The Asian Power Hour

The difference in mindsets between hardcore and casual gamers.

2008-07-28T17:38:35Z

I think this simple one-panel comic pretty much sums the issue up. Elegant isn't it? Thanks to Chris for linking this to me from the TVtropes.org website. I think I pretty much go through life like the guy on the right. Full-Sized Pic Here

Pokemon Combat, the Rappening.

2008-07-25T18:36:21Z

Was linked this at work, I can not express in words how happy this makes me. Enjoy, as I have.

Chessboxing: The Sport of Champions

2008-07-13T18:59:48Z

So this completely blows my mind. Apparently there is a new sport out there (new being since 2003) called "Chess Boxing", in which opponents will box and then play chess in alternating rounds. The winner either wins the game of chess or KOs their opponent. This literally takes puts the meaning of brains and brawn into perspective. I'd say more, but really, that's the entire sport in a nutshell. What I'd personally like to see is a marathon through obstacle courses with rounds of Sonic inbetween. For more info, here's the wikipedia link. And here's a video of the PT2 Chess Boxing World Championship.

Cutscenes and Storytelling: MGS4 Thoughts

2008-07-08T19:03:45Z

So after I beat Metal Gear Solid 4, I've been thinking and mulling over this topic for a while. Is the cutscene still the best way to tell a tightly woven narrative in games? But what about the interactivity, isn't this technically a setback for the medium? And what about game like Resident Evil 4 and God of War, that have Dragon Lair style interactive cutscenes? Well, after weighing the two types of storytelling in games; 1. Scripted 2. Emergent I think I'd have to say that yes, MGS4 may not be the "best" example (aka xenosaga-esque length and confusion worthy cutscenes), but cutscenes are still the best way to tell a tightly woven narrative in games because there is nothing left to the hand of the player, everything is controlled by the designer and storyteller, who want you to see the story from their point of view. In this case, I sometimes feel that interactive cutscenes are inapporpriate as what this does is: Force the player into one state (passive viewing of the cutscene), but then tries to interject interactivity suddenly, a rude awakening almost. If people in theatres were asked to do something like this, I'm sure the popular reaction would be very different. It's mixing two different mediums, but in a way that is unnatural. I feel that cutscenes in RE4 and games like Asian Dynamite do this poorly sometimes, even MGS4, although the alternative camera angle and flashback option is interesting. However, if the cutscenes and interactivity are worked well together though, the outcome is amazing, much like the final boss fight in MGS4, no spoilers here, but if you've played it, it's mostly cutscene, but it feels like the player is controlling the action at all times. The key here I think is that: The start and end of the cutscenes are controlled directly by the player. The very short length is also instrumental in this amazing demostration of illusionary player control. Emergent narrative may catch up someday, but I think that even with emergent storytelling, most of it is dependent on the rules and system of the game that it is limited to. Most of these happen within MMORPGS or other online based games, which is a great example of open world design with an extremely limited (kill, quest, chat, etc) system, no matter how complex it seems, they filter down to a few base systems with highly restricted actions. And when mechanics and systems get completely opened up, like Second Life, well, sure, there is emergent narrative, but is it a game anymore? And now, an outline of some brief thoughts on MGS4, hit the jump for the full article: Top 5 Things I like about MGS4: 1. Possibly the strongest final boss fight in any game I've ever played. 2. The versatility of gameplay. 3. Core narrative and character design conveyed through game mechanics. 4. Drebin's shop system. 5. Production values. Top 5 things I hate about MGS4: 1. Long and convoluted cutscenes. 2. Overattention to minute details. 3. Drebin's Shop and the case of the massive arsenal. 4. Install times between chapters. 5. Metal Gear Online.]]> Top 5 Things I like about MGS4: 1. Possibly the strongest final boss fight in any game I've ever played. The fight really conveyed the feeling that this was the last chapter i n the book of Solid Snake, and it was done with some extremely clever interactive cutscene integration with the gameplay. I really felt satisfied with what I was doing as the player during and after the fight, and I think that is the most important aspect. As a sidenote, the second to last boss also gave me the willies during the battle. 2. The versatility of gameplay. Always a norm in the series, The Metal Gear Solid franchise is designed to be a stealth shooter, but it doesn't punish players for playing it with their own, more preferred run and gun styles. It does however, reward players for playing the game like it was designer intended. This is the way that games should be designed, don't punish players for playing the game in a way may be preferable to them over your own design, but do reward them for doing so. It's a simple equation that will also add extra replay value, I myself went through the game 2 times and am on my third playthrough. 3. Core narrative and character design conveyed through game mechanics. I have to admit, I hate the fact that the great hero Solid Snake is now an aged relic of the past, without the incredible physical badassery that he stood for. However, the way that the game is played now, the player comes to realize that the other side of Snake, his sheer willpower and unwavering resolve, and at least to me, that's even more impressive. 4. Drebin's shop system. Accessible anywhere, Drebin's automatic feed of points earned from Snake snagging downed foes weapons just adds to the versatility of the game, You can pick up ammo for your weapons at anytime, even during boss fights, there's no more of the "Oh No! I forgot to stock up on ammo for this weapon, or I don't have the right weapon, and now I'm totally screwed!" moments. Players also have the versatility to earn points by taking foes weapons or just being super sneaky and collecting a hefty bonus at the end of the stage. 5. Production values. I really need to just say...wow. Just wow. I hate the long cutscenes in the game, but they would have become completely unbearable if not for the amazing production values in each and every one of them. Because these are scripted events, Kojima and co. really had the opportunity to tighten up each cutscene to be on par with Hollywood blockbusters. If cutscenes must stay, each game should strive to be better and better, starting with MGS4. Just to point out, I thought the Raiden-Vamp fight and Snake-Microwave ordeal were done incredibly well, you wanted to look at both screens at the same time, like you were actually there in person. Top 5 things I hate about MGS4: 1. Long and convoluted cutscenes. While great production values really saves MGS4 here (barely), I have to say...there is something about making your cutscene concise and long enough to tell your point without getting into the realm of boredom. MGS4, and cutscenes in games generally are not really good about this. Surprisingly, a game that has cutscenes that add just enough flavor and are of what I think the right length is the Subspace Emissary Mode cutscenes from Super Smash Brothers Brawl. 2. Overattention to minute details. For example, sure, it's "realistic" that if Snake opens a garbage bin and your foes are downwind they'll smell it and come looking for you, but really, it's just one more mechanic tacked onto a long long list of mechanics that add surprise and frustration to the game, not more fun. Point in case, while you were playing through MGS4, did you really ever stop and look at the wind direction gauge in the upper right hand corner? Or how about the Vamp fight? Did you have to stop and look in the instruction booklet/faq for that one CQC maneuver you never used? Think about how many people had to do that. Infra-Red Solid Eye was the one mechanic I think worked out with this formula though, especially in the snowy final areas. I think everyone can think about games that suffer from this. 3. Drebin's Shop and the case of the massive arsenal. Yes, it is absoultely great that you can access Drebin's shop from everywhere, but at the same time, it completely destroys a core of the classic MGS, nay, action genre gameplay. Think about if you could stop at anytime to buy a tool or ammo for a gun you needed in games like Tomb Raider or Megaman, instead of relying on the rest of the equipment in your arsenal. Case in point, even by the end of the first chapter, Snake has quite the massive collection of artillery, but most of these guns will not even get a cursory glance since there are guns that are just flat-out better than others. No-one will choose to use the other ones if they basically have access to unlimited ammo whenever, even during a boss fight. World of Warcraft does this in essence to other games like Final Fantasy XI. Keep your player options limited in scope and balance the crap out of them so that all options are viable, don't make a billion options and then make others much more useful and overpowered. 4. Install times between chapters. I'm not sure what happened here, could we not have a full install option so we wouldn't need to spend 3+ minutes installing a chapter everytime we want to go back and show our friends a cool cutscene or an amazing weapon? I understand that the full install probably is huge, but just think about even installer design back in the Baldur's Gate and Fallout days. They were options, and that is the key word. Many people may not have much space on their systems, and it is a nice break when you are actually playing the game for the first time, but it is supremely frustrating when we do want to chapter hop for any reason. Perhaps this is one of those technical things that Kojima was frustrated about with the PS3 when he said it wasn't "strong enough". 5. Metal Gear Online. First off, we won't even get into the Konami ID, PSN ID, etc. etc. registration system. But really, after MGS3 Subsistence, you'd think there would be some improvement in the: 1. Making the online battle system more flexible, MGS was built to be a 1P game at it's core. 2. Making match-making for even level players more well...even. 3. See 1. Alot. It is nice to see that a lot of detail has been put in to make a wide variety of multiplayer match types and well designed levels (manapault anyone?), but...match types with bad game design still make for a bad match. The key to a good game designer is to elicit feedback from the most important group to you, the players, and to take the good ideas and bad ideas and implement what you think is the best. That being said, I feel Kojima really didn't do any of this, or even much user testing. The trend these days is: Short, well-scripted game (CoD4) and endless multiplayer. In the case of MGS4, it's Short, well-scripted game, horrible multiplayer. I really wanted to love MGO, but in the end, it fell well short of the 1P game. If you have any comments, feel free to post, I would love to hear some feedback on anything here. That being said, I think I write too much, so if you slogged through that, you sir, are a champ.

College of Dam Design and Technology Commercial - Hail to the Chimp Thoughts

2008-06-21T17:48:55Z

So it's been a while since I've posted, and I'm gonna aim to make a change starting....now. That being said, I'm sure most people that watch TV even remotely aimed at the gamer community has seen these two commercials: Now, I was playing the demo for Hail to the Chimp when I stumbled across this absolutely brilliant little spoof: As for the game itself, the closet I can come to is a toned down version of Powerstone from the old Dreamcast days. The maps are all interactive and come with a variety of traps and widgets strewn about, but there are no items that can be picked up, only one time use powerups. The goal of each stage is to basically collect more clams than anyone else and hold on to the lead for set amount of time. Players can also beat said clams out of each other, or lose them by falling prey to dangerous obstacles. I've talked about this little exercise I do often, where I list the top 5 things I like and dislike about a game and then a short suggestion often, but I haven't posted them up much. Well, starting now, I'm going to start putting up these little snippets. Here we go! 5 things I like about Hail to the Chimp: 1. The writing is hilariously brilliant throughout the entire game. The entire game is satire based around a CNN like news show complete with well written commercials (see above) and political attack ads. The commentary and fake news stories presented by the reporters kept me simply thumbing through stages and sitting on the screen to hear what they had to say. Simply amazing. 2. Simple controls, no special attack button, your next normal attack that hits is whatever powerup you picked up. This also goes for the team up attacks, which are easy to execute. 3. Characters with personality. Although I'm pretty sure this fits into no.1, I feel that, story-wise, each character is pretty well rounded and has a unique take and angle in the Hail to the Chimp world. It's also nice that you can further customize your characters with extra costume pieces, titled "flair". 4. The visuals all feel very organic and complementary to the plot, this includes the brilliant GRR (CNN) interface design that is carried out consistently throughout the game. 5. The sound design in games is well done, with the commentator cluing in players to what to watch out for, who's in the lead, and what players should team up in a very natural way. This also enables players to not look at the "numbers" (how many clams they have, etc) of other players or themselves. 5 things I dislike about Hail to the Chimp: 1. Controls are too simple. There's really not much to do except punch, punch, punch. It's fun for a while, but it gets old. By adding a simple special attack button like in smash bros, but bolstering it with visual flair, I think a lot could be added to this game. 2. Characters feel unbalanced. After playing through each of the characters in the demo, I felt that, because of the simplified controls and the clam collection premise, the biggest attribute that characters could have would be speed. And with the speediest character, I easily outclassed the other players by leaps and bounds. This also goes with attacks, what good is the big guy with the strong attack if a normal hit from the fastest guys with a weak attack still knocks clams out of him? It's not about doing damage to other players, but getting clams. This is merely a demo, so there are probably other game types to balance this out (A life bar and lives seem to be missing, even in this mode though). However, just from the demo, I did not get a good feeling from this. 3. Stages are not interactive enough. The thing that made a game like Powerstone compelling was that in the stages, things would be constantly shifting (like the airship drop stage) or moving. The stages would have multiple parts that would continue to evolve throughout the match. Also, parts of the stage were not only destructible, but there were a variety of things that could be picked up (like parts of the stage) that would have special effects. Especially if Hail to the Chimp is branding itself as a party game, I think there needs to be more of these "random, chaotic" game elements to make it more fun and appealing. Take the case of Smash Bros., the difference between a casual game and a hardcore game is there simply by turning on and off the items. 4. Game modes, and how the players are unbalanced by them. This was covered in no. 2 also. I'd have to wait for the full game to reserve judgment fully on this item. However, it does tell me that the Clam Collection style of gameplay will be dominated by the faster characters. And that's a huge imbalance already. The characters are so well rounded story-wise, it would be nice to see some of that balance put into special moves that would equalize the playing field on all game-modes. 5. The flair and customization is great, but...what does it do? I mean, I can't really see it anyways when I'm playing the game, just in the customization screen. They look cool, but they don't really do anything, and I wouldn't feel compelled to collect them unless I was a hardcore completionist. I'm assuming they're unlocked through more play through multiplayer, but mostly campaign mode. If each item did something, like adding extra power at the cost of speed, longer reach, make your team up attacks last longer if both players had the item, etc. It would be nice. Something that would spice up the very basic gameplay. After looking at the game and the 39.99 price tag. It seems fun, and is pretty damn hilarious, but there's not enough meat in the gameplay to warrant a buy until around 20.00, and I'd have to be pretty bored or have a bunch of friends over even for that. Just goes to show you, as much as I love clever writing < solid mechanics.

Emergent Music from....Windows XP and 98?!

2008-04-16T18:27:59Z

OK. I am struck dumb by this video. First, people in Asia again have too much free time on their hands. Secondly, this actually sounds like an amazing, legit piece of music. Check it out. P.S. Chris, you spend too much time on the internet, but I love you for it.

A Winner is You!

2008-04-14T19:24:53Z

Linked this delightful little wiki of videogame tropes, honestly, it is a pretty exhaustive list of tried and true trends from gaming. From the absurdly ridiculous and retro to stuff we are sick of seeing, and seeing, and seeing (random battles anyone?) throughout the ages. Click below for a link to the wiki, thanks Chris! Videogame Trope Wiki

Metal Gear Awesome

2008-04-14T08:24:42Z

Was linked this amazing flash video by Egoraptor by my bud Chris tonight. Not much to say except, well, I guess the title says it all. Click here for METAL GEAR AWESOME METAL GEAR AWESOME 2

Battle Fantasia: An Arcade 2D Fighter/RPG From the Makers of Guilty Gear

2008-04-13T03:43:11Z

Ever wondered what Odin Sphere would feel like as an arcade style fighter? Well, Arc System Works is porting over their arcade version (Released April 2007) of Battle Fantasia to both the PS3 (Thank you Region Free!) and XBOX 360 in Japan at the end of May. Battle Fantasia is a 2D fighter with 3D character models, giving it a pseudo 2.5D feel. The characters have individual classes/HP/all that sort of good RPG stuff, and can level up and increase their abilities and skills as they fight through the game. The unique character design comes from the same artist that worked on Nippon Ichi's Soul Nomad and the World Eaters, and the crazy Japanese and European fantasy setting melds together pretty well. What drew my eye to this first though? One of the characters is a rabbit. In a wizard hat. And he hits you with his ears. It's pretty much cute overload. Check out a video of the fast and furriness paced action below. It looks like June will be a good month for fighters in my book. Battle Fantasia Official Website

Nigerian Princes in need of help discover Facebook

2008-04-08T23:02:43Z

So, everyone has probably gotten the Nigerian Prince email scam before, but I was thoroughly surprised to get this email from my dear brother, Capt. John Savimbi of the brave military force of Luanda Angola. Seems like he needs my help, and it seems that Facebook is the easiest way for him to reach me in his dire time of need. It seems curious though, I keep trying to add him as my friend, but he won't add him, I mean c'mon, we'll just be facebook friends, it's not that big of a deal. Also, it seems he lives in Los Angeles, California. Weird. Sometimes, I wonder if the people running these emails have even given a thought to the major demographic on sites like facebook? Either way, no matter, because of my TRUSTing nature, I'm going to be rich soon!

Rock Band Peripherals Move into the Realm of the Ridiculous

2008-04-08T22:28:38Z

So I ran across this box when perusing a gamestop during my lunch break and...well, I'm pretty much speechless at this point in time. I've seen random shit like Guitar Hero guitar stands, cases, and all sorts of random stuff, but this pretty much trumps it. My friend Andre also pointed on the For XBOX 360 tag at the top. Speculations run from the Star Power sets off the light show, to the machine being USB powered. Coming soon, Summer 2008 folks, prepare to raise high your goblets of rock. That being said, I'm totally getting 3 of these portable seizure, I mean, AWESOME generators.

Kidou Senshi Gundam: Gundam Vs Gundam releases in arcades...console port will probably sell oodles of PS3 units.

2008-04-07T01:16:53Z

Being a big fan of the Gundam: Rengou vs Zaft arcade (wonderfully ported to PS2 and PSP) series, I had known about a new Gundam mash-up game that was a combination of a multitude of characters from 00 to G Gundam (Read: God Gundam and Master Gundam? YESSSSSSS). A lot of us has speculated this was coming since there was no way that there wasn't going to be another arcade style Gundam game after the success of the previous ones, and a mash-up was the only way to go since there wasn't enough mecha in just the 00 series (The PSP port was the system best seller for a while). I saw a few screenshots in Dengeki online a while back but didn't get a real feel for how it was going to be until my boy Chris sent me a link to the official webpage. Seems like the game just came out in March, and damn, it looks like it plays much the same, but way faster and more intense than the previous incarnations. It looks like Bandai Namco are also planning on releasing the game on PS3 (No word on a release date as it's only just hit the arcade) only at this moment, and this is the first time I've looked at my PS3 fondly and thought; "Well, aren't I lucky that you aren't region locked". Here's a little video of what the gameplay looks like and also the official webpage. The gallery page is in English, so take a look and browse through! Gundam vs Gundam Official Arcade Website

11 Lessons in Design from Blizzard

2008-04-07T01:09:26Z

A little article I stumbled upon by J. Allen Brack of Blizzard on lessons in innovation that the team learned from the World of Warcraft. It's an interesting read, I've listed the 11 main points and linked the main article below that. While most of these seem like no-brainers, the way that Brack explains them in context to his work on WoW adds an interesting bit of industry depth. Enjoy! 11 Lessons in Innovation Learned from working on the World of Warcraft 1. Rely on critics 2. Use your own product 3. Make continual improvements 4. Go back to the drawing board 5. Design for different kinds of customers 6. The importance of frequent failures 7. Move quickly, in pieces 8. Statistics bolster experience 9. Demand excellence or you'll get mediocrity 10. Create a new type of product 11. Offer employees something extra 11 Innovation lessons from the creators of World of Warcraft

Conference - Virtual Worlds: Innovating & Investing in the Metaverse

2008-04-03T07:59:23Z

Please join us at for an engaging program on "Virtual Worlds", where we will hear from Chief Architect of Networked Virtual Environments for the Cisco Technology Center, as well as other experts in virtual world platforms. "Virtual Worlds: Innovating & Investing in the Metaverse" * Experience a 3D virtual social environment; * Find out about Cisco's vision for virtual worlds place in emerging consumer services; * Learn how virtual worlds are used for prototyping real world projects; * Discover emerging opportunities in the metaverse.]]> Register at: https://www.regonline.com/checkin.asp?eventid=192753 Date Tuesday, April 8, 2008 Time 6:00-8:00 p.m. Location UC Irvine, Calit2 Building - Room #3008 (map) Cost General Public - $50.00 (Waived for USC IMD) Registration is required: www.regonline.com/VirtualWorlds

Wii for Women at Best Buy

2008-03-28T20:51:11Z

I'm going to file this one in the ridiculous overload category of my brain. My buddy Yang sent this to me and I almost had a fit. After owning a Wii for almost a year, I really believe Nintendo's going to have to change their business plan if they want to stay afloat in the long run. Since hardware sales can only go on for so long, they're going to need some serious attach rate boosts, not to mention a decent online play and delivery system. Unique originals would also be nice, not just roms of old games. ]]> Wii Sports - 17.85 Million Wii Play - 9.23 Million Those two numbers eclipse everything else on the Wii sales charts. And looking at the top ten games, only 2 are not first party, Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games and Cooking Mama. Even Best-Buy has gotten through to their skull what the Wii's target demographic is, and that is, ladies and gentlemen, not core gamers. Trust me, I love my Wii, and the few games that shine on it, but that's not going to be enough to keep Nintendo going in the long-run. Most people drawn in from outside the core gamer community view the system as a one trick pony, interested only in the few games that emulate vauge semblances of real-life experiences. The gamers on the other hand are dissapointed with the gimmicky use of the motion controls. Is it any surprise that the most hotly anticipated title, Super Smash Brothers Brawl uses multiple control schemes and plays (in my opinion) the best on the classic Gamecube controller? I challenge you, dear readers, to stop by the Wii section the next time you go shopping and really take note of what titles are being sold for the system. It'll surprise you to learn that over 70% of all Wii games are developed in the US, and you'll see why. Enough hating? Original Best Buy Post Here A post I wrote up about Interface design and the Wii a while back.