Game Breakdown: Trine February 4, 2010
Posted by jhuculak in Game Breakdowns.Tags: igamemaker, Trine, Trine Review
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I was really surprised by this great game. I have NEVER had as many people walk by my desk and comment on what I am playing. “What game is that?” “Wow, that looks gorgeous”. Explaining the mechanics to them is also met with instant recognition of how good the concept is. I agree with their comments!
Value
I bought Trine on sale for $7.99. $8/8 hours for one play through = $1/h of entertainment. Awesome. Modern Warfare 2 $60/8h = $7.50/h. Trine was better value for my dollar, even at full price ($20/8 = $2.5/h).
Fun
What makes Trine so fun?
Story
Very simple and engaging story with three character archetypes and enough humor to not take it seriously. Very much a story book brought to life with a light hearted feel that reminded me of Prince of Persia: Sands of Time which was the last time that I played something with the “princess bride” effect. Games that feel like fables or fairy tales have a magical sense of fun and innocence in them even when they play with darker themes. The developers also had the courage to essentially wrap up the experience in one game. It doesn’t feel like it needs a sequel or that anything was rushed or missed.
Gameplay Mechanics
I think the design spells itself out with the characters and you owe it to yourself to download the demo and try out the first lev
els with the characters.
- Knight – Sword to hit stuff. Shield to block. Down the road your sword is on fire, you can run and bash people with shields and you get a big lighting hammer. What more do you need?
- Thief – Arrows. Grappling Hook. Swinging kick. Upgrade to flaming/exploding arrows, faster reload times and more arrows.
- Wizard – Search for fireball…and end up drawing boxes, planks and eventually platforms.
Using these core mechanics, many physics and side scrolling battle encounters are created in a magical world. I have never seen a game play out so obviously since Portal. Great tutorials, fun experimentation, collectibles, secret areas and achievements.
Why do these features work together? Because of the great differentiation in a characters and the levels that force you to use the characters strengths.
Summary
I don’t think I have played a better “indie” game. I think this clever game deserves to be played if you don’t mind playing something a little more childish in theme. I probably enjoyed this equally to Modern Warfare 2 and in 5 years I would predict that I would be more likely to go back and play Trine as I doubt a game will do the physics genre better than Trine because MW2 will have many competitors. +1 to uniqueness!
Avatar February 2, 2010
Posted by jhuculak in Uncategorized.Tags: avatar, igamemaker
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I see you – Na’vi
Introduction
Accessibility is a key in both movie making and in games and I believe that Avatar embodies the “simple but deep” development philosophy. This combined with cutting edge visuals and spectacle is where the film’s greatness comes from. I have heard a few people bash the script as being incredibly simple and I have also heard comments about the moving being an extremely “left” political message. For me as a viewer I think there is some truth to these comments, Avatar should not receive and award for writing and I do think it has many left wing things to say but I believe it tells a much more potent message than some people may think. The message is so blatant and simple that I don’t think many reviewers actually see it. The thesis of the film is “I see you” and I want to take a minute to describe how that message is told in a way that includes everyone but is ultimately and expression about Art rather than society.
To make and engaging story you have to create characters on screen that people can identify with and then you have to tell a story where those people progress and change throughout that story in meaningful ways. I think that one of the cheapest ways to make people connect is by making fun of people that are dislike them. I personally think Avatar sells its experience by using stereotypical caricatures to make fun of and include everyone all at the same time (no group other than the Na’vi miss having stereotypical digs).
Military
People that are military supporters get the initial buy in for the marine grunt (read protagonist) on the ground and a get things done attitude. They get to make fun of the science geeks and show that a Jarhead can come in and learn everything and blast some people up, get the girl and ultimately save the day. This is a very satisfying film on this level and is probably the best executed and the one that took the most on screen time to develop. I think this story is where the majority of ticket sales are actually from.
Corporations
Corporations and economics do not make good entertainment. So this movie easily targeted something everyone has understandably had a run in with. Phrases like unobtanium and slaughtering people to get at resources is a very powerful message.
Scientists
Scientists are one of the most interesting commentaries made by Cameron. It would be easy to make this movie a pro-science movie but instead I think Cameron even took a dig at scientists by making them unable to see the Na’vi for what they really are, due to their preconceived notions. The jealousy they have for Jake is sort of “last one picked for dodge ball funny”. I think this example is where Cameron takes his biggest step in layering the meaning into the picture. I read this, even on my first viewing, as a message to movie critics and viewers everywhere to really stop and see and occasionally admit that you are prejudiced and biased at times and cannot see.
After making fun of so many groups, the only core message I can really in the movie is purely artistic and a bit of an ego trip. Come into my created world and revel in the art. I say making fun of other groups and ego trip fairly lightly as well. I loved this movie and I think it used simple techniques to establish character. The battle scenes and heroes journey stand on their own without comment! Yes there are political messages included in this artistic film but at the end of the day the artistic brilliance created by a masterpiece created by a huge collaboration of people it what will stand the test of time. I think that at the end of the day, this somewhat simple plot tells the tale of artistic achievement and fulfillment in the best way I have seen to date. To me, that is where the greatness of the film is. Does art include commentary on social and political issues? Yes, but even more it is a window into artists worlds and imagination rendered in a way that has never been more real. Avatar is the Star Wars of this generation and I am excited to see the inspiration this work of art drives in years to come. Hopefully “I see you” James Cameron and what your collaborators brought to the screen.
“I see you” – James Cameron (Golden globes)
Game Breakdown: Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 February 1, 2010
Posted by jhuculak in Game Breakdowns.Tags: igamemaker, modern warfare 2
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In my game breakdowns I typically try and focus on the overall product and what makes it tick as a game. Having just finished Modern Warfare 2 (MW2) I am struggling to break down the experience because…it is a highly polished shooter which doesn’t leave much to describe in mechanics. The base mechanics are fairly clean and executed extremely well so instead I am going to focus on what I think Infinity Ward’s strengths and weaknesses were for me in the play experience.
The Good
The Modern Warfare series does a spectacular job of capturing memorable moments in game play. What do I mean by this? When reflecting on other shooters that I have played I usually don’t remember the fighting or moments in the game, I typically remember plot points or movies. The MW games bring you right into those moments and let you live them. I typically summarize the original MW as “fight, nuke crawl, fight, air bombardment, fight, sniper mission, fight” and I found the pacing of these events to be far enough apart that it captured a great game play pace. Do I remember the plot? No, but I can remember my “OMG” moment as a player at the end of the nuke crawl and the sense of awesome power raining down fire from above. I think that capturing the current situation in a game to be more important than story when done right.
If I was summarizing my emotional experience out of MW2 it would be understanding how people felt during the cold war. I think the first half of the game is better than COD4 and to be honest…I think the last half was only mediocre. The following discussion will obviously have spoilers so please don’t continue if you are worried about that kind of thing. If I could summarize the play experience form MW and remember it 2 years later, what do I recall from MW2 right after playing it? Black hawk down, Snow mobile rampage, Residential American fighting, Prison break, EMP, DC, Hunt dude down, betrayal. For me the only part that mattered was the first half. Jumping from foreign war torn streets to local suburbia in the same state in only one hour of game play really hit home at an emotional level for me. The game after that was more “plot focused” and I honestly can’t keep the players straight in my mind. There were a few good moments of story telling and struggle after but the main greatness was exhausted in the first half for me. I found MW2 to be better in some areas and worse in others but on the whole I think it compared equally to MW’s single player campaign which was amazing.
I think CoD4: Modern Warfare (COD:MW) was probably one of the best “shooter experiences” that I have played so MW2 had a lot to live up to. I clocked in at just over six hours to finish the regular campaign.
I have barely scratched the surface of Multiplayer and Special ops but I can see plenty of things to like already. For me this is the closest experience to counter strike that I have played (which is a good thing). I also haven’t seen a game that is so blatant in it’s kindergarten sticker giving. What I mean is that it seems like there are hundreds, if not thousands, or unlock-able achievemnts and logos. I predict a lot of fun in the MP future.
The Bad
I found the plot overly complicated and “twisted” to be clear for the level of experience the game provides. Usually I like a story with some twists and involvement but I didn’t really find the character names memorable around me so I never really bought into the actual plot. I thought the single player experience was also a little short as I was hoping for about 8 hours of play for my money on the single player side of things.
The only small complaint I have about MP is that I didn’t find that the new features were described well enough. I find that I just want to get in and play so I’m not using many of the features that I have unlocked yet. I think this has more to do with me being a nube rather than the game itself.
Conclusion
I think this is one of the best selling games for a reason. For my own tastes I found this serving of Modern Warfare enough to keep me for a couple of years I think. I will have to spend some more time with the multiplayer but I am not drawn to double dip in the singleplayer.
