« June 2006 | Main | August 2006 »
July 31, 2006
E3 ... R.I.P.?
At least as far as we know it. The ESA has downsized the legendary E3. Here's the press release:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Washington, DC (July 31, 2006) – To better address the needs of today’s global computer and video game industry, the 2007 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3Expo) is evolving into a more intimate event focused on targeted, personalized meetings and activities, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) announced today.
“The world of interactive entertainment has changed since E3Expo was created 12 years ago. At that time we were focused on establishing the industry and securing orders for the holiday season,� said Douglas Lowenstein, President of the ESA, the trade association representing U.S. computer and video game publishers and the owner of E3Expo. “Over the years, it has become clear that we need a more intimate program, including higher quality, more personal dialogue with the worldwide media, developers, retailers and other key industry audiences.�
The new E3Expo will take shape over the next several months. As currently envisioned, it will still take place in Los Angeles, described by ESA as a “great and supportive partner helping to build E3.� It will focus on press events and small meetings with media, retail, development, and other key sectors. While there will be opportunities for game demonstrations, E3Expo 2007 will not feature the large trade show environment of previous years.
“E3Expo remains an important event for the industry and we want to keep that sense of excitement and interest, ensuring that the human and financial resources crucial to its success can be deployed productively to create an exciting new format to meet the needs of the industry. The new event ensures that there will be an effective and more efficient way for companies to get information to media, consumers, and others,� said Lowenstein.
Additionally, the evolution of the video game industry into a vibrant and expanding global market has led to the creation of major events in different regions, such as the Games Convention in Leipzig, the Tokyo Game Show, and company-specific events held by Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft, and others around the world. As a result, Lowenstein said, “It is no longer necessary or efficient to have a single industry ‘mega-show’. By refocusing on a highly-targeted event, we think we can do a better job serving our members and the industry as a whole, and our members are energized about creating this new E3.�
------------------------------------------
I'll pontificate more about this later. I actually already did, but then accidentally erased it. I'm pretty awesome that way. See you tomorrow.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 06:52 PM | Comments (0)
July 27, 2006
First look at 'Eragon'
I didn't manage to get into much more detail on All Games Interactive about Eragon, pretty much because I sounded like a rambling fool. Well, here's another shot at it -- this time in written form.
If you don't know the story of "Eragon," it's a fantasy novel by Christopher Paolini. It's a little of "Star Wars" mixed with "Lord of the Rings," where a farmboy named Eragon finds a dragon egg, befrends the dragon inside (named Saphira), and eventually finds out that it's his destiny to be a Dragon Rider, which is sort of like the fantasy equivalent of the Jedi Order -- but with dragons instead of light sabers.
I got a look at the basic combat structure, where I got to swing a sword with Eragon while he was getting backup from a couple of other non-player characters. The combat system seeks to link combos in a way where one combo can open the door to another one -- and if Stormfront manages to pull this off, it won't be a simple matter of mashing buttons. One combat element I should point out is that there are some instances where Eragon can summon the dragon Saphira for some help. A little blue dragon-wing icon appeared over a bridge filled with flaming-arrow shooting enemies -- one press of the button, and Saphira comes along and eradicates the bridge. Problem solved.
I also checked out the dragon flight combat, which reminded me a lot of Panzer Dragoon, where you control the dragon like you'd control a plane. This is essentially Saphira's time to shine. She can breathe fire or use her tail to destroy ground targets. A second player can hop in and play Eragon, who can deflect attacks as well as fire off magic arrows that can blast away groups of enemies.
The scenery in the Xbox 360 version I saw looked very good, though it would probably take a fan to tell me how accurate it is to the Eragon world. I'll post art once I get the chance -- perhaps in the column Thursday?
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 10:12 PM | Comments (0)
July 26, 2006
Messing with Texas
Every year of "NCAA Football," I like to cruise through the historical rosters and see if I can point out the occasional inaccuracy or oddity. As I keep messing around with the game, I'm sure I'll find more stuff and mention it in this post. This is what I do when I'm bored.
Texas' historical teams got a little messed up. First off, where's Vince Young? The game's got Reggie Bush, LenDale White and Matt Leinart (not mentioned by name, of course) but the one guy who dominated the championship game and singlehandedly elevated his draft status is nowhere to be found.
Come to think of it, I can't remember finding the 2005-06 Texas Longhorns TEAM. Anywhere. Didn't they win the national championship? I'm more than willing to say I just missed them -- but I looked twice. It's like the Texas run and the Vince Young experience never happened. How odd -- is this some kind of passive-aggressive form of denial?
Oh, and for some reason, Earl Campbell (HB #20 on the all-time Texas team) has dreadlocks.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 02:17 PM | Comments (0)
Three convicted in 'Xbox slayings'
A little late to the post party on this one, but in case you haven't heard, three men were convicted of first-degree murder in the "Xbox Slayings" in Florida.
The three men killed six people in a vengeance attack after one of the victims evicted one of the men from her grandfather's house and kept his stuff, which included an Xbox game system.
Check out the AP story on Yahoo! for the details.
You hear that? That's the sound of people MILKING the Xbox detail for what its worth to attract attention to a vicious crime. If you read practically every headline in America about this case without reading the story, you'd think that six people were beaten to death over a game of 'Madden' or that the Xbox was used as a weapon. Nice. Way to be balanced. Of all the items in dispute, we pick the Xbox. Read the story and see how much the Xbox actually factors into this.
Also check out blogs like Kotaku for some of the reaction to this. One money comment on Kotaku essentially points out that during the '90s, something like this could have been called the "Air Jordan" slayings -- zoom in on something popular, and put it in the headline.
I hate it when this happens. It makes us look old and desperate for a story.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 12:10 PM | Comments (0)
Table Tennis cometh on Live
The competitive bliss that is Rockstar's "Table Tennis" is now available on Xbox Live Marketplace, courtesy of a free 528MB download. But don't start talking smack yet -- the demo allows for one- and two-player games offline, but you can't engage each other on Live. You also get a couple of playable pros and the setting is the Chinese National Table Tennis Auditorium.
If you're an Xbox 360 owner, "Table Tennis" is a must-experience. As a sports title, it's engaging enough, but it also serves as something of a preview of what Rockstar games could look like in the next generation. As GameSpot and others have pointed out, "Table Tennis" uses the Rockstar Advanced Game Engine, or RAGE (appropriate, no?), which is what "GTA IV" is going to use.
If you want a little more info, you can check out the review I wrote for LANG.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 11:43 AM | Comments (0)
July 25, 2006
'Portal' trailer and EA pay-per-view
If you haven't seen it yet, check out Valve's trailer for "Portal"/ via GameSpot. I think this game could make a lot of people throw up. I used to have a roommate that got sick watching me play "Tomb Raider." If he saw me playing this, I would seriously have to worry about his life coming to an end. I'll say this -- it's definitely innovative. Part of me wonders if this'll be one of those instances where it's SO innovative that no one can actually play it effectively. Such is the dark side of creativity.
Moving on, in the "what the ... really?'' department, I got a press release from EA announcing "Inside Madden NFL 07," a one-hour show about every waking detail of the newest incarnation of the monstrous football franchise. There are interviews with Madden ballers, NFL players (including Marshall Faulk, which is interesting considering all the retirement talk) and designers.
It sounds like an interesting show -- and to see it, you can buy it on http://www.espn.com for $19.95. It will be available Aug. 4.
Yep, that's the fun part.
Really? I have to pay to see a SHOW about one game? I'm sorry -- if I'm already going to be dropping $50-$60 for a product, why would anyone but the hopelessly hardcore want to pay $20 for a behind-the-scenes look. What information is possibly worth that much? Twenty bucks can buy me a few gallons of gas, a movie ticket, or a used copy of "God of War." (Or as a friend of mine said, "it could also get you the 2K game that was BETTER") That's a total of $70-$80 bucks for the total "Madden" experience. I think I'll pass.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 04:14 PM | Comments (0)
July 24, 2006
Thoughts on 'NCAA Football 06'
I'm actually writing the review today, but here's my early take on EA's college football titles after spending a chunk of the weekend with them. Just to be sure, I played both the PS2 and Xbox 360 versions.
Obviously, the 360 version looks outstanding, but that's about all I can say about it. The framerate's a little too slow for my liking, and I don't know why the defensive linemen and linebackers are roughly the same size as the quarterback. I've always had that problem with the "NCAA" character models -- it's hard to hear Herbstreit talk about the "big hogmollies" up front when they look like they should be on the basketball team. I might sound picky, but next-gen titles should be held to next-gen standards, no? We should be past some of this stuff. I actually got a little annoyed whenever I scored a touchdown, as well. Every time you score, these two gigantic helmets clamber and crash onto the screen like malfunctioning bumper cars. I got to see them once in the middle of a kickoff return. Sweet.
I actually found more initial enjoyment out of the current-gen version. True, it looks practically the same as the other ones, but it moves with much more fluidity than the one of the 360. It also works in some nifty in-game camera tricks, as if to compensate for the fact that the graphics aren't mind-blowing. For instance, on deep throws, the camera zooms in and the action slows down (think bullet-time) to add drama to the big catch -- or drop. This also happens when someone ALMOST makes an interception or lays down a huge hit. I saw some of this in last year's game, but it wasn't as prevalent, and your players had to be "in the zone" to see some of it. It eventually gets just a bit irritating, especially of you have a drive loaded with big plays, big hits and near picks. Zoom-mania ensues.
Right now, I'm diving a little more into the "campus legend" mode. My tailback plays for Texas and he's an English major (listed as one of the "hard" majors in the game, next to stuff like chemistry). I've developed a mini-routine where I have to budget time for study, extra practice, and partying. Here's to hoping character issues don't hurt me in the draft.
Back with more later. Or you can just read the review on Thursday. This week, I'm meeting with Konami and 2K, so I'll be a commuting beast.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 09:34 AM | Comments (0)
July 18, 2006
Software pirates in Canada
The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) and it's counterpart in Canada, the Entertainment Software Association of Canada (ESAC) dished out props and praise for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (Mounties!) for a July 13 raid on stores selling pirated software at the Pacific Mall in Markham, Ontario. They made one arrest, and seized thousands of pieces of software.
According to the ESA statement, Pacific Mall is no stranger to counterfeit goodies, as the Mounties had to lay down some smack on stores there in April of 2005.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 02:26 PM | Comments (0)
July 17, 2006
A little Q&A for Prey
I had a little e-mail Q&A with Chris Rhinehart, the project lead from Human Head Studios, who worked on "Prey." The review's already HUGE, so I figured this would be a cool place to put what he said/wrote. Hopefully, you'll get a little more insight into the game.
Q: What concessions, if any, had to be made to bring Prey to the 360?
A: Essentially none. All of the assets are identical in the 360 version as in the PC. The texture density is slightly reduced in the 360 due to the amount of memory needed for the game (but, not so much that people will really notice). The only other major differences are the menu and the loading screens are different on the 360.
Q: How did you go about crafting the character of Tommy? What kind of research did you guys do in implementing Cherokee legends?
A: The idea of a Native American reluctant hero originated with 3D Realms. Really, two types of research were done for the game: For story and for gameplay. From a story standpoint, we wanted the game to have a very
authentic feel and not feed into stereotypes, so a lot of research was done on Cherokee beliefs, mythology, and into the Cherokee language (as Tommy's Grandfather speaks a bit of Cherokee throughout the game).
The research done for the gameplay side unearthed SpiritWalking (as we found evidence that Geronimo, who was an Apache, believed his spirit could leave his body for brief periods of time. He also believed that his spirit was impervious to bullets.
Q: What are some things you DIDN'T get to put into the game, due to time constraints or other factors?
A: A number of puzzles and environments were cut due to time constraints, mainly because we felt it was more important to have a polished game, than to pad the game out with mundane actions. You know, the old adage of quality over quantity. We also had a number of additional power-type abilities that Tommy could perform with his Cherokee Bow. If there's ever a sequel, maybe we'll resurrect those ideas.
Q: What was the thinking behind putting out a demo that's much larger than standard one-level demos?
A: Well, 3D Realms mandated that the demo must start from the beginning of the game. We felt it important that the player experience SpiritWalking and DeathWalking. Since the player doesn't obtain SpiritWalk until the
fourth level, we had to include a much larger demo. That, and we wanted to provide people with a longer demo experience so they could really get a feel for the game, similar to the shareware concept of giving away a third of the game.
Q: When it came to the portals and wall-walking concepts, how did you guys deal with trying to find a balance between an experience that messed with someone's head and one that was just confusing?
A: We tried to introduce each element gradually: first give the player a relatively simple puzzle, and then ramp up the difficulty of the experience, and by combining the gameplay elements. For example, the first WallWalk is a simple walk up the walls. But the second one goes up the walls and onto the ceiling, so it's just a bit more complicated. Then, after the player has learned how to WallWalk and then how to SpiritWalk, we combine the two where the player has to WallWalk onto an upside-down platform on the ceiling and then SpiritWalk (leaving the body up on the ceiling platform). The player then has to flip a switch to send the body across a chasm. Two relatively simple gameplay elements that are combined into a more complicated puzzle.
Q: What are some of the concepts you guys kept from the original idea about 10 years ago?
A: The two main concepts that carried across were the dark sci-fi theme of a Native American reluctant hero who is abducted by aliens, and the portals (and all of the associated puzzle and level craziness that seamless portals afford).
-----------------------------
On another side note, I also enjoyed the fact that actual Native American actors did the voicework for Tommy (Michael Greyeyes) and Jen (Crystle Lightning). You'll also hear the voice of radio host Art Bell, who's no stranger to talking about aliens.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 05:29 PM | Comments (0)
July 14, 2006
Hey, that door looks like a ...
If you haven't guessed, I've been playing "Prey," which is already becoming a mini-legend for its goo and gross-out alien factor. It's one of the few games I've played that made my stomach think about churning. I've think there's already been enough discussion about the the pulsating and orifice-resembling things you see on the Sphere (the ship's name), so here's some stuff I noticed that isn't related to fluids or stuff that looks sticky.
- I dig the "ancient Indian legends" vs. "alien horror" dynamic throughout the story, which unfolded better than I thought it would. I actually thought "Prey" may have been a little overrated coming in (I am guilty as well), but I can't pull away from it -- and the storytelling is one of the reasons. I wonder what Tommy would have done on the ship in "Alien?" They wouldn't have stopped him, even the face huggers. Conceptually, an alien could burst out of Tommy's chest, he'd deathwalk his way back to life, and then wipe out all the aliens, including the little chump that killed him. He'd never be surprised either, thanks to the spirit bird. Only concern is the potential Jen vs. Ripley choice. Perhaps I've said too much. Moving on.
- I was overjoyed at finding the alien shotgun. Absolutely ecstatic. Ask Lawrence of AGI. I think every first-person shooter has to have some kind of shotgun-type weapon, be it man- or alien-made. Over the course of my gaming life, no weapon type has provided more moments of instant, satisfying whats-my-name vengeance against the irritating enemy hordes. None. I can't be convinced otherwise.
- Oddly enough, I also like the title screen music. It's perfect. I reminds of the "Halo" stuff, which gave off that solemn, intense, "war is hell" vibe. For "Prey," I get this image of someone going, "Yeah Tommy! Go get 'em!" That should help after I get wasted in multiplayer -- it'll pick me up.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 04:37 PM | Comments (0)
Nintendo DS rules all in June
The big N announced today that the DS was the top-selling game console in the U.S. for the month of June, reporting roughly 600,000 in sales. Some credit could definitely given to the release of the DS lite, the original DS' smaller and more compact sibling, as well as the surge in popularity with games like "Brain Age, Big Brain Academy and "New Super Mario Bros."
Also keep in mind that early-to-mid summer is typically a slow time for major game releases, so t was only a matter of time before someone capitalizes on the time when everyone is busy loading up for the holidays. With summer movies seemingly not being the gigantic draw it used to me, I wou;dn't be surprised of more companies tried the same tactic.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 04:06 PM | Comments (0)
July 12, 2006
God of War 3?
"God of War" creator David Jaffe muses on his blog about the possibility of a third game in the series. Here's the excerpt:
"I CAN tell you that God of War 2 is shaping up very, very nicely. I played a bunch of levels last week and it's really, really fun. The art and music is much better than the first game and there is some damn fine level design going on in the new game. As Cory and I have said to the press, this is the second act of a bigger story. And when you are making a game, you never really know if the game will turn out good enough to merit another one in the series. But after last week, I can say I am very confident of our chances to be able to complete the GOD OF WAR trilogy. You never know, but that's me just putting it out there."
As much as I have enjoyed the "God of War" concept, it will always feel bittersweet. When I reviewed the game, I had mentioned that Kratos has the chance to be the homegrown iconic franchise character that Sony has lacked since the inception of the PlayStation. This isn't a knock against Jak, Ratchet and Clank and others, but in terms of status, do they measure up to characters like Mario, Link or Sonic. Kratos had the potential to BE that character for Sony, but I can't shake the feeling that a window of opportunity was missed. This second chapter -- and in a way, even the first -- come near the tail end of the PS2's run. If there is a third one, it could most likely be on the PS3, but it would also be the end of the series. So it would seem that this mega-character gets stuck in between system generations, a victim of circumstance. Doesn't seem fair.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 05:04 PM | Comments (0)
July 11, 2006
European PSP White ad is no more
GamePolitics and Reuters report that Sony has yanked the Dutch billboard campaign advertising the white version of the PlayStation Portable after the ad was raked over the coals by the NAACP, California Assemblyman Leland Yee, and other critics. The GamePolitics entry has quotes from Yee as well as well as Rick Callender, president of the NAACP's San Jose chapter, both of whom give props to Sony for pulling the ad.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 04:19 PM | Comments (1)
Game criticism in the spotlight
There's been all manner of buzz regarding Chuck Klosterman's column about the lack of game criticism in Esquire magazine. The title of the article is "The Lester Bangs of Video Games". Klosterman compares video games to rock-n-roll in the '70s, and one line that seems to stand out is the assertion that video game criticism "doesn't exist."
On Monday, GameSpot featured a Q&A with Klosterman in an attempt to address the gaming community.
I'm not going to use this space to slam the guy -- while saying that game criticism "doesn't exist" may sound harsh at first, Klosterman's not ignoring the fact that there are people who write about games, but that from his point of view, it doesn't seem that many are taking game writing beyond the nuts-and-bolts "yea-or-nay" review or preview. So in a sense, it's stuck. Is he right? Well, it depends on what you're looking for -- do you want to know if someone liked the game, or are you the kind of reader who likes to "experience" someone's prose?
I've got a few random thoughts on this topic, based on my humble experience in the newspaper biz. I've numbered them for the sake of clarity, but that doesn't mean one is more important than the other. Read on, if you like.
1) The problem of "me" in "new" game criticism: Unfortunately, you have a lot of people who want to be the next (or first) great game critic by writing epic prose about how a game added meaning to their lives, or how it helped them unearth some kind of hidden feelings about their past. If you're lucky, they'll tell you if they liked it or not.
As a journalism student, one of the lessons that was drilled into my head about writing a product review column is this: No one really cares about you. This means that readers generally want to know whether or not you liked something, not about your trip to Coffee Bean or the inner soliloquy you have with yourself before you even take the plastic wrapping off. I'm guilty of injecting "I" and "me" into stuff I write, but I at least try to make it relevant to the game in some way. With every piece that's a worthy attempt at game criticism, there's also a wealth of posts that rant and whine, and the last thing readers want is an eyeful of the author's venomous drama that has nothing to do with the product.
Because the response you'll get from most readers is, "You get to write about video games. Sit down and shut up."
2) The concept of journalism: It would probably help if some of the people who called themselves journalists didn't cheer like an army of trolls every time Ken Kutaragi or Reggie Fils-Aime says something at the pre-E3 press events. This is the equivalent of sports beat writers openly cheering for one team. The courtesy clap and reacting to something truly impressive (or funny) is one thing, but simply seeing Snake or Link on a big screen shouldn't be cause for wild whooping, should it?
Example: During the Sony pre-E3 press conference where they first went over the PS3, I sat next to a guy from one of the larger gaming mags. He covered it like a pro, with the only reactions from him being the occasional "whoa," or "nice." Other than that, he took notes. Meanwhile, a few rows away, you'd hear a "yeaaaah!" or "wooooo!!!" with practically every presentation. This feeds the grossly inaccurate perception that games (and gamers) are undisciplined and immature by nature. Sadly, it's a perception that's held by a lot of mainstream media outlets, which is why you won't find (or at least hear about) too many game critics.
Many papers aren't quite sure what to do with this content, either. I have the pleasure of writing for our arts and entertainment section, which I see as a step in the right direction. But many others could end up getting buried in the business section next to the stocks tables or something. Not exactly the first place one would look for a game review.
3) Figuring out the audience: From a writing standpoint, who do you try to get with your work? Should the review cater to the informed tastes of the hardcore gamer or should it serve as a gateway for the uninformed, the so-called "noobs?" Welcome to the great balancing act. For local newspapers, readership plays a big part. If your paper's core readership has an average age of 50, waxing poetic about framerate, jaggies and 1080p might not work. Or -- perhaps you could talk about it, and run an "explainer" box with the column. There's no real way to know HOW readers will respond, but the numbers are a factor. The dangers of writing a game review that everyone can understand is that you might find yourself playing catch-up with your columns for the rest of your life. And if you're always catching up, how do you reach the "next level" of criticism?
I can certainly hash out more thoughts, but I don't want to jump on the bandwagon that beats this topic to death. To me, the art of game criticism is still being refined and I'm only one of the hundreds of guys and girls trying to find out what the next great game review is, or what it even looks like. Keep in mind, gaming is only about 20 years old. Give it, and the people who write about it, some time.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 08:08 AM | Comments (0)
July 05, 2006
World Cup fever, and the value of sports games
Thanks to playing some "FIFA World Cup 06" via an assignment from our sports department, I now have a greater appreciation of what many people call the Beautiful Game.
Because at the beginning for me, it was ugly.
First off, a video game about futbol is a game that really can't be played like anything else. Most ancient soccer titles focused on just running around, firing the ball at the goal and scoring in bunches (this happened when you had two trigger-happy players with no concept of defense -- it was like playing basketball with your feet).
Today's soccer games won't let you get away with that stuff -- try it and you're on the business end of a 5-1 smackdown (thanks, Portugal).
I'll get to the actual review of the game in print and on All Games Interactive, but for me, this assignment also epitomized one of my favorite things about sports games: Educational value. I'm serious. Aside from perhaps playing the sport itself, few things provide as much insight into a sport as a good game. Plus, you don't get some of the baggage that comes with playing live sports.
First off, let me say that going out and playing something is a unique experience that teaches people of all ages a variety of lessons -- some good and some bad. However, simply going out and playing a sport doesn't mean some of the potential benefits of playing and understanding a sports video game should be ignored.
In my case, it was about learning. The only soccer players I really knew about were the ones that grazed the mainstream spotlight, like Landon Donovan or Freddy Adu. Oh, and David Beckham, thanks to that movie with a nubile Keira Knightley and the girl on ER.
So, to gain a modicum of understanding of who the world's stars were, I did what any futbol ignoramus/game player would do: scan the FIFA rosters and see who the really high-rated players were. Then I would do research on them. (bios, nuggets of scouting reports, nothing too intense) Then, I watch them play. THEN -- you try to see if you can do things the same way in the video game.
All of these are important -- otherwise you might end up doing what I call "Jordaning" the game. In the old EA hoops games (Bulls vs. Lakers, Lakers vs. Celtics), you could just give the ball to MJ and have him dominate all day. He'd practically score all your points. Same thing with Bo Jackson in Tecmo Bowl -- hand him the ball and watch him pile up 500 yards and 10 touchdowns. The soccer equivalent of the Jordaning mentality would be taking control of Ronaldo (rated in the 90s in FIFA) trying to weave through seven or eight guys, and then attempting to score.
I'm sure there are some freaks out there that can actually do that, but the average person (like myself) just ends up getting the ball taken away and scoring absolutely no goals whatsoever. I actually like that -- a decent sports game requires some knowledge about how the sport is played. Not the RULES -- but how to actually play something correctly. Some might throw their hands up and say, "Screw it, I don't want to learn." Others might say, "OK, how is this supposed to look?" And voila -- you're learning new things about a sport.
That's what happened with FIFA. I had to learn how to play this game and as a result, having a lot more fun with it. I understand the value of passing angles, setting up plays (sort of), corner kicks, all that stuff. I know a little bit about why people praise guys like Zinedine Zidane of France or Adriano of Brazil.
I know that David Beckham isn't even the best player on his team. He's good, but I also learned that "bending" a shot is something most soccer players know how to do. If you just went by the movies and highlights, you'd think bending a shot was Beckham's exclusive mutant power, something no one else could do. Wrong.
I'm far from a master -- or even an apprentice -- but I have a better understanding about how everything is supposed to unfold when it's done the right way. That all starts with a well-made sports title.
And if you're playing the Beautiful Game -- well, looks matter.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 03:52 PM | Comments (0)
July 03, 2006
'Transformers' movie trailer
In case you haven't heard, there's a live-action "Transformers" movie coming out July 4th next year. It's directed by Michael Bay, he of "Armageddon" and many other movies with explosions.
Check out the teaser trailer on the movie site.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 12:59 AM | Comments (1)
July 01, 2006
'Prey' demo: mad icky
The long-awaited 360 demo of "Prey" emerged on Xbox Live yesterday, but today was the first time I was able to truly enjoy it on my own. No designers talking, no noise in the background -- just the game. Outstanding.
The game's tone is set from the opening scene in a reservation dive, when Tommy is having a conversation with himself in the mirror. Stuff about how he wants to get off the reservation and take his girlfriend Jen with him. He's also no fan of his Cherokee heritage, as evidenced by the nasty tone he takes with his venerable grandfather. Classic reluctant hero, our Tommy.
Anyone's whose seen trailers and the PC demo knows what happens next. You walk around the bar, grab a wrench, play some of the dinky casino-style games there and eventually hand out a what's-my-name beating to two scumbags trying to hit on your girl.
After that, the bar gets sucked up by an alien ship. It's a chilling sequence, with green light pouring down from the freshly torn-off ceiling. You see Jen and her grandfather get pulled up, as well as some other pieces of the bar. This is all best experieced in the dark, with headphones on (or the volume cranked up, which I'm sure the neighbors enjoyed).
Once you get sucked into the ship, it's all about ratcheting up the "horrible alien" atmosphere. You spend a few minutes strapped to a hanging platform that's part of an automated conveyor track. You glide this way and that, getting a good look at the innards of the ship and hearing a lot of terrified screams, no doubt from other poor folks pulled in by the ship. Aside from the standard "oh my God!!!" stuff, you'll also hear some people creepily screaming out the occasional "Our Father" prayer. Jen starts praying to a Cherokee spirit, and Tommy comes up with a great line that sums up the horror of the situation -- "If there IS a great spirit, he's not here." The whole sequence reminded me of a bloodier version of "Transformers: The Movie," where you'll see screaming robots on a similar track system getting dropped into vats of chemicals that "digested" them.
A stranger manages to damage the track and set Tommy free, and this is when you start seeing how truly gross this ship (and the game) is. Organic doors that "peel" back, throbbing spouts that spew out streams of blood and body parts -- this is NOT a game for those with weak stomachs. I'm serious.
Two of the freakiest things you'll see in the demo:
1) The impaler machine: A strapped-down person's stops in front of some kind of opening, green mist flows from the opening, and then several collapsible spikes fire out and spear the victim in various spots -- there's also one massive spike that hits the person smack in the chest. Blood everywhere. The "spike" end of the machine then closes on the platform, you hear something that sounds like a food processor, and when the machine opens back up, the body is gone. Then you can see it again. It's at this point where you probably decide these aliens need to get kicked off the universe.
2) Evil children: In a glass-enclosed room, you'll see young boy and girl scared out of their minds. They're afraid of something (one of them screams, "It's right behind us!"). What "it" is is some sort of odd-looking ghost-like creature that floating throught the walls. This thing ends up annihilating the girl and then takes her form (so now there's a ghost-like girl in the room). Ghost Girl is evil and insane, so she attacks the boy, picks him up and hurls him into a large protruding spike on a machine, killing him instantly. Then Ghost Girl screams and flies out of the room.
I should probably have mentioned somewhere along the way that this game is rated M for Mature. This is not for your 11-year-old son, daughter, grandson, or whatever. Repeat M for Mature -- you have been warned.
Besides, the game's about being taken by aliens -- you think you're not going to see something screwed up?
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 06:21 PM | Comments (0)