Posts tagged indie
About “…But That Was Yesterday,” a Short But Powerful Flash Game
Nov 18th
Evoking emotion in games can be a tricky task. It’s bizarre to think that a relatively simple Flash game can provide one of the best gaming experiences I’ve yet seen in regards to emotion, but with “…But That Was Yesterday,” I believe it. The simple yet evocative platformer is part of the Casual Gameplay Design Competition; more details about the competition and the other games entered can be found here. Created by Michael Molinari, “…But That Was Yesterday” gives me hope for aspects of gaming — both regarding creativity coming from independent developers and the ability of games to be an emotionally touching medium.
Go play the game. Go ahead, take the 20 minutes or so needed to play it. We’ll talk when you get back.
Review: Canabalt (iPhone)
Oct 14th
How can a story be told in a game?
I’ve heard the question come up more often in the last few months than I have in the previous decade. This year in particular has seen more narrative-driven blockbusters with a sophisticated approach to storytelling than ever before. Batman: Arkham Asylum and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves have both been lauded for their intricate (and wildly different) approaches to developing a narrative in tandem with a long-term experience.
The debate even manifested recently in the comments section of Doug Bonham’s recent editorial on storytelling in games. Does a story always improve a game? Does it ever improve a game?
I think the question is best answered by asking how we define storytelling. Is it the preliminary text explaining the player’s motivations and mission? Is it the thousands of lines of melodrama that fill each installment in the Metal Gear Solid saga to the brim? Is it as insignificant as being told the president has been kidnapped by ninjas, followed with a simple query: Are you a bad enough dude to rescue the president?
I sought to find a good example of how even the most minimal amount of overt storytelling can have a profound effect on how a player experiences a game. And I found it in Canabalt.
Daily Recap: May 7, 2009
May 8th
More earnings statements, game announcements, and a touch of the whimsical. Time for today’s news roundup!
Gunnin' for that #1 spot: Sales of Call of Duty: World at War helped Activision post earnings of nearly $1 billion this past year, the company announced today. Guitar Hero and World of Warcraft were also named as leading Activision-Blizzard franchises.
Just a couple of days ago, Electronic Arts announced its quarterly and yearly financial statement; today, Activision followed that up with its own release, and the returns are very impressive. Activision-Blizzard posted a $981 million net revenue in the first quarter of this year — no, that’s not a yearly figure. That beats the publishing giant’s own projections for the quarter by more than $100 million, and has caused the company to raise its revenue expectations for the 2009 calendar year to $4.3 billion.
“Our better-than-expected first quarter results were driven by strong global consumer response to the Call of Duty and Guitar Hero franchises and Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft, despite challenging economic times,” Activision CEO Robert Kotick said.
Of course, as happens from time to time, some games that were rumored to exist were confirmed in the financial release. Guitar Hero 5, Band Hero, and DJ Hero were all confirmed in the report, and Guitar Hero: Van Halen was made official later in the day. GH5 is a follow up to 2008′s Guitar Hero: World Tour and 2009′s Guitar Hero: Metallica (our review of which is here.) Band Hero is going to be family friendly, and DJ Hero will feature hip-hop, R&B, electronic, techno, and dance music and a turntable peripheral.
Review: World of Goo (PC)
Apr 15th
I hope you don’t finish reading this review.
Go ahead and leave! Really, I won’t mind. I’d rather you not waste any more time before you close your web browser and download a copy of World of Goo. But hey, I’m not here to tell you what to do — I’m just a lowly blogger who’s here to state my case, and let you make the decision.
But come on. Let’s be honest — you and I both know you’re gonna get this game, and you’re gonna love it to death, and you’ll think back on it fondly for years to come. Sound good? Great. Not convinced? Read on.