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• Battlefield: Bad Company Impressions

  by March 26th 2008 1:43 AM CDT1 Comments

  

  The closed beta for DICE’s next installment in the Battlefield series went live yesterday. Bad Company is exclusive to the Xbox 360 and PS3, and it’s also the first BF game to utilize DICE’s shiny, new Frostbite engine. I had a chance to sit down with the game and see just what it’s all about.

  First, I mentioned that Bad Company will be the first Battlefield game to use the Frostbite engine. The most notable feature of the engine is its ability to render destructible environments, and this is really where the game shines. Blowing stuff up with RPG’s proves to be entertaining as always, especially when you can use it to strategically pwnface your opponent. Also, I was rather impressed when the artillery and other explosions actually left craters in the ground.

  Unfortunately, the environmental-damage system is far from flawless. Damage is not dynamic, meaning the destruction of structures revolves around different, pre-defined cutout points. For example, you might be able to blow a hole in one side of a building, but the other might be impenetrable because it has no cutout point. Still, it’s very impressive and adds a critical element to the gameplay.
• Valve and Episodic Content

  by March 9th 2008 1:11 AM CST0 Comments

  

  Valve Software is one of my favorite developers. That’s why my excitement for The Orange Box was nearly on par with my hype for Halo 3 (I think I can already hear fanboys yelling “blasphemy” in the distance). It goes without doubt that the Half-Life franchise is one of the best in the FPS genre. Despite this, many of Half-Life’s followers questioned Valve’s decision to take the episodic content route. Was it the right thing to do for both the developer and the fans? Let’s take a look.

  Following the release of the critically acclaimed Half-Life 2, Valve originally intended to release an expansion pack entitled Half-Life 2: Aftermath. Later on in the development process, they decided to create multiple episodes rather than a single product that, together, would extend Half-Life 2’s storyline. This was a clear nod to the company’s new episodic-distribution structure, headed by its successful Steam platform.

  The primary reasoning for episodic content was that it avoided the issue of painfully long development time, but many argued that it was simply a money-farming scheme because Aftermath was supposed to retail for around $30, and they speculated that it would cost more to buy three separate episodes. However, it was argued that, in reality, the cost of the three episodes Valve planned on releasing would be equivalent to what Aftermath would cost, considering each episode would retail around $10.00. This proved to be false as Episode One originally sold for $19.99 (it was later reduced to $9.95 on Steam), but it was also argued that the value of the episodes shouldn’t be disputed until all three are put into perspective.
• The Current State of Video Games

  by March 9th 2008 12:11 AM CST1 Comments

  

  "Achievement Unlocked." So you did it? You shredded that song to pieces in Guitar Hero. You finally killed that SOB terrorist in Call of Duty 4. Maybe you nailed that ridiculously-tough line in Skate. We’ve all experienced those few short seconds of gaming ecstasy, flexing your proverbial muscles by adding those dozen or so points to your ever-increasing Gamerscore.
  

  It goes without question that Microsoft’s idea of Achievements and Gamerscore is nothing short of genius. Rewarding players for completing difficult tasks makes perfect sense, right? But what should be more rewarding, adding some imaginary points to that magic (yet meaningless) number in your Gamercard or having an enjoyable video game experience? This is where things start to blur, especially with some of the games that have been released as of late. It seems as if Achievements are set in place to push gamers through a game, but shouldn’t gamers want to play through a game’s campaign because it’s a fun and compelling experience? Well, that might just be the problem right there. Games these days, for the most part, aren’t fun and compelling experiences. They’re generally repetitive carbon copies, maybe with a new outfit to differentiate themselves just enough to sell a few copies. The FPS genre is where the finger should be pointed towards most of all. Take a moment and think of all the different shooters you have played recently. There’s a good chance that the majority of them involve aliens threatening the existence of the human race, World War II, or zombies.
• Ignorance Is (Not) Bliss

  by March 8th 2008 10:13 PM CST3 Comments

  

  WARNING: The contents of this article may be subject to causing boredom. I know, I said I was here to both inform and entertain you. Sue me. Humor will be inserted in order to make a point (or to just excite a laugh as usual) where I deem necessary, so grab your hardhat and put your serious face on, it’s time to show those naysayers what’s up!

  Have you ever played Mass Effect? Have you ever watched a porno? Did you know that the two seemingly-unrelated things are pretty much one and the same? Or at least they were in the mind of developmental psychologist Cooper Lawrence. Of course, sexuality in video games isn’t the only hot-button issue; violence is the most fiercely-contested one. Why is it that video games are looked down upon while movies, music and television seem to get by unscathed?

  The first and most obvious reason is that video games are a relatively new medium. In contrast to other forms of entertainment, such as TV programs and feature films, video games have only been around since the late seventies. They are receiving the same scrutiny that those forms entertainment were receiving when they were first introduced. What we have here is simply history repeating itself as it always does. I recall reading a comment somewhere that actually made a very valid point: “In 20-30 years, the world will be entirely run and governed by people who grew up with video games and understand them.”