I was reading a blog over at the Frag Dolls site and I was interested in what they had to say about games made specifically for girls. Having done marketing for games - which is no picnic but worth it - I've not found much difference in the games girls like to play. They seem to want everything that a guy wants from a game, they just want better representation.
Which is all fine and good, but very few are willing to fight for that kind of equality. We barely have a reasonable representation in the companies that make the games, let alone the testing groups. Working on my first PC title at the beginning of the year, I put a call out to the general public for testers. I do believe only one girl answered the call up and there were Tim-Tams on offer! How can any woman turn THAT down?
While I was pushing for an alternative female protagonist in-game, the boys eventually over-rode my decision, but it never sat quite right with me. Being the voice of progression is never easy, even more so when you are lost under a cacophony of other voices. I was lucky - I had a champion in the design team who took my side and fought with me for some of my game mechanics and characterisations. But nevertheless, it's my belief that the guys who want to tap into this demographic need to pull their fingers out of their ears and listen to the shrill whining of the girls who feel misrepresented.
Maybe if they do that, those girls will buy their games.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days - Return to glory for the epic series of fantastic games!
Well, finally my prayers were answered - a NEW Kingdom Hearts game! Finally, I put aside my PS2 controller and stopped dribbling all over my walkthrough-guide pic of Riku from KHII and cast my attention towards my DS in the pursuit of something new.
Now, truth be told, a friend of mine has an R4 and has therefore been playing it for the last month or so. Under... interesting circumstances, I got a hold of his R4 and played a few missions. Thoroughly convinced that I desperately wanted this game, I felt heart-broken that it wouldn't be out until the end of the year.
Thank you for lying to me, EB Games.
Two weeks later, we found it out on the shelves after a uni lecture (yes, we go Game hunting. Insert bad pun here). I insisted, then, that when I arrived home, my mother drive me to my local EB to pick up my copy.
Now I'm almost halfway through the game, I think it's time that I posted my reaction.
Oh. My. God.
Could our dear Squeenix have got it any more right? I admit I was upset that I had to play through nearly half a game to get a peek at Riku, but when I did I was rewarded with a delicious cut-scene and dialogue that proved to me why he's my very favourite game character of all. Screw Sora, Riku is where it's at! Also on the character couch, we learn more about the Organisation. Woah. Twelve very messed-up people. Nobodies. Things. Whatever.
Stand-out member Axel is developed more and becomes less of an idiot once you learn how much he thinks of Roxas and the lengths he goes to in order to protect his friend. His actions make his demise in KHII that little more poignant and saddening. But one has to wonder; Axel seemed to be different from the rest of the Organisation, almost having feelings. Could he be as "special" as Roxas?
The music and the graphics both ported over to the DS well, but the camera still works a little wonky, even if you do take it off the one-way mode. But who cares?
Strangely enough, you don't get keychains in this one. You make your own, find them lying about and what not. This was fun, but the lack of panel slots made me frustrated. But it is a neat little levelling system.
On the whole, I'm glad that this is the next episode in the Kingdom Hearts franchise. The story is epic, the gameplay phenomenal and thoroughly enjoying. For fans of the series, it's certainly a welcome return. Five stars from me!
Now, truth be told, a friend of mine has an R4 and has therefore been playing it for the last month or so. Under... interesting circumstances, I got a hold of his R4 and played a few missions. Thoroughly convinced that I desperately wanted this game, I felt heart-broken that it wouldn't be out until the end of the year.
Thank you for lying to me, EB Games.
Two weeks later, we found it out on the shelves after a uni lecture (yes, we go Game hunting. Insert bad pun here). I insisted, then, that when I arrived home, my mother drive me to my local EB to pick up my copy.
Now I'm almost halfway through the game, I think it's time that I posted my reaction.
Oh. My. God.
Could our dear Squeenix have got it any more right? I admit I was upset that I had to play through nearly half a game to get a peek at Riku, but when I did I was rewarded with a delicious cut-scene and dialogue that proved to me why he's my very favourite game character of all. Screw Sora, Riku is where it's at! Also on the character couch, we learn more about the Organisation. Woah. Twelve very messed-up people. Nobodies. Things. Whatever.
Stand-out member Axel is developed more and becomes less of an idiot once you learn how much he thinks of Roxas and the lengths he goes to in order to protect his friend. His actions make his demise in KHII that little more poignant and saddening. But one has to wonder; Axel seemed to be different from the rest of the Organisation, almost having feelings. Could he be as "special" as Roxas?
The music and the graphics both ported over to the DS well, but the camera still works a little wonky, even if you do take it off the one-way mode. But who cares?
Strangely enough, you don't get keychains in this one. You make your own, find them lying about and what not. This was fun, but the lack of panel slots made me frustrated. But it is a neat little levelling system.
On the whole, I'm glad that this is the next episode in the Kingdom Hearts franchise. The story is epic, the gameplay phenomenal and thoroughly enjoying. For fans of the series, it's certainly a welcome return. Five stars from me!
Friday, February 27, 2009
The Last Hurrah from studio-gameOn
Well, it's all over red rover. The studio has finally closed the door on the game (which was a lot of fun). While not a lot of my ideas made the end cut, I had a fabulous time. It's obvious to me now that I really do want to work as a Game Designer. The iCi party at Kelvin Grove yesterday was a lot of fun and I ran into one of my old lecturers who I had a rather interesting conversation with. It'll be intriguing to see what happens from that talk, I assure you.
I can now pad out my resume with focus-testing for Halfbrick Studios, but it is more than my life is worth to tell you what I was testing there. Really. It's interesting the level of secrecy that goes on with major game developers these days. But I suppose it's to protect the interests of their employees and their studio. So bully to them, I say! You keep on keeping on!
This is my final year at university and woo, only three subjects a semester! How cool is that? Thank you, studio-gameOn, for being my major project. It really is nice to not have to be running around like a headless chicken most of the week. Plus I have mondays off now, which is a welcome reprieve to my weekends in hell.
On a side note, how GOOD is Zero Puncutation? I was lucky enough to meet Yahtzee and he was awesome. He was at one of the open days at the studio with Yug from Australian Gamer and Yug's girlfriend Lauren. If you all haven't watched at least one of Yahtzee's videos, I highly recommend you go and google him now. He's incredibly talented and writes a nicely scathing review.
As to games that I have been playing, I finished New Super Mario Bros. My thoughts? Meh, it could have been better. Really, though, there were some good game mechanics like the wall-jump that saved my rear more than once while free-falling down the pit of endless falling and eventual dying. That said, it was FAR too easy to rack up in excess of fifty lives by the end of world three. Really, games shouldn't be that easy.
Well, that's all for now. I have more, but lunch calls.
~@ me.
I can now pad out my resume with focus-testing for Halfbrick Studios, but it is more than my life is worth to tell you what I was testing there. Really. It's interesting the level of secrecy that goes on with major game developers these days. But I suppose it's to protect the interests of their employees and their studio. So bully to them, I say! You keep on keeping on!
This is my final year at university and woo, only three subjects a semester! How cool is that? Thank you, studio-gameOn, for being my major project. It really is nice to not have to be running around like a headless chicken most of the week. Plus I have mondays off now, which is a welcome reprieve to my weekends in hell.
On a side note, how GOOD is Zero Puncutation? I was lucky enough to meet Yahtzee and he was awesome. He was at one of the open days at the studio with Yug from Australian Gamer and Yug's girlfriend Lauren. If you all haven't watched at least one of Yahtzee's videos, I highly recommend you go and google him now. He's incredibly talented and writes a nicely scathing review.
As to games that I have been playing, I finished New Super Mario Bros. My thoughts? Meh, it could have been better. Really, though, there were some good game mechanics like the wall-jump that saved my rear more than once while free-falling down the pit of endless falling and eventual dying. That said, it was FAR too easy to rack up in excess of fifty lives by the end of world three. Really, games shouldn't be that easy.
Well, that's all for now. I have more, but lunch calls.
~@ me.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
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.
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.
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!
Monday, September 29, 2008
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. ;)
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. ;)
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