Link Out (7/6/09)
June 7th, 2009
G’day G’day. Another round up of links to chip away at your busy life. Not much pre-post commentary this time, other than that it seems that I’ve diverged from my one month cycle. If you’re getting too antsy, feel free to check out my delicious account.
Some of you might have caught word that I had a brief lunch with Daniel Purvis some weeks ago. Yeah, that’s true. He’s a good bloke and I’m surprised just how many topics we shared in agreeance. He wrote this convincing essay for one of his uni classes recently, really clean writing, he presents the argument well – ya know, the kind of quality writing you wouldn’t find here.
Block Check #1 and #2 – Critical Gaming
If you read other blogs around this sphere of ours, then I recommend taking a squiz at these posts to see if Richard has covered someone you read. He certainly squeezed out the weaknesses in my Metal Gear Solid 4 essay (which I confess to). A number of these show ponies endorse “critical discussion” of video games, but are they well versed in the art? Perhaps not, me thinks.
EXP Podcast #24: Cultured Gaming – Experience Points
You can probably imagine the selfish glee I took when I received an email by these two gents to inform me that they’d conducted a whole podcast about my ‘The Place of Games in Culture’ article on GameSetWatch. I think they handled it quite well too, you should definitely have a listen.
How To Be Me: Matt Chandronait, Area 5 Founder & Producer
My brother downloads the weekly exploits of ex-1UPers in their new show Co-Op. The show is similar to podcasting actually, in that you’re listening in on the conversation of others. It’s all about interesting dialogue and that’s what the team provide here. The game choices and guests are always well made, as too with the production values. This interview is with Matt Chandronait regarding the operations of the show.
Talking about 1UP, Scott Sharkey wrote this great feature compiling over a hundred quality indie titles worth checking out. I’m currently on hiatus from playing indie games since I’m in Australia and have a stack of bought games to drill through (this will change early next year when I go back to China though). There’s never a better time to savour the delights of indie games. The list features a number of standout titles as well as a few I’m unfamiliar with.
I’ve unsubscribed to this blog to maintain a tighter schedule as the bulk of Jason’s articles in fact say very little, which is unfortunate as he’s an intelligent writer. I just wish he’d stop trying to keep up with everyone else’s news and instead focus on what he can offer as an observer. He does this occasionally and they make for great reads. This short piece is a good example of that, even if he is liberally stealing from others.
Liberty City Lotto: I’m Rich! – PixelVixen707
Some rather amazing stats on the scratch cards in GTA: Chinatown Wars. PixelVixen also wrote a masterful interpretation of the story which is an essential read.
Smash Bros. Brawl Tutorial Videos – Sirlin.net
That critical-gaming dude Richard Terrell linked me to fantastic selection of tutorials for Super Smash Bros Brawl. Even if you only play for fun, it’s well worth watching the series.
Dinosaur Land On Parade – Press the Buttons
Nothing turns my nostalgic dial like artwork from the classic Mario titles. I’m am forever in debt to Matt Green for this one. Seriously, the artwork is super apt.
Majora’s Mask – Nintendo’s Fluke – 4cr
I’m including this link not because I think it’s a fantastic analysis of Majora’s Mask (it’s alright) but rather I hope that someone will attempt to understand the way Majora’s Mask creates it’s overpowering sense of dread as well as the implications within the social and cultural aspects of the game, and share this through writing.
I love desktop customization even though I’m rather terrible at it. I’ve been going to Gamewallpapers.com for a few years but unfortunately they lock away most of their good content. Desktop gaming is a good alternative for retro themed wallpapers.
Other assorted links
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Genesis TV Spot
Too Human versus the enthusiast press: Video game journalists as mediators of commodity valu
Interview: Making Plans For Zeebo – GameSetWatch
How Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time Breaks Language Barriers – Siliconera
Sony Computer to launch seven Indian games this year
King of Fighters XII Dot Graphics Gallery
Trilby: Art of Theft Critique
January 29th, 2009
This was written several months ago and was going to be featured somewhere else, but I changed my mind as I found it more suitable for this blog.
Ben “Yahtzee” Croshaw is most famous for playing the role of court jester in this industry void of influential game critics with his remarkably popular video segment Zero Punctuation on The Escapist. Trilby: Art of Theft (a freeware adventure title) showcases Croshaw’s natural aptitude to solid game design and clever writing.
You play the role of Trilby, a sophisticated cat burglar versed in the ‘art of theft’. While Trilby is sharper than most, he’s not yet professional, a point which aches at his perfectionist nature. Trilby’s concern over his imperfections provide the means to connect the protagonist (and his character) to the experience at hand.
Preluding each heist is a narrative scene featuring a block of scrolling text in which Trilby prescribes his thoughts of the events layed before him. The text is sort of like a mini-blog that allows the player to get a feel for current Trilby’s woes and worries. This brief insight is interesting not only because it acts as a free ride for Croshaw to display his fine writing skills but also to build understanding between Trilby’s character and the player. This works well in two ways. Firstly, it acts as a driver to encourage the player to be endeavorous with each heist – just as Trilby’s personality exerts – and secondly to justify the game’s difficulty which is steep enough to fall in line with Trilby’s continually high aspirations.
Heists are presented in a two-dimensional doll’s house perspective, allowing the player to see into each room of the building or complex. Throughout each heist is a series of obstacles for the player to crawl through. The obstacles are smaller chunks of gameplay wrapped into the stealth thematic which together constitute the gameplay. Their simple forms and native structure make them flexible set pieces for the environments.
The layout of each area often presents several interweaving, multi-branched passages for the player to traverse. Much like any thief on the late night prowl, you’ll need to understand your environment and plan the best course of entry before leaping into the exercise. While there are some routes obviously more difficult – and usually shorter – than others, quite often there is enough flexibility that you’ll be choosing routes based on personal preferences. The difficulty of each route depends on the obstacles presented. You may find that taking on guards is easier than dodging lasers and so forth. As such you need to have an awareness of where your in-game strengths lie, an attribute which likens itself to the process of assessing and then selecting the most risk averse path. Much like the mindset of a real professional burglar.
The next attribute of theft that Trilby sinks into is observation. Observation is obviously needed in the planning stages, but even more so before the execution. In the same way that a thief sits in the shadows, watching and waiting for the right time to strike you’ll need to do the same. The game complements cat-burglar-like patience and observation with its fundamental mechanics. You can hide in low light, cling to the walls in shadows and in emergencies stick to the ceiling for a limited time in bright light. Each of these options mean that a hiding place is never too far away, allowing you to duck out for a quick second to observe movement patterns of laser, guards, flashing lights before jumping back into play. You’ll need to do this quite frequently as well, which reinforces the importance of stealth.
There are additional techniques which can be bought between heists in exchange for loot as well as existing techniques and attributes. There is quite a diverse make up of options available and all prove useful with no real excess. It is one of the small ways that makes Trilby varied, despite being a largely linear game.
Finally we have execution. Strategy and observation can only get you so far, in reality it’s all up to the execution. That is coming from out of the shadows and making the move to the next progressive area. The game imposes a few restrictions which can be loosened (again, in exchange for loot) such as a limit on alerts and taser uses. The taser (attached to the end of Trilby’s umbrella) stuns enemies for the course of the entire heist and is a safety measure for when they spot you and reach for the alert.
As mentioned Trilby enjoys quite a diverse skill set and even when the scope of techniques begin to tire, the game is sure to throw in new distractions to spice things up. Lock picking is a good example of this, safes and the odd door require the player to jump into a small microgame in which you feed a wire through the key hole.
Trilby’s greatest asset is its ability to place you in the role of the protagonist. The gameplay constituents and the way they click together, all act as building blocks for these exercises of strategy, observation and execution, related to the discipline, and art of theft. Trilby’s characterization then layers on top providing stimulation to the player within the environment. When you fail at a heist, you begin to think just like Trilby as the game’s well executed formation of the core principles of theft (strategy, observation, execution) guilt your failure. It’s all very well thought out and designed, and is one of the more developed independent titles I have played.
You may also be interested in reading this review of the title written by L.B. Jeffries of Pop Matters.
Link Out (26/1/09)
January 26th, 2009
Not only am I back in the writer’s chair, I’m back home in Australia with the better half of my summer holidays layed out in front of me. In fact this whole year is shaping up to be significantly lighter on the workload which I am hoping will result in great things for the blog in 2009.
While my posting frequency has been on a downhill slump for the past few months, everyday away from home I’ve been thinking of new blog ideas and different ways to apply those ideas to my understanding of games. Now, with the time and energy to kill I want to start processing those ideas into what I hope to be a solid representation of what I have in mind for future writing. I feel that my experience abroad should prove to be a pivotal asset to the future of this blog too.
While I might have not been writing everyday, I’ve certainly been staying glued to my favourite publications and writers for the past stretch. So it’s time again to share my personal picks.
IndieGames.com Best-Of 2009 Feature
Indie games have the been the meat of my gaming diet over the past couple of months. Leaving most full production, paid for games sitting on the wayside. I’ve fallen in love with the fresh, passionate approach that drives the development of these games. You probably don’t know it, but about 4 years ago I co-developed a game with my twin brother, sold a few copies etc etc. Having done a little of this, I get great satisfaction out of seeing the work of others. If you’ve ever been interested in trying indie games for the first time, the 2009 list is an invaluable starting resource and where I started early last year (it goes back to 2006 too). No doubt I’ll be writing about these games as I continue to play them.
Faith From Mirror’s Edge Fan-Designed For Asian Tastes
Woah, this one has been sitting on the back burner for a few months! Basically the article features a Photoshoped version of Faith, re-designed for the tastes of Asian consumers. Between the two versions the only differences are that the eyes and breasts which are both largened. I’m a little confused though, as far as my understanding goes, wider, open eyes are considered beautiful in Asian culture but breasts are fine no matter what size the bust. It couldn’t be the other way round either, since it is still a mix match between the two nuances. Maybe the breast thing is a Japanese quirk that got blanketed as Asian, I dunno, sorry for bringing it up. >_<
To All The Scouts I’ve Loved – The New Gamer
I hate the thought of plonking down $AUD100 (convert that into American dollars why don’t you?) for a shiny, new release title, especially when I can download an enjoyable indie rhomp for free. Still, back around the Christmas period, Valkyria Chronicles was the only new release that piqued my attention. In fact, I am dying to play this game, what seems to be a hybrid of my dearly lovely SRPG favourites (Fire Emblem, Final Fantasy Tactics) with it’s own adhering qualities as mentioned in this brilliant critique.
I haven’t read all of these articles yet, I’ll admit that (it’ll happen in due time) but this conglomerate of well written articles is easy to recommend. There’s a whole bunch of articles swimming around regarding the recent internal changes with the 1UP Network, but I feel this one is the only one that does them all justice.
Eurogamer’s Top 50 Games of 2008
A slightly different take on the game of the year awards, churned out by all publications come the end of the year. More like an open forum for the staff to discuss their experiences with each title. It’s pretty refreshing due to the actual discussion and contrast of opinions taking place, a lot of clever, non-snarky humour too.
Retronauts 61, and why 4 means death in Japanese
An interesting rant of sorts by Jeremy Parish over anti-hollywoodisation of the games industry, our graphical ceiling and the opposing polarity of “casual” and “hardcore”, all referenced appropriately with the Dragon Quest series. Lots of interesting points made. Korey over at You Are Lose also ponders the significance of high end graphics for games built on far simpler ground.
Little Big Planet Play Through – Brainy Gamer
Michael Abbott from the Brainy Gamer wrote a pleasing three part series covering the experiences of him and his family members playing Little Big Planet together. Unlike the dump of dismay that fell upon this title near a few months back, Michael’s experience is much more colourful and captures what I interpret the essence of the game to be very well.
This link was forwarded to me from the nice guys over at Video Games Blogger and good on them for doing that. While perhaps not as organized or interesting as it could have been, this video managed to make me chuckle a few times and is essential viewing for crazy MGS fans like me. There are obvious spoilers for the series here.
Other Links
‘New’ Gray Nintendo Logo Is For U.S. Too
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