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.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Saturday, December 27, 2008
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.
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.
Monday, December 22, 2008
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!
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!
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