Category: Video Games

Marble Blast Ultra (+)

Control your marble through a series of different mazes while collecting gems and competing for the high score.

Written by: Andrew Cefalo

While searching for free demo’s on the Xbox 360 Marketplace and in the arcade I stumbled upon this little beauty. Marble Blast Ultra is a great party game that even the StuffWeLike team has gotten together several times to play and naturally Spencer usually gets the high score.

The gameplay is easy to pick up but takes a little more effort to master. You play as a marble and you can control any direction the marble moves. Unlike other marble games, you can defy gravity and often do. Maps start off simple with ramps, walls, and cliffs to navigate around and/or over. Naturally as the game progresses they start implementing other tools you need to use for navigation. Objects include:

Super Speed – A rocket propelled power up
Super Jump – A spring jump power up
Ultra Blast – A quicker way to power up the turbo boost
Mega Marble – Makes the marble giant
Time Travel – Stops the clock for a couple seconds
Gyro Copter – Makes the marble a helicopter

One key element becomes the gravity modifiers you can pick up. While the mazes are for the most part one directional, you can use the gravity modifiers along with the checkpoints to do free falls through the open space. The game requires you to pick up gems on a quest to the finish while racing a clock.

Overall, there are 60 levels to be unlocked and 10 additional multiplayer levels. Multiplayer levels are rather flat and are races to random locations for gems. I found these a little less exciting than the single player because it did not offer the same challenging experience that the single player levels did.

I highly recommend downloading the demo from Xbox Live Arcade, if you just want to check this game out. It provides hours of fun for a low cost ($10).

Viva Pinata (+)

Grow and harvest your very own garden to attract all different species of Piñata’s. Work hard and you will be rewarded with ways to make your job easier. Viva Piñata is a must have for kids of all ages.

Written by: Andrew Cefalo

I would consider it rare that we stumble across a game rated E that really is for EVERYONE. Games for kids are usually too simple for teen and/or adult audiences.

The concept behind Viva Pinata is ridiculous; the developers agree that it sounds silly. Growing a garden to attract pinatas that are supposed to be reproduced, not broken open. Sounds like a kid’s game. The game is completely addicting and is really hard to put down. It has frequently been compared to Animal Crossing as it revolves around similar principals.

Game play is intriguing; I have never been left with a ‘now what’ feeling and there are even times when I feel like I have way too much to take care of. Pinatas that I do not want are entering my garden and are fighting with my residents. Usually a quick whack of my shovel gets them to leave but sometimes I need to clean up the mess they leave me with. There is a background storyline that occurs in your game storybook, yet as the developers pointed out it is not really necessary to follow. I got bored with it and rarely pay attention as it progresses. This is a very open ended Sims-like game yet it maintains structure that keeps gamers focused on a goal. There are several restrictions (such as land space) that keep you working to remove; things like money (chocolate coins in the game) motivate you to start harvesting. Of course, even growing these plants can be a challenge and you must first ask Seedos for some seeds. The game moves at your own speed as you only advance when you have completed enough tasks. Attracting new pinata works almost as a timeline for your progress through the game (we found out at the game release that there are a total of 68 different pinatas).

Not all pinata’s get along (the bees and the ants hate each other), and they will fight to the death. Obviously, when a pinata kills another pinata it explodes, and candy comes out. The interesting part is that when this happens a faint cheer comes from little kids, which we found to be a little disturbing. Once we were able to move past that sick and twisted element of game play we loved the concept.

We tried to play multiplayer as it says there is online play as well as up to 4 local players. Multiplayer is weird though as you both control the same game. It works well for taking turns but do not be mislead, there is no verses mode.

Viva Pinata has now become my motivator to complete homework. That is correct, I set boundaries to keep myself from playing. I am very much looking forward to winter break when I can play this all day without worrying about how much time it is consuming. And no, I am not embarrassed to admit that I own both Gears of War and Viva Pinata but elect (from time to time) to play the latter over the former.

Hardcore vs. Casual Gamer: Round 2

After 30 years of existence the dividing lines between video game players is stark. Recently game companies are trying to merge these two gamer forces to increase their revenues, but making games that appeal to hardcore and casual gamers is a difficult task. If game developers can appeal to both audiences, a developer could sell millions of units.

The game industry was not always like this though. In the 1970s when they achieved mass popularity, video games were accessible to all types of people. Many games started off with simple controls, mainly only one joystick. Gradually, as time progressed the control schemes grew more complex. The early 1990s saw the rise of the fighter genre. With this the control pad included not only a joystick, but also six different buttons as find in games like Street Fighter II. This configuration allowed for multiple and complex combinations, which made the avatars do special movements. While the gameplay may have improved for some, the fighting games soon became unplayable to others. Fighting games sold very well in arcades, but the developer’s potential audience shrunk due to their game’s complexity. As time continued video games grew even more complex. All of this chiseled away at what used to be an entertainment medium that everyone could play. The sides started to form between those who used to be able to play video games and those who could play video games. In September 1996 the Nintendo 64 was released. It was the first Nintendo console to see Mario in three-dimensions. In previous incarnations, Mario was a two-dimensions side-scroller. Its simple controls and family approved content allowed the game to be played by all gamers. The problem with the Nintendo 64 version of Mario, Super Mario 64, was that millions of Mario fans were not used to the 3D environments. For some players it was not a simple thing that they could fix over time. For some they did not have the hand and eye coordination to play the game and for others they simply got motion sickness. Games are meant to be an entertainment and if they cannot serve this purpose gamers will not play them. Every console generation since the Nintendo 64 has built itself on better 3D graphics rather than focusing on easier and simpler control setups that could be used by the mass consumer market. While the console market is not a niche market, in comparison to other entertainment industries video games lack the massive audience that those mediums reach. Everyone can watch a movie or listen to music, but not everyone can play a video game on a console.

At the same time, with the advent of online PC distribution, the complete opposite effect occurred, PC games started to open up to mass-market penetration and the group known as casual gamers formed. Casual gamers are players of video games whom may have not owned a video game console or could not play complex video games. They can be people either at work or at home who play games such as solitaire on the computer. According to a survey done by RealNetworks, a leader in the casual games market, “More than 70 percent of people buying casual games from the company [RealNetworks] are women age 40 and older.” With the internet these gamers went on to play free games on the internet such as flash games and puzzle games. As broadband became introduced in the home, casual gamers moved on to actually buying games that they could download online.  Casual games consist of game mechanics that made video games popular in the first place. They are games that anyone can pick up and play. In order to be successful the game has to have simplistic design with original and addictive gameplay.

On the other hand, hardcore games are the complete opposite. They usually have complex control schemes, often rehashing the current gameplay methods, and are often judged based upon their graphics rather than gameplay. It is not to say that hardcore gamers do not like originality, but there are only a handful of titles that innovate every year. It is highly unlikely that those few titles can support this $10 billion industry. Hardcore gamers like to play games that they feel familiar with. These are usually games that are filled with some form of violence or another form of extreme action. Hardcore gamers do not like sitting through non-violent puzzle games. Developers have been forced to make games specifically targeted at either the hardcore or the casual game crowd.

The resulting effect of hardcore games on the video game industry has been tremendous. While the industry makes billions of dollars, the costs of making commercial games for the hardcore audience is getting higher and higher. The budget for next-generation games (Playstation 3 and Xbox 360) is going into the $10-20 million range. Considering that the manufacturer’s suggested retail price for these games is $60, developers have to sell hundreds of thousands of units to make a profit. The quality of a game is very important, but the higher the quality the higher the cost. The game industry is becoming highly competitive. Once highly regarded developers such as Acclaim are going out of business or being bought by larger development studios. When one game selling poorly could lead to the death of a company, there is a problem with the industry.

That is the reason why many developers are choosing to create casual games. Casual games can be developed in a couple of months with a budget that is usually less than $1 million. It is in a developer’s best interest to create a handful of titles at the equivalent cost to one hardcore commercial game title. This way the developer is more likely to have a game that sells well and can continue to fund future projects. According to the International Game Development Association, the casual game market is expected to be worth over $2 billion in the year 2008. Obviously there is a lot of room for developers to continually expand in this market, but the issue is that developers should not have to relay on casual games’ low cost and high yields to fund the development of multi-million dollar hardcore games.

Nintendo realized the issue with the video game industry and is trying to lead the way to what they believe is the solution. They are trying to mend the fractured wounds that the hardcore and casual markets created. After all a game is just a game. In an interview with the BBC News the President of Nintendo Satoru Iwata said, “Nintendo wants to bring gamers and games back to the start line of 20 years ago.” Nintendo believes that games should be a form of entertainment enjoyed by everyone, as video games were when they were first developed. With Nintendo’s next-generation console Wii, Nintendo is forcing developers to cut their budgets by not having a console with the horsepower that the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 have. With the Wii Nintendo decided to change the way the player interacts with the game. Rather than sticking the current controller scheme of two analog sticks, four face buttons, and 4 should buttons, the Wii uses a brand new controller. Its nickname is the Wii-mote because it looks like a Television remote. Nintendo is cashing in on its easy to play console. It has created a console where both hardcore and casual gamers can play the games that they want too. Most importantly though, developers can target both hardcore and casual gamers with their games as in theory any game will be easier to play. If the Wii is successful in making games accessible to everyone in the home, it will revolutionize the way that the video game industry works.

While the line between hardcore and casual gamers has been around for years, it has only been recently that the industry has tried to do anything about it. It is going to be impossible for the industry to continue to grow at the rate that it has within the last couple of years if this division among gamers is not mended. All types of gamers must realize that both hardcore and casual games are fun in their own respected ways and it is up to the video game industry to make sure that all games are easy to play so that this line does not continue to divide the community.

 

Work Cited

“IGDA Creates Special Interest Group for Casual Games.” 12 Jul. 2005. 26 Nov. 2006.

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Kent, Steven L. The Ultimate History of Video Games. 1st ed. New York:

Three Rivers Press, 2001.

“The NPD Group Reports Annual 2004 U.S. Video Game Industry Retail Sales.” 18 Jan.

2005. 20 Nov. 2006.


content_id=2076>.

 

“Research Reveals Casual Games Provide Mental Balance, Stress Relief and Relaxation.”

14 Aug. 2006. 29 Nov. 2006.


casgames_research.html>.

 

Waters, Darren. “Nintendo ‘fears for games industry’.” 24 May 2004. 28 Nov. 2006.

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Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (+)

Imagine Star Wars. No, just the Original Trilogy. Okay, now imagine it made from Legos. Yeah, that’s the game.

Alternate Synopsis: A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away… apparently the Danish invaded and took the galaxy, sending it to Earth, slaughtering the residents and selling them as children’s building materials… And that’s where Legos come from.

Who hasn’t dreamed about playing a Star Wars game as a character using Princess Leia’s hair, Lando Calrissian’s head, C-3PO’s torso, and Han Solo’s pants? You know, Princess Lando Solo3PO? Actually, make that Darth Princess Lando Solo3PO. You can use Darth Vader’s cape, too. Well, quit dreaming, you dreamers, for Lucasarts brings you Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy for the DS.

They gameplay hasn’t changed much since the original Lego Star Wars, which revolved around the prequel trilogy. Still a third person shooter. Although, honestly, controls seems just a little bit rough, although I’m not sure if that’s the result of the game just being on the DS, which has no analog stick. But it’s pretty good most of the time. Camera is controlled by the stylus, if you really want, but it’s rarely a problem. Combat on the other hand… shots don’t register sometimes. You attack/fire your weapon just fine, but the impact just doesn’t seem to affect the enemy as you know it should. It’s not really a problem, just a minor annoyance. It doesn’t hold the game back.

Graphics wise, the game looks basically the same as if it were on a home console. Sure, it’s not as polished as the XBox/Gamecube/PS2 version, but please. These are Legos. You don’t really need graphical power of your 360 to enjoy this game. Details show up just fine on the DS screen.

The game sounds just fine on my handheld. The typical Star Wars-ian, John Williams-esque soundtrack that we all expect, especially since this game is based on three movies that are actually scored. All the musical cues that we know and love are in there.

This game is surprisingly fun, even though it’s not perfect, you’ll easily be able to overlook it once you get into it. This game? It gets a +.

My first Published game!

Finally my first published game is here! Now I can act as if I actually know what I’m jabbering about!
United Minds Games (www.UnitedMindsGames.com) and Packom Interactive (www.PackomInteractive.com) are thrilled to announce that Space Renegades: The Series is now available! Now the world can experience the glory of old-school space shooting action!

Screenshots and demo are available at www.UnitedMindsGames.com. Space Renegades: The Series is available for $8.00. Save $2 by signing up for the United Minds Games newsletter!

Screenshots:
http://www.unitedmindsgames.com/screenshots/sr2/4.png
http://www.unitedmindsgames.com/screenshots/sr2/6.png
http://www.unitedmindsgames.com/screenshots/sr2/7.png

Demo:
http://www.unitedmindsgames.com/content/view/22/#download_demo

Trailer:
http://www.unitedmindsgames.com/videos/sr2/sr2_trailer.php

About United Minds Games:
United Minds Games is dedicated to preserving the spirit of the “golden age” of video games — the fun, graphically fresh, easy to play 2D games with creative themes and memorable music that kept us glued to the screen or returning to the arcades with our pockets full of quarters.

About Packom Interactive:
Packom Interactive’s goal is to become a leader in Production, Distribution, and Marketing of independent games. Unlike most publishers, we realize that an independently made game is a long and arduous process. The last thing that a developer wants to worry about is how they’re going to sell a game.
Our goal is to simplify this process for the developer so they can continue to make great quality games, no matter the content nor the genre.

General Space Renegades 1 & 2 Game Information:
Title: Space Renegades: The Series
Developer – United Minds Games Homepage: www.unitedmindsgames.com
Publisher – Packom Interactive Homepage: www.packominteractive.com
Space Renegades Homepage: www.unitedmindsgames.com/content/view/22/
Genre: Casual/Top-down Shooter
Platform: PC, OS X
Player: 1
Release Date: PC December 4, 2006, OSX December 2006
System Specifications:
Pentium II 300 Mhz – 500 Mhz
DirectX Version 7
16MB video card with Hardware Acceleration
Windows 98/2000/NT/XP

Gears of War (+)

PLAY THIS GAME. That said, I thought I may have been a little behind the curve, as I assumed most people would have already played through it.

Though you, loyal readership, may have, I was alarmingly surprised to find that many of my friends have not yet even seen it. If you don’t have an Xbox 360, you better make friends who do, even if its just to check it out. This game is pretty high up there.

Thinking back, Halo, and then Halo 2, have pretty much been the guys-hanging-out games to play. For a brief time it was Super Smash Brothers, yet somehow we played less and less and more and more Halo. Here’s a whole new animal for you to sink your teeth into.

The first thing that catches your eye, quite literally, is the amazing visual quality of the game. It uses the Unreal Engine 3, and takes full advantage of the amazing power of the 360. Seemed like Microsoft bashers were fine in saying that Halo was the only reason that the Xbox was close to good; well, in this generation, I would say that at the moment, Gears of War is keeping the 360 buoyant as ever I haven’t heard much bashing whatsoever. Graphically, its outstanding the level of detail, grime, and gore is amazing. Whether you’re sawing through someone with the chainsaw bayonet (Yes, its better even than you would imagine!) or curb-stomping a felled enemy, the game is greasy and gritty. And bloody. Deliciously so, especially if you’re into blood and gore, and amazing graphics.

Gameplay is quite satisfying. Teamwork is a big part, whether you’re working cooperatively with another player, or just with the AI. The enemies are pretty clever, and I think the games success is due in large part to the difficulty of the campaign they were very right in making the normal or medium setting hardcore. Insane is a step up, but both settings test your skill throughout each area. Casual is nice too, if you want to sit down with your dad and play for a bit.

The element of third-person agility moves isn’t new, but its pretty darn great in this game. Using the a-button, you can duck behind cover, jump over barricades, charge, and perform dives and rolls. One difficulty in it is that it’s the same button to run as it is to grab cover, which can be irritating when it comes to close combat, but hey. I guess I don’t have anything else to say about that.

There is some great online play, but you may run into trouble if you’re used to fielding a team of 8 or so playing Halo online. Gears of War only supports up to 8 players max in a game, meaning 4 on 4 action. The multiplayer levels aren’t really big enough to support more, but so far I’ve been pretty satisfied. It supports voice chat, individualized matchmaking, recorded statistics, earn achievements, and personalize gamer profiles.

The music of the game is pretty good too. Sometimes this can really drag down games, but with a healthy mix of orchestral space-opera type music and heavy lead guitar, one might be reminded of the effectiveness of the Halo theme, later featured on guitar in the second installment.

This is the only console game I’ve ever played that made me actually consider purchasing a console for the express purpose of playing this single game. The only other game that came close was Doom 3, on the Xbox. Seriously guys if you hate on Xbox, this might change your mind; if you have an Xbox 360, this is WORTH the 60 bucks; if your buddy has a 360, you know what he’s getting for the holidays. You might consider handing it over to him as an early gift, though, and GET YOUR GEAR ON.