So there's been a huge storm over in games journalism due a certain Zoe Quinn and her dishonest dealings with major individuals in the industry to gain undeserved press and prestige.
(For those not in the know)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5-51PfwI3M
But she's not the point.She should not be entirely.
What's happening now is. What gaming news sites are doing now is. How gamers are responding are and the analysis of how bad the current state of the industry is.
After the incident came to light, there was outrage at Zoe Quinn, up to the point she has been sent death threats. It also caused an explosion in the sense that the sites the individuals who were involved with her write for are now distrusted by the general gaming community,which is only made worse by the fact that these sites have apparently been trying to quell discussions, removing posts relating to the incident and such. In the wake of this, a movement called GamerGate has arisen.
https://github.com/GamerGateOP/GamerGateOP/blob/master/FAQ.md
More and more evidence pile up and game journalism seems less and less reliable. It saddening to see.
Her incident was a symptom to the major disease that has taken over. A disease of corruption and silencing. And it's drawing more attention. Soon maybe the internet will be watching as this unfolds. And how gamers and games journalism will be seen lies on how this is going to end.
What do I feel about this?
There are good and bad sides to this. The good side being that such a thing is being uncovered and addressed for the sake of integrity and truth in games journalism. The bad side is how this is probably going to be terribly scarring.
After having been repeatedly silenced over the discussion of Zoe Quinn and some sites writing articles that seem to be retaliations against gamers, a form of drastic action has been called:
The boycotting of these sites. Gamers now actively avoid games journalism websites in order to starve them of revenue.
This action is most definitely going to be harmful to both parties. I feel gamers do at least need some place where they can get information on games that are coming out or news relating to the games industry. With this, they shut it out. The sites would obviously suffer losses as this drags on, and depending on how long this goes for, I fear a horrible collapse. Could this really happen? And would a new wave of journalism arise from the ashes of this disaster? I don't know.
I look at this and I feel a myriad of negative feelings:Anger, sadness, pity, fear. Upon first hearing this, I got honestly upset and disgusted. Watching on as it unfolded, it was disheartening to see the this war between gamers and the journalists. New comers to gaming and games journalism would be frightened by these and I worry that certain individuals who honestly treat games journalism with respect may be causalities. Being someone who dreams to work in the field, it's scary to see something like this and the industry being faced with something so seemingly grim and uncertain.
Yet part of me feels a bit of hope. A Hope that this might shape games journalism for the better.
One can only hope that this may end decently, but one thing is certain: There will be a massive change.
Thursday, 4 September 2014
Wednesday, 20 August 2014
MMOs becoming easier/casual: It's like smithing.
After writing the review for Elsword, I look back at when I first began and the current state it is in.
Back when Elsword had 6 characters instead of the 9 it has today, and also a reduced amount in the job options they had(2 instead 3 paths). Leveling up and achieving those job advancements were also a pretty big deal and a significant milestone. But as of what it is now, achieving the advancement don't feel as monumental, though at this point quite a bit of content have been added and updated.
Thinking about this, I recalled another MMO I used to play: MapleStory. Those early days when earning the currency of the game (Mesos) was relatively difficult and equipment dropped very rarely from mobs. The days where getting to the 3rd job advancement was a mark of greatness as leveling up became ever harder. The legendary locations beyond Victora Island such as the floating island of faries Orbis and frosted grounds of El Nath, where veterans tread and could only reach with a rather big hole in their funds. Hitting the big 100th level was something well-worthy of grand respect as it probably took months.
But now?
Now one can stock pile quite a bit of Mesos and equipment drop from mobs, their value reduced by the fact that items created with the forging system have additional effects and better stats. Leveling up is pretty much a breeze, with quests giving buckets of experience points along with the mobs feeling much easier to deal with as to before. Getting to the 4th job advancement(Of which is at level 120) don't take as long. Orbis, El Nath and various other areas that used to be a big deal can now be accessed FREELY. All this knowledge what the game was as of late had me feel a bit of ire, considering all that effort I used to put in to leveling, grinding. I was disgusted.
After watching a certain episode which talked about gaming, however, I would realize there was somewhat a need for what feels like a reduction in difficulty.
For starters, I had been an avid fan of Maple for awhile, so when there was new content, it was within a reasonable reach for me. The same can be said for Elsword. But what about those who were new to the game, the fresh players? They'd need to go through the same grind I did before getting to the same content. As time passed on, there came new areas, the new job advancement, new characters etc etc. SO much content. Maybe starting to get TOO much. With all that grind to get to the new content that maybe their veteran friend are enjoying, how many new players would have the patience to remain interested?
So what to do? Best compress it then. Make it easier to level up. Reduce the amount of experience points needed. Make earning money easier. Make travelling easier. Make it faster to go through the old content and catch up to the newer ones. I mean, one of them managed to last more than 10 years.
I can't disagree that it makes sense and benefits players in general since the game becomes less of a grind, but as said before, the unfortunate sacrifice is the feeling of accomplishment the old content used to provide. That moment when you go: "FINALLY. I HAVE ACHIEVED THE GREATNESS" rather than "Ugh. Finally got to this point". Then again, back when those games were new, they had to worry about the inverse: Gamers going through their content TOO fast, which meant making leveling up on the higher tiers more difficult and better equipment hard to find etc. And at least most games provide harder 'end-game' content for those who want the sense of achievement that comes from a herculean task.
Maybe it's a natural progression for MMOs as they age. For the devs to take the existing content and reshaping it as a blacksmith would old tools, melting, adding more and making something 'new'.
Back when Elsword had 6 characters instead of the 9 it has today, and also a reduced amount in the job options they had(2 instead 3 paths). Leveling up and achieving those job advancements were also a pretty big deal and a significant milestone. But as of what it is now, achieving the advancement don't feel as monumental, though at this point quite a bit of content have been added and updated.
Thinking about this, I recalled another MMO I used to play: MapleStory. Those early days when earning the currency of the game (Mesos) was relatively difficult and equipment dropped very rarely from mobs. The days where getting to the 3rd job advancement was a mark of greatness as leveling up became ever harder. The legendary locations beyond Victora Island such as the floating island of faries Orbis and frosted grounds of El Nath, where veterans tread and could only reach with a rather big hole in their funds. Hitting the big 100th level was something well-worthy of grand respect as it probably took months.
But now?
Now one can stock pile quite a bit of Mesos and equipment drop from mobs, their value reduced by the fact that items created with the forging system have additional effects and better stats. Leveling up is pretty much a breeze, with quests giving buckets of experience points along with the mobs feeling much easier to deal with as to before. Getting to the 4th job advancement(Of which is at level 120) don't take as long. Orbis, El Nath and various other areas that used to be a big deal can now be accessed FREELY. All this knowledge what the game was as of late had me feel a bit of ire, considering all that effort I used to put in to leveling, grinding. I was disgusted.
After watching a certain episode which talked about gaming, however, I would realize there was somewhat a need for what feels like a reduction in difficulty.
For starters, I had been an avid fan of Maple for awhile, so when there was new content, it was within a reasonable reach for me. The same can be said for Elsword. But what about those who were new to the game, the fresh players? They'd need to go through the same grind I did before getting to the same content. As time passed on, there came new areas, the new job advancement, new characters etc etc. SO much content. Maybe starting to get TOO much. With all that grind to get to the new content that maybe their veteran friend are enjoying, how many new players would have the patience to remain interested?
So what to do? Best compress it then. Make it easier to level up. Reduce the amount of experience points needed. Make earning money easier. Make travelling easier. Make it faster to go through the old content and catch up to the newer ones. I mean, one of them managed to last more than 10 years.
I can't disagree that it makes sense and benefits players in general since the game becomes less of a grind, but as said before, the unfortunate sacrifice is the feeling of accomplishment the old content used to provide. That moment when you go: "FINALLY. I HAVE ACHIEVED THE GREATNESS" rather than "Ugh. Finally got to this point". Then again, back when those games were new, they had to worry about the inverse: Gamers going through their content TOO fast, which meant making leveling up on the higher tiers more difficult and better equipment hard to find etc. And at least most games provide harder 'end-game' content for those who want the sense of achievement that comes from a herculean task.
Maybe it's a natural progression for MMOs as they age. For the devs to take the existing content and reshaping it as a blacksmith would old tools, melting, adding more and making something 'new'.
Monday, 18 August 2014
Game Review: Elsword(Taiwan Servers)
Alright, another MMO to talk about. And this one I have a better relationship with. Here's a heads up though: I'm doing the Taiwan Servers of this MMO. The reason for this is due to not publisher in South East Asia providing a server, North American Servers being region locked and the Korean Servers being about as penetrable as a wall made out of diamond.
Anyway, Elsword is a 2.5 dimensional side-scrolling action MMORPG developed by Korean game company KoG Studios. It's 2.5 dimensional in the sense that models and environments are 3 dimensional but the game is played along a 2 dimensional axis. The game itself would probably bear a lot of resemblance to KoG's other 2.5 D side-scrolling game Grandchase(So there's going to be some comparisons here and there).
Set in the fictional world of Elrios, the game follows the story of Elsword and his comrades who travel the lands in order to bring peace to areas where turmoil is occurring, though some of the members the group have other personal reasons for fighting.
Starting the game, a player can pick from one of 9 characters in the cast. From there, a player can also see the available job paths that character can take(As of the build the Taiwan servers have). The specialty and stat distribution/growth of each character and their jobs are also shown so a player can make as informed a choice when creating the character as possible.
Combat in the game revolves around a character's combos done with the Z and X buttons as well as their skills, which are assigned to the A,S,D and C keys. For every 5 levels, a new tier of 2 skills will be unlocked but only one can be learned. Certain skills need to be unlocked via a Skill quest too. Equipment and Skill Notes also affect combat, as equipments can be argumented with elemental properties and Magic Stones that may affect damage and attack speed, not to mention some have set bonuses. Skill Notes modify certain skills, changing properties and/or damage values.
Anyway, Elsword is a 2.5 dimensional side-scrolling action MMORPG developed by Korean game company KoG Studios. It's 2.5 dimensional in the sense that models and environments are 3 dimensional but the game is played along a 2 dimensional axis. The game itself would probably bear a lot of resemblance to KoG's other 2.5 D side-scrolling game Grandchase(So there's going to be some comparisons here and there).
Set in the fictional world of Elrios, the game follows the story of Elsword and his comrades who travel the lands in order to bring peace to areas where turmoil is occurring, though some of the members the group have other personal reasons for fighting.
Starting the game, a player can pick from one of 9 characters in the cast. From there, a player can also see the available job paths that character can take(As of the build the Taiwan servers have). The specialty and stat distribution/growth of each character and their jobs are also shown so a player can make as informed a choice when creating the character as possible.
Example of a job path. There are also short clips played to show the playstyle.
Example of a combo list and skill tree
Demo of gameplay
There are Dungeons and Field for players to fight mobs. Dungeons are preset areas that have players fight through to a boss monster. Fields are areas between towns that spawn 'lesser' versions of mobs that appear in Dungeons, though to make up for it, they do occasionally spawn their own 'field' bosses, of which tend to be much more a challenge than that of dungeon bosses. As for end-game content, there's Henrir's Space Time(A boss rush) and the Secret Dungeons for those who want a challenge and consider the normal ones as walks in the park. Well, the Secret Dungeons counterpart would be a walk in a park when typhoon hits.
In terms of monetization, the in-game store sells avatar skins that are worn over existing equipment and like equipment, provide slight set bonuses. But of course, it does have its own 'lottery' system in the form of Ice Burners and Ancient Fossil Discriminators. Ice Burners consume Ice Sculptures created from the town alchemist and provides a chance to obtain rare avatar skins that are better than the ones simply brought, while the AFD could give the player a Mount, though some can also be brought in store.. Mounts are more than just aesthetics as they have their own attacks that are used when the they're rode on. Besides these, the store also sells other things like skill resets, class change items, item expansions and extra skill slots(Meaning that 8 skills can be assigned instead of the default 4).
Elsword's combat is pretty fast-paced since combos can be chained mind way into another(For example a ground attack that sends an enemy into the air to be chained into an aerial attack/combo). Proper combos are rewarded, as hitting opponents that are downed reduced the damage done. The array of characters also serve a pretty wide spectrum and provide replayability, considering that if one counts every character's job paths, there would be 27(Or 23 as of the TW servers) possible paths for a player to take.
Searching for a party to do a dungeon is convenient, as one press of a button automatically queues the player and shows how many are also searching in the same dungeon. When a party is formed, the game would ask if the player is ready, so they don't just get dropped in unaware. There's also a penalty implemented to those who think to join a dungeon and then Alt+Tab and feed off their team mates, of which is that if a player doesn't catch up to their team mates in a 20 second timer as they wait to get to the next area, their health would rapidly decrease till death and then they'd need to use a revival stone.
Searching for a party to do a dungeon is convenient, as one press of a button automatically queues the player and shows how many are also searching in the same dungeon. When a party is formed, the game would ask if the player is ready, so they don't just get dropped in unaware. There's also a penalty implemented to those who think to join a dungeon and then Alt+Tab and feed off their team mates, of which is that if a player doesn't catch up to their team mates in a 20 second timer as they wait to get to the next area, their health would rapidly decrease till death and then they'd need to use a revival stone.
The Cash Shop items feel rather fair, since they aren't necessary beyond letting a player look unique in the sea of other characters that might be wearing the same equipment as they are. The items that aren't for fashion however don't feel like they break the game more than they convenience a player with add-on that they would consider helpful or access to content faster. Even the Ice Burner sets can be brought via in-game currency so long as someone is selling it in the game's free market(Though such items have seals on them that need to be removed before use and disable trading when the seals are gone).
THIS SWORD NEEDS MORE TEMPERING.
As much as the game's combat flows like liquid silk, the skill tree is a bit of an issue, since you can't test a skill before investing skill points to it, so if a player messes up in allocating their points, they'd need to wait till their next job advancement(Assuming the screw-ups occurred before the final one), where they'd get a potion that resets their points, though the potion will expire if not used quickly. If the player only realizes their mistake VERY late in-game, they'll either need to fork out some money for a skill reset or wait for character rebalancing, in which the skill points of the character is reset since, well, rebalancing.
Elesis players be looking at this and be like:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qn977W9HjWM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qn977W9HjWM
The final job advancement quest tends to feel like it breaks the flow of the story(?) somewhat since it makes a player plow through dungeons that they shouldn't be if in the context of the story. Also, the requirement drop rates can feel horrifically volatile between characters.
The level design...Well, let's say they need more variety beyond 'area where you kill X mobs then go to the next to kill more'. Boss fights mostly consist of hammering away at them till they fall over, though some bosses require the players to take note of certain surrounding elements, for example: There's a boss that spawns two 'clones' of herself if the mirrors on the end of the level manage to turn to the center, meaning teamwork is vital so there won't be three times the trouble to deal with. Sadly, these kind of bosses don't appear often enough. The 'tutorial' portion of the game also feels a bit too long, considering it drags from level 1-15.
I would give Elsword a 7/10 . For what is has, Elsword's combat and general user-friendliness are its strongest points but a general lack of variety in level design and break in flow mid-game rips points off it.
The level design...Well, let's say they need more variety beyond 'area where you kill X mobs then go to the next to kill more'. Boss fights mostly consist of hammering away at them till they fall over, though some bosses require the players to take note of certain surrounding elements, for example: There's a boss that spawns two 'clones' of herself if the mirrors on the end of the level manage to turn to the center, meaning teamwork is vital so there won't be three times the trouble to deal with. Sadly, these kind of bosses don't appear often enough. The 'tutorial' portion of the game also feels a bit too long, considering it drags from level 1-15.
I would give Elsword a 7/10 . For what is has, Elsword's combat and general user-friendliness are its strongest points but a general lack of variety in level design and break in flow mid-game rips points off it.
Monday, 11 August 2014
Missed potential of Transistor
As I said before in my Transistor review, Transistor seems to have missed a chunk of interesting content due to not using the Function's functions well (you see what I did there).
Having studied games design, it irritates me more and more as I think about it and I feel the compulsion to express what I feel could have been put in to improve the game. Or at least give it more variety besides the fighting. That's not to say the combat is bad, it's just there could have been more.
(WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS)
What had caused me to notice this missing potential for exploration was the fact that in an early section of the game, the Turn system needed to be used in order for Red to hit two switches simultaneously and that you can use the Functions outside of the fights. And yet after that portion, there was no need to use Turn outside of battle. There was were also no 'secret' areas that needed the Functions in order to get to them. If you're not going to be having the Functions serve any purpose outside of the dogfights, why are you allowed to use them out of battle then?
Toying about with the Functions, I observe the qualities of some of the less directly combat-oriented abilities, primarily Jaunt, Mask and Get.
Firstly, Jaunt.
Jaunt is best described as teleportation, sending Red a certain distance and bypassing gaps and walls. You have teleportation move in a game that lets you use it in a city that begs exploration but has no part that needs it to access any hidden areas blocked off by a wall or maybe a large gap. Something isn't right here.
Next, Mask.
Mask turns Red invisible AND invulnerable for a certain period of time or until she initiates an attack. It makes me wonder if it could be used to go through a treacherous pathway that damages Red as she stands on it(Or an instant kill) or access a 'security' area whereby if an enemy spots you, the door to the area is locked off.
And finally Get.
Besides the Functions, let's not forget about the Turn system.
Executing functions and moving in super speed can make for interesting puzzles or situations(I.E pushing a switch on a door that closes almost immediately)
Considering the story stating that the Transistor played part in 'shaping' the city by the Camerata, it wouldn't be too far-fetched for Red to use to and gain access to areas that couldn't normally be reached by those without the Transistor.
It would have also been cool if let's say that after unlocking all of the flavor text of a Function, the text hints that the remnants of the soul which it draws from can still be found in a certain area, warranting exploration, with the rewards maybe being a better efficiency(reduced usage of space when in queue during Turn) of the Function or an increase in damage dealt for the more combat oriented Functions, since they're now 'complete', they should work better.
Having studied games design, it irritates me more and more as I think about it and I feel the compulsion to express what I feel could have been put in to improve the game. Or at least give it more variety besides the fighting. That's not to say the combat is bad, it's just there could have been more.
(WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS)
What had caused me to notice this missing potential for exploration was the fact that in an early section of the game, the Turn system needed to be used in order for Red to hit two switches simultaneously and that you can use the Functions outside of the fights. And yet after that portion, there was no need to use Turn outside of battle. There was were also no 'secret' areas that needed the Functions in order to get to them. If you're not going to be having the Functions serve any purpose outside of the dogfights, why are you allowed to use them out of battle then?
Toying about with the Functions, I observe the qualities of some of the less directly combat-oriented abilities, primarily Jaunt, Mask and Get.
Firstly, Jaunt.
Jaunt is best described as teleportation, sending Red a certain distance and bypassing gaps and walls. You have teleportation move in a game that lets you use it in a city that begs exploration but has no part that needs it to access any hidden areas blocked off by a wall or maybe a large gap. Something isn't right here.
THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG IF I'M USING IT PRIMARILY FOR THIS.
Next, Mask.
Mask turns Red invisible AND invulnerable for a certain period of time or until she initiates an attack. It makes me wonder if it could be used to go through a treacherous pathway that damages Red as she stands on it(Or an instant kill) or access a 'security' area whereby if an enemy spots you, the door to the area is locked off.
And finally Get.
Observe closely. Snapshot would be pulled along the dotted line towards Red.
Get drags opponents towards Red. This could have been used to perhaps access 'bridges' that need to be pulled by it.Executing functions and moving in super speed can make for interesting puzzles or situations(I.E pushing a switch on a door that closes almost immediately)
Considering the story stating that the Transistor played part in 'shaping' the city by the Camerata, it wouldn't be too far-fetched for Red to use to and gain access to areas that couldn't normally be reached by those without the Transistor.
It would have also been cool if let's say that after unlocking all of the flavor text of a Function, the text hints that the remnants of the soul which it draws from can still be found in a certain area, warranting exploration, with the rewards maybe being a better efficiency(reduced usage of space when in queue during Turn) of the Function or an increase in damage dealt for the more combat oriented Functions, since they're now 'complete', they should work better.
Wednesday, 6 August 2014
Game Review:Transistor
The last time I did a review, I left a painfully obvious hint.
So yeah, we're reviewing an electrical component today known as a transistor.
.....
I was kidding.
The second game under Supergiant Game's belt, it shares its genre with Bastion, being an Action RPG, as well as having a similar game view, being isometric. The game itself works differently on the other aspects, however.
To start, Transistor takes place in disaster that's already happening(Supergiant really seem to dislike worlds) in the fictional city of Couldbank. The main character of the game is a red-haired women creatively named Red, who had a stunning singing voice but lost it. The game opens in medias res,with her standing in front of a poor bloke who's probably had better days.
You know, considering he's dead by means of sword to the gut.
Well, he's physically dead anyway. Soon, the sword speaks to Red and tells her to help him out, and the voice apparently knows her. It doesn't take a genius to figure out the man's soul is now in the sword.
After pulling it out and facing off against odd mechanical forces known as The Process, they head out to find the members of a group called The Camerata, who are apparently the cause of all this and are the reason she's lost her voice.
It's gameplay may invoke comparisons to Bastion due to the similar isometric view and free movement at first glace. Unlike Bastion though, you don't check back to no 'hub' area and there are no currencies for upgrades. Instead, it's all just you leveling up to gain abilities and perks.
The combat would be something I would best described as real-time turn-based combat, in the sense that you can fight in real time within a confined battle space using The Transistor's various "Functions", though they each have a varying activation time, making some attacks feel unsafe to use in combat. That's where the "turn-based" part comes in.
So yeah, we're reviewing an electrical component today known as a transistor.
.....
I was kidding.
To start, Transistor takes place in disaster that's already happening(Supergiant really seem to dislike worlds) in the fictional city of Couldbank. The main character of the game is a red-haired women creatively named Red, who had a stunning singing voice but lost it. The game opens in medias res,with her standing in front of a poor bloke who's probably had better days.
You know, considering he's dead by means of sword to the gut.
Well, he's physically dead anyway. Soon, the sword speaks to Red and tells her to help him out, and the voice apparently knows her. It doesn't take a genius to figure out the man's soul is now in the sword.
After pulling it out and facing off against odd mechanical forces known as The Process, they head out to find the members of a group called The Camerata, who are apparently the cause of all this and are the reason she's lost her voice.
It's gameplay may invoke comparisons to Bastion due to the similar isometric view and free movement at first glace. Unlike Bastion though, you don't check back to no 'hub' area and there are no currencies for upgrades. Instead, it's all just you leveling up to gain abilities and perks.
The combat would be something I would best described as real-time turn-based combat, in the sense that you can fight in real time within a confined battle space using The Transistor's various "Functions", though they each have a varying activation time, making some attacks feel unsafe to use in combat. That's where the "turn-based" part comes in.
TOKI WA TOMARE(TIME STOPS)
Red can utilize a "Turn" during combat, freezing time around her(minus the terrible photoshop in) to plan a chain of actions or attacks which will be executed in EXTREMELY quick succession once she exits the planning phase. The actions(Which include moving) are limited by a blue bar that appears on the top of the screen that fills up depending on the action/attack. After using a "Turn", however, she must wait for it to recharge. Something worth noting is how the Functions don't simply work as attacks.
(Note: The number of open upgrade slots and memory shown is only upon hitting higher levels)
A "Function" can work as one of 3 things: An active attack, an argumentation to another attack or a passive effect. Each Function would take up a certain amount of memory, however.
Example of an argumentation to an active Function using another.
Another thing about the Functions is the fact that they all source from people's souls. This is also where the game gets its story and world building done. Kind of. Every paragraph needs to be unlocked buy using them in every slot at least once(I.E As an active, an argumentation and a passive).
Using Breach as an example since it spoils the least.
Transistor's answer to Bastion's hub is The Sandbox, which can only be accessed via certain 'Backdoors' scattered through the game. In Sandbox, players can access 3 kinds of challenges and a Practice mode to test builds. The challenges include a time attack, killing off all enemies in 1 Turn or simply surviving. These challenges provide extra experience points as well as unlocking new music to be played on the Sandbox's music player.
Transistor's artstyle for it's world is almost similar to that of Bastion, only with futuristic architecture in mind. The characters are also more proportionate as to Bastion's. Due to the fact that the game doesn't depend on any currency for upgrades, it doesn't feel as much of a grind as Bastion is. As with Bastion, the game has it's own form of Idols to ramp up the difficulty should players feel the game needs more teeth.
The ability building with the Functions really encourages quite the bit of experimentation and feels much more organic, granting a good sense of achievement to oneself considering that however far the player has managed, it was due to a personal build they've created. The amount of slots also make it so that most Functions would be used up and not feel as wasted. What makes a nice(If not creepy) touch is that enemies would start having similar abilities as you, in which makes terrifying sense the moment a certain plot point is revealed.
Controls, be it when a player uses a game controller or keyboard and mouse, feel very comfortable to use. When using a controller, the game provides a snap-on to enemies to make up for the issue of aiming using the joystick.
The various songs are sang by Ashley Barrett, whom some may recall from Bastion. As for instruments used, the tracks use more electrical instruments along side more traditional ones such as the harp and accordion. The vocal tend to convey more of the situation or probably how Red feels during the time a certain track is played.
BUT
The combat has certain issues. As much as the game does tell a player about the damage dealt when they execute the plan, that is under the assumption that ALL the attacks land. Which is a problem as some attacks cause knockback or massive changes in the enemy position. And the game does not calculate that. The game also requires the player to pick up Cells dropped from enemies after defeat. If a Cell is not retrieved after a time limit, the enemy would respawn. The problem with this is that if an enemy somehow gets knocked out of the confined battle space, collecting the cell would be impossible, thus forcing a revert to the last savepoint before the battle.
Finally, possibly the biggest and most odd thing is that Active Functions also work as your 'lives'. If your health is completely depleted, you lose a Function. As much as some might argue that makes a challenge, I'd say it's more akin to being told to run with a sprained leg while an angry dog is chasing you.
There also seems to be a sense of missed potential to use the Turns and Functions for puzzle-solving or exploration.
The game also comes up short in the aspect of story and structuring. On the first playthough, it was rather difficult to process the torrent of information fed in one go. It was only with a second one that I could better grasp the events that conspired. The backstory of each Function's soul are very much detached from one another.Limiting the Sandbox to 'Backdoors' feels rather restrictive. It should have been an area freely accessable at any point of the game.
And finally the ending
Well
It's hard to describe what to feel about that ending.
For $25 dollars, it does seem rather extravagant. I would advise waiting for a price drop or sale, though if paid full price for, it would feel like you were cheated. The game does give off the vibe it could have been better.
.......Before we all become oneeeeee
Ruuuuun
Controls, be it when a player uses a game controller or keyboard and mouse, feel very comfortable to use. When using a controller, the game provides a snap-on to enemies to make up for the issue of aiming using the joystick.
The various songs are sang by Ashley Barrett, whom some may recall from Bastion. As for instruments used, the tracks use more electrical instruments along side more traditional ones such as the harp and accordion. The vocal tend to convey more of the situation or probably how Red feels during the time a certain track is played.
BUT
The combat has certain issues. As much as the game does tell a player about the damage dealt when they execute the plan, that is under the assumption that ALL the attacks land. Which is a problem as some attacks cause knockback or massive changes in the enemy position. And the game does not calculate that. The game also requires the player to pick up Cells dropped from enemies after defeat. If a Cell is not retrieved after a time limit, the enemy would respawn. The problem with this is that if an enemy somehow gets knocked out of the confined battle space, collecting the cell would be impossible, thus forcing a revert to the last savepoint before the battle.
There also seems to be a sense of missed potential to use the Turns and Functions for puzzle-solving or exploration.
The game also comes up short in the aspect of story and structuring. On the first playthough, it was rather difficult to process the torrent of information fed in one go. It was only with a second one that I could better grasp the events that conspired. The backstory of each Function's soul are very much detached from one another.Limiting the Sandbox to 'Backdoors' feels rather restrictive. It should have been an area freely accessable at any point of the game.
And finally the ending
Well
It's hard to describe what to feel about that ending.
For $25 dollars, it does seem rather extravagant. I would advise waiting for a price drop or sale, though if paid full price for, it would feel like you were cheated. The game does give off the vibe it could have been better.
.......Before we all become oneeeeee
Ruuuuun
Tuesday, 29 July 2014
Quick Toinh Event: Koumajou Densetsu 2(Or Legend of the Scarlet Devil Castle 2)
Quick post about a game I used to play on the laptop I owned previously(Also a reason for lack of proper screenshots)
The title we're tackling today is Koumajou Densetsu 2, part of a series by Frontier Aja. This one is for those who are interested in Touhou(Shoot em' up series for those who don't really know) and Castlevania. It's even referred to as 'Touhouvania' by fans of the series. I'm doing the second one cause it's the only one I had an experience with by the way.
The game's protagonist is Sakuya Izayoi, the chief maid of the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Returning from an errand by her master Remilia, she finds the Mansion vacated and is lead back to a certain location from the first Koumajou game. Now she must delve deep into the place in order to uncover what happened to the tenants of the Mansion including Remilia.
The game can be played with a keyboard or gamepad, with the default controls involving the Z,X,C and V keys. Movement don't need much explaining. Z for basic attacks involving her knife(though the range feels more like it should be a sword?), X for jumping, C for Special weapons/Character assists and V to cycle between the special weapons. Combining the Up and Down keys with Z or X will have her doing special commands like a rapid slash, though some of these actions do consume MP. Speaking of which, the HUD consists of the Health Bar, an MP bar and a Soul count. Souls are red orbs collected from fallen enemies or destroyed objects and are used for the Special weapons/Character assists.
There are 8 main stages in total and 1 'Extra' stage. Before each stage, 3 special weapons/assists can be picked for usage throughout that stage.
For those who do enjoy Castlevania, even if you don't have a grasp on the lore where the game derives from, the game itself is entertaining and rather challenging, requiring the player to really take notice of surroundings as enemies can hit REALLY hard and healing items are scarce. It's art style mimics that of Castlevania, mostly that of Symphony Of The Night and the sprites do their best to resemble that of the portraits(Though the sprites have a much healthier colour to their skins for some reason).
The game also features a scoring system that's calculated by kills, clear time, unused Souls, remaining health and clearing a stage with no death(Which is telling of how hard the game is when it EXPECTS you to die).
This does put a replay value upon it as a form of challenge to perfectly run through a stage.
....
Feeling rather depressed that I can't find a means to get this game anymore.
The title we're tackling today is Koumajou Densetsu 2, part of a series by Frontier Aja. This one is for those who are interested in Touhou(Shoot em' up series for those who don't really know) and Castlevania. It's even referred to as 'Touhouvania' by fans of the series. I'm doing the second one cause it's the only one I had an experience with by the way.
The game can be played with a keyboard or gamepad, with the default controls involving the Z,X,C and V keys. Movement don't need much explaining. Z for basic attacks involving her knife(though the range feels more like it should be a sword?), X for jumping, C for Special weapons/Character assists and V to cycle between the special weapons. Combining the Up and Down keys with Z or X will have her doing special commands like a rapid slash, though some of these actions do consume MP. Speaking of which, the HUD consists of the Health Bar, an MP bar and a Soul count. Souls are red orbs collected from fallen enemies or destroyed objects and are used for the Special weapons/Character assists.
There are 8 main stages in total and 1 'Extra' stage. Before each stage, 3 special weapons/assists can be picked for usage throughout that stage.
For those who do enjoy Castlevania, even if you don't have a grasp on the lore where the game derives from, the game itself is entertaining and rather challenging, requiring the player to really take notice of surroundings as enemies can hit REALLY hard and healing items are scarce. It's art style mimics that of Castlevania, mostly that of Symphony Of The Night and the sprites do their best to resemble that of the portraits(Though the sprites have a much healthier colour to their skins for some reason).
The game also features a scoring system that's calculated by kills, clear time, unused Souls, remaining health and clearing a stage with no death(Which is telling of how hard the game is when it EXPECTS you to die).
This does put a replay value upon it as a form of challenge to perfectly run through a stage.
....
Feeling rather depressed that I can't find a means to get this game anymore.
Sunday, 20 July 2014
Game Review:Bastion
Haven't been writing that much cause I've been /attempting poorly/ to make a video review for another game.(Hint: it's not going too well)
Might as well touch on something now before I lose my touch. And this one is going to be special, since I'm going to be making another review related to this.
So today we're going to talk about Bastion.
Oh wait wrong subject.
The maiden work of SuperGiant Games, Bastion is an Action Role Playing Game presented in an isometric view. The developers describe their goal as being "to make games that spark your imagination like the games you played as a kid". And they've managed to pull it off.
Taking place after an apocalyptic event referred to as The Calamity, the player assumes the role of The Kid, a youth who woke up one day with the world around him reduced to pieces.
In the wake of this, he fellows an emergency procedure and heads through the ruined surroundings to The Bastion, a structure. After meeting with an old man (whose name is later revealed as Rucks) that seemed to be the only one to have reached it besides The Kid, he is tasked to seek out the 'Cores' of the city, power generators that The Bastion requires to be complete, as it wasn't when the catastrophe happened.
Gameplay consists of fighting to the objective(The Cores for the first half of the game) while many creatures run amok about the area, guarding it.
They have good reason to, considering that the area falls apart when it is removed, prompting The Kid to need to find the Skyway that leads back to the Bastion. The Kid's armaments consist of two weapons and two types of tonics, which are Health Tonics and Black Tonics. Black Tonics are required for the usage of special skills in battle. As for defensive options, The Kid can execute a dodge roll away from danger and slightly damages enemies was well as a shield for blocking attacks. Blocking works also as a lock-on that makes The Kid face and lock-on to an enemy, focusing attacks on the enemy while the button is held.
After collecting returning to The Bastion with a Core, The Kid can construct various structures. The list of structures that can be build and their purpose are all introduced in the first level, so the question becomes prioritizing what to construct first.
Might as well touch on something now before I lose my touch. And this one is going to be special, since I'm going to be making another review related to this.
So today we're going to talk about Bastion.
It's a part of certain artillery fortifications that protrudes out-
Oh wait wrong subject.
There we go.
Taking place after an apocalyptic event referred to as The Calamity, the player assumes the role of The Kid, a youth who woke up one day with the world around him reduced to pieces.
In the wake of this, he fellows an emergency procedure and heads through the ruined surroundings to The Bastion, a structure. After meeting with an old man (whose name is later revealed as Rucks) that seemed to be the only one to have reached it besides The Kid, he is tasked to seek out the 'Cores' of the city, power generators that The Bastion requires to be complete, as it wasn't when the catastrophe happened.
Gameplay consists of fighting to the objective(The Cores for the first half of the game) while many creatures run amok about the area, guarding it.
After collecting returning to The Bastion with a Core, The Kid can construct various structures. The list of structures that can be build and their purpose are all introduced in the first level, so the question becomes prioritizing what to construct first.
I like to be able to switch between my weapons first.
Besides the standard levels, there are also 'Proving Grounds' and 'Who Knows Where'. The former areas 'train' the player on the usage of a specific weapon. That's because weapons in the game each have a gimmick or mechanic, which is logical as picking up something might be easy but to master is another matter.
As for 'Who Knows Where', it's a gantlet mode where Fragments can be earned in abundance.
Fragments are the currency/resource needed to purchase items and skills from the structures, although weapon upgrades require upgrade materials as well to be improved. Weapon upgrades are split into five tiers with two options each. Although only one option can be active, the options can be freely switched between one another.
The game's aesthetic really reminds one of an old book. More specifically, it would probably remind one of an old children's storybook, which, at the time and probably even now, feels quite refreshing and easy on the eyes. It's game design is also superb, in the sense that it feeds on two degrees of achievement. As said before, weapons each have a gimmick that needs to be mastered upon to be efficient, and the Proving Grounds are made for honing one's skill with a weapon. Depending on how well a player manages to improve, the Grounds would reward the player with Fragments, upgrade material or, for those who have truly proven their worth with the weapon, a new skill to use. For those who find difficulty in the task, however, the specific skill is not barred entirely. From the Lost-and-Found structure, one can still obtain the skill or materials, meaning besides skill, the game also rewards effort.
Sadly, I've played the game to the point I have most the stuff, but you get the idea.
Due to the variety of weapons and passive effects that can be used from the Distillery, the loadout can be customized to fit the player's playstyle comfortably.
As the game progresses, one would feel the upgrades dimming the challenge of the game. That is where a genius move is made by SuperGiant Games. Instead of a difficulty selection, the game's deeper challenges come from a slew of Idols that can be activated from The Pantheon. As they're activated, enemies will gain buffs while the Fragments and Experience gained from them will increase.
To handle this would need The Kid become more than just a man.
As for the story, it's engaging due to the small pool of characters. Whist searching for the Cores, The Kid would happen upon two more survivors, whom the Calamity had caused a much bigger personal effect on.
The entire story is narrated by Rucks, whose voice is practically made to tell stories. It's easy to invest and understand how they feel as more of what possibly lead up to the event is revealed. When I say narrated, I mean that Rucks would narrate without interrupting the game's flow, revealing the history of the area currently being explored or talking about The Kid's actions. He also narrates when The Kid goes to 'Who Knows Where', which tells the backstory of all of the characters up until the point of the Calamity.
What makes it feel so special though is the fact that The Kid isn't. How good he is with a weapon lands on the one in control of him. The Kid had to EARN recognition from his actions and soon enough, in the end, he would be trusted with a very hefty decision with two endings. Something to note is that SuperGiant Games made sure that New Game Plus would 'make sense' if one was chosen. Even if the alternative was selected though, the player would still get why it would exist. Confused? Then play the game to find out.
The soundtrack utilizes loads of acoustic guitar and beats, plunging one into the fantasy world of Bastion even more.
HOWEVER
Having a slew of weapons can feel....Cumbersome because the weapons you don't use tend to just sit in the back to collect dust. And you have a LOT of weapons.
Like, 10 in total
Also, as much as the Proving Grounds reward skill, sometimes the weapon needs a certain upgrade for the player to get the best score. And it has to be mentioned again that the challenge of the game is dulled if the player chooses not to use the Idols.
Having Rucks be the only one who speaks can also come as being odd, especially when one of the other characters suddenly end up also speaking, which begs the question on why she didn't when The Kid talks to her on The Bastion.
The first stage can also feel a bit long and heavy.
For the price of $15 USD, I would say its content is well worth the price-tag and the quality of entertainment it would provide as a game and a story is superb.
Closing this, here's a preview of the next review:
I /hope/ you get it.
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