Habboi's Blog of Video Games and Everything Awesome

Welcome Back

2010-02-13T02:13:00.002Z

Some of you may notice the bar at the top. Well Blogger decided to screw us over and remove FTP uploading which means I had no choice but to move my blog from my own lovely server to theirs.

In other words posts, comments and labels are all stored on their Google servers whereas pictures are stored on mine.

This caused me a lot of grief as I had to change CNAME's and add sub-domains and I did not really understand it all but eventually after three days I figured it out despite not receiving any aid after repeatedly asking for help on Bloggers help area.

So there you go. I can carry on blogging now and hopefully Google or Blogger will never pull a stunt like this again. So annoying.

Video Games, Mature Romance and a Dictatorship

2010-02-10T14:38:00.023Z

It has been a while since I've found a topic worth debating about and it has come to my attention that the sequel to Mass Effect has also brought back some old discussions.

For those that do not remember, Fox News aired a report on sex in Mass Effect and attacked the game developers for showing what was nothing more than an aliens rear end.

That was two years ago and today we have Mass Effect 2 which has kept with the tradition and allows players to essentially romance almost all of the characters that accompany you.

However, the developers did not include relationships of the same sex which is an interesting choice and many people have asked why?

Well a forum user called "Menelaos1971" believes that Bioware, the creators of the Mass Effect series held back after the uproar caused by the Fox News debate. He stated that "...it was a step in the right direction for Rated M games."

Interestingly a developer on the team replied to his statement:

"It's kinda funny that this topic keeps coming up over and over again. People who claim to be old enough and mature enough to handle sex and nudity in a game seem to believe that any lack of sex and nudity in the game is a sign of self-censorship. They generally don't believe that a game can be called "mature" without explicit sex and/or nudity.

Let me tell you, folks, that as a developer full of mature individuals, we are also free to not have explicit sex and/or nudity in our games, no matter what you, Fox News, the government, or Bunky the Wonder Clown has to say about it. We have never considered it a "problem," it is simply a choice we have made and we have every right to make that choice."

I agree that a mature game does not need sex and/or nudity and that yes, they do not need to include it if they do not want to however what the developer said next, I do not agree with.

"Game development is not a collaborative effort between developers and gamers; it is a dictatorship, where we alone determine what content goes into our game. You the player make the choice whether that content is acceptable to you (and/or your family) or not."

First I would like to state that game company "Valve Software" would disagree. We the consumers are the reason developers design games therefore many studios do research on what we gamers want in a game. In regards to Valve, they are what I consider a "golden" company in this "dark" industry as they actually listen to their market and implement changes based on the feedback given.

And even now they support the modding community by posting news updates about top rated mods, purchasing them and turning them into full games and even allowing us to become developers in our own homes by giving us a place to share models in the hopes that they will be used in their multiplayer game Team Fortress 2.

It's common knowledge that games take lots of time to develop and they can always be improved so Stanley Woo's comments about how the games industry works are inaccurate. As user Xenris states:

"Its a developers job to make us gamers happy and be open with us and ask us what we want, not tell us what we want."

Of course not all gamers are wise with their feedback. For example they may suggest an idea that would not work well in a game. As a modder myself I can understand the development process and that some ideas sound better as a concept rather than a functional element in a game.

Back to the topic of mature romance, I noticed YouTube have recently removed a few videos containing scenes of these romantic relationships and it makes me wonder what will happen to ratings in the future.

As it stands, sex, nudity and so forth break YouTube's rules and so they are inclined to remove such videos however games are an art and as the visuals get better and better we, the developers will strive to reach for "real-life" elements. Eventually nudity and sex will become an accepted thing in the games industry and that is interesting as websites such as YouTube will probably have to rethink their policy since they cannot deny the video game medium.

I'd like to hear what you have to say about mature content because I believe it will certainly shape the way the games will be made in the future.

Mass Effect 2: My Thoughts So Far...

2010-01-29T12:54:00.016Z

Now that we're nearly through the first month of the year 2010 I thought it would be a good idea to write about Mass Effect 2 and my experiences with it thus far.

When it first arrived in my post yesterday I was eager to play it but I could not because I wanted to finish up my second play-through of Mass Effect 1 in order to receive the best reward when porting my character over to Mass Effect 2.

You can imagine my desperation as I still had Feros, Virmire and Illos to complete which took me a good three hours. Once I had completed it and listened to the satisfying credits song for the third time I quickly installed the game and jumped straight back into the world of the Mass Effect series.

Immediately I noticed a huge difference in visual presentation compared to the first game and the performance was much better possibly because the game was actually using the full power of my PC unlike older games which were not designed to use Quad Core technology.

From here I'll be talking about a few minor spoilers that take place from start to about five hours in.

Once I gained control of Shepherd I soon realised the controls had been changed and old mechanics had been removed. The changes that effected me the most was the lack of a radar in the corner and the switching of the "shift" and "space" keys on the keyboard. I soon got used to it though and like it more because it means I can rest my thumb on the "space" key and do most of my actions using just my thumb.

As for story I won't go into details as the game is fairly new but some parts such as the return to the Citadel actually brought out an emotional response. I was expecting the council to welcome me back and honour me for what I did in the first game but instead they dismissed all my hard work and the resulting atmosphere was quite sad and frustrating. It was even more effective because hours ago I had saved their lives by sacrificing my fellow humans in the first game.

You have to admit a game that can do that must be very powerful emotionally and I have to praise the story writers at Bioware because so far they've surprised even me.

At one point you meet your old friend Garrus from Mass Effect 1 and unfortunately he gets shot down by an enemy flying aircraft. I literally said out loud "No, he can't die, that's not fair. He's an awesome character..." Luckily he survives but he is scarred quite badly which again made me feel sad because he hides his injuries with jokes to uplift the mood.

Enough about the story though, as for gameplay, I am impressed with how fluid it feels now. One improvement is the weapons which now fire more accurate lasers that actually sound like guns unlike the "hairdryer" sound effects from the first game. Taking cover is easier now and issuing commands to your squad has been fixed so that you use the "q" and "e" keys instead of the out of reach "arrow" keys.

As for space travel they have also improved that greatly by allowing you to drive a "mini" Normandy. You can fly to a planet and use a new scanning mechanic that is a hell of a lot better than landing on it and driving around doing the same missions over and over in the first game. It allows you to scan the planet for resources and send probes that search for minerals which are sent back to you so that you can upgrade weapons, armour and even the ship. Searching for resources is necessary as the game designers have stated that you can die at the end of the game if you are not prepared.

Overall I'm five hours in right now and I already feel attached to the story and the characters that inhabit the universe. This is going to be a long game since I'm taking my time with it and I hope you do too.

Merry Christmas from Habboi

2009-12-25T00:10:00.008Z

It's 12:10 and I've just said Merry Christmas a bunch of times to friends on the Internet. I then randomly popped onto my blog and felt it needed something new so here it is!

Anyway I won't be opening the presents until 8:00 or later and since I ordered most of them myself it won't be much of a surprise this year.

Still I look forward to solving puzzles in Scribblenauts and driving a train in Zelda: Spirit Tracks.

Earlier today I worked on my university project because it is due on the 11th of January and I've got a fair amount to do such as modelling humans, a wolf, rigging, animating and programming it all to work together.

So I thought I'd get the house out of the way by tweaking it in 3DS Max, optimising it and UV mapping it. One day I'll look back and laugh at the crappy modelling I've done because it's not bad but it was poorly executed due to the way I made it.

I don't intend to work today as it's Christmas and everyone should enjoy the day. The best part for me is the food and I especially look forward to the turkey and stuffing.

Lastly I bought myself a late Christmas present on Screw Attack called AVGN Series 3 which if you don't know is a funny series about a nerd who reviews old games. I don't think I've laughed so hard watching his videos and I especially liked his "Plumbers don't wear ties" episode. Oh did I mention you can watch it all for free? Yeah but by buying the series you support him in the future. Besides AVGN he makes other videos on cinemassacre which are great time passers!

Alright, thanks for reading. I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and for all you Brits out there, enjoy Doctor Who. (I know I will.)

EA's Left 4 Dead 2 Event

2009-11-04T13:05:00.076Z

'This is the building where it took place.'

Last week I was invited to the Left 4 Dead 2 event in London which was created to promote Valve's new sequel to Left 4 Dead 1.

It was very entertaining because we were trained to hit "infected" mannequins with weapons related to the game such as baseball bats, frying pans and assault rifles (although we didn't get to shoot them).

'Food rations and beer.'

There were also food rations and a corner where you could get your face painted to look like an "infected" from the game. (Obviously I opted to look like a Hunter since I was wearing a hoody).

'Infected face paint at its best.'

After hitting the mannequins around and getting our faces painted, we went down to the basement where they had set up four Xbox 360's to playtest the game.

'The gamers' basement.'

The version we played was an early test build that had a few glitches but other than that it was playable and I had a good time playing it. (The EA guy behind me was calling us hardcore because we got to the safe room at the end of the demo although I'm pretty sure it was because Director felt sorry for the people who played before us).

As an owner of the first game on the PC platform I already knew how to play the game so it was easy to pick up. I was very surprised at how good it was to aim with the Xbox 360 controller as my past experiences with FPS games on consoles have been difficult to aim with.

Left 4 Dead 2 is very similar to its prequel except that it is vastly improved with new enemies, weapons, characters, campaigns and an updated director AI which makes the gameplay different depending on how well the player is doing.

I feel that the large amount of game content justifies the price tag; however I still believe that it is too early to release a sequel especially since there are hardly any custom campaigns for the original game.

Lastly I was very excited to meet Valve's Chet Faliszek who shook my hand (still haven't washed them) but unfortunately my camera man was upstairs getting a beer and Chet disappeared as soon as I turned my back. I wanted to ask him about Half Life 2 Episode 3 and try to pry some facts out of him, oh well.

Overall my friend and I had a fantastic time and it was an honour attending. I just hope the next event I go to involves hitting something with a frying pan because that was the best part of the night!

Below are more pictures taken at the event which includes my friend who hit the mannequins so hard that a cricket bat splintered and flesh flew past people's heads. Scary.

(Thanks again Yasir!)

P.S. This is my 50th blog post!!!

Machinarium Review

2009-10-29T19:04:00.061Z

Machinarium is a flash-based, point-and-click adventure game developed by Amanita Design, the creators of the excellent Samorost series.

The game took an amazing 3 years to create and the end result is something spectacular. The art style is all hand drawn and touched up on the PC and definitely gives the game a unique style that really captures your imagination about the world you are walking in. Speaking of the world, the game features some fantastic animation that brings the characters to life and makes you think "Wow".

I really fell in love with the "thought bubbles" which appear when you don't press anything for a short duration. They show off some of the back-story between the protagonist and his robot girlfriend and generally make you laugh hysterically.

'The art style is really beautiful.'

The game features some of the best collection of songs I have heard in a game this year and I believe that Tomas Dvorak has really captured the feeling of each area that you are playing in. One of my favourite songs is Mr Handagote and you can hear it below:

The puzzles are solved by clicking on objects of interest and either combining them with other objects or using them on the environment to progress. However the overall impression given was that the game featured lots of environmental puzzles but instead I felt that the game had too many logical puzzles and mini-games such as the second arcade machine where you move blocks in a certain order to get to the exit or the brain mini-game where you shoot viruses.

I believe they included a "Space Invaders" mini-game because they wanted to remind the younger gamers about a time when computer games were simple. Unfortunately I feel that they were also used to prolong the life of the game and it worked because the game took me a staggering 8 hours to complete.

'The game features an inventory.'

Now if you are like me and you are not always good at solving puzzles then you can either keep on trying or look up a guide and thankfully, Amanita have supplied an in-game book that unlocks once you pass a little test. You control a little key and have to avoid spiders by shooting them. At the end, the player reaches the key-hole and the book opens up revealing fantastic drawings of what you have to do to solve the puzzle. The only issue I have with this mechanic is that to sway you off doing it again, you have to repeat the mini-game even if you have unlocked it already.

Of course no game is perfect and there are a few issues that have come up during my play-through such as minor glitches where the robot "zaps" to certain places when clicking on objects. I also noticed that certain items could be used on places where they should not have, causing the game to break and forcing the player to restart if they saved it.

I also found that one particular puzzle kept disappearing if you took too long to click and that was especially irritating for my mother who does not play games and was trying to understand the mechanics.

'I love the little references to Samorost. (Make sure to click the robot)'

You may also be surprised to hear that the game was made using Adobe Flash and it is amazing how it compares to professional games which use more complex programming such as C++. I noticed a lot of reviewers complained about the right click function which brings up the Adobe menu and that can't be avoided however the game never specifies to use it which is why I can't understand why they complain about it.

Lastly, I felt that the ending was a little short and without spoiling it I will say this:

If you have seen "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" then think back to the lift scene near the end. Imagine watching it take off and then suddenly it cuts off as the lift smashes through the glass. That's the best way to describe it in my opinion and I really wish they had just added one last scene like in Samorost 2 where the protagonist dances with the space taxi driver.

Overall Machinarium is a fantastic adventure with a beautiful soundtrack and has many thrilling puzzles that even your parents would enjoy solving.

I know mine do...

Play the demo here and please buy it if you enjoyed it because it helps the team develop new games in the future: http://machinarium.net/demo/

(They slowed it down a little in order to make it last longer and in my opinion, the game looks a lot better when playing the full version as it supports fullscreen.)

P.S. I would like to add that the game won the Excellence in Visual Art award at the 12th Annual Independent Games Festival.

Machinarium by Amanita Design

2009-10-10T00:02:00.018+01:00

If you've never heard of the Samorost series then you seriously need to open your ears because it is by far one of the most immersive games you'll probably ever play. Go now! Play them for free!

http://amanita-design.net/samorost-1/

http://amanita-design.net/samorost-2/

Now back to the topic, Machinarium. The game is similar to the Samorost series in that it is an artistic, immersive point and click adventure game. The attention to detail is amazing in terms of story and the art that makes up the environment.

Now the game isn't out until the 16th October 2009 but you can grab the demo on Steam and I've heard of a rumoured hidden version with an extra puzzle although you might as well wait till the full game comes out.

One of the best elements in Amanita's games is the music by Tomas Dvorak. I would go as far as to say that it makes the games what they are. Tomas has a real talent for making ambience that really reflects the area that you're in. Very powerful.

Overall there will always be some people who won't enjoy it and in a way I pity them because I just feel it's one of those spiritual games where you really feel part of the world, similar to Shadow of the Colossus.

Pre-order it now! Support the indie developers as it's very difficult to gamble and develop such an adventurous game only for it to not sell well!

(Source Image: http://machinarium.net/gallery.html - Date Accessed: 10 October 2009)

Ahoy Fellow Pirates tis Talk like a Pirate Day

2009-09-19T14:08:00.006+01:00

Yar Matey's 'tis Talk like a Pirate Day today and to celebrate this brilliant holiday you can download Tales of Monkey Island (Episode One) FOR FREE YAAAAAAARRRR HARRRR!

Get it ere' right now!

http://www.telltalegames.com/playlikeapirate

Last year I got a post from Chris Applegate who posted some great Pirate games so hopefully he has more this year! Arrrr.

I hope you enjoy your bootyful day! Arrrrrr :D

(Source image: http://brainsonfire.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/Talk_Like_a_Pirate_Day.png - Date Accessed - 19 September 2009)

Dirty Coding Stories

2009-08-26T21:21:00.010+01:00

I came across this article on Gamasutra today and I haven't laughed so hard in a long while. I think you need a little programming experience to get some of the stories but it goes to show what it is really like to work in the games industry with a tough deadline.

My personal favourite is the one with the space fix:

"We opened up the text file responsible for the conflict, added a space at the end, and saved it. We looked at each other with huge grins on our faces and said: Ship it!"

(Source Image: http://www.funnyjunksite.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/programmer.jpg - Date Accessed: 26 August 2009)

Monster Hunter 3 IS coming to UK!

2009-08-03T23:54:00.011+01:00

I can happily announce that Capcom have announced plans to bring Monster Hunter 3 (Tri) to the Western market in early 2010! I've waited almost 3 years for a new Monster Hunter after they closed the first game in 2007 and I refuse to invest in a PSP when the screen is so small.

Here is the source of the news for those that do not believe these words:

Click Here

I leave you with what I believe is their last trailer!

"Excited" doesn't even describe the feelings right now!

(Source Images: Capcom Press Release)

EA's Battlefield 1943 Review

2009-07-10T16:33:00.136+01:00

Before I begin my review I would like to thank Yasir Alani for inviting me to the launch event for EA's Battlefield 1943 videogame. It was an honour to be invited to the launch and it was great meeting other people in the games industry.

Battlefield 1943 is technically the child of Battlefield 1942 as it takes all the good bits of the father and improves them ten times over. Visuals, gameplay and sound effects are all improved and make the playing experience much more enjoyable. However, just because it has been improved does not mean that it is without a few flaws and I will be addressing these later on. The version I tested was on the Xbox 360 which made the overall experience different since I have become more of a PC gamer over the years, especially when it comes to First Person Shooter games, although I will not let that affect the review.

The game is obviously set in 1943 (WW2), hence the name, and features two sides fighting against each other: United States Marine Corps and the Imperial Japanese Army. The aim of the game is to capture flags or rather territory and dominate the opposition until they have nowhere else to go. Both teams are aided with useful vehicles such as planes, tanks, boats and trucks to travel faster or to cause major damage to the scenery. I say this because the game runs on the Frostbite engine which has allowed the developers to make almost everything destructible such as buildings, trees and vehicles.

Players are no longer safe inside the once indestructible buildings of the "old games" and it is this twist that enhances the gameplay. One example was when I hid behind a tree after being discovered by an enemy tank and waited until they went away. This tactic failed as the tree fell over from the shower of tank bullets and I ended up being exposed. You can guess the rest and it goes to show that it's little features like this that can change the way people strategise in the game. Unfortunately there are a few structures that can't be destroyed and this takes away the feeling of freedom and can cause the player to die as they wasted their shot.

The game seems to relate to the number "three" quite often because there are "three" classes: Rifleman, Infantry and Scout although I think Sniper would have been a better name since that's really what the scout is. There are also "three" levels plus a bonus one called "Coral Sea" which is unlocked once the entire community rakes up a massive "forty three" million kills. Why that particular number? The hint is in the game title. It's an ingenious idea since it brings the community together, attracts more players and creates an aim that drives people to play for longer hours. If it were up to me then I'd have made the achievement even more interesting by only allowing the first console to reach that number to unlock it, essentially creating a competitive console race. Although the level would eventually be shared with the losing console otherwise it would lose sales. As I write this, the leading console with the most kills is the Xbox 360.

In relation to numbers, did you know that the game is only £9.99? (1200 Xbox Points) That's amazingly cheap for a game of this quality and it's all because it's distributed online instead of on a CD. The way of the future no less and it is something that I think a lot of games companies will adopt in the near future. I think the price is perfect since you are only getting three levels (+ bonus map) and the classes are simplified to allow all sorts of players to quickly jump in and have a great time. It's the type of game that can be played for an hour and is good for those of you with little free time to play games.

During my playtest I got a chance to try each class and I have to say that my favourite is the Rifleman as he appears to be the "middle man" that most people can quickly master. I managed to gather up an "amazing three" kills with that class, although you can blame my terrible skills as I am mainly used to playing on the PC! The next class, infantry, is more like the machine gun guy who works best in close quarters and lastly is the scout class which I believe is the hardest to master as he requires greater accuracy. It takes a fair amount of skill to kill an enemy who is jumping up and down and running about.

The gameplay handles like any other first person shooter game and does not throw anything new into the formula although it doesn't need to as the game does what it was made to do and that is to simulate a WW2 game. As you play more and more of the game you earn new ranks which are only used for bragging and showing that the player has experience. It would have been nice if the ranks gave the player slight advantages over others such as a slight damage increase.

The controls aren't confusing although I did have trouble getting into vehicles as there was a delay after pressing the B button. This kept causing me to press it again essentially making me get in and out over and over. Other than that, there are plenty of control options which you can change to suit your needs such as reversing which analog stick aims and which one moves the character around. Flying the plane is also difficult and I can guarantee that you will crash at least five times before taking off but don't let that make it sound like a fault because once you master it; you can dominate the scoreboards and gain a huge advantage.

Regarding sound, it was unfortunate that the volume was considerably lowered during testing however from what I did hear, it sounded like I was participating in a real war as far as I am aware. (Who here has fought in a real war?)

For a game that's distributed online, it's amazing how high the graphic standards have improved over the years and when I first played the game I almost felt like I was playing EA's Crysis. The lighting ranges from tropical daytime in two of the three maps and a warm afternoon in the other. It would have been nice if Guadalcanal and Wake Island had different distinguishing features however this is not the case and it's disappointing since there are only three levels. They are so similar in fact that I can't even tell which one I tested at the event.

One thing that bothers me is the fact that the game only supports a maximum of 24 players, which is impressive for a downloadable game, however the levels were partly adopted from the older game and it feels as though they are still too big for the maximum amount of players. Funnily enough the FAQ on their website acknowledges this and claims that testing has shown it works, but I disagree. I just hope that the PC version can support 64 players as that's almost a standard number for most online PC games these days.

Speaking of the PC version, I haven't been able to play it yet because it is not out until autumn 2009. I would like to see the ability for users to create user made levels as I believe it is vital for the industry to support modders as they can greatly improve a game and raise sales. An example I can think of is that the modders could add blood to the game since it seems to lack it for reasons unknown.

Overall the game is very polished with no glitches that I am aware of although there are rumours of a "falling through the ground" glitch after death but this can be easily overlooked for such a cheaply priced game with brilliant visuals and easy to use controls. In regards to the glitch comment, I stand corrected as I just found this YouTube video that reveals a rather humorous glitch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_d4vRDbUM4 - Thanks r34perpwnz

If my experience with the console version was good then there is no doubt that the PC version will be even better! Let's pray that they include a software development kit for all the modders out there.

I would like to end the review with a quote by Daemon Hatfield (2009) on IGN because I think this best describes the feeling of the game: "One of my favorite moments is when I spawn on an aircraft carrier and have to take a ride back to the island on a boat. Tension builds as I see explosions and gunfire erupting everywhere I look until I finally hit the beachhead and rejoin the fight. Great stuff."

For more information on the videogame visit: http://www.battlefield1943.com/

(Image Sources: EA Press ZIP sent by E-mail)

Project Trico - A Team ICO Game

2009-05-20T13:53:00.011+01:00

Team ICO, the creators of both ICO and Shadow of the Colossus have released a new trailer for their new project: Trico.

Amazing isn't it? When I see it, I am reminded of both ICO and SoC which is a good thing. It's like the two best games had a newborn child. Apparently this trailer was shown at last year's E3 behind closed doors. A few VG journalists have already confirmed it.

I'll admit that when I first saw the eyes in the darkness I pulled a "wtf" face because I was expecting the typical black smoke monsters that are present in both games.

I don't understand how anyone can dislike Team ICO's games; they're like the "Studio Ghibli" of the video games industry. People are entitled to their opinion but I can't understand how they can say that after playing the unique and epic game. They should read the "Making of SoC" and see how much work was put into it because it was a lot. Games take us to places and let us do things we wouldn't be able to do in real life which is why I love SoC because it's so creative, has a brilliant score and is all together a great game.

So I hope those who disliked SoC may learn to like Trico!

(Source Image and Video: PlayStationLifeStyle - Date Accessed: 20th May 2009)

Mirror's Edge Cosplay

2009-05-18T14:25:00.003+01:00

It's not everyday that I see a cosplay album where "effort" has been put into it...

Kotaku posted this album here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/savage_land_pictures/sets/72157617492339947/

It's worth looking at and what I'd like to know is where they took them. Some of those shots have pillars with yellow paint on them which is almost like the game itself.

Props to the cosplayer though! She looks a lot like Faith.

(Source image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/savage_land_pictures/3493611386/in/set-72157617492339947/ - Date Accessed: 18 May 09 - The day "Project S." was revealed.)

Zone of the Enders 3...:O

2009-04-21T20:16:00.003+01:00

http://kotaku.com/5220446/kojima-productions-who-wants-zone-of-the-enders-3

Come on, come on, COME ON! Do it for me Hideo Kojima!

(Source Image: http://static3.animepaper.net/upload/thumbs/scans/Zone-Of-The-Enders/%5Blarge%5D%5BAnimePaper%5Dscans_Zone-Of-The-Enders_killy-est(0.69)__THISRES__222803.jpg - Date Accessed: 21 April 2009)

"Trine" Video Game: My Thoughts...

2009-04-16T22:42:00.016+01:00

I was inspired to write up a blog post about this video game after watching a new trailer on GameTrailers this morning.

First of all I want you to watch this trailer video on YouTube so that you can understand what the game is about:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXamgP-j-xU&fmt=22

I always like games that stand out from the generic selection of titles that come out from "mainstream central." When I first saw the trailer last year I didn't expect much when I read the name "Trine". I must admit I judged it before I even knew what it was about but something still made me view the trailer and I am thankful that I did.

What I like about it is the fact it encompasses co-operative game-play which I've noticed is a favourable feature that many gamers want these days. What gamer doesn't want the ability to play with their friends and have a good laugh at the silly mistakes they make. What I also like about the game is the resemblance to one of my favourite game series, Baldur's Gate.

It looks fun because it has a variety of game-play elements such as drawing out physic "block" platforms, smashing blocks with a sword and swinging across gaps. Each of these skills are limited to a certain character which means it requires thinking and I always enjoy a game that has a challenge but is also simple enough to get through at an enjoyable pace.

The level design looks impressive so far and the fact that it's a side-scroller means they can fit in more detail without having to worry about the player rotating the camera and viewing 3d objects at different angles. The great thing about that is the developers can hide surfaces that aren't visible which results in a much more optimised and smoother experience.

Another game that it reminds me of is Dark Messiah which funny enough lets you play as a warrior, assassin and mage. All great games which should mean Trine will also be good.

Lastly the music sounds great and really matches the fantasy style of the game. It has an uncanny similarity to the score from Champions of Norrath which was also set in a fantasy setting.

Will I be getting the game? From what I've seen so far, definitely yes!

P.S. The best part is it's also coming to PC :)

(Sources: http://www.vgchartz.com/forum/thread.php?id=51786, http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/kotaku/2008/12/trine.jpg and MekaHD.)

Shadow of the Colossus Movie Adaptation

2009-04-08T01:02:00.005+01:00

Kotaku posted news of a movie recreation of the brilliant Shadow of the Colossus and at first, people were excited, however the next part caused uproar:

"According to the Hollywood Reporter's Risky Biz Blog, Sony Pictures will be tackling Shadow of the Colossus for a movie adaptation with producer Kevin Misher, responsible for films such as The Scorpion King and The Interpreter, as well as the upcoming fighting movie Fighting. Now here's where it gets... rough. Got that drink yet?"

So he's only the producer and there's no gurantee he'll be the one to produce it. I'm having mixed feelings. I haven't seen the new Street Fighter but I have heard it's average. That's not SoC.

SoC is a materpiece and it shouldn't even have a movie. Personally if they want to share the beauty that is SoC, then make a new game or port it to PS3. Go nuts on advertisements!

Either way I will most likely see it since SoC is not something one misses.

(Source: http://kotaku.com/5202716/shadow-of-the-colossus-getting-big-screen-adaptation-all-hope-lost and Source Image: http://www.greenhillzone.co.uk/articleimages/colossus/ShadowOfTheColossus07.jpg - Date Accessed - 08 April 2009)

What is in that damn box!?

2009-03-21T20:25:00.012Z

www.whatsinthebox.nl

Half Life EP3? A new phone? A trailer for a movie? Who knows! Valve claim it's not their doing but it wouldn't make sense if they admitted to their viral campaign that is getting everything pumped up about it.

Personally I think it's a trailer for a pre-HL2 type mod or film. Here's a link to a YT movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU_reTt7Hj4 and you can google all about the box thing and the hidden content that people are trying to figure out.

Ah, I love these sort of mystery viral campaigns and looking in threads to see what people have figured out.

*edit* So it turns out my theory was stupid and so forth. Turns out the 00000's spell out a number which means in 4 days we'll find out what is in the box. Stay tuned.

Monster Hunter 3 - Coming to Europe? Oh please!

2009-03-20T18:49:00.017Z

I was on GameTrailers looking at trailers when I found myself clicking on related videos and found an old video of Monster Hunter 2 which never made it off the shores of Japan.

We, the fans, were all saddened by this and disappointed even more when the Monster Hunter 1 servers were shut down.

I had hoped this game would come to the UK ever since I saw the trailer back in 07 and it may just happen according to a bunch of news sites such as this:

http://gonintendo.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=6026

I really hope it does come over here! Some of the best times I ever had as a gamer were spent in Monster Hunter 1.

It's an RPG type game where you hunt giant creatures with 3 others using giant swords, guns etc. Monster Hunter has a nice system in which you collect bones, skin and such from defeated creatures to make your equipment. Really good fun! I just hope the Wii controls are as good as the PS2 version because I used to be extremely good at controlling the giant sword with the analogue sticks :)

Edit:

I have to share this fan made trailer of the original games that I loved:

It's old but I can't think of a better fan made trailer that this one. Music is from Ace Combat 5 - Unsung War. Credit goes to folga.

(Source Image: "http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/29/Monster_Hunter_3_(tri-).PNG" - Date Accessed - 20 March 2009)

World Builder Short Film = Possible Future 3D Program?

2009-03-13T16:23:00.008Z

I just came across an interesting and sad video linked to me by a guy called Rimrook. I won't spoil the story but I do want to talk about the idea in the video and how the future of modelling and designing could change someday.

Here's a link to the video:

http://vimeo.com/3365942

It's interesting actually because I've noticed a lot of game engines these days are starting to allow users to make levels and play them at the same time. I map for Half Life which uses an old BSP leaf system and requires compiling which can take 10 seconds to 30 minutes depending on how much there is to compile and how well the user optimised it.

Lately I've been playing Little Big Planet and I found it funny how the idea in this video is similar to the level design tools in the game. You can literally hop in and build stuff in lego fashion and then apply stickers all over it like paint.

It makes me wonder if holograms or the ability to jump into a virtual environment will be possible someday. Maybe in our lifetime? The idea of falling through a leak in a virtual world sends shivers down my spine.

I will say though that this would make getting into the games industry a lot easier :)

(Credit goes to Rimrook on TWHL for the link to the video and Bruce Branit for making the unique video.)

I passed! Again!

2009-02-12T12:11:00.009Z

It was results day today at UEL and I can safely say I passed all my modules with flying colours.

To sum up: I got 78 and 75 for my story writing tasks, 85 for my 3D scene and 90 for my interactive greetings card. Links below:

Interactive Card:

http://www.habboi.co.uk/Santa_Grab_FINAL.swf
(Note that this version is slightly outdated in that there is a spelling mistake when you click mute.)

3D Scene set in the 1930's with the theme of Escape

I'm not going to post the story otherwise people would copy it and submit it as their own. Instead you will be able to play it someday when I get back to the horror level I based the story on.

(Source Image: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/
~cecebibby/personal/kitty.jpg - Date Accessed: 12 February 2009)

Mass Effect on the PC

2009-02-09T00:35:00.016Z

During my Christmas break I managed to get my hands on Mass Effect after finding out it was also released on PC. I also heard it was a really good game from lots of people and I knew it would be as it was made by one of my favourite developers, Bioware.

The reason I enjoyed it so much was the story. Developers, take note as Bioware are the best when it comes to in-depth stories and they are doing it right. When I first loaded the game, I was shot back by the large amounts of information being thrown at me. For a little while, it was overwhelming but you soon sink into it all and you start to learn names of aliens and the history of it all. I can never forget the two enemies that made me jump all the time, Husks and Thorns.

Think of them as the zombies of the game except they run, they suicide in your face and they like to play dead until you're close by...Especially the Thorns, sitting down all the time as if to say "Hey, come over here, we're drinking tea!"

The game is flawless in my opinion; I had NO issues with it except one tonight where my character got stuck on a bad collision model. It's really polished and so in depth at times that I could just fall deep into the story and never come out. I reallyloved the interactivity in the cutscenes because it gives you choice and you get to see what happens because of your choice. In fact, one of my favourite characters died because I chose to rescue the other from certain death. It's very powerful at making you feel for the characters.

The gameplay was quite interesting, it had the "KOTOR" (Knights of the Old Republic) style but it evolved and became Gears of War meets Star Wars. You can take cover and pause the game to plan strategies and so on. You're also given the choice of class when you first start and for once, I chose the soldier as I'm normally the super weak mage in other class based games. I can tell you, being the soldier kicked ass. You become pretty much invincible as you can use all the weapons and all armours. Overall I liked the game mechanics as they worked well on a keyboard and mouse and it satisfied me enough. Oh however, the driving sections were a little annoying as the planet surfaces were so bumpy and the car was a little over sensitive.

On to the sound, I loved it. The music scores were effective at conveying where you were. From the mighty Citadel to the cold peaks on a certain planet I can't remember because there were so many and the names do slip. As I said earlier, the game has scary monsters and what better way to convey the horror aspect than by having a creepy tune. The tune can be heard here:

http://www.habboi.co.uk/mus_area_peak15_2_jack.mp3

(I had to rip it from the game as it wasn't shipped with the OST)

Here's another of my favourite songs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fINefilcmZw&feature

These are my favourites because they were really nicely constructed and fit the themes well. The horror song consisted of ringing bell type noises that made you edgy as they used the song in places that seemed empty but were not. The song above, I heard tonight and it's used in a really peaceful sanctuary where you have a discussion with a really old Prothean AI. I would class it as the "relaxing" song of the game.

Back to the story, I won't spoil it but I must say that there are a lot of twists and turns and that's what makes it so interesting. There's so many questions and each one gets answered as you progress so I feel like I'm being rewarded for playing for a certain amount of hours. They ended it in a way that it guarantees a sequel so I will be looking forward to it.

I would really give the game a go as I'm holding it as one of my favourite modern games. If you love story and in-depth history and so on then you'll love it.

(In fact, one of the planets, the snow one, inspired me to make a level on Source involving a scrolling tram. I ended up spending a week modelling the train and texturing it and exporting it in the game. Good stuff.)

P.S. If you want to see the so called "Sex Scene" that Fox News caused a stir about then make sure to save the women and talk to them a lot ;)

(Source Image: http://pix3lnati0n.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/masseffect.jpg - Date Accessed - 09 February 2009)

Yay Snow!

2009-02-03T16:09:00.005Z

(Best Snow Woman I ever made!)

It snowed yesterday in the UK and it caused us to lose 1.2 billion pounds because people couldn't get to work as transport was cancelled everywhere.

In other news I made a snow woman as seen above to fill the empty void ;)

More Pictures:

Yesterday:

Today:

^_^

Are Games a Chore?

2009-01-18T17:23:00.011Z

There are times when I'm playing a videogame for a few hours and I think to myself:

"I feel like I've done this already..."

What I mean is, when I play a game that lasts for many hours, I start to notice levels that may have been copy / pasted to extend the length. Another example is that there are also games that actually get you to do the same thing over and over. An example would be Assassin's Creed where you have to assassinate important people in the same way each time.

You have to ride your horse to the city, you then investigate, survey the area and rescue peasants. When you have enough information, you are allowed to assassinate the leader after watching a small in-game clip that pushes the story onwards.

Now don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Assassins Creed despite the fact you do the same thing over and over. In fact a lot of reviewers and players agree that the game does get boring after a long period. This is a problem actually because games are expected to last at least 8 hours nowadays but the problem is that as games have progressed, so has the consumers requirements and demands.

Players expect top graphics combined with unique gameplay that satisfies them and makes them feel good. Others like myself prefer story over graphics and sometimes gameplay.

I think this has to do with open world games that give the player choice. Let's look at the new Prince of Persia as an example. Unlike the older games, the new Prince of Persia lets the player choose where they want to go however this means they could go along one side and then go back and finish the other. The problem with this is, unless the programmers coded a mechanic that detects what areas have been done and what scenes have been watched, they have to keep the scenes pretty dry so that the characters don't mention something that has already happened and so on.

The old Prince of Persia games, I'm thinking of PoP2, felt more interesting because each area had a unique theme, the story progressed in a linear fashion and was generally exciting to find out what happens next.

Now I do enjoy some open world games such as Mass Effect which I've been playing for a good 20 hours so far. The great thing about it is, the game is filled with so much story and closes up a lot of loose holes that would take me out of the story. I really feel part of the games universe because of the deep story narrative and interactive talking.

If developers can find a way to speed up game development then there would be a lot more open world games that are unique and have tasks that don't repeat. Technology such as motion capture is slowly rising and being used a lot more in game studios because of the speed and ease of use. Look at the insane moves used in Devil may Cry 3 for example. I'd hate to animate all that by hand. Of course I'd have to learn the human anatomy first ;)

One more game that comes to mind is Mirror's Edge. I just finished it for the PC and felt it ended on a good length. Some of the levels were a little similar but that's fine since the city looks the same generally. However the team did a good job making each level unique. You jump on trains in one, climb a huge work site, slide down sewers etc. The music was really powerful as well. Made you feel pumped for action. The game is unique because it's the only game I can think of that lets you run across roof tops and do amazing jumping moves in first person. I heard they are making a trilogy and I will buy them if it is true but mainly for the story. No doubt the gameplay will be the same which is fine but they need to think of new locations and create new ideas that make the new games stand out. Otherwise it will feel like a chore.

Lastly, I've noticed that games are a lot more fun if you pace yourself instead of completing them in one day. It's something worth looking forward to the next day and extends the life of the game. Give it a try! I'm looking at you Nikki. (I doubt you'll read this.)

Left 4 Dead - What are you trying to prove achivement!

2008-12-27T01:08:00.007Z

Just now I finished the last campaign on expert in the game Left 4 Dead. Christ it was hard and there were LOADS of times where I'd reach the last level and my internet connection would die or most of the team would leave and we'd have no chance.

So finally I got it :D

Star Wars: The Old Republic First Gameplay Video

2008-12-12T20:27:00.007Z

http://swtor.com/media/vidcasts/viddoc001

Well it's finally come! I'm really liking the fast paced combat and to think, this is just alpha! Imagine the full game :D

This may just be the first MMO that I pay monthly for...And that's saying a lot from someone who thinks the idea of paying monthly is stupid >_<

The visuals may not be amazing but remember this is an MMO! I may be able to run it smoothly but not everyone can and I want to immerse myself in a universe filled with players.

(Source: http://swtor.com/media/vidcasts/viddoc001 - Date Accessed - 12 December 2008)