Archive for the ‘Hobbies & Games’ Category

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Creating your own video game

Thursday, August 19th, 2010

Making A Great Video Game!

When making a great game there are a number of factors that need to be considered if your game is to survive in a market full of great game designs. Below are listed a few of the more important factors that need to be considered when designing a great game.

Game Graphics:

It is a common misconception that the best games are based on the best graphics. While having great graphics, this factor alone will not make a great game when other factors are not up to standards that match the graphics. However, having said this, it is fair to say that when combined with other equally important game design factors, great graphics can certainly give a game an advantage over other games with lower quality graphics. A few examples of this are the graphics rich worlds of such games as Halo, Myst, Tomb Raider, Final Fantasy, Star Wars, and this is just a few of many games that might be considered to have great graphics. So it is safe to assume that one factor that is vital towards a good game, but that needs to be combined with other equally important factors, id for the game to have great graphics.

Gameplay:

This factor is also a very important game design factor as it covers the point of playing the game, the goal that is to be achieved and the possible interactions between elements of the game such as objects or Non Playable Characters. While a game must have a decent gameplay and storyline, again this fact will not make a great game by itself. When mixed with great graphics however, these two factors will give a game an edge above the competition. Gameplay can be either a simple process or a very complex process and still make a great game, as we can see when we compare the game Tetris’ to the game “Final Fantasy”. Both games were smash hits that have so far remained in many peoples list of great games. Gameplay in itself has many facets that contribute towards the entire Gameplay factor, that we will not explore here, but to name a few, a game designer would consider such things as, Storyline, alternative choices, natural physics, player interaction, etc etc. So again, we can see that this factor alone will not necessarily make a great game but will definitely contribute towards a great game when combined with other important game design factors.

Game Sound:

The Game Sound factor in game design is pretty much on par with Game Graphics. The quality of sound in a game can help determine a good game or not. Examples of this can be

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Downloadable game review: Feyruna 2

Wednesday, August 11th, 2010

Feyruna 2

Rating 2/5

In the mythical world of Feyruna, the evil magic of the Dark Princes must be defeated by Druid sorcerers who have tragically misplaced their magic balls. But fear not! By dropping the balls from a balloon overhead and negotiating them through a tiered playing field using a combination of magical forethought and well timed mouse clicks you can restore power to the sorcerers and make Feyruna safe once again for, presumably, the little Druids. Dungeons and Dragons meets Donkey Kong in this new puzzle game from Jochen Krcher Game Design.

While the story is needlessly elaborate and the generic theme is as two dimensional as the world it’s played in, Feyruna 2 does at least offer challenging puzzles that may peak the interest of that particular ilk of gamers out there that went wild for Lemmings back in the 90’s.

Each level is a puzzle where various obstacles and monsters will impede your progress until you master the different spells that alter the magic ball’s properties and help you move it safely over ledges and trap doors, through teleportation devices and to its eventual goal, one of several waiting Druids.

The ball must be made to match the color of the waiting Druid and colors or spells are applied to the ball by directing it past a rune stone that you set up beforehand to deliver the desired quality. By acquiring coins along the way you can purchase new spells to aid in your quest.

Game play combines advance strategy to set up the board with a little real time action as you bump the ball, open and close trap doors and cast spells on the rune stones with your mouse-controlled magic wand. As with most games that rely so heavily on aiming the cursor, when time is of the essence the use of the mouse can be awkward and frustrating.

As the story unfolds a series of still shots of the fantasy world of Feyruna accompany lots of text about dark crystals and magic balls. The puzzle graphics, standard green monsters and bearded wizards, don’t particularly enhance or impede game play except in one instance-the progressively darkening crystal that replaces the classic time clock is difficult to interpret. The sound track is forgettable as well, right up until it reminds you that you’re out of time.

If you think all of this sounds sort of complicated, youre right. But a well designed instructional feature that can be turned on or off makes the game quickly accessible to new players without diminishing the challenge. In fact, while the puzzles start off easy the difficulty increases fast. Even with the difficulty level set to ‘easy’ the game may be too challenging for the younger children that the story would appeal to most.

The bottom line, unless you’re a real puzzle junkie Feyruna 2 won’t get you hooked, at least not enough to shell out $19.95.

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Evaluating the worst video games

Monday, July 19th, 2010

Now this is a subject that really gets my proverbial goat. How I don’t envy those among us who buy bad games on the spur of the moment. Their spontaneity is a thing to be admired. I have a few friends (one especially) who seem to insist on buying terrible games, even despite my dire warnings to the contrary. “Beware the ides of Bubsy 3D,” I’d say, but alas, my words were not heeded. And whatddya know? He now proclaims it to be the worst game of all time.

Bubsy 3D. For all those whose innocence has not been completely destroyed by the experience of playing it, allow me to explain. Here is a game in which the player is told to find the 99 pieces of a rocket so they can fly back somewhere. Pretty boring so far, but nothing earth-shakingly terrible. It is only when you actually play the thing that you realise there’s a whole world of dire ineptitude out there that you simply didn’t know existed. I haven’t completed the game myself, having only played it (for as little time as possible) at my friend’s house, but I can imagine that, upon completing it, one is changed beyond recognition. If you survive it with your head held high you become a man, and if you suffer it through boredom alone, I am sure you eventually become some kind of twisted monster. You see, the fact that a game designer can sit there and concoct a game in which all the levels are giant chessboards with slightly different amounts of enemies – and think that’s a good idea – simply beggars belief.

But perhaps (and I brace myself as I say this) the designers can be forgiven. After all, it was a sequel to a game that by most accounts was half-decent. If the designers realised the errors of their ways after the deluge of bad reviews and vowed never to make something so bad again, then perhaps God in his infinite mercy will give them a place in heaven. What cannot be forgiven, however, are those games that set out solely to make a quick and easy buck on the backs of the fools among us who are so easily swayed by advertising. Take ‘Little Britain’, for instance. The TV series was vastly overrated for one, but it had its moments. But the game! I played the first level, and, having not seen the horrors of war first-hand, I rank the experience as one of the most traumatic of my life. I played that fat girl (“yeah but, no but”… urgh) and I was tasked with skating in the park and collecting as many CDs as I could. Collecting CDs, I ask you? I haven’t seen the back of the game’s box, but if they mention that as one of the unique selling points then surely anyone with half a brain wouldn’t touch the thing with a twenty five-foot bargepole. But alas, such is the stupidity of the people, it was bought en masse and as I recall, reached no.1 in the charts.

The fact is, as long as there are easily-duped consumers in this world, there will be pathetically dire videogames. So I beseech you, if you will listen: never, I mean never, buy a game if it is based on a TV show or a movie, unless the reviews agree it’s decent. Never buy a game on first sight. Use your common sense and your logic, please. 90% of games, if not more, are not worth buying. Know what you want before you buy – only then will you find true gaming greatness. If everyone heeded these warnings, who knows: one day maybe these terrible games will not allowed in public. Let us pray for that day.

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Video game reviews: Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos (PC)

Thursday, July 15th, 2010

Well Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos was and maybe is the best real time strategy game ever. It is the purely genius game designed by Blizzard and even thought released many years ago still played today. For a reason. Warcraft 3 reinvented the genre of strategy and raised the bar of quality to such heights most competition couldn’t follow at all. Everything from the singleplayer campaign to the sounds are very well made and thought true and it is a very finished game. The cinematic are movie quality and the story of the campaign is well written. The playability is awesome and the units and buildings are both well designed and well made in general. Every voice in the game fits in and it is also way more voices than needed, even a lot of humor. It is hardly arguably the best real time strategy of all time. It is Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos.

With that fantastic start I could just conclude it now and say that well that is all. If you have not tried Warcraft 3 yet then shame on you. Yes I know it is old, but come on it is the best game ever and it costs like the same as a pizza at Dominos. Go buy and start to play Warcraft 3. The game is still popular due to the multiplayer on Blizzards famous Battle.net and it is played as a eSport. That means that this game is used for competitive gaming at LAN evens such as The Gathering. The multiplayer is very well balanced and very entertaining and with the added touch of custom maps if you are bored of regular play. That is another great thing about Warcraft 3. The world editor is very powerful, but yet very easy to work which means there are thousands of player made maps, campaigns or cinematic out there for you to download. That means that it is a lot like buying a Half Life game, the modding community is so huge buying this one game gives you hundreds of games extra for free.

If you never have tried Warcraft 3 and don’t intend to you do deserve a whacking with a big stick. I am sorry, but it is just true. It is a fantastic well made game that deserve all the praise I and a lot of other game critics have given it. It has a long singleplayer campaign that are worth the prize of the game alone, but the game also offer a very large multiplayer community. The community is just as large these days as it used to be, even with the release of World of Warcraft. However you probably do need to buy the expansion pack of Warcraft 3 too. Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne, but this game is also very cheap and you wont regret it.

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Video game reviews: Bullet Witch (X360)

Friday, July 2nd, 2010

Bullet Witch excited reviewers who played early builds of the action game. The game developers promised to create a game that combined gunplay, magic, amazing effects, next generation graphics, and destructible environments. At times, they deliver on their promises, but the final product should disappoint almost any gamer looking for an experience worth 60 dollars. The game is set in 2013 after billions of people have died from warfare and disease. Hordes of demons attack the world, and a witch named Alicia must defend humanity from a mighty army. Alicia uses a mighty gunrod and spells to take on the demon hordes.

Pros:

The pros of Bullet Witch do not match up to the shortcomings of the game. At times the graphics and music rise to the occasion, but every aspect of Bullet Witch remained inconsistent throughout the game. The spell effects look impressive, and the spells are interesting. The destructible environments make for memorable fights at times, and the opponents are colorful.

Cons:

Although the game designers of Bullet Witch promised to make a game that would combine amazing graphics with exciting gameplay, the game falls short in every area.

Bullet Witch features uninspired level design, average graphics, and tepid gameplay. Spells become almost useless, because a difficult interface makes them unruly and slow. in the middle of a frantic gunfight, players don’t have time to choose spells from a menu. The graphics of enemies are at times impressive, but there are not enough enemies and the backgrounds do not match up with the great visuals of the characters. In addition, aiming is difficult and players will have problems with aiming. In summation, Bullet Witch is only a shadow of a true next generation title, and you have much better games to spend 60 dollars on than this poor excuse for an action title. Shadowrun, a similar game with good reviews, will release this year and promises to combine exciting gunplay and magic. Maybe Shadowrun will save use from the evil spell of this witch.

Ratings:

Overall: 6

Level design: 4

Graphics: 7

Replay: 7

Gameplay: 4

Sound: 8

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Online video game reviews: Great Tree

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

The standard formula for most games design as casual games is usually fairly cartoony graphics, simple but addictive game play and little to no plot. Great Tree however does away with all of these conventions. Without giving too much away, the game is the story of the Wren (fairies) who must nourish their magical tree or they will die.

To do so the Fairies must venture into the hazardous woods in and collect the pollen while avoiding dangerous animals out to hurt them. With a surprisingly detailed story involving cinematics with hand drawn illustrations and narration the game has a feel that’s normally associated with traditional fairy tales instead of video games.

The game involves controlling a fairy to collect glowing balls of pollen and avoid the dangerous insects in an area. Utilizing a small levelling up system and a number of different wings that can equipped you are able to fight back move faster or get different power ups allowing you to suit the game to you playing style. It also offers a hard difficulty for players with more experience but the game play is quite definitely not the focus of the game.

Game play:

Sadly the game play of Great Tree really does manage detract from the whole experience. The overtly simplistic levels simple are neither challenging nor interesting to hold your attention, and the addition of role-playing game elements just really isn’t particularly helpful. 3/5

Graphics:

The graphics of the game are simply superb, from the traditional illustrations to the beautifully rendered 3D backgrounds the graphics of the game are definitely its strong point. 5/5

Audio:

Similar to the game play the sound in the game just seems to lack the depth that should be there, the music for the levels is nice enough but the narration seems to be spoken in a very bored monotone which does detract from the overall feel. 3/5

Lasting ability:

Sadly with its focus on the story side of the game, its shallow game play, its short length and lack of difficulty it is really hard to imagine this game lasting particularly long. 2/5

Creativity:

As I have already said this game takes a considerably different stance than most casual games, trying a completely new style of game and while it didn’t quite seem to work it is still a good idea 5/5

Overall:

My overall impression of this game is that it is a good idea that just didn’t quite work. However I do applaud their inventiveness and hope that reflexive attempts another game with the same style as there was definite unrealized potential. However I can definitely say that I would not recommend buying the game as I don’t think you would get your moneys worth. 3/5

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Video game review: Battlefront (PC version)

Tuesday, June 15th, 2010

Battlefront is a game where you can play as a soldier in all of the major battles throughout the Star Wars films. The concept immediately grabbed my attention and I bought the game.

First of all lets get to the good stuff. The controls are fairly good, you can crouch, crawl and roll out of the way of oncoming fire and the camera view is 1st and 3rd person interchangeable. You can use three weapons that you carry with you, a rapid fire weapon that runs on limited ammo, a less powerful pistol that recharges after each shot, and electric or exploding grenades. You have wide range of vehicles such as AT-AT walkers, X-Wing fighter jets and Tie Fighters. I’d list the rest but I can’t find the names. An additional sniping and over-the-shoulder view is optional, whichever one you prefer. A very good thing to have in this game is a jedi hero on your side. Seriously, nothing can kill them except for knocking them off a cliff, blowing them up with grenades, or running them over. Sometimes when you’re injured or running low on ammo, a pilot will throw you a bacta capsule or ammo, which is good because you’ll be needing it.

Now I have to get to the bad meat of the game. It has a lot of balancing issues. Sometimes battles are so impossibly hard that the only way to win is to have difficulty on easy, assign a jedi hero and to hop into a vehicle and blast everything in sight. While at other times, battles are so easy that you can just fool around the whole time, not killing a thing and still win! The same thing goes for some of the vehicles, the AT-AT walker is impressive no doubt but I could move faster with 100 weights tied to my ankles! And you have to wait for every shot to charge up before you can fire. The flying vehicles are a real pain too because most of them can’t hover in mid-air and keep flying at the same pace without slowing down. To turn you have to slide your mouse in the right direction rapidly, which is also bad game design. Another thing to worry about is the Droidekas, the rolling droids that put up a round shield. Trust me, these guys are BAD news. If they aren’t dead before that shield’s up, people will start dying quick. To add to their frustrating difficulty, only blasts from vehicles and turrets can break through their shields and destroy them! I really wish that they hadn’t put them in the game, it makes it to hard for the Clones and to easy for the CIS. I also think that they could’ve created exclusive battlegrounds not in the movies and be a little more independent.

My final judgment for Battlefront is that if Pandemic had spent more time evening out the balance issues and had been a bit bolder with level design then this could have been much better. But if you like the concept then I would recommend it’s sequel, Battlefront 2. It has new features such as playing as a jedi hero, new levels and space battles!

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A look at why Pac Man is the most popular video game of all time

Monday, June 7th, 2010

Pac Man is the most popular video game of all time and most people would consider it a classic. This arcade game was developed by Namco in 1980 and was first released in Japan where it was not a big success, to put it mildly. As soon as it was released in the United States, it became a huge hit both in the United States and in the rest of the world. It inspired not only the sale of many of the Pac Man games, as well as many different spin-off games, but also lots of other merchandise was developed including t-shirts, caps, bags, as well as an animated television series, music and even Pac Man pasta.

Up until the release of Pac Man, arcade video games had mainly consisted of so-called space shooters like Space Invaders or Asteroids. Pac Man opened up the door to a completely new and different kind of video game genre that happened to appeal to both males and females. Because of Pac Man many game designers realized that there was no need to be so conservative when designing new games, and it inspired them to come up with many different genres of games. They started making games that were more diverse, and for the first time they dared to use humor in their game play. In addition, they started to focus on games that would appeal to a wider audience than just teenage boys.

The widespread appeal is a major part of Pac Man’s popularity. Unlike many other video games from the 1980’s, as well as many of the more recent ones, Pac Man appeals to men and women of all ages. Another reason why this video game is so popular is that it is a very simple game that anyone can play, yet at the same time it is not overly simple nor does it get boring easily.

Pac Man has been able to stand the test of time, unlike many other eighties video games like Space Invaders. Hardly anyone plays those kind of games anymore, because they have become very dated and compared to today’s standards they are considered to be very boring. This cannot be said for Pac Man, which remains as popular as it was back in the 1980’s.

Even though these days you can buy many games that are far more sophisticated and of better quality than Pac Man, it is the simplicity of the game as well as its addictive components that makes people love it until this day. It is a game that does not require a great deal of skill, yet it is difficult enough that it needs your full attention. Pac Man has been imitated in a number of different ways, but no game has been able to truly improve on the original. Pac Man is the most popular video game of all time simply because it is the best game of all time.

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Wizards of the Coast collectible card games

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010

The one thing that Wizards of the Coast is famous for would be its line of trading card games (TCG) or collectible card games (CCG). It was trading card games that brought Wizards of the Coast to an unprecedented level of fame. The first CCG that came out was in 1993, three years after the founding of Wizards of the Coast by Peter Adkison. The game was known as Magic: The Gathering (MTG). It was the first collectible card game to come out. After fifteen years, MTG is still the most popular CCG around.

The next popular card game to be published by Wizards of the Coast was the Pokemon Trading Card Game. This was introduced to North American in 1998. The Pokemon Trading Card Game became just as popular as MTG. But, the Pokemon TCG was geared towards a much younger base of card players. It was released during a time where Pokemon was the craze. In 2003, Nintendo took back control of the publishing rights.

From 1996 until 2001, Wizards of the Coast published and circulated the BattleTech TCG which is based off of the BattleTech series. The play of the game was similar to MTG. However, the game is no longer in print.

In 1996, Wizards of the Coast would release Netrunner. It was designed by Richard Garfield, who also designed MTG. Currently, the game is out of print.

In 1997, the Dune CCG would be released. Originally, it would be released by the Five Rings Publishing Group. Wizards of the Coast would end up purchasing Five Rings and end up acquiring Dune. But, the game got canceled the following year in 1998.

From 2002 until 2006, Wizards of the Coast released a game called MLB Showdown.

In 2001, the Harry Potter TCG would be released based off of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels. It was released in conjunction with the first Harry Potter movie. However, the game is no longer in print.

In the same year, Wizards of the Coast released NBA Showdown and NFL showdown. Both games are out of print.

In 2003, Wizards of the Coast would release the Neopets TCG based off of the popular virtual pet website known as Neopets. So far, it seems that the Neopets TCG is still in print.

In 2004, Wizards of the Coast would be responsible for the North American release of the Duel Masters TCG. The game originally came out in Japan back in 2002. The card game is based off of the Japanese anime known as Duel Masters. The game played like MTG. However, creatures and spells are used to produce mana. Also, creatures cannot block unless they have the ability to block. Instead of life points, players have shields.

In 2005, Wizards of the Coast would launch the Codename: Kids Next Door TCG. This game would be based on the popular cartoon by Cartoon Network called “Codename: Kids Next Door.”

In the same year, Hecatomb was released. But, the game was discontinued the following year of 2006.

Wizards of the Coast was supposed to come up with the Star Wars TCG. However, it got put on hold.

Around 1994, Wizards of the Coast published another game designed by Garfield known as Jyhad. But, the game was abandoned in 1996. White Wolf would be published by White Wolf as Vampire: The Eternal Struggle.

In late 2005, the Xiaolin Showdown TCG would be released. This one was based off of the popular children’s cartoon series called Xiaolin Showdown.

Most of the CCGs are out of print. The few that remain in print are MTG, the Neopets TCG, and the Xiaolin Showdown TCG.

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Tips for buying a war game as a gift

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

With thousands of war games on the market, narrowing options and purchasing the best game for that special person can be a difficult task. To make sure the best and most fitting war game is purchased, just follow these four simple steps:

1. Know the person’s age and range and war gaming experience:

Most war games are leveled by skills, logic, and strategy or tactic abilities. As skill levels increase within games, so too do logical thinking and the ability to strategize increase in difficulty levels.

Children more often need a lower-leveled game to be able to master the concept of war games and gradually increase in levels by teenage years and adulthood.

On the box, there is an icon with descriptions of recommended ages for play and the level of skills needed. This information is very helpful to ensure you don’t purchase a game which is too difficult or too easy.

2. Know the person’s interests:

There are many genres of board games: Abstract, strategy, battleship, real-time, table-top or a combination of the different types of games and much more.

With so many different kinds of games, knowing the exact type of game that appeals to the person you’re buying for is an added bonus.

Also, because war games are more challenging by nature and require higher-level thinking skills, it’s best to know exactly the type of game which is more appealing to the person for whom you’re purchasing the gift. Maintaining interest within the game will ensure the gift is used.

3. Know how many people will be around to play the game.

Most war games are made for two to five players. If the gift is for an only child, make sure parents, friends, and other family members are willing to play the game.

Check the icon on the side of the box: listed you’ll find the number of players needed to play. If you order the game online, the page highlighting the game will usually have a very good description of the game, reviews, and in bold letters age ranges, skill levels – easy, difficult, challenging – and the number of players necessary.

4. Know the hottest war board games for the season:

This year’s hottest war board games include: Battle Cry, Risk 2210 AD, and Axis and Allies Europe.

~Battle Cry is a simple yet challenging two player game. Taking less than an hour to play, players can easily play two or three games in one sitting.

Younger children will find Battle Cry easy enough to grasp the concept and play while teenagers and adults still find that the game provides a challenge.

~Risk 2210 AD is an advanced version of Risk with more strategic game play. Two to five players ages 10 and older can enjoy this captivatingly entertaining game.

Adding complexity to the original game of Risk, Risk 2210 AD is a balance between fairness and fun for each player. Risk fans, will enjoy receiving this board game for Christmas.

~Axis and Allies Europe is a game designed for clever and masterful planning – great for those loving a challenge. The original Axis and Allies has been played and enjoyed by war gamers for almost two decades and continues to be one of the hottest war board games.

For ages 12 and older Axis and Allies Europe can be played with two to four players providing hours of fun while battling.

If you go online and look for reviews of these games, you’ll receive the best recommendations from players who have tested the games – they offer great tidbits of advice.

To make certain you have made a good investment this holiday season, make sure the game is age-level appropriate and of interest.

With these four simple tips, the gifts you’ll buy will be the perfect war game for that special person.

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