fractal

The big game for my IMGD 1001 class is finally done and online for you to play! I have to give a HUGE thanks to Derrick and Cordell because none of us could have made this on our own. I hope you enjoy it!



By the way, this is a very large game with 3D graphics, so it may take a while to load and may run slowly on your computer.

Jumper

No, this game isn't about the terrible movie that came out last year, although it may manage to be more enjoyable. It's actually a simple platformer I made in flash. This one is considerable better than my past 2 games. It's rather short, but I hope you enjoy it none the less. Also, it is my first game to really use keyboard controls or sound of any kind. Also, I made the player sprite and took the picture of Oliver the Octopus. Finally, if you like the music here, you can get this song and the entire Weezer 8 Bit album here. It's really cool stuff. So anyway, here's the game.

You may have to click the game window to actually be able to control the guy.



Stats:
File Size: 1.96 MB
Project Archive: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Total: 11 MB
Time: Art: 4 Hours (including level design) Programming: 3.5 hours

Flight Sim

Here's the next game I made in my Game Development class. This one is a top down scrolling shooter. Control the ship with the mouse and click to fire. Kill the aliens. I may keep adding to this one as I go. Here's how it is for now though.




Stats:
Language: Flash10/AS3
File Size: 42KB
Project Archive Size: 298KB
Time to Complete: 6 Hours

Chosen One: The Adventure

Yes I am FINALLY back and I am more or less revamping the focus of this blog. Instead of (failing to talk about) game news and such, I will instead post any games I make here. Yes, I am officially starting to make games now, mostly through my game design class and here is my first one. It's a text adventure called Chosen One: The Adventure and it is admittedly very simple. It is also my first game made in Flash. Turns out I pick up Flash fairly quickly. Try it out here and let me know what you think.

Stats:
Language: Flash 10/ActionScript 3
File Size: 68 KB
Project Archive Size: 292 KB
Time to Complete: ~5 Hours (including graphics)

It's Been Too Long

Wow I really suck at keeping this thing up to date. Fortunately it is summer now and I can update this all I want. Be on the lookout for far more frequent updates in the future. Sorry about the absence.

Updates/OnLive

Wow, I suck at updating this blog. I need to work on that. I now promise to add a post at least once a day. To start, here's my opinion on the recently revealed OnLive.

I'll say it now. I love the idea of OnLive. I'm sure you have heard all the details by now. Get a connection of about 1.5 mbps, sign up for the service, and get a video stream of whatever game you are playing. This allows you to play any game on any computer that can properly stream video. That is the beauty of this service. I could play Crysis on a netbook. It's quite a simple service really. What I don't get is why so many people are complaining about this service. The biggest complaint is "But it will be laggy". Let's analyze this statement, shall we? First, a connection of 1.5 mbps is more than enough to get a basic video stream. That's all the info you need to download. The upload times won't be like that of a FPS either. All you have to upload is your control inputs. All the other information that causes lag, such as location, actions, and general player state, will be computed and distributed from OnLive's servers. The lag in essentially all games will be the same as a normal online game is now. I think I can handle that just fine. Another complaint is that you technically will not "own" the games you play. That is very true, but the fact that the games will be only online and not possible to resell, the original prices will be lower. There will also most likely be a a subscription fee, but that is no different from paying $50 a year for Xbox Live or GameTap. That's all I can think of for now. This service is extremely promising to me and I will subscribe to it the instant I can. Let me know what you think of OnLive in the comments.

Mad Mad Mad Mad World

As you may have guessed by reading the title to this particular entry, I am rather excited about getting my hands on Mad World for the Wii. It's one of those games that has constantly been on my mind, but I have had my doubts. Now that there are a good amount of reviews online, I feel quite confident that I should pick up this game immediately. The harsh black and white art style, brawler gameplay, and almost hilarious level of violence just draws me in. Plus it just looks fun. That's my real point here. Sometimes we as gamers get too concerned with the games we play being seen as a piece of art. We start to worry if we can't compare the story to a classic novel or point out some major philisophical undertone. Why? There's hardly anything wrong with a quality game story (far from it actually), but I think we need to remember that games are inherently about having fun. Sure, the world and story of Assassin's Creed interested me, but the gameplay just got boring. Same goes for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. You know what games truly entertain me the most? Simple, exciting games like Left 4 Dead, Peggle, and Mad World. There is no complex story in those games, but they throw constantly changing action at you. I doubt many gamers will argue with those particular games though. How about something more obscure? Miner Dig Deep is a XNA Community Game available on the 360. All you do is dig for resources, sell them, upgrade your gear, and let the game take over your life. It is crazy. This game has absolutely no story and is fairly technically terrible, but it is simply engrosing and joyful when you play. I still can't figure out why. Anyway, all I ask is that you all open your minds to the simplicity of just plain fun games. Remember, have fun! :)

In the spirit of fun, watch this video. Thanks to djy1991 for making it!

Toys 'R Us to Start Accepting Game Trade-Ins

Most gamers know full and well that they can trade in their used games to GameStop. Those same gamers also know that they typically won't get a whole lot of cash for said games unless you use some sort of deal with the trade in. However, there may finally be an alternative to trading in to GameStop. According to phear3d's CheapAssGamer Blog Toys 'R Us has started accepting used game trade-ins very soon. I am going to go to my local Toys 'R Us at the first chance I get to make sure of this and to see what kind of prices they give for the trade-ins, but the simple concept of having someone other than GameStop to trade to is very appealing. If there is competition in the used game market (which, until now, there hasn't been) that means GameStop and Toys 'R Us will have to price against each other both in what they give you for your games and in how much they sell used games for. Overall this is good for all gamers, especially when budgets are getting tight.

Random Awesome Mirror's Edge Stuff!

After seeing Midwest Gamer Blog's article about Mirror's Edge 2D, a 2D Flash version of the game made by the guy behind Fancy Pants Adventure, I started thinking of Mirror's Edge again. I have never actually played the full version of the game, but the demo had me hooked really badly. I still want to play the full game asap. For now, I will enjoy this music video.

Massive New PSP Announcements

Ok PSP fans your time has finally come. There were a TON of new announcements for Sony's portable platform made today. I just wrote up an article on this event on Daily Gamer Blog. Head there to get the full details.

Daily Gamer Blog

Some of you may know that I have previously written for some gaming sites, yet I came back to this personal blog. Well I am now lucky enough to have yet another chance at writing for a gaming site. Daily Gamer Blog, which I have written for before, will be relaunching soon, and I will be contributing as much as I can. I really recommend that you all check it out once we get things going. All the other writers there are very good as well. For now, you can sign up for the forums.

By the way, this will not keep me from updating this blog. I will continue to put any personal updates here whether they are gaming related or not. Again, please check out this site, you will enjoy it.

Ubuntu

Today I installed Linux on my laptop. More precisely, I installed Ubuntu and boy am I impressed. I have been tweaking it to my taste and installed Wine and everything is running great. Hopefully I will be able to continue gaming on this, but if not I can always reboot in Vista. The real problem is that Vista seems so slow now compared to this. Thank goodness for open source software!

College Visits

I just got back from the Winter Preview Program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Mass. I have to say I am very impressed with the school, its programs, the people, the opportunities there, and even the campus itself. I am planning to go there for either the Computer Sciences or Interactive Media and Game Design majors. I really can't say how impressed I am with that college. Hopefully I can pull together the cash to afford the rather steep tuition, but I'm not going to let that stop me.

P.S. I'll get back to gaming talk later. I have this whole week off from school so I should have plenty of time to write.



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Now playing: Boston - Rock N Roll Band
via FoxyTunes

Bwah!?

Ok, quick post here, but this is just too odd to skip up. It turns out that the company that offered to buy Eidos several months ago was actually the famous Japanese developer, Square Enix. This comes as quite a surprise to me since Eidos has very western styled games and Square Enix has very Japanese styled games. However, this could benefit beoth comapnies. Square wants to expand into more western games, which Eidos can provide, and Eidos needs a large amount of money backing their games and advertizing, which Square Enix can more than provide. I actually hope this deal goes through because both companies would be stronger for it. The only sad part of this is that this situation shows just how bad the economy is getting. One of gaming's larger publishers is possibly being bought. Anyway, I wish both companies luck.

Burnout Paradise Cops

I love Burnout Paradise. I'll just say that right now. What I love most is how Criterion is constantly updating the game with more and more DLC. All of that DLC is actually useful and fun as well. However the most amazing Burnout DLC has just been announced and now has some screenshots, thanks to IGN. The new Cops and Robbers mode looks absolutely crazy. Just see for yourself.








The simple concept of a high speed chase with several cops on your tail going through Paradise City is worth it to me. My real reason for loving this concept for DLC is the prospect of being the aforementioned cops. I want to drive those sleek Paradise City PD cars! Well, that's all I have to say about that. No real insight today, just excitement. Enjoy.

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Now playing: Switchfoot - The Setting Sun
via FoxyTunes

The New EA

You have heard it all before. EA is the evil empire intent on destroying gaming by releasing a version of every sport game imaginable for every platform once a year. They never make anything original. Oh, and don't forget that they ruined several great old studios like Bullfrog. Pretty much anything with that insidious two vowel logo on it is the plague and should be treated as such.

Thank goodness that is over with. Let me say something (since this is my blog, that seems like a fair request). EA has become one of my favorite companies over the last year or two. Also, they are not the evil empire any more. EA is not itself anymore and I am glad for it.

First off, let's look at my blasphemous gamer-claim (that sounds so awesome!) that EA is one of my favorite companies. How can I love a company that is so obviously terrible? Well one look at EA's recent releases should give you an idea of how they have changed. Burnout Paradise, Dead Space, Boom Blox, Rock Band, Mirror's Edge, Army of Two, Skate, Crysis, and Battlefield Bad Company are all original games, even if they came from a previously existing series. Most importantly, they are fun. Taking a look to the future you will see games like Mass Effect 2 and Henry Hatsworth (this game deserves far more attention). Sure, they still have their yearly sports titles and crappy Need for Speed games, but the amount of original, fun content from EA is definitely on the uprise.

So they have some good games. There must be a new evil empire taking EA's place. It's Activision. Why? While EA has been becoming more and more original Activision has run everything right into the ground. Tony Hawk? Dead. Call of Duty? Every other one is useless. Guitar Hero? Dying very quickly. Then there is the whole situation of Activision buying Viacom, losing every good game that Viacom was working on. The real irony of the situation came out when Activision scrapped Tim Schafer's Brutal Legend which was then picked up by EA. How beautiful it is.

Now, I hope Activision can make a similar turnaround to EA's, but by the looks of things it's not going to happen very soon. That is why, for now, EA is one of my favorite companies while Activision has become the new EA.


P.S. Check this out. I got a Firefox plug in to add what I am listening to as my blog signature. I love little browser gadgets.
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Now playing: Instrumental - Horrible Credits
via FoxyTunes

Twitter Time

Just a quick update today. In keeping with being a good web user, I have set up a Twitter account. If you can't get enough of me here on the blog, hit up my Twitter here. It will have similar content to what appears here. I will hopefully update that more often than I do this. Sorry for not posting a beefier update, but that's all for now.

Girlfriend Gaming

Many a gamer with a significant other has tried to think of ways to get them at least somewhat interested in gaming. That's understandable. Anyone with a major hobby would try to get loved ones involved in the fun. I face a similar situation, but I am quite lucky. My girlfriend is actually rather knowledgeable about gaming and can hold her own (or even beat me) in a game of Super Smash Brothers Melee or Soul Calibur 4. However, she has always liked fighting games of that sort. What about other games? What does it take to interest a non-gamer in gaming?

A good first step in this process (which I call girlfriend gaming in honor of my girlfriend) is finding what interests the person you are trying to get into gaming. Do they like horror movies or novels? Are they sport fans? Do they enjoy epic, fantastic stories? Pretty much any genre of writing, television, or movies has an analogous genre in gaming. Finding a game that matches interests that already exist in a non-gamer is a good way to introduced to the amazing world of gaming.

However, interests and favored genres are not all that is needed to entice a new gamer. I know for a fact that my girlfriend dislikes any game that "looks like claymation". Basically she does not like anything that looks like it was designed for a child. She would much rather play Ocorina of Time than Wind Waker (although I disagree, but that's a discussion for another time). My real point here is to learn wether there are particular aspects of games that will automatically turn the new gamer off. If your new gamer has a pet peeve that appears in a game, don't even bother. They will see that one thing and not really care to get into the rest of it.

Finally, some simple things to remember when gaming with a non-gamer (or non-hardcore gamer, as the case may be). First, it's about them. Sure, you may love Call of Duty 4, but if your friend or loved one can't control a first person game then you should probably avoid playing it with them. You also need to remember that non-gamers aren't like us. They don't necesarily need to play to enjoy a game. I know for a fact that my girlfriend enjoys watching me play Dead Space and Bioshock (she's a horror junkie ^-^), but she would not want to try playing them for herself. Finally, it's a slow process. Not every game you show them will be a hit. Also, just because they can't play a game now doesn't mean they won't later. That is especially true when it comes down to the issue of controlling the game. As they play more games they will become more comfortable with the controller and be more willing to try other games.

That's all the tips I have for now. I wish everyone luck as they try this out. I can assure you that gaming with a loved one is absolutely the best way to game. By the way, remember, they tried this for you, so be open to trying something for them. However, for now, I have a few games that are particularly good for this "girlfriend gaming".

Guide to Girlfriend Gaming

Wii Owners:

• Super Smash Bros. Brawl/Melee - These games are always a hit with gamers and non-gamers. Simple controls and recognizeable characters make the game just plain fun. Either version works since the Wii has full Gamecube backwards compatability. Just remember to have enough controllers for everyone to join in.
• Wii Sports - It's simple, but that simplicity is what appeals to people. Everyone knows how to play the games emulated in Wii Sports so you can just pick up the controller and start playing.
• Super Mario Galaxy - This is a clever one. It is primarily a single player game, but second, third, and fourth players can all control a pointer that collects star bits while you take care of the tricky platforming as Mario. If the friends/loved ones feel brave they will usually take a stab at this game on their own too.
• Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People - This episodic game from WiiWare is a point and click adventure. That may seem hardcore, but it allows for cooperative work solving any problems Strong Bad runs into. Also, if you watch the web series you will know just how funny these games are. Plus, at $10 each, these are a great deal.

360 Owners:

• Portal - We hardcore gamers have all played this by now, but most non-gamers have no idea of its existance. Most people will find the puzzles challenging and really fun. Also, I have yet to find someone who doesn't enjoy the dark humor of GLaDOS. Plus, everyone loves cake...
• Mass Effect - This is definitely a game to have your friend/loved one watch, but the story is so engrosing that they will feel like they are watching a sci-fi epic instead of a game. Added bonus: they can help you customize your character and choose what to say.
• Indigo Prophecy - Not for everyone, but those who love mysteries will get wrapped up in this game. As with other adventure games, the non-gamer can provide help in solving the crime. This can also be easily acquired through Xbox Originals.
  
• Soul Calibur 4 - This works a lot like Smash Bros. A non-gamer can mash the buttons and still stand a chance of doing ok. The extensively detailed character creator is good also. You and your loved one can either make each other or your favorite movie characters.
• Viva Pinata - An adorable game all about farming pinatas that still manages to be very deep? Yes please. Anyone who starts a garden in this game will get caught up in taking care of their pinatas and making sure their garden is the best it can be.
• Fable 2 - It's a hardcore RPG, but it doesn't look or act like one. It appears to be nothing more than a funny British adventure game and it can be easily controlled, but just watch people get caught up either playing or watching this fantasy epic.
  

PS3 Owners:

• LittleBigPlanet - This one particularly appeals to the creative types. They can work with you and make pretty much anything they want while you make sure everything still works. Then there is the fact that no one can deny the cuteness of Sackboy.
• Pixeljunk Monsters - This is a guaranteed hit. Casual and non-gamers love Flash versions of tower defense games. This is essentially a co-op version of one of those games. Just be sure to not get mad if a level was particularly disasterous...

Handhelds:

• While handheld gaming is good for casual gamers, I don't really recommend it for girlfriend gaming just because it is rather hard to do together with someone. This is mostly due to the lack of single-console multiplayer and the inability for anyone but the person playing to easily see the screen. If you have an old handheld laying around, feel free to share it with your loved one. Most handheld games work well with a large amount of people. Just avoid the excessively hardcore games (you should be able to spot them fairly easily).

Multi-Console:

• Music Games - Everyone likes music and what better way to enjoy it than playing a typically casual-friendly game along with your favorite songs? Rock Band and Guitar Hero are particularly good if you want to feel like a rock star with your friends, SingStar and similar karaoke games are good for people who like to sing (like myself), and Dance Dance Revolution is fun if you and your loved one are particularly active and like to move around a lot.
• Burnout Games - Racing cars is fun, but crashing them is even more fun. Burnout is the best series for this. You can either go with an older game in the series to have some fun with multiplayer or you can take turns exploring Paradise City in Burnout Paradise. If you are deprived of a Burnout game, Flatout and similar games can make suitable replacements.
• Sport Games - This is mostly for male non-gamers, but girls can enjoy some of these too. Most sport games have offline multiplayer, allowing you to give them time to get used to the controls. Also, if they are a fan of a specific team or sport they will enjoy playing that sport/team all the more than just a generic game.

Again, I wish everyone a good time while introducing loved ones to the joy of gaming. Just remember that you are doing this to have fun. Let me know if you have any other games you have found are effective for girlfriend gaming.

Free Stuff: World of Goo Soundtrack

Who doesn't like free things? I sure do. That's why I am going to make it a habit to post any free things I find here. My most recent discovery is the soundtrack to World of Goo. If you haven't heard of this game, it is a engineering puzzle game where you must construct structures to get your goo blobs to safety. Aside from that amazing gameplay, the music is the highlight of World of Goo. It should be noted that their site is having some trouble loading due to all of the traffic from sites like Kotaku picking up this story, but keep trying if you can't get in. It will be worth it.

If you want to try the game itself you can download it for PC on Steam or you can buy it on WiiWare. Both versions are equally fun, so you can pick the one that is most convenient to you.

On the Circuit City Closings

As most of you may know by now, Circuit City is closing all US operations. That means they must sell off everything that they can as soon as possible. Now, I don't like to see a big company go down, but closing mean sales. I am never one to pass up a good sale on technology. This particular sale is already pretty good with everything at least 10% off. Yes, that includes games and consoles. It might be a good time to go check if they have any consoles left to pick them up on the cheap. Anyway, the only things that aren't 10% off are CDs and DVDs, which are 20% off, and AV furniture, which is 30% off.

The trick with these kinds of deals is that since they need to sell off everything they will eventually make the discounts even better, but as time passes they will have less and less stock. It's a gamble of sorts. You need to pick the right time to pounce on that cheap stuff because it may not be there tomorrow. If you have any Circuit City stores near you I recommend stopping in to see if you can find anything you want. Happy hunting.

Fated Films

A friend of mine is quite into film making. I would say his love for film rivals my love for gaming. Well you can get a taste of what Fated Films at his YouTube page. Be sure to watch all the videos he has there, but my two favorites are surely the review of Super Mario Galaxy and The Dude Next Door. Both are essentially solo efforts from him, but soon we will get a new batch of videos up there. I guess you could consider it a series, but we will have to wait and see. No matter what it will end up better than my only film making effort to make its way to YouTube.

In other news, I have been playing The World Ends With You quite a bit recently. I am very surprised that I like it as much as I do. Typically jRPGs are not my thing, but this one is so unique in story and gameplay that I can't help but be drawn into this fictional Tokyo. If you have a DS you owe it to yourself to check out this one, it's guaranteed to please.

Well I am off. Hopefully I can get this blog updated more often from here on out. Thanks to all readers.

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Blogs and Such

Yes, I am starting a blog, and yes, it is about games. I am a nerd that enjoys video games quite a bit, but that's not all this blog is limited to. I will be posting anything I find interesting. It just so happens that games are what make up most of that, but it doesn't exclude everything else from these pages. I also will do something quite uncommon on the internet: writing with some sense of grammar and such. Please, stay and enjoy whatever random musing make it to this blog. Enjoy a quick break from life here with my games, my thoughts, and me.