Not all games hold up over time. When I say over time it is mostly when the game is not current. This could mean games that are on the current systems, but are just several years old. If you were to go back and play some of the games that came out at launch for both the Xbox 360 and the PS3, you would be incredibly disappointed with the graphic quality. This is because over time, developers have been able to figure out ways to make games look better. Realistic games look dated very quickly, while games that use some sort of unique art style hold up better through the years.

Mirror’s Edge is a game that holds up very well because the art style is never going to look bad. The entire world of Mirror’s Edge is mostly white with the occasional blotch of color here and there. The sparing use of color is what allows Mirror’s Edge to always look good.

As with all games, graphics are not the only thing that matters; the game also needs a story. But when talking about games that stand the test of time, story can often hurt a game. With games that have a compelling story, players want to know how the story ends and thus will play the game till they find out what happens. When the story is over though, the game loses its reason to be played. This is why with games that stand the test of time, the story is often very basic, and just there to keep the game on track.

Games that have twists often are not as fun to play the second time because the player already knows the ending of the game. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is a great example of this; after playing through the game once, the player knows the story, and thus has no reason to play the storyline again.

While games that are story-driven only last one or two plays, games that are driven by the gameplay often get played many more times. When gameplay drives a game, it gets played more because the player doesn’t need a large overarching goal for the game to be fun. Racing games are prime examples because the game is built around racing, not a story. Another great example of a game that uses gameplay to drive the game is the Super Mario series

Mario is one of the oldest franchises in gaming, and some of the older games still hold up to this day.  Super Mario World, and Super Mario Brothers 3 both hold up exceptionally well because the gameplay is what drives the game. What drives the game is the desire to beat the level that you are currently on so that you can play the next one. And when the game ends, you can simply start over and the cycle of wanting to beat the level starts all over again.

When it comes to old games holding up, there are always exceptions. These exceptions are almost always games that have deep rich worlds, and utilize character development when they are telling the story. Grand Theft Auto 4 had some incredible story telling, and if you went back and played it today, it would still be a great game. But GTA 4 is not that old, at least not compared to some of the Final Fantasy games. Those games had such rich worlds and stories that they could be played multiple times and still be great. However, there are only a select few games that have stories that are timeless.

Games that hold up over time typically do so because they have a cool art style that will look good even when compared to the newest of realistic games. The other reason games are able to stand the test of time is because they are driven by gameplay and not by a story. Stories can get old, while great gameplay can last for decades.

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Call of Duty is one of the largest franchises so we know what type of gameplay is going to come with the game. Other games that are not as established, have to prove to the public that they are worth the time to play. This is why trailers exist—to show off highlights of the game to bring people in. Call of Duty: Ghosts shows no gameplay and alludes to what the setting of the game is going to be. Just from the trailer, it looks like the game is going to focus on a team that will not technically exist, thus allowing the developer full creative freedom in where the game takes place and what happens. But this is only a guess.

Cyberpunk 2077 also does not show any gameplay, but it shows what the look of the game is going to be like—a futuristic world where robots can be very deadly, and the weapons look really cool. While I am more intrigued by this trailer, it still tells us nothing about what the game is going to be like, but it goes about drawing the audience in, by showing a little bit more of the scene as the trailer progresses.

While some trailers are all cinematic, they do allude to how the game is going to play, like the Splinter Cell Blacklist trailer. They show off some of the things that the player would possibly be able to do. Role-playing games (RPG’s) are also like this. I am thinking more of the Final Fantasy games in this regard; they show the monsters that the player is going to fight against, and the characters that the player is going to play as. Out of all the different ways trailers show off games without the gameplay, I find the RPG way to be the most intriguing because it tells a little bit of the story along with showing some of what the gameplay could be, it just draws people in. 

I think that the reason games come out with teaser trailers with no gameplay is because the game is so early in development that the game play is not developed enough to be an effective marketing tool. So they try and hook people with a little bit of the story. This is what the Call of Duty trailer is doing, as well as Cyberpunk 2077. The other way is for the game to show what could be possible but cinematically.  Both ways are effective marketing tools, because they get people talking about the game.

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The idea of mobile gaming is something that has been around for a while; it is being able to entertain yourself while on the go. The most successful handheld systems are the ones by Nintendo in the Gameboy line, which has evolved into the 3DS, which is on the market today. The other major player in the mobile gaming market is the Apple iPhone. (I didn’t include the PS Vita in this conversation because the discussion is hardcore vs. casual, and the Vita is very similar to the 3DS in terms of it being a hardcore system.) While both systems allow for elaborate games, typically the 3DS has larger games, and the iPhone’s games are more casual.

The reason for the differences in the type of games that are available for each system is the control that can be given to the player. With the 3DS, there is a touch screen as well as a directional pad and six buttons that are not on the touch screen. The iPhone on the other hand has only a touch screen and thus the player’s hands are often times in the way of the game. More casual games have the ability to be played with one or two fingers, while more advanced games on the 3DS can have complex control schemes.

While the 3DS can have more hardcore games, that is not the direction that mobile gaming is going to go. Soon the majority of mobile games are going to be much more casual, this is due to developers wanting to create larger and larger games, and those games will be more suited to being played on a full system, like a PC or PS3. Developers want to be able to create a game that is very flushed out and expansive, so why not develop the game for a stay-at-home system instead of a mobile game? There is also the fact that the mobile market is smaller and developers can get more eyeballs on their games if they develop it for the stay-at-home systems.

There is also the fact that more people are getting touch screen phones like the iPhone and will be able to play those casual games. The game just has to be simple and fun to play. Angry Birds is a great example of a casual game that was extremely successful. More and more developers are going towards the mobile phone market because it is a market that is showing constant growth.

Mobile gaming is becoming more carefree because that is the growing market. I don’t want that to happen because there have been some really great games that are on the handheld systems. Having a handheld system gives a different kind of gaming experience that will be lost if all the games go towards a more casual format—I don’t like it, but its going to happen at some point.

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Saints Row 4

If you watched the trailer to Saints Row 4, then you will know that the game looks just as fun as the games that came before it. There looks to be super powers and odd weapons, which is in line with the direction of the series, which has gotten more and more goofy as the games progressed. From what I have heard, the game is going to focus around the third street saints, and follow them as they make a push for the White House. This will make the game interesting because the President has always been someone who is a law-abiding citizen and the saints have not always been ones to follow the law.  So how this plays into the game will make it interesting. 

So now that you have the background of what is going to take place in the game, we can talk about how much bang we can get out of it. The other Saints Row games have been pretty in-depth and had several different side missions as well as huge maps. Will there be a return of missions from the other games? I simply wonder this because the missions have only changed slightly from game to game, but now because the player is trying to take over a country , will these missions be changed? If the player is going to become the President, does this mean we will get to go to different cities? And if the game takes place over several cities, how big will these cities be, and how much can a player do in each city?

When the developer talked about the game there is not a whole lot to worry about, but when you look at what has been shown, it is a different story. The trailer looked very much like Saints Row the Third but with some more goofy stuff added. I have no problem with goofiness in fact it is what made me a huge fan of the series. But if all that is changed is the plot and the gear that you get, then I will have a serious problem having to drop $60.

Sequels don’t have to be completely different from its predecessors, after all, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. However, there needs to be enough content to justify the cost of a full game. With the Saints Row series, the games have not only looked better and better as the series has gone on, but they added and changed the game enough that it is almost unrecognizable going from game to game. With going from Saints Row the Third to Saints Row 4, I don’t know if there is going to be that significant jump in the look and feel.

Without that significant change though, there still may be enough content change that the price change is warranted. I mean, there are going to be super powers! Just adding super powers and changing the plot may be enough for the game to be different enough that it will see a change in the price. I’m personally going to wait until more information comes out about the game to make a final decision about whether it is going to be worth spending $60 on something that was originally going the be DLC.

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BattleBlock Theater is a platformer created by The Behemoth, the same people who created Castle Crashers. BattleBlock is one of those games that is just fun to play. The game has a great sense of humor and is showcased in the story and the narrator. The gameplay has great variety and a very fun art style. I think this is one of the more fun platformers that I have played in a while.

The story is not really what holds the game together, but sets the stage for it. The player starts out on a boat and becomes stranded on an island populated by cats. Then the player is captured by these cats and forced to platform through a series of stages for the cats’ enjoyment. While this premise is odd, it is made very funny by the narrator, who talks in a funny voice but then also describes things in odd ways and in great detail.

I do think that while the narrator is fun in the beginning, he can get on your nerves after a short while. The writing for me at least, is like nothing I have ever encountered; it is just so odd and different that it makes it entertaining.

Like the title of the game suggests, the game is based around blocks. The maps that the player has to go through are all two-dimensional, and everything is square; there are almost no round edges. This keeps the gameplay pretty simple, but allows for the maps to be varied simply by changing the properties of the blocks.

The variety of blocks is enough that the designs of the maps can be varied almost infinitely. But wait there is more— there are enemies that are placed on the map and this can change the level experience almost every time.

The art design of the game is fun and whimsical, but at the same time dark and foreboding. When not in the maps, the player is in a level selection area, where there are mostly dark colors, but during the levels, it is mostly bright and vivid colors.

The characters that the player can play as are also fun like the levels. Over the course of the game the player can unlock different heads, which for all intents and purposes are just different skins. There are a lot of different heads that can be unlocked, and almost all of them are funny and goofy, which adds to the humor of the game.

I am the sort of person who likes to go after collectibles in games, and in Battleblock Theater there are a lot of collectibles. There are gems and balls of yarn throughout each level that can be collected to unlock different heads and items. There are also medals that you can get for doing levels in a certain amount of time. All these collectibles and side objectives allow each level to be played multiple times.

The one thing I really appreciate about Battleblock is that it can be played multi-player locally. Not many games are including a local multi-player; they are shifting towards online exclusive multi-player. I feel that some games are meant to be played with someone sitting on the couch next to you.

Battleblock allows for that, and having someone laugh at the game makes the game that much more enjoyable. There is also a bonus with playing with a second person and that is that there are some collectibles that are easier to get with that second person.

Pros

• Good humor
• Good gameplay variety
• Fun art style
• Lots of collectibles
• Local co-op

Cons

• Narrator can get a little annoying
• No co-op specific maps

Final Thoughts:  

I very much enjoy Battleblock Theater. The art and feel of the game is fun. The game play is varied enough that almost everything you encounter is different. The collectibles allow the levels to be played over and over, making it a game that has effective staying power. A lot of fun can be had when playing.

Final Score:

Battleblock Theater gets an 8 out of 10.

A review Copy was provided for this review

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I have recently read several reports; probably several write ups of one single report, that say that the Xbox 720 is going to have a subscription fee attached to the system, as well as an always-online requirement. These requirements will scare off a few people; however, most gamers always have their console hooked up to the Internet, and pay a subscription to get Xbox Live Gold. There will however be more issues if Microsoft makes the subscription for the console, and not for the online features that we have. With the always-online requirement, it will become debilitating if it obstructs game play.

The first thing that needs to be taken into consideration is the initial outrage about a subscription and the always-online thing. There has been no official announcement as of yet about the exact specs for the Xbox 720, and even after they do announce that it will even be coming out, not all the information about the system will be released at once. This report may just be something to gauge reactions to some of the more controversial topics. So I suggest restrain when talking about these early reports. Until the system is released, everything can be changed.

So now that that is out of the way, let’s talk about what is being reported. First off let’s discuss the requirement to always be connected. This topic has some people a little scared and that is probably due to something similar that occurred with SimCity not too long ago. SimCity needed connection to the Electronic Arts servers for the game to be playable, and when the servers would go down, no one could play the game. There are two things that need to be taken into consideration with what the Xbox 720 may require, first, what is really being asked? And second, is what is being asked really going to be that bad?

I pray for caution and patience again because nothing has been stated officially, and everything can be changed. So what is being asked for? Well it looks like Microsoft wants some sort of constant connection to the Internet. I don’t know if that means you have to ping a server everything 15 seconds, or if you there needs to be a constant connection like SimCity. If it is the former, then that should not be so bad because that means that you only have to show that you have a connection, which means there is no reliance on a server.

So now, is the always-connected requirement such a bad or hard thing to do? On the issue of whether it’s a hard thing to do, no it’s not that hard because most people I know are already always connected— they want to be able to play online games whenever they want. But is it a bad thing? This is a more complex issue, mainly because we don’t know why it needs to always be connected. If the system needs to be connected to get data about game play, or to track usage, I don’t really have an issue because the current systems do this anyways. I would have an issue if they go beyond simply tracking and gathering data.

From what I have read though, it seems that without a connection games cannot be played and apps will not run; the console will simply be a door-stop. I find that slightly irritating. I would like my several hundred dollars piece of hardware to work for me. I want to be able to play it offline if I want, and Microsoft seems to be taking away that option.

I pause yet again to pray for patience again, nothing has been made official.

The other issue that has come out in these reports is a subscription. As an Xbox Live Gold Member, I already pay a subscription fee to play online. I would have no problem continuing to pay this fee so long as the amount and extent of features is not noticeably tampered with. The real problem would start arising when the subscription fee is not simply to be able to play online, but to simply use the console. I have paid for the hardware, and pay out the nose for the software (the games), don’t stop me from putting the two together simply because you want more money.

I am reserving my final judgment for launch day; I want to know about all the system specs and requirements before I spend several hundred dollars on a system. But from the looks of things so far, Microsoft has a fair bit of explaining to do. I need to know about the connection rumors and this subscription thing. If connectivity is simply a ping, fine.If the subscription is just for Xbox Live, fine.  But if there is anything more than that, I need some really solid arguments as to why.

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There are three parts to displaying objectives, one, how the game tells you initially, two, how the player checks up on the objectives, and three, how the player knows what to do on screen during the mission.  During the first part, this is normally where a mission is given or updated. This could be a briefing room like in Starcraft, or a quest giver in World of Warcraft. The second part is typically in some sort of pause menu, where more detailed instructions about exactly what to do are given to the player. The third and final part is the on screen indication of what the player needs to do, this could be in the form of symbols on a mini map, or an on screen icon to indicated to the player what they need to do.

Each portion of the objective system and how it works is based off of what type of game the developers are making. For a portion to be successful it needs to fit with the esthetic of the game. In Dead Space your objective is given to you through a conversation with one of your comrades, and the way that you access it is by opening up your inventory. The on-screen indication is a lighted path that your suit will create with the touch of a button. The way this all fits into the games esthetic is that it is done in real time, and through holograms generated by the suit, thus making it almost impossible for the player to be free from enemies when they are dealing with inventory or objectives. This all leads to a more suspenseful game, which is what the developers were going for.  

Another game that doesn’t break the fourth wall is The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. In Skyrim, quests are given to the character by a person, and then when the player wishes to see what they have to do, the way the quest is written out it is as if the player wrote it, it does not say “you” instead it says “I”. This sort of not suggesting that it is a game makes the player feel as though they are the character, and not some puppet master.

Skyrim and Dead Space are examples of games that keep the player engaged in the story as much as possible, but there are other games that simply try and get the player from point to point. These games are much more direct in telling the player what needs to be done. Most of these games are shooters, or games that are extremely complex. The Call of Duty and Halo franchises have always led the player along, and given them very direct instructions, such as “push this button” or “get to point B”. The reason for this is because the goal of shooter is to keep the player in the action as much as possible, and this can only occur if the player is moving in the right direction.

Starcraft is another game that keeps the objectives obvious, which is fine, because the player has so many options of what to do. The simple instructions allow the player the freedom to accomplish that goal in any way they see fit.

A problem arises when the games objective system does not match up with the esthetic of the game, or the player cannot understand what they have to do. The not understanding what the player has to do is sometimes due to a lack of clarity on the games part, I found Bioshock to suffer from this on occasion.  There were areas where I could not understand what needed to be done and several minutes had to be spent back-tracking to figure out what needed to be done. 

The other issue where the objective system doesn’t seem quite right is a harder one to nail down. Splinter Cell: Conviction is  one game that comes to mind that almost always has this happen. In previous Splinter Cell games, the player was given objectives through a small wrist mounted computer. In Conviction, the objectives were displayed in the environment; meaning words would appear on the walls telling you what to do. This is almost a problem because it didn’t go along with what was previously established in the franchise, but it did fit with the current game because Sam Fisher (the player’s character) did not have that awesome wrist mounted computer. This system did not detract from the game, but I don’t feel like it added anything to the game either.

There are many ways for games to give the player their current objective. The only thing that the game company has to keep in mind is does the system make sense. If the system does not make sense it can hurt a game. However, there are ways for the objective system to add to the game. Dead Space 2 and Skyrim are great examples of objective systems that draw the player into the game farther. Developers are doing a great job, because they keep the objective systems with the esthetic of the game, which adds to the fun of the game.

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Dollar Dash is one of those games that a person can pick up and play, but not play for too long. This game feels like a mini game, like something that would be more at home in Mario Party, or the older game Fusion Frenzy. However the game is more flushed out than a normal mini game, because there are multiple game types and many different types of power-up that allow for many different styles of strategies. The game has a fun sense of humor and has a very cartoony art style, which both melt over into the gameplay. The game is well-put together, and belongs in the arcade, unlike some other games that could be deserving of retail releases.

The idea behind Dollar Dash is that you are a thief and are committing a heist when another thief tries to get in on the action. The game revolves around getting money off the ground and then transporting it to a location. The other players can stop you from doing this by hitting you with any number of different weapons that drop as power-ups. While this sounds imbalanced, there are helpful power-ups that allow you to lay traps, and get away from your pursuers. 

The concept is so simple that if the games didn’t take as long as they do, ten minutes tops, then I would say that it really should be a mini game inside something like Mario Party. I also feel that because there is no story line, that Dollar Dash doesn’t  belong as a full retail release, but it fits right into the Arcade.

While the game-play  is simple, it is very well flushed out. There is no one weapon that is overpowered and all the weapons can be used in different ways for different gameplay styles. The power-ups are well rounded and fit into almost every strategy. However, a player needs to be adaptable because a lot of the power-up drops are random, and you can’t pick up another power-up until your first one is used up. This mechanic makes it so that the action is constant. Another great thing about such a simple concept, aside from the constant action, is that it can be picked up extremely easily. The controls are simple and because the gameplay is easy a new person can pick up the game and understand what they need to be doing.

Dollar Dash also features a very cartoony art style, which runs over into the gameplay. The art style makes the characters features extremely pronounced and adds a sense of whimsy to the game. Where the art style runs over into the game play is with the power-ups. The weapons that can be picked up are very cartoon-like; you can pick up fireworks, cacti, and even snowballs, all of which are used against your opponents. Seeing the effects of some of the power-ups is comical, and extremely satisfying.

The one issue that I encountered was that the game doesn’t feel like it can be played for an extended period of time. There are other games that can be picked up and played for hours at a time, something like Halo 4, or a good RPG. Dollar Dash on the other hand lacks something— variety in particular. There are several different maps that will vary the way the game is played out. And the game has incentives for you to keep playing, in the form of upgrades and extra clothing options that are earned over time. I honestly don’t know why a person couldn’t spend several hours playing, but I just couldn’t do it, and I picked up the game when I wanted a change of pace from other games.

Dollar Dash has a simple concept, but is executed incredibly well. The cartoon art style makes the game fun to watch. The gameplay, while reminiscent of something that could be found in Mario Party, is extremely well done and allows for many different styles of play that requires players to think on their feet. The one thing that brings the down in my book is that I couldn’t play it for more than 30 minutes at time, and while this amounted to around three matches each session, it felt like the game was lacking something to keep me playing for longer than one sitting. Overall, it is a well-put together game that deserves a look at.

Pros:

• Simple well executed concept
• Easy to pick up
• A wide variety in power-ups and maps
• Fun art style

 Cons:

• No story line
• Only three gameplay modes
• I couldn’t play it for extended periods of time

Final Score: Dollar Dash gets a 7 out of 10.

A review copy was provided by the publisher.

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Antwand Pearman gets to talk with Angie Wang about the line of dolls coming from Mystixx Monsters.  The dolls are based off the idea that during the day, people have one identity, and then at night, they can be a completely different person.  The dolls feature a head that spins around to reveal the darker side of the character. While a lot of toys are going for a younger audience, these toys are marketed towards a slightly older audience.  These toys want older kids to be able to imagine that double life style, where during the day you are a student, but at night you are a vampire or other creature of the night.

In the video which you can see below, Wang gets to tell us about the idea behind the dolls.  She also tells us what we can expect in the future from Mystixx, which includes an expansion of the line of dolls.

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Antwand talks about the creature that is going to appear in the DLC, along with a tip on how to fight it. Giving us no clues if there will be more then one DLC, it is reassured to the fans that this DLC is of the highest priority to the development team. Along with talking about the DLC, there is a response to the addition of Co-Op into Dead Space 3.  The interview also covers some of content that was in Dead Space 2 DLC, and wondering if some of that will becoming back in later additions.

Check out the interview below:

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