Improving on Perfection Bioshock was a juggernaut. It was a ground breaking achievement in many ways. Although a FPS on the surface, Bioshock was an experience unlike anything before. It was oozing in atmosphere. It was dripping with philosophy and passionate dogma that seemed too high brow for a video game. It was the title [...]
Indie/minimalist game designer Jason Rohrer, recently said the games industry isn’t quite ready to start banding around terms like modernism and post-modernism. That’s a pretty bold statement to make about an industry that prides itself on being cutting edge, but perhaps it’s true. Are we jumping the gun in terms of the “stages” of art [...]
[Audio clip: view full post to listen] This week, we discuss DLC, silent protagonists, existential games, choice and consequences. Demon Souls, Super Street Fighter IV, Resident Evil 5 DLC, Dragon Age, Torch Light, Euphoria, Plants vs. Zombies, Bioshock 2, Heavy Rain
Puzzle games haven’t changed much since the release of Tetris, and for the most part they are highly abstract affairs. There is no narrative to Tetris, only gameplay in its purest form. Ditto modern puzzle classics like Bejeweled. Some have themes pasted on, like Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, while others, like Puzzle Quest, add [...]
I remember when the orginal title was announced. I remember when they described where the original idea came from. The concept of assassinations isn’t new to video games. Death and murder, in general, isn’t a new concept in any entertainment medium. What made Assassin’s Creed so interesting was the concept of weaving through crowds and navigating through [...]
I came with tempered expectations. Understand that I place the original title on a pedestal. VERY high pedestal. I wasn’t expecting much from the sequel and maybe that’s not a bad thing. The first couple of minutes were very odd. Delta, the alpha Big Daddy, controls slightly sluggish as you’d expect any Big Daddy would. [...]
Pushing an art form forward often means looking past big flaws to the original genius underneath. While I don’t think originality for originality’s sake should be rewarded, when someone takes a risk that pushes against established norms, those who tire of existing paradigms should stand up take notice. With games even if the experience as [...]
There is something magical about the Zelda franchise. Something about the series inspires child-like wonderment within all of us. How is this possible? Inspiration inspires inspiration. Rumor has it that Miyamoto was playing in the backyard of his house when he got the inpiration to create a game based on puzzle solving and exploration. Legend of Zelda [...]
Michael Drucker of Gamespy has a very good point. The industry needs to give us some space. For years now, I always felt something wicked this way comes. Wicked in the sense that gamers are now being bombarded with new titles to the point where it’s not really a flooding but more of a drowning. [...]
[Audio clip: view full post to listen] This week, we discuss 2nd Xmas, creativity, PS3 software woes, adventure games, movies vs. gaming, etc. Darksiders, No More Heroes 2, Madworld, Tatsunoko vs Capcom, Heavy Rain, Mario and Luigi: Bowser Inside’s Story, Machinarium, Stalker.
