How games remain just the same as they have always been.

Although I will use FPS as an example in this article, I realize that Resident Evil: 5 is not one. I compare to that genre because AI need is often strict, as are graphics (closer adjusted view = higher GPU requirements, texture fidelity, etc.) and large levels to keep pacing. Also, FPS games (for some, like myself) offer more immersion, (first person = me, not some puppet I control) yet, many will submit that they can cause motion sickness or sometimes feel like they are ‘looking out a window.’ Many sub-genres have been done ‘FPS-style’ a few times with muted success, but I still personally find little to be immersed into when staring at any 3rd person character’s butt (or even over a shoulder).

What I will be discussing here and critically pointing out is gameplay fundamentals that have not changed. This translates to elements that remain exactly the same as when the very first games were conceived.

Graphics
Graphics can be pretty, people are wowed over them. Reality-wise, only a minimum of feedback is required in this area to perform or achieve any desired effect. Graphics have become like the too popular big breasted girl syndrome – offering mass cleavage but no personality underneath. The true requirement graphics must meet falls into feedback, but is typically delivered via beautiful texture mapping or special effects.

Primary purpose of Graphics = player feedback.

Artificial Intelligence
Sad to say – there is no such thing. “A.I.” actually refers to the illusion of intelligence, created by commands telling animated objects to go through a command set like “If this = this, then, go do that.” As complicated as pathfinding (pre-placed game world paths for “AI” to follow) can be, it is remains just a set of commands that those objects follow to ‘search’ for the player. Game AI has changed very little since the very first video games were created… thats nearly 40 years.

Primary purpose of Game AI = Direct opponents, followers or objects of rescue or protection.

Manipulable objects
These give the player the illusion of having control over and interaction with the game world, whether they are merely objects to destroy (like mushrooms in centipede) or bricks to bump (Super Mario) or statues to move for some reason (like Resident Evil).

Primary purpose of Manipulable Objects = player interaction.

Sound effects
Audio can be important, interesting, intriguing, haunting, scary, thrilling and heart pounding. Yet, sound effects primary purpose is to reveal information to the player and deliver feedback so game play can proceed.

Primary purpose of Sound Effects = player feedback.

Controls
Well thought out control systems (like ease of comprehension in button use & placement) universally connects players via immersion into the the game world, promoting the ‘illusion of actually being there.’ Bad controls force difficulty, frustration, impede and obstruct any effort on the players part to try and enjoy, destroying any possible seamless interaction in said world.

Primary purpose = game world connectivity.

Arenas and areas: linear hallways or free form, open worlds
Open areas containing places to go, things to see, interact with, use as cover, etc. From a simple open rectangle having only a few squares, to the most realistic 3D map, the principle remains the same, it is the area in which game play takes place. While some are confining & claustrophobic, others are open, freedom promoting vistas.

Primary purpose = game world & environment.

Music
Music can provide feedback and foreshadowing, yet as a rule should not be forced upon the player (like Halo). Ideally, the player will be offered choice to allow or eliminate, and therefore the game will have a separate ambient track, if such elimination is chosen.

Primary purpose = immersion into game world & environment, and setting of feeling and ‘tone’.

Story
This is usually the reason to play, the tale, the main characters story, what causes interest, or the backdrop for the game. It is not necessary to pay attention to the story, as many stories can be ignored and still enjoy the game; yet it still provides a base framework around which the game is constructed, no matter how simple.

Primary purpose = backdrop.

The typical videogame generally will have all these elements in some amount and variety, from the most simple to the most complicated. These are the elements I am speaking of when I discuss gameplay fundamentals, as they do not have to be complicated in order to exist. They can be created and utilized in very simple and creative ways, and nearly every successful video game that was created before games that are now being published had these elements too.

Today saw the release of Harmonix and MTV Games’ Rock Band 2 for Xbox 360 (sorry other platforms, you’re just going to have to wait!), and I spent several hours with the title–with of course some friends–to really get to know the game. Rock Band 2 starts out much the same as Rock Band 1 (even to the point of having a remarkably similar intro sequence set in what appears to be the same desert), and aside from new items such as an improved calibration utility and access to the new “Challenges” in multiplayer it never really diverges from the first game in any significant ways.

I’m going to do this a little bit differently than your typical review in that I’m going to start it before I’ve actually completed the game. The idea is that as I progress through the game, I’ll make some extra notes here, tell you about my experiences thus far, and either bitch & moan or fawn lovingly. Knowing me, probably a bit of both, so we might as well start it off right.

Guitar Hero III for Wii is fun. “No shit”, you’re thinking, all the freaking GH games are fun. Yeah, but this is more fun, and it’s that way for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, it’s 10 bucks cheaper than the PS3/360 versions. What can I say, I like saving cash, and 10 bucks off the cost of entry is 10 bucks I’ll spend on addons from DLC to peripherals down the way. Second, having vibration feedback let you know when Star Power is available and then when it’s active, kicks ass. Third…

I was really surprised at how much it caught my attention to hear my numerous screw ups emanating from the guitar itself rather than from the TV. That may seem like a trifle to the hardened GH fan, but I enjoyed it a great deal. It added an extra layer of interactivity to the game and drew me in just a little more than I otherwise would have been (which is a good thing, I’ve always enjoyed the GH series but can’t say I’m particularly good at it on the harder modes nor have I ever been utterly swallowed by the series, but after not realizing I played for 4 hours tonight, I have to say that yeah , I was sucked in).

As you’re already aware, the graphics aren’t on the level of Xbox 360 or PS3, and you’d be loco to expect them to be. That said, this isn’t a game about graphics, and it never was: this is a game about Music and the way you play it, pure and simple. It could have a black background with the fret bar and music and it’d be just as much fun for the player (though to be fair, onlookers would be bored faster). As it stands, the graphics are very serviceable, a shade nicer than the PS2 counterpart, with better lighting and particle effects when they do appear.

“What about the Guitar!?” you ask? Well, let me put it this way: The Wiimote powered Les Paul is the best Guitar Hero controller to date, hands down. It is heads and shoulders above the Xbox 360′s X-Plorer and the PS2′s Gibson SG. We could debate the aesthetics all night (some folks love the SG and are bitching about the Les Paul on forums; personally I like the Les Paul. I thought the SG was serviceable but nothing extraordinary, and I liked the X-Plorer until I owned one, now I can’t stand the POS). The controller has a fair amount of heft to it, though it’s not significantly more so than the older guitars, and when you put the Wiimote in it feels just a bit heavier. I know, I know, imagine that more mass would add to the weightiness of an object!

More to the point, the wireless works as flawlessly as you expect, with no discernible lag. The Wiimote tucks into the back of the guitar quickly and comfortably, with room for the little strap and a small cable to connect to the Wiimote nunchuk style. The fret buttons all have ample squish feedback (that’s the technical term, I swear! Look it up!), and the face buttons all work as you’d expect. I know, a real shocker. The strum bar clicks quietly, more so than on previous versions, and is barely audible at all during gameplay. The good news about that is that when you screw up, the Wiimote’s tiny speaker is that much more audible thanks to the strum bar being quiet. Ah, being reminded that you’re a screw up was never so satisfying

For tonight, that’s all I’m going to give you, bedtime calls and tomorrow, the real job calls too. Dammit. In the next update I’ll tell you a bit about my first boss battle, my first online battle, and what I think of the song selection as it’s been revealed to me so far. Please, for the sake of my ego, remain on the edge of your seats…

Guys? Guys?…Hello?

Breathe deep, I know you don’t hear this often: I wish it were 2008 so I could snag the full version of a PSP game. Yeah, it was weird for me too. Anyway, so after letting my PSP charge overnight, I was finally able to dig into the juicy morsel that is the God of War: Chains of Olympus demo, and much to my surprise I’m mightily impressed (and kind of pissed that it’ll be so long until the full game hits).

Since it’s just a demo it was, suffice to say, not nearly long enough, clocking in at a mere 20 minutes or so, but what there is to be had was a load of fun, and it completely captured the feel of the PS2 masterpiece it follows.

If you were worried about the visuals, don’t be. They’ve somehow managed to capture all the fidelity of the PS2 version on this tiny screen, and moreover, they even managed to get the controls to work with an incredible amount of finesse. The demo starts as you would be crazy not to expect, with a frak-ton of combat. You’re immediately dropped into the siege on Attica, with Persian soldiers attacking the city by boat and on foot. Your first task is simply to dispatch said soldiers in a brutal fashion, and then destroy one of the attacking boats by firing off a ballista.

From there you drop into the room below, where you fight off more soldiers–of course–and are then faced with what appears to be a large troll. The troll, as it turns out, is really only there to drop off a massive club, which you’ll use momentarily to pummel a gigantic Basilisk in the eye with. Well, I take that back–he’s also there to feed said hungry Basilisk, but that’s neither here nor there.

Like the other God of War games, Chains of Olympus makes use of a locked camera that the player doesn’t control, but it really does a great job at keeping itself in the action and, which gives the player an excellent vantage point at virtually all times. Gameplay is fast and furious, and the enemy soldiers are no match for you at any point. The boss characters present more of a challenge, and again in true God of War tradition end up letting you throttle them spectacularly with a series of well timed, prompted button presses that don’t disappoint. Well, OK, the scenes don’t disappoint, the button presses kind of do, but it all works out for the best.

In any case, the demo so far gives me high hopes for this game, and from what I’ve tasted so far I have to say that it’s certainly looking like a must-buy for me.

The long anticipated Nintendo DS title Metroid Prime Hunters has finally made its way into the hands of gamers everywhere today, March 21^st, 2006. While I work my way through this little piece of portable FPS heaven I’ve decided to offer my first impressions of this landmark title in the growing catalog of Nintendo DS “Must-have’s”. Though the game’s Wifi multiplayer functionality has managed to get all the press since it’s announcement last year, there’s also a deep and engaging single player experience here that’s
well worth playing through.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: METROID
PRIME: HUNTERS

Without going into a lot of detail (I’ll save that for the review proper), MPH looks, sounds, feels and plays fantastically. The controls are easy to learn and a few minutes with your hands on the unit will show you
just how easy it in fact is to manipulate the character and do what needs to be done. The game starts out very similarly to the other two recent Metroid Prime games for the Nintendo Gamecube: Samus Aran, bounty hunter, is assigned a new mission to explore a mysterious planet.

In a scene that should be familiar to all Metroid players, your ship lands on the planet and you are then able to control Samus and begin exploring the environments. So far, the environments are surprisingly well
detailed, as are the enemies. Samus looks excellent here as well, and this time you start off with the ability to morph into a ball and even drop bombs. Ambient sounds are nicely done, with different environments echoing differently, Samus’ boots (or metal skin, when she’s a ball) having appropriate sounds for
various ground types, etc.

In the early part of the game where I am, there aren’t a lot of enemies yet but I’ve already come across a simple puzzle. I won’t spoil it for you, but you shouldn’t have too tough of a time figuring it out. All the
classic gameplay elements are here from the start, however, and people familiar with the Metroid Prime look and feel should be right at home. For those new to the game—and of course, everyone new to the touchscreen controls—you’ll quickly become accustomed to the new control scheme. I highly recommend using the little nub on your DS’s carrying strap for the sake of accuracy and quick navigation of the control scheme. Trust me when I say, you’ll NEED it.

I’ll be back with a full review of Metroid Prime: Hunters in a couple of days, but until then I hope you’ll enjoy the multiplayer but don’t forget to play the single player experience, too!

After months of anticipation I’ve finally had my first weekend with Battlefield 2. My thoughts are kind of a mixed bag while being overall positive. As a fan of the first game, and even more so its MOD “Desert Combat“, I had naturally high expectations.

To begin with, the graphics. As anticipated, BF2′s graphics are excellent, and the higher you crank your settings the more you realize just how very nice they are. I’m running it on a Radeon 9800 Pro and the game plays well, though it definitely shows the age of my card and pushes it to its limits. I was able to play-barely-at 1024×768 with all the settings maxed out, though it played more smoothly at 1024×768 and
medium detail, with a few of the polishing bits turned to high.

The textures, on the whole, look very good, and the models are highly detailed. Some nice bits I noticed right away are things like realistic swaying of vehicle antennas and a nice level of kick-up of dust when
bouncing your vehicles across the desert. Since I tend to play helicopter pilot I haven’t had any up close and personal time with other characters yet, so I can’t really comment on the player models.

The audio is very good and makes excellent use of positioning to give you a clue of where gunfire, vehicles, footsteps and other important sounds are coming from. So far I have always been able to tell where
someone or something was coming from, which has saved me from certain doom more than once.

I had to do a little customization to the helicopter controls at first in order to get comfortable, and it took awhile before I realized that what I was missing was the inverted mouse. Once I found the toggle for that, things improved a great deal. For the first several flights I was hardly able to get the chopper off the ground, but with a bit of practice I learned  quickly how to maneuver my bird. The controls are a little stiffer than I would like, and while technically “easier” than those in Desert Combat, they don’t feel as comfortable to my
hands. Moreover, the weapons aren’t nearly as precise as those in DC, though that may just be my newness to BF2.

On the surface it appears that Battlefield 2 is trying very hard to be Desert Combat with prettier graphics. That’s not a criticism, but a compliment. I always felt that DC fixed a lot of the things I didn’t like about BF1942, and that EA’s gone and used those improvements for their own game is a great homage to that terrific MOD.

For now, I’ll just tell you this: Buy BF2. It’s a great game and it’s well worth your purchase. I’ll be back later this week with more detailed information, and as soon as I get the Helicopter worked out and understand it properly I’ll be sure to post a tutorial/overview of that vehicle since I haven’t found anything online about it.