Psychonauts (Not Quite) Finished

There are some games that I play simply due to my love of games in generally and not for any love for the genre. Some games achieve such a cult following that they practically compel me to experience them and subsequently love them as much as every other cultured gamer on the planet. Psychonauts definitely fits into both of these categories and I am here to proclaim that this game has defeated me.

Of course, this is a modern platformer, so it would not be fair to mention the numerous collections that you are given in the game. There are a ludicrous amount of item types that you are constantly scavenging for in order to upgrade your psychic powers. There is also a wonderful psychic theme in which the main character is constantly being thrust into the minds of others with often hilarious results (this game actually was laugh out loud funny at times.)

Rarely, is there a game that I do not finish, but the increasing difficulty of this game forces me to stop for its own safety. I just wish that game designers could create a challenging game that rewards the player when needed and punishes in such a way that does not include repetition and/or memorization. Come on, I know there has to be a better way....

Games Demystified: Super Mario Galaxy

It seems that most of my updates previously have either been review or rant types, so I thought it might be a nice change to track some of my favorite technical articles regarding games.

Games Demystified: Super Mario Galaxy

This article is the first in a recent series of articles by Jeremy Alessi that goes under the hood of some techniques utilized in recent popular games. Here, Jeremy describes how Nintendo developers basically fudged realistic gravity using the surface normals of the polygons that make up the planet's surface.

Braid

So I thought I'd throw my two cents in regarding Braid, the recent Xbox Live Arcade title that is receiving consistently positive praise from critics and fans alike.

I have to admit that when first reading about the game, it did not interest me that much. However, when I booted it up and was not even treated to a title screen or introduction, I knew I was in for a different experience. Transitioning to the game, I was pleased with how well, I was introduced to the mechanics of the game without any prompting by the game itself. Just a few graphics hidden among the terrain of the first level to make sure you knew which buttons to press and the rest is left to experimentation by the player.

As far as game mechanics go, the idea of each level presenting a different time-manipulating element keeps things interesting and the puzzles are appropriately difficult and experimentation is well rewarded.

Thematically and artistically, this game was likewise excellent. The abstract story had a very thoughtful conclusion. Gamer karma maybe? I loved it...

Planescape Torment Complete!

So, I've finished Planescape:Torment and as with the other Black Isle/Bioware games, I was impressed. This one seemed a lot more story driven than the Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale games, but depending on your character class there was lots of beatings to put forth if one so wished.

I definitely like the way you were able to easily switch back and forth between fighter, mage and thief character classes. I suppose they had to allow this as you were not allowed to customize your character beyond his stats and beginning class as the story was heavily dependent on the main character looking and acting a certain way for the most part.

Regarding combat, I found this game slightly more tedious than the Baldur's Gate games, perhaps it's my faulty memory at play, but there seemed to be something off. I did notice that there was not a lot of options for character weapons and armor, which again goes to show the story-driven nature of the game. I do admit it was nice not to have to continually futz with character inventory before every battle.

Well, now it's on to Tron 2.0. I heard this was an interesting FPS with some slightly different play-mechanics and a storyline that is actually worthy of the Tron name.

Game Queue

I have been very busy between school and work, but somehow I've still managed to have a full game queue at the same time. Here's what I've been playing lately with a very short comment on each game:


1. Planescape: Torment - When I first bought this game back in '99, I think I was burnt out on the Bioware/Black Isle RPGs, so it went unplayed for many years. Now that I've picked it up, I realize what a great experience it is! Really great story and lots of moral choices for the player. However, there seems to be something lacking in the combat...maybe more later...

2. Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter - An early Xbox 360 game that I'm finally getting around to playing. It's your typical tactical FPS, that I personally think was surpassed with the Rainbow Six: Vegas game. Story and script are hokey and remind me of any number of mid-90s war/action films (This is not a bad thing for me, as Nicole and I had a hoot laughing at some of the dialogue during the cut scenes).

3. Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars - I picked this one up mainly because I was interested in how the control scheme would translate from PC to the Xbox 360 and I must admit that it is mostly successful, unfortunately, I don't pick this one up often enough, so I'm constantly having to peek back at the controller map to remember how to play the darn thing (i.e. controls are not intuitive...yet).

4. Psychonauts - A PS2 "cult" classic 3D platformer. I really like the theme of this one, but I can tell why it was a commercial flop as from first appearances it looks like a kid's game. Even though it follows the typical collection/scavenger hunt game play of most 3D platformers since Mario 64, a quirky cast of characters and a goofy sense of humor keep me coming back to this one.

Board Games / Card Games

I have lately been putting some time into playing some board and card games. Here are a few of the titles I have picked up lately:

1. Fluxx - Awesome card game where the rules are constantly changing. This is good coffe-shop game since it can last anywhere from 1-30 min.
2. Carcassone - This is a classic strategy game where players attempt to score points based on placing followers on a tile-board.
3. Blockus - This is an abstract game where players attempt to place all their pieces on the board. The catch is that the pieces can only be played with same colors touching at the corners.

EVE Online - Update 2

So, it appears that the MMO curse has struck me again as I have almost lost total interest in EVE Online (though I actually extended my trial account to a subscription...). I was enjoying playing a little each day, but since Nicole and I just got a new puppy, I've been exceptionally busy between him and work and school with little time to devote. However, I do not feel the desire to play at all. Nothing has captured me to the point to where I want to sit back down and continue with the game. In fact, the last time I played I was completing Agent missions and I even got the exact same mission TWICE which is a big turn-off to me...

oh well, I'll probably be canceling my subscription after this month runs out. I do hear that the new Conan MMO is interesting though....hmmm.....