Recently I had a go at Alien Swarm.
Anyone heard of this? It's one of those free games that have crept into Steam. I went into it with three friends as we were all after something new to play. And why, who can say no to free stuff?
Upon playing Alien Swarm, we were faced with four character options: Officer, Special Weapons, Medic and a Tech. Predictably, both Special Weapon characters were pounced on quick leaving a Tech and a Medic included as a matter of necessity. I can understand, in retrospect, that having one of each character is key to success but two Special Weapons? It's possible that it can be done but somehow I'm not sure that's what the designers of this game had in mind.
In researching this game it becomes apparent that it's a remake of the Alien Swarm mod from Unreal Tournament 2004. That means little to me as I've never played any games in the Unreal franchise. So, I approached this game as someone unaware of it's origins. After all, it may yield a different perspective, no?
So what we have here is a scenario taken from the movie Aliens: A group of human marines are going into enemy territory where the enemy in question is a swarm of ugly, alien nasties that outnumber the marines several times over. It is then up to the Marines to get through a series of missions, achieving a set task and, hopefully, surviving to the end.
In playing Alien Swarm, I found there are moments where the action is intense, being attacked from all sides. There are equally nerve-racking moments when my guy (the Tech) is trying fanatically to get into a computer system while the aliens are all around me. There's the despair when one of your team mates bites the dust (especially when you need them to complete the mission). There's the necessity of sharing ammo and health and working together to stay upright. And there's always the last minute dash to safety in order to seal the success of the mission.
So really, Alien Swarm does all the things that we expect from Aliens. It's the movie adaptation that never was. And perosnally,, is all the better for it.
Play it again? You bet!
Friday, November 24, 2017
Wednesday, November 8, 2017
Just a Girl
A story:
I was ten years old. I was attending a super-session at my local arcade parlor (Time Zone) where people could have unlimited credits on any game for a limited time period. I decided I wanted to play the Terminator 2 arcade game so I headed for the machine and I teamed up with someone else. That someone else was a female: she looked several years older than me (mid-to late teens) but we both had a go at blowing away the T-800 Endoskeletons.
Thing is, I didn't discriminate, I didn't make fun of her because she was a girl, and i didn't it think it unusual for a girl to play games. No, I was just glad that she could blow away the Endoskeletons with ease.
I've heard stories in the present of all women are discriminated against because they show an interest in a field that is, traditionally, a male-dominated field. But I have never done such a thing. i could've at the young age of ten but I didn't. And I, into adulthood, have played with female gamers but never once been horrible or discriminatory.
If anything, all i ask of any female gamer is that they have my back.
I was ten years old. I was attending a super-session at my local arcade parlor (Time Zone) where people could have unlimited credits on any game for a limited time period. I decided I wanted to play the Terminator 2 arcade game so I headed for the machine and I teamed up with someone else. That someone else was a female: she looked several years older than me (mid-to late teens) but we both had a go at blowing away the T-800 Endoskeletons.
Thing is, I didn't discriminate, I didn't make fun of her because she was a girl, and i didn't it think it unusual for a girl to play games. No, I was just glad that she could blow away the Endoskeletons with ease.
I've heard stories in the present of all women are discriminated against because they show an interest in a field that is, traditionally, a male-dominated field. But I have never done such a thing. i could've at the young age of ten but I didn't. And I, into adulthood, have played with female gamers but never once been horrible or discriminatory.
If anything, all i ask of any female gamer is that they have my back.
Monday, October 30, 2017
Pax'd Up
Last weekend I was in Melbourne - so I made an unplanned visit to PAX.
Never been to a PAX before but from what I gathered from those in the US, it's a major convention being one of the biggest and most important one's on the convention circuit and a nothing less than a big deal.
So I went in and the first thing that grabbed me was the stalls where various new tech was being plugged. The area all these stalls were in were in in poorly lit areas and featured lots of loud music and neon lighting - an experience akin to being in a rave.
But getting past that initial experience, I spent little time in the tech area. But what i did see were crowds of people gathering around to see what was on offer and snapping up free stuff where available. But strangely seeing what was new didn't interest me - I've been suckered into what was 'new' before only to emerge disappointed. Thus there is a wisdom in being cautious.
What really interested me however was what was happening in the area outside of the 'new' stuff: there were tables of DnD players, various stalls plugging non-electronic gaming wares, and a complete retro gaming section boasting a history of pinball display & games ready to pick up and play. Indeed, it is telling that i spent more time at this retro area than with all the new stuff.
Two things struck me as being of particular interest: One was an area where people can bring in their rig for a gaming at the con. I've been to several cons and have never seen anything like it before. Naturally, this area was under constant security but it's impressive that people will bring their rig to a con just for it - but hey, it's a gaming con, right?
The other thing was a live-speed run, where a guy sought to beat Super Mario World in 100 minutes with a) 95 exits unlocked and b) without the cape. And he did it! I've heard that speed-runners are super insane at their chosen games but it see it done live is something else. As such, the player drew a large crowd and had people cheering him when he performed particular feats.
But in the end, for a con meant to be about the glory of gaming I spent little time around the 'new' stuff and more time running around taking photos of the cosplayers. It may not have been the intent of the con but hey, it worked for me.
So in the end, I had a great time at PAX but it is interesting to note that enjoyment had, once again, nothing to do with the latest games and/or tech. Telling much?
Never been to a PAX before but from what I gathered from those in the US, it's a major convention being one of the biggest and most important one's on the convention circuit and a nothing less than a big deal.
So I went in and the first thing that grabbed me was the stalls where various new tech was being plugged. The area all these stalls were in were in in poorly lit areas and featured lots of loud music and neon lighting - an experience akin to being in a rave.
But getting past that initial experience, I spent little time in the tech area. But what i did see were crowds of people gathering around to see what was on offer and snapping up free stuff where available. But strangely seeing what was new didn't interest me - I've been suckered into what was 'new' before only to emerge disappointed. Thus there is a wisdom in being cautious.
What really interested me however was what was happening in the area outside of the 'new' stuff: there were tables of DnD players, various stalls plugging non-electronic gaming wares, and a complete retro gaming section boasting a history of pinball display & games ready to pick up and play. Indeed, it is telling that i spent more time at this retro area than with all the new stuff.
Two things struck me as being of particular interest: One was an area where people can bring in their rig for a gaming at the con. I've been to several cons and have never seen anything like it before. Naturally, this area was under constant security but it's impressive that people will bring their rig to a con just for it - but hey, it's a gaming con, right?
The other thing was a live-speed run, where a guy sought to beat Super Mario World in 100 minutes with a) 95 exits unlocked and b) without the cape. And he did it! I've heard that speed-runners are super insane at their chosen games but it see it done live is something else. As such, the player drew a large crowd and had people cheering him when he performed particular feats.
But in the end, for a con meant to be about the glory of gaming I spent little time around the 'new' stuff and more time running around taking photos of the cosplayers. It may not have been the intent of the con but hey, it worked for me.
So in the end, I had a great time at PAX but it is interesting to note that enjoyment had, once again, nothing to do with the latest games and/or tech. Telling much?
Wednesday, October 18, 2017
Beginnings of a saga
Ive talked up Panzer Dragoon Saga a lot in this blog but I haven't; given much attention to the other games in the franchise. Recently however I decided to rectify this....
...by watching a LongPlay of Panzer Dragoon 1 and 2 (Zwei) on YouTube.
Seriously though, it's the only way I could ever see these games in action other than shelling out a fortune for a working Saturn and the games in question. I have memories of playing a single-level demo of Zwei in a store but that's pretty much my extent with this series. But considering how a dramatic change it was for Saga to be an RPG, there must've been something there originally, right?
Okay, so let's start with Panzer Dragoon.
From the looks of it, this game isn't that remarkable from a gaming standpoint: It's short, it's working off of an arcade mentality (as in it's longevity is based on how quickly the player can do everything required), it requires quick actions and reflexes, the player is running on a set path (such is the nature of a 'rail shooter') and success is measured by how well the player did by doing the same old thing.
But what truly got my interest was the aesthetics of this game. Oh. My. God. The Aesthetics. If the game part of it was kinda weak then it's the way the game is presented that makes up for it. We have fascinating settings with sunken ruins, deserts, caves, canyons and forests. There is a language made up especially for the game. There are mech devices and ancient tech. There are airships that looked like they came straight out of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. There is art based off of the illustrations of the French artist Moebius. There are bosses that collapse into pieces as they are destroyed. There are Sandworms that look like they came straight out of Dune. And the music is both atmospheric and brilliant.
But what strikes me the most about this game is the world in which it's set: It's intriguing yes but it's also very vague. The opening text makes clear that this is a post-apocalyptic setting, wherein human civilization has crumbled. But the humans are living in fear of 'cyber genetic warfare' (huh?). So the humans find, and excavate, an ancient Tower and turn the tables. This in turn makes all surrounding nations (Huh?) turn on each other while fighting a 'Dark Dragon'.
It's an intriguing setup that raises a lot of questions: How did humanity survive the many years since the collapse of civilization? What the hell is this cyber genetic warfare? Who is responsible for it? If civilization collapsed then what are the other nations? Who is in them? If civilization has long collapsed shouldn't everything be a lot more disorganized? What does the Tower do? And how does the Dark Dragon fit into all of this?
Of course none of these questions are answered over the course of the game but playing the game raises even more questions: Who was the original rider of the Blue Dragon? We get his mission was to destroy the Tower but why? Who was the rider of the Other Dragon that keeps reappearing throughout the game? What was his/her story? And as for the mission to destroy the Tower, did the Blue Dragon know? Did he even need the human PC?
With such questions, it's fair to say that Panzer Dragoon delivers half a story - and still, saying it's half still feels generous. There are some ideas that certainly have some potential but most likely it is confined to the restrictions imposed by fifth-generation gaming.
So how about Panzer Dragoon Zwei?
Well clearly the game is like any true sequel: It offers more of the same but enough new additions to make it stand on it's own two feet. The graphics are better, the boss fights are just as gripping, the targeting system works better and the first two levels are ground based. There's also a berserk mode added and the PC's dragon can upgrade based on the progress the player makes.
Other than that, the game's aesthetics still prove to be the series' strength: the art direction is still beautiful, the soundtrack is still great the settings are interesting, the enemies are varied, and the designs are still as inventive as Zwei's predecessor.
Unfortunately, the setting is as vague as before. The opening text indicates that 'Many millennia have passed since the fall of the old age'. Okay, so does the old age refer to when human civilization was in flower? And if that was a thousand years ago as the first game declared, does that that mean Zwei is set so many thousand years since?
We are then told that people are living in terror of a weapon created from gene reconstruction and it's use is robbing the humans of their strength. Okay so is this the cyber genetic warfare that was mentioned in the first game? Did it replace the Tower? Is in any related to the Tower?
And speaking of the Tower it is then revealed that other nations are following the humans' lead and digging up ancient weapons to fight wars. Okay seriously, who are these 'Other Nations'? Are they humans? If they are populated by humans why are they fighting the....well... other humans?
But again, none of these questions matter because, once again, when the game gets underway, more questions arise. Why does this place hate dragons and kill them on sight? I can understand that different places may have different perceptions but the Dragons and humans were getting along so well in the last game. And for that matter, how did the PC get Lagi (the Dragon) out of the village? Someone would've surely noticed a dragon of that size. Who destroyed the village? Why did they destroy the village? Who is this Empire? Are they connected to the 'humans'? Who is the Mecchania? Why are they after the ship?
And then there's the ending: ......I.....um....what? It was abrupt, bizarre and confusing - as if my head wasn't already loaded with enough questions. Once again however it does give the indication that the story the makers had wasn't the kind that could fit onto a single CD.
Confusion aside, the world that Panzer Dragoon and Panzer Dragoon Zwei clearly had potential. Potential that could not be confided to a singular game on a singular disc. hence we got sequels in the form of Saga and Orta. Indeed, it should be noted that Orta came with it's own encyclopedia resolving many of the questions inspired by this game series.
Still, none of these questions were actually resolved in-game - like how questions relating to the game should be. I can understand Saga going out it's way to resolve such issues but that game remains, alas, out of reach.....
...by watching a LongPlay of Panzer Dragoon 1 and 2 (Zwei) on YouTube.
Seriously though, it's the only way I could ever see these games in action other than shelling out a fortune for a working Saturn and the games in question. I have memories of playing a single-level demo of Zwei in a store but that's pretty much my extent with this series. But considering how a dramatic change it was for Saga to be an RPG, there must've been something there originally, right?
Okay, so let's start with Panzer Dragoon.
From the looks of it, this game isn't that remarkable from a gaming standpoint: It's short, it's working off of an arcade mentality (as in it's longevity is based on how quickly the player can do everything required), it requires quick actions and reflexes, the player is running on a set path (such is the nature of a 'rail shooter') and success is measured by how well the player did by doing the same old thing.
But what truly got my interest was the aesthetics of this game. Oh. My. God. The Aesthetics. If the game part of it was kinda weak then it's the way the game is presented that makes up for it. We have fascinating settings with sunken ruins, deserts, caves, canyons and forests. There is a language made up especially for the game. There are mech devices and ancient tech. There are airships that looked like they came straight out of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. There is art based off of the illustrations of the French artist Moebius. There are bosses that collapse into pieces as they are destroyed. There are Sandworms that look like they came straight out of Dune. And the music is both atmospheric and brilliant.
But what strikes me the most about this game is the world in which it's set: It's intriguing yes but it's also very vague. The opening text makes clear that this is a post-apocalyptic setting, wherein human civilization has crumbled. But the humans are living in fear of 'cyber genetic warfare' (huh?). So the humans find, and excavate, an ancient Tower and turn the tables. This in turn makes all surrounding nations (Huh?) turn on each other while fighting a 'Dark Dragon'.
It's an intriguing setup that raises a lot of questions: How did humanity survive the many years since the collapse of civilization? What the hell is this cyber genetic warfare? Who is responsible for it? If civilization collapsed then what are the other nations? Who is in them? If civilization has long collapsed shouldn't everything be a lot more disorganized? What does the Tower do? And how does the Dark Dragon fit into all of this?
Of course none of these questions are answered over the course of the game but playing the game raises even more questions: Who was the original rider of the Blue Dragon? We get his mission was to destroy the Tower but why? Who was the rider of the Other Dragon that keeps reappearing throughout the game? What was his/her story? And as for the mission to destroy the Tower, did the Blue Dragon know? Did he even need the human PC?
With such questions, it's fair to say that Panzer Dragoon delivers half a story - and still, saying it's half still feels generous. There are some ideas that certainly have some potential but most likely it is confined to the restrictions imposed by fifth-generation gaming.
So how about Panzer Dragoon Zwei?
Well clearly the game is like any true sequel: It offers more of the same but enough new additions to make it stand on it's own two feet. The graphics are better, the boss fights are just as gripping, the targeting system works better and the first two levels are ground based. There's also a berserk mode added and the PC's dragon can upgrade based on the progress the player makes.
Other than that, the game's aesthetics still prove to be the series' strength: the art direction is still beautiful, the soundtrack is still great the settings are interesting, the enemies are varied, and the designs are still as inventive as Zwei's predecessor.
Unfortunately, the setting is as vague as before. The opening text indicates that 'Many millennia have passed since the fall of the old age'. Okay, so does the old age refer to when human civilization was in flower? And if that was a thousand years ago as the first game declared, does that that mean Zwei is set so many thousand years since?
We are then told that people are living in terror of a weapon created from gene reconstruction and it's use is robbing the humans of their strength. Okay so is this the cyber genetic warfare that was mentioned in the first game? Did it replace the Tower? Is in any related to the Tower?
And speaking of the Tower it is then revealed that other nations are following the humans' lead and digging up ancient weapons to fight wars. Okay seriously, who are these 'Other Nations'? Are they humans? If they are populated by humans why are they fighting the....well... other humans?
But again, none of these questions matter because, once again, when the game gets underway, more questions arise. Why does this place hate dragons and kill them on sight? I can understand that different places may have different perceptions but the Dragons and humans were getting along so well in the last game. And for that matter, how did the PC get Lagi (the Dragon) out of the village? Someone would've surely noticed a dragon of that size. Who destroyed the village? Why did they destroy the village? Who is this Empire? Are they connected to the 'humans'? Who is the Mecchania? Why are they after the ship?
And then there's the ending: ......I.....um....what? It was abrupt, bizarre and confusing - as if my head wasn't already loaded with enough questions. Once again however it does give the indication that the story the makers had wasn't the kind that could fit onto a single CD.
Confusion aside, the world that Panzer Dragoon and Panzer Dragoon Zwei clearly had potential. Potential that could not be confided to a singular game on a singular disc. hence we got sequels in the form of Saga and Orta. Indeed, it should be noted that Orta came with it's own encyclopedia resolving many of the questions inspired by this game series.
Still, none of these questions were actually resolved in-game - like how questions relating to the game should be. I can understand Saga going out it's way to resolve such issues but that game remains, alas, out of reach.....
Monday, October 16, 2017
Got lost on the way to Teotihuacan
You gotta admire the architecture in ESO. Here's something that truly stood out for me:
Wednesday, October 4, 2017
Closing up shop
The major piece of news that has been going around this week is the announcement that Nintendo will be shutting down the Wii Shop Channel. The proposed date for this will be January 30th 2019.
Until then, items already available can be purchased and downloaded until March 29 2018.
In a word: Disappointing. I purchased my Wii pretty much for the Virtual Console and I swear I spent more hours on the games I got off the Virtual Console than i did for regular Wii games. This is largely because the games in question are timeless and still hold up in today's environment - but that isn't the type of attitude that Nintendo will take kindly to. But this announcement seems like the ultimate act of revenge: The Virtual Console has yet to appear on any of the Wii's successors and many of the games currently on the Wii Store are unavailable anywhere else.
This could largely be laid at the feet of Nintendo having no idea how to handle downloading services but I can't help but think if this is a harbinger of things to come. While it's great we have the likes of XBLA, the PlayStation Store, Steam and GoG, one can only imagine how long they will last before the servers keeping them going breaks down completely and such wonderful and trailblazing games are lost forever.....
Until then, items already available can be purchased and downloaded until March 29 2018.
In a word: Disappointing. I purchased my Wii pretty much for the Virtual Console and I swear I spent more hours on the games I got off the Virtual Console than i did for regular Wii games. This is largely because the games in question are timeless and still hold up in today's environment - but that isn't the type of attitude that Nintendo will take kindly to. But this announcement seems like the ultimate act of revenge: The Virtual Console has yet to appear on any of the Wii's successors and many of the games currently on the Wii Store are unavailable anywhere else.
This could largely be laid at the feet of Nintendo having no idea how to handle downloading services but I can't help but think if this is a harbinger of things to come. While it's great we have the likes of XBLA, the PlayStation Store, Steam and GoG, one can only imagine how long they will last before the servers keeping them going breaks down completely and such wonderful and trailblazing games are lost forever.....
Monday, October 2, 2017
Back in the Saddle
So this has been doing the rounds recently:
It's the first real taster we've been given of this game. And, unsurprisingly, the rumor mill is in full flight. Is that guy towards the end Dutch? Is that guy in front of the burning building Bill? Who is this Arthur Morgan? Is he the PC? And where is John in all of this?
I, however, am having my reservations: Aside from the fact that this is too early to call and speculation can only last until the game is, y'know, actually released,the thing is that this game looks to be well and truly a prequel. And the only problem with prequels, is you know how it's going to end. It doesn't matter how big a role Jon, Dutch, Bill and Javier will play in this new game because, as we all know, they will appear in the RDR1. And if Arthur Morgan is indeed a previously unnamed member of this outlaw gang, then somehow his fate is already sealed.
Still, for the moment, call me curious....
Original video located here. Accessed 2nd October 2017
It's the first real taster we've been given of this game. And, unsurprisingly, the rumor mill is in full flight. Is that guy towards the end Dutch? Is that guy in front of the burning building Bill? Who is this Arthur Morgan? Is he the PC? And where is John in all of this?
I, however, am having my reservations: Aside from the fact that this is too early to call and speculation can only last until the game is, y'know, actually released,the thing is that this game looks to be well and truly a prequel. And the only problem with prequels, is you know how it's going to end. It doesn't matter how big a role Jon, Dutch, Bill and Javier will play in this new game because, as we all know, they will appear in the RDR1. And if Arthur Morgan is indeed a previously unnamed member of this outlaw gang, then somehow his fate is already sealed.
Still, for the moment, call me curious....
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