dreamt of a FPS where it’s as close to real life as possible. Things like taking a chest shot and dropping, loosing ability to walk, realistic firing accuracy, getting tired, using your body as a human shield, forcing players to go from cover to cover, covering team mates, etc.

Would it really be fun? A lot of people will probably get annoyed, but i think all the milsim fans out there will just love it. Some game developers have sorta tried it, take for example Flashpoint, they pulled off some realism, while still keeping it fun. Flashpoint 2 and the Source realism mods I’d say is your best bet for the ‘most’ realistic gaming, but nobody has gone all the way, guns blazing…

I’d love to see someone try and cut away all possible arcade from a FPS war title and attempt maximum realism, is that so hard to ask?

[Francois]

For in the darkness, no one can hear you scream…

…in frustration. Or in fear. Or surprise. What am I on about ? The new Alone in the Dark (AITD) game.

I was (and still am) a huge fan of the first AITD game back in 1992. The game was a breakthrough for it’s time (the first 3D survival horror game ever). The atmosphere and sense of dread you felt while walking through the spooky mansion on creaking floorboards, through rooms emitting funny sounds and passages and caves that left you feeling cold was absolutely incredible. This wasn’t a game. It was an experience. The way your heart beat wildly as you prepare to enter a new room not knowing what’s waiting inside. How your body tensed up if your character was in a tight spot and you had to get him out or die unceremoniously. And the fact that the sound was done to perfection, even allowing it to be played on a PC speaker, all contributed to the game being one of the best for it’s time, and all time for that matter. Playing the game today your first impression might be to throw up when looking at the graphics, but underneath all those polygons, lies a game that will draw you in.

1994 and 1995 saw the release of two more sequels to the game. Alone in the Dark 2 and Alone in the Dark 3 respectively. Both of which carried on the same flourish of atmosphere, game play and sense of anticipation. I added these to my collection and love replaying them from time to time when I’m feeling a bit nostalgic. Then, in 2001 AITD made the move to a new engine. Utilizing a mixture of 3D and 2D techniques that allowed the game to successfully imagine the use of a flashlight in it’s dark scenes. But I was left wanting when I played it. Gone was the atmosphere drenched environments I became so familiar with. In it’s place, was a Resident Evil-ish game. Not to say that it was a bad game, it just didn’t feel like Alone in the Dark. And taking the environments into consideration, the game could just have been called “Dark”.

Approaching 2008 then, I wasn’t too enthusiastic upon hearing of a new AITD game. If the last was anything to go by, we’d be moving still further away from the core of what made AITD stand out on it’s own. And after playing the new game, I’m left with mixed feelings.

The very first thing I noticed, was the graphics are pretty damn good. Most of the current generation bells and whistles are included in the engine and it runs very smooth. One up for the win column then. And then you’re introduced to a new mechanic. One that has never been used before (that I’m aware of and I could be wrong). When in first person mode, you can blink the character’s eyes. Holding down the button, will of course present you with a black screen. At the start of the game, your character is groggy for some reason, with blurry vision. Blinking his eyes, will clear his vision. “Hey, that’s neat”, I thought. But then it went ape. Having to blink the character’s eyes every two steps, it became a chore rather than a mechanic extremely fast. Some tip-ex here and there, and it’s been moved to the lose column. I would have felt much more comfortable if the player blinked his own eyes in a situation where his vision blurs the entire time. This would have brought across the feeling of helplessness you’re supposed to feel in this game. The feeling of “C’mon man, open your eyes!!!! I can’t see wtf I’m doing! There’s something making funny noises in your pants!”. Thank goodness that blinking only lasts for the first few minutes, although I don’t know if it’s going to make a return later in the game. Here’s hoping it won’t.

After the initial “intro” sequence when the player starts to get into the game, one would think that it becomes easier to play. Well the unfortunate truth is, the annoyances just keep popping up. One of the major gripes I’ve had with the game so far (one which has cost a lot of love to be lost between me and the game), is the viewing system. You can alternate between first person view (FPV) or an outside view (OSV – the camera is fixed at a certain point in the room / area you’re in and you see your character from a distance). I have no problem with either of the two views, but I do have a problem with the game deciding which I should use. Frequently I’d switch to FPV to move about more accurately and view my surroundings properly. When all of a sudden the game would switch me back to OSV. Switching back to FPV would result in the same happening again. Walking around a bit and switching will allow me to stay in FPV for a while, until the engine deems it better to be in OSV again. A NOOOI YING! Isn’t this supposed to be the player’s choice ?

Focusing on something other than the camera then, let’s look at the inventory system. Quite innovative I have to admit. Accessing your inventory sees your character opening his jacket and looking down, with everything he’s picked up positioned inside the pockets of his jacket, pants and in holsters on his belt. Add to that the fact that you can combine most items as you see fit, the recipe for something special starts to form. Combine duct-tape with an explosive bottle of liquid and throw the resulting object towards an enemy. It will stick and now you can have your fun trying to hit the bottle to make him go up in flames. Add the double-sided duct-tape to a glow-stick and throw it against the ceiling to illuminate an area. Lighter and mosquito spray anybody ? Duct-tape + flashlight + two-handed weapon ? It all makes for some interesting game play, but of course there has to be something wrong with such an idea. And in this case it would be the control of it all.

Clumsy is the only way I can describe it. I felt like a fumbling fool trying to combine items, attempting to make him release a certain item and use another or just to actually make him use the one I want. I’m not sure how this compares to the XBOX version. Once I’ve played through the game, I will most definitely play it through again with my own XBOX controller. Just so I can get a complete view of what the game is like and give it a fair summary. And to maybe better understand some of the design decisions.

Also, similar to the previous game, the freedom you had in the first three games are non-existent. Sure, you can proceed in any way you want. Locked door in the way ? Burn it. Or shoot out the lock. Or bash it with a fire extinguisher. You have freedom in that way, but not to go where you want and re-visit areas. I suppose they did it because you don’t need to re-visit areas and the game is supposed to feel cinematic. Like you’re playing a movie. But it would have been nice to feel a bit more like you’re not just following a deliberate path.

So all I’ve said so far is pretty negative. Does the game have any positives you might wonder. Yes is the short answer. But they are unfortunately outweighed by the bad.

Fire is basically at the core of the game. Enemies need to be burned in order for them to stay defeated. Also, fire spreads as it would in real life. Along the walls, ceiling, rugs start burning, furniture and it’s quite disconcerting if you’re caught in the middle of it. Some pieces of furniture you can pick up (small chairs for example) and hold it close to a flame to ignite it. It then serves you as a source of light for darker areas. It makes for a nice change in game play from most games.

The cinematic feel of the game also had quite a bit of work put into it, it would seem. Climbing on the outside of a torn apart building with explosions launching debris at you from below, more debris falling at you from the top all promising to knock you off your carefully chosen perch. It adds that heart-stopping feeling to the game. And the game is quite forgiving if you die as well. You don’t need to replay loads of game time. The game is divided into nice sized chunks of game play and you’ll start at the beginning of the one you’re busy with. In a word, it’s pleasant.

For anybody who’s not a hardcore fan of the series, I’d advise caution when considering buying this title. My forever continuing obsession with tea leaves tells me this isn’t everybody’s cup of tea. It does provide survival horror fans with enough of a game to keep them hooked and interested, but the controls and the engine deciding what view for you to use will probably make the game unpopular with most. But still, if the developers release a patch here and there to address these issues or somehow smooth them out, this game should be in every gamer’s collection. It’s really not a bad game at all. I suppose for most it’s just not a good game…. yet =)

To click or not to click, that is the action

Being one of the few people who’s still a good ‘ol point-and-click adventure game fan, a lot of people will probably skip this post. But my fellow clickey adventurers, hear me out. And possibly provide me with the answers I’m in dire need of!

I vividly remember the days spent infront of my 386 with it’s VGA screen, pondering on a puzzle or two in some of the classic adventure games of “back in the day”. Games like the Monkey Island series, Grim Fandango, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, Day of the Tentacle and not to forget the popular Space Quest, King’s Quest and Leisure Suit Larry series’. Going back even further, we see games like Hugo’s House of Horrors making the rounds.

What made these games special, was the sheer attention to story and the way it was presented to the player. In short, they had Charm. Which is more than one can say for the current generation of offerings. The current generation of point-and-click (P&C) Adventure games feel more like projects that somebody simply flung together to get through a story as quickly as possible. They don’t feel like a game made to be enjoyed at all.

But a few gems do shine through the rough around it though. The recent introduction of two new series of Sam and Max adventures did the older games justice. The humour and adventuring, although bland in a few places, was carried over from the past and the heart of the game remains true. But what we want, is another Full Throttle level of greatness. Another The Dig! And games like Fahrenheit / Indigo Prophecy and Still Life have certainly delivered the goods. We don’t want some rehashes and meagre offerings. Which brings me to the latest Simon the Sorcerer game.

I was a humongous fan of the original Simon the Sorcerer games in the 1990’s. So when I heard a fourth installment was on it’s way, I sat tapping my feet impatiently waiting for it’s release. And a few days ago, the time had finally arrived for the game to be ripped open, and installed on my PC. But first things first. I believe there are two stages that are important when looking at a game. Initial feeling of the game (the first 10 minutes you spend with it) and nearly finished feeling. Of which my first stage feeling is quite grim.

What my ears had to endure in the first 10 minutes of the game, was atrocious. I could easily play that pyramid game with words when I think about it: Horrific……..Excruciating. The voice acting hurts the game in a big way. The voices are juggled between voice actors who are audibly trying to be funny to those who have no emotion whatsoever in their voices. It really is a big disappointment and it set the expectation for the rest of the game pretty low. But true to it’s adventure game roots, the option to turn the voices off was included in the game. Which is what I did within the first 5 minutes of gameplay.

And thank goodness for that. The familiar charm of the game was slowly but surely returning to the game. Kind of like the colour returning to somebody’s face after you’ve been strangling them. The initial grimness I felt is starting to melt and I’m starting to enjoy the game more and more. The developers did an excellent job with the graphics. There’s that certain “charminess” that has been absent in so many of the latest P&C offerings. Which is a big relief. Maybe this will be the turning point and the adventure genre might return in full force.

Another recent game in the genre that was poorly received, is Dead Reefs. It doesn’t quite fall into the category of point and click, but it is an adventure game. But yet again, voice acting was the biggest thorn in it’s side.

Nevertheless, if you’re one of the few hardcore adventure game fans still around (alive? ;P), I would most certainly recommend taking a look at the latest Simon the Sorcerer game. Also, if you haven’t played them, Still Life, Fahrenheit, Dead Reefs and Sam and Max season 1 & 2 are all worth having a look at. Also, keep an eye out for the upcoming Dracula Origin. I still intend on playing Overclocked: A History of Violence as well, so maybe check back in the future for some thoughts on that.

Happy clicking!

It’s but a Flesh Wound

Thx Flagshipped

Blow My Mind …. then let it drip away

Microsoft has just blown my mind with regards to the amount of features they have added to the XBOX360 over the past year or so. But all those features are small in comparison to the features announced in the E3 press conference.

Sucker For Punishment

Perseverance is a quality not present in many gamers and it just goes to show the ones that do persevere are just suckers for punishment.

Take for example the XBOX360 achievement points. While many people complain that this is just an ego tool that gamers use for boasting, it should rather be used to measure a person’s perseverance.

Recently Ninja Gaiden 2 was released for the XBOX360 and the achievement list really pushes the game to the max. At a total of 60 achievements, it’s not the easiest set of achievements by far. Nor is it the longest. The difficult part to achieving all these achievements is that you have to complete the game using a single weapon only, multiple times and on all difficulties.

Based on the number of weapons and difficulty settings, the shortest number of times to complete the game is 10 times at least (3 x Difficulty + 7 x Weapons ). Any gamer that can play a game that many times deserves my respect. But on the higher difficulties I would even give up out of sheer frustration as this game is know for its brutal difficulty.

Using the achievements in this way, game designers allow a game to be played to its max. It also allows a gamer to appreciate all the small details that they might have missed on the first rush through the game. But is it fair to the average gamer these days to punish them in this way by making the game so difficult, that the only way they will finish it or try to get all the achievements is more of a punishment than victory. Granted that once you have finished all of those impossible tasks other games will end up feeling too easy to the gamer.

I guess this is how hardcore gamers are born. But if the only thing game designers are trying to do is breed hardcore gamers, I think we need to change this trend since most people these days are playing games for shorter periods over a longer period of time e.g. I play a games for an hour every 2 days over a 2 month period instead of 6 hours straight in one day.

Another game that they try to punish the gamer to get all the achievements is Half Life – Orange Box Episode 2. The single most difficult achievement is carrying the garden gnome from the start of the game till the end of the game and launching him in a rocket. While this is one of the coolest achievements I have ever seen, it’s as hard as nails.

Now back to finishing COD 4 on veteran. Keep the punishment coming.

~Jameel

But has thou the faith to survive the onslaught of evil ?

Sometimes I’m in the habit of buying a game, and then getting side-tracked with either a newer game or an old one I start replaying. So I end up uninstalling the game and putting it on the shelf for a later stage. But I do get to these titles at some stage. No matter what, I have a strict policy of finishing every game I own. One such game, is Clive Barker’s Jericho.

Way back when the game was announced, I was jumping up and down like a kid before Christmas at the thought of a new Clive Barker inspired game. Still fresh in my mind was Clive Barker’s Undying. A game overlooked by, I’d wager, 90% of gaming population. For whatever reasons I cannot fathom. Undying was to my mind, a masterpiece. It had atmosphere, a fantastic story, intriguing gameplay and did I mention atmosphere ? It was a game ahead of it’s time, maybe. And it’s lack of popularity could also be because of it’s lack of advertising. I’ve always been a gatherer of gaming news, but I never once saw as much as a glimpse of Undying. Yet when a friend introduced me to the game, I was drawn to it immediately. Even though Undying is an old game now, it’s definitely still worth a play-through by anybody interested in the horror FPS genre.

The announcement of Jericho then, meant another game from the mind that brought us the Hellraiser movies. Another game stepping into twisted reality and blowing our minds with images and ideas so horrid and terrible that they seem plausable. So does Jericho live up to that reputation ? Thank goodness, yes it does.

What’s it about then ? To quote wikipedia : “Certain Apocryphal and Gnostic texts speak of a being created by God, in His own image, before the creation of Adam and Eve; according to legend, this being was abandoned by its own Creator…The Firstborn, too powerful for even God to keep from breaking into the mortal world, would make seven attempts to escape, each time taking back a piece of the earth to add to its domain and each time sent back to the Abyss…The Jericho Squad is sent to Al-Khali to prevent Leach from opening the breach and unleashing the Firstborn upon mankind once again“.

A thrilling story unfolds from there and the world your eyes are bombarded with from the word go, is realized in perfect graphical splendour. Even though the game is near on a year old, the graphics still surprised me. Lighting is used in such a way as to bring the world to life and add that extra level of atmosphere. Not that the game needs it. Jericho is literally oozing with atmosphere. Throughout the game, you get to control all the different members of Jericho squad. Each member with his / her unique abilities. Ranging from Abigail Black’s “Ghost-bullet” ability where you get to telekinetically control a bullet fired from her sniper rifle in order to kill up to three enemies with one shot, to Simone Cole’s “reality hacking”. Allowing her to affect reality using complex mathematical equations. She’s also charged with keeping ammo levels high, effectively “rewinding” time in the team’s ammo belts to the point where they were full.

The deeper one delves into Jericho, the more intruiging the story becomes and the more you start to ponder on “What if this were all true…”. Some of the game’s reviews I’ve glanced at on the net, mention bad level design. I think it’s not so much bad level design as part of the linearity of the game that shows. But the game being linear doesn’t hurt it at all. It still remains an experience to run around the guts-infested levels being assaulted by creatures straight out of hell and your worst nightmares.

Some reviews also have bad mention of the timed events. These are somewhat of a cut-scene where the player gets to view the events from one of the teammates’ viewpoint and having to press buttons as they are flashed on the screen in order to get out of sticky situations. Press a wrong button, and it always ends in death or something horrible happening. True, some of these scenes end up leaving one frustrated because you really have to be quick and accurate in most of them. But to me, it just adds that extra sense of accomplishment once you get through a particularly difficult situation. Also, it adds to the reality of “being there” even more.

Sure, this kind of game isn’t anybody’s cup of tea and most people want freedom in a game. But if you’re interested in experiencing a horror story as it unfolds and feeling as if you were truly there, Jericho does this masterfully and really brings it’s twisted world to life. I’m actually dreading getting back to the game. Not for fear of what lies next, but for fear it will end. That’s the kind of imprint it’s leaving on me already.

In closing, Jericho goes straight to my column of “Must buys” for any horror FPS fans out there. It lies there right next to Undying and Call of Cthulhu. If you enjoyed a game like F.E.A.R, you will most definitely enjoy Jericho. It’s pacing is perfect, it’s story leaves you wanting more, it’s controls are intuitive and most of all it’s a lot of fun to play. From steering a bullet through three skulls in a row leaving them in smithereens, to engulfing enemies in flames as a result of blood magic. It all fits together nicely like a well-oiled machine and apart from the often difficult timed events, the player feels as if they’re in control all the time.

Caution: Gamer Degrading

I’ve discovered something new this week… It was amazing, but I haven’t felt so guilty in ages. I have no idea how I couldn’t have thought of it before???

My PC was setup next to a bed for watching movies and then when the opportunity arose… I… I… played Most Wanted… While lying flat on my back in bed! I know, it was bad, but oooh sooo goood.

NFS is fun to play over and over, especially since it doesn’t require a mouse, but just lying down in a warm bed in the winter with my hands on a keyboard, 8k RPM and valve bouncing in my ears… Aaah, what dreams are made off.

I’m gonna figure out a way to use a mouse in my new “sniping” position in bed, but deep in me I feel; as a PC Gamer, that I’m degrading… PC gamers are not ‘casual’ gamers and the seriousness, I fear, is fading… :-/

[Francois]