Global Games Jam: Xquirrels

Huzzah!  I completed the Global Games Jam this weekend with Alan, Basil, Michael and Owen.  Griffith College hosted the event and it was a cool venue and a lot of fun.  I went home both nights as did most of us, it was a really fun event and it's great to be able to put a game together in that kind of timeframe.  You can find it here:

http://www.globalgamejam.org/2011/xquirrels

Video Games & International Humanitarian Law

Games of 2011

So its that time of the year when gaming sites list the games they're looking forward to from 1-10.  I'm going to follow suit but list in terms of release date... kinda (Where possible at least).  It looks like 2011 will be a good year for gaming so here are my picks:

Little Big Planet 2



I really enjoyed the first LBP and am looking forward to seeing what Sackboy has up his sleeve this time.  I'd like to think I'll spend some time making levels/games in the editor but I realise that will probably never happen...

Killzone 3



I was one of the people who really liked Killzone 2, it had a real gritty, tough struggle feel about it(Something COD used to have until recently) but the story didn't make much sense.  From the trailer above it looks like they've worked on that and I can't wait to kick some Helgan ass!(PS:  If anyone from Gorilla Games happens to read this I will work for free to make a Killzone space sim- it would be epic!)

Homefront



I don't know too much about this game but it has some potential, the premise is interesting and if they pull it off it could be a great hit.  In all likelihood though it will probably be another generic first person shooter...

Portal 2



No explanation required!

Stacking



A Double Fine game about stacking Russian dolls with unique abilities and puzzles to solve.  Could be a great game, hopefully Tim Schafer will have something to say about it when he visits Dublin!

LA Noire



Last year Red Dead Redemption was a surprise hit for many. It's hard to tell how LA Noire will fare once its released but the setting and style interest me enough to warrant its place on the list.

Star Wars: The Old Republic




I've never played an MMO and as an aspiring game designer that makes me feel like a bit of a cheat.  If the old republic looks like it'll be good I think I might jump in this summer and test the waters.

Journey



Flower was a massive surprise to me when I first played it- it had that feel of something truly unique and relaxing. That Game Company's next game is going to be some for of multiplayer adventure type game. This game has to potentially to be a really unique and meaningful experience- how often can you say that about a game?

Uncharted 3



Uncharted 2 was a great game in 2009 and hopefully the third installment in the series can build on that. Expect to see this game at the top of most GOTY's at the end of next year!

Batman: Arkham City



Arkham Asylum was a really fun game, expect more of the same in the sequel.

Mass Effect 3



It's hard not to love everything about the mass effect universe. It's safe to assume the third installment will be worth it...

Deus Ex 3



Deus Ex 3 has a lot to live up to but this game has a great visual style and looks like it keeps a lot of elements from it's predecessors.

And thats the list.  I'm also looking forward to a couple of indie game like Monaco and Spy Party which I'll do a write up on when they release.

I had better get used to eating beans on toast for 2011...

Heavy Rain

Generally in games I'm a bit of a sociopath, in GTA IV I like nothing better than seeing how many cops I can kill before they get me.  Having said all this I think the reason I do this is because I disassociate the game world of Liberty City from any real place.  Its just a game world, a place to have some fun and not take it too seriously.  For some reason I took Heavy Rain a lot more seriously but in the end I felt betrayed by the game.

That's not to say that I didn't enjoy the game, in fact I would recommend it to anyone interested in games and game design.  The game itself is quite simple, merely requiring timed button presses and careful examination of spaces.  Beyond this a lot of the game plays out based on the choices you make although it's not always clear when your making a big, game altering choice or an arbitrary one.

The graphics in general are quite good, although not as mind blowing as I had first expected, there are a lot of assets that don't seem to have gotten the same level of attention as the characters.  Controlling animation speed can be fun and interesting but all too often the charters seem alien and move like robots.  The scene where Ethan and Madison kiss really showed that this game world resides deep within the uncanny valley.  At times the sound got choppy and faded in and out which could be frustrating during cutscenes.

The movement is often times clunky and it can become one of the major frustrations with the game.  The static camera angles didn't help with navigating the world and often made it difficult to figure out what to do next or what to explore.

The 4 main protagonists; Ethan Mars, Scott Shelby, Norman Jayden and Madison Paige are all interesting in their own way.  No one in the game is a super powered commando out to save the world, they're just real(ish) people trying to save a kids life.  Unfortunately it doesn't feel like you, as the player, have much input in the world.  Most of the time it just feels like you're helping the characters use the microwave or put the car in gear.  There is a genuine sense that the world would just continue with or without you, it's pretty frustrating when the characters you're playing as are keeping secrets from you.

The influence of film on this game is clearly massive, it's very much a game that tries to marry video games and movies but it feels  too forced.  Hopefully Quantic Dream and other developers will explore this type of game further as the whole genre could be really exciting if it gets the attention it deserves.

If you've played MGS 4 you'll remember one of the final scenes where Snake crawls through a radiation filled corridor and you'll know the sense of urgency that just tapping quick time events can lead to.  Heavy Rain pulls this off regularly with fast action button presses leading to a sense of immediacy and urgency from the player that can be thoroughly exciting.  This is one of the best features of the game and its probably what I'll remember most about it.

Heavy Rain makes a big deal about choice and in the end the choices you make will affect how the game ends.  I was pretty happy with how my game ended so I don't think I'd feel the need to go back and play again.  A major issue however is that there are so many arbitrary choices that it can be hard to know what's important and what's not.  Towards the end of the game I felt betrayed by the game, by one of the characters I had played, it was a big disconnect and leaves me feeling a bit unhappy about the game overall.  Feeling betrayed as a character could have been really powerful emotionally but instead I resented a game once I figured out certain things.

Overall Heavy Rain is a really good game and an extremely important game for the industry.  I'm glad that it has sold well and I just hope Quantic Dream strive towards a clearer vision in their next game.  I've heard David Cage recently argue that games need to not be about mechanics and loops, that worries me a little but with Heavy Rain as a foundation, games like this could be a big part of the future for this industry.


The Good Bits:

• Engaging story
• Sense of urgency
• Choice affecting the outcome of the game
• Real to life characters (No super human alpha males here!)
• Worth playing for it's novelty value alone

The Bad Bits:

• Graphics can be hit or miss
• Movement is clunky
• Characters never feel like they're in your control, your just helping them out
• Disconnect between game and player
• Choppy sound and visuals at times