Traded in... and Super Mario Bros. DS

I did the dreaded cull. I got rid of Zoo Tycoon DS, Apollo Justice - Ace Attorney and Red Ninja - End of Honour. In their place, the last purchase of 2008 was the new Super Mario Bros. DS. After being a little apprehensive at first (wasn't quite sure if I would like a more modern version of the classic games on the SNES and NES), I bit the bullet and bought it.

Now, I'm only up to the end of world 2, remembering that there are eight in total. I'm quite impressed with the faithfulness to the original games that I loved when I was a child (though I wouldn't play Mario Kart -unless it was 64 - if you paid me). The mega mushrooms are a nice touch, though they tend not to last the distance unless you use dash mode.

On the whole, so far I'm enjoying it.

Back to the studio-Gameon work, now that the third designer has found his way into the forums, I'm starting to worry that my ideas are just going to go by the wayside. I've worked with him before and he tends to just take control and do what he wants to do. Which, considering that the other designer and I who are on the team have been discussing our ideas quite successfully, isn't fair. I really don't want a protagonist that the audience can't connect with... something difficult to do when you're playing as a blob or some weird casual stone thingy. The poll showed that people wanted an adventure... with possible puzzle elements. It's madness (and if anyone says 'This Is Sparta', I will throw a virtual spear at them).

Well, that's it. For now. I'm going to play some more of SMBDS. Will report back when I'm done. Peace out.

Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Part Two

Well, I finally finished it, thanks to some quick walkthrough research. I heartily recommend downloading one off here before you attempt something foolish. I made mistakes and had to replay a lot of needless stuff that I could have just bypassed. The savepoints are irritating.

On the other hand, I was impressed how the storyline wrapped up finally. Quite interesting and the history of Apollo and Trucy was brilliantly played out, as was Lamiroir's true identity (didn't see that one coming!).

Next on the purchase list is... Harvest Moon DS. I know, I know. But it's my friend Dan's fault. He lent it to me ages ago (just before he lent me Phantom Hourglass actually... ^_^) and I found it a great game to play. Since I got him Rune Factory for Christmas, I thought that the least I could do was get myself a copy of that addictive little game.

Now, something that I've been thinking over. The game studio kicks off next week, so I've been considering combining what's been asked of us as well as what's been considered by the designers and artists. What we've been asked for is a 2D-puzzle game (pandering to our programming rad-man, Josh, no doubt. He is brilliant, though). What we want is a 2D-sidescrolling adventure.

So, what to do?

Well, here's a notion for the motions. There's a game called Professor Layton and the Curious Village, I believe. In that game, you follow the usual RPG motions while indulging in brain teasers and puzzles. What if we built those puzzles into a story of a island culture, with the protagonist a small, plump native who is passing through the rite of passage of his intellectual tribe? You could even upscale it and work it into a more westernised nation, perhaps even parody modern western culture.

Not that it doesn't already parody itself. A good look at any Monty Python skit will show you that.

Anyway, stop by the studio Game On forums and let us know what you, the public, think. We need all the help we can get.

Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney -or- The Interactive Novel

Okay, so I may have borrowed my mate's copy of Phoenix Wright and expected it to be just as easy. Wrong. NOT easy.

What's really interesting is that this is less of a game and more of an interactive novel. You find the evidence, attempt to make sense of it, while proceding through the storyline. It's mainly reading Apollo's internal monologue and people shouting at him. Sounds like a typical day for me, actually.

It's not a bad game on the whole, if you like to spend forever reading and not sussing out what's really going on. There's the whole big backstory involving Phoenix Wright and the previous prosecutor, but I won't spoil it for those who want to play it.

In other news, I hope you've all been and checked out the Game On exhibit at the Queensland State Library (SLQ) in Brisbane, Australia. Three decades of gaming history. It's brilliant. THEY HAVE BOMBERMAN! You could easily spend an entire day wandering around playing the different games. It's brilliant and I had an amazing time yesterday. I took my elderly grandma with me and even she had a fabulous time. So for all of you who miss your SNES, who remember the first lot of pokemon and who remember when Atari was a household name and not a t-shirt, this is the place to be.

On a side note, check out the studio that the exhibit has put together here. Spot the girl on the design team? Yeah? That's me. Oh yeah. Yours truly scored a spot on the design team at a public studio! Bookmark the page and watch the progress as we stumble through six-weeks of game-making. It's sure to be a laugh and a half!

Back from the Darkness... where I've been, what I've done and why Anthony Warlow is the greatest singer on earth

I know, I know, it's been a while since I bothered updating this blog. But I've been held ransom by the legendary Anthony Warlow (who really is that handsome and charming in person! DROOL! -yeah, I got the photo, the hug and the autograph) who put in an epic performance in the last few Phantom shows in Sydney. But now that I'm back, I can share some insights! Hurrah!

I've played a few games while I was away: Legend of Zelda - Phantom Hourglass, Top Trumps - Doctor Who and XIII. But I'll start at the top.

Phantom Hourglass is brilliant. It has all the perks of a good Zelda game on a hand-held console (I recently picked up Wind-waker, stay tuned!). It's particularly good when played while listening to the concept recording for Frank Wildhorn's Jekyll and Hyde. Brilliant stuff and highly entertaining. Listen to Alive whilst playing the Cubus Sisters section onboard the Ghost Ship. Awesome stuff.

Top Trumps - Doctor Who was weird. More like a card game for a console. The upshot is that if you're a David Tennant fan (like moi, for instance), you'll be more than vicious winning back that awesome The Doctor card. There's also appearances by Martha Jones, Capt. Jack Harkness, Harriet Jones ("Yes, we know who you are") and Yvonne Hartman (the woman who set Daleks on London... yeah, stoopid!).

On to XIII. Pointless for anything but the pretty graphics. It's cell-shaded, so aesthetically it's quite nice. But it's, to search for the term, bloody useless as far as teaching a new player the controls. Those who know me well enough know that I can't stand first-person shooters, so admittedly I'm extremely biased, but in that same vein I did play Dirge of Cerberus. So I can say that I really don't like XIII. It's irritating.

As a final thought... why is Anthony Warlow the greatest singer on earth? Try singing two different parts at the same time. Jekyll and Hyde - the track is on disc two, called Confrontation. I know it's double-tracking, but one voice doing two distinctly different parts? Legend. The man is brilli-ANT. ;)

Berry by the Dozen: Pokemon Diamond

Since I've been away for a bit, I thought I would update in what I'm doing at the moment re: gaming. You'll all be pleased to hear that Halfbrick Studios has decided to give me the graciousness of an interview for an internship with their design department, which is rather exciting. I'm attempting to get my visual diaries together, but since my mother squished a spider on a beautiful work of the Phantom's mask, I'm loathe to look at them.

But I digress. I was most pleased to discover that it is, in fact, possible to get the Manaphy egg from Pokemon Ranger. I suggest for those of you who are after one, check out www.gamefaqs.com and search for 'Pokemon Ranger DS'. There's a helpful walkthrough on there that can get you what you need. Just make sure that you have a friend with another DS to help you out.

On to berries. Those of you who are Poffin-addicts will know what I'm talking about, but for those who don't, pay attention. Berries (in Pokemon Diamond/Pearl) are important ingredients for Poffins, which are imperative for winning the visual part of Pokemon contents. To get these ingredients, you need to grow them.

I've been planting and reaping these little thingummies for a few days and have discovered a few tricks. First, always plant before you go to be, then water immediately when you wake up. This will prevent the soil from drying out. Also, keep your growing areas to confined routes. Try not to plant up at the resort area or at the Fuego Ironworks. They aren't places that you would get to quickly and easily. So the best places to plant are:
1. Around Pastoria City
2. Around Veilstone City
3. Anywhere along the route between Solaceon Town and Hearthome City.
4. Floaroma Town and Valley Windworks.

Keeping to these routes will make it easier for you to get to your berries to water and reap.

Also, good news! Thanks to a quickly-caught Golbat, I have FINALLY finished catching all the legendary Pokemon! Yup, both Mesprit and Cresselia fell to my awesome Golbat, Andre! Now I'm 'happying' him up so he can be a pretty Crobat instead!

Anyway, enjoy for now.

The Joys of Boss Wipe-outs and the miracle of saving

I am an idiot. Yep. Me.

I spent eight hours yesterday playing Final Fantasy XII, levelling all my characters up to fifteen, only to have the Garuda level me out.

And I didn't save.

So I'm back at level thirteen, with another eight hours of battling in front of me. Oh joy. So what have I learnt?

1. Explore EVERYWHERE. Kill off everything that moves. Take everything that can't be walked on and even that if you can move it.

2. Even if it's half a level away, if you're going after a boss, SAVE FIRST!

3. Make sure your characters are of a similar level and strength. This stops the tendency for favouritism, which can be problematic if your strongest character is killed off.

4. Make sure you are adequately stocked with revivers, potions, etc before-hand. Also make sure that you go in with full health and magic points. Sometimes you're not so lucky and can't turn tail and run before you are wiped out.

Follow these pointers and don't be as stupid as me. Please.

Final Fantasy XII: A quick, mid-game review

So I'm still playing this wonderfully done game, but what I can say is that so far I'm very impressed with both the graphics and the audio. However, the licence system is silly, especially since you can't use equipment as soon as you buy it. Hmm.

Vaan in this game is a bit of a sissy boy. While playing in a group setting, I prefer to use Fran the Viera as my group leader. Although I use Basch as my primary spellcaster, Vaan is usually my healer. I never use Penelo but I keep Balthier in reserve, so that if most of my party gets wiped out, I have a high-HP character in reserve who has a mild chance of surviving an onslaught while resurrecting other characters.

That's about it so far. Stay tuned!

Girl, get your Game on - A quick look at women in games

Last year, when I had Penny for ITB750, we were set an essay on games. We could pick the topic, but it had to fall under one of four categories: demographics, games as art and two others that elude me. I gunned for demographics, particularly the female young-adult. Why? Consider this. I'm one of eleven girls that started this degree. The entire "Class of '07" was 169. Bit of a minority, don't you think?

Anyway, I digress. What really ticked me off was that all women were basically of two types in the game: either stick-figures with voluminous chests who saved the day in high-heels but always curtailling to the dominant male figure or rotund, motherly-types who came across as bossy, nagging old dears with an apron and flour on their arms. Well, I wasn't going to take it. So I wrote a scathing essay on the deliberate misrepresentation of women in games which I felt to be an arcane attempt to keep women from trying to get into the industry. I scored a six for it, mainly because Penny thought that I used outdated texts to reference from. Considering nothing had been written book-wise on this topic for a few years, I was bummed that she thought this. But there were a few things that I brought up in the essay that I thought I should share with the readers of this blog:

1. In 2005, no game in the top five highest-sellers had a central female protagonist

2. The ESA released figures that showed, in the same year, women over eighteen made up a larger portion of game players (Penny will kill me if I ever call them "gamers") than teenage boys.

3. Sales of James Bond games outstrip that of Lara Croft, even though one is an established game franchise and the other is just movie and book tie-ins.

But what I centred on the most was the hyper-sexualisation of women in games. If indeed game companies want to tap into the "tween" age group, they aren't going to win any fans with the parents with the cash if their children are playing as scantily-clad, twenty-something models who don't know the meaning of "cheeseburger and fries".

What I can do is pass on the awesome references I found while researching this assignment:

Action Chicks: new images of tough women in popular culture by Sherrie Inness
Better Game Characters by Design by Katherine Isbister (brilliant and comes with a CD-ROM!)
Girl Heroes: the new force in popular culture by Dr. Susan Hopkins

These books were the backbone for this essay and I really loved their messages. I also looked at the show "Ugly Betty" as a shift in the concept that beauty is skin-deep. I love America Ferrera's portrayal in this show and encourage all those thinking of studying how the media represents women to watch it.

Also, www.mi6.co.uk was very helpful. Couldn't have got the research on Lara and James without 'em.

Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters (another review!)

I finally got my fifth game in the Ratchet and Clank series. Coming off the back of Ratchet: Gladiator, I was expecting to be impressed. I'd loved the arena combat game and the storyline laid lightly atop it. What I found was only very slightly disappointing. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start at the beginning.

Why THIS game?

Those who know Insomniac's reputation of cranking out awesome platforms won't ask this question, but for the uninitiated, I'll expound. The makers of this awesome series, Insomniac Games, are world-renowned for their sharp wit and funny dialogue that punctuates a challenging but enjoyable game that even older players still enjoy. With that in mind, it's also worth remembering that the recent PS3 release Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction was rated as one of the best PS3 releases to date. When taking this into consideration, it's hard to pass by such an acclaimed series. Especially when your protagonists are a small furry creature with a big gun and an undersized robot.

How does it handle?

In my honest opinion, this could handle better. It's obvious that it was shipped straight from the PSP, as the controls were sticky and Ratchet's movements were blocky. Also, a lot of the mini-games ("Clank Challenges") were buggy and I had to restart numerous times. Something for the QA testers, I shouldn't wonder.
That said, the lock-strafe is still included -particularly useful in a firefight with the boss-man- as well as third person mode. The rotating camera also returns and is an excellent addition when you don't want to jump off a clif just before a continue point.

How does it look and sound?

Insomniac's reputation as a leader in imaging and audio is put to the test here. Apart from returning voice actors (including my very favourite, James Arnold Taylor), the music is more of the same. That doesn't mean that it's annoying, quite the opposite. The veteran fan will appreciate it, but those who haven't played a Ratchet and Clank game before might want to check out the earlier offerings as well.

But what about the weaponry?

Ah yes, the reason to play. Big guns. Very. Big. Guns. It's amazing that such a small Lombax can lift something like the R.Y.N.O (which stands for Rip Ya a New One), but he does and we are pleased. The choices this time are confined to a handful of spectacular weaponry. My favourites include the returning Agents of Doom and the new Bee Mine (I had endless fun shouting 'Killer beeee myne!' every time I dropped a hive for my enemy's destructive pleasure). Also returning is the perennial favourite, the R.Y.N.O... although the best version I've seen of this mortar launcher is the RY3NO (which later becomes my second favourite weapon, the Rynocerator... carnage incarnate!).
That said, the weapon levelling systems have changed again, so the veteran fan will be shaking their head sadly at having to reacclimate again to new ways of getting a stronger weapon. So far, the only weapons I haven't maxed out are the Laser Tracer and the Sniper Mine (a cross-bow type weapon good for picking off low-level enemies).

And the story?

... will have you scratching your head a bit. From kidnapped little girls to a Technomite plot to clone Ratchet, most players will wonder why on earth did Insomniac try to be so complicated? We love this series for it's simple premise of blow stuff up, save the day, enjoy the fight along the way. Still, it has promise and the laughability of Captain Qwark never goes astray.

So, is it worth playing?

Oh, totally. Prime example of why companies should stick to what they know and do best but if they want to bring a game back, to rework it to make it acceptable for the fans. Myself, I'd give it an overall rating of 7.5/10. The return of this awesome series was good, if nothing else.

Game Review: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon (Blue)

Truth be told, I haven't played a pokemon game since Crystal came out on Gameboy Colour. That said, all the pokemon games in the series have the same standard gameplay and premise: you catch 'em, keep 'em, train 'em and fight with 'em. This game and it's partner (red) are a refreshing change from all of that. Most importantly, YOU are the pokemon now. So get ready for a brand-new look at the world of Pokemon.

Graphics: Reminiscent of the traditional Gameboy Colour graphics, original pokemon depictions haven't changed much, save a few tweaks here and there. The backgrounds, however, are bright and colourful and really quite beautiful in some cases. A little improvement in the actual characters would have enhanced gameplay even further.

Sound: Again, standard pokemon series themes. Happy, cheerful and peppy, the music will not be lost on Nintendo buffs who loved games like Yoshi's Story and adore their Wii. That said, everyone will probably mute it to avoid listening to the repetitive loops.

Characterisation: Well executed. Each pokemon is individual and has a specialised personality. In addition to that, the partner pokemon that you receive at the beginning of the game proves to be an invaluable companion throughout the game. The cryptic messages passed on by the seemingly-aloof legendary pokemon can be rather annoying but that's just who they are and the role they play. While waiting for the real answers takes time, you can pretty much work it out for yourself what they are.

Gameplay: Addictive. Playing as a Pokemon for the first time, you actually get a feel for what it's like to have another pokemon bashing you to hell and back, especially those nasty legendary pokemon like Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres. You face pretty much every legendary pokemon from each of the pokemon games. You can also recruit these suckers to your rescue team, giving you a nice advantage in-game. But they aren't easy to get and your best bet is the pokemon that first joins your party out in the field (not going to spoil the ending now...)

Plot: Intriguing and even after the main storyline is over, you still have plenty of mysteries to solve, not to mention plently of pokemon to recruit as well as missions to complete! The side missions are tedious and a lot of them don't reward you particularly amply, but occasionally you run into missions that really ARE worth your time and effort and earn you some really nice goodies! Truly a great release from Satoshi Taijiri, the mastermind behind the original pokemon games.

Overall: A great addition to any DS collection and a great way to waste a weekend or a few hours mindlessly. Pick this up even if the pokemon craze passed you by, as it focusses more on the story and less on catching every little critter that passes your way. Highly recommended for lovers of the pokemon series.

Interface: The two-sided sword

Yeah, yeah, I know. Interfaces have changed a lot. I'm guilty of having the motto 'I work at my computer, I'll play away from it'. But interfaces have changes since ALT=Jump and the space bar fired rockets.

The introduction of the dual screens on the Nintendo DS was a shock to, well, all the systems. How do you concentrate on two screens? (For those of you who play World of Warcraft, look the other way.)

It seemed that in all seriousness, this wasn't an issue. Why? Because Nintendo are intelligent people, of course! The Brain Training was the single most brilliant idea they had ever had (apart from Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time). Here was a portable, slim console that took little time to charge and could actually help your memory! Suddenly, Nintendo had a new niche market: elderly people. There were any number of uses for this neat little gadget which had been invented to boost flagging sales (since the abysmal launch of Gamecube).

Being an awesome company didn't stop there, either. Nintendo then began releasing awesome games that weren't brain-trainers onto this new system. But the best part was this: the dual screen didn't hamper the gameplay. It actually helped. The touch-screen was genius for games like Nintendogs and the movie tie-ins for Harry Potter (which are still an abysmal games all-round, save for the early Gameboy Colour ones). Even the later Final Fantasy releases were oohed and aahhhed over. Sprites representing formerly well-animated models? Okay, that's cool. At least we have better control over them now.

The chat option included on the DS (yes, it's on there. Finish the blog and then go rush off to check it out) was a stroke of brilliance, although from personal experience, having it in a lecture is guaranteed to lower levels of concentration. However, this made console-to-console communication more than just a game issue.

From there, Nintendo gave their adoring public the Wii. Oh joy! A motion-sensor! Finally, what Sony started with the Eyetoy now had mainstream appeal. Although there were still bugs to be worked out (i.e the jerky swordfighting in the movie-tie for Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End and Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess), the concept was there and it was a good one. Wii Sports made excellent use of it and recently (see the article below) Nintendo blessed us once again with the nifty Wii-Fit.

While all this has been going on, the Playstation 3 is still battling for it's share of the market. Why? Well, how exactly is a PS3 different to a PS2? Wireless controllers and better graphics. Big deal. I like my old console, thank you. It's served me well and IS backwards compatible, not like the rubbish Sony is churning out now. As for the XBOX360, well. Halo. Enough said.

Something to think about; if Sony changes elements of it's interface for the release of Kingdom Hearts 3 later this year, what could we expect? A keyblade of our very own? Perhaps a magic wand or a shield? For the games that I or anyone else have proposed... what new pieces of hardware could we create to change the user interface?

Let's make gaming as interesting as it can be.

Continued: This Semester's Lectures Weeks 6-12

On and on and on we go... yes I missed a few lectures, but I'm re-reading the powerpoints and adding in my own thoughts. I also have to write this in half an hour, since I've got to get to work and it's pelting with rain at the moment. Oh well.

Week Six:

So here we are at the half-way point. Six weeks down, six to go. By now, I'm absolutely fed up with the tutorials to the point where I've stopped going. Not that it made much difference. They were pretty damn useless anyway and I'd much rather catch up on my sleep.
So this week's lecture is all about game balance, game design and the game design document. Hooray! Something useful after many weeks of non-usefulness! I particularly liked the game balance theory. Often I've come across games that were poorly balanced (Pokemon Battle Revolution for a start), where the game seems to work on a catastrophe curve (things peeter on well for a bit, then suddenly get monstrously hard!). This theory work is particularly useful for our projects, particularly the multi-player games.
If there's one thing, however, that I disliked about the theory of game balance, it would have to be the work on dominant strategy. Right. So, for instance, in Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings, just because the dominant strategy is to use melee characters, that's what I'll use, right? Wrong! I'm going to use the character with the strongest stats, regardless whether I should or shouldn't use them. The fact that they are weaker to that type doesn't necessary mean that the player will not choose them. For example, if you have a Lv:70 Charizard (in Pokemon), you aren't going to swap it out for a grass-type against a Lv:10 Magikarp, just because fire is weak against water. No! You'd wipe the floor with it! Flamethrower would utter crisp it up! If the lecturers were to consider this, dominant strategies are less prevalent than they would think. As for unbeatable attacks... well, obviously they've never played Ratchet:Deadlocked, because the only way any normal person could beat Gleeman Vox on Exterminator difficultly (and this took me the better part of an afternoon) is with a Level 99 Supernova, the strongest weapon in the game. Oh, and other maxed-out weaponry once I had run out of ammo. Sheesh. Dominant strategy? Finding a strategy that works is the hard part!
The really annoying part of these lectures are that they take the Trinny and Suzannah approach (i.e what not to do). Yeah, you can fill innumerable books with that. What we want to know is what we need to do.

Week Seven:

Challenge. Oh yes, the perennial favourite. No way this could be boring. Right?

Maybe.

Actually, this lecture wasn't as boring and as snub-nosed as the previous ones. This one actually provided some useful information regarding rewards systems and challenge. I particularly liked the applications to Mario and the intrinsic skill and stress information.

Week Eight:

Now, this is stupid. FUN is not an emotion. You don't say 'I feel very fun today', at least you don't if you want people to think you have grammatical skill and dexterity. FUN is when you are in a state of enjoying something. It might not be fun for someone else, but it is for you. Fun, therefore, is a state of being, not an emotion. So after last week's good effort, we're back to being high 'n' mighty and slightly snub-nosed. Ugh. As for the emotional responses, well, quite obviously some of those headings could have been grouped together (violent/negative, positive, competitive, etc.). As for Hillary Clinton in Thompson's quote, he'd be surprised at her history (yeah, I've read American Rhapsody. There ain't much about the Clintons that I don't know. Before anyone makes any jibes about the Ice Queen, you have to know where she came from).
And the endless lists! What's the point? It's not like we're being quizzed on the recall of them. Perhaps incorporating some sort of weekly quiz on the lecture in the tutorial would help retain the information.
But the best thing about this lecture was... FINAL FANTASY VII! Hurrah! Finally, something I could identify with! Of course, Aerith's death was so upsetting for most people that it's one of the most iconic events from the series (apart from the entire storyline for Final Fantasy X and Tidus' painful parting from Yuna). Perfect example for evoking emotion. That and the finale of Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction. Clank's separation from Ratchet at the end made a lot of the die-hard fans very upset.

Week Nine - blessed relief!

Week Ten:

Multi-player games! Woo! This week's lecture began with another tour of history, involving the royal game of Ur and senet. I did like the work on cheating or 'betrayal' as they worded it. But come on, how many times have we all used cheats in games? I've found a couple of good ones myself (for Kingdom Hearts II, mainly). Game designers deliberately put them in. American McGee's Alice is a prime example. There are any number of lists of cheats that designers have left in from when they used them to check levels. The ones I found were on www.gamefaqs.com. But there are so many others.
There were some good questions to ask when designing our assessment games. I think there's a a fair few of us doing board games. After the awesome lecture over in Interactive Writing from the SCOOT team (who do location-based games), I wonder if maybe a location-based game would have been a more imaginative choice. Hmm, something to think about.

Week Eleven:

Phew, just two weeks to go! And, unfortunately, I can't access the notes for this one.

Or the week after. So this wraps up my lecture recaps. Finally.

A re-cap of the lectures this semester: Weeks 1-5

Honestly, I didn't go to all of them. I never DO go to all my lectures. But I did attend a good part, even if I didn't show up to many tutorials.

Here's my very basic recall of what they attempted to impart to us this year:

Week 1:

Mainly Admin stuff and a recap of ITB750. This was quite brilliant since most of it had gone in one ear and out the other. This week covered motivations for play, types of play, etc.

Week 2:

The high-level concept. I really enjoyed this particular lecture and found the structure good to apply to my own game ideas, particularly for The Crystalweb Chronicles. There was a lot of information in this lecture and could have been split up over two weeks for better information retention.
However, the structure was useful and informative. More examples for recent games would have been great. Including Halo was a masterful touch, but not many of the game-players present that day had played Magic: The Gathering and only had a base knowledge.

Week 3:

Components of games, fine. I'm on board with that. Referring to the game as a magic circle was a bit, well, silly. After all, we're not five. We get the idea that a game is an independant system. It was good that the lecture went through the different types of system. I didn't particularly like dissecting soccer and chess. A simple game like minesweeper would have been better. Most of us don't play a lot of physical games so we just found it boring. The rules part of the lecture was far more interesting. This we can actually use.
The lecture started to get a bit off-subjects re: the more psychological background behind games. While useful, when designing a specific game concept it's not really relevant for a designer to stop what they're doing and say 'hang on, this doesn't actually apply to my audience'. Tough, you just remarket it for a different audience. I'm doing a marketing minor and even they know the qualities of repositioning. Sometimes I don't think that the lecturers actually get the idea of how to sell a game. Taking a marketing minor has really opened my eyes up to this.

Week 4:

Conflict in games and decision -making in games. Sounds great, doesn't it? I have to admit, the Pokemon Diamond/Pearl clip was most enjoyable (being an old fan of the ever-popular series). But the downfall of this part of the lecture was that Peta (I think it was Peta) didn't stick with this as the example, but went on to obscure examples from history (centipede and Gauntlet). Sure, great, we get the picture about different types of game conflict, but leave the old games to Game Design History for those of us interested. If the industry is all about new games, why aren't we learning about them?
I also didn't appreciate the idea that, as a woman, I didn't enjoy violence as much as my male counterparts did. What?!? My very first game for my playstation was Ratchet and Clank 2! Large guns and small furry protagonists! That kind of blatant sexism is annoying.
Decision making... what a nightmare! It reminds me of those 'Choose-your-own Adventure!' books I read as a child. Except every movement in a computer game require this decision making process. I have a new appreciation for the programmers who have to sit down and put everything in. God help them.

Week 5:

More decision-making... at least they split this topic over two weeks. Of course, it comes back to the age-old 'heads or tails' thing, doesn't it? A yes or no answer. Do I kill the bad guy, or does he kill me? The three types of decision-outcome relationships (Certain, Risk and Uncertainty) are especially applicable to the hazard and civic duty cards that my group is implementing in our game. There was more work on decision trees, including stuff on keeping uncertainty central in all games. Well, that's a bit silly! That blows the whole game-path theory right out of the window! First of all, they're saying that the player must follow a certain path, now they're saying that no, uncertainty is important for games! I mean, sure, a little bit of lee-way is all well and good, but no game doesn't have objectives. Otherwise it's just random, nonsensical actions.
As for all games having rules... unless you count gravity and other laws of physics as rules (and in space, even those wouldn't actually apply), sometimes play doesn't have rules. That's ITB750 stuff.
This wasn't one of my favourite lectures, as in my mind it seemed to undo all of the work done on games and thinking about 'fun' and 'play' in ITB750. Then again, that's just my opinion.

The Oncoming Storm: How NOT to look like an idiot on presentation day...

Not strictly relevant to what I've written in the past, but with the looming presentation, I have to admit, I'm nervous. With that in mind, I'm cast back to my heady days of public speaking competitions. After one particularly gruelling round, I sat outside with one of the older competitors and mused about presenting a speech. We considered the fact that what NOT to do could in fact make a great speech itself. Applying it to presenting a game idea wouldn't be such a bad thing, either.

Now, I've always been good at speaking in public. I was never nervous about talking to a crowded room, so much the pity since I usually get dumped on for it frequently. But there are some advantages to being a good public speaker (and no, it's not that my drama marks were great).

A few tips from an old hand:

1. NEVER insult your audience's intelligence. They won't thank you for treating them like idiots. Put it in layman's terms, sure. We're all human. But treat them like two-year-olds watching Play School and you'll get a baaaad reception. Assume a basic intelligence and talk to them on that level, remembering appropriate explanations.

2. Keep it interesting. Many's the time I've "fallen asleep" in class because the lecturer was talking in a monotone. Genius they may be, great public speaker they are not. Keep people listening by speeding up, slowing down, changing pitch for emphasis, the works.

3. Know your subject. There's no point presenting rocket science when you know more about interpretative dance. It's not brain surgery, its games! Talk about what you know, what you have played, what you have read. This way you don't have to jitterbug through a jive when you have not a darn clue what you're really talking about.

4. Present relevant material. Seems like an obvious one, but you wouldn't believe the times I've sat through presentations and thought 'And this has to do with the topic.... how?' You'd think that the people would understand how certain things correlate. So if you start talking about meteorological phenomena during the presentation of a game design, I'd say you were a mite off-course.

5. No-one likes a mumbler. It might have been cute for the penguin, but the penguin's marks weren't riding on this. Speak up, please. We can't hear you at the back.

6. Anecdotes R Fun. Fun stories about your own gaming blunders are always amusing. Share some, but keep enough up your sleeve for the afterparty.

That's about it for now. I should think of some more, but I'm tired. Oh well.

Stepping Stones: Cross-Platform Games (Just like Johnny)

Admit it. How many of us actually have the same game on two or more platforms? Unfortunately, I have to stick my hand up here.

It's many because of Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End. Being the incredible Johnny Depp fan that I am (no less than twenty-two movies in my possession, thank you very much), I dove straight in, choosing to ignore the intolerable stunt Bethesda pulled with that, er, very bad offering from the first film. So I got the PS2 version of At World's End first, because that is my favourite platform.

Much, much better.

Gone is the incredibly stupid physics engine (one would have thought that clothes move differently when you walk rather than running), the terrible environment generator and stupid AI that ran your companion. Now, it's all up to you and yes, you DO have to fight as Will and Elizabeth. There is NO choice now.

With the care and love that obviously went into this from Eurocom Entertainment Software, the game stomped all over it's shoddy predecessor (which pains me to say that. Not even Johnny Depp's voice acting could save that hideous abomination).

But lo, what's this? A different game for the Wii and DS? By jove, what a tremendous idea! By utilising the active component of the Wii and the DS, Nintendo breathed new life into the tired genre, allowing for some excellent swordplay by the game-player, hacking and slashing at the television... just like Johnny would have! There were some pretty harsh criticisms about the sword (particularly this one at http://au.gamespot.com/ps2/action/piratesofthecaribbean3/tech_info.html?tag=stats;techinfo), but on the whole, it was a good premise and definitely warranted further exploration.

What interests me is that the standard fighting game cops little attack for abominable environments or characters, yet just because it's a tie-in game, At World's End was hit out as being a bad game. Is it because we all had expectations of fencing like Johnny Depp or Orlando Bloom? If that's the case, may I suggest a stint in the local fencing class, not an afternoon on your game console.

But this is about cross-platforming. The difference between the Playstation and the Wii games were obvious, but appealed to different users. Me? I'll be sticking to my Playstation. Give me button-mashing over swinging my arms around like a madwoman anyday.

Game Review: Jazz Jackrabbit

I positively squealed when I saw this on http://www.dosgames.com/. What ho! A game I actually played as a small child (well, I was ten, actually and in England, but that's just the details). So with the nostalgia pumping in my veins, I downloaded it quick-smart and opened it on my wonderful dosbox.

Waaaahooooooeeeeeey!

Just as fabulous as I remembered! But in the great tradition of this blog, I will go through it carefully and under wonderful sub-headings-

Title- Jazz Jackrabbit

Style- Side-scrolling RPG. You play as the titular character, Jazz.

Details - This game was released in May 1994 for the PC by EpicMegagames and was designed by Cliff Bleszinski.

Platform - MSDOS (or Dosbox for those of us who have moved beyond that).

Aim - Jazz must rescue the lovely Princess Eva Earlong from the nefarious Devan Shell and his army of nutters (like usual).

Personal Opinion - Totally in love with it. Really. It's like Sonic for the PC. Of course, the players reactions need to be acclimated to the fast-paced levels and movements of Jazz as he rockets around the levels, shooting things and collecting other... things. But the music is hilarious, the occasional 'yum!' when you grab a carrot is great and the final boss is the most rip-roaring adventure since Sonic sped past us in the nineties.
For a nineties PC game, the graphics are fairly advanced and enjoy the added bonus of the nostalgic comic-book character feel made famous in games like Sly Raccoon. However, it is a classic side-scroller and some more advanced game-players may find it a little boring.

Rating - This is worth at least a 9.5/10. Minimum. I've spoken to a few classmates who all remember the speedy green rabbit with misty eyes and trembling smiles, saying 'I remember playing that. The music was awesome! The gameplay was hilarious good fun and... can I have a copy?'
No need to ask me, guys. Check out the link above and download your own copy. Words of warning though; one, you'll need a dosbox to run it and two... try not to get readdicted. :)
(For those who aren't acquainted with the game, check out wiki's fairly coherent compliation at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jazz_Jackrabbit_(game). It's a place to start if you're looking at the game's history and characters. As Penny would say, don't use it as a reference. It's a starting point.)

The Length and Breadth of it: Game Completion Requirements

I now have a new-found respect for those poor designers who sit at their computer with their design documents open, saying 'Right, so what do those poor suckers have to do to finish my game?'

The reason I bring this up is that I'm currently completing a checklist of 'must-do's' to get from city to city in my Interactive Writing assignment for my game, Bloodlust - Curse of the Knight-King Sword.

Oh. My. God. WHAT A MARATHON!

Five pages! Five! That's not INCLUDING the eight pages I started with, or the pretty pictures I photoshopped together. Gah! I've somehow got to work in five sacrifices, seven cities (with librarians and barkeeps), a nutty prince (cue Hamlet), twins and an evil sword. What a nightmare! As much as I love this game and would probably play it forever myself, lordy it's a juggernaut!

Then there's the side missions, the bane of every gaming perfectionist. Those of you who have played the Chocobo racing side-mission in Final Fantasy X know EXACTLY what I'm talking about. Thankfully, I haven't made mine too easy or too difficult, though the rewards are pretty good (gold and potions? Thank YOU Mr. Walter P. Smythe!<- a Deal or no Deal joke).

That's the real issue with RPGs, especially when you use real-time strategy elements. There's just so much you need to think about, need to incorporate. In the midst of all this, I also need to write some more of my *counts quickly* three books (one I'm co-authoring), study for an exam, write some more journal entries and complete my design history journal. Oy.

So to all those RPG designers, I take my pretty purple hisbiscus hairclip off to you, you wonderful people you. You're absolutely crazy.

Nintendogs: Tamagotchi for the DS Generation

Alright, hands up everyone who had a Tamagotchi as a child? I think I'd need about five hands. I was obsessed with the little bleeping things. They were adorable! They went everywhere you did, were utterly dependent on your input and rewarded the exceptional player with longevity and games. My personal favourite was a cat-like one I named 'Tiger'; it lived for just over a month and then died in my mother's care.

Just when us nineties kids thought it was all over and we were sad-acts with our little bleeping ovacular techonology, Nintendo comes along (remember Nintendo? They gave us Super Mario Bros., the game we all fought over the controller for as eight-year-olds) and gives us a new reason to play their new-fangled console, the DS. Here, have a tamagotchi! Only it's not actually a tamagotchi, it's a more real-looking dog that you can really feed, really clean up after, really play with! You can take it for real walks and enter real competition with it!

The tamagotchi generation kicked it's heels in the air and raced off to get a copy of these cute puppies/kitties/other domesticated animals as the Nintendogs-craze began. Me? I liked them, but Nintendogs required a daily committment that I wasn't willing to give, so my puppies are now very hungry and very dirty. It reminds me of high school, when I had a friend who had a Pikachu tamagotchi. You shook it to earn points, which could be traded for items and prizes. She'd carry it everywhere with her. Nowadays I don't think she even knows where it is. Funny how games go in and out of vogue, isn't it?

I think that game designers need to keep this in mind when creating games. Classic games like Super Mario Bros, Final Fantasy VII and VIII, Sonic the Hedgehog, etc. are all classics for a reason. Their content resonates to the core values of a generation. Perhaps the Tamagotchi generation has a core value of instability and disposeability. Who knows?

Backlash: From the PSP to the PS2 - Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters

I always find it amusing when games attempt a launch on just one console, particularly when the console is very new and often very expensive. Such was the case when the relatively new Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters game was released a few years ago on the PSP. It made me desperately covet one of those little hand-held thingamabobs just so I could play the new game in my favourite series.

A few years later, I still don't own a PSP, yet in a week or so I will own Size Matters. Why? Because the game didn't sell so well. Insomniac's overall return on the game was vastly less than what the rest of the series had drawn in. Thus, since the game was brilliant but releasing it soley on the PSP was a massive faux pas, the nice guys at Insomniac decided to re-release, this time on the PS2 (sorry to all those kiddies who traded in their PS2s for a PS3 which is not backwards compatible).

This is not the first time that releasing games on one console only has proved unpopular. More and more game developers are creating games that can be played on different consoles (the front-runners being the Wii, DS and the XBOX360) in order to maximise profits. One that it particularly relevent to my interests is the release of not one but three versions of Kingdom Hearts III. They will be released on three different consoles (and I believe that there is talk of an online component) with different scenarios in each. The player, to gain the entire story, must play all of the games. In reality, this is going to take some time. The upside to that is that Square Enix has time to find a new director once Tetsuya Nomura leaves the helm of the Kingdom Hearts juggernaut.

That's about it. I just wanted to expound my thoughts about Size Matters, really.

Review: Final Fantasy XII - Revenant Wings

This is one of Square Enix's more brilliant excursions into RTS (Real-Time Strategy) games, since it's original debut as Final Fantasy XII. One year has passed and the land of Ivalice is pretty much at peace. Or so everyone thought. Because now there's an odd airship (that I renamed The Phantom) in port at Rabanastre, a lost sky continent has reappeared and things are about to go from bad to worse for air pirate Vaan and his trusted navigator and poor cook, Penelo...

Game Play:

Like all the best Final Fantasy games, you play in a party. You can have full control over each member or set different members to use certain tactics. I prefer to have full control over my characters, but that doesn't automatically mean that your characters will do everything you direct them to, which can work in your favour but often doesn't.

The espers (renamed as Yarhi) return, as do the quickenings. Like the original, you gain them steadily throughout the game. This can get particularly annoying when a) You don't have enough auracite to form a pact with a more powerful new one or b) You have too much auracite and not enough new espers/yarhi to form pacts with. The second one is particularly accurate once you reach the end of the game and the only yarhi left to form pacts with only become available after you whup them in seriously difficult side missions.

The upside to party-fighting is that you can split the group up and send each half to mow down enemies on each side of the fighting map. Also, thanks to the inclusion of summoning gates, if you lose a Yarhi, even the most powerful ones from Rank III, you can re-summon them at full strength. There is a limit to how many you can summon, but they are useful when entering battles that are dangerous to central party members.

Interface - The Nintendo DS:

In truth, there's probably nothing gained from using the dual screen. A similar style of RTS play was demonstrated in Tactics and the GBA (Game Boy Advance) version worked just as well. But it is handy to have the map in the top screen to show you mission objectives and enemy locations. The touch screen also makes it slightly easier to control larger parties (once summoning yarhi has become second-nature).

Graphics/Music/Sound:

Harking back to the days when Nintendo made excellent use of the angular sprites, most of the game is enacted through little representations of the characters so beautifully represented in the original FFXII. The only time the player is shown the resplendant original portrayals is during dramatic cut scenes.

The music is quite beautiful and changes with each mission. My personal favourite is the music played during the adventure on the Isle of the Yarhi, the place from which all Yarhi are summoned. In retrospect, it casts the Final Fantasy regular back in time to the tenth official installment in the series during Yuna and Tidus' fateful excursion to Macalania Woods.

The sound effects are enjoyable and not really repetitive. Still, like will all games, you wouldn't want to be listening to them constantly. There's good breaks and even usage of them.

Overall Impression:

It's really quite an enjoyable game with good plot structure for the game narrative and excellent pick-up if the player can't understand it by the end. While it does have its faults, it is perfectly playable during long trips and excellent escapism with the nostalgic element for those who played its predecessor on the playstation 2. I'd give it an 8/10.

Exercise and Games: The release of the Wii-Fit

Gone are the days where games were only played by either fat geeks or skinny pimple faced sixteen year olds with as much experience with girls as the Dalai Lama. Seems that the new demographic for game companies is women, more importantly middle-aged ones.

This morning, as I perused my emails that had arrived overnight, I came across this article:

http://aww.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=563982

It goes into the Australian release of the Wii-Fit. For those not in the know, the Wii-fit is an exercise game that is designed to help the player lose weight and keep fit. The immediate benefits are obvious; at $150, it's cheaper than a year the gym and far more convenient. It's also a lot more fun and while you sit and nurse your well-earned sore muscles afterwards, you can indulge in a quick run in Twilight Princess, should the need arise.

But it got me thinking. Last year in ITB750, we were told that women over thirty(?) comprise a larger percentage of game players than teenage males. If that's the case, why is it that game companies still release title that are specifically aimed at a male demographic? Hang on, I covered this in my ITB750 essay... anyway.

To the case in point about male-orientated released, no-one could miss the hoopla that has surrounded the release of Grand Theft Auto IV. Possibly one of this decade's more successful game series, the Grand Theft Auto games display all those traits that make educators, government and parents recoil in horror; violence, sexual themes, criminal activity and swearing. Yet the series remains a best-seller for the consoles involved.

So why is it that these types of games often sell better? Perhaps it's a case of disposable income. As teenagers, most of us have very little financial burdens (save, perhaps, if you have a car). The type of women that the Wii-fit is aimed at have families and homes to support and with prices and whatnot going through the roof, the amount of money left over for a woman to spend on herself is drastically decreased. I have a feeling that this will impact on the sales of the Wii-fit. But perhaps it will sell well with the teenage female. I plan to get one to test it out. It looks like fun, at the very least.

Classic Games: Return of the Phantom

Okay, I know I'm a bit obsessed with my Phantom of the Opera. But this game is one of the best known game versions of my favourite story and I thought I'd give it a try.

What a laugh!

The game, made by Micropose in 1993, is the pinnacle of all that is cheesy in the early computer game days. What it lacks in gameplay it makes up in graphical and historical accuracy. The tinny organ music is looped and repetitive, but for those who adore the story behind Phantom, following the storyline through the game is a great source of amusement.

Unfortunately for the Phantom purists, we're forced into the role of Raoul (the Vicomte de Chagny) after being thrown from a fly loft by Erik, the titular Phantom. You then spend the rest of the game hunting him down, only to have him live and come back to try to kill you again!

How this game could have been improved:

PLAY AS THE PHANTOM! I really hate Raoul. He was never a favourite character. He was smarmy and uppity and a lot of other nasty adjectives that I can't add to this assignment. Ugh. Playing as the Phantom would have added much more class and intrigue to the game. After the recent insurgence in interest into the famous book and play, I'd be surprised if this game concept did not come up with some of the bigger game companies.

What this game did well:

The representation of the Opera Populaire. Loved it. The chandelier scene was faithfully represented and the events were quite faithfully followed.

So, what's it worth?

For phans and fans of classic games alike, it rates about a 6.5/10. A lot of the score is for just being Phantom of the Opera. Oh well.

Physicality in Games - Next-Gen consoles

It seems to me that not so long again, the Sega Master System II was the height of cool. Alex Kidd in Miracle World was considered awesome and Echo the Dolphin was the new hero of the age.

At the same time, that all seems so long ago.

Nowadays, a console isn't complete unless it has a wireless controller, requires you to fling yourself about the room with abandon, trying out-wit the AI that seems to be doing a quite accomplished job of handing your buttocks to you on a silver platter.

Not that long ago, we were all stuck to the console via a wired-in controller (and those who still their Playstation 2 will still be experiencing this), following the same structured routine to do in the same boss you whupped two days ago.

I've experienced both sides of this. I own a Wii, a DS, a Sega and a Playstation 2. Since I bought the Wii, I've noticed several things. The first and foremost thing is there is such an injury as Wii-shoulder. It falls in the same category as Tennis Elbow. Plus it's painful.

More on this later. Right now, I could use a coffee...

Music of the Night II - Further Perambulations into the Sound of Games

To pick up where I left off regarding music in games... since Phantom of the Opera, music has occupied a fair chunk of my concentration. I watched a bonus clip about the musicology, or study of music, in the musical on the DVD of the movie (starring Gerard Butler).

I'm working on something different to a game, yet maybe not so different. It's a script, a sequel of sorts to Phantom. I've discovered (through that ever-nonreliable source Wikipedia), that a game of the book was in fact made. Pah, bet it was a PC-game. I really have a problem with PC-games. They annoy me. Give me a console game anyday. I work at my computer, I'll play away from it.

But I digress. The themes that recurr through the music in Phantom intrigue me. Each character has his or her own melodic injection that announces their arrival or presence. I've noticed this with certain video games. When fighting Sephiroth in Kingdom Hearts, there was a uniquely composed piece that isn't heard anywhere else in the game (and I should know. I've spent hours playing the gummi routes so I could finish at 100% completion).

I've also noticed a correlation between musical composers. In Phantom, Andrew Lloyd Webber allows the Phantom's theme to encroach on other musical pieces, giving the impression of his invasive presence. This is also apparent in the Star Wars films, when Anakin Skywalker is growing up. The Darth Vader theme is there, but muted. It becomes more pronounced throughout the series of films. In games, possibly the most foremost in my mind is the gentle theme that plays whenever Sora comes close to finding either his friends Riku and Kairi or King Mickey in Kingdom Hearts.

Themes in game music tend to become iconic. The Super Mario Bros. theme is known across the world, even the songs featured in games like Final Fantasy X-2. Similarly in Phantom, the crashing chords that play in the titular song The Phantom of the Opera are iconic, as is the line that is repeated sung and said throughout the performance:

The Phantom of the Opera is there, inside your mind.

Which could mean a number of things. The Phantom could exist, in which case he is able to read and manipulate minds. If he doesn't exist, the power he expends is all in the mind, something to be believed in to be real. Or maybe it's a combination of the two, or neither. Such is the nature of the character.

We give things power by believing in them. A lesson learnt from the master works of Terry Pratchett.

Maybe it's the same with video games. We believe in certain characters, they become real to us. A certain theme played at a certain time evokes emotion, causes belief.

Just like Phantom of the Opera.

Holidays and the week - Music of the Night

Since we were on holidays last week, it appears that we really didn't do much at all. I didn't play many games (apart from Wii-Sports for a bit of difference and finishing the last requirements for KHII) or think up many storylines.

My time, then, was spent on writing music.

Music intrigues me. It evokes a myriad of emotions in those who hear it. All the more reason why it's inclusion in video games is so important. Who could forget the haunting music of 'Sanctuary' as Roxas is 'born' in KHII, or the gothic rock that plays at the start of Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus? Even the chirpy electro-pop music that is synonymous with Mario or Yoshi's Story for N64 (wa, wa wa wa waaa, wa, wa wa wa waaa). Music is the lifeblood that drives emotion in the game.

More later. Right now, I have to get to work.

Phantom of the Opera?

Recently, I went to see the latest stage production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's immortal musical The Phantom of the Opera, based on a horror novel by Gaston LeRoux. I found it refreshing and wonderfully performed, in particular stand-out form was Anthony Warlow in his performance as the Phantom. It was on the trip home from this amazing performance that I got to wondering; with all the films and songs written and performed about this book, why hasn't a game been made?

A Phantom game. Unusual, but an exciting thought. Would you play as the Phantom? Perhaps in parts. Maybe, to progress the story, you would have to play as all three of the main characters: The Phantom, Christine and Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny. For example, in the mirror scene, you could play as the Phantom, and rely on stealth to whisk Christine away under your influence before Raoul (just outside the door) notices your presence. Or you could have a section of reaction timers (like the Atlantica level in Kingdom Hearts II) during Christine's performace in Il Muto or Don Juan Triumphant. Perhaps there could also be a combat stage where you play as Raoul fighting the Phantom... no, wait, I don't like that. I can't bear to see my Phantom hurt!

Mmmm, I'm liking this idea. I'd love to get either Michael Crawford (the original stage Phantom) or Anthony Warlow to voice the Phantom. I can see the opening scenes clearly... having the mask fade into view and have the Phantom voice over Welcome to my lair... many years have passed since the fateful events that transpired here and forged my destiny. But I digress... perhaps the only way to tell you my story is to let you live it...

Then the screen would whoosh out to a white screen, where the game begins and Christine would be introduced. Possibly.

It's not a bad idea. Definitely a keeper! But I fear it would only work if the graphics were phenomenal... maybe a square enix game?

Anyway, that's it for now.

Another game review and reflections

It's been a while since I did any sort of reflections as far as the lectures go. As far as being interesting, my attention has been waning. Same goes for the tutorials. I find myself walking out of lectures and seriously considering not showing up to tutorials because I have better things to do than spend two hours having my opinions rubbished or doodling in my notepad while the lecturer drones on in a monotone over the games she plays with her husband. The only time I think I resurfaced was when the clip from Pokemon was playing.

I miss Penny giving the lecturers. She delivered the information in an interesting manner and I found it easy to comprehend. Because of that, I found it easy to retain the lecture content. Tutorials are still boring me to the teeth. If it wasn't too late in the semester and I had the option, I'd switch out. I often find myself wondering whether Marco actually plays games or just reads about them. You can't really define what it is you get from a game. Here's an example.

I recently got myself a second copy of Kingdom Hearts II, since my first copy was stolen. I restarted it and immediately remembered why I loved it so. The compare/contrast nature of Disney worlds with original characters and those taken from Square Enix's well-known series Final Fantasy give the game it's nostalgic feel. The opening cutscenes give a great abstract look back for those who didn't play the two previous games (yes, two. There was Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, the second of which was never released in Australia).

The storyline is possibly it's greatest asset. The epic story of Sora's search for his best friend Riku and desperation to return home to Destiny Isle takes him to places where the most iconic of Disney's characters reside.

The final battle sees Riku and Sora reunited and teamed up against a foe that would see Kingdom Hearts (the final resting place for all hearts) destroyed.

The graphics are beautiful and the music is performed by Japan's best-known popstar - Hikaru Utada. She performs two songs over the two PS2 games, Simple and Clean for I and Sanctuary for II. Both are beautifully written and sung as well as fitting the story wonderfully.

Biased as I am, I'd have to give it a 10/10. It never disappoints me.

Image Post!

Hey guys, my first post! Testing out how uploading pictures will look. This is an example card for the game. Hazard Cards are Red and Civic Duty cards are Blue, but we haven't exactly decided on card layouts yet. As Amy pointed out, it's not plain obvious if it's hazard or not.

Good thing this is just a test right?

Invitations and a review

The other two members of my group, Amy and Courtney, will also be posting on this blog from now on. They will also be writing in their own journals, but most of the image work completed in photoshop will be posted on here for convenience. As a courtesy, the posts not done by me (Gemma Sinclair) should not be marked (if it makes it any easier, I can remove them).

Since we haven't done much this week re: assignment, a reflection on this week's lecture is in order. First of all, I have to say that Penny is a far better lecturer. She makes it easy to listen and take in and, most importantly, understand. The lecturer this week (who started to introduce herself but failed to say her name) was awful. I left halfway through because she was going too fast and not explaining anything clearly.

I also have a bone to pick with our tutor. He clearly isn't much help in regards to our assignment and makes us play silly pillow-tossing games at the beginning of class. Call me old-fashioned, but I like a structure of tutorial questions, assignment work, discussion about the last lecture and various help. What we're doing at the moment is footling about and not getting help. Example? In two minutes, we were expected to come up with a concept for a game. The ASSIGNMENT in two minutes!!! Then he kept interrupting us as we were reading out our ideas and finding fault with them, making every idea sound stupid. Example of this was when I was trying to read out the rules and he kept stopping me and asking me to repeat something related which I had said only two minutes before! Surely this is a stupid thing to do. I really hated it. It's rude to interrupt. I'm not sorry for saying this, because I'll expect him to be reading this and learn from it: help the students, don't hinder them. You're there for support, not to shoot every idea down in flames.

Sorry for the rant, but there you have it.

I suppose it's time for another review of a commercial game. This time, I'd like to review a console game, particularly for the nintendo Wii.

Title: Pokemon Battle Revolution.

Style: RTS (real time strategy), turn-based.

Aim: You play as a Pokemon trainer, new to Poketopia; an island in the middle of nowhere, where trainers gather to test their skills against each other in a series of colosseum events. Your aim is to complete all the challenges in all the colosseums and become the world's greatest pokemon trainer.

Personal Opinion:
Unfortunately, I'm of the opinion that the game should get progressively harder, not be dead easy up to a point and then slam you with every nasty attack known to trainerkind. The stadiums I'm referring to are the Sunset and Magma Colosseums (that damn Lopunny! Rawr!).
On the other hand, it is very well reminiscent of the great large console games for Pokemon (for those who remember Pokemon Stadium and Pokemon Colosseum from the Nintendo 64). The graphics have been improved for a better look overall and the animations for the attacks have vastly improved with graphic capabilities of the Wii.
The actual battling is brilliant, admittedly I am biased towards the classic RPG. Uploading (or 'copying') my own pokemon to the game made it even more enjoyable.

Rating:

The gameplay can get a bit monotonous and you often find yourself wondering when the hell it is going to end. However, the graphics are wonderful and you can always mute the annoying announcer's voice (if I hear 'Ripped by Roar of Time' one more time, I'm going to throw the Wii remote into the screen!).
Overall, I'd give it 7/10.

Courtney's Fantastic PNG's

Our other member of this group is Courtney (who is feeling a bit left out), but who has risen to the occasion and created some great pictures for our hazard and civic duty cards। Hopefully, he'll register on this site, so he can post the pictures. He has also gone beyond the call of duty and created a security card, with a picture of police or army.

Week Three: The Cheshire Cat's Revenge!

Tomorrow is the big team meeting where we write the mega-important HIGH CONCEPT STATEMENT. Or something like that. Exact wording has never been my strong point. All I know is that Amy expects Courtney and I to be at university at nine tomorrow morning to get this concept committed to paper. One has to wonder if we've waited too long...

Still, we've done a lot of productive brainstorming. That's SURE to help. The ideas about the Hazard and Civic Duty cards are something that I'm really happy about. It's a brilliant idea.

Something that was interesting in pursuing was a sequel to American McGee's Alice. Since I haven't finished this fantastic PC-based game yet, I'm not too sure how it would pan out. I'd like to call it Alice II: The Cheshire Cat's Revenge, as a sort of prequel to Alice. As far as inspiration was and is concerned, it was just 'This is too good to be just one game. They need to make more of it'.

From what I've been brainstorming, it would be the prequel to Alice, during the time that Alice is comatose and not in Wonderland. As Alice is going mad, Wonderland begins to fall more and more under the tyrannical rule of The Queen of Hearts. It's down to the Cheshire Cat (Alice's one hope to save her sanity) to save the remaining characters that are loyal to Alice's imagination and to take them to a safe place.

It will be very similar to Alice, in that the controls will be the same, although the weapons and attacks will be different. Players will be able to utilise the Cat's abilities, such as invisibility and teleportation.

I've had a rather exciting idea of how it could link back to the "first" game. The Cheshire Cat could be forced, in battle with the Queen, to reach out to Alice's cerebral cortex, sending out a kind of S.O.S. This would trigger a kind of time/space warp, where Alice would find herself at the start of the "first" game and discover Cat's 'mangy' appearance. Throughout TCCR, Cat could get progressively thinner as the immense strain/drain on his powers allocated by Alice's imagination wastes his body away.

I quite like this idea and it may warrant further exploration. More on this at a later date..

Card Crisis! The discovery of in-game hazards (and reflections of week 2)

Something that intrigues me is the use of game cards. A lot of board games use them; Monopoly, Jumanji (yes, there was a version released after the film), Trivial Pursuit, etc. It may be an idea to take this idea and apply it in some way to the assignment.

I haven't reflected on the last lecture or so, therefore I should probably cover what we did in Week 2:

Week two, for me, was all about the HLC (or High Level Concept). This is taking an idea for a game and turning it into a solid concept for a game (once I went through these steps, I went back and modified the post about The Crystalweb Chronicles).
It was most interesting and I got a lot out of it, particularly how to structure my ideas to make them viable game plans.

I have to admit, though, I'm not enjoying the tutorials very much. Marco (my tutor) doesn't seem to be explaining things to us in an easy-to-understand manner. Yes, I understand that I have to work at learning and that nothing is going to be very easy. But he asks silly questions and argues against all of our answers. We're not interesting in what he thinks, he asked us what we think. No amount of arguing his point is going to change the mind of a bunch of game-players who have been gaming since they were very young. Maybe it's a case of we play for a hobby and don't see it as a job yet. Being a little more advanced, Marco may have a different viewpoint.

I still don't like it. But that's my opinion and no offence is meant.

Design Concepts: The Board (and a review!)

After talking it over with Amy on the weekend (and after playing my brand-new Doctor Who board game, for research purposes, of course!), we came to the conclusion that a circular board, similiar to the one we played the game on, with the path that the pieces follow slowly spiralling into the centre would be a good idea. We'll discuss further artwork concepts with Courtney (who I'm sure is feeling a little left out, given Amy and I live so close to each other and can wander over to each other's place whenever we have a brilliant idea) in a team meeting.

Speaking of my new Doctor Who game, it's about time I stuck in a game review... so here it is!

Game:
Doctor Who: The Time-Travelling Action Game

Style:
Board game

Design:
The board is hexagonal, a style carried over from the popular BBC1 television show. There are mechanical moving parts as well as a light-up and noise-making TARDIS (the time-travelling machine featured in the show).

Aim of the Game:
Each player is dealt four 'monster cards'. They must then race each other to defeat each of their monsters using regeneration energy and return to their starting space.

Hazards:
Gameplay is made more difficult by the TARDIS, which changes the images on the board through what's known as a 'time continuum shift'. This means that even if you are only a few squares away from a monster, seconds later it could be on the opposite side of the board.

Personal Opinion:
I played this game with Amy Vellnagel, so we both enjoyed the fact it was related to Doctor Who as we are both fans of the sci-fi show. However, those who are unfamiliar with the monsters and creatures from the show could find it slightly confusing.
The actual playing of the game needs to be quick, which I found hampered the game. The board changed every thirty seconds, which was not long enough to make a decisive move. However, this may be better for those who have played it a few times and are comfortable with the short time gap.

Rating:
I really do love Doctor Who and the gameplay was fun, if a little difficult. I'd give it 8/10 and recommend it to other Doctor Who fans who can play it with other fans.

(This game can be found at Gamesworld, North Lakes)

More ideas...

Since we are expected to have two entries per week, I thought I'd share another concept with you all. This game idea is probably the most deciding factor in what made me want to become a Game Designer.

The game is called The Crystalweb Chronicles. The initial concept for the game came to me while I was dusting my bedroom. I'm terrified of spiders (yet strangely fascinated by them), so I don't do it very often. But I noticed that a tiny colony had set up shop just behind my desk in the corner where two walls met. I sat and looked at it for a while and wondered what it must be like for a spider; to have it's home destroyed every time someone dusts or sweeps, then being forced to rebuild again. Thus the idea for TCC came about.

Story (elevator pitch):

After his city is destroyed, a common house spider called Onyx sets out with a loony mage harvestman known as Pop to find the legendary creator of Cobbleweb City, Crystalweb. But his journey is hampered by Rocky; a desert tarantula and leader of the deadly Red Backs, who is bent on using the city's destruction to his own advantage.

Player:

The player in this single-player RPG takes on the role of Onyx. Tutorial/Gameplay help is provided by nearby NPC's (mainly Pop, who teaches Onyx Aracana, or Spider Magic).

Skills/Abilities:

There are two main combat styles: melee and magical. Melee attacks generally deal non-elemental damage, but are less powerful than magical attacks. Magical attacks (unlike melee attacks, which are available from the start of the game) are acquired throughout 'encounters' or random battles with members/cronies of the Red Back Gang.
Magical attacks can be elemental or non-elemental (arcana, specified arcana). Each spider is assigned an element (Fire, Water, Thunder, Earth), depending on where they are found (e.g. Rocky, a desert tarantula, is an Earth Spider and is therefore weak to water spells, but strong against Thunder). In order to complete the game, the player must master each type of Aracana.

Genre:

The Crystalweb Chronicles is/are (possibility of a sequel?) an adventure RPG. It is aimed at the discerning RPG player who is looking for a more challenging game with a more intriguing and unusual storyline.

This is as much as I have got so far. I have some rough concept art that I will post at a later date.

Day One - Group Members, Reflections and Initial Concepts!

Introduction:

Welcome, ladies and gents, to the first blog entry of Defend Ankh-Morpork! A game based on Terry Pratchett's phenomenal book series, Discworld. First of all, we acknowledge the right of Mr Pratchett as the literary owner and on-high ruler of all things Discworld and therefore must stress that this is only a university project, not an actual product. That said, with all due respect, we'd like to borrow the proud city of Ankh and pestilent Morpork for a few weeks to at least pass our subject.

Our group consists of myself, Amy Vellnagel and Courtney Dawson. While we are yet to come up with a company name (since Hasbro and Mattel are taken, damn!), we expect it will come to us. Eventually.

Reflections on lecture 1:

This was mainly a recap of ITB750, which was good, as I suspect that many people (including myself) may have forgotten concepts like paida, ludus, alea, mimicry, etc. It was a nice refresher and very useful.
I did have a go at reading the required study... this week it was a bunch of slides from a conference in 2005. Now, while most of it made some sort of vague sense, the analogy of using chemistry in a way to denote game design is ludicrous. I did study science and I'm well aware that the concepts being idealised were utter tosh. Gameplay tends to flow from point a to point b, whereas in science (in particular chemistry), there is often no starting point. You can get an idea of the beginning, but solutions are always flexible. Games revolve in a world of numbers that are fairly rigid, regardless.
Well, that's how I look at it, anyway. I could always be wrong.

Game concepts:

Since we were told to change our journals as far as anything concerning the assignment goes, I will blog here some ideas I've had concerning some other games. Usually, I dabble in ideas for sequels, so for this blog, I'd like to present Kingdom Hearts III: Boundary Alliance. My inspiration for the game concept came from playing the second KH game, which I consider to be the best game ever. In one of the 'worlds', there is such a thing as the Cornerstone of Light, which protects Disney Castle and is the source of 'white' magic. The initial concept was 'Where there is light, there is darkness. There must always be a balance'. What if the balance was tipped, but not in favour of darkness? What would happen if the balance fell in favour of light? The following is what I brain-stormed:

Name - Kingdom Hearts: Boundary Alliance

Important features -

• Guardians of Light - Six Crystals of Argon
  
• Dictators of Darkness - Six Crystals of Xenon

Story:

Once peace was restored to all worlds; Sora, Riku and Kairi returned home. But all was good. Too good. Darkness began disappearing everywhere until, finally, the sun never set.

The Endless Day heralded King Mickey's arrival in the Destiny Islands. He explained that a neophyte of the Guardians of Light (keepers of the Cornerstone of Light) had stolen the six Dark Crystals of Xenon from the Heart of Darkness, that which make up the Cornerstone of Darkness, shifting the fragile yet crucial balance of light and dark. There were no more boundaries.

Teaming up with former enemies Maleficent and Hades, King Mickey hopes to restore the balance with the Boundary Alliance; a group of prominent leaders from both the realm of light and the realm of darkness. To do this, Sora must rejoin Donald and Goofy to recover the Crystals of Xenon, which lay scattered in hiding-places over the worlds. In the meantime; Riku, Kairi and the King must track down the neophyte who stole them and confront him.

Should Sora and his friends fail, the singular crystals will be obliterated with the overwhelming power of light and Darkness will be no more. But Sora and co. still wield their keyblades and are confident that they will recover the lost Crystals of Darkness and restore the boundaries of light and dark.

Characters:

Returning from KH I & II are -

• Sora
• Riku
• Kairi
• King Mickey
• Donald
• Goofy
• Leon (Squall Leonhart)
• Cid
• Yuffie
• Aerith
• Cloud
• Ansem
• Maleficient
• Hades
  

Joining the cast are -

• Guardians of Light

Comprising of three masters and three apprentices (known as neophytes), the Guardians of Light protect the Cornerstone of Light and its composite components, The Six Crystals of Argon. The crystals by name are:

1. Azur (light blue)
2. Scarl (red)
3. Safra (yellow)
4. Bluzra (pink)
5. Vulcan (orange)
6. Argort (white)

Master Guardians - Neophytes
Mickey - Sora
Ansem the Wise - Riku
Dellan - Roanefold

• Dictators of Darkness

Master Guardians - Neophytes
Maleficent - Mordred
Hades - Khaos
Khann - Demeter

Khann and his son, Demeter, rule the darkness of Kingdom Hearts. They hold the two most powerful crystals of Xenon, Crystal Indiga (purple) and Obsidian (black). The complete list of Cornerstone component crystals is:

1. Indiga (purple)
2. Toxa (dark green)
3. Abyssa (dark blue)
4. Void (charcoal grey)
5. Theta (silver)
6. Obsidian (black)

• Khann

Not inheritly evil, Khann understands that a balance must be kept after Xehanort's twice-failed attempts to access Kingdom Hearts' darkness.

Demeter, his son, is brash and hot-headed. He believes that darkness should reign, unrestrained. It was he who was in charge of re-energising the Xenon crystals when Roanefold stole them.
During his time in the darkness, Khann watched over Riku but never made himself known.
King Mickey first learned of Khann's existence after the Endless Day began.

• Khaos

Khaos is Hades' nephew; a wild child who takes after his uncle a little too much. Khaos is energetic and brutal, often eliminating anyone in his way. In a way, he and Demeter are very similar.

Worlds:

• Atlantis - hero/es Kida, then Milo (boss - Commander Rourke) - human
• Ant Colony (A Bug's Life) - Flick (Grasshoppers) - human, shrunk
• Man Village (The Jungle Book) - Mowgli (Shere Khan) - human
• Treasure Planet - Jim Hawkins (John Silver) - human
• Barrier Reef (Finding Nemo) - Marlin (Sharks) - fish (see Atlantica)
• Great Forest (Bambi) - Grown Bambi (Poachers) - deerform (like Prideland from KH2)
  

Gameplay:
Players alternate between Sora and Riku throughout the game as the two storylines diverge at the beginning and ultimately converging at the end for the last showdown against Roanefold.
King Mickey and Kairi form Riku's party while Donald and Goofy form Sora's.
King Mickey carries his keyblade while Kairi now carries Oathkeeper, since Sora returned her lucky charm to her.

Fiction:

Something I started. The following link is to a page where I began writing the storyline for the game as a novelisation:

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3619016/1/Kingdom_Hearts_Boundary_Alliance

Conclusion:

In all, not a bad start. We have a group, a general concept (that may or may not change) and a good background knowledge. Now, where to go from here...

*Australian dated 29/02/28