100 Reviews for 100 Games #4: GTA IV

                Grand Theft Auto IV starts what seems to be a maturing in the franchise and as a result has experienced some growing pains that are present in the design. The game removes the previous character stat building mechanic from the previous installment and instead focuses on the core gameplay of completing story based missions in a sandbox environment. The notable thing here is that the sandbox environment has been filled with many subtle design choices that add some texture to the gameplay even though they don’t really contribute to the core interaction loop.

                Story is a big part of the gameplay as it contextualizes the sandbox world as well as acts as the key that opens up new areas in the environment. Without delving too much into the story it attempts a much more serious tone than its previous installments and adds some choice in which the player can affect the story, however, the impact of these choices is minimal to the overarching story there’s really only one important choice that affects the outcome of the story. While these choices feel somewhat irrelevant in the grand scheme of things the game at least tries to make the method of inputting your choice somewhat interesting. The game doesn’t fall back on having the player simply pick from choice of outcomes in a choice bubble fashion, but instead lets the player act out their choice using gameplay during key moments of the story. Some examples involve choosing whether or not to kill a certain character, deciding whether or not to take an item, or deciding which character to betray. This method feels a little more personal and the game could’ve used this more often to better emphasize the indecisive nature of the main character as well as play off the fact that character constantly complains about being used like a puppet. Another interesting narrative mechanic would’ve been to allow the unpredicted nature of this method of choice push the story in a more modular direction. However much of these choices are very black and white and in the end don’t amount to much.

                When the playing the game like an actual sandbox things get much more interesting. The world of Grand Theft Auto is very interesting and the designers have made sure that world feels vibrant and alive with interesting A.I. and an abundance of visual and audio content such as television channels and radio channels that help build and contextualize Liberty City. Many of the things you can do in this game just help establish immersion whether it’s playing simple mini games, watching scripted NPCs perform comedy and magic, walking around drunk, or even just eating a hotdog. The only problem the physics can get in the way of the game sometimes, whether the cars control like they’re on ice, or the motorcycles which are just a pain to operate. Sometimes the game tries too hard to be realistic and adds some bizarre elements that just make the player feel fragile such as taking damage, and even being able to become incapacitated, from falling. And, other times the player may end up flying out of a vehicle from a head on collision and bounce around walls only to have the character stand up and brush it off which makes the game feel like slapstick comedy

                The multiplayer is enjoyable when combining standard multiplayer game archetypes and the creative freedom of the sandbox environment. The best part about multiplayer is when the game becomes hectic as players start stacking cars to form barricades, or when they use the urban environment to their advantage to flank opposing players. The game stands stronger when the game encourages players to think of creative solutions using all the different components in Liberty City.

100 Reviews for 100 Games #3 Super Mario Galaxy

               Super Mario Galaxy is the culmination of years of tweaking the platform precision mechanics of the Mario franchise and an attempt to address the criticisms of the previous core series installment Super Mario Galaxy. All of the features in this game have been whittled down to the core in an attempt to go back to the series roots when it first hit the 3^rd back in Super Mario 64. The game forgoes any complex narrative that could take away from its pure gameplay structure and makes sure that the gameplay is the strongest thing about Mario Galaxy.

                The most important thing in any Mario game is being able to control the main character with a level of confidence that feels second nature in order to steadily introduce new concepts and obstacles to traverse. The game manages to replicate a feeling of satisfaction by just having the character run and jump around, probably the best thing about this and the perhaps the Mario franchise in general is how versatile the character is. The game’s biggest feature, intergalactic platforming, is handled exceptionally well thanks to the controls as well as the dynamic camera. Running around on a spherical object and jumping from one space to another feels incredibly intuitive. After a while it becomes second nature and you begin to forget how much thinking you actually do in this game in regards gravitational pull and Mario’s new sense of momentum which are new concepts in a Mario game. The camera also helps by orienting itself relative to Mario in a way that doesn’t confuse or nauseate the player. It would’ve been nice if the game had gone deeper exploiting intergalactic planet to planet platforming. Instead there are some levels that are more traditionally laid out like one huge plot of land with pitfalls that lead to black holes.

                The game also does a really good job at packing a lot of gameplay and conserving actual content. The game stays true to the classic 3D Mario formula with its hubworld and mission based stages. The missions are designed in a way in that, even if you are revisiting the same level 7 times it never drags or feels repetitive thanks rearranged level elements and missions that force you to think about the same level in a different way. The game also never forces you to play the levels fully, instead allowing a steady progression in difficulty with the introduction of new levels after a certain threshold has been met and slowly gravitating towards a more open level selection as you progress through the game. The only real drag on this game is the boss battles with Bowser. While other stages and bosses try to be creative, the fights with Bowser just come off as repetitive. Whether it’s trying to keep up a tradition that harkens back to the original Super Mario Bros, or maybe just not being able to make creative fights with Bowser, these fights are the glum in an otherwise bright game.

                The extras in this game are another enjoyable part of the experience such as Prankster Comets which add a level of challenge for the more veteran Mario players as well as the inclusion of Luigi as a playable character after beating the game adding a subtle increase in difficulty. Luigi’s difference in momentum and friction makes the controls feel fundamentally different in a way that changes how you play the game. The only real downer is the multiplayer which admittedly feels a little tacked, as what could’ve been a fun co-op experience with a friend with each controlling one of the Mario Brothers, only amounts to the second player moving a cursor around the screen helping the first player get items and stun enemies. However Super Mario Galaxy still does a lot of things right which makes this one of the most enjoyable experiences in a long time.

100 Reviews for 100 Games: #2 Soul Calibur

Soul Calibur is a very easy fighting game to pick up and enjoy through its simple controls and easy to grasp mechanics. Upon turning on the game the player is immediately introduced to the roster of main characters. Each character has a distinctive feel and play style inviting all kinds of play styles and entices players to learn new characters as they provide very different play experiences adding a welcome element of discovery to the fighting game genre.

The combat feels very heavy and powerful as each attack has immense aesthetic feedback, characters swing their weapons and bodies with all their might creating a very satisfying feeling of power and fidelity. The gameplay is very to pick as it allows players with very little knowledge of the game to start creating a flurry of combos and devasting attacks that chomp away chunks of their opponents lives as green pieces from the the health bar fly off the screen. As you may pick up on this game is very big on feedback that directly leads to player empowerment. Some characters yell and lunge their weapons forward while heavy characters stomp around the arena and heavy attacks make characters writhe in pain and fall to the ground. All of this is more than just audio and visual eye candy as these cues are all part of the secondary feedback that telegraph to the player the state of the game with great effect.

The game is balanced in a peculiar way as in rather than giving each character an balanced and equal feel, instead each character feels overpowered in one aspect creating a sense of controlled chaos. Whether its Voldo's slippery control style with unorthodox stances to Astaroth's giant weapon that seems to clear the screen with every swipe. This all correlates a common theme which is empowerment, the genius is that at the end of the day every character feels satisfying to control, gives the player a feeling that they have the upper hand, and is still statistically balanced. While each character may seem to fight very differently all of their attacks and moves still adhere to a set of guidelines and attack rules. There are only 3 main attack types, horizontal, vertical, and kicks as well as a slew of technical moves which include jumping, grabbing, and guarding. Guarding is activated via a button press instead of moving away from the player and hops and crouching allow for more advanced dodging maneuvers along with impact guard which allows for offensive blocking. Since the fighters can move in all 3 dimensions the game takes advantage of this by having attacks and grabs change depending which direction characters are attacked from.

Since this is a console port of a fighting game, the designers felt the need to pad out the fighting experience with extra modes, which really just amount to drawn out explanations for characters to pummel each other with various conditions. With the mission mode allowing players to build up techniques by having to perform various conditions besides just defeating your opponent as quickly and violently as possible. The core experience never gets muddled, however, the game is first and foremost about fighting and delivers its unique experience allowing players to enjoy it in its purest form with a combat system that is incredibly satisfying and easy to play.

100 Reviews for 100 Games: #1 Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time

Today I'd like to start something new to get back into the rhythm of posting, so this post if the first of many mini game reviews I'll be writing as part of David Perry's Game Design challenge which involves reviewing 100 of the greatest games of all time from a designers perspective. Hopefully this will fill the void left from the purge and since I spend most of my time programming for the time being it'd be nice to look for an excuse to write even more. Some of these reviews may be stinkers or a little redundant, but if any of these particularly stand out I'd like to do actual video analysis in the future.

Dissecting the First Screen: Legend of Zelda (NES)

Today I'm starting a game analysis feature called Dissecting the First Screen  taking a look at the first "screen" of gameplay and everything else that leads up to that first screen. For now I'm going to start with mostly older games as they are figuratively and quite literally easier to describe in terms of the first screen of gameplay. We'll start with Zelda on the NES since the term "First Screen of gameplay" is quite literal when it comes to this game. We'll talk about the very first screens up until you get the sword which represents the "crossing the threshold" in most Zelda games.

The very first Zelda game for NES says a lot about Console Game Design in the 80s. Many games nowadays try to establish an elaborate narrative as soon as you start playing the game. Back then the bulk of the plot, descriptions, and flavor text was confined to the booklet since the limitations of the NES didn't allow for long cutscenes of exposition. All you get is a short overview at the title screen and a list of all the items. However after the naming screen you're thrown into the world without any explanation during this time. That means if you didn't have the book or didn't watch the little scenes during the title then you have no idea what's going on.

Sometimes it became difficult to tell whether the game contained grammatical errors or were just trying to cram as much information as possible in a small space.

 Now getting back to the whole, "when I get the sword" spiel. We'll count the time it takes to get your sword from the first moment that you control Link to the moment you get it in your inventory.

Alright the first thing that happens if you're dropped into the overworld. There are no inherent threats in this screen. This is important because the player needs to know how get comfortable with the controls and being a kid in the 80s the best way to do that was to just press all the buttons. You have 4 possible destinations, lets say I don't go into the cave first. The idea to get across here is that Link, I the player, have no means of defense from enemies. As the designer I don't prevent you from going into danger unarmed because I feel that by letting you put yourself in that situation it creates a stronger emotion from an effect that was caused by the player. 

Didn't think it was dangerous to go alone? Well think again!

Just to break it down I introduced 2 big major concepts to the player.

1. The overworld is presented in a non-linear fashion setting the tone for this adventure game.
2. The player is in a dangerous world by conveying the idea through actions instigated by the player rather than through plot exposition., we have created the "feeling" of the world.
• Allow me to explain below...

What I mean by that is that you, the player, were left in a safe area by me, the designer. I did not force you out of your comfort zone, but because of a choice that you decided to make by going through one of the 3 paths you now know the consequences of actions exist in the context in reality (the game). We never think about this anymore because we have seen, done, heard, joked, and experienced this first screen countless times over the past years that we go, well duh of course I need to go into the cave to get the sword that's a no brainer. Well back in 1986 when you were a kid (probably) without any context, seeing this screen for the first time, there's just is no explanation for what's going to happen or how you get the sword in game.

You may think that, wow this game was pretty unfair right? Well no because you see, back then games and these things called instruction booklets that were actually useful and interesting to look at.

Find this and the complete booklet on http://zs.ffshrine.org/legend-of-zelda/english-instruction-manual-scans.php

The Legend of Zelda is what's commonly referred to as a Nintendo Power Game. The term describes a game that would usually contain rather cryptic puzzle or event that was very hard for the player to figure out with getting the strategy guide or getting a Nintendo Power magazine. Some games were notorious for being completely unplayable without the aid of a guide (see: Milon's Secret Castle).

Some may argue that the inclusion of a mini guide within the booklet itself is due to a lack of direction in the overall level design but I say nay because again the very first screen has points of interest that are specifically design to draw the player in.

Now first of think about the direction that Link is facing in. Why isn't Link facing towards the screen? Normally when games want you to identify with the character they would show you the character's face first above everything else. In this case however the face that link is facing up serves a very important purpose. In terms of 2D design the direction that link is pointing in creates an "invisible arrow" pointing towards the top of the screen, and that's only the beginning. Now take a look around Link, the design of the level is composed of hard 90 degree angles all except for one area. The top left hand corner of the screen contains an obtuse angle that sort of "points" towards the cave. So, besides standing out because it's different from everything else. The game designers have created so emphasis on the cave it has the most dominant presence in the first map screen.

Very Nice

So when it comes down to it. The first screen and first few minutes of the game is a very well designed. By creating a strong draw towards the cave the player will most likely get the sword and will be well on their way to saving the Kingdom of Hyrule, or not and just beat the entire game without it.

 

Better levels?

Am I the only one who misses those old 3D map building kits like the ones from the old Pie in the Sky game engine? It seems like this whole drawing 2D top-down maps was something that wasn't necessary in the old days of designing levels because you pretty much did that in old level editors. Designing comfy levels just seemed to come naturally when I tinkered with stuff like Cartography Shop, Dele3D, and Radiant. I could measure, plan, work in units, and prototype super fast because they were designed for, well, level designing.

Now a days I see more people using 3D modeling tools like Maya to build levels, but it's just so slow. First setting up a good workflow and every package is different. I've also yet to find one with the best snapping solution and don't even think about using booleans. Being able to carve out any shapes you want without having to extrude, or worry about topology, now that's something I really miss. Makes me want to use the Unreal Engine. If only the exported geometry wasn't so awful.

Maybe I just need to develop the right workflow.

Well At Least Somebody Else Thought it was a Good Idea

Eager to raise our unrealistic expectations we threw together some mockups on a thread dreaming our ideas would come true. My PSO mock up managed to wind up on Kotaku along with some other great ideas. I don't work for Sega (although they're relatively close), but maybe this outlet will make it easier for them to see what the fans want. Sega's been on a roll in the past fiscal year and if anyone can do this they can!

These are the WiiU Games of Your Dreams