To this day, no music driven game has managed to get its generation formula as precise as Audiosurf. I love the idea of using my own music library to automatically generate levels to play in a game, but it turns out that coding for procedural creation is really difficult.
The name David Cage comes with a fair amount of baggage these days, as he's cultivated quite a reputation for himself. Perhaps notably as the creator of some of the most divisive games in recent memory. Whether you love Quantic Dream's take on narrative cinematic video game story-telling or not, it's hard to deny the impact these games have made.
Every now and then a game comes along that does exactly what it sets out to do, but it's not the biggest or best game in the world, it's just very well made. I'd be lying if I said that I expect nothing less from Platinum Games, so as good as Transformers: Devastation is, I'm not surprised for a second.
There are times when it's easy to forget how relevant the cost of a game can be when thinking about quality and enjoyment. After all, my experience with the original Destiny was quite mediocre, so I never expected to be playing the sequel anytime soon. That is until Bungie and Activision decided to discount the game heavily not long after release.
Normally I wouldn't bother talking about a visual novel, as most of them follow the same kind of format. The only things that generally matter for me in the genre, are whether the story is interesting enough, and if the art is any good. In fact, I think the latter might be all it takes to get me interested.
I normally wouldn't bother writing another post about a game that I've already written about, but No Man's Sky continue to be an anomaly. The free update labelled "NEXT" has changed the game in many significant ways that will change the landscape forever. Although, it's not as simple as just adding more stuff if you want to keep players happy.
This may be the only Halo game I ever play, which might seem a little strange to some, but obvious to others. To this day I've never played another Halo game, because I've never owned an Xbox of any kind. This could have been any other twin-stick shooter and I still would have given it a go, but it just so happens that it's a spin-off from one of the biggest Xbox franchises in history.
There has to be a point in life when you realise that interacting with art can be an experience without form, or end. When I studied philosophy, I quickly learned that a lot of people really hate wrestling with questions that have no immediate answer. It seemed that no matter how compelling the discourse was, some of us can't handle a lack of definition.
I have to admit that I was apprehensive about trying out what is commonly considered to be the worst entry in the Assassin's Creed franchise. This is the game that was so poorly received, Ubisoft had to eventually rethink its release schedule and get itself together. I knew going in that this might be the game that finally ends my enjoyment of the series.
Lately it might seem as though the only innovations made in narrative game design, have been from the so-called 'walking simulator' end of town. A lot of games enhance their narrative side by removing gameplay elements, which sometimes works, but often ends in boredom. However, keeping in gameplay doesn't automatically fix the problem.
It's safe to say that most games we play are inspired and influenced by the ones that preceded them. Look into any genre and it's easy to start drawing lines between games that share mechanics, systems, themes, and design. Iteration is naturally fond of replications, but every now and then a game does something truly original an unique.
While we wait for ThatGameCompany's next game 'Sky', those of us who fell in love with their previous social narratives have been left wanting. Maybe we're waiting for 'Dreams' to finally drop, but Media Molecule are taking their time to polish it off before release. Let me reassure you though, as there's no need to fret when lower profile games like ABZU exist.
Like a lot of people in the world, I'm not American, which might seem a relatively banal thing to say, but games are pretty good at reminding me. Especially when the big shock of a first person shooter is that it takes place on American soil, which doesn't mean a whole lot in reality. Maybe it's shocking and interesting to have your home featured as a battleground, but if that's what you're whole game is riding on, you might need to rethink it for foreign audiences.
Across all forms of media, a reboot can be a risky undertaking. The good ones revitalise an idea and bring it up to date with modern techniques and technologies. While the bad ones leave fans of the original betrayed and wronged for having their beloved art bastardised into something else. Unfortunately it seems like a lot of reboots fall into the bad category, but I actually enjoy rebooted video games for a number of key reasons.
We've come a long way from educational games featuring a dancing tomato that acts out verbs entered through a terminal interface. I wish I could remember what it was called, but when I was a kid in the 1980s all I wanted to do was make that tomato run and jump all day long.
At some point when arcade games were losing their audience to home consoles and computers, we lost a whole lot of fun genres. Of course, we can't all have a light-gun setup at home, or a full sized motorbike to sit on and race, because it's just not practical. Even with the return of peripherals like plastic guitars and skate boards, we still couldn't replicate the arcade experience all that well.
How do you take a familiar game concept and turn it around to be something original and unique? Then again, how do you make this new iteration something interesting and compelling, or is it enough to be different? These questions and more will be raised when anyone dives into Vertiginous Golf.
I'll be honest from the start: I've never been a big fan of brawlers, and I've only played a little bit of the original Double Dragon before. I consider it a big compliment then to say that this remade classic is a damn good time. If you've ever needed an excuse to see what an old school brawler is all about, this might be it.
Up until now, my involvement with the Star Wars universe has been limited to the major movie releases. I've always been aware of the extended universe and how intricate and detailed it can be, but I never delved into the depths. However, I've bought a Star Wars game collection or two, and have all these old games waiting for me to dip my toe in and have a look.
It's no secret that I’m a big fan of the big budget open world games we've come to expect from some of the most popular series in gaming. What I love most is the amount of detail and deliberate effort that has gone into creating a world. It's something unique to 'triple A' games in particular, as they have the team and budget to make it happen in a way that wouldn't otherwise be possible.
