Final Fantasy XIII: I walk a lot.

Posted by Nadia Labeikovsky in

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Long time no write, among with job hunting, getting a job and moving things got a little out of hand. But it is always good to come back and rejoice in all things gaming once in a while.

I picked up Final Fantasy XIII recently, my choice of console was the Xbox 360 (it is the console I own, so let's get that out of the way). I know that the package contained 3 dvds and that in the PS3 there is only 1 disc...I know all that jazz, no need to tell me, I have an Xbox...breathe now...

Final Fantasy is a series that I will always play even if they get to the 100th edition, I'm a big fan of JRPGs , however my impressions of this one left me a little bit worried about the future of the franchise or my future with the franchise.

First impression, the visuals, AMAZING. Once again Square has managed to make a game that it is very beautiful to see, and explore. However even though it is pretty to look at and you want to go explore and find treasures and items, it is very hard to navigate through the world, everything is layed out to be linear, sure there are passageways and nooks in which you can go and find little nice things, but other than that you are set to go forward all the time and it is frustrating, maybe not frustrating but boring for the most part.

I was impressed or glad that the videos merged within the scene that you were playing, there is continuity in terms of scene, so you have to be on our toes whenever something is coming to get you.

The battle system for the most part in my opinion is resumed in the following: Press A (or to my ps3 friends Press X). I felt that it was dumbed down to the point of not being really strategic, at least at first. Then it gets a little more to the point of having the right setup of characters with the right role in order to survive, but other than that , just press A and magic will happen.

This to me results in button smashing xtravaganza as you pound A in nervousness until you end the battle, which you find later that it does not matter what you use to beat a monster, what it maters is how long you take to beat it, hence we are back to press A until it dies.

On a positive note, your party is a smart party, once you find the weaknesses of a monster the party acknowledges it and results to the required attacks, so you don't really have a mage casting fire randomly to a fire absorbing monster, that is good and you feel helped and loved by your party. Still tho i'm left with the bittersweet notion that by just pressing A I solve everything.

Spoil ahead...you have been warned.

Then came the middle in the form of more walking and battles, and then Gran Pulse (sorry for the spoil, can't help it).

I felt that Gran pulse was this major missed opportunity not only to explore, get a more defined story plot on the characters, but to also do some leveling up, because why not? the stronger you get the better. But in between the CP points getting to be too expensive and the map frustration (turns out the map flips as the character turns and walks so you never really know where is north or south...ehm...yeah you can imagine) you get actually tired of being in that place and well you go forward to make the suffering end. There were a couple of moments in which the characters seemed to bond further, but they were pretty random and really added nothing to the current plotline.

Gran pulse to me was one of the climatic moments in which our fellow warriors found themselves and each other and decide the future for themselves and whatnot, which if you see the movie scenes you find out they do, but it is so plain that gives you the feeling of "meh". You find a village destroyed and characters that suppose to care about it don't seemed to be troubled (at all), and suddenly everybody is happy and giddy. Hey I want what they are having...but where is the struggle? the transition? where is the feeling? where is the breaking point of realizing that their world is going to go blitz?

I find that it was not as engaging as the previous titles. It has a very slow progression and often you find yourself thinking if this is going somewhere. The characters at first were intersting but after about mid point in the game, the protagonists went toward the background and became about the collective not the individual so there was no focus or interest to look at in a character or a character to focus on. I ended up liking Lighting for the looks and strength, but she went so much to the background that if I wouldn't have her in my party I wouldn't know what she was doing.

I guess I felt that with this title the storytelling was a little bit underdone, and I miss the previous stories and if a story makes me compare it to the others so much and so often while playing (not in a good way) then something is wrong here. But I will let you to judge that for yourselves...

Hopefully for me the ending will be worth the 54+ hours I'm putting into it (no 'm not done with it yet, and my friends say I'm taking too long but I like to side quest and explore thank you very much). I will edit this post after I do.

Random exclamation: Chocobos!! love them, want to adopt them! enough said. They are always a favorite.


This is Nadia logging off...

Cheers!

Steam! And Apples-to-Apples

Posted by Theresa Chen in

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Wow. We are terrible at doing this regularly. :P

I haven't really gamed much in the computer or console-gaming world lately. Last week I played Apples-to-Apples for the first time, which yes, is shocking considering I just graduated from a masters program. I'd seen the game before, but usually it was in a box in front of a group of people to be played if we possibly needed an ice breaker. But never did open it.

First time was a lot of fun though. I think there's something to be said about the classic board and card games. They live as popular games through the years for a reason. Apples-to-Apples is a fun way to try and get in to people's heads. But instead of just trying to figure out how to best win, you also try to figure out what makes people laugh. People can jump in and out of the game whenever they wish as long as you aren't really concerned about score and winning and losing. I get the feeling that is not the point of the game anyways, although you could be that type of crowd and play this well too. The number of cards in your hand, etc, really doesn't change the game too much. It's all about getting inside a player's head, thinking creatively, and testing your luck to see if you threw down the right card. It makes for great communal fun that surrounds simplistic rules, a variety of player numbers, and a lot of laughter. In other words, a good party game.

But in cool other news, Steam is available on Mac! :D

I switched to Mac a few months ago, mostly because I got tired with all the technical trouble shooting and bad luck I tend to have with PCs. I wanted something reliable that will last about 5 years at least. Mac has a good reputation for this, especially in their recent releases (I still remember that it wasn't more than 5 years ago when this Youtube video accurately described all the annoyances I had with Mac). Also, there are less viruses and spyware to consider. Unfortunately, this also means that most games will not run. Unless I bootcamp. Which I still need to do....

So I downloaded and installed the Steam Client and tried to install my first game, a demo version of Braid (try first, buy later. My favorite feature of Steam). But lo... I was denied. The servers were too busy. Try again later.

Guess I'm not the only one excited about this.

Canabalt: When simple is addictive.

Posted by Nadia Labeikovsky in

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Canabalt is a game that came out of the Experimental Game monthly challenge. It was such a success that the creators, Semi Secret Software, decided to polish and release it as a full platformer game for the iPhone/iPod and a online version.

Canabalt for me it is appealing since it has a very simple game interaction (tapping or clicking on the screen)which means that I do not have to worry about tilting the device on a certain way or other keys to press. Specially since personally I am very clumsy with iPhone/iPod games.

The goal of the game is simple and obvious as you start the game. The goal is to escape from inminent doom while avoiding obstacles and impossible situations as you run. Your distance is recorded, so at the end or when you fail you see how much you have ran, like a highscore of sorts, creating a compulsion to play over and over to get a better score.

From the black and white beautiful pixel graphics, to the music that complements the game so well in tempo and speed. Canabalt is made to be addictive, and it is a great example of simple made perfect. It does not matter if the setting and situations are strange, you are so concentrated on your goal that it makes complete sense and makes you want to play over and over. An interesting detail of the game is that obstacles are loaded randomly, or appear to be randomly, this means that every play session you encounter different situations, making this game dynamic and different every time you play.

Canabalt is an example as to simple and small sessions of gameplay can be succesful on mobile devices (even on web). If you have not played, I invite you to play it, just click here.

Plants vs. Zombies - the casual tower defense

Posted by Theresa Chen in analysis, Theresa

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Plants vs. Zombies has been my latest addiction, thanks to a coworker who let me try it out on his shiny new iPad. I promptly bought and downloaded it to my iPod Touch and beat it within a week.

In Plants vs. Zombies, your goal is to protect your home from waves of zombie attacks by planting pea-shooting plants and other varieties in your lawn as defense. Each level brings on new zombies and new plants, as well as new environmental challenges. It's a casual game with several hours of challenge, humorous story, and fun.

I think Plants vs. Zombies brings up a valid point about casual game design. People tend to think that casual means good = simple rules, short gameplay, no story and bad = complex rules, long-term achievements, and presence of plot. Plants vs. Zombies is a Real-Time Strategy (RTS) kind of game, a tower defense game, with tons of rules and many pieces to set on the field. However their approach to RTS is what makes all the difference.


For one, in terms of duration of play, game sessions don't last more than 10 minutes. The entire game can last a few hours but the adventure gameplay is broken down in to distinctive levels, with clear indication of when the end will arrive to each wave.

There is also a constant stream of achievements to be had, not just including the trophies in the main menus page (which I am now trying to achieve). Each time you beat a level, you are given a gift, either a note from the zombies or a new type of plant to use. Sometimes it's just money to spend in the game store too. Planting sunflowers gifts you sun, which you need to plant more plants. Some zombies give you coins if you kill them. That happy achievement bug in your head lights up at all this stimulus.

I think what Plants vs. Zombies does best is the gradual education to its game rules. It combines achievement with rule sets. Each time you beat a level, if gives you new rules as a reward. There's the new zombie you have to face, the new environment, and the new plant in your arsenal. It's a complex list of elements that the designers event felt the need to add an almanac in the game. But even so, because of the gradual introduction of these elements, casual players have no problems retaining all that information.

So after all that adventure gameplay? There's an endless survival mode, which is more typical to the RTS games than the adventure mode. By this point, the casual player is familiar with all the rules so such a long-term Tower Defense game is perfectly okay.

Plants vs Zombies is an RTS game for casual players, and I think this is a good example that casual games need not be simple straightforward games and that casual players can deal with complexity as long as the learning process is simple and fluid.

Nadia's intro (cue soundtrack)

Posted by Nadia Labeikovsky in

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I get 2nd. but that is alright...=)

My name is Nadia Labeikovsky and like Theresa I am a Graduate student at the ETC. I am also in my last semester and like her I see the scary world in the outside of school is creeping out to haunt us.

However, I am looking at it with excitement as I look forward to be part of this industry that we all love so much. So this blog is for not only telling stories and talking about things, it is also a part of our lives as two new talents looking to make their mark in the world. It sounds so epic, doesn't it? Hope you enjoy it and take part with us as we start this adventure.

Be well, and stay tuned...

-Nadia

Theresa's Intro

Posted by Theresa Chen in introduction, Theresa

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Hi. ^_^ Looks like I get first post. ^_^

What to say about me?

My name is Theresa Chen and, as of this date and year, I am a graduate student at Entertainment Technology Center, finishing my last semester and moving on to the working world in the terrifying but totally awesome video games industry.

ETC was a great place to be because of all the innovation in technology, interactive design, collaboration, etc. that happened in the project rooms and bullpen. There was always something to widen your eyes and spark your interest. But leaving ETC & CMU and leaving the knowledge pursuits of school, it's not so easy to stay surrounded by this kind of thrill. Salaries, debts, work hours, and normal life creeps in. Even though it is the games industry, it is still a job and often enough, it can get repetitive to the point you forget what impassioned you to take this path to begin with. Or on the less depressing and negative side, you can get so wrapped up in one thing, you neglect the other aspects of game development that inspired you from the start. Regardless of what it is, keeping up-to-date and aware of games is important. And I believe always questioning games is important too.

Anyways, hope this goes well. :-)