Archive for October, 2010
The Backlog: That Old Familiar Feeling edition
Oct 29th
The definition of familiarity.
We’ve all been playing games long enough to know what we like. Regardless of whatever revolutionary new series or unusual indie gems might come along, there’s always going to be room for those games that we know we’ll love specifically because they feel like home. So whether we find that comfort in the villages of Albion, behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car or in the heft of a plastic instrument, we all recognize that sometimes it’s best to stick to what you know.
Review: Game Dev Story (iPhone)
Oct 26th
The truest measure of how addictive a video game is comes from how much time you’ve unknowingly lost because of it. It’s one thing to comprehend the passage of time but still stay glued to the screen; it’s another to look up and go, “holy shit, I’ve been playing for 12 hours?”
Certain few games fall into the latter category. I’m here to tell you that Game Dev Story, the recently released iOS game from Kairosoft, is definitely one of them. A devilishly well-balanced RPG-slash-video game development sim, Game Dev Story is one of the few games I’ve played until my iPhone’s battery is almost gone — and then plugged it in to play some more.
Review: Super Meat Boy (XBLA)
Oct 25th
Recently, I’ve been making a push in my life to go vegetarian. There are a lot of reasons that I think it’s the right decision for me: I feel healthier, nothing has to die just so I can have a snack, and it lowers my environmental impact.
But nothing has driven me to despise meat as much as Super Meat Boy. I spent the better part of eight hours running a sprawling gauntlet stacked to the brim with deadly traps and implements of destruction, leaving a meat-stain behind with every step, jump, and gruesome death. Under my guidance, Meat Boy has been splattered, slashed, shredded, and vivisected a grand total of 1,431 times. It was pretty disgusting.
But that’s not to say it wasn’t fun; in fact, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Thanks to its perfectly tuned controls, broad range of diverse levels and undeniable charm, Super Meat Boy is also one of the best platform games I’ve ever played.
New Vegas Travel Guide: The First 5 Hours
Oct 22nd
“Off to a Bloody Start”
Bob is a courier. Bob was shot in the head by a few New Vegas thugs just for doing his job. Bob, a simple man (but by no means dumb — he knows a thing or two about mechanics and survival techniques), was rescued by a cowboy robot and fixed up by a small town doctor in the Mojave Wasteland. This doctor even asked Bob what some inkblots looked like, just to make sure Bob’s brain hadn’t been fried during surgery. One of those inky stains looked a lot like a vagina, but Bob, the last modest soul in a cruel world, was too embarrassed to say so. One did remind him of a mushroom cloud, though.
And that’s how Fallout: New Vegas began for my avatar, Bob the Courier. While every character has to go through the psychological evaluations and distribute their S.P.E.C.I.A.L. points using a machine that resembles a 1920s arcade game, each character’s life will be unique after leaving Doc Mitchell’s house in Goodsprings. Significant decisions and paths open up in the first hour alone. Some might track down the men who shot them while others will begin looting — or “prospecting” — throughout the Mojave Wasteland. Bob didn’t do either. Instead, I decided that Bob needed to find some sunglasses. See, Bob’s a four-eyes, a trait I tacked on when creating his character. Without glasses Bob has a minus one point to his perception skill; with them his perception increases by one.
On his humble quest for eye-wear Bob became the patron savior of Goodsprings, declared war on the Powder Gang, saved a deputy and stormed into a prison compound controlled by inmates in revolt. Bob also broke his legs four times, nearly died from dehydration twice and ran away from the same raging pack of radscorpions on a dozen separate occasions.
Such is life in Fallout: New Vegas’ Hardcore mode.
The Backlog: Finally, a Reason to be Proud of the Ducks edition
Oct 22nd
For the first time in 117 years of University of Oregon football programs, the Ducks are AP-ranked #1 in the nation. What the hell?
I’m not a dedicated football man, but I’m able to put aside my indifference in times like these. Truly, I’m elated that my alma mater is getting the sports recognition it deserves, aside from the obsession with our track-and-field pedigree. Best of all, there’s a good chance that the Ducks’ excessively disgusting uniform changes over the past five years might be forgotten in light of their current top-dog status.
But all this sports talk has nothing to do with video games; unless, if things keep going well, quarterback Darron Thomas is put on the cover of NCAA 2012.
Doug can probably correct me on that presumption, or anything else I’ve written above. In fact, I welcome it. Like I mentioned: no hablo fútbol americano.
Review: Comic Jumper: The Adventures of Captain Smiley (XBLA)
Oct 19th
Captain Smiley has lost his touch. The superhero — a muscular, caped crime-fighter with a smiley face for a head and a talking, smart-ass, star-shaped sidekick named Star embedded in his chest — finds his comic being canceled after degenerating into an embarrassing commercial flop. In order to regain his former glory and pay his debts to the Twisted Pixel guys, who bust down the fourth wall with aplomb by bailing out Smiley’s debts, Captain Smiley is forced to guest-star in other comics to build up enough of a reputation and a financial base to relaunch his comic series.
Comic Jumper features a rich, vibrant presentation that’s bizarre, outlandish, hilarious, and wonderfully innovative. But unfortunately, actually playing the game is a whole other story.
PSA: Visiting New Vegas
Oct 19th
Fallout: New Vegas, developed by Obsidian Entertainment and the follow up to 2008′s Fallout 3, releases today. If the new entry in the franchise is as long as the previous game, it won’t be a stretch to anticipate a good 80 or more hours of post-apocalyptic vivacity. Such a massive digital trip demands an alternative form of critique.
That’s why we’re trying something new with our reviews. Over the next month (or less, depending on however many nights I deprive myself of sleep) Silicon Sasquatch will run a series of weekly articles I’m penning on New Vegas to investigate and dissect its noteworthy aspects in set blocks of hours, a section-by-section travelogue if you will. To attempt to review New Vegas after rushing through its campaign would only serve to dilute the experience of the game itself. Traditional reviews may work that way, but we have the opportunity to pace ourselves for this website.
Expect my first entry in the “New Vegas Travel Guide” this Friday, October 22. The initial post will highlight New Vegas’ beginning five hours, and will focus on whatever I see or do that strikes me in a good — or bad — way. Some reviews are painting New Vegas as a near-carbon copy of Fallout 3 but with more noticeable technical issues (at least in the Xbox 360 version, which I will be buying today). Glitches or not, my underlying aim with these articles is to break the game into chronological segments and fairly determine whether or not Obsidian’s efforts overcome any similarities to Bethesda’s work to make a distinct, legitimate product by the time the credits roll.
I’d like to let our readers know that I’m taking open submissions for questions, concerns or hopes you may have regarding Fallout: New Vegas; things that I should keep in mind for subsequent articles. Simply leave your cogitations in the comments section.
The Backlog: Planes, Games, and Automobiles Edition
Oct 15th
A hectic week for all involved in the Sasquatch-sphere, as we’ve been all over the proverbial world map. Doug’s been to the south and back, Aaron’s been busy in the Bay Area, Nick is taking off for points unknown (I’m convinced he’s a government operative and I’d be killed if I knew), and Tyler, our man in Japan, has been finishing games faster than you can say “Hai, douzo!” However, there’s been some time to play games in there — everything from JRPGs to iPhone best-sellers, with a dash of Minecraft thrown in for good measure.
Without further ado…on with the Backlog.
Down the Creeper Hole: How I spent my first 50 hours in Minecraft
Oct 14th
Minecraft is something of a phenomenon. It’s the innovative pet project of Markus Persson, a solo game developer better known by his handle, Notch. What began inauspiciously as an open-ended digital playground has evolved into an original experience with a rapidly growing fan base.
In a nutshell: Minecraft takes the fun of building with Lego bricks, combines it with an open-ended, collaborative online experience, and dresses it up with smart, charming indie sensibility.
Its recent success is largely owed to Penny Arcade’s Mike Krahulik, whose comics about Minecraft drove thousands of readers to check out the game at its official website. That massive influx of traffic ended up crippling the authentication servers, leading Notch to declare an impromptu “free-to-play” weekend. And just like that, sales exploded.
I first heard about Minecraft in the days leading up to PAX when Spencer mentioned the game in casual conversation. He tried to talk about it nonchalantly, like it was just no big deal, but his thousand-mile stare betrayed any pretense of innocence. It was clear to me that Minecraft is the gaming equivalent of a designer drug: It’ll suck you in and you’ll spend hours blissfully ignorant of the real world around you.
All right, I said. Let’s do it. Let’s craft some mines.
Sasquatch Soapbox: Why this is the right time for a new NBA Jam
Oct 14th
NBA Jam is back. Available now for Nintendo Wii and soon for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, the standout basketball game franchise is ready for a proper revitalization. As I wrote in a recent Retrospective, NBA Jam’s formula of fast-paced 2-on-2 is still addictive, and the simpler gameplay allows anyone to catch fire and dunk from the free-throw line.
What you may not realize, though, is this is a perfect time for a revitalization of the NBA Jam franchise. From both a gaming and a source material standpoint it’s a suitable time to bring back the franchise. This is a great time to bring back the boomshakalaka.