Habboi's Blog of Video Games and Everything Awesome

Mirror's Edge - New Gameplay Video

2008-08-21T11:11:00.003+01:00

Here's another video uploaded by a member of gameTrailers.com:

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/usermovies/255878.html?playlist=featured

Enjoy!

It looks almost complete...Should be out soon I hear.

*Edit*

Here's another: http://www.on-mirrors-edge.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=52&Itemid=1

E3 - New Mirror's Edge Gameplay Footage

2008-07-18T14:26:00.010+01:00

(This would make a great title screen)

A couple of days ago a new trailer was released on GameTrailers.com continuing on where the last trailer ended.

The visuals still remain amazing in my eyes with the variety of colours and the high resolution textures. I also love the fact we're playing as a female for a change because lately I have noticed game characters are all mostly men aka Assassin's Creed or Alone in the Dark...

It will be refreshing to hear Faith huffing and puffing rather than a big male who grunts and groans...(I am sure you get the picture)

All the moves shown so far look like a lot of fun! I especially love this sliding water scene because it looks fun to pull off and I love the water refracting as Faith slides down.

The combat is interesting although I still feel like there is more to show. It almost looks too easy to grab an enemy and steal their weapon and then knock them over with a few stylish moves. It also looks slow paced which may frustrate some players because the free running looks fast paced. I can't say until I've tried the game myself but that won't be until they release a demo or ask me personally to test it for them. (I would love too!)

In an interview with Nick Channon (Producer) he mentioned that you can complete the game without using any combat and stated it is even an achievement. I think the gun fights are going to be limited and it will instead concentrate more on the free running aspect.

The lighting and mood really pull me into this game. I think it is the lighting that makes the game look unique compared to most games this year.

This last bit interests me because you can clearly see a man in the helicopter is recording Faith's running as she jumps for the legs.

They could be allies helping her escape or they might be a news crew in this fictional world trying to get a new story.

Lastly the trailer uses a remix or perhaps a continuation of the song played in the first trailer. The song has attracted many fans to this game and many have searched for a download.

This is the closest to the song so far:

It's a confusing subject because I have read that this song was made after the trailer version and that EA asked the creators to remove the link on their site. Either way the song will most likely not be out until the game is...

But if you must know it's called Shine by Alcorus.

I look forward to more footage!

*Edit*

I just found this video showing some new gameplay and one of the levels seen in the trailers.

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/36349.html

Enjoy!

(Source of Trailer: GameTrailers.com and Source of Song: inferiuz - Date Accessed 18th July 2008)

Adam Foster Joins Valve

2008-07-17T11:25:00.002+01:00

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2008/07/17/minerva-goes-pro-valve-hires-ultra-modder/

"Adam ‘Cargo Cult’ Foster, the delightful fellow behind what’s comfortably the finest singleplayer HL2 mod in the ‘verse, MINERVA: Metastasis, has snagged himself a job at Valve. Let there be much rejoicing."

Quite interesting to all us modders out there. Work hard and you could snag a job as well!

(Sources: RockPaperShotgun.com and http://www.fileshack.com/images/finclude/images/Metastasis-new-3.jpg - Date Accessed - 17th July 2008)

E3 2008! What Games Will Be Revealed!?

2008-07-08T14:19:00.009+01:00

It's that time of the year!

Another explosive E3 event and thankfully GameTrailers.com has teamed up with E3 once again to bring us the latest news and media from each day.

You can check out the trailers released so far at:

http://www.e3expo.com/

One game trailer that caught my eye was Chrono Trigger remade for the DS! I never got a chance to play the original so this makes me happy.

While looking up information on the DS remake, I found out that many years ago a team of people actually started to remake the game into 3D but unfortunately Square Enix threatened them legally and the development had to stop.

A shame because they did a brilliant job:

http://www.opcoder.com/projects/chrono/news/ - Old Website

I do wonder what E3 will reveal. I hope Hideo Kojima announces a ZOE 3 or new footage is shown of Monster Hunter for the Wii.

In other news, I was very pleased to have completed Donkey Kong Country on an emulator. I'm not sure if I completed it when I was younger because I think I may have cheated out of getting annoyed of constantly dying.

Finally today is the day I get my two new cats called Tia and Roxy. They're tabby cats but their main fur has a strange black and gold texture. I'll upload pictures sometime when they have adapted to their new home.

(Source Images: http://scrawlfx.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/electronicentertainmentexpo.png - E3 Logo - Date Accessed - 08 July 2008)

(Source Video: Cxtrife - Chrono Resurrection Trailer - Date Accesed - 08 July 2008)

I passed!

2008-07-02T13:23:00.003+01:00

I received my university results today and I can safely say I passed with flying colours.

My only concern is a slight mistake where they seem to think I did not submit one of my pieces. I clearly have because the work is sitting in front of me with a signature and mark of 48.

I can only wait while this is resolved but apart from that...HOOZAH!

It's amazing how fast the year went...

*Edit*

They sorted out the problem. I had to take a journey to the Student Enquiries desk which took a lovely hour and a half via train as always. They photocopied my work and that was that.

Still...it was nice to see the university again despite the heavy showers.

(Source Image: http://www.saynotocrack.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/cat-saying-hooray.jpg)

Metal Gear Solid 4 Out Today! My Quick Thoughts...

2008-06-12T14:21:00.010+01:00

I received MGS4 this morning and I've been playing it since 11am to 2pm and so far I am hugely impressed with the presentation and the quality of the game.

I am also a little shaky because I felt like I was really in the warzone!

I just did the part where you fight the FROGS (crazy women in suits with ninja jumping skills) and I'm about to approach Liquid...

Gameplay has been improved and I actually smiled when the intro music played because I had a feeling they'd use that particular song. It's a deep game and I have found it easy to follow so far!
If you have a PS3 then it is a must buy!

*Spoiler Theory*

When you meet the gun launderer he injects you with suppressor nano machines to let you use the ID guns. If I recall in a trailer Snake and the soldiers around him struggle to move etc and my bet is these new nano machines are also going to suppress Snake...

I'll find out after lunch :>

*Edit*

Yup I was right ^^

HUGE EDIT:

I just finished the game...19 hours and 30 mins :) Didn't rush it and I thoroughly enjoyed it! So many things revealed and an amazing ending! If you really want to know the main points of the game then look below:

*SPOILERS* (forgive me if I make error as there is a lot that I have forgotten or didn't fully understand)

1. As you know Snake is old now and we later find out that he is aging not because of FOXDIE but because of the way he was designed as a clone. His reproductive ability was removed and his age limited so that if he were captured by the enemy...He couldn't be used against the US.

2. We also find out that the FOXDIE in Snake mutated to survive in his ever so fast aging body and in doing so started to slowly lose its sense...In other words it was becoming a kind of virus and according to Naomi who created FOXDIE, the virus would become an epidemic therefore Snake has to die to stop the mutated FOXDIE from floating in the air and infecting the public.

3. It turns out that Liquid Ocelot was trying to destroy 'The Patriot's' who we find out are no longer human...The Patriot's were AI split into four networks controlling their own sections aka one controlled weapons, military vehicles etc.

4. In MGS2... Emma created the worm that destroyed Arsenal Gear's AI but it turns out the code only broke the contents into pieces. These pieces when put together formed one of the AI networks that controlled America...Liquid gained control of the network and planned to use it to control everything but before he could do that he needed to destroy the main Patriot AI which was in control of everything...SO in other words he needed to destroy the higher up so that the powers would be passed to him.

5. But in order to get control he needed Big Boss' corpse to access the system...The system being the thing that controls everything...

6. Along the way you meet Big Mama who turns out to be EVA from MGS3. She reveals that she is Snake's mother...Or rather his Surrogate mother who gave birth to Liquid and Solid. She managed to find Big Boss' corpse and you had to help her get it to safety however Liquid manages to get it and access the system. When he is surrounded by the military with nowhere to go...He makes his hand go in the shape of a gun and simply says bang as he points at the above helicopters. They turn off and crash...Next all the guns stop working and this is because Liquid has control of the weapons which are all ID tagged. Before all this EVA sadly gets stabbed by a sharp metal rod as she crashes off her bike with Snake on the back...This is almost the same way she almost died in MGS3 and is shown with flashbacks. In fact the whole game lets you see millisecond image flashes of the past with X when it comes up in the corner right of the screen.

7. EVA dies, Liquid escapes and Snake is burnt on the side of his face trying to rescue EVA who was trying to save the Big Boss corpse which Liquid threw in a fire because he no longer needed it. The corpse by the way was alive...Big Boss was kept alive but he was brain dead and had no flesh...

8. My chronological order is bad but before all this EVA tells you that The Patriot's was formed by a man named Zero and the members that joined were Para-Medic, Sergate, EVA, Ocelot, Big Boss. Zero needed an icon so he used Big Boss as the figure head. But as time went by Zero and Big Boss grew apart and Big Boss left and formed his only little militia...Zero who was angered by this, captured him and had him kept alive...brain dead but alive...

9. As for the 4 deadly beasts seen in the old trailers...They were all beautiful women scarred by war...The octopus lived in a town where she was forced by soldiers to torture and kill her family and laugh at the same time...That is why she laughs because of the guilt...After you defeat her she comes out of her suit and her body is all slimy however it forms into a similar texture to Snake's camo...Anyway after leaving her suit she acts kind of crazy and slowly walks toward Snake...You are forced to shoot her and back away...I don't know what happens if they get you but Konami sure made it creepy...Like a possessed woman trying to kill you...In the end you free her and the same goes for the others...Raven...I can't remember her story but Wolf cried all the time because she escaped a bunch of soldiers as a kid with her little brother...But her brother started crying and he was going to give away their hiding place so she held tightly on his mouth to stop the noise and after the soldiers left she realised she suffocated him. That is why she cries. You fight her at Shadow Moses which has been left untouched for 9 years because all those that knew about it were arrested or killed. As for the last one...Psycho Mantis...That was a good fight because if you try to do the switch controller ports trick, Octacon makes a joke about it etc...But you end up freeing her and finding out that even she was a puppet to the 'real' Psycho Mantis from MGS1. His spirit tries to read your memory card but again it is a joke as the PS3 doesn't have any. Then he tries to make your controller move but it doesn't have rumble :)

10. Raiden has gone all ninja on us and left Rosemary from MGS2. He saves snake many times and almost dies about 3 times @_@ It turns out he is almost completely a machine...His blood was replaced with an old military 'White Blood' to make him better at combat I think...Rosemary ended up marrying Campbell who is twice her age but right at the end we find out that he only married her to protect her and her 'son' from The Patriot's. Her son is Raiden's son and simply put they get back together and I can only assume they live a happy life as a family.

11. Vamp returned and did damage to Raiden in that battle we saw in the trailers...Later on we find out he isn't immortal but he has Nanomachines which increase his healing ability. Naomi feels guilty, calls him her sin. Snake fights him and injects him with suppressor nano's to make him mortal and basically Raiden kills him. THEN Naomi reveals she shouldn't even be alive because she has cancer...The Nanomachines inside her kept it at bay but she decided to let it kill her and ended her life in front of a sad Octacon who loved her.

12. Sunny, Olga's daughter was taken by The patriot's when she was born but she was rescued by Raiden thanks to EVA. She then spends her whole life on Octacon's plane in front of the computer and is a child genius. Before Naomi died...She gave Sunny a code she wrote that would infect a part of the Patriot system however it wasn't finished so Sunny used part of Emma's code to finish it. It later turns out that the virus was made to destroy ALL of the Patriot system. The code was changed by Sunny so that it destroyed the Patriots but the economic system remained intact. Octacon thinks this was Sunny’s way of getting revenge for Olga.

13. Also in the game you meet Drebin who says his real name is Drebin 983. He is a weapons launderer who helps you out when you needed weapons. He injected Nano machines in Snake to bypass the ID guns however the Nano machines were also spying on Snake. It is later revealed that Drebin was working for The Patriot's and he was ordered to help Snake and his gang stop Liquid from destroying the Patriot system. However the system never thought Snake would end up destroying them... Drebin also reveals that Rat Patrol Team Alpha 01 aka Meryl and her gang unknowingly were following The Patriot's orders because if you mix the Rat Patrol 01 around you get Patr1ot...

14. Meryl ends up marrying Johnny...the guy who has diarrhoea problems in the trailer and forgives her father, Campbell for all that he did in the past.

15. Anyway at the end you wake up on top of the sub that you infiltrated earlier with Liquid by your side. You end up duelling and each time you win a round the health bar switched from the old MGS1 bar to the second and to the third...Each time a theme song from each game played...This fight was exactly the same from MGS1 when you fight Liquid with QCQ however they made it really cool with a beautiful view of a sunset and killer moves that were just awesome!!! Oh also before this you escape Shadow Moses island in Metal Gear Rex and end up fighting Ocelot who is in Ray. It was pretty cool!

Oh I forgot but at the end of each Beast fight you got an item from them. From Octo you got a mask which made you even more camouflaged, Raven gave you a grenade launcher, Wolf gave you a rail gun and Psycho gives you her two dolls which let you control enemies with Nano machines inside them.

16. At the end you kill Liquid, destroy the system and free mankind but 10% suffer from withdrawal symptoms...Kind of like shell shock. So yeah Raiden is made kind of more human again, Meryl gets married and Snake approaches The Boss' grave.

17. He has one last smoke and puts a gun in his mouth...The camera flies off screen and we hear a bang. Later on after the credits it states a voice actor who we haven't heard yet...Big Boss...Suddenly a scene plays and we see Snake is not dead, Big Boss approaches him...He shouldn't be alive but the Patriot's kept him alive but in a kind of coma. The corpse that Liquid used to gain access to the system was in fact a clone...a perfect clone...Solidus from MGS2.

18. After a lengthy chat Big Boss reveals Zero who is old and in a wheel chair. It turns out that he created the AI that would continue running The patriot's because he didn't trust the future generation after what Big Boss did to him. Anyway the system ended up evolving and used War Economy to keep the world running. Zero doesn't realise he created a system that caused so much misery because he is old and is hooked up to a machine. Big Boss points out that a Zero becomes a one and then a one hundred...The cycle repeats itself so Big Boss cuts off his life support and Zero dies. A flashback reveals that Zero was the man Big Boss shook hands with in MGS3 at the end.

19. This part I don't fully understand but Big Boss then breaks into a sweat and says the damn Patriot's did this...I think Snake's FOXDIE started killing Big Boss because they were near each other...After a lengthy speech with Snake he tells Snake that the new FOXDIE that mutated is destroying the old FOXDIE therefore Snake doesn't have to die however he will still age rapidly because that is the way he was created.

20. Big Boss dies in front of The Boss' grave stone and ends with "Isn't this nice..." with a silent snake staring. Big Boss realises what his teacher, The Boss was all about...He understood her and left this world happily.

21. After more credits the logo appears...Octacon talks to Snake and basically Snake decides to live the remainder of his life peacefully and Octacon decides to be his witness so that he can spread the story of Solid Snake...Octacon gets the last say and it ends there.

I think I've said the main points...There is so much more and it really is worth playing! I think I'll play it again with a friend so that they can enjoy the story!

(Source Image: http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/9321/mgs40an.jpg)

Spencer The Spinnin' Spider

2008-05-23T17:36:00.008+01:00

A few posts down I mentioned I would upload my games coursework. We had to make a simple 2D game with Macromedia (Adobe) Director MX 2004 using Lingo programming code.

This was my first time using Director as well as writing out the Lingo code therefore don't expect anything professional. My friends said they enjoyed playing it and as my friend Dan stated:

"If you can beat your own game then it must be a very good game idea!!..."

Indeed I found myself playing the game when I should have finished fixing the bugs ^_^

I just tried publishing it as a Flash file but it looks buggy therefore I am uploading the .exe version which was published using Director. (Don't worry it's safe!)

Link

Enjoy!

Feel free to comment and tell me what you think for my first try! Also you have my permission to use the code if you 'happen' to decompile it...Just learn, don't copy...yeah!!

Credits:

(Cristian 'criss' Mihaescu: October 2006: Sky Background: http://www.thebest3d.com/pdp/tutorials/blender/criss/
01_background.jpg, Date accessed 11 May 2008)
(Mark Healey: 2003: Rag Doll Kung Fu Game: http://www.ragdollkungfu.com, Date accessed 11 May 2008)
(Future Lawn Inc: Grass Texture Source: http://www.futurelawn.ca/Images/lawn_care/
lawn_care_pg_02.jpg, Date accessed 11 May 2008)

(I Stock Photo: Spider Sprite Source: http://www1.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/
775915/2/istockphoto_775915_cartoon_vector_black_
spider.jpg, Date accessed 11 May 2008)

(I Stock Photo: Bug Sprites Source: http://www1.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/
700436/2/istockphoto_700436_cartoon_bugs_ladybird
_dragonfly.jpg, Date accessed 11 May 2008)
(Director Online: Timer Script: http://director-online.com/forums/read.php?2,32560, Date accessed 11 May 2008)
(Da Font: Eraser Font Source: http://www.dafont.com/eraser.font, Date accessed 11 May 2008)
(Aliciarendon: Gold Border Source: http://www.aliciarendon.com/lessons/3.html, Date accessed 11 May 2008)
(Cirrusimage: Spider Research: http://www.cirrusimage.com/spider_argiope_
trifasciata.htm, Date accessed 11 May 2008)

(Adobe: Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator Sources: http://www.adobe.com, Date accessed 11 May 2008)
(Adobe: Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum Edition: http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com, Date accessed 11 May 2008)
(Maria Love - Game Name: http://www.blogger.com/profile/01339726052153206293, Date accessed 29 May 2008)

A Summer Update

2008-05-21T00:27:00.013+01:00

(Team Fortress 2: Pictures Taken In-Game by Habboi)

*It seems Blogger is having problems uploading for everyone therefore some pictures in this blog will not display. I apologize!*

An update on my summer holidays:

I have been trying to get all of the Team Fortress 2 achievements: Link
A friend wants to design another level with me and we came up with the idea of having a steam train which travels across a desert. The players have to capture each train cart.
I am still recording Half Life 2: Episode Two and uploading them to YouTube: Link
I am eagerly waiting for Metal Gear Solid 4 and Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit for the PlayStation 3!!! (Even though PS3 sucks I can't miss MGS4)
I am excited after seeing the new Left 4 Dead game footage! It looks much better and should be lots of fun :D
Lastly I will write up that Assassins Creed Review sometime! I promise!

(Sources: Valve: Team Fortress 2: http://steampowered.com/v/index.php?area=app&AppId=440&cc=GB)

Youtube High Quality

2008-05-10T12:22:00.003+01:00

Lately I've been spending my time figuring out what the best settings were to get a nice high quality upload. I orignally used Windows Movie Maker but later moved to Sony Vegas because it was more professional.

Little did I know that Windows Movie Maker seems to work well with Youtube. By dragging an AVI into WMM and rendering it as 'Best Quality for Playback on PC', Youtube later adds the option to watch it in High Quality.

I found this out when I noticed my older videos had that option and my newer ones which were made with Vegas did not.

So there you have it! Sure make your videos in Vegas but render as a High Quality AVI, import into WMM and render as a WMV. Technically it'll render the video in 760x something else...I think Youtube recognises that as a High Quality size. After a few hours the video will get the 'Watch in High Quality' button under views so be patient!

Hope this helps others because I can now upload better quality Portal and EP2 vids! People have already noticed and commented!

Summer Holidays! And A Farewell...

2008-05-08T18:26:00.009+01:00

For me, today, was my last day at university this year as I break up for a long summer break!

What will I be doing? Well I plan to learn 3DS Max some more, work on my mod for HL2, write more blog entries, play MGS4, DBZ: Burst Limit, GTA 4 etc and generally have a good time!

Next week I'll be free to record more EP2 and Portal videos so expect plenty then! Oh I'll also upload my Games Coursework 'game' for those who want to try and beat my score of 26 ^^ It's a fun yet simple game where you move a spider across the top of the screen and click to abseil down catching good bugs and avoiding the bad bugs.

And to add to this post I must say a farewell to Maria Love who left UEL (University of East London) for a sexier games course. My friends and I gave her a 'Good Luck' card, a Game Voucher and a Tomb Raider figurine (Because she never stopped going on about it :)...)

Have fun Maria!

Here is her selection of blogs for those who are interested:

http://www.blogger.com/profile/01339726052153206293

Have a good summer everyone!

(Sources: Summer Picture: http://photosbypaulm.blogspot.com/2006/07/summer-sunflower.html)

EA Presents Us With Mirror's Edge

2008-05-06T20:44:00.024+01:00

Today EA revealed a new teaser trailer at the Sony PlayStation Day in London for a game titled Mirror's Edge made by Dice which sports 1st person Parkour mixed with gun fights.

The visuals are amazing mainly because they use vivid colours to make the scenery stand out. For those who question if it is in-game then you must think about it...The buildings obviously don't have insides which leaves plenty of poly's for the outside.

To watch the trailer go here:

LD: Link

HD: Link

I will keep my eye on this. I honestly hope it is made for the PC!

(I just hope the breathing isn't constant. I used a theory in my games coursework that stated the balance between realism and abstract. Although it is realistic I think it should be used sparingly.)

Look Ma! I can see my legs!

*Edit*

My friend pointed out that it looked like a cutscene and now that I think about it the line "All Footage is In-Game" could just mean all of it is being rendered real time in their engine.

Therefore what we are watching might not be gameplay as such but a script...Either way if they get it similar to this footage then I'll be happy!

(The bright colours make my blog look dull!)

(Sources: kotaku.com and gametrailers.com)

Portal and HL2: EP2 Play-Through Videos

2008-05-03T01:56:00.007+01:00

Last year I recorded Episode 1 which was my first attempt at recording, editing and uploading on Youtube. After getting a new PC I thought that it was not able to record the sound but it would seem that the latest version of FRAPS creates or finds a new sound driver called Vista.

So I can now record again! I will be starting with Portal and then moving on to HL2: EP2.

Although there are many uploaded play-throughs already I try to put the viewer in mind while playing by turning slowly and focusing on important things.

I am glad I can record again and I hope you enjoy watching! I will upload HD versions on a hosting site sometime...(I will not upload them onto Habboi.co.uk because my bandwidth would get sucked dry)

Lastly it would seem I have to use FRAPS because Source Recorder is glitchy when walking through Portals...

So my apologies for the lower GFX and tiny lag...

P.S After trying out the HD hack I found hardly anyone had the speeds to watch them without pausing every five seconds...So I will be using normal uploading and again HD will be available to download.

Here is the link: Youtube - Habboi

(Sources: http://half-life2.nothrem.cz/ - Half Life 2 EP 2 Logo and http://www.wiiwii.tv/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/portal_logo_lg.jpg - Portal Logo)

Happy Birthday to...ME!

2008-04-29T10:24:00.005+01:00

Yeah it's my birthday today. Hooray. Got a few clothes, lots of money, some dumbells for training and a sexy Nintendo DS! Yeah it's sexy! I'm 19 now! Hopefully the last two years will add some height to my body ^^

(Source: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/?p=447)

(Anyone want to make me a real Portal cake? :)...)

Blog Update

2008-04-11T00:32:00.008+01:00

Just to let you know I received Assassins Creed Directors Cut for the PC this morning. I will be writing a review and hopefully I will make the AMV I always wanted to make!

Stay Tuned!

*Edit* - Turns out I have to do a lot of work for a tight deadline so I don't have time to review AC just yet. It will come eventually!

Also after looking at my website statistics I noticed that a lot of people seem to come across my main site - 'habboi.co.uk'. Roughly 300 visited last week...

And it seems 22 visitors looked at my blog in the last two days and yet I haven't had a single comment :< It would make me a happy bunny to see at least one comment whether it is good or bad! ^^

Useful Games Industry Information Websites

2008-04-02T23:50:00.032+01:00

Ah yes the Games Industry. I bet a lot of you want to work there! I do as well and hopefully someday we will all work there.

Back to the point perhaps you found this blog because you were looking for answers to your questions in regards to the industry...Well I think I'll point you in this direction:

Link

(Source: ChopperDave - www.interlopers.net - Date Used - 02 April 2008)

Thanks to ChopperDave and the other members a list of useful sites has been composed. You may at first be shocked by the large amount of links and personally I do suggest you read them all because you will get to know the industry a lot better and most likely your questions will be answered.

But the point of this blog post is not to link a huge list and tell the readers to get on with it...no...

I figured you might like to know what I think are at least the 'most useful' links...Enjoy:

First and foremost is the first link:

http://www.gamecareerguide.com/

I remember when I first joined. The site was a lot less flashy and the forums were very empty. In fact I think I was the 3rd member to join...Anyway this site is brilliant because it has so much information. It has a list of schools that teach different 'Game Design' courses and a news section with information such as professionals sharing their knowledge.

Sadly if you're like me and live in England then the list of schools doesn't apply to you. It's all American based and it makes sense since game companies in America hire kids as young as 17...Maybe even younger. What is also worth checking out is the Student Games section which lets you see the kinds of games students are making and perhaps the quality you need to reach in order to get hired. I'll tell you now the path to the Games Industry is not easy and you really need to reach the same quality as other new developers.

This site literally has everything you could ever need. But I find it best to look at other sites just for a mixed opinion. Seriously give this site a go. It even has a shop! Join the forums, read the threads made by new comers and learn!

The next site is: http://www.gamasutra.com/

First impressions? Quite crowded on the front page. If I were new to this I'd have a hard time navigating. Have they ever heard of paragraphing?

In my opinion this is the second most useful site. The reason is because it has a 'lot' of articles. It has so many that I am in fact using 3 to backup my decisions in my Games Design document coursework. Just like 'gamecareerguide' there is a news section which covers a lot of interesting topics such as game sales and rumours of new games. Oh and what's best is it also has a shop! (Think of all the game related t-shirts you could buy!)

For those looking for a job...You'll find the job section to be most useful. It has a 'job listings' page with offers from such companies as EA, Incinerator Studios, Midway, Pandemic, Activision and so on...

What strikes out as really useful is the 'resume' section. The nice folks at gamasutra decided to let designers upload their resumes which in turn get a better chance at being looked at by the big bosses. If you have a resume then get on there now and post!

In general there's so much information that it may result in your mind exploding so I suggest you go straight to the forums and check to see if others have asked questions that you may need answering. Research before asking people questions. You may find the same question is asked at least 3 times.

I suggest you give both gamecareerguide and gamasutra a look...they both have good points.

The next site is: http://www.gameindustrymap.com/

First of all I must tell you this is the first time I've stepped foot on this site. It's actually very simple to use and works exactly the same as Google Maps. My only complaint is that you can zoom in on your local area and you'll find a load of pins indicating where the game companies are and what games they created. The problem is there are so many pins close together that I sometimes forget the last one I clicked...That is why I love gamedevmap.com because it has a list of all the companies in your area with details on their games etc...I will say though that gameindustrymap has a larger list than gamedevmap (which seems to only have UK game companies.)

Overall why not give them both a look? It'll widen the list of available companies!

Next up is... http://www.wiredtalent.com/

Again this is another site I haven't seen before. It's very well made and is really only useful for those who are seeking a job. It does however have a few interesting articles which are worth looking into. Although most of the content is mentioned on the previous sites and in much more detail.

Now onto the next site... http://forums.mapcore.net/

Mapcore is one of my favourite game websites. A lot of talented individuals go there and share their work for feedback and it allows people like you and I to see the quality we should aim for. It has everything from people’s levels to prop models and a lot of games companies look around for talented people to hire...So get on there and post your work! Whether it is writing, drawings, 2D / 3D levels, models, code etc...

It's a really good place to receive feedback! A lot of people don't appreciate the power of feedback from say 10 people...Get your work out there! You will find you can improve anything...

The next site is different because it is not the site that is useful but the event that is advertises... http://www.gdconf.com/

Ignore this if you don't live in America or live outside America and can't go there yet due to not being old enough...

I myself haven't been but I hear that the Game Developers Conference is a must!..if you aim to work in the industry. They have so many seminars and presentations that it will blow your mind (or so I hear).

If you can then I do suggest visiting at least once in your lifetime...Heck buy a ticket for a friend and both fly to America! It'll be a blast! (Invite me!)

Now this next site is just IGN...They made a few interesting videos on how to get into the industry...Give them a look:

http://uk.media.pc.ign.com/articles/792/792352/vids_1.html

And that ends the review of what I think are the best sites in that list...Sure give the other sites a look! But most of them are just recruitment sites...

Hope this helped...It certainly will help me..I have lots of reading to do!

*All credit goes to ChopperDave, the members of Interlopers.net and the owners of the reviewed websites.*

Zone of the Enders 2: The Second Runner Review

2008-03-29T22:26:00.045Z

Ok, let’s cut to the chase. You're here because you love mechs; you imagine piloting one and saving the world in a massive mech fighting spree in front of your friends. Well stop no further because in this day and age this game is the closest you'll ever get to doing these actions in front of your friends (hopefully your friends appreciate your love for mechs).

ZOE 2 is obviously a sequel and happens to be the child of ZOE 1 which some may remember when all they cared about was getting the ‘Metal Gear Solid 2’ demo which came with ZOE 1. From what I have seen ZOE 1 didn’t receive as much love as it should have and was a very well put together game. Without turning this review into a ZOE 1 review I’ll move on and state that obviously ZOE 2 was an improvement...However I think improvement isn't the right word as you will soon read...

Story

Players take on the role of Dingo Egret, a middle aged man working at a mining facility on Callisto (Jupiter’s moon). After detecting a strange reading he goes to investigate only for trouble to soon follow. Dingo then discovers the strange reading came from an Orbital Frame that had crashed in the snow. Soon after discovering the Orbital Frame a force known as BAHRAM attack the surface of Callisto and a shocked Dingo is forced to climb aboard the mysterious frame. After an impressive introduction Dingo is forced to fight a small batch of enemy frames with no instructions on what the controls are. This may concern some players but I found that the controls were pretty easy to guess first hand and after killing the small batch of enemy’s players are offered VR training similar to the one in MGS2. After learning the controls the player has to fight through enemy after enemy until they reach the first boss. The atmosphere and music really set the mood (I’ll talk about them further down) and make the first boss fight truly unique. It’s hard to describe what makes it unique but I certainly haven’t experienced this sort of boss in any other game. I suggest you watch this video to see what I mean:

(Source: str00py -http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Dgsn_ZrB9lM - Date used - 29th March 2008)

Since the game was directed by Hideo Kojima players will recognise his signature styles within the storyline. The first few things you notice is the way cutscenes are done. The cutscene camera changes every now and then and matches the style of Metal Gear Solid 2. It makes the game that little bit more impressive when the action and the different camera angles are combined. Also some scenes are situated inside the cockpit (which is located in the Orbital Frames ahem ‘cockpit’ area, a joke known full too well by the developer team) and has two camera windows showing the perception from both sides aka Metal Gear Solids COMM conversations.

Returning to the story Dingo finds himself forced to board the enemy ship and find out who is behind the attack. In the end he encounters Jehuty’s brother – Anubis which is the twin brother of Jehuty however it can move at sub - light speed which makes it more powerful. Dingo loses and is spared by the runner Nohman who offers Dingo a chance to join BAHRAM (again). After refusing the offer Nohman ends up shooting Dingo and the story follows on from there with revenge as the main aim with many other sub plots that form the story of ZOE 2.

Overall the storyline in general is deep with lots of background information on the ZOE universe and the discovery of a new metal ore called 'Metatron' which allowed humans to create better weaponry.

Visuals

The game was made from scratch with a nice new engine and a whole new art style. The first thing you will notice is they replaced the 3D animated cut scenes with a more anime approach. Second Jehuty (the name of the ‘Orbital Frame’ you pilot) has improved visually with some minor colour changes and extra texture details. The designers also went for a realistic approach mixed with cel shading to outline explosions and the orbital frames themselves.

The sub-weapons and explosions are something else. The massive explosions and artistic lasers really make the player feel destructive and powerful. (That is until you face Anubis for the first time.)

The levels are designed more like battlefields and are still quite detailed despite the large amount of enemies, effects and the high detailed player model. The levels are believable with many structures to destroy as the player fights in the air.

Overall Konami really pushed the limits of the PS2 with this game. At some points the game will lag briefly but that can be ignored because it looks like slow mo was triggered which adds a ‘cool’ moment when you’re slashing the blade around.

As an extra note I absolutely love the designs of the Orbital Frames especially the part where the lines on the frames glow green, yellow or red depending on their health.

Sound

Ah yes sound. My belief is sound is what can make and break a game and this is no different with ZOE 2. The game is literally soaked in music as almost every area has its own music or a remix of the ‘whole area’ song.

To get a sense of the music here is an example from within the enemy ship:

(Source: Merhawk102 - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=vKMBeYKhcFg - Date used: 29th March 2008)

So you noticed it has a techno style...I’m not a big fan of techno but if a song is used correctly then it can work really well. That is why I believe this genre of music really makes the game work. Obviously the game is set in the future and revolves around flying ‘mechs’ or ‘robots’ so a soundtrack full of sci-fi techno sounds is the right choice.

As for the sound effects you will notice again similar elements to MGS2 with the menu select noise and some explosions. However ZOE2 has a unique set of sounds that really make the game stand out. The quality is top notch and I personally give it thumbs up!

Lastly the voice acting - A lot of reviewers say the voice acting was mediocre and sometimes 'rubbish' but I felt Konami (Europe) did a good job dubbing despite the odd lips still moving a second after the voice clips end. I thought Dingo had a strong voice and Nohman was truly evil thanks to his voice actor. My only complaint is when you first meet Ken she screams at you for no good reason and it is obvious in the Japanese version that she says something rather than scream.

Gameplay

The gameplay however may disappoint a few players. Since the game was made in Japan it has a lot of Japanese influences that may put off some players. This is also why a lot of Japanese games don’t make it over here in Europe because they’re either too weird for our market or too complicated.

Back to gameplay – The game uses a lock on system where the nearest enemy is targeted and the screen focuses on that enemy. The player can fly 360 degrees around the enemy with ease but focusing the camera on a single enemy can sometimes clog up the screen. However most players will get used to the lock on system and it will eventually feel natural. The game is also very fast paced and may give some people headaches.

The controls are straightforward and make the game enjoyable. The player moves Jehuty with the left analog stick, bursts with R2 (makes Jehuty move faster), slash / fire with square, grab with circle, block with R1 and fly up and down with triangle and X. The most impressive moves can be done with the press of a button.

The game tends to work in a certain fashion:

Storyline Cutscene --> Fight small batches of enemy’s --> Fight Boss --> Rewarded with more storyline.

Although rather repetitive I found that ZOE 2 is split up with unique sections. For example at the start you face normal enemies and fight a boss but later on you fight a fleet of ships, have a super tense sub-light speed battle with Anubis, fight a boss in complete darkness while being guided by the AI etc...

Overall the game can be repetitive but mixes things up with unique bosses and missions and rewards the players hard work with more story.

Replayability

As for replayability I think because the game is short...(Took me 4 hours the first time) you feel like you have to play it again. After finishing the game you can start again with the more powerful versions of Jehuty which then lets you go to places you could not go to before. The reason you go to these places is to unlock Orbital Frames for versus mode which is great fun with your friends.

Konami also added an extras area where you can replay certain missions, fight bosses and test how good you are at the game by choosing the European Extreme difficulty. (I couldn't even get past the second level!)

And lastly they added a mini game based on the Gradius series as character designer 'Yoji Shinkawa' loved the old Gradius games and the team felt like chucking it in.

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If you own a PS2 I highly suggest you rent the game at least. You may have trouble finding a copy because the game wasn't as popular as it should have been!

Overall Score: 8.8/10

+Good Controls
+Very Good Visuals
+Deep Story
+Lots Of Extras
+Short But Sweet!
-Gameplay is a little repetitive but the games shortness makes it go by quickly.
-Dubbing was good but that one scene with Ken made it lose points. (I am being a little picky)

I leave you with this rather good ZOE 2 AMV I found a few days ago. It emphasises the best part of the game. "DESTRUCTION! DESTRUCTION TO END ALL!" (Nohman 'ZOE 2')

(Source: MuSyX - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=u_cUacE3eGU - Date used: 29th March 08)

Blog Post No. 2

2008-03-29T01:46:00.001Z

Today I rebuilt the blog and used a custom template mixed with my own graphics such as the banner and background.

As of now I am still updating the design and to be honest this post is also just a test to see how the blog looks with 2 posts.

My First Blog Entry

2008-03-29T01:00:00.003Z

Welcome to my Blog - Habboi's Blog. I decided to replace my old, boring website with a more interesting blog where I can update readers on my life, my passion for games and all things awesome.

I hope you find interest in my blog as this will certainly be a unique journey.