Sunday, January 30, 2011

In Progress of Making the Game

Finally I have a chance to post about the production of a game that a team of us are creating. It is a 2.5D vehicular combat racing game that will be played on the PC.


I am creating the beginning documentation of the design aspect of the game. Talking about the background story and the actual story of the game gives us a grasp of what we intend to make the game to be. Rules, gameplay and mechanics are also included in the part I'm working on right now and I will try to complete this rough outline before the end of February. This gives me a month to break every part down into detail and create a respectable report of our game. I will be getting help from some other people in the group however, most other teammates are working on the mechanics of the game (getting it to actually work)

I have designed the ideas of what we will be implementing into the game onto a piece of paper. This will allow us to know exactly what we need and what we already have done. It is more for us as the team to be organized and keep us in line to create the final product. 

Game Design for OverDrive the Video Game

New Game

I just beat Star Wars: Forced Unleashed II for the Playstation 3. I have to say I had a great time playing. This is the second time beating the game but on a harder difficulty. Not to brag or anything but yes, I beat it on unleashed mode. The game itself was very fun, doing so many different moves and who wouldn't want to have force powers.
Starkiller holding his two lightsabers to signify that this game is a sequel

I have played Star Wars: Forced Unleashed and found that game very entertaining. However the second one I found more fast paced and Starkiller (the main character) had more power. There were some new moves that were implemented in the game and my favourite one would be the mind trick. Controlling your enemy's mind in order for them to see their allies as enemies was great. Sometimes if no one was around they would scream out "I don't belong here!"and jump off a ledge falling to their death.
In certain parts I would just grab three people at a time and make them dance around for a bit before I threw them straight up into the air. The games had its ups and downs, some parts were very challenging while others was a breeze. The one part that really got me upset was the ending. I believe it could have been more amazing however it is a short sequence and defeating Darth Vader was fairly simply. The ending sequence for the dark side was very short and not worth it however the good side had a longer scene and ties some things together. Speaking of the good and dark side, I really enjoyed having to pick between the two as it gave the player (me) the opportunity to control the characters outcome. Overall the game was very fun and I would recommend it for people that enjoy Star Wars or if a person just wants a fun hack and slash action adventure game.

Starkiller about to strike. The game has ominous colours to set an intense mood

Thursday, January 20, 2011

10min Break Down!!

Games that are good and bad come across the gaming world all the time. Some sneak under the radar with so many games coming into the market we tend to miss some really interesting games. Going out of your comfort zone and trying new games allows new and exciting situations to be experienced. Some tittles are turned into a shadow by big titles such as Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto and we as gamers should go out and try every kind of game.


A game I recently have started is Trine for the Playstation 3. It is a download-able game that can be purchased on the Playstation network. It is a one to three player game, set in a science fictional world.

The game begins with a narrator introducing the story. It is taken place at a once bright kingdom. The King has died and there is no heir to the throne. This created chaos, wizards and knights battled for the throne and many died. However, even though the situation already looked gloomy this was not the problem. The magic that once gave the kingdom brightness turned to misfortune and the dead began to rise. They fed off the energy of misfortune every night. With all this tragedy occurring, the villagers had no choice but to abandon it.

The Thief
The Thief is now introduced. She is a sneaky person that goes to a castle to steal treasure that is now unprotected. She uses arrows for attacking and a grappling hook that can get her into small and hard to reach places. When she reaches the treasure she touches it and begins to feel a tingle.

The Wizard is the next character to be used. He wakes up from a deep sleep and is aware of the undead army that he sees through his "spy glass." He had been working on a fake fire ball spell to impress ladies to increase his status however, it had backfired and knocked him unconscious. He can create objects with his and wand and levitate them. The Wizard reaches the shrine and touches the object as well.

The Wizard waking up from his accident.
The Knight is at the other end of the castle and had been training to become apart of the king's army. He is not the smartest person but what he lacked in knowledge he made up with strength. He uses a sword and shield to attack enemies. He reaches the treasure and wants to kill the thief in order to look like an amazing hero. He touches the last spot of the treasure and becomes paralyzed.

The Thief reaches the treasure
They disappear and realize that the treasure is a legendary object called "Trine." It bind the souls of the three individuals and imprisoned them into one being. They now go through the underground tunnels to find a way to reverse the effect of the Trine.

When playing the game by yourself, you can switch between characters in order to use each ability. This allows the player to have the traits of each character, allowing the user to flow through the game. However, when played with three players each person is one character, this make the game much harder because you must rely on each other to over come obstacles.

Each character is very useful in the game. The wizard can create platforms, the Knight can defend and attack opponents and the Thief can attack enemies from long range. Each person has their own unique skill but when used together they can over come any obstacle.

I found that I was really immersed in the game, since the story was very interesting. This made me want to play the game even more to get even deeper into the world of Trine. The cut-scenes felt like a story book with very vivid and vibrant graphics.

The Knight fighting off an undead warrior

The reason I discussed the story in detail is that I believe that even though this game has very fluid movement and has consistent game-play, the strength of this game was more emotional than mechanical. The easiest and most simplistic way to say this is, the game looked nice and the story connected well with what a user expected from each character. However, as stated before it is not the only good thing to the game. The game-play is a 2D side-scrolling action adventure, with fluid motion in user-interface, A.I interaction and enticing background sound that enhanced the gaming experience. Enemies in the game know they have one goal, to attack and defeat the user at any cost. I've seen the undead warriors jump over gaps and follow the user at all costs. The control took no time to figure out and was very easy to handle.

The Wizard making a creative path

Overall the game is very entertaining and I will continue to play it. I would recommend anyone to play this game either with some friends or by yourself.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

The Game I Think Is Not Fun!!

The video game, a creation made for people to enjoy and play for hours on end. However, the sad truth is that every game will not suit every single interest of every person in the world. There are some games people like and those same games can be the worst creation a person has ever played. Neither is right or wrong in their decision, it is just how you feel towards a game.

One game I didn't like was Mobile Suit Gundam (PS3), it was one of the worst games I've ever played. I have played video games for about 18 years of my life and as soon as I thought of a game that "was not fun," Mobile Suit Gundam popped in my mind, it has to tell you something.


I remember the day, it never seemed so bright... everything was perfect. The day I got my Playstation 3 including: 1 system, 1 six-axis wireless controller, 1 AC power cord, 1 AV cable and 1 Blu-ray (Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby). However that day was another significant day for me, that was the day I would first unwrap Mobile Suit Gundam and pop in what was soon to be an experience I would never forget.

Mobile Suit attacking an enemy from a distance

I first looked at this as my first game into a brand new world of gaming but this was sadly not the case. The game-play was very dull. The player is a Mobile Suit and it is set in the eastern half of the world, where a war has been going on for one year. From my understanding you are on one side of the war and every mission that you must do is related back to winning the war. However I'm not really sure, I was very confused and could not get into the story. The missions were very bland and repetitive. Each mission was usually timed and you must destroy a bunch of enemy mobile suits in order to clear the level. Each suit had weapons built in, some with swords, a shield and small guns, others with small guns and larger rockets. Most suits were equip with a random assortment of these types of weapons.

A typical landscape
The sound and level design suited each other. The levels were very generic with a lot of open land, not much to look at. Some mission would be placed near enemy bases so there would be a generic base with lethargic buildings and yes, surrounded with more open land. The background music was again standard, and it was sometimes quiet. Sounds like guns shooting and swords swinging where also implemented in the game. The game overall was very simplistic and very slow.

The user interface was very confusing and felt awkward. Moving the Mobile Suit felt like reversing a big truck, very slow and hard to manoeuvre. Attacking was also very slow and it made me think that I should just put the controller down. The flow of the game was very choppy since the story was very confusing and most missions were very similar as stated earlier. A good part of the user interface was the interaction with enemies. As slow and tedious as the fighting was, the enemies always came to the user and would always try to defeat the player. 

Game Over.

Overall the game did not meet any expectations for me to be a good game. Maybe it is because this was my first game on the Playstation 3 and I had very high expectations, even so, the game did not grab my attention in any way. I would recommend this game for players that would enjoy playing a bad game, because now I have an experience I can laugh about and have some insight on games I really do not think is fun.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

The Game I Think Is Fun!!

There are many games that I have played in my 20 years of experience. Some bland with a hint of depression while others fierce with exciting entertainment. From jumps and fire-balls to  rocket sliding (Vanquish) and attack dogs (Call of Duty: Black Ops), the generations of gaming have given us a lot to talk about. But what makes a game fun? The massive explosions! The roar of a chainsaw ripping through an alien! Or the electrifying sound of a ballerina.. tap dancing to your favourite song..? I don't know what fun is for everyone but I do know my preferences.


From Left to Right: Spider-man 2099, Amazing Spider-man, Noir, Ultimate Spider-man

The game I would like to discuss is Spider-man: Shattered Dimension for the Playstation 3. I found this game amazingly entertaining with its quick pace changing environment. Before I describe this game I would like to first mention that I am a Spider-man fan and this had a factor for having fun with this game.


From beginning to finish I had an amazing experience in the game. This is one of the games I completed 100% (including trophies), the game put me in an environment that was inviting and entertaining, allowing me to keep playing for hours on end.   
Spiderman 2099 in his futuristic city

The game-play mechanics for the game were very unique. The user can play four different spider-men in four different environments, each with his own unique fighting style. Amazing Spider-man (normal red and blue suit) has very stylish moves using his webbing to create objects to attack enemies. He is the regular spider-man most people know and love. Ultimate Spider-man (black suit) is all about strength. He has an ultimate form that you can change in and out of at any time. It increases your strength, almost making you invincible giving the player a feel of unbelievable strength and control over your enemies. Spider-man 2099 (the futuristic suit) is very quick, moving through stages very fast with levels where he literally would fall hundreds of feet, dodging falling debris and other obstacles. Spider-man 2099 has a unique power that slows down everything around him giving him speed that cannot be matched, giving the player the upper hand in a pitch. Noir (retro suit) is a spider-man in a dimension where the year is 1934. Noir uses stealth to take down enemies from the shadows, even if they realize that he is in their territory it is to late.

Ultimate Spider-man leaving destruction where ever he goes
The level design as seen in the pictures portray a specific mood for each level. Most Noir stages are very dark and eerie. There is hardly any background music, just small sounds, I believe this was a good choice as it sets the mood perfectly. However there are some distinct sound bites when Noir takes down an enemy from the shadow, he brutally knocks his foe unconscious and webs them up. Spider-man 2099's levels are very advanced which lost of flying cars and futuristic buildings. The other dimensions are very bright and colourful, creating a world with vivid colour allowing a player to understand each place that where the hero lives. The sound for the game as a whole is very entertaining with cartoon styled noises. A sound that I really enjoyed was when you use the webbing. This was a big deal for me because even though the spider-men have their own unique style they all have a main similarity. The webbing in each level is a distinct noise that a person should not become tired of.
Noir using one of his stealth take-downs

The game controls were very typical and I liked that because each game's story, game play, etc. needs to be different but getting use to an awkward control scheme is not fun and takes unnecessary time and patience to learn. A major advantage that the game has pertaining to its interface is that in certain areas when facing a boss, the player would go into a first-person view, going up close and personal with the boss, punching them using the left and right analog sticks as his fists. The artificial intelligence in the game is always ready to attack Spider-man no matter where he is. Some enemies do randomly wander around in the area but for the most part each enemy will try to defeat the wall crawling hero.

Amazing Spider-man about to unleash his fists of fury!

The story created a very smooth flow of the game. I believe the story is if not the biggest factor in making a game. At the beginning of the tale, Mysterio (a main villain) steals a legendary tablet. Spider-man tries to stop him and the tablet is cracked intertwining different dimensions together. Now each Spider-man in his dimension must find all the pieces of the tablet while fighting off super-villains who come in their way to restore the balance. Each Spider-man fluidly moves through each level, the stage usually has different achievements a player must overcome to clear it. Each stage has its own unique achievement a person must overcome, for example in the Deadpool - Ultimate Spider-man level he must destroy video recording devices because the villain is trying to put him on a television show.

Overall I found the game really entertaining and yes, I would replay it multiple times and yes, I would recommend it for anyone who wants to embrace a world where a guy can stick to walls, web-sling and save the world from destruction.

The Unbeatable Team!