The unit of videogames of the Vivendi, that already it was a deficitary business for the French group of media, enjoys currently of one of the biggest edges of profit of the industry thanks to a game: World of Warcraft.
The world of warcraft game congregated more than 10 million users since its launching in 2004 and the president of the Vivendi Games, Rene Penisson, says that she created a new market for the company and the industry as a whole. "I believe that a great market is opening", said Penisson to the Reuters, in interview after the presentation of annual results of the group. "it is changing the way as the people play videogames."
The French rival of the Vivendi, Infogrames, that controls the Atari in the United States, affirmed this month that the games online will be the engine of growth of the industry and will compose one room of all the games of the industry in three years. World of Warcraft is a game in which the users makes friends and enemies in a virtual world formed by druids, goblins and fairies, and some times find its soul-twin in the real life. Passed year, the package of expansion "The Burning Crusade" surpassed expectations of sales and the Vivendi waited that the same happens with the package for the game, "Wrath of the Lich King", that it will be launched in the semester of this year.
Between 2003 and 2007, the Vivendi Games doubled its invoicing for more than 1 billion of euros (1,52 billions of dollar) and transformed an operational damage of about 200 million euros into a profit of 181 million. "World of Warcraft has been the essential element that it transformed the Vivendi Games", said Penisson. If the Vivendi Games did not have a so popular title, the company never would have obtained the affection of the Activision, the producer behind the successes as "Guitar Hero" and which the French group closed a partnership of 18 billion dollar in December of the passed year, Penisson said. The Vivendi Games will have between 52 68 percent of the agreed company Activision Blizzard, depending on the result of offers of action.
For 2009, the Vivendi Games foresaw invoicing agreed of 4,3 billion dollar, operational profit of 1,1 billion of dollar.
Penisson will be the director of the new company. "the combination of the two company creates a bonanza group in terms of portfolio of products and development potential", said it.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Monday, September 5, 2011
Backgammon is thought to be the oldest game in the world
Backgammon is thought to be the oldest game in the world, and archaeologists have found backgammon sets that date from as long ago as 3,000 BC. It is a classic game of luck combined with strategy, as you must roll dice and then choose how best to move. The great thing about backgammon is that the rules are simple to explain, but mastering the game can take a lifetime. Unlike chess, the game is also quick to pick up and play, with games often lasting only a few minutes.
Basically, there are two sides on a backgammon board, each with twelve spaces, for a total of twenty-four spaces. These spaces are numbered from 1 to 24 in opposite directions for the two players, so player one's space 1 is player two's space 24, and so on. Where each players' counters (checkers) are placed varies depending on the rules being used, but a common configuration is five on 6 and 13, three on 8, and two on 24.
To begin the game, you each roll one of the dice, and the player who rolls the highest gets the first turn using the numbers from both dice. The rule is that each number is a move, so if you roll a one and a six, you can move one checker one space and one checker six spaces.
This is where it starts to get a bit complicated, but stick with it. When you're deciding which checker to move and where, you have to consider which moves are allowed. Your checkers can only move to spaces that have no checkers, only your checkers, or only one of your opponent's checkers – you cannot move to any space that has two or more of your opponent's checkers. However, if you land on a space where your opponent has only one checker, you have taken it and can put it on the 'bar' in the middle of the board. The bar counts as 'space zero' for dice rolls, and any checkers there must be moved before the others can be.
Basically, there are two sides on a backgammon board, each with twelve spaces, for a total of twenty-four spaces. These spaces are numbered from 1 to 24 in opposite directions for the two players, so player one's space 1 is player two's space 24, and so on. Where each players' counters (checkers) are placed varies depending on the rules being used, but a common configuration is five on 6 and 13, three on 8, and two on 24.
To begin the game, you each roll one of the dice, and the player who rolls the highest gets the first turn using the numbers from both dice. The rule is that each number is a move, so if you roll a one and a six, you can move one checker one space and one checker six spaces.
This is where it starts to get a bit complicated, but stick with it. When you're deciding which checker to move and where, you have to consider which moves are allowed. Your checkers can only move to spaces that have no checkers, only your checkers, or only one of your opponent's checkers – you cannot move to any space that has two or more of your opponent's checkers. However, if you land on a space where your opponent has only one checker, you have taken it and can put it on the 'bar' in the middle of the board. The bar counts as 'space zero' for dice rolls, and any checkers there must be moved before the others can be.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Board Games For Younger Children
Playing board games with younger children presents a fun learning opportunity. These precious years are when kids learn so much. Playing kids board games can reinforce learning letters, numbers, and colors. Playing board games can also help develop memory and cognitive skills. A lot of board game makers have not only taken into account a fun factor with their games but the learning potential.
When choosing games for preschoolers, look for age appropriate board games. This most likely will be listed on the front of the board game box. Choose games that either have a theme or relate to something that is of interest to your child. If your child really likes animals, then an animal-themed game might hold their attention for longer. There are also many classic board games like Memory and Candyland that feature popular characters, too.
Playing pieces should be fairly large and shouldn't present a choking hazard. Avoid games where tokens are used or games that contain small game pieces. All wooden games are sturdy and will be harder for children to break.
Before buying a board game for young children, check to see how long the playing time is for the game. Games that are relatively short are more likely to be finished before interest is lost. Board games that can be finished in under 15 minutes should be considered.
Look for board games that are not only age appropriate but that have simple rules. Games that have only one winning condition are best, too. Some games might have more than one way to win the game. It can be confusing to be able to win a game more than one way. This information may not be clearly noted on the board game box, so use house rules to set only one winning condition.
House rules can always be implemented into any game. Changing the rules for family play can speed up games, which hopefully will keep younger players engaged.
Award-winning games have been put through some test for fun and game play. There are plenty of awards given out to board games during the year, but just because a game receives an award doesn't mean it's necessary a game your kids would enjoy. Some awards are given to those board games submitted for review, so it might not be a complete inclusion to every game put out that year. Still, award-winning games can give some ideas of games to consider for your children.
Playing board games with younger children might have its challenges. Kids might become bored and not want to finish the game. If this happens, consider house rules to tailor the game to your child's interest. Finding games that feature their favorite things can help to expand their attention span while playing.
There are many board games for younger children. Read reviews and box labels to gain insight into what the game is all about before purchasing it. While board games can be a fun way to learn, it can also be a great family activity that can create memories to last a lifetime.
When choosing games for preschoolers, look for age appropriate board games. This most likely will be listed on the front of the board game box. Choose games that either have a theme or relate to something that is of interest to your child. If your child really likes animals, then an animal-themed game might hold their attention for longer. There are also many classic board games like Memory and Candyland that feature popular characters, too.
Playing pieces should be fairly large and shouldn't present a choking hazard. Avoid games where tokens are used or games that contain small game pieces. All wooden games are sturdy and will be harder for children to break.
Before buying a board game for young children, check to see how long the playing time is for the game. Games that are relatively short are more likely to be finished before interest is lost. Board games that can be finished in under 15 minutes should be considered.
Look for board games that are not only age appropriate but that have simple rules. Games that have only one winning condition are best, too. Some games might have more than one way to win the game. It can be confusing to be able to win a game more than one way. This information may not be clearly noted on the board game box, so use house rules to set only one winning condition.
House rules can always be implemented into any game. Changing the rules for family play can speed up games, which hopefully will keep younger players engaged.
Award-winning games have been put through some test for fun and game play. There are plenty of awards given out to board games during the year, but just because a game receives an award doesn't mean it's necessary a game your kids would enjoy. Some awards are given to those board games submitted for review, so it might not be a complete inclusion to every game put out that year. Still, award-winning games can give some ideas of games to consider for your children.
Playing board games with younger children might have its challenges. Kids might become bored and not want to finish the game. If this happens, consider house rules to tailor the game to your child's interest. Finding games that feature their favorite things can help to expand their attention span while playing.
There are many board games for younger children. Read reviews and box labels to gain insight into what the game is all about before purchasing it. While board games can be a fun way to learn, it can also be a great family activity that can create memories to last a lifetime.
Internet Games
Computer games have radically changed the way we seek entertainment. Now, with internet games, digital gaming has an all new face.
With broadband connectivity and super fast computers, mobile phones and game consoles becoming the norm of the day, anyone can today play a game of chess or a round of poker, even while staying separated by half the earth.
It is such an amazing fun to be able to play any number of games of almost any type with people you are never likely to see. online games, coming in hundreds of variety amuse players and fill the pockets of several thousands of game developers.
Not all games are made alike. Some games are more fun than others.
There are different genres of games, America adventure games, India epic themed games, Japan Manga games, etc attach richness to the whole scenario. Choice of a game depends on the general mental makeup of the players and the state of mind during the selection of the games.
Internet games, many of them ask you to pay a subscription fee to be able to play the games. There are also a few sites that offer games online absolutely free of cost.
There are trial versions or games available at the websites that offer games on subscription. Players get an idea of the nature of the full version game. It is always advisable to play the trial version before subscribing to the full version of the game. It will be very bad, if you see the game not up to your mark, after you pay the full amount.
Online games are quite addictive. From preteens to old age people, everyone who uses internet and are stuck to internet games find themselves spending hours together at different games sites, without taking a notice at the hours that fly by. Nothing apart from the game's progress attracts their attention, while they are in the game. It is so amazing and so enthralling for the gamers, but for onlookers it can be some crazy stuff.
Variously themed internet games to fill your hours with endless fun and excitement, all you have to do is log in to the internet and pick your game from the thousands available out there.
With almost any type of game, especially multiplayer games, you can also chat with the gamers, while playing the game. It is fun way to make new friends with similar gaming skills and interests.
War games, strategy games, close encounters, puzzle solving, speed & control games, etc come in large numbers and in infinite variety. Sometimes you may also have the problem of too much of choices available before you. Each game is good and you will be at a fix, switching to the right game. Within a single genre, there will be hundreds of gaming vying for your attention.
Subscription games are of two types. Paying a fixed amount for a month's subscription and pay as you go games, i.e. each game you play costs you £ 1 - £ 10, depending on the type of game. If you consider betting games, the costs can go over the roof.
Online games are mainly browser-based Java-Flash games. Developers of internet games work to develop variously themed creative games that stay stable in different environments.
If you think it is time to check online for some fun, playing games alone or with someone else from another city or with some from the other side of the earth, rest assured that internet games wait for you, with unlimited fun, entertainment and time pass.
With broadband connectivity and super fast computers, mobile phones and game consoles becoming the norm of the day, anyone can today play a game of chess or a round of poker, even while staying separated by half the earth.
It is such an amazing fun to be able to play any number of games of almost any type with people you are never likely to see. online games, coming in hundreds of variety amuse players and fill the pockets of several thousands of game developers.
Not all games are made alike. Some games are more fun than others.
There are different genres of games, America adventure games, India epic themed games, Japan Manga games, etc attach richness to the whole scenario. Choice of a game depends on the general mental makeup of the players and the state of mind during the selection of the games.
Internet games, many of them ask you to pay a subscription fee to be able to play the games. There are also a few sites that offer games online absolutely free of cost.
There are trial versions or games available at the websites that offer games on subscription. Players get an idea of the nature of the full version game. It is always advisable to play the trial version before subscribing to the full version of the game. It will be very bad, if you see the game not up to your mark, after you pay the full amount.
Online games are quite addictive. From preteens to old age people, everyone who uses internet and are stuck to internet games find themselves spending hours together at different games sites, without taking a notice at the hours that fly by. Nothing apart from the game's progress attracts their attention, while they are in the game. It is so amazing and so enthralling for the gamers, but for onlookers it can be some crazy stuff.
Variously themed internet games to fill your hours with endless fun and excitement, all you have to do is log in to the internet and pick your game from the thousands available out there.
With almost any type of game, especially multiplayer games, you can also chat with the gamers, while playing the game. It is fun way to make new friends with similar gaming skills and interests.
War games, strategy games, close encounters, puzzle solving, speed & control games, etc come in large numbers and in infinite variety. Sometimes you may also have the problem of too much of choices available before you. Each game is good and you will be at a fix, switching to the right game. Within a single genre, there will be hundreds of gaming vying for your attention.
Subscription games are of two types. Paying a fixed amount for a month's subscription and pay as you go games, i.e. each game you play costs you £ 1 - £ 10, depending on the type of game. If you consider betting games, the costs can go over the roof.
Online games are mainly browser-based Java-Flash games. Developers of internet games work to develop variously themed creative games that stay stable in different environments.
If you think it is time to check online for some fun, playing games alone or with someone else from another city or with some from the other side of the earth, rest assured that internet games wait for you, with unlimited fun, entertainment and time pass.
The Top 5 Must Play RPGs for Every Video Game Console
The gaming market is monstrous. Right now there are six consoles, three handhelds, and the ever present PC you can buy games for. That's 10 different ways you can get your game on, so if you're someone who doesn't have the ways or means to buy all 10 platforms and every halfway decent game that arrives for any of them, you're probably wondering which way you should go to get the most bang for your buck. I'm a bit of a gamer nerd, and so for you I've collected the top five available games (in the stores now) for each console for each particular genre. Based on reviews, user comments, and my personal experience, these are the best ways to go.
This round: RPGs. The Japanese RPG market exploded in the 32-64 bit days, blowing out with a new game seemingly every week. You can blame Square for that one, bringing to the stores amazing game after amazing game, which immediately spurned every other company to release whatever dreck they could muster to keep you pumping money into their pockets. Nowadays there are hundreds of options out there, and the Japanese market isn't the only one around. North American companies have their own answers to the RPG boom and now it's a veritable flood of options. Here are the top five for each option you've got.
Playstation 2 - The Playstation brand name has been the home of quality RPGs since PS1 first roled out with Suikoden and Final Fantasy games in the mid- 90s. This list was hard because there are so many left off. Dark Cloud 2, Final Fantasy X, the Shin Megami Tensei games and many more deserve recognition, but alas these are also long as hell, so if you had more than 5, when would you ever finish them. You may notice I exclude the PS3, but I can't really offer any PS3 RPGs for you until they've actually been created. We're waiting.
1. Shadow Hearts Covenant - The Shadow Hearts series took on a serious following after this entry, one of the greatest RPG releases of the generation. It's take on the fantasy RPG genre blended into the realms of reality, bleeding over in church and demonology lore. Taking place in the 19th Century and following the legend of a young woman and her unfortunate destiny, it can be enjoyed alone or along with it's predecessors Koudelka and Shadow Hearts (I).
2. Disgaea - This is probably the best strategy RPG released for any console ever. Released by Atlus, a brand name that has grown in and of itself of recent years to the respectability that names like Square and Level 5 now carry with their games, Disgaea is about the young prince of hell and his quest to regain his domain after being awoken. With more than 200 hours of gameplay here, count on playing for days on days. And it's funnier than hell. These are great characters.
3. Suikoden III - The Suikoden series is the cult series. Of course it's slowly sliding out of cult status and into the mainstream with releases occurring every couple of years since this one. The best in the series with the possible exception of Suikoden II, Suikoden III tells the story of a huge cast of characters, all intricately entwined with one another. You play through the tale of their war, but as seen through each characters eyes. Truly epic.
4. Final Fantasy XII - The newest release, released only two weeks before the Playstation 3's release, this game redefines the epic scope of prior Final Fantasies, literally reaching for the stars. Each character is fully realized and a part of the action, their story an intricate part of the game. There's no fluff here, and the rebuild of the decades old RPG formula was all for the better, working for the complete and total betterment of the game and hopefully the series.
5. DragonQuest VIII - Dragon Quest has always been huge in Japan, but only now did it find the same success here in the US. Dragon Quest VIII is the huge (extremely huge) result of Square Enix's jump to full 3D glory in their series. The graphics are incredible, the characters hilarious and deeply involving, and the story arresting. The battles aren't half bad either. And the usual monster catching glory is intact. A long game, it will keep you busy for days.
Gamecube (and Wii) - The Gamecube got shorted on the RPG options, much like its big brother the N64. Nintendo lost a lot of their clout with the RPG crowd when Squaresoft jumped ship in the 90s and they're still trying to earn it back...so far to little success. But, the future looks bright, as Square Enix is finally producing games for the Big N, and Nintendo's own work includes more forays into the RPG market. Here's hoping for more, because the Wii is perfect for the format.
1. Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - The newest Zelda adventure, Twilight Princess, is by far the best reason to own a Nintendo Wii. The game is a masterpiece on almost every level, to the point I'm almost willing to call it the greatest game ever made. We've heard this a lot, that this game is the greatest. That it surpasses what Ocarina accomplished 8 years ago. And as my own favorite game, it's hard to ever put anything above Ocarina in terms of scope, depth, and innovation. No need to go into detail. Read my review of it here for more thoughts on why it's so amazing.
2. Tales of Symphonia - The first really good RPG for the Gamecube, and still one of the only ones really. The newest entry in the hugely popular (in Japan) Tales saga, Symphonia was a huge, fun, well told game. The characters were fun, the battle system is one of the best around, and the action was fully inclusive and crafted a long game. Symphonia was the Gamecube owning RPG fan's one saving grace.
3. Skies of Arcadia Legends - Originally released for the Dreamcast, Skies of Arcadia was given a second life on the Gamecube, again fated to anonymity due to the failure of the console. This is a great game. It tells the story of two sky pirates who must traverse the sky ocean and save the world from a shattering war and so on. You attempt throughout the game to build your pirate rank and build up your ship. It was one of Dreamcast's must have games and the same for Gamecube. Unfortunately so few actually had it, and now it's not exactly easy to find.
4. Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker - The infamous Wind Waker. Nintendo's foray into cel shading and the horrible foray into ocean mechanics. This game is still amazing. It's Zelda afterall, but it's flawed on more than the basic levels. It's hard to get around. The ocean is huge, and the game is short. But the parts you play, in between sailing around Hyrule are beautiful and incredibly fun.
5. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door - The Big N rounds out the five with another in house effort. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door was a return to the Paper Mario fun they coined in the N64 days, this time around with the RPG elements the game seems to work best with. Incredibly easy yes, but fun as hell at the same time.
Xbox (and X360) - The Xbox, not surprisingly saw no Japanese development. Every game listed below was produced in English Speaking countries, mostly Canada actually. The style is noticeably different, but the quality is equally incredible. The strive for realism by Western developers can be seen in each of these entries. Although the lack of humor is equally as prescient.
1. Elderscrolls IV: Oblivion - The Xbox 360 has some serious horsepower. Not only is there room to spare, but the graphic output is insane at time, and what better way to show this off than with an Elderscrolls game. Monstrous, huge worlds in which you can freely roam wherever you want and interact with your environment. This game is huge and intense. Hundreds of hours can be spent just wandering around and completing a main quest. As for getting the rest done. Who knows how long you could spend on there.
2. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - Star Wars games were starting to get a bad rap for a while, until Bioware arrived with the first full fledged Star Wars RPG. Built on the click and wait action of the D&D ruleset games, KOTOR was a brilliant game that took Star Wars fans back a few thousand years to the height of the Jedi/Sith wars. It also had one of the most surprising and amazing endings in any game..ever.
3. Elderscrolls III: Morrowind - And another Elderscrolls game. This one was equally as huge as its sequel, and had just as amazing graphics for its time. Elderscrolls truly stretches the imagination in terms of open world RPG exploration and making a game that will take a long time to finish. A truly wonderful game.
4. Jade Empire - Set in a fictional ancient China, Jade Empire comes from the makers of Knights of the Old Republic, and while not nearly as large in scope or length, the game utilizes an array of different combat styles and elements that make it sheer fun to play. It's shorter and simpler than the original games from Bioware, but they make up for it with the attention to detail and the battle system upgrades.
5. Fable - Touted as an amazing achievement in world interface, Fable turned out to be a little bit of a letdown. It was smaller, shorter, and less engaging than what was claimed, but it was still a solid, fun game to play. Starting as a bland adventurer you could become either entirely good or entirely evil through the actions committed during a quest. The characters are generic, the quests forgettable, but the options given to play through them all are still fun. The ending however leaves something to be desired, and they could have done with a few more reasons to openly explore. For a sandbox RPG, it was surprisingly linear.
Gameboy Advance - Yup, no DS games. I imagine soon, with the release of the new Pokemon game, and the surprising announcement of Dragon Quest IX coming exclusively to the DS, the RPG options there will explode, but for now your best bet in the RPG realm on handhelds is with the Gameboy Advance. Here are a few of the best.
1. Golden Sun - It's not a masterpiece. It's not legendary. But, it's good solid fun, and for the size and expectations o f a handheld console it's still pretty fun. I enjoyed it for a few reasons. First off, the gameplay is top notch. The battle system is built around a simple premise and sticks with it, but it's still fun. The story is nothing special but it reminded me a lot of the 8-bit glory days, keeping me involved without making it impossible to keep up when I have to turn the game off every 20 minutes. Solid play and go action
2. Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire - Pokemon has been around for almost 10 years now, a regular entry in the gameboy RPG market, really the only entry inn that market, and a damn good one. By the time this pair was released (the usual duplicate games with slightly different monsters in each), the same gameplay was reused a good four times and starting to get a little old, but it's still sound gameplay, and who doesn't like to collect as much of something as they can. I'm older yes, but I still enjoy the mindless capture and battle system of Pokemon. It's cathartically simple.
3. Final Fantasy IV - It's technically a port, but a damn good port at that. I loved this game back in the days on the SNES and the idea to bring the 16-bit Final Fantasies to the GBA made me as happy as can be. This was a game I love to play, but feel goofy loading into my PS2 and sitting down to play. It's a perfect bus play, and it plays just as great as in 1992. The classic tale of Cecil and the Red Knights never fails to capture my attention from start to finish. Of course, when Final Fantasy VI is released, I might have to replace this with that one, as we all know that VI is the greatest of them all.
4. Riviera: The Promised Land - Atlus has been basting the PS2 market with top notch games for three plus years now, with their fantastic strategy and alchemy RPG games.
They bring Riviera to the GBA with the same pedigree, a solid RPG that plays to the GBA's strengths as well as any. It's essentially a screen to screen game. You don't control you surroundings so much as go from page to page within them, but the battle system is amazing and the different options and acquirables immense. The story, like any Atlus game is the real selling point and actually got me to play through it twice.
5. Final Fantasy Tactics - The portable version of the PSone classic has sucked more time from my life than any GBA game I've ever played. The 300+ missions are each 30-60 minutes long and the customization options equal length. This is a long game with a lot of gameplay and a fun little story. You're Marche, you've been sucked through a book into the magical land of Ivalice and now you are a knight. Go!
PlayStation Portable - When the PSP first released fanboys dreamed of amazing ports that would bring their favorite games now out of print back to life in hand held format. At least one made the leap, but for the most part RPG development on the PSP has been lackluster, and while Japan gets the Suikoden I and II pack and promises of Final Fantasies, we wait for a decent anything to play. Final Fantasy compilation anyone? Anyone at all?
1. Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth - One of the most sought after games from the PSone days, Valkyrie Profile was an amazing RPG that no one played and then no one could play as it was out of print. Ranging from $100 and up on eBay, the promise of a rerelease for the PSP was a godsend for fans out there always interested but too poor to afford it. It's a solid game at that. With rebuilt cinematics and PSP controls, this entry leads into the new PS2 game wonderfully and finally lets the rest of us play through Lenneth's adventure.
2. Monster Hunter Freedom - Never a real big fan of the Monster Hunter games, I can still see their draw. You go and you hunt monsters. Simple as that. There's little to hold you up, and there's online play. It's like Pokemon without the pesky storyline or purpose.
3. Ys: The Ark of Napishtim - A port of a port. This was originally released for the PS2 and before that the PC, and has been watered down in between. The same classic Ys gameplay is intact, overland map, onscreen battles and fun little characters in a charming, if simple story. It's good solid fun for a portable and tells a decent story. Even if the controls are a little broken.
4. Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade - One of the launch releases with the PSP, Untold Legends is an overhead hack and slash RPG without a conscious. It doesn't strive for amazing storyline or gameplay, just simple hack and slash glory and it does it pretty well. It was fun because it was simple, made in a very short development cycle from the time the PSP was announced. Oddly enough though, the sequel was nearly as good.
5. Tales of Eternia - Alright, technically it still hasn't been released in America, but you can import it from Europe and play the English language version (or Japan if you speak Japanese). But, it's a tales game, a pretty good one at that. Technically it has been released here too, as Tales of Destiny 2 in 2000. Unfortunately, it got completely ignored as the gaming world moved on to the PS2. This is a great game though and perfect for the PSP. Complete and intact are the great Tales battle system and one of the better Tales plots. Saving the world from the Great War was never quite so fun as in this one.
PC -The PC has always been a home for the more hardcore of gamers. The cost of constant upgrades and intensity of a PC game are legendary, and only the most hardcore amongst us are capable of keeping up. Accordingly, the games below match that mindset, though more than one of these games managed to break free of the limitations and become monstrous worldwide phenomena.
I'm looking at you Blizzard.
1. World of Warcraft - Okay, so duh right? Well, some of you are probably palpitating over my choosing this above some other MMORPG, but too bad. Everyone plays this one, including myself and it's just plain fun. Having spent hours of my life in this game and knowing that I can go back whenever I want without fear of being destroyed because of the MMORPG laws of survival (never leave), this is a great pick up and play game in a genre where that almost never exists. Huge, tons to do, and always fun even when you're grinding, WoW is still the best.
2. Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn - The Baldur's Gate games are some of the best RPGs to come out of the PC age of D&D ruleset RPGs. It's big, it's long, it's fun as hell. The challenge of figuring out what to do, how to upgrade your characters and make the game the most it can be were always the number one reasons to play these. The story is pretty awesome too. Don't forget the Dragon. That dragon is a bitch.
3. Diablo II - Diablo II stole my entire summer my sophomore year of high school. This game was amazing. It took everything Diablo did and blew it up times ten. The ability to find and receive unique weapons that 1000 of your friends would never find kept you playing over and over again. And it was simple. Click, click, right click. F1. That's it. Nothing to it. And when you finally unlocked the Cow level, then you were the true God of Diablo.
4. Elderscrolls IV: Oblivion - Many of you probably can't even play this yet. I still can't. I only know of it because I have a friend who upgrades his computer ever three weeks seemingly. This game is a beast of the highest order, demanding a lot from your system but delivering even more.
Monstrous, huge worlds in which you can freely roam wherever you want and interact with your environment. This game is huge and intense. Hundreds of hours can be spent just wandering around and completing a main quest. As for getting the rest done. Who knows how long you could spend on there.
5. Neverwinter Nights - Another D&D ruleset game, but one of the best no less. It's huge, monstrously huge. And tack on the expansions and you've got 200+ hours of action to play through. The biggest seller on this one though was the ability to craft and write your own adventures as a DM with the toolsets and host them online, ala D&D, but with graphics. The sequel doesn't quite hold up to the original, but still carries the same weight and fun factor.
This round: RPGs. The Japanese RPG market exploded in the 32-64 bit days, blowing out with a new game seemingly every week. You can blame Square for that one, bringing to the stores amazing game after amazing game, which immediately spurned every other company to release whatever dreck they could muster to keep you pumping money into their pockets. Nowadays there are hundreds of options out there, and the Japanese market isn't the only one around. North American companies have their own answers to the RPG boom and now it's a veritable flood of options. Here are the top five for each option you've got.
Playstation 2 - The Playstation brand name has been the home of quality RPGs since PS1 first roled out with Suikoden and Final Fantasy games in the mid- 90s. This list was hard because there are so many left off. Dark Cloud 2, Final Fantasy X, the Shin Megami Tensei games and many more deserve recognition, but alas these are also long as hell, so if you had more than 5, when would you ever finish them. You may notice I exclude the PS3, but I can't really offer any PS3 RPGs for you until they've actually been created. We're waiting.
1. Shadow Hearts Covenant - The Shadow Hearts series took on a serious following after this entry, one of the greatest RPG releases of the generation. It's take on the fantasy RPG genre blended into the realms of reality, bleeding over in church and demonology lore. Taking place in the 19th Century and following the legend of a young woman and her unfortunate destiny, it can be enjoyed alone or along with it's predecessors Koudelka and Shadow Hearts (I).
2. Disgaea - This is probably the best strategy RPG released for any console ever. Released by Atlus, a brand name that has grown in and of itself of recent years to the respectability that names like Square and Level 5 now carry with their games, Disgaea is about the young prince of hell and his quest to regain his domain after being awoken. With more than 200 hours of gameplay here, count on playing for days on days. And it's funnier than hell. These are great characters.
3. Suikoden III - The Suikoden series is the cult series. Of course it's slowly sliding out of cult status and into the mainstream with releases occurring every couple of years since this one. The best in the series with the possible exception of Suikoden II, Suikoden III tells the story of a huge cast of characters, all intricately entwined with one another. You play through the tale of their war, but as seen through each characters eyes. Truly epic.
4. Final Fantasy XII - The newest release, released only two weeks before the Playstation 3's release, this game redefines the epic scope of prior Final Fantasies, literally reaching for the stars. Each character is fully realized and a part of the action, their story an intricate part of the game. There's no fluff here, and the rebuild of the decades old RPG formula was all for the better, working for the complete and total betterment of the game and hopefully the series.
5. DragonQuest VIII - Dragon Quest has always been huge in Japan, but only now did it find the same success here in the US. Dragon Quest VIII is the huge (extremely huge) result of Square Enix's jump to full 3D glory in their series. The graphics are incredible, the characters hilarious and deeply involving, and the story arresting. The battles aren't half bad either. And the usual monster catching glory is intact. A long game, it will keep you busy for days.
Gamecube (and Wii) - The Gamecube got shorted on the RPG options, much like its big brother the N64. Nintendo lost a lot of their clout with the RPG crowd when Squaresoft jumped ship in the 90s and they're still trying to earn it back...so far to little success. But, the future looks bright, as Square Enix is finally producing games for the Big N, and Nintendo's own work includes more forays into the RPG market. Here's hoping for more, because the Wii is perfect for the format.
1. Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - The newest Zelda adventure, Twilight Princess, is by far the best reason to own a Nintendo Wii. The game is a masterpiece on almost every level, to the point I'm almost willing to call it the greatest game ever made. We've heard this a lot, that this game is the greatest. That it surpasses what Ocarina accomplished 8 years ago. And as my own favorite game, it's hard to ever put anything above Ocarina in terms of scope, depth, and innovation. No need to go into detail. Read my review of it here for more thoughts on why it's so amazing.
2. Tales of Symphonia - The first really good RPG for the Gamecube, and still one of the only ones really. The newest entry in the hugely popular (in Japan) Tales saga, Symphonia was a huge, fun, well told game. The characters were fun, the battle system is one of the best around, and the action was fully inclusive and crafted a long game. Symphonia was the Gamecube owning RPG fan's one saving grace.
3. Skies of Arcadia Legends - Originally released for the Dreamcast, Skies of Arcadia was given a second life on the Gamecube, again fated to anonymity due to the failure of the console. This is a great game. It tells the story of two sky pirates who must traverse the sky ocean and save the world from a shattering war and so on. You attempt throughout the game to build your pirate rank and build up your ship. It was one of Dreamcast's must have games and the same for Gamecube. Unfortunately so few actually had it, and now it's not exactly easy to find.
4. Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker - The infamous Wind Waker. Nintendo's foray into cel shading and the horrible foray into ocean mechanics. This game is still amazing. It's Zelda afterall, but it's flawed on more than the basic levels. It's hard to get around. The ocean is huge, and the game is short. But the parts you play, in between sailing around Hyrule are beautiful and incredibly fun.
5. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door - The Big N rounds out the five with another in house effort. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door was a return to the Paper Mario fun they coined in the N64 days, this time around with the RPG elements the game seems to work best with. Incredibly easy yes, but fun as hell at the same time.
Xbox (and X360) - The Xbox, not surprisingly saw no Japanese development. Every game listed below was produced in English Speaking countries, mostly Canada actually. The style is noticeably different, but the quality is equally incredible. The strive for realism by Western developers can be seen in each of these entries. Although the lack of humor is equally as prescient.
1. Elderscrolls IV: Oblivion - The Xbox 360 has some serious horsepower. Not only is there room to spare, but the graphic output is insane at time, and what better way to show this off than with an Elderscrolls game. Monstrous, huge worlds in which you can freely roam wherever you want and interact with your environment. This game is huge and intense. Hundreds of hours can be spent just wandering around and completing a main quest. As for getting the rest done. Who knows how long you could spend on there.
2. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - Star Wars games were starting to get a bad rap for a while, until Bioware arrived with the first full fledged Star Wars RPG. Built on the click and wait action of the D&D ruleset games, KOTOR was a brilliant game that took Star Wars fans back a few thousand years to the height of the Jedi/Sith wars. It also had one of the most surprising and amazing endings in any game..ever.
3. Elderscrolls III: Morrowind - And another Elderscrolls game. This one was equally as huge as its sequel, and had just as amazing graphics for its time. Elderscrolls truly stretches the imagination in terms of open world RPG exploration and making a game that will take a long time to finish. A truly wonderful game.
4. Jade Empire - Set in a fictional ancient China, Jade Empire comes from the makers of Knights of the Old Republic, and while not nearly as large in scope or length, the game utilizes an array of different combat styles and elements that make it sheer fun to play. It's shorter and simpler than the original games from Bioware, but they make up for it with the attention to detail and the battle system upgrades.
5. Fable - Touted as an amazing achievement in world interface, Fable turned out to be a little bit of a letdown. It was smaller, shorter, and less engaging than what was claimed, but it was still a solid, fun game to play. Starting as a bland adventurer you could become either entirely good or entirely evil through the actions committed during a quest. The characters are generic, the quests forgettable, but the options given to play through them all are still fun. The ending however leaves something to be desired, and they could have done with a few more reasons to openly explore. For a sandbox RPG, it was surprisingly linear.
Gameboy Advance - Yup, no DS games. I imagine soon, with the release of the new Pokemon game, and the surprising announcement of Dragon Quest IX coming exclusively to the DS, the RPG options there will explode, but for now your best bet in the RPG realm on handhelds is with the Gameboy Advance. Here are a few of the best.
1. Golden Sun - It's not a masterpiece. It's not legendary. But, it's good solid fun, and for the size and expectations o f a handheld console it's still pretty fun. I enjoyed it for a few reasons. First off, the gameplay is top notch. The battle system is built around a simple premise and sticks with it, but it's still fun. The story is nothing special but it reminded me a lot of the 8-bit glory days, keeping me involved without making it impossible to keep up when I have to turn the game off every 20 minutes. Solid play and go action
2. Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire - Pokemon has been around for almost 10 years now, a regular entry in the gameboy RPG market, really the only entry inn that market, and a damn good one. By the time this pair was released (the usual duplicate games with slightly different monsters in each), the same gameplay was reused a good four times and starting to get a little old, but it's still sound gameplay, and who doesn't like to collect as much of something as they can. I'm older yes, but I still enjoy the mindless capture and battle system of Pokemon. It's cathartically simple.
3. Final Fantasy IV - It's technically a port, but a damn good port at that. I loved this game back in the days on the SNES and the idea to bring the 16-bit Final Fantasies to the GBA made me as happy as can be. This was a game I love to play, but feel goofy loading into my PS2 and sitting down to play. It's a perfect bus play, and it plays just as great as in 1992. The classic tale of Cecil and the Red Knights never fails to capture my attention from start to finish. Of course, when Final Fantasy VI is released, I might have to replace this with that one, as we all know that VI is the greatest of them all.
4. Riviera: The Promised Land - Atlus has been basting the PS2 market with top notch games for three plus years now, with their fantastic strategy and alchemy RPG games.
They bring Riviera to the GBA with the same pedigree, a solid RPG that plays to the GBA's strengths as well as any. It's essentially a screen to screen game. You don't control you surroundings so much as go from page to page within them, but the battle system is amazing and the different options and acquirables immense. The story, like any Atlus game is the real selling point and actually got me to play through it twice.
5. Final Fantasy Tactics - The portable version of the PSone classic has sucked more time from my life than any GBA game I've ever played. The 300+ missions are each 30-60 minutes long and the customization options equal length. This is a long game with a lot of gameplay and a fun little story. You're Marche, you've been sucked through a book into the magical land of Ivalice and now you are a knight. Go!
PlayStation Portable - When the PSP first released fanboys dreamed of amazing ports that would bring their favorite games now out of print back to life in hand held format. At least one made the leap, but for the most part RPG development on the PSP has been lackluster, and while Japan gets the Suikoden I and II pack and promises of Final Fantasies, we wait for a decent anything to play. Final Fantasy compilation anyone? Anyone at all?
1. Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth - One of the most sought after games from the PSone days, Valkyrie Profile was an amazing RPG that no one played and then no one could play as it was out of print. Ranging from $100 and up on eBay, the promise of a rerelease for the PSP was a godsend for fans out there always interested but too poor to afford it. It's a solid game at that. With rebuilt cinematics and PSP controls, this entry leads into the new PS2 game wonderfully and finally lets the rest of us play through Lenneth's adventure.
2. Monster Hunter Freedom - Never a real big fan of the Monster Hunter games, I can still see their draw. You go and you hunt monsters. Simple as that. There's little to hold you up, and there's online play. It's like Pokemon without the pesky storyline or purpose.
3. Ys: The Ark of Napishtim - A port of a port. This was originally released for the PS2 and before that the PC, and has been watered down in between. The same classic Ys gameplay is intact, overland map, onscreen battles and fun little characters in a charming, if simple story. It's good solid fun for a portable and tells a decent story. Even if the controls are a little broken.
4. Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade - One of the launch releases with the PSP, Untold Legends is an overhead hack and slash RPG without a conscious. It doesn't strive for amazing storyline or gameplay, just simple hack and slash glory and it does it pretty well. It was fun because it was simple, made in a very short development cycle from the time the PSP was announced. Oddly enough though, the sequel was nearly as good.
5. Tales of Eternia - Alright, technically it still hasn't been released in America, but you can import it from Europe and play the English language version (or Japan if you speak Japanese). But, it's a tales game, a pretty good one at that. Technically it has been released here too, as Tales of Destiny 2 in 2000. Unfortunately, it got completely ignored as the gaming world moved on to the PS2. This is a great game though and perfect for the PSP. Complete and intact are the great Tales battle system and one of the better Tales plots. Saving the world from the Great War was never quite so fun as in this one.
PC -The PC has always been a home for the more hardcore of gamers. The cost of constant upgrades and intensity of a PC game are legendary, and only the most hardcore amongst us are capable of keeping up. Accordingly, the games below match that mindset, though more than one of these games managed to break free of the limitations and become monstrous worldwide phenomena.
I'm looking at you Blizzard.
1. World of Warcraft - Okay, so duh right? Well, some of you are probably palpitating over my choosing this above some other MMORPG, but too bad. Everyone plays this one, including myself and it's just plain fun. Having spent hours of my life in this game and knowing that I can go back whenever I want without fear of being destroyed because of the MMORPG laws of survival (never leave), this is a great pick up and play game in a genre where that almost never exists. Huge, tons to do, and always fun even when you're grinding, WoW is still the best.
2. Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn - The Baldur's Gate games are some of the best RPGs to come out of the PC age of D&D ruleset RPGs. It's big, it's long, it's fun as hell. The challenge of figuring out what to do, how to upgrade your characters and make the game the most it can be were always the number one reasons to play these. The story is pretty awesome too. Don't forget the Dragon. That dragon is a bitch.
3. Diablo II - Diablo II stole my entire summer my sophomore year of high school. This game was amazing. It took everything Diablo did and blew it up times ten. The ability to find and receive unique weapons that 1000 of your friends would never find kept you playing over and over again. And it was simple. Click, click, right click. F1. That's it. Nothing to it. And when you finally unlocked the Cow level, then you were the true God of Diablo.
4. Elderscrolls IV: Oblivion - Many of you probably can't even play this yet. I still can't. I only know of it because I have a friend who upgrades his computer ever three weeks seemingly. This game is a beast of the highest order, demanding a lot from your system but delivering even more.
Monstrous, huge worlds in which you can freely roam wherever you want and interact with your environment. This game is huge and intense. Hundreds of hours can be spent just wandering around and completing a main quest. As for getting the rest done. Who knows how long you could spend on there.
5. Neverwinter Nights - Another D&D ruleset game, but one of the best no less. It's huge, monstrously huge. And tack on the expansions and you've got 200+ hours of action to play through. The biggest seller on this one though was the ability to craft and write your own adventures as a DM with the toolsets and host them online, ala D&D, but with graphics. The sequel doesn't quite hold up to the original, but still carries the same weight and fun factor.
Top Ten Classic Video Games
10. Pong
Origins: Pong was based on a game called 'Tennis for Two' which was a simulation of a game of tennis on an oscilloscope. Physicist William Higinbotham, the designer, goes down in history as creating one of the first electronic games to use a graphical display.
The Concept: The game is intended to represent a game of Tennis or Table Tennis (Ping Pong). Each player has a bat; the bat can be moved vertically.
The screen has two horizontal lines on the top and bottom of the screen. A ball is 'served' and moves towards one player - that player must move the bat so that the ball hits it. The ball rebounds and moves back the other way. Depending on where the ball hits the bat, the ball will move in different directions - should it hit one of the top or bottom lines, then it will bounce off. The idea is simply to make the other player miss the ball - thus scoring a point.
Game play: while it sounds utterly boring, the game play is actually very addictive. It is easy to play but very difficult to master, especially with faster ball speeds, and more acute angles of 'bounce'.
Nostalgia: for me this is the father of video games. Without Pong you probably wouldn't have video games - it started the craze that would continue grow and become a multi-billion dollar industry. I will always remember this game!
9. Frogger
Origins: this game was developed by Konami in 1981, and was the first game to introduce me to Sega. At the time it was very novel and introduced a new style of game.
The Concept: Easy - you want to walk from one side of the road to the other. Wait a minute - there's a lot of traffic; I better dodge the traffic. Phew Made it - hang on, who put that river there. Better jump on those turtles and logs and get to the other side - hang on that's a crocodile! AHHH!
It sounds easy - the cars and logs are in horizontal rows, and the direction they move, the number of logs and cars, and the speed can vary. You have to move you frog up, down left and right, avoiding the cars, jumping on logs and avoiding nasty creatures and get home - do this several times and you move to the next level.
Game Play: Yet another simple concept that is amazingly addictive. This game relies on timing; you find yourself dinking in and out of traffic, and sometimes going nowhere. The graphics are poor, the sound is terrible, but the adrenalin really pumps as you try to avoid that very fast car, or the snake that is hunting you down!
Nostalgia: I love this game for many reasons. I played it for a long time, but never really became an expert - however, it was the first ever game I managed to reproduce using Basic on my ZX81 - I even sold about 50 copies in Germany!
8. Space Invaders
Origins: Tomohiro Nishikada, the designer of Space Invaders was inspired by Star Wars and War of the Worlds. He produced on of the first shooting video games and drew heavily from the playability of Breakout.
The Concept: aliens are invading the Earth in 'blocks' by moving down the screen gradually. As the intrepid savior of the Earth it's your task to use your solitary laser cannon, by moving horizontally, and zapping those dastardly aliens out of the sky. Luckily, you have four bases to hide behind - these eventually disintegrate, but they provide some protection from the alien's missiles.
Game Play: this is a very repetitive game, but highly addictive. Each wave starts a little closer to you, and moves a little fast - so every new wave is a harder challenge. The game involved a fair amount of strategy as well as good hand eye co-ordination.
Nostalgia: I wasted a lot of time playing this game. While originally simply green aliens attacked, some clever geek added color strips to the screen and the aliens magically changed color the lower they got - that was about as high tech as it got back in the days of monochrome video games!
7. Galaxians
Origins: Galaxians expanded on the Space Invaders theme by having aliens swoop down on the defender. It was one of the first games to have colored sprites.
Concept: Take Space Invaders, add some color, remove the bases and make some of the aliens swoop down at you and you have Galaxians. Essentially the concept is the same as Space Invaders, you're defending the world against alien invaders, but rather than the whole screen full of aliens moving down at you in a nice orderly fashion, you get groups of aliens swooping down in haphazard ways.
Game play: if you liked Space Invaders then you'll love this. The strategies are different, as you often have to avoid two or three different groups of alien 'swoopers' but if you can shoot them as they swoop, then you get some great bonus points. The game is difficult until you get used to some of the patterns
Nostalgia: this was one of the first games that I played on a desktop computer that was almost exactly like the arcade fame. I had an old Acorn Electron, and this game was almost perfect on this little machine. I miss my old Acorn Electron!
6. Defender
Origins: This game was created by Williams Electronics in 1980. The Game was designed by Eugen Jarvis, Sam Dicker, Paul Dussault and SLarry DeMar. It was one of the first games to feature complex controls, with five buttons and a joystick. While slow to catch on due to its difficulty, it still was a popular game.
Concept: Most of the shoot-em-up games of the era were horizontal shote-em-ups. This game changed the playing field by being a vertical shooter. Yet again aliens are intent of doing nasty things to earth - this time they are trying kidnap 10 humans.
You are in charge of the sole defender and must kill the aliens before they kidnap the humans. You fly over a 'landscape' and can see your humans mulling around on the surface. The aliens appear and drop towards the humans - you can kill them at this point, but should they grab an alien, you must shoot the alien, and catch the human before the alien reaches the top of the screen.
Game play: This was a great game that was easy to play but tough to master. Shooting the aliens and catching the humans gave the best bonuses, and this formed a major part of the strategy.
There were some different type of aliens that chased you making the game a lot more hectic than others; often it was just a relief to finish a level. While not as addictive as some, it did give a feeling of achievement when you reached a high score.
Nostalgia: I went on vacation with a friend for a week and we spent the entire week in the arcade playing this game and the number one game on my list (I won't reveal the name now!). It was one of the best memories of my teen years!
5. Missile Command
Origins: In July 1980, Atari published a revolutionary game. It didn't have a joystick, but had a ball that controlled an on screen cursor. It was programmed by Dave Theurer and licensed to Sega.
Concept: Those pesky aliens are getting smarter. Rather than sending space ships down to fight, they're hiding in deep space and sending a bunch of missiles to blow up the Earth's cities. This game was unique as it use a 'round' joystick. You used this to move to a point on the screen and then fire a missile into this spot - the culminating explosion would destroy any missiles that hit the 'cloud'. The missiles were essentially lines that moved down from the top of the screen at varying angles and speeds - some of them would split into multiple 'missiles' half way down.
Game play: this is a very strategic game. Placing your bombs in the right place and timing them right could essentially clear the alien missiles quickly and easily. As the game move on you found yourself spinning the wheel frantically trying to get the bombs in the right place.
This game was adrenalin pumping fun - sometimes you seemed to be up against impossible odds and yet you'd breath a sigh of relief when one city survived.
Nostalgia: this was one of the first games I played on a table top machine. While these didn't really catch on, it was still fun to be able to put a can of soda down while you played!
4. Breakout
Origin: This game was heavily inspired by Pong. It was created in 1976 by Atari, with Nolan Busnell and Stew Bristow being the key designers.
It's probably one of the most cloned games ever, even today there are new games based on the same theme coming out. Apparently the Apple II computer was inspired by this game - wow where would Steve Jobs be now without Breakout.
Concept: The idea is simple - you have a bat at the bottom of the screen that can move back and forth. Above you is a wall of bricks. A ball will move from your bat - every time it collides with a brick, the brick disappears and the ball bounce back at you.
Your task is simple - stop the ball going off the bottom of the screen by placing your bat in the way and bouncing the ball back at the wall - you also have to remove all the bricks in the wall to progress to the next level!
Game play: this is a fairly difficult game to master. As the bricks get lower each level and the ball speed increases, it becomes more and more difficult to 'break out'. Also, sometimes the angle that the ball comes off the bat is so acute that it is very difficult to judge where the ball will bounce! It's one of those games where you just keep on saying 'just one more game' and before you know it five hours have passed.
Nostalgia: when I lived in Wales we had a little utility room that housed books and my little ZX Spectrum - I used to spend hours playing this game as my Father sat and studied. It was like a male bonding session!
3. Hang On
Origin: This game was released in 1985 and was developed by Sega. It was one of the first '3D' racing games and one of the first to introduce a 'realistic' aid to playing the game - that it a larger replica motorcycle style cabinet, with speedo, brakes and a throttle. This game became the benchmark for future racing games and lead to the highly praised Out Run series. The game cleverly used 'billboards' and trees to give you the feel that you were moving at high speed.
Concept: You are a motorcycle racer - you sit on top of a bike and have to race around a 3d race track, overtaking other riders and reaching certain checkpoints within a time limit. The game featuring different places and conditions (such as night).
Game play: Yet another easy game to play but very difficult to master. Timing the turns was essential, especially if other bikers got in the way. Each slight touch of another bike, or crash into a barrier slowed you down and made it harder to reach the checkpoint in time. The awesome graphics (for the time) made this game pleasurable to play as you really felt you were in a race. It is another game that kept you coming back for more.
Nostalgia: As a kid I always wanted a real motorbike, so this gave me a feeling that I actually had one. I was very good at this game (an d Pole Position) and constantly had my name on the high score table - it's perhaps the only game I could truly say I was a master.
2. Pacman
Origin: Developed by Toru Iwatani, and programmed by Hideyuki Moakajima San, this game came out in mid 1980. The name is derived from a phrase that relates to the sound when your mouth opens and closes (allegedly). Namco produced the game, but it really took off in America when Midway released it.
Concept: You are Pacman and you are very hungry. You find a maze full of 'dots' and zip around eating them. Unfortunately there's some ghosts who aren't too happy about this and they will chase you and eat you - but hey, there's some really big dots that give you the power to banish the ghosts back to their central cage.
The maze is complex, filling up the whole screen, but there are no dead ends - there's also a passage way between each side of the screen. In the center, is the cage that holds the ghosts - occasionally bonus fruit appear next to the cage. You essentially have to eat all the dots in order to progress.
Game play: This is a simple concept, but with pretty decent graphics and an addictive tune it became a huge success. There is a lot of strategy to the game - each ghost follows a set pattern (although eventually they'll forget this and follow you) - in fact there are books dedicated on the best route to avoiding the ghosts. The game gets harder as you go, with the ghosts speeding up and getting smarter.
Nostalgia: there's something about the music in this game that is just so catching -even as I write it I can hear it in my mind. It's one of the first games that I can remember using music as a major selling point. I wasted many hours playing this game, and although I was never great I always had fun trying to devise new routes. It is also probably my most successful programming achievement -
I designed a version of this for the Acorn Atom and I actually sold a couple of hundred copies (again in Germany) - I am proud that as a twelve year old, I was able to use logic and programming skills and make some money doing it.
1. Asteroids
Origin: It's truly amazing to think that this game was first released in 1979 - I've been playing it for 30 years now! Developed by Atari and designed by Lyle Rains and Ed Logg, the game cleverly used vector graphics and real inertia physics to convert a simple concept into a classic game.
Concept: Your little space ship has strayed into an asteroid belt. With the use of thrusters, a trusty laser cannon and a hyperspace unit, you must move your spaceship in all directions over the screen and avoid the asteroids. You can go anywhere on the screen and even going off the edge is OK - it just happens to be a wrap around universe.
The asteroids come at you from all angles. Initially they are large, and are fairly slow. Once hit they split into smaller asteroids, and these smaller asteroids split again - the smaller the asteroid the faster it goes. Occasionally a nasty alien ship will appear and start firing at you - he'll occasionally hit the asteroids and split them. The idea of the game is simple - destroy all the asteroids without colliding into them or getting shot by an alien.
Game play: Wow what can I say. To really succeed at this game you have to use strategy - firing at all asteroids will fill the screen with a lot of small fast moving asteroids, making it difficult to avoid collisions.
Therefore the game required that you pick off one asteroid at a time, and then deal with the smaller asteroids. While doing this, you also had to maneuver gingerly; with real inertia, you often found yourself drifting without realizing it and suddenly you'd be in the middle of four or five asteroids.
Nostalgia: this is one of the only games that I still play today.
Whether it's the 'Buck Rogers' in me, or I just like the challenge I don't know! You'd think that after 30 years of playing I'd either master the game or get bored; somehow neither has happened - I can sometimes get a mega score, but usually I'm just average.
I guess I like the fact that it makes me think and keeps my hand-eye co-ordination in tip top condition! Now if only I could get all that money that I pushed into the asteroids machine back - I'd be very rich!
Origins: Pong was based on a game called 'Tennis for Two' which was a simulation of a game of tennis on an oscilloscope. Physicist William Higinbotham, the designer, goes down in history as creating one of the first electronic games to use a graphical display.
The Concept: The game is intended to represent a game of Tennis or Table Tennis (Ping Pong). Each player has a bat; the bat can be moved vertically.
The screen has two horizontal lines on the top and bottom of the screen. A ball is 'served' and moves towards one player - that player must move the bat so that the ball hits it. The ball rebounds and moves back the other way. Depending on where the ball hits the bat, the ball will move in different directions - should it hit one of the top or bottom lines, then it will bounce off. The idea is simply to make the other player miss the ball - thus scoring a point.
Game play: while it sounds utterly boring, the game play is actually very addictive. It is easy to play but very difficult to master, especially with faster ball speeds, and more acute angles of 'bounce'.
Nostalgia: for me this is the father of video games. Without Pong you probably wouldn't have video games - it started the craze that would continue grow and become a multi-billion dollar industry. I will always remember this game!
9. Frogger
Origins: this game was developed by Konami in 1981, and was the first game to introduce me to Sega. At the time it was very novel and introduced a new style of game.
The Concept: Easy - you want to walk from one side of the road to the other. Wait a minute - there's a lot of traffic; I better dodge the traffic. Phew Made it - hang on, who put that river there. Better jump on those turtles and logs and get to the other side - hang on that's a crocodile! AHHH!
It sounds easy - the cars and logs are in horizontal rows, and the direction they move, the number of logs and cars, and the speed can vary. You have to move you frog up, down left and right, avoiding the cars, jumping on logs and avoiding nasty creatures and get home - do this several times and you move to the next level.
Game Play: Yet another simple concept that is amazingly addictive. This game relies on timing; you find yourself dinking in and out of traffic, and sometimes going nowhere. The graphics are poor, the sound is terrible, but the adrenalin really pumps as you try to avoid that very fast car, or the snake that is hunting you down!
Nostalgia: I love this game for many reasons. I played it for a long time, but never really became an expert - however, it was the first ever game I managed to reproduce using Basic on my ZX81 - I even sold about 50 copies in Germany!
8. Space Invaders
Origins: Tomohiro Nishikada, the designer of Space Invaders was inspired by Star Wars and War of the Worlds. He produced on of the first shooting video games and drew heavily from the playability of Breakout.
The Concept: aliens are invading the Earth in 'blocks' by moving down the screen gradually. As the intrepid savior of the Earth it's your task to use your solitary laser cannon, by moving horizontally, and zapping those dastardly aliens out of the sky. Luckily, you have four bases to hide behind - these eventually disintegrate, but they provide some protection from the alien's missiles.
Game Play: this is a very repetitive game, but highly addictive. Each wave starts a little closer to you, and moves a little fast - so every new wave is a harder challenge. The game involved a fair amount of strategy as well as good hand eye co-ordination.
Nostalgia: I wasted a lot of time playing this game. While originally simply green aliens attacked, some clever geek added color strips to the screen and the aliens magically changed color the lower they got - that was about as high tech as it got back in the days of monochrome video games!
7. Galaxians
Origins: Galaxians expanded on the Space Invaders theme by having aliens swoop down on the defender. It was one of the first games to have colored sprites.
Concept: Take Space Invaders, add some color, remove the bases and make some of the aliens swoop down at you and you have Galaxians. Essentially the concept is the same as Space Invaders, you're defending the world against alien invaders, but rather than the whole screen full of aliens moving down at you in a nice orderly fashion, you get groups of aliens swooping down in haphazard ways.
Game play: if you liked Space Invaders then you'll love this. The strategies are different, as you often have to avoid two or three different groups of alien 'swoopers' but if you can shoot them as they swoop, then you get some great bonus points. The game is difficult until you get used to some of the patterns
Nostalgia: this was one of the first games that I played on a desktop computer that was almost exactly like the arcade fame. I had an old Acorn Electron, and this game was almost perfect on this little machine. I miss my old Acorn Electron!
6. Defender
Origins: This game was created by Williams Electronics in 1980. The Game was designed by Eugen Jarvis, Sam Dicker, Paul Dussault and SLarry DeMar. It was one of the first games to feature complex controls, with five buttons and a joystick. While slow to catch on due to its difficulty, it still was a popular game.
Concept: Most of the shoot-em-up games of the era were horizontal shote-em-ups. This game changed the playing field by being a vertical shooter. Yet again aliens are intent of doing nasty things to earth - this time they are trying kidnap 10 humans.
You are in charge of the sole defender and must kill the aliens before they kidnap the humans. You fly over a 'landscape' and can see your humans mulling around on the surface. The aliens appear and drop towards the humans - you can kill them at this point, but should they grab an alien, you must shoot the alien, and catch the human before the alien reaches the top of the screen.
Game play: This was a great game that was easy to play but tough to master. Shooting the aliens and catching the humans gave the best bonuses, and this formed a major part of the strategy.
There were some different type of aliens that chased you making the game a lot more hectic than others; often it was just a relief to finish a level. While not as addictive as some, it did give a feeling of achievement when you reached a high score.
Nostalgia: I went on vacation with a friend for a week and we spent the entire week in the arcade playing this game and the number one game on my list (I won't reveal the name now!). It was one of the best memories of my teen years!
5. Missile Command
Origins: In July 1980, Atari published a revolutionary game. It didn't have a joystick, but had a ball that controlled an on screen cursor. It was programmed by Dave Theurer and licensed to Sega.
Concept: Those pesky aliens are getting smarter. Rather than sending space ships down to fight, they're hiding in deep space and sending a bunch of missiles to blow up the Earth's cities. This game was unique as it use a 'round' joystick. You used this to move to a point on the screen and then fire a missile into this spot - the culminating explosion would destroy any missiles that hit the 'cloud'. The missiles were essentially lines that moved down from the top of the screen at varying angles and speeds - some of them would split into multiple 'missiles' half way down.
Game play: this is a very strategic game. Placing your bombs in the right place and timing them right could essentially clear the alien missiles quickly and easily. As the game move on you found yourself spinning the wheel frantically trying to get the bombs in the right place.
This game was adrenalin pumping fun - sometimes you seemed to be up against impossible odds and yet you'd breath a sigh of relief when one city survived.
Nostalgia: this was one of the first games I played on a table top machine. While these didn't really catch on, it was still fun to be able to put a can of soda down while you played!
4. Breakout
Origin: This game was heavily inspired by Pong. It was created in 1976 by Atari, with Nolan Busnell and Stew Bristow being the key designers.
It's probably one of the most cloned games ever, even today there are new games based on the same theme coming out. Apparently the Apple II computer was inspired by this game - wow where would Steve Jobs be now without Breakout.
Concept: The idea is simple - you have a bat at the bottom of the screen that can move back and forth. Above you is a wall of bricks. A ball will move from your bat - every time it collides with a brick, the brick disappears and the ball bounce back at you.
Your task is simple - stop the ball going off the bottom of the screen by placing your bat in the way and bouncing the ball back at the wall - you also have to remove all the bricks in the wall to progress to the next level!
Game play: this is a fairly difficult game to master. As the bricks get lower each level and the ball speed increases, it becomes more and more difficult to 'break out'. Also, sometimes the angle that the ball comes off the bat is so acute that it is very difficult to judge where the ball will bounce! It's one of those games where you just keep on saying 'just one more game' and before you know it five hours have passed.
Nostalgia: when I lived in Wales we had a little utility room that housed books and my little ZX Spectrum - I used to spend hours playing this game as my Father sat and studied. It was like a male bonding session!
3. Hang On
Origin: This game was released in 1985 and was developed by Sega. It was one of the first '3D' racing games and one of the first to introduce a 'realistic' aid to playing the game - that it a larger replica motorcycle style cabinet, with speedo, brakes and a throttle. This game became the benchmark for future racing games and lead to the highly praised Out Run series. The game cleverly used 'billboards' and trees to give you the feel that you were moving at high speed.
Concept: You are a motorcycle racer - you sit on top of a bike and have to race around a 3d race track, overtaking other riders and reaching certain checkpoints within a time limit. The game featuring different places and conditions (such as night).
Game play: Yet another easy game to play but very difficult to master. Timing the turns was essential, especially if other bikers got in the way. Each slight touch of another bike, or crash into a barrier slowed you down and made it harder to reach the checkpoint in time. The awesome graphics (for the time) made this game pleasurable to play as you really felt you were in a race. It is another game that kept you coming back for more.
Nostalgia: As a kid I always wanted a real motorbike, so this gave me a feeling that I actually had one. I was very good at this game (an d Pole Position) and constantly had my name on the high score table - it's perhaps the only game I could truly say I was a master.
2. Pacman
Origin: Developed by Toru Iwatani, and programmed by Hideyuki Moakajima San, this game came out in mid 1980. The name is derived from a phrase that relates to the sound when your mouth opens and closes (allegedly). Namco produced the game, but it really took off in America when Midway released it.
Concept: You are Pacman and you are very hungry. You find a maze full of 'dots' and zip around eating them. Unfortunately there's some ghosts who aren't too happy about this and they will chase you and eat you - but hey, there's some really big dots that give you the power to banish the ghosts back to their central cage.
The maze is complex, filling up the whole screen, but there are no dead ends - there's also a passage way between each side of the screen. In the center, is the cage that holds the ghosts - occasionally bonus fruit appear next to the cage. You essentially have to eat all the dots in order to progress.
Game play: This is a simple concept, but with pretty decent graphics and an addictive tune it became a huge success. There is a lot of strategy to the game - each ghost follows a set pattern (although eventually they'll forget this and follow you) - in fact there are books dedicated on the best route to avoiding the ghosts. The game gets harder as you go, with the ghosts speeding up and getting smarter.
Nostalgia: there's something about the music in this game that is just so catching -even as I write it I can hear it in my mind. It's one of the first games that I can remember using music as a major selling point. I wasted many hours playing this game, and although I was never great I always had fun trying to devise new routes. It is also probably my most successful programming achievement -
I designed a version of this for the Acorn Atom and I actually sold a couple of hundred copies (again in Germany) - I am proud that as a twelve year old, I was able to use logic and programming skills and make some money doing it.
1. Asteroids
Origin: It's truly amazing to think that this game was first released in 1979 - I've been playing it for 30 years now! Developed by Atari and designed by Lyle Rains and Ed Logg, the game cleverly used vector graphics and real inertia physics to convert a simple concept into a classic game.
Concept: Your little space ship has strayed into an asteroid belt. With the use of thrusters, a trusty laser cannon and a hyperspace unit, you must move your spaceship in all directions over the screen and avoid the asteroids. You can go anywhere on the screen and even going off the edge is OK - it just happens to be a wrap around universe.
The asteroids come at you from all angles. Initially they are large, and are fairly slow. Once hit they split into smaller asteroids, and these smaller asteroids split again - the smaller the asteroid the faster it goes. Occasionally a nasty alien ship will appear and start firing at you - he'll occasionally hit the asteroids and split them. The idea of the game is simple - destroy all the asteroids without colliding into them or getting shot by an alien.
Game play: Wow what can I say. To really succeed at this game you have to use strategy - firing at all asteroids will fill the screen with a lot of small fast moving asteroids, making it difficult to avoid collisions.
Therefore the game required that you pick off one asteroid at a time, and then deal with the smaller asteroids. While doing this, you also had to maneuver gingerly; with real inertia, you often found yourself drifting without realizing it and suddenly you'd be in the middle of four or five asteroids.
Nostalgia: this is one of the only games that I still play today.
Whether it's the 'Buck Rogers' in me, or I just like the challenge I don't know! You'd think that after 30 years of playing I'd either master the game or get bored; somehow neither has happened - I can sometimes get a mega score, but usually I'm just average.
I guess I like the fact that it makes me think and keeps my hand-eye co-ordination in tip top condition! Now if only I could get all that money that I pushed into the asteroids machine back - I'd be very rich!
Top 5 Most Important Aspects of Your Game
So you've decided to plunge yourself into the world of game development, have assembled a team of mighty warriors to tackle all the big issues and are ready to create the next best game in the industry... trumping WoW, Guild Wars... (you get the point). You've chopped up all your brainstorming and assembled some really keen concepts for a storyline and you're ready to go. But amongst all the programming, the character concepts, the dungeons, and the quests - what are truly the most important aspects of your game that will determine whether someone enjoys themself? Read on, and allow me to share with you what I think.
When we do decide to take that plunge into the development of a new game, there are five things you should consider very carefully, and pay a great deal of attention to. There are probably more of these that will hinder or help you along your way, and your ordering may be different than mine, but these are what I always hold to be the most important. Over the next week we will reveal each aspects, and at the end of the week culminate with the complete article. For today we'll begin at the top, with number 5.
Number 5: Storyline
When crafting your game, there is no better inspiration for features and activities, quests and dungeons, than your very own highly developed and custom tailored storyline. Some may balk at this statement, claiming that storyline is easily overshadowed and un-necessary when you have intense graphics that make your fingers tingle, or when you have combat so intense that you're literally ducking out of the way from behind your monitor. While these things definitely contribute to an awesome game, and can lead to a lot of excitement (in fact, they're on the list too!), they cannot make up for a lack of storyline. One thing many players crave whether consciously or not, is a strong storyline that leads them into caring about the game - it entices you - and makes you feel as though your wildest dreams may in fact be possible in this environment. Storyline can be simple and to the point while being so flawlessly done that it serves as the crux of the entire game (EVE Online: We're flying through space, blowing people out of the sky...) and at the same time being so rich and deep with lore (the complexities in lore and story surrounding EVE is so great that it entangles even the most basic ships and inventory items) that it compels players to write their own histories.
Not only does storyline help players become engaged with all that you've slaved over and worked for, but it helps you the developer along the way. If you've been smart, and from the beginning dreamed up an intoxicatingly deep history of your game setting, it will constantly serve you throughout development. It will provide clues into what features want to be a part of the game, what doesn't need to be included, and what does or doesn't fit. An architecture professor of mine once said, when referring to the site analysis portion of architecture that we could find out a great deal about what we should be building on the building site by simply visiting the location, and "envisioning the invisible building that wants to be built". This is true in architecture, and it is especially true in game development and dreaming up your storyline/game setting.
Storyline may be important, but is it more important than a snazzy game setting so rich and vibrant that your tempted to stay indefinitely? Well, maybe - just as long as your 3d representation isn't bogged down by hundreds of thousands of nasty polygons or quads. Why in the world is Artwork important, anyway?
Number 4: Artwork
I've heard many, many times that the artwork/3d models/characters found in your game won't make or break things. I agree with this in that it won't make or break the entire game, but artwork and professional looking/feeling models definitely help you out along the way. Think of any movie you've seen recently where the sets were absolutely incredible and stunning - one such example (although not necessarily as "recent") are the Lord of the Rings movies. Throughout the entire set of movies, rich and diverse settings are abound, and help the immersion factor like you wouldn't believe. Would the movie have been "broken" by less awe-inspiring scenes? Probably not, because in the case of The Lord of the Rings, there were a lot of other incredible aspects. Did the awe-inspiring scenes make the movie just that much better, and give it just that much *more* to drool over? Yes, Definitely. The same kind of effect can be seen in the game industry. I play games that have incredible graphics (EVE Online) and other that don't (Dark Ages). I am however, addicted to both of these games for different reasons, but you can bet that the stunning environment in EVE certainly helps to inspire its large player base.
Additionally, your artwork can seriously effect the mechanics of your game. Many developers over look an incredibly important aspect of their 3d models - poly count... That's to say, the number of triangles (or *shiver* quads) your game has. Many of the free 3d models you may find on the internet are gorgeous, but are so incredibly detailed that using them in a computer, real time environment would not be wise because you are typically trying to appeal to as many systems as possible. Console systems have the luxury of (for the most part) assuming that everyone's running on an even playing field. Those of us developing games strictly for the computer don't have this luxury. Suffice it to say, it's important to find quality, low poly game content, and there's certainly enough of it out there that there's no excuse for you to be shoving your game full of characters that are in the 10,000 poly range (many online companies limit their avatars, or characters, to around 2500-5000 polys).
The lower your poly count on your 3d models, the smoother your environment is going to run on the widest range of computers... usually. One thing to keep in mind throughout this entire process is how your engine handles polygons, and to find out what the ideal poly range is that you want to aim for for characters and scenery. In most cases higher character polys are more acceptable, with scenery (buildings, trees, etc) being lower in poly. Another engine specific feature to keep in mind is whether or not the engine supports Level of Detail (LOD). LOD for those who may not know is a system where the engine will use very low poly versions of a model if the player is far away, swapping the model in and out for high quality versions the closer you get to it. As far as I know, almost every engine out there supports LOD, but some like Active Worlds do not.
Down the road we go with Number 3: Music! Some may say (and argue) that music for an online game should be included into the category of "Artwork" - while this may be true depending on how you look at it, music in a game is incredibly important *aside* from your 3d models and 3d characters and so it receives its own spot.
Number 3: Music
In many ways music is the heart and soul of any environment you may create in 3D - it is literally the sound trick to which events occur, players win battles to, return home to, etc etc. Music is a vital tool used to set the mood in any setting, and without it your game will feel dead and like something is missing. In many ways, music helps to express for the player the mood of a specific area, it enhances and emphasizes what you are relating to your player. Do you want them to feel sad, anxious, excited, fearful? Because hearing is one of our primary sense (seeing, smelling, etc), one could argue that it is just as powerful in linking and creating memories. It should be one of your *top goals* to make people remember your game - making your game memorable is one of the tricks in making it both enjoyable and something that people will tell their friends about. Hearing, and the music in your game is one of the more subtle qualities that plays a huge part in how an environment *feels*. Think about what your favorite movie would sound like without sound and music?
This highlights another important aspect that is a sub category of music: sound effects. While music is the key that gives your environment some feeling and life, sound effects are what make the environment tangible and feel realistic. When a player is able to knock over a trashcan and as a result they hear the clanging of aluminum and tin rolling down the concrete they're standing on, the player has an increased feeling of interaction with the environment. Think of the effect and life the environment takes on when a player goes from walking on stone, where their shoes may be clacking, to walking on dirt or mud, where the sound would naturally change quite dramatically. making good games is about mastering small (but powerful) details that immerse your player.
Many independent developers may shy away from placing such an importance on the music played in the game because in some ways it can be hard to come by for people with limited budgets. While music can be expensive (alright, no foolin' it IS expensive) to have custom made, you can find some great deals on royalty free music for purchase online. In many cases these tracks are professionally made, and available for flexible licenses - either for independent folks, or commercial studios. It's not uncommon for instance, to find 5-6 tracks on an indie license for around $100.
GarageGames.com has some great deals on music and sound effects - the sound effects found there are definitely a deal. You can find the page directly by visiting their content packages.
Gamedev.net also has some great resources relating to music in games, and provides a nice directory of sites containing stock and royalty free music. Check it out here.
At a later time it would be nice to include a directory of our own of some great music resources. Look for that later. In the mean time, let us know what you think about Music and Sound Effects inside of games that you've played, whether you thought they were effective and important to your gaming experience... And if you don't agree, you can let us know that, too!
Now that we've covered much of the meat of your game (Storyline, Artwork, Music), we're going to delve a little bit farther into game design and really define the skeleton of your game - the backbone, the thing that ultimately keeps people coming back to your game day after day. Storyline, artwork and music are important things that will really make your game feel complete, and make it less likely that people will stand in your local village, and look around wondering "What's missing?" But ultimately when it comes to the development of your game, we're now getting into what really matters. That brings us to today's post...
Number 2: Game Flow
When it comes to game design in todays world there are really three primary types of flow that you game can follow. What exactly is game flow? The game flow, or structure of your game, is how players interact with it and storyline events, quests, missions, etc. It determines whether players can branch out and make the game what they want it to be, or if they're locked onto a track that guides them into their pitfalls and excitement. Appropriately the three types of flow are as follows: Sand box, Roller-coaster, and a hybrid mix of the two. In many cases the way in which your game engages people, and how it forces them to interact with the environment and progress in the game will determine the types of players you attract to your game.
The most "traditional" game play style, or rather the most frequently used in the past has been that of the "Roller-coaster". This type of game play is just as the name implies - users begin the game (get on the ride) and are carefully lead through the build up, the climax of storyline, pitfalls, exciting twists and turns, and ultimately the game ends with a rush of excitement. This could also be equated with the experience reading a book gives where there is a definite beginning and a definite ending of things. Many RPGs out there fall into this category, where your goals in the game are explicitly defined (conquer the evil demons of the sea and save the pretty girl) and while these games are a lot of fun, in some ways this system doesn't always work as well in massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG's) where you have dozens, hundreds, even thousands of people interacting with one another.
This isn't to say that there aren't MMOs that pull it off (Guild Wars specifically comes to mind), and this isn't to say that MMORPG's that go the route of the Roller-
Coaster aren't wildly fun (as Guild Wars is). This IS to say that in more recent years people have begun to favor a newer breed of game where the options appear limitless, and if instead of rescuing that pretty girl from the evil demons of the sea, you want to go and be an innocent farmer... more power to you!
Enter the "Sandbox" games. In more recent years there has been a big push to these sandbox's where people can do what they'd like. Similar to roller-coaster games, the name is synonymous with it's real life counter part, the sandbox.
The idea is that upon entering the game, if you decide to ignore the over arching and present storyline (remember our pretty girl), that you can do just that without any significant consequences.
This type of game play is sometimes said to appeal primarily to hardcore style gamers, although I'm not sure I fully buy into that philosophy. Often times I've found many casual players in sandbox type games who simply enjoy socializing with one another, mining together, exploring, etc, without all the insane time commitment of pursuing the major storyline events. In many of these games political and religious systems can be found, as well as a variety of job occupations. From what I've seen however, these games tend to be far more time intensive than roller-coaster games, simply because of the amount of time you need to pour into your character to forge your own path (and be successful at it).
While some many not agree with me here, I would say EVE Online is definitely classifiable as a sandbox, as a majority of EVEs content, gameplay, and activities are created and inspired by the players themselves. GTA3 is also considered by many to be a sandbox game.
That in itself is an important note: in sandboxes you will normally find a wealth of systems run by the players themselves, like guilds and factions - usually there is also an economy in game that is facilitated totally by players selling their personally made goods.
Finally, very recently we've hit a time when some people are discussing ways to make what you could call a mix between sandbox and roller-coaster games.
I have yet to come across a good example of how this has been done (or how someone is working on one), I've only heard slight mention of it here and there.
From what I gather though, there would be a few central over arching storylines taking place at one time, giving users their choice of how to proceed, and along the way providing ample opportunity for players to branch off onto their own paths, while still allowing them to come back to the big storyline.
Some may again classify this primarily as sandbox, but I would argue that if at any time there is a great deal of direction coming from quests, storylines and developer driven content, that you begin to get more into roller-coaster elements.
If anyone has run into what you'd consider to be a good example of a sandbox roller-coaster hybrid, please let me know!
If you've ever read one of those "Choose your own ending" style books that plagued elementary and middle schools, you'll understand what a sandbox roller-coaster hybrid might be like.
While the player has choices (perhaps many, many choices!), things are still ultimately "guided" by an over all storyline, while leaving room for player created content. At the end of the day though, all of that is easier said than done.
Ultimately, deciding on what game system you use, or "Game Flow" method you use is going to be vital in developing your game.
Like storyline, it will give you direction and more easily help you to make decisions about whether or not a specific feature would fit into your game.
Not only will it help you to make decisions, but as a result it will help to shape your game. Direction and determination are absolutely mandatory in game development, and deciding on a Game Flow will at least help you in the direction department ;)
We've covered some incredibly important aspects of your gaming environment - from visual stimulus, and the sounds that pull your travelers deeper into your game, to the stories that inspire and the game mechanics that help shape your players' characters.
However, at the end of the day there is one aspect that will bring everything home and determine whether or not your game is bursting with eager players, or an emptied ghost town.
Number 1: Activities, baby!
While friends within games come and go, quests are released and beaten, items are unveiled and later trumped - at the end of the day the gaming community is not unlike society at large; we are a disposable group of people.
We love to love the hottest items, spells, houses, quests, but eventually they become something of yesterday and cease to draw as much excitement from the people who have been hanging around your game for a while.
Many games falter because they fail to recognize that new content is a must, even if the content you already have is incredible.
The typical gamer can crunch through your average game in less than a month and if you're planning to release a game that has a monthly subscription, or the need to retain players for an extended amount of time, that's bad news for you.
Ultimately the solution to "What next?" and "Why are people leaving?" is to imbue your game and all of its nooks and crannies with valuable content and *things to do*.
It is from this area that it seems most of the discontent for games comes from which means that it is not only imperative to have plenty of activities in the game when it first releases, but to follow up on those activities with new things to explore, find, and participate in in the following months and years of the games life span.
Not only does providing and planning activities in the beginning stages of your game design help create a game that will be fun to play, but it may also help to inspire other areas of your development as well.
Events can inspire your storyline, and your storyline can help to give you ideas of activities and new plot lines, for example.
In many ways this aspect of your game is what will help to build and foster the social community within your game, which is ultimately what ties people to specific games: the friends and community that would be left behind if they were to leave.
Ideally, there are a whole host of event and activity types you can create within your game.
Some of them are global style events that involve almost everyone active in the environment at the time. Examples of such events would be those relating to real world holidays like
Christmas, Halloween, etc. More often than not those are time periods in games where if there is nothing new going on, your game will lose out against real life in the excitement category.
People will choose to spend time doing things other than playing your game, if this is the case. Now, while we at TGS appreciate family time and all, this is bad news for you.
Create global events that match up to real life events that will make being inside your environment during this time fun, exciting, and provide the extra bit of holiday spirit for your players.
There are also events that are recurring, such as player run elections and hunting parties that give your players something to do year round. Optimize these activities and make them readily available to players so that these are things they can easily take part in and enjoy.
There are countless numbers of events that you can include in your game to make things feel more lively - we've just covered a very small number of them here.
Perhaps in a later post we can create another article in order to inspire you a bit more in this category.
We'll see! An important thing to remember when judging whether or not "activities" are your number one priority: an online game is at its best when there are ample things to participate in with others.
When your game is one which does not foster socializing, it will more than likely become quiet and empty, and let's face it - do we expect people to play (and pay for) an empty online game? Food for thought.
When we do decide to take that plunge into the development of a new game, there are five things you should consider very carefully, and pay a great deal of attention to. There are probably more of these that will hinder or help you along your way, and your ordering may be different than mine, but these are what I always hold to be the most important. Over the next week we will reveal each aspects, and at the end of the week culminate with the complete article. For today we'll begin at the top, with number 5.
Number 5: Storyline
When crafting your game, there is no better inspiration for features and activities, quests and dungeons, than your very own highly developed and custom tailored storyline. Some may balk at this statement, claiming that storyline is easily overshadowed and un-necessary when you have intense graphics that make your fingers tingle, or when you have combat so intense that you're literally ducking out of the way from behind your monitor. While these things definitely contribute to an awesome game, and can lead to a lot of excitement (in fact, they're on the list too!), they cannot make up for a lack of storyline. One thing many players crave whether consciously or not, is a strong storyline that leads them into caring about the game - it entices you - and makes you feel as though your wildest dreams may in fact be possible in this environment. Storyline can be simple and to the point while being so flawlessly done that it serves as the crux of the entire game (EVE Online: We're flying through space, blowing people out of the sky...) and at the same time being so rich and deep with lore (the complexities in lore and story surrounding EVE is so great that it entangles even the most basic ships and inventory items) that it compels players to write their own histories.
Not only does storyline help players become engaged with all that you've slaved over and worked for, but it helps you the developer along the way. If you've been smart, and from the beginning dreamed up an intoxicatingly deep history of your game setting, it will constantly serve you throughout development. It will provide clues into what features want to be a part of the game, what doesn't need to be included, and what does or doesn't fit. An architecture professor of mine once said, when referring to the site analysis portion of architecture that we could find out a great deal about what we should be building on the building site by simply visiting the location, and "envisioning the invisible building that wants to be built". This is true in architecture, and it is especially true in game development and dreaming up your storyline/game setting.
Storyline may be important, but is it more important than a snazzy game setting so rich and vibrant that your tempted to stay indefinitely? Well, maybe - just as long as your 3d representation isn't bogged down by hundreds of thousands of nasty polygons or quads. Why in the world is Artwork important, anyway?
Number 4: Artwork
I've heard many, many times that the artwork/3d models/characters found in your game won't make or break things. I agree with this in that it won't make or break the entire game, but artwork and professional looking/feeling models definitely help you out along the way. Think of any movie you've seen recently where the sets were absolutely incredible and stunning - one such example (although not necessarily as "recent") are the Lord of the Rings movies. Throughout the entire set of movies, rich and diverse settings are abound, and help the immersion factor like you wouldn't believe. Would the movie have been "broken" by less awe-inspiring scenes? Probably not, because in the case of The Lord of the Rings, there were a lot of other incredible aspects. Did the awe-inspiring scenes make the movie just that much better, and give it just that much *more* to drool over? Yes, Definitely. The same kind of effect can be seen in the game industry. I play games that have incredible graphics (EVE Online) and other that don't (Dark Ages). I am however, addicted to both of these games for different reasons, but you can bet that the stunning environment in EVE certainly helps to inspire its large player base.
Additionally, your artwork can seriously effect the mechanics of your game. Many developers over look an incredibly important aspect of their 3d models - poly count... That's to say, the number of triangles (or *shiver* quads) your game has. Many of the free 3d models you may find on the internet are gorgeous, but are so incredibly detailed that using them in a computer, real time environment would not be wise because you are typically trying to appeal to as many systems as possible. Console systems have the luxury of (for the most part) assuming that everyone's running on an even playing field. Those of us developing games strictly for the computer don't have this luxury. Suffice it to say, it's important to find quality, low poly game content, and there's certainly enough of it out there that there's no excuse for you to be shoving your game full of characters that are in the 10,000 poly range (many online companies limit their avatars, or characters, to around 2500-5000 polys).
The lower your poly count on your 3d models, the smoother your environment is going to run on the widest range of computers... usually. One thing to keep in mind throughout this entire process is how your engine handles polygons, and to find out what the ideal poly range is that you want to aim for for characters and scenery. In most cases higher character polys are more acceptable, with scenery (buildings, trees, etc) being lower in poly. Another engine specific feature to keep in mind is whether or not the engine supports Level of Detail (LOD). LOD for those who may not know is a system where the engine will use very low poly versions of a model if the player is far away, swapping the model in and out for high quality versions the closer you get to it. As far as I know, almost every engine out there supports LOD, but some like Active Worlds do not.
Down the road we go with Number 3: Music! Some may say (and argue) that music for an online game should be included into the category of "Artwork" - while this may be true depending on how you look at it, music in a game is incredibly important *aside* from your 3d models and 3d characters and so it receives its own spot.
Number 3: Music
In many ways music is the heart and soul of any environment you may create in 3D - it is literally the sound trick to which events occur, players win battles to, return home to, etc etc. Music is a vital tool used to set the mood in any setting, and without it your game will feel dead and like something is missing. In many ways, music helps to express for the player the mood of a specific area, it enhances and emphasizes what you are relating to your player. Do you want them to feel sad, anxious, excited, fearful? Because hearing is one of our primary sense (seeing, smelling, etc), one could argue that it is just as powerful in linking and creating memories. It should be one of your *top goals* to make people remember your game - making your game memorable is one of the tricks in making it both enjoyable and something that people will tell their friends about. Hearing, and the music in your game is one of the more subtle qualities that plays a huge part in how an environment *feels*. Think about what your favorite movie would sound like without sound and music?
This highlights another important aspect that is a sub category of music: sound effects. While music is the key that gives your environment some feeling and life, sound effects are what make the environment tangible and feel realistic. When a player is able to knock over a trashcan and as a result they hear the clanging of aluminum and tin rolling down the concrete they're standing on, the player has an increased feeling of interaction with the environment. Think of the effect and life the environment takes on when a player goes from walking on stone, where their shoes may be clacking, to walking on dirt or mud, where the sound would naturally change quite dramatically. making good games is about mastering small (but powerful) details that immerse your player.
Many independent developers may shy away from placing such an importance on the music played in the game because in some ways it can be hard to come by for people with limited budgets. While music can be expensive (alright, no foolin' it IS expensive) to have custom made, you can find some great deals on royalty free music for purchase online. In many cases these tracks are professionally made, and available for flexible licenses - either for independent folks, or commercial studios. It's not uncommon for instance, to find 5-6 tracks on an indie license for around $100.
GarageGames.com has some great deals on music and sound effects - the sound effects found there are definitely a deal. You can find the page directly by visiting their content packages.
Gamedev.net also has some great resources relating to music in games, and provides a nice directory of sites containing stock and royalty free music. Check it out here.
At a later time it would be nice to include a directory of our own of some great music resources. Look for that later. In the mean time, let us know what you think about Music and Sound Effects inside of games that you've played, whether you thought they were effective and important to your gaming experience... And if you don't agree, you can let us know that, too!
Now that we've covered much of the meat of your game (Storyline, Artwork, Music), we're going to delve a little bit farther into game design and really define the skeleton of your game - the backbone, the thing that ultimately keeps people coming back to your game day after day. Storyline, artwork and music are important things that will really make your game feel complete, and make it less likely that people will stand in your local village, and look around wondering "What's missing?" But ultimately when it comes to the development of your game, we're now getting into what really matters. That brings us to today's post...
Number 2: Game Flow
When it comes to game design in todays world there are really three primary types of flow that you game can follow. What exactly is game flow? The game flow, or structure of your game, is how players interact with it and storyline events, quests, missions, etc. It determines whether players can branch out and make the game what they want it to be, or if they're locked onto a track that guides them into their pitfalls and excitement. Appropriately the three types of flow are as follows: Sand box, Roller-coaster, and a hybrid mix of the two. In many cases the way in which your game engages people, and how it forces them to interact with the environment and progress in the game will determine the types of players you attract to your game.
The most "traditional" game play style, or rather the most frequently used in the past has been that of the "Roller-coaster". This type of game play is just as the name implies - users begin the game (get on the ride) and are carefully lead through the build up, the climax of storyline, pitfalls, exciting twists and turns, and ultimately the game ends with a rush of excitement. This could also be equated with the experience reading a book gives where there is a definite beginning and a definite ending of things. Many RPGs out there fall into this category, where your goals in the game are explicitly defined (conquer the evil demons of the sea and save the pretty girl) and while these games are a lot of fun, in some ways this system doesn't always work as well in massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG's) where you have dozens, hundreds, even thousands of people interacting with one another.
This isn't to say that there aren't MMOs that pull it off (Guild Wars specifically comes to mind), and this isn't to say that MMORPG's that go the route of the Roller-
Coaster aren't wildly fun (as Guild Wars is). This IS to say that in more recent years people have begun to favor a newer breed of game where the options appear limitless, and if instead of rescuing that pretty girl from the evil demons of the sea, you want to go and be an innocent farmer... more power to you!
Enter the "Sandbox" games. In more recent years there has been a big push to these sandbox's where people can do what they'd like. Similar to roller-coaster games, the name is synonymous with it's real life counter part, the sandbox.
The idea is that upon entering the game, if you decide to ignore the over arching and present storyline (remember our pretty girl), that you can do just that without any significant consequences.
This type of game play is sometimes said to appeal primarily to hardcore style gamers, although I'm not sure I fully buy into that philosophy. Often times I've found many casual players in sandbox type games who simply enjoy socializing with one another, mining together, exploring, etc, without all the insane time commitment of pursuing the major storyline events. In many of these games political and religious systems can be found, as well as a variety of job occupations. From what I've seen however, these games tend to be far more time intensive than roller-coaster games, simply because of the amount of time you need to pour into your character to forge your own path (and be successful at it).
While some many not agree with me here, I would say EVE Online is definitely classifiable as a sandbox, as a majority of EVEs content, gameplay, and activities are created and inspired by the players themselves. GTA3 is also considered by many to be a sandbox game.
That in itself is an important note: in sandboxes you will normally find a wealth of systems run by the players themselves, like guilds and factions - usually there is also an economy in game that is facilitated totally by players selling their personally made goods.
Finally, very recently we've hit a time when some people are discussing ways to make what you could call a mix between sandbox and roller-coaster games.
I have yet to come across a good example of how this has been done (or how someone is working on one), I've only heard slight mention of it here and there.
From what I gather though, there would be a few central over arching storylines taking place at one time, giving users their choice of how to proceed, and along the way providing ample opportunity for players to branch off onto their own paths, while still allowing them to come back to the big storyline.
Some may again classify this primarily as sandbox, but I would argue that if at any time there is a great deal of direction coming from quests, storylines and developer driven content, that you begin to get more into roller-coaster elements.
If anyone has run into what you'd consider to be a good example of a sandbox roller-coaster hybrid, please let me know!
If you've ever read one of those "Choose your own ending" style books that plagued elementary and middle schools, you'll understand what a sandbox roller-coaster hybrid might be like.
While the player has choices (perhaps many, many choices!), things are still ultimately "guided" by an over all storyline, while leaving room for player created content. At the end of the day though, all of that is easier said than done.
Ultimately, deciding on what game system you use, or "Game Flow" method you use is going to be vital in developing your game.
Like storyline, it will give you direction and more easily help you to make decisions about whether or not a specific feature would fit into your game.
Not only will it help you to make decisions, but as a result it will help to shape your game. Direction and determination are absolutely mandatory in game development, and deciding on a Game Flow will at least help you in the direction department ;)
We've covered some incredibly important aspects of your gaming environment - from visual stimulus, and the sounds that pull your travelers deeper into your game, to the stories that inspire and the game mechanics that help shape your players' characters.
However, at the end of the day there is one aspect that will bring everything home and determine whether or not your game is bursting with eager players, or an emptied ghost town.
Number 1: Activities, baby!
While friends within games come and go, quests are released and beaten, items are unveiled and later trumped - at the end of the day the gaming community is not unlike society at large; we are a disposable group of people.
We love to love the hottest items, spells, houses, quests, but eventually they become something of yesterday and cease to draw as much excitement from the people who have been hanging around your game for a while.
Many games falter because they fail to recognize that new content is a must, even if the content you already have is incredible.
The typical gamer can crunch through your average game in less than a month and if you're planning to release a game that has a monthly subscription, or the need to retain players for an extended amount of time, that's bad news for you.
Ultimately the solution to "What next?" and "Why are people leaving?" is to imbue your game and all of its nooks and crannies with valuable content and *things to do*.
It is from this area that it seems most of the discontent for games comes from which means that it is not only imperative to have plenty of activities in the game when it first releases, but to follow up on those activities with new things to explore, find, and participate in in the following months and years of the games life span.
Not only does providing and planning activities in the beginning stages of your game design help create a game that will be fun to play, but it may also help to inspire other areas of your development as well.
Events can inspire your storyline, and your storyline can help to give you ideas of activities and new plot lines, for example.
In many ways this aspect of your game is what will help to build and foster the social community within your game, which is ultimately what ties people to specific games: the friends and community that would be left behind if they were to leave.
Ideally, there are a whole host of event and activity types you can create within your game.
Some of them are global style events that involve almost everyone active in the environment at the time. Examples of such events would be those relating to real world holidays like
Christmas, Halloween, etc. More often than not those are time periods in games where if there is nothing new going on, your game will lose out against real life in the excitement category.
People will choose to spend time doing things other than playing your game, if this is the case. Now, while we at TGS appreciate family time and all, this is bad news for you.
Create global events that match up to real life events that will make being inside your environment during this time fun, exciting, and provide the extra bit of holiday spirit for your players.
There are also events that are recurring, such as player run elections and hunting parties that give your players something to do year round. Optimize these activities and make them readily available to players so that these are things they can easily take part in and enjoy.
There are countless numbers of events that you can include in your game to make things feel more lively - we've just covered a very small number of them here.
Perhaps in a later post we can create another article in order to inspire you a bit more in this category.
We'll see! An important thing to remember when judging whether or not "activities" are your number one priority: an online game is at its best when there are ample things to participate in with others.
When your game is one which does not foster socializing, it will more than likely become quiet and empty, and let's face it - do we expect people to play (and pay for) an empty online game? Food for thought.
How to Make a Toga
If you have been to a Toga party recently and you have enjoyed the alcohol, food, dancing and the enchanting ambience there, you are perhaps intrigued about how to make a Toga.
Well, the internet has many resources on Toga making and you can read them all to have your own ideas.
The Roman Toga is a fascinating attire to keep you in fashion and warm all the year round. There is some dispute regarding the actual shape and size of this dress. Toga is made of wool but it can also be bleached into the colors you choose to wear.
For making a Toga, go to the store and buy some cloth that appeal to you.
You can buy some bizarre designs if you want heads to turn at you.
Take material that is five feet in width.
You can fold it in half and then put it round your waist and then over and above the shoulder to drape it down.
Pin one end of the cloth to your waist.
Wrap around once. It is supposed to hang to the knees.
Then you pin it on the waist once more and around the back. You have to wear sandals long with this dress.
This is the primary design for men.
For females to use a wrap around Toga, other designs can be innovated.
You can look like a geek or as smart.
It depends on how you carry yourself after all. For fun, do you dare to carry a toy sword along? Go on, have fun!
Well, the internet has many resources on Toga making and you can read them all to have your own ideas.
The Roman Toga is a fascinating attire to keep you in fashion and warm all the year round. There is some dispute regarding the actual shape and size of this dress. Toga is made of wool but it can also be bleached into the colors you choose to wear.
For making a Toga, go to the store and buy some cloth that appeal to you.
You can buy some bizarre designs if you want heads to turn at you.
Take material that is five feet in width.
You can fold it in half and then put it round your waist and then over and above the shoulder to drape it down.
Pin one end of the cloth to your waist.
Wrap around once. It is supposed to hang to the knees.
Then you pin it on the waist once more and around the back. You have to wear sandals long with this dress.
This is the primary design for men.
For females to use a wrap around Toga, other designs can be innovated.
You can look like a geek or as smart.
It depends on how you carry yourself after all. For fun, do you dare to carry a toy sword along? Go on, have fun!
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