Game Jam Week: Final Day

This week has been really interesting. We have expanded our horizons by adopting a design for a technology we had never been able to work with before. Over the course of the week we have seen our game grow and expand. 

We started with a simple idea and it has grown. We managed to get a base model for what we would like to have developed and playable. We managed to create our own HUD and had some issues with the implementation but on the whole everyone is really happy with the way it turned out.

We all want to work on it in the future if we find the time but as for know we are going to take a bit of a rest and move on to other things and enjoy our summer. Thanks for tuning in daily to see our progress and support our game.

Game Jam Week: Day 4

It's now day 4 and the game is looking amazing. There are some glowing particle effects which follow the hands of the player. The hands are currently represented by white cubes on the screen, but we are going to replace them with some transparent hands (shown below).

It is now possible to move the sun, moon and also swipe meteors and asteroids into planet Earth! I had too much fun with the meteors so they're aren't any in the screenshot... appologies.

The player HUD has also been added to the game and it's looking pretty good, however it might need some tweaks and we are undecided about the function of the red 'population' bar.

Stay tuned and find out how we get on over the rest of today and tomorrow. Crunch time!

Game Jam Week: Day 4 - In-game screenshot

Game Jam Week: Day 3

Day 3 saw the arrival of some art assets from a friend we worked with during our integrated project in third year. The models look cool and the textures are even better.

As a group we are seeing progress each and every day although we lost a member due to a family emergency. There is not much left in the way of design just now and we are working together to tweak and adjust all the HUD components and tweak the scene to make it look a little more lively.

We do have a screen shot to share with you all but it is not the latest version we have. The programmers are hard at work with finding out the limitations of Kinect and what we could do in the time frame. So far it looks awesome and I have been able to spin the earth as if it were a basketball. With 2 days left to complete it I think we should have a pretty rad game for everyone to play with.

Stay tuned for some more news by the end of the day.

Game Jam Week: Day 2

Our goals for day 2 are to develop the HUD further and start to mess around with Kinect. With Gavin working away on the HUD and the rest of the team clambering over one another to jump about in front the computer screen and throw balls at a tower.

As we draw closer to lunch progress is evident in every area, we may even have some 3D models to implement in to Unity from a friend in the art course in Caledonian University. We hope to have a few images up by midday and have some basic elements of the game up and running.

And if you don't believe us that we are working I have evidence that Fely is slogging away at the Kinect trying to discovers all it's magical powers. 

Game Jam Week: Day One

Welcome to the first post in what could be many documenting the game we make over the coming week. The GameJam is running at Glasgow Caledonian University and is organised be our much beloved lecturer Brian McDonald.

The idea of the jam is to pick a input device or platform to develop for that we have never worked with before. The idea will help us expand our thought process and learn to work to certain constrictions that may come with our platform. Our team has chose to use Microsoft's Kinect and implement the gestures that are available through this medium.

The basic idea of the game is to have planet that you can manipulate and influence through various gestures. These gestures would then influence the population and resources in the world with the aim of the game being that you maintain an equilibrium across the earth.

From their we aim to develop and elaborate on our ideas but as it stands we are in the pre-planning stages and are making a basic mock up of the screen. So stay tuned for more news. There is even a little sneak peak at what we have planned down below.

Lego Batman 2: The Blocky Review

Lego is slowly becoming a dynasty with each game greater than the last. Lego Batman 2:DC Super Heroes is the 12th installment in this long line of blocky portraits and just so happens to be the best yet. Lego lovers all around the country gather to play these games with their kids and Travellers Tales know it. Like all of its predecessors Lego Batman boasts the same level of charm and charisma that we have grown to expect from the series.

As with all Lego games the story is merely a small portion of the endless pursuit of gold bricks, mini kits and secret areas but none the less there is still a great story buried under a pile of studs. Lego Batman 2 focuses on not just Batman but includes some awfully familiar faces as the dark knight and boy wonder seek help from the justice league in a bid to stop Lex Luthor and the Joker from taking over the world. With each level comes a cutscene that just oozes charisma, whether it is in the form of a reference to the comics or just the off the cuff remarks Batman makes about Superman, you will feel like you are part of the gang.

In an interesting turn of events this is the first Lego game to have voice actors. It was argued that part of the charm of these games came from the silly expressions and slapstick comedy that riddled the game with laughs but with the introduction of dialogue and acting from some familiar voices the game excels above the rest in terms of quality and hilarity.

Keeping in tune with the rest of the Lego games however is the endless need to pursue the in game collectables. As usual you can expect to find yourself replaying levels as the expansive cast in order to open hidden doors and unlock unfound treasure in a nearby chest.

Although the basic idea of collectables still remains there is now a vast map in which the red bricks, citizens in peril and new characters are scattered across. The map plays out very much like your own Lego sandbox. You can drive, fly or run through the streets of Gotham saving anyone and everyone you come across for those few extra studs you need for the next big purchase.

The gameplay itself is reminiscent of the previous Lego Batman but the suits have been streamlined, there is no longer umpteen suits you have to find in order to open that big door. The new suits for Batman and Robin allow the player to do multiple functions in one suit and cuts out a lot of the back and forth between small sections just to uncover a minikit or some extra currency. That’s not to say there is a lack of interactable objects, with the addition of the justice league there are some really cool areas you can access using their powers. For instance only the Green Lantern can build green lego constructs, Aquaman can swim and Cyborg can melt stuff with his eye laser.

As touched on previously this game is not just about Batman, the majority of the cast is made up from his rogues gallery and comrades but there are some great cameos from the best and brightest DC has to offer. Alongside the Justice League you will find Captain Boomerang, Braniac, Lex Luthor and a whole host of villains to toy with.

Lego Batman 2 is chockablock with replayability and quirky references to the comics that spawned such an awesome game. The amount of time you can invest exploring Gotham, fighting bad guys and saving the day provides you with a feeling of satisfaction you might struggle to find in other games, especially if you have a girlfriend or child to share the experience with as the dynamic duo. Everyone should buy this game just to punch Superman in his smug face a few times and you might even have fun saving the world while you’re at it.

I give it a stellar 9 out of 10.

E3 2012: The Year of Disappointment

Every year E3 kicks off the gaming convention madness with giant announcements, jaw dropping conferences and a plethora of new titles to be released in the coming year. For several years E3 was the benchmark to which many conventions aspired to be, set in sunny LA with hundreds of thousands of guests flooded E3 in anticipation of what was to come but a few years back E3 closed its doors to the public, shattering the dreams of many and alienating those who have supported gaming for years in favour of journalists and other developers.

Since then E3 has been a mixed bag of announcements ranging from the extremely out of date Mr Caffeine, the booing of AT&T and the excitement that followed after the Vita was announced. Much like your taste in games the conference has always been a hit and miss based on your preference although there was always something there that had your blood racing.

Unfortunately I struggled to find anything that left me breathless. Many of the games announced were sequels, prequels or just plain ass. Yes there were the odd one or two diamonds in the rough but it is hard to keep such high spirits after spending hours rolling around in filth.

It seems that even the greatest of franchises did not believe in this year’s E3 to the point that Halo 4, the Gears prequel and many others made announcements in the week or so before the show. If Microsoft cannot be backed by their own poster boy then why bother with such an illustrious event. On the PS3 front it was very disheartening with no news from the team working on The Last Guardian (even though Sony assure the fans that it will appear I find it harder to believe by the day) and what looks like a Super Smash Bros rip off on the horizon for Sony there was very little to look forward to. Hell even Netherrealm’s new fighting game surfaced the week prior to E3.

As for the nintendo conference we were promised 23 games and well we did see these games but they were either already on the market of were passed over so quickly in montages it was very hard to judge if they had actually met this quota. There was of course a new Mario game and the announcement of some cool new online features on the Nintendo side of things but it was largely underwhelming and the big announcements that were made were almost expected with a new consoles.

In a perfect world all these developers, excluding Nintendo are hiding their best for the new consoles they have stashed away in their evil headquarters awaiting to unleash the behemoths of gaming on the unsuspecting public at the next major conference. Although I can’t quite help thinking this is nothing but a pipe dream.

Hopefully there will be an upturn in next year’s conference with the announcements of some new and impressive IPs from both sides, it could be time for Kratos to hang up the gauntlet, Baird to drop the Lancer and the covenant to get a rest.

After all is said and done there are some awesome titles out this year and in spite of the delays of Bioshock Infinite we still have Borderlands 2, Persona 4 Arena, Assassins Creed 3, Call of Duty Black Ops 2 and Halo 4 all to look forward too. And after E3 all the speculation on Watchdogs, The Last of Us and a few others to keep us all going until next year. Failing that we can always hope for more big announcements at Eurogamer, Tokyo Games Show and all the others.

Advertising Gone Tits Up

I n the light of the new Hitman Trailer it seems that the industry might of breached in to a new and unwelcome area of fetishism . For those of you avoiding the PR nightmare that is the jaw droppingly outrageous Hitman trailer here is a short synopsis; Agent 47 brutally beats the Bejesus out of some sexy nuns in a very unstealthy manner. Yeah I know, sexy nuns does sounds appealing but the out right barbaric nature and break from the norm on 47’s behalf has been met with a lukewarm response.

Did you hear games objectify woman?

This only one example of the backlash, gaming and misogyny almost walk hand in hand in many advertisements.  Cast your mind back to very origins of the Xbox (the big black box). Do you remember the phrase “she kicks high” because I certainly do. Sex has always been used as a selling point to anyone and everyone in the budding world of games. A more recent campaign for SoulCalibur 5 had more than our chests swelling with excitement due to a raunchy poster that rose up on the web. This kind of advertisement caters to a specific crowd and most of the time fades into the background when the “real” trailers and advertisements surface and apologise for the bodacious barrage of boobs and bodices that were thrust towards us in a more than suggestive manner, leaving the customer rather confused and sometimes enraged by such a display.

In short advertising something that might be taboo is a great way to get the masses talking, remember “No Russian”. No it wasn’t exactly an advertisement but the political maelstrom that followed was. CoD had reached the masses and continued to gain infamy as more and more people chucked in there tuppence worth on the topic and in turn generated great publicity for this decade’s biggest franchise. 


The question here is, where the fuck do you do your market research? Yes I have frequented porn and love boobs but when I want to see my favourite bald assassin makes his return to form I don’t want him bludgeoning the nearest scantily clad woman to show me a cool new move he learned while on hiatus. 


As of late gaming has come under fire for being almost devoid of woman and those that do choose to join in the fun are ogled and perved over by many. This type of advert canonises the issues that arose on Capcom’s Cross Assault  stream in which a female competitor was harassed to the point of quitting after another member of the show made sexual remarks live about her bra size and continued to objectify her.

The abused and accused

It seems that every time a female is presented in game there is a large amount of controversy attached to how she was designed, nobody wants to see a frumpy specky and spotty female protagonist but if her boobs are too big and her waist isn’t accurate to a “true female figure” there is an outcry that the character is not realistic enough.

Gaming seems to shoot itself in the foot at almost every corner when it comes to representing females and it can be hard to point the finger at the man responsible (yes a man). Although it would seem that this time Hitman is not another splash in the gaming pond. The tsunami of criticism that has followed suit after the trailer was released has been an ugly one. The level of criticism has also amassed much attention generating more opinions and even more publicity for the game. Although some may say that there is no such thing as bad publicity the sexism and games debate is surely the counter to the argument, this fiasco may have cost Hitman more than a few bruised knuckles and shameful looks.

That's right beat that sexy nun...

With many trailer misrepresenting the quality and gameplay of their gaming counterparts I hope that Hitman will find his feet and break a few necks in the process. This trailer has served a great injustice to such a wonderful series and has highlighted a lot of issues that needed addressed in the industry but will we learn from our mistakes this time?

Square Eyes: A Minecraft Review

When you were young your mother would always warn you that too much television would give you square eyes. So it would almost seem fitting for this unbelievably addictive game to cause such a condition would already provide a rather blocky outlook on life.

Minecraft is every indy developers dream. It shot to fame in late 2011 with a very small team and large dreams. Since then the game has seen continuous updates and several different platforms. The most recent of which being the Xbox Live marketplace. With such a buzz about the game it has went on to smash expectations reaching over 1 million downloads on XBLA alone.

The game is based on a randomly generated map, a sandbox in which you can build whatever you may desire. This could be a simple construct such as a house or something as elaborate and a replica of the millenium falcon. So although there is no direct story, the universe is what you make it.

The graphics are nothing to gawk at as they are very simple and the texturing is comically retro but therein lies the charm. Such a simple and basic palette can be used by a veteran crafter to create some buildings you would struggle to comprehend in real life let alone in a world comprised of cubes.

As you make your way through the expansive sandbox you realise that the worlds is at your fingertips. Countless hours can be lost and days can drop off your calendar as you dig in search of the ever elusive diamond resource or trying to kill enough cows to build a full leather suit. A large part of this can be contributed to the absolutely splendid soundtrack. The melodic sounds relax and soothe you as you start to delve into world.

There are no real objectives to the game but in a sense the game can be associated to with that of the sims and a survival type game in which the player must build their own defences and gather the resources needed to survive. The achievements in game can serve as objectives but on the whole the game is vast sandbox in which you can do whatever you like. Unfortunately the maps are constrained to a size of 1024x1024 which does dwarf in comparison to the much larger maps available on PC. That being said there is still plenty to do and since the Xbox game is several versions behind the current PC build there have been rumours of planned expansions and title updates if the game were to highly successful.

Minecraft is a joy to play and you can get lost in such a large game. It is more suited for the creative types as without a vivid imagination you can sometimes feel lost for something to do. Played with friends you will usually find some flamboyant task to undertake and if it turns out well you might just feel like you have accomplished something albeit in your underwear most likely. If you love to explore and create this game is definitely up your blocky alley so make sure you pick it up and support one of this generation's biggest indy hits.

9 poorly constructed blocky castles out of 10.

What I'm Playing 29/04/12

It has been a while since my last update to the plethora of games that lay before me incomplete. So I thought it was about time that I gave a little insight to the laundry list of games I aim to complete relatively soon.

First up is the latest instalment to the Elder Scrolls Franchise, yup Skyrim. Although it has been out for several months I haven't quite mustered up the courage to plunder the depths,dungeons and ditches of Skyrim. It might be a bit too late to capture the inital excitement of setting up my own little trading business in alchemy but hopefully the DLC will bring a breath of fresh air and entice me once more.

Next up is yet another popular RPG. I have recently bought The Witcher 2 and I am totally engrossed in the story. I feel it is definitely one of the few games you can truly believe the hype with. Every choice has its consequences and you are pulled between tough choices along the way. I really look forward to delving right in and see how dark the story can be.

Slowly dragging myself away from RPGs with japanese grindfest may not be the best idea but the allure of another "Warriors" game is just too great. On the plate this time around is the ever so appetising Warriors Orochi 3. I personally feel that these games combine the best from Samurai Warriors and Dynasty Warriors without compromising either playstyle. With a step up in story and a lot more characters I have found myself dedicating far too much time to the slaughtering of thousands of snake like warriors.

I've also got Armored Core on back up in case the countless hordes of warriors doesn't quite satisfy my need to grind. This is where I can indulge in even more grinding and with endless customisation to boot. So far ACV is the best looking in the series and has loads of online possibilities from creating a clan of Mecha-Warriors to help in your missions or fight 5v5 in an all out robo-war.

Next up is Skullgirls, a charming fighter from Reverge Labs. As it is only an arcade title you wouldn't expect the game to have such a massive impact on what I have been playing but it has and in the best of ways at that. I cannot tell you how much fun I have had with the game, it is best played with friends but if you can convince them to buy it is a lot of fun. With slick visuals and a unique cast it has been a delight to lose countless hours in first to 50s and play in to the wee hours of the night. 

And finally the newest edition to the collection is The Walking Dead. The game truly sticks to the feel and art of the comics, with interesting dialogue and truly human decisions it begs for countless play throughs. Although I can't give much insight as of yet I can't wait to fire it back up and start to develop my own zombie survival plan.

So that is the long and short of what I am really playing just now but as with any gamer there is even more anxiously fighting for some screen time in my pile of shame. I guess they might just have to wait a little longer.

Generation Lost

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations is the latest in the “Ultimate Ninja” series in the Naruto game franchise. Much like the others the game collects a vast cast from all over the naruto manga and pits them against each other to see who truly is the ultimate ninja and this time it comes with a twist. Generations gathers both the old, the young and even the alternate versions of Naruto’s foes, friends and ancestry all in one large roster.

With a story that spans almost 10 years the game does a great job of summing up the highlights of the Naruto manga in 11 different storylines. This starts with a young, fresh faced Naruto graduating as a ninja and progresses through the story at an alarming pace to the more recent stories such as the Kage Summit. Not only does the game tell the story of Naruto but it also has 8 other campaigns based off other members of the cast including Itachi Uchiha, Zabuza, Kakashi and Killer Bee. With such a large cast and extensive back catalogue of story the developers have been hard pressed to squeeze in such an elaborate story all in one game, which unfortunately leaves the story feeling a bit hollow and rushed at times. That being said other sections of the story have been elaborated on with new anime and different perspectives on the story that have never been seen before.

The game itself struggles to hold down multiple game modes with very little in the way of “extras” beyond different tournaments and a very basic survival mode. While the button system remains largely unchanged the game’s mechanics feel more polished and smoother than its previous iteration. This means that there is still only one dedicated attack button and the others are dedicated to projectiles, charka concentration, assists, items and substitution jutsu.

Although all this polish and shiny new story points have came at a price, there is no longer the RPG like game play between missions nor is there much replay value to the story unlike the previous games in which you had the opportunity to replay missions for extra money and rewards. The online was rather weak too and every player I faced seemed to lag dramatically, which resulted in giving it a miss for the rest of the time I played the game.

As with every Naruto game the extras are all there. They range from the rather insignificant titles you can give yourself, extra images and substitutions that differ from the standard log as well as a customisable item set for battle. In comparison to its predecessors Generations is again lacking.

Although I greatly enjoyed playing Naruto there is little to no replay value to be found. If you are a fan of the series you will love it and there are some quirky sections I won’t spoil but for the majority of those who don’t divulge in weekly readings of the anime and don’t care too much about the battle between Sage Naruto and Rasengan Naruto it might be best to look at the older games and pick up The Broken Bond or Rise of a Ninja.

6 tails out of 10.

Achievement Unlocked

After many discussions over the introduction of achievements I thought it would be appropriate to discuss it in a more formal manner. I will refer to these accomplishments in game as achievements for the rest of the article but it is worth noting that the same can be said for PS3 Trophies, Steam achievements and other types of achievement like rewards.

Gaming from its origin was based on high scores. Each and every cabinet had it’s own leader-board and it was everybody's aim to be the best. Competition is in our blood, there has always been a way to show that  you were the top player. So much so that in the mid 80’s there was a massive boom of what could be described as the origin of pro-gaming, many people flocking from all over America to beat each others scores and prove that they were the best. This competition was so hyped that it gained acknowledgement from all over the world, it was at this point that many people started to take note of achievement in gaming.

Fast forward a few decades and we are standing amongst the gaming wave of the 90’s, although the leader-board system of the 80’s had taken a side step many gamers still participated in competitive gaming. Consoles had now became a staple of the modern home, they may still be frowned upon and those who played them may have been judged but consoles were becoming more and more common.

Several years passed and online gaming was introduced. Everybody could now share their scores and discuss what they have accomplished online. Some games had their own leader-boards, like Bungie’s stat tracker on their website and other online games that monitored their players progress.

Now it is debatable who revolutionised the online achievement system but in my eyes it was Xbox 360. With the current generation of consoles there are many online profiles and each with their own slant on their personality. To make sure they stayed on top Microsoft had allowed their users to not only compare games in their collections but also provided a new and innovative way. With a base of 1000 gamerscore, that can be obtained through various different in game objectives and the players profile being updated accordingly.

Some people argue that these achievements ruin gaming in general. They even say it’s damaging to the experience of a game. People no longer just play a game they want to, but instead they are influenced by the achievements and become obsessed with the accumulation of score.

There are some cases where this is true. Some people endure a tremendous amount of dull game play for the sake of a few points and in some cases will seek out games with easy achievements to further their score. Although this is prevalent in many peoples cases, I blame the company for resorting to such cheap tactics. Some companies do a lot of research in to achievements and in some cases make them easily obtained for the sole reason of pulling in more consumers. It is this kind of achievement that is frowned upon. It’s the kind of games that enable the user to obtain most of the achievements from the start of the game, I’m sure you are all aware of Avatar which happens to be the most infamous gamerscore whore game. This is how many people judge the credibility of a gamer, if they happen to have the full 1000 in this game they can be frowned upon.
Other reasons gamerscore is judged as a bad thing is that it encourages a kind of hierarchy within the community. People are more than aware of their current score and have competitions amongst their friends. Through this it can alienate people from groups because they might not have a lot of point. Although this is not a major problem it can cause tension when people start to be judged because of a number on their card.

On the other hand you have those that argue that achievements enhance gameplay. These achievements can make players aware of certain tactics the might not use or alert them to secret areas in games.

In the case of achievements being used to enhance gameplay many developers use these achievements to direct their player. Sometimes this can be used to encourage a player to use certain items in game or seek out secret areas they might not have before. If done well many players will experience a lot more of the game than they may have seen without this level of guidance.
There is also the argument that achievements can be used as an affirmation for the player. If they succeed in game the success is recognised, not only do you have the satisfaction that you completed a difficult part of the game but you also get a shiny pin to put on your e-lapel.

One final argument is that it is our nature as gamers to seek competition. I have mentioned it before in this article, gaming as a whole is based on the foundation of achievement. It started with leader-boards and has evolved in to gamercards/online personas and so on. We are now able to view not only the people who play at our local arcade but everyone on our friends list. We can compare, share and view each others progress together. It’s a friendly type of competition that we can immerse ourself in and adds a layer of meta to all our gaming if we wish to indulge each other, if only for a little while.

I think achievements are a great idea. They innovate play and have brought a new level of competition to gaming. This kind of influence can allow a developer to flesh out their game to encourage players to experience parts that they may normally shy away from. I myself tend to indulge a little too often in the gamerscore race but it just so happens to be my vice. I hope they stick around for a long time and who knows maybe in the future we might be rewarded for our dedication to a certain game with more than just a pop-up on screen.

Is The Games Industry Becoming Stagnant?

As I sit here looking at both last years titles, and those to come, I can’t help but ask myself, is the game industry becoming stagnant ?


Take a look at your favourite publishers, games companies and producers and think about their back catalogue. In the early 90’s the industry was frothing at the mouth with new ideas, we had finally entered a plausible 3D world in which every industry designers dreams were that one step closer to reality. Fast forward to the 00’s and our current generation:Since the introduction of these next-gen consoles should we not expect the same enthusiasm for the life cycle of the hardware itself ?

When confronted with nearly an identical “top sellers” list every year I find it disheartening to see less and less breakthrough in ingenuity. That’s not to say I am against sequels or franchises, in fact it’s quite the opposite. I used to be a massive fan of the “Final Fantasy” series and continue to support Capcom and their range of fighting games.

What I am sick of however, is the large amount of drivel pushed in to our stores year in year. Yes, I’m talking about Call of Duty (CoD) and the way Activision are treating the market. They are not the only guilty party but I for one feel that I have been wronged by this company. Year in year out they regurgitate practically the same franchise, yes there are minor changes but with each iteration I can’t help but having and overwhelming sense of déjá vu and extremely underwhelmed by the lack of changes in the single player.

Some games do need to be treated as franchises, here I’m talking about your sports game. I say this only because sports teams in general tend to change every year and so do the players. One year many can retire and the next new teams could graduate to a higher division. These are the type of factors that need to be integrated in to game play to keep it relevant.

I am using (almost picking on) CoD. this is a game that I feel could be balanced through possible updates. With each iteration they have boasted better online performance and a more balanced set of weapons. Surely some of these changes are minuscule, to the point that it could factor just the tweaking of variables. It’s not like they have a problem supporting games after release, hell look at the number of map packs they are promising to bankrupt each and every fan with. Is it too much to ask for them to maybe for a brief second think about supporting the community as opposed to supporting their bankroll?

There are other companies that also fall short of meeting expectation in my book and we will get round to that. But first I want to try and analyse why is it companies continue to release practically the same game on almost a yearly basis ?

Is it because of a struggling economy? Maybe they are struggling to break even. But that can’t be true, again in the case of Activision, last year they broke records and saw what could be their most profitable year in a long time. This doesn’t solely come from the CoD but if you weren’t aware they have been reaching astronomical figures with their new Skylanders franchise. With each figure retailing at roughly £6/7 and a multi-pack going for just under £20 these small figures are a new revelation in marketing towards today’s youth. These figures have taken off so drastically that they have became almost unobtainable. So how does Activision treat this behemoth? The only way they know how, just recently they announced that not only do they plan to release a sequel but they intend to introduce a set of up to 16 new characters to it’s already large roster of 37. With the game itself retailing at about £50 with 3 Skylanders coming, parents are expected to purchase the remaining 34. And I do mean expected, we were all young at one point and some fell prey to the “Pokemon” phenomenon. This would be a potential £280 just to have the full collection in the original game, now with a further 16 characters and another £40ish game it could climax to a whopping £432 just for one game. Although these figures are based on simply buying the toys separately.

I’m sure if you are an avid fan of either series at this point you may be contemplating a heinous crime or formulating your counter argument against my blatant attack on Activsion. Maybe some of you have even started to compile a list of games that have revolutionised the gaming world that have flown straight out of the doors of Activision or their subsidiary companies. Although if you even look at their back catalogue they have been doing this for years;the Cabela franchise, Guitar Hero, Spiderman, Tony Hawk, X-men and countless others have all been driven in to the ground one way or another. Some of which may have had overhauls on mechanics or slight tweaks in direction but for the majority of them have remained the same and some of which were bled dry to the point that they no longer exist.

There are other companies guilty of this and another big offender is Capcom. They have offended some of their loyal fans to the point they have been renamed “Cashcom”, “Crapcom” and many other names. All because of their money grabbing tendencies.

To add insult to injury most of these companies are now opting for what has to be the cheapest get out ever. I am talking about none other than the HD remakes. Never before have their been HD remakes (yes I know it hasn’t been possible until recently) but come on, £50 for some titles that many still have. It seems to be a fad that has swept across many companies ranging from Capcom to Insomniac. These games are churned out fast and retail for full priced games. Sometimes there aren't even extras like the terminals in “Halo Anniversary”, these are the same games with upgraded graphics. How long will it be until our next set of favourites are upgraded, with rumours of FFX being redone and a lot more in the pipeline.

Why is the industry so devoid of ideas that we rely on reboots, rehashed and ridiculously unnecessary HD remakes. As a games designer in training I find it extremely disheartening to see that there is such a lack of creativity in what could potentially be what was once the job of a lifetime. That being said there is still hope for the games industry as there are still absolute gems to be discovered amongst the hordes of sequels, prequels and HD remixes. Although you only need to take a look at last years online list of most played games to see that some of these games are not receiving the attention they deserve.

What I'm Playing Just Now

It's one of those kind of questions that you tend to get asked. Normally it can be seen as a passing comment between friends and tends to mean what was the last game you played. Although on the odd occasion it means so much more, "just now" could range from anything from the past week to the current season. It all depends on not just who asks but how, obviously certain parties are far more interested than others.

For this update I am going to take it as a short list of games that I am playing or plan to return to in the next week or so. Well game that I hope to complete/return to sometime soon, although I can't guarantee anything this could all be pipe dreams.

The first and newest game on the list is "Catherine", I'm not one to partake in indulging odd Japanese dating puzzle games but when I do I get addicted. This charming little vixen saunters in to our unsuspecting protagonists life, for better or worse it's all down to you to decide.  The best way to describe the game is a puzzle game with a lot of quirky RPG elements, you get to talk to people at the bar and interact with each and everyone person in their own special way. What i love most about the game is the implication of each and every action, there seems to be no two play-throughs a like. It can range from the slightest mutter under your breath to the most romantic gesture to the wrong person that sets your game off in a completely different course. So far I'm loving it and I hope to get a full review up later.

Next up is Jackie Estacado's grand return. I have already been through the game once and really enjoyed it. Although there is some slight differences between this and the first in the series it was for the better mostly and it was also largely expected, although that is to be expected with a new team making the game. The art style feels great although it some times it didn't look the best it could of but I really enjoyed it. The story is great and it is one of the few FPS games that I feel takes tie to actually tell you a story instead of leaping between explosions and chase scenes. I'm currently planning a second run through and polishing off some of the online hit-list missions I missed. I hope to get a review up really soon.

The last game I am currently playing is SoulCalibur 5. I have already got a review up for it and you can read all about how I feel about the game there. Just now I'm just playing with friends and battling my way through the ranks online. I like to boot it up when I have a spare 30minutes to an hour. The game has a lot of longevity to it and I feel that with all my time in game I've barely scratched the surface.

Although after saying all this and laying it out I'll no doubt find another game that I just can't help myself from getting drawn too. Such is the curse of the gamer. 

You stay classy world wide web.

Integrated Project 3 Update.

Today was our first meeting with Brian after submitting our project plan. With criticisms in hand we all drudged on toward the meeting room. We were able to discuss care points and possible downfalls of the document. That being said Brian seemed generally pleased with the progress we are making.

Today was also the first day we got to see our game "in action". Although there is currently no textures or backgrounds to the game we were able to see the models run around and see how good they looked in Unity, and my god they looked good.

As far as I can tell they will work perfectly and their was even discussion about using Kinect as a means of capturing motion for the animation of the models. This would mean that we would be able to quickly and efficiently record animations for the game and maybe some quirky movements too if we have time.

As the project continues I can't help but get really excited. At this point in time I even feel that no amount of paperwork could take away from the high you get from this level of creativity. There is just some kind of synergy within the group and we all are really looking forward to the finished product.

MvC 3 Revisited.

For those of you who may not have been around for the original boom of fighting games in the late 80's  and early 90's when Capcom took off with the fighting game genre. Marvel vs Caocom 3 is the latest entry in the "VS" series from Capcom, the first entry being X-men vs Street Fighter in 1998. The game was followed by many other entries to the series up until Marvel vs Capcom 2 in 2000. That means it has been over 10 years since the game last hit the shelves of your local store, although there has been several re-releases for different consoles and as arcade games. Now off the back of the very successful Street Fighter 4 and it's updates, Capcom have decided to renew a much loved series.

Although since the last release of MvC2 the fighting game community had started to dwindle. With the introduction of the aforementioned SF4 the community is growing and there is a new wave of warriors (like myself) picking up the games and getting involved in the community. This means it is the perfect time for Capcom to unleash such an anticipated sequel.

The game gathers 44 fighters from across both companies' most famed series and includes several X-men and a good few familiar faces from Street Fighter and other notorious Capcom games. Like many other fighters there is a rather steep learning curve to reach a level of competitive play. Offline you are able to play on training mode, learn new combos in challenge mode and play your bog standard arcade mode. But as most you know Fighting games aren't based around how many times you can complete the story but whether or not you can play with your friends. As expected the offline works just fine and is a great load of fun but at times the online can be laggy and very hard to find a match. A while after the game was release a new game mode was also added, called shadow mode which Capcom claimed would enable everyone to have the shot at "The Best" although after the first one or two disappointingly poor free DLCs, these unconvincingly robotic type players, Capcom started charge for this "opportunity". So I decided to stop there with it. Other disappointing aspects of the online play are the lack of spectator mode. 

Now for the Graphics, this is definitely my favourite part of the game. The visuals are fantastic, nothing short of what you would dream of. They stay true to the very comic book fashion that inspired the game. It even feels like your favourite comics have come to life on screen. And what keeps me even more in awe is the fact that it still manages to capture the 2D element of street fighter without the loosing either side of the series' art style. Even all the alternate colours to the Marvel side has generations of back story to them alone, it’s not just all mango sentinels and oddly coloured magnetos. It’s X-Force Wolverine and Deadpools costume from Uncanny X-Force, there’s even CaptainAmerica/Punisher. It’s a work of genius and I love every tiny little detail from Deadpools taunt to Wesker lobbing missiles in his level 3.

Now in terms of gameplay the series has taken a new variation of the classic button structure by eradicating the much loved punch and kick buttons for a far more simple; Special, Light, Medium, Heavy 4 button set up with 2 buttons for assists. What this does for the game is make the entry level for players lower than that of a usual “experienced player” yes there are still the greats of the community lording it over others but it is far more friendly to give it a bash with friends. There is even a simple mode in which the computer pretty much plays the games while you mash away at buttons, although you lose a major amount of capability it allows for a younger generation to get a basic understanding of the game and work their way up to playing the “normal” mode.

The game is fantastic, you can fun both offline and online. There is a world of combinations within teams you can lose yourself in. If you love comics, games and fighters then don’t shy away from a masterpiece. Hopefully sit on top of another 10 year reign of fighting game dominance. I'd give it a 7/10.

A Tale of Two Swords

I thought it was appropriate that I write this just now, I'm fresh off the hype of LevelUp's first SC V tournament and I have put the work in online and offline. For those of you who don't know the series is about the pursuit of the fabled "Soul Edges", each character has his/her own motive to find the mythical weapon, these motives can be good or evil, no matter what when you character has it equipped they instantly gain extra badass points. The game is a 3D fighter based on weapons; each character has their own type of weapon ranging from tonfas to swords and in some cases gimmick weapons like kebab skewers. There has been several years since Namco's last entry in the Soul series and it was about time they re-emerged in the fighting game community, especially with the recent buzz surrounding the plethora of Capcom games available at this point in time.

The game looks unbelievably good, the scenery is perfect, especially in the forest levels. I love the level design, it's the best I can remember from the series, there are some levels that can feel a little unbalanced but the returning levels from previous iterations have been polished to perfection. The same can be said about the characters; they are all vibrant, colourful and have a great level of detail. Even the way loose pieces of clothing cut through the air when performing fast moves and float during movement looks amazing. The new characters are unique in design and move sets too.

On the topic of the new characters, many of these new characters can be classed and the next generation of; Kiliks, Sophitias and Xianghuas. Although there are a few new entries to series (Dampierre, Viola and Z.W.E.I.) all of them with new and interesting styles of fighting which range from using magical orbs to an obscure werewolf-esque spirit partner. Their designs are brilliant and look pretty awesome. My favourite of the bunch is definitely Viola, her weapon is the orb that she can control and position in the screen to set up combos and juggle opponents to their demise. She has an almost red riding hood feel with her outfit and I see a lot of potential in her. That being said it was a difficult choice, as usual all the characters have a great range of play styles to match your preference and this was definitely a tough choice.

Now about the story mode...I didn't feel too compelled to play it in all fairness but basically it's about Sophitia's son and daughter and their pursuit of the soul edge. Throughout the campaign you play as both version of the characters (their standard model and then with a soul edge in their possession). The story continues for about 20matches but the majority of which are 1 round long and tend to be pretty quick. The majority of time spent in this mode was spent watching rather dull cutscenes about the relationships between these characters and the rest of the cast (who seem to have forgotten that there has been 4 other games in the series).  Other offline modes include arcade mode (minus endings, which in my opinion is rather cheap and takes away a lot from the game), quick play (a mode where you can view multiple AI enemies throughout the world) and a rather extensive training mode where you can view combos and receive hints on certain attacks.

Where this game really blossoms is in the multiplayer aspect, whether that be having a friend over or playing online with somebody in America. The netcode is brilliant, there is very little lag, I managed to play somebody in New York and it felt like they lived next door. There is a plethora of modes available online. One of the most impressive is the global collosseo, it is a massive lobby for every part of the globe, here player can gather, chat and set up more lobbies within a pretty cool layout. As usual you can expect ranked battle and player matches. Other cool online features are the rival system where you can allocate up to 3 rivals to compare progress against and look at their stats from many different parts in the game menu.

But what is most notable about the series is Create-A-Soul mode. This happens to be my favourite part of the game, the sheer amount of creativity in people’s characters is unbelievable. I have played several characters from the "Final Fantasy" series, many different superheroes and my favourite BATTLE POPE. I kid you not the higher the rank the more outrageous their character design seems to be. The level of customisation goes in to so much detail that you can adjust minute details on each piece of clothing and has an extensive colour palette. The majority of clothing is even available to all from the get go too!

All in all this has to be the most fluid and balanced "Soulcalibur" game I have played in a long time, it's fast pace, flows great and has a great mix-up game. If you are a big fan of the series or want to dabble in the 3D fighting game genre you need to buy this. I really hope it gets the support it deserves and I really hope to see some DLC that goes beyond new armour and the inclusion of different colours. I'll give it a 8/10 only because they could of done a lot more with the story based section of the game.

Game Progress

Today we had our weekly meeting with the group for IP 3. We have came pretty far in the past 4 weeks considering we have only been a group for 3. We have a story, ideas, basic mechanics and some base art to create our first prototype.

The main topic of discussion was our ideas on each others maps and maybe ways of trying to do more with less to keep people interested while playing with limited resources. We had a bit of a debate and decided it might be best to try use what Unity has to offer as opposed to asking more of our artists before we receive the majority of our art.

That being said I was just sent some of the 3D models to our game and I am psyched about getting them in game, there is a certain charm about them and I can't wait to see it develop.

Stay Tuned !

And remember we must move forward, not backward, upward not forward and always twirling, twirling, twirling towards freedom.

A Story About A Game

This year we have been tasked to make another game as a group. We are already pushing on our 4th week of development in a 12 week time frame. Our group is made up of 3 Designers, 2 programmers, a 3D artist and a 2D artist.

What is the game about ?
Our game has to be based on the comedy of George Carlin and Bill Hicks, so taking that in to consideration we decided to make a game based on anti-establishment. The idea of the game is to go about saving brainwashed Americans and overthrowing the government, for by that I don't want to give away too much. Hopefully one day, if you are reading this you might have enough interest to give it a go.

What type of game is it ?
Our game is going to be a 2D platformer in 3D environments. The aim is to have something looking like a cross between Abe's Odyssey and Shadow Complex in terms of layout. As for art style we haven't seen a lot of artwork yet, although so far we have some basic character designs and ideas on themes and levels with 2D backgrounds with 3D models to navigate around in the area.

What's Next ?
Currently we are trying to mock up levels on paper to get them in to our engine and then hopefully some testing. If we are lucky enough this should be done in the next week or two. After that testing, implementation and who knows.

It's going to be a roller coaster ride but I've really never been as excited about a project aside from last years, although luckily we have managed to rekindle the same excitement and passion for developing games as we had back then, so much so we have almost the same team and plan on doing at least one project during the summer.

Would you like to know more ? 
Then stay tuned.

The Game Plan.

1. Get old reviews up here and done up a bit.
2. Write new reviews.
3. Chronicle my game endeavours.
4. Generate general game chat.