writer thoughts on a game-crazy world
A tip from our friend Aidan — Battlefield Bad Company 2, Darksiders, Bioshock 2, and a number of other triple-A titles for the PC are on sale at Valve’s Steam Store.
Hurry — you’ve about 18 hours to redeem this deal before it goes away…!
Stay tuned, too; by the looks of it there’ll be some more blockbuster deals on slightly off-peak games all weekend.
I suppose it’s time to throw a little love Lara’s way. There’s a new Tomb Raider reboot brewing, and the Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light third-person downloadable game prospering (#2 in DLC at the Playstation Store). I’m happy that the execs have recognized that this gaming icon still has value despite having lingered in sequel hell for the past decade or so. And why not? She’s one of the most recognizable heroes in the genre.
First a quick note about the reboot, which traces Lara’s origins. The key word here is “gritty” and the secondary phrase would be “stellar CG,” although I’m guessing this particular trailer is 100% cutscene (prerendered) and not in-game. Interestingly, there’s not a lot here that hints at gameplay; it’s exceedingly cinematic. It’s also interesting that the game’s website requires you to enter your birthdate to view its contents. Apparently seeing Lara tie a tourniquet is something Eidos/Square Enix/Crystal Dynamics feels may be too overwhelming for the young. You’ve been warned.
In marked contrast, the LCGoL game doesn’t have the Tomb Raider moniker at all and is fiercely non-cinematic. Sure, it’s got a few cutscenes, but you fire that thing up and you’re killing stuff immediately. In the first Tomb Raider games for the PSX, which you kids probably don’t remember at all, Lara did a lot more puzzle-solving than perforating. LCGoL is full of puzzles, too — don’t get me wrong. It’s just a lot more gonzo than the original. No exploring, just killing stuff and solving action puzzle after action puzzle from an isometric, third-person POV. Trigger plates, rolling heavy spheres, timing challenges, platform leaping, grappling, all the usual elements, in pleasantly detailed 3D environments.
LCGoL shines with its co-op innovations. Although the game has a single-player campaign, partnership is vital in multiplayer. Lara’s companion can boost her to higher locations with his shield, and she can also climb on the shafts of spears that he throws into walls. Admittedly, it’s a little odd to see this icon of exploratory FPS gaming turned into an isometric action puzzler, but that’s what DLC is all about.
(Big shoutout to my friends Rob Pavey and Steve Perez, who were on the programming team for the game.)
Also, the Hollywood Reporter tells us that producer Graham King has bought the rights to Tomb Raider and will be, yes, you guessed it, rebooting the franchise in 2013 with a new star, and possibly tackling the origin story as well.
Will Your Next Game Console Make You Sweat?A recent article about exercise equipment with gaming features caught my eye recently: Nexersys, a new Austin-based workout machine maker, is pointing out that videogames and exercise equipment are reaching convergence. It’s worth taking a look at this crossover phenomenon.
Fitness is a huge industry, and entertainment is already trickling into the gym. People want flat-screens on their treadmills to take their minds off their workouts. Other gym equipment taps into natural competitive instincts with simple videogames.
At the same time, gaming has always been a hotbed for accessories that extend the fantasy, from lightguns to plastic guitars to the Wii Fit. Maybe a device like Nexersys’ iPower — a striking simulator with seven punching pads and an LCD monitor that provides training and feedback — is the next stage in the crossover.
Have you been jumping up and down in front of your TV lately? A lot of folks have been, now that Sony and Microsoft have tossed their motion-sensing input systems into the market.
One caveat in the “gaming workout” or “exercise gaming” sector is the form factor. It’s hard to control safety and ergonomics when gamers can be playing in all kinds of environments. Nintendo certainly experienced some amusing embarrassment in this regard when reports of Wiimote-flinging destruction caused them to issue safety wriststraps.
Traditionally, these kinds of games have been a better fit for the arcades, simply because the equipment for sensing a game player’s movements wasn’t available on a computer or game console. Dance Dance Revolution, Time Crisis, House of the Dead, all arcade draws. The arcade was the home of novelty input devices. Now, as arcades are fading into oblivion, that barrier has been shattered.
Although there’s a masochistic pride in mastering the universe with two tiny plastic joysticks, I believe most gamers would rather dominate with lifelike actions than with a controller. Some would argue that motion sensors and “exercise gaming” are the next stage in a button-mashing, casual-gaming flaming descent into the Great Sellout. However, these new methods of gaming are new and — in the case of the Wii, Kinect, and Move — tantalizingly well-distributed. If the market is big enough, these games can be as hardcore and diverse as any we’ve experience with a controller or keyboard. Motion-sensing gameplay has the potential to introduce all kinds of new ideas and gameplay.
At some point, though, the pleasure in realism starts to break down. Few gamers want to run 26 miles at Murchison High to get the track and field high score in their Olympics game. And should games require players to crawl on their hands and knees to sneak up on foes in the next Metal Gear game? Would you ask your mother to crawl around to play a game? Would you want your Nexersys machine to punch back? It’ll be interesting to see how game designers handle this problem as the games mature.
Will Nexersys and other workout hardware makers like Bowflex and Nordic Track horn in on Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo? I wouldn’t put money on that particular angle. But if Tony Hawk can make his own custom skateboarding controller, why can’t these muscular brands get in on the action?
Who knows. Maybe the next time we hear about “gaming” and “exercise” in the same breath, the story won’t be about childhood obesity but instead life-transforming fitness.
As promised, our quiz answers…!
Hope you enjoyed. Happy summerishness to you!
Brain-training games may be jumping the proverbial shark right now, or maybe they’re simply regrouping for a renaissance. Either way, we thought you’d appreciate a few brain puzzlers to break up your week. We’ll post the answers in a few days.
Finding the Best MMORPGAre you too time-constrained to figure out the best MMORPG for your gaming happiness? The Game Writer Central crew is sending a shout-out to WhatMMORPG.com, a very useful and noteworthy resource. Even figuring out the basics of MMORPG play can be a huge timesink. Who wants to wade through all the marketing fluff — or worse yet, subscribe and invest gameplay time in an MMORPG that turns you off?
That’s where WhatMMORPG shines. Just click on the genre you like, and you’ll see all the basics presented in a simple chart. Date of inception, cost, grinding level (!!!), uniqueness, usability, PVP, crafting, and customizing, all laid out easy-peasy.
Grinding level, talk about a timesaver. This is a valuable service, my gamerz.
Free Videogame Deal This WeekendTexas’ own Game Over Videogames — a great resource for any gamer, especially anyone who loves vintage games — is having a remarkable free videogame deal on football games of all eras this coming weekend. If you live in Austin, Sunset Valley, Round Rock, or San Antonio, find your local Game Over Videogames and head on out!
Here’s the deal: for Super Bowl Weekend, Game Over Videogames is giving away football games that are priced $4.99 and lower. (“Which is practically ALL of them!” says the announcement.) All you need is this coupon. No purchase required.
Our hard-working videogame writer drones took a quick spin through Game Over Videogames’ online catalog reveals Madden 08 and Madden 06 for Xbox 360, both priced at $4.99, but no PS3 titles. And of course, Game Over Videogames has some of your old-school faves like Madden for SNES, NFL QB Club for SNES, and NFL Blitz for the PS1, all in the coupon happy zone.
Not bad. Check it out if you feel so inclined, game writer fans.
The MotorStorm team at Evolution Studios just posted their cover art for the new MotorStorm Apocalypse. They’ve got two covers, one for the EU and one for the U.S. Same game, two covers.
Why do marketing teams do this? Well, for one, there are different requirements for the labeling and legalese. But also it’s well-known that certain approaches do better in different regions. Sadly, in my opinion, the demographic studies seem to indicate that, when selling an over-the-top racing game in the U.S., your goal should be to look like a generic traffic jam with a generous dollop of asphalt crumbles, flames, and (especially) motion blur. The EU version is more cohesive, dramatic, and most importantly, sharp.
Here’s the art – take a look and decide for yourself. EU on top.
by the Game Writer Guy
Writers and readers, let’s face it. The grimy menage a trois of videogames, science fiction, and comic books has spawned some really stupid character names.
Of course, I love all that stuff, and a lot of the writers and directors in the field have sired visionary work that will still be giving geeks chills in the distant future, long after 2001 has come and gone… oh, wait. You know what I mean.
Anyhow, without further mastication, here’s this humble game writer’s list of…
#6: The Wii.
We can now say it without sniggering, which is a testament to how well the actual product served its function, even if it’s going to be the Xbox 1 of the current generation. I.e., the first to leave the table and go to the bargain basement. Both Microsoft and Sony are now pimping their motion controllers. Nice ideas, guys.
But as far as pure naming goes, the Wii was different, but hardly genius.
#5. Sodom from Final Fight/Street Fighter Alpha. Enough said. You can see an image of this zombie samurai/hockey goalie to the right.
#4. Lord British.
We don’t want to ding Richard Garriott for a name he came up with when he still had peach fuzz on his face, but still. What gets us about Lord British? Is it the pomposity? The slavish Anglophilia?
Steve Wilson, one of the editors of the sci-fi/humor ‘zine Space Squid, says, “It almost seems redundant: You hear Lord, you think British automatically anyway, so why bother?”
Lord British, please pick up line 2. Czar Russian is holding on line 2.
#3: Max Payne.
This one has gotten more euphonious over time, but if you’re like me, it hit you like a ton of pun when it first crashed on your ears. Max pain?!?
Max Payne is the name of Duke Nukem’s less civil second cousin. Fortunately the game itself didn’t turn out to be quite as blunt and tone-deaf as the name. Thanks, Max. You brought us bullet time. Now go back to the markdown aisle.
#2: Darth Maul.
When George Lucas came up with this one, maybe he was thinking of where Star Wars action figures and videogames might be sold in ridiculous quantities rather than the enduring legacy of the Star Wars universe.
Darth Mall would be a fun place, though. Instead of muzak, the soothing sound of heavy mechanized breathing would lull shoppers and seniors out for a climate-controlled stroll. Customer service, however, would be a little frosty, and the penalty for shoplifting would be… wait for it… to have your hand chopped off at the wrist with a light saber, of course!
Honestly, the Star Wars universe is littered with laughable names, Jar Jar Binks and Count Dooku being two prime examples. George, we know you want the kids to know you think Dooku is a poopy-head, but let’s try not to be so freaking literal.
#1. Big Boss.
You know, Metal Gear Solid is just ripe with ridiculous names. Hideo Kojima must like the devil weed. Liquid Ocelot, Big Mama, Para-Medic, Raging Raven… these are all chuckle-headed even if they’re code names. Big Boss is notable because he’s not only the imposing sire of the games’ primary hero, but he’s also the star of MGS3, the president of Zanzibar Land, and the protege of the double-agent named The Boss.
Confused yet? You’re getting the idea.
Big Boss has three genetic sons, named Liquid Snake, Solid Snake, and… Solidus Snake? Pick your favorite quip here:
Still, I give Kojima props for including self-parody content like this MGS3 unlockable in which the director of the CIA journeys to Russia for a reconciliation and flower-meadow dance with Snake.
Dishonorable Mentions:
Alan Wake
Game designer Keith Meyer suggests Alan Wake. Wake is, of course, a writer of thrillers who suffers from blackouts and visions of characters from his new book coming to life. And he doesn’t remember writing the book. It’s almost like he’s been… uh… sleepwalking?
Keith says, “It just feels weak.”
Joe Hayabusa
The father of Ninja Gaiden’s Ryu, Joe is the leader of the Hayabusa Ninja Clan in medieval Japan, and also apparently the descendant of nomadic Japanese who traveled to ancient Israel where they appropriated his name. Also the star of the sidescroller Viewtiful Joe (kidding).
Snake Plissken
I can’t write a post about horrible names without mentioning the hero of Escape from New York. (I’d love to make him #1, but he’s really a cinematic character, more so than Darth Maul. By the way, the credited writers on the 1981 movie are John Carpenter and Nick Castle.)
Sure, it’s a comic book kind of name, but there are limits to what even DC and Marvel are willing to slap on a hero. What, was Viper Urineflesh shot down in audience testing?
As an added bonus, in the first Metal Gear Solid game I think, Solid Snake disguises himself as a Navy SEAL named Iroquois Pliskin. Clearly, like inspires like.
Feel free to submit your suggestions in the comments or via the contact form.
Xbox LIVE users, get on the stick. Microsoft’s announced that the premium status Xbox LIVE Gold status is being extended to all Xbox LIVE users on the weekend of January 28th to the 31st, 2011. It’s kind of a “you didn’t spend enough on Christmas, so try Gold and maybe you’ll loosen up” promotion.
Thanks, Uncle Bill (Gates)!
The free Xbox LIVE Gold announcement at Microsoft’s majornelson.com
And Since You Evidently Like Free GamingYou might also be interested in downloading Sam and Max Episode 104 from Telltale Games. These guys are reviving that classic Lucasarts manic adventure gaming feel, and this game writer says they’re doing a pretty darned good job of it.
Episode 104 is solid – I’m 90% through and have actually LOLed a few times. Yes, it happens. You know it’s good times when you’re tasked with killing a giant berserk Abe Lincoln. You also get to rig furry psychopath Max up to win the emergency presidential election that is required after you accidentally, uh, incapacitate the previous president.