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.

Work, my minions, work! Catching fire is, much like in NBA Jam, a good thing in Game Dev Story. As your studio grows, you can expand to new offices that are nicer and allow for more staff.

The actual gameplay in Game Dev Story is simple: You manage a video game studio, including everything from hiring and firing employees and deciding the genre and theme of your next game to advertising the game before and after it’s released. You can also take contract jobs such as designing a new mascot for a town, producing sound for movies or building a game engine. Early in the game there is a balance between contracts and games as you build up your staff’s capabilities, buy new game console development licenses and become more and more profitable. Eventually, your staff will be churning out Game of the Year candidates, working on sequels to top-rated games, selling millions of copies, and even developing your own consoles.

“Well, that’s great,” you’re saying. “But how is that addictive?” Game Dev Story grabs hold and sucks your life away because deciding on a new game to develop and managing its development process takes maybe 5 minutes or so of real time — and, it so turns out, this is the perfect amount to move the game into that scary “just-one-more-round” level of addiction.

The graphics, sound and writing are all pitch-perfect for the title. The 16-bit sprites strike a balance between detail and simplicity, the sound effects act as good cues for development, and the writing…oh, the writing. Kairosoft is a Japanese developer, but whomever they hired to translate the game’s text did so perfectly. There are witty quips about each of the employees you can hire, the parody names of consoles and other video games are spot on, and the review quotes for every game you publish are exactly what you’d expect. There’s something about seeing one of your staff pop up a word bubble that says “Fight!” when each game development cycle starts that is downright charming. I know “charm” gets thrown around liberally in describing video games, but for hardcore gamers who remember consoles like the TurboGrafx, Neo-Geo, Nintendo Virtual Boy and know the history of gaming, there are plenty of references that will catch your eye — like the name of Intendro’s motion-based console, the Whoops. Employees go the same way, too — you can hire people whose names are clear parodies of Steve Jobs, Walt Disney, Shigeru Miyamoto, Bill Gates, and more.

The reviewers were impressed with my motion-mini skirt game, We Skirt. The combinations you can make in this game range from obvious to downright hilarious.

There’s also a certain wackiness in the kinds of games you can create. Games are made by mixing genres and types, and while this can lead to some fairly straightforward ideas — golf simulators, ninja action games, and reversi puzzle games are all good, straightforward combinations — you can also get creative. As you level up and train your staff, you can unlock genres and types, which is where things get weird. Dating sims are as popular as you’d expect from a Japanese developer, but poncho? Swimsuit? Mushroom? Time travel? Some of the types are a bit weird, but once you’ve developed your game studio into a juggernaut, there’s little harm in trying some combinations out.

The depth of the game is also seen in the RPG elements. You can level staff up, and move them through a job system to unlock new roles that also bring new skills and expertise. As genres and types level up, you can add points to your game studio’s expertise in different aspects of game development, like the game world, polish, cuteness and niche appeal. Moreover, those direction points and genre and type levels are saved if you start a new game+ after finishing the initial 20-year career, allowing you to make the second time through that much easier and more successful.

A game about making games could have ended absolutely horribly. Despite there being a bunch of work simulating games available (everything from city planning in Sim City to the various Tycoon games), the only other game where you run a studio I can remember is Segagaga, a Japanese Sega Dreamcast game that tasked you with…running Sega and the Dreamcast. Really, this is uncharted territory. But with its addictiveness, catchy writing, and quick tempo, this is a game that I will keep coming back to for a while.

Recommended for:

• Hardcore gamers, who are guaranteed to love the various industry references spread throughout the game
• RPG fans who can appreciate a game where you can level up your game genres and types, and turn Shigeru Miyamoto into an awesome hacker
• People who want to sell 10 million poncho racing games
• Oh my god I’m still shaking this thing is addictive why can’t I quit you

Game Dev Story is available on iOS devices for $3.99. The reviewer purchased a copy for himself. He completed the game through its 20-year storyline twice, winning Game of the Year just once. His best-selling game, adventure game Sorrowwind 5, sold more than 39 million copies.

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.

Doug:

This is what losing five hours of your life looks like.

Holy shit. We joke often about games being addictive, or compare them to addictive narcotics. Lord knows I’ve felt this way about a number of games, including PES 2010, Words with Friends, and others.

Nothing compares to recently released iPhone game Game Dev Story. The idea is simple: You run a game development studio, managing your employees and the direction of your games. Seems simple, right? It plays kind of like a Tycoon game or any other management simulation game, but with some serious RPG elements — you level up your staff, train them to increase stats, make adjustments to your company’s development direction and buy and use items (including advertising to increase your fan base).

Simple descriptions of the game don’t do it justice. I spent four hours straight Monday morning hooked to the game and tearing through my iPhone battery; I felt like I was in an opium den. Development of games goes so quickly, it can catch you with the “just-one-more-game” factor that all the most addictive video games maintain. Game Dev Story has simple yet catching graphics and music, plucked straight out of the 16-bit generation. Even better is the writing in the game; the 20-year campaign follows the arc of video game history, so you know not to invest in developing games for the Intendro Virtual Kid because it’s probably not going to sell terribly well.

And did I mention it’s addictive? Good lord it’s addictive. You can New Game+ to start with accumulated stats, too. It can become kind of rote, pumping out puzzle games or dating sims to fuel your company’s growth, but the freedom to choose your games and then, eventually, develop your own console creates an amazing little experience. I think this one will be wearing my iPhone battery down for a long while to come.

Nick:

DJ Hero 2 revitalizes the innovative formula from the first game with some much-needed freestyling sections that reward players for busting out fat beats at their own discretion

You’ll forgive me if I keep this short, right? I’m still recovering from a long day of driving, sitting, and yelling. I’m not a legitimate sports fan, but man, bearing witness to the Ducks’ first game as the #1 team in the nation — and getting to see UCLA go down in flames — was awesome.

I played a few great iPhone games this week, including current top-seller Cut the Rope and Trainyard, an independently developed puzzle game. All I’ll say is that they’re each a dollar and totally worth checking out if you own an iOS device. But I wanted to make sure I took the time to discuss another new game in depth in this week’s backlog because I don’t think I’ll end up reviewing it, but I still think it’s important to talk about.

The first DJ Hero did pretty well for an original title with its own plastic peripheral in a time when most people’s closets were already overflowing with discarded Guitar Hero controllers. Being the resident music-game aficionado at the Sasquatch, I picked up a copy soon after its release last fall, not knowing what to expect. But after a few minutes with the game, I was absolutely floored: DJ Hero somehow managed to be a fun and innovative experience in an already oversaturated market. But what was even more shocking to me was that it was published by Activision, the company perhaps most directly responsible for the nosedive into mediocrity and obsolescence that has plagued the Guitar Hero series since Harmonix and RedOctane split ways.

If DJ Hero was as innovative as Guitar Hero (and I’m tempted to say that’s a fair comparison, given that they both have roots in archaic Konami arcade games,) then DJ Hero 2 is the series’ Guitar Hero 2. It features a brilliant and diverse song list and a much-needed revamped user interface that make the experience even more inviting. And the mix-’n-scratch gameplay itself has been redesigned, giving the player more freedom with special freestyle crossfade and scratch sections that allow the player to improvise their own beats on the fly. It’s reminiscent of what Harmonix did with Frequency and Amplitude’s freestyle sections, but the effect is far more impressive when you’re manipulating tracks in a realistic way.

The only major problem is that one of its key features, Empire Mode, falls far short of expectations. Intended to serve as a new and creative approach to the typical music game campaign mode — essentially, to prevent the game from feeling like a linear setlist-crawl — Empire Mode simply takes the same sets of songs and lays them out in a two-dimensional array broken down by individual venues instead of the simple list from DJ Hero. It’s disappointing, especially when you compare it to the relative depth and openness of the Rock Band series’ World Tour mode.

But that said, there’s enough cool stuff happening here that it stands as an acceptable, significantly improved sequel to an already great game. For instance: The first time I plunged into a three-song set, I was shocked to see one mix seamlessly flow into the next with no loading screen and no break in the audio. It felt natural in a way I’d never experienced in a music game before. It’s those little details that FreeStyleGames bring to this series that make it special. This is definitely a series that’s worth a second look even if you passed over the first game.

Aaron:

Let's hope for the sake of our already obese nation that McDonald's doesn't invent an olfactory-hypnotizing fry suit like this one.

This is the lush fall bounty of games I tried, started or beat this week: Uncharted 1 and 2, Heavenly Sword, Costume Quest and Fallout: New Vegas.

The biggest surprise has been Costume Quest, the first attempt by Double Fine at crafting a downloadable console network title. It’s a clever RPG, razor-sharp with wit and charm, which comes as no surprise being from the studio that Tim Schafer built. What makes me love Costume Quest is how accurately it captures the feeling of being a kid on Halloween, when you were so excited to beg door to door for pounds of teeth-rotting, stomach-upsetting candy.

The characters even transform into realistic Godzilla-sized versions of their costumes during the battle sequences, which are a wink and a nod to classic turn-based RPGs. I can’t count how many times I imagined my Ghostbusters, Batman or Dracula costumes made me into the real deal, always ready to ignite, fight or bite the bad guys prowling about on All Hallows’ Eve.

Costume Quest isn’t a difficult game, but it’s an experience that will make almost anyone happy. Collecting candy to purchase ability-enhancing battle stamps, trading grotesque fake candy cards to complete the set, piecing together costume bits to become a unicorn, ninja or the Statue of Liberty — every aspect of this $15 game makes me laugh, smile or reminisce. Costume Quest is more proof that not all games need to be “AAA,” Unreal Engine-powered blockbusters to remind us why we like gaming in the first place. At its best, playing video games lets our imagination free, and can even make us happy while being entertained.

Now bear with me, but I need to make a parting comment or three on the Uncharted series before I close my contribution to this week’s Backlog.

Uncharted and its sequel are amazing games that compound Naughty Dog’s expertise for beautiful level design and tight platforming with savvy, humorous writing and Hollywood summer popcorn flick sensibilities. I beat Uncharted 2: Among Thieves this week. Afterward, I started Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune.

I’ve been told that Uncharted 2 was a monumental improvement over the first. Unfortunately, I don’t see it. I’m hard-pressed to even call it evolutionary.

While I’ve enjoyed the hell out of both games, my perspective is unique: I’m playing the original after finishing the sequel — to me, the differences (or lack thereof) are much more noticeable.

The start menu graphics and music are the same — not a big deal, but I still noticed it. The gunplay is a bit more tight in Uncharted 2, and thankfully Sixaxis support was dropped after 1, but my least favorite part of the Uncharted series still feels unnautral. The shooting is too loose, and tells me that Naughty Dog’s attempts at making a satisfying shooting mechanic haven’t improved much since Jak II.

However, the graphics are much better in Uncharted 2, and are perhaps the most notable improvement over the first game. Additionally, both titles’ exploration and platforming elements are still the best reasons to play the Uncharted series.

While I accept that my pickiness regarding two of the most highly rated titles of the last console generation will rub some the wrong way, I’m at least being honest. The difference between Uncharted 1 and 2 is about as drastic, or interesting, as Police Academy and Police Academy 2: You know what you’re getting into, and will enjoy the experiences both have to offer (yes, I do like the Police Academy movies), but arguing that some sequels are unprecedented achievements over the originals is falling into a nostalgia pit.

The new Mario game is out, though we’re all still playing Red Dead Redemption. Alan Wake is also mentioned in this week’s edition, and Nick even played a real board game. Like, one that has pieces and tiles and you have to have a large, flat surface to play it on.

What an interesting year for games, and what a fantastic year for consumers. We have new iterations of old franchises (Mario), revamped sequels (Red Dead) and fresh concepts from established developers (Alan Wake). The most amazing fact about that previous sentence is every one those games came out during the month of May, which further means we’re only halfway through 2010.

Oh hell yes.

In Carcassonne, you're given an actual medieval territory to develop. The deed to this historical German town comes in the mail after two proof-of-purchase box tops and $2.99 are received by the game's creators.

Nick:

I’d like to talk about the time I’ve been spending wrapping up Red Dead Redemption‘s middle act, and how compelling a character John Marston continues to be, but I’m much more excited to talk about the other games out there. I’ll leave RDR to Aaron, who I imagine has a lot to say about it, considering that he basically owns the entire region of New Austin by now. (Editor’s Note: Yes, and I can get you, today only, into a beautiful home on the prairie with an excellent mortgage rate)

Frankly, ever since Super Mario Galaxy 2 arrived, I’ve been hard-pressed to play anything else. When a game this polished, innovative and earnest comes along, it all but demands my undivided attention — and rightfully so. I’ve played every Mario game countless times by now, but I’m tempted to say this is the absolute best 3D Mario adventure in the nearly 15 years since Super Mario 64. (Has it been THAT long? Man, do I feel old. I still remember waking up at 6:00 a.m. to rush out to Fred Meyer to pick up their last Nintendo 64 on launch day in September of 1996.)

Galaxy 2 takes the bold new ideas that made Galaxy such a blast and refines them to perfection. As a result, there are more worlds to explore and a minimum of repetition in objectives. After scouring the universe for 30 stars, I haven’t yet encountered even one frustrating level or one concept that I felt overstayed its welcome. If nothing else, it proves just how lucky we are that Shigeru Miyamoto and the folks at Nintendo are still setting the standard for top-quality gaming. I’m tempted to call this the most fun game in years. If you have a Wii, you absolutely must play this game. And if you don’t? Well, I’ll let Aaron talk about that.

I spent the last few days away from my Wii, and that meant there was plenty of time for indulging in some Picross 3D. While it plays out in a significantly different fashion than Picross DS, it retains the same feeling of brain stimulation that gave Picross a near-permanent home in my DS for years. Fans of logic puzzles should give it a look. After all, there are much worse ways to spend $20.

And last but perhaps most significantly, I’ve been spending a fair bit of time playing a board game. I received a copy of Carcassonne for my birthday, and I’ve had the chance to play a few rounds with anywhere from two to four players. For someone like me who isn’t familiar with the more intensive, strategic board games like Settlers of Catan, I welcome the simple learning curve of Carcassonne. What makes it brilliant, though, is how the game’s hidden layers of strategy begin to emerge over the course of a game. It’s deceptively deep, and it makes for a fun, relatively casual game that just about anyone can enjoy. If you’re more inclined to play games online, there’s a great port available on Xbox Live. But the real charm of board games is that they bring people together in the same location, and there’s something valuable about that.

Product placement in Alan Wake: This screenshot is brought to you by Warner Bros. hit 1996 movie Twister, out now on Blu-Ray!

Aaron:

Nick’s right, by the way: I do have a lot to say about Red Dead Redemption. However, I won’t be spilling those proverbial word-beans right now. I’m going to save a significant portion of that monologue for my review, which I’m looking to post later this week. I will say that after reaching 100% completion in the game I still find it enticing. No matter how many bounties I catch and regardless of how often I win at blackjack (not that often, actually), I find myself loading the game up long after the near-perfect finale has ended to just ride around on my Hungarian half-breed horse, whose name is Sugar. It reminds me of my passion for Grand Theft Auto 3, when I would literally spend hours driving the streets of Liberty City with no goal in mind. Rockstar makes virtual worlds that I want to “complete” by exploring everything they have within them.

And yes: Nick, Doug and I will soon be terrorizing Xbox-ers across the world when we posse-up in RDR. The only problem is I already have a cowboy name — Theodore “Doc Dynamite” Perkins — and they don’t. This needs to be rectified; we’re open to suggestions.

I almost can’t believe how amazing the last two weeks have been for videogames. I would’ve been fine if RDR was all I had until the rush of other games are released this fall. But no, I’ve greedily sunk my teeth into two other massive, May-released blockbusters: Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Alan Wake.

After close to two years without one, I bought a replacement Wii and not a PlayStation 3. Scoffers can scoff all they want, because my Wii purchase is justified for the reason Nick gave above: Galaxy 2 is the best 3D Mario title since Mario 64.

I, being insane, would even go as far as calling it the best core Mario title, period. Yeah, everyone loves Mario 3, but I’m a Super Mario World kind of guy anyway. Galaxy 2 plays better than both of them. Nostalgia and definitions of what constitutes a “classic” game can get in the way accepting the superiority of a newer title, but then again it doesn’t matter which game is considered the best — it’s all opinion. So while I don’t want anyone to be converted to my opinions, a part of me hopes that this latest Mario is enjoyed the way I have enjoyed it. It’s gratifying, and it has Yoshi.

I didn’t expect to like Alan Wake as much as I do. Remedy made Max Payne, but that series hasn’t had a pulse for seven years now. I was thus a bit skeptical of their new intellectual property. Alan Wake was also delayed numerous times over five years, which made me believe it might be shelved indefinitely at some point. But it wasn’t. The game is finally here, and Remedy has done an admirable job over the first few hours to keep me hooked and involved in the concept.

Though the game is categorized into the “Thriller” genre (thanks to Microsoft’s cutesy marketing department, no doubt), a friend pointed out that this is pure Survival Horror. He’s right, as Alan Wake recalls fond memories of the early Resident Evil titles with their overarching sense of dread, tension and mystery. That the narrative of Alan Wake is segmented into digestible TV “episodes” is a plus, and I feel a sense of closure at the end of each chapter. Honestly I’m surprised by that; I’ve been anxious about how a game pretending to be a primetime sci-fi drama would work. Alan Wake, if it were an actual television program, would be a joint CW and SyFy network production, with the requisite amount of cheesy dialog and acting those networks foster in their products. Supernatural is a great show, to be fair.

So while the character animation in cutscenes is laughable, the voice acting is a tad corny and the product placement is distracting, I’m unable to pull myself away from the game. It’s like some of Stephen King’s books: enthralling, but occasionally banal. (Man, that sounded snobbish. I do love his epic The Dark Tower series!)

Go ninja, go ninja, go ninja go!

Doug:

Well, I did it. After playing the opening hour or so with Nick, I’ve gone out and purchased Red Dead Redemption. I haven’t had much time to go explore the wilderness in the West quite yet, but I look forward to forming a posse with Nick and Aaron sometime soon to go roam around and cause some havoc.

My iPhone gaming itinerary continues. I feel bad for my DS, because it’s gathering dust and feeling rather unloved, but the iPhone just has better games for bite-sized gaming, at a better price point, and it’s always in my pocket. That’s a great combination. In any case, the games I’ve been playing have been some recent standbys — Words with Friends and Bejeweled — and a few of the best-selling games out there, too.

On recommendation from GamePro‘s John Davison on the Weekend Confirmed podcast a couple weeks ago, I downloaded two of the most popular iPhone games right now: Ninjatown: Trees of Doom and Angry Birds. Angry Birds is a cross between a puzzle game and the shooting mechanics of the old Worms games. Playing a level, you have to judge how to solve the puzzle — how to squish, smash, and take out the pigs on each map — and, importantly, how to do it with the birds you have available. You don’t have unlimited shots at each puzzle, and after introducing a variety of birdshot (including ones that splinter apart, speed up, and also turn into bombs), you have to make shots with what you’re given in a specific order. It’s definitely an interesting challenge.

However, the Ninjatown game Trees of Doom is what I’m throwing my weight of suggestion behind. Not only is it a well-designed game, but it’s a true indie product — it’s based on the Shawnimals toy line and crafted by indie developers to boot. But that “support the little guy” sentiment only works so well; I wouldn’t be suggesting it if it wasn’t a good game. It’s a vertical platformer kind of in the mold of Doodlejump, but with more ways to move up and without the persistent bouncing and movement. Jump from tree to tree and try to climb as high as possible. The art style is super-cute, and one of the power ups is literally a mustache ride. I think it’s still $1 on the App Store; there’s really no reason to not pick it up at that price.

Get it? Because the only two games that the three of us played were Borderlands and Forza Motorsport 3? And the Audi R8 is the cover model for Forza?

Oh, whatever. You try using Photoshop on an old laptop without a mouse, you jerk.

Claptrap: The face (and number one dancing sensation) of the Borderlands.

Aaron:

I…I finished Borderlands in two days and change. Final hour count? 33.

It’s been an extremely long time since I’ve powered through a game, in a short timespan, without any thought of my own health — social or otherwise (i.e., the whitening of my already milky skin). My last foray into the Basement Dweller’s lifestyle was freshman year of college. The saucy minx that caused me to neglect social responsibilities for 32 hours of my Friday through Sunday was a dame by the name of Knights of the Old Republic II.

Windows darkened by drawn blinds, a once-open dormitory door locked shut…a rationed supply of instant mac and cheese. The horrors that occurred in Decou 105 that weekend are still shared in tense whispers today. Or, more likely, they’re talking about the drug dealer who had an operation going on our third floor. Doug remembers!

Thanks to Borderlands’ co-operative nature, I played with a few different friends throughout my weekend gaming spree; I definitely don’t feel as much of a dweeb now. Sorta.

The game is addictive, well-tuned and a white-knuckle blast — right until the end. For the record, Borderlands’ ending is awful. Hours of gameplay and that is the payoff? But let me be clear: the game is entirely worth purchasing, and I still plan on a second playthrough (which adds harder enemies and better loot). Level 50 awaits.

I should probably go tan now.

Nick:

I hate moving. Spending hours scrubbing and cleaning and packing my life away isn’t exactly how I wanted to be spending the last week, but with everything but my Xbox packed away I haven’t really had much time for gaming. The exception to the rule? Borderlands, of course!

If Aaron’s anecdote wasn’t enough proselytizing for you, I might as well pitch in my two cents and agree with his sentiments. Borderlands is the most addictive game I’ve played in a very long time. It’s got the same engrossing world and cleverly interwoven quest lines of the best Bethesda has to offer, but with excellent, high-intensity combat in the spirit of Diablo II. It’s not perfect, but it’s still a hell of a game.

I also picked up a couple of iPhone games: the remastered adventure classic Beneath a Steel Sky and the mobile port of Rock Band. Both have some impressive strengths and serious handicaps, but I’ll reserve judgment on either until I’ve had more than a few minutes to sit down and play them.

Doug's last known whereabouts: Gleefully skidding past the competition, into the lead. No need to send for help.

Doug:

For fear of sounding like a rabid fanboy, I’ve caught myself on a couple of occasions this week almost physically craving Forza Motorsport 3. After picking it up on Tuesday after class, I haven’t had nearly enough time to dig in to the goodness on offer — a few hours here and there, but not nearly as much as I’d like.

Without skirting too far into the realm of a review: It’s great. It might not be as revolutionary as some would like (myself included in some regards), but you know what? It’s a lot of fun, it’s an improvement in almost every regard over Forza 2, and I want to keep playing it — that’s a lot more than I can say about many other games this year, sequels included, that I’ve purchased. And despite the absolute madness of the Limited Collectors Edition — with a total of three codes to insert (two exclusive to the LCE) along with the second disc of content to install through the game before you get started — it’s well worth the time investment.

Unfortunately, the busy student life that’s kept me from playing much Forza has also kept me from playing anything else — however, I have to take time to point out something on the avatar marketplace. Sasquatch contributor Tyler Martin pointed out that NCAA college-themed gear has made its way onto the avatar marketplace…which is great. But no University of Oregon gear? Booooooooo! Hopefully that’s rectified soon so I can adorn my rotund digital self in Oregon gear, so that art can imitate life more perfectly.

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.

This suggestion from the developers flashes when the app is launched. They're not kidding — Canabalt's soundtrack is absolutely essential if the game is to be fully enjoyed.

What sets Canabalt apart from the myriad run-and-jump platformers is its subtle anticipation of the player’s psychology. It expects that initially the player will only focus on the path and hazards immediately awaiting your runner, but with each successive attempt new details will stick in one’s mind. You’ll sense the energy in the pumping electronic soundtrack, and the beautifully simplistic scrolling backgrounds — and then it’ll dawn on you that the music is not so much energizing as it is harrowing, and the backgrounds tell a story all their own. Then you’ll understand why you can’t stop running.

It sounds simple, and maybe even not that significant. But from a design standpoint, it’s almost a perfect example of merging a game’s mechanics with its premise.

The details begin to stand out more with each successive attempt at escape. The protagonist is surprisingly expressive in his animations, leaping wildly and landing with a quick tumble before picking up the pace. When he encounters an obstacle, he stumbles and loses his momentum, threatening to make the next leap his last.

The pace quickens, the music pounds, the leaps grow wider and less probable — and the sensation is palpable. Who ever imagined such an unassuming game would be capable of evoking an actual sense of exhilaration?

And that’s why Canabalt is such a significant case study. If almost any detail was changed — if the background was given color or the music was the music was removed — the game would have an entirely different tone. It’d fall apart. It would be just another platformer with nothing to say.

Utilizing Twitter to share high scores is a hallmark of most addictive iPhone games, and Canabalt is no exception.

Because of the App Store’s alluring nature — and because any app is a mere click away from ownership — I purchased the iPhone version before I did some basic research and learned that Canabalt originated as a free Flash game playable at Kongregate. Price-conscious players should grab the nearest pair of headphones and give the web version a whirl as it’s the exact same game, only with more social networking features (the iPhone version only enables score-sharing through Twitter).

Once you’ve given it a whirl, consider whether the $2.99 price tag is worth it to you on a platform with countless cheaper alternatives that are just as addictive. But if you carry a pair of ear buds with you and you’re willing to part with a few minutes of your time, Canabalt is more than willing to demonstrate how even a one-button game can have something substantial to say.

Canabalt was developed by Semi Secret Software and is currently available on the iPhone/iPod Touch App Store for $2.99. Review copy was purchased for $2.99 and played for a couple hours. (iTunes link)

Recommended for:

• Those with a pair of headphones and an appreciation for having one’s expectations denied
• Gamers who will pay a premium for style with substance

Not Recommended for:

• Budget-conscious gamers who will be content to stick with the free web version — it’s absolutely worth playing either way

Read our policy on reviews here.

My gCal for this week: The green arrow represents the days without posts on Silicon Sasquatch. Everyone likes an effective graphic!

Unfortunately for you, dear reader, our goal of posting fresh, thirst-quenching content at least once a day didn’t occur this week. We apologize for that; It’s a busy season for those of us in graduate school and those of us looking for jobs. But you’re not here for excuses! You’re here to about read what videogames we’ve been playing — the most important segment of our daily lives, of course.

Nick’s been hoarding mad “lewt”, I’ve been rekindling my passion for zombie killing and Doug’s been using his DS to hone his prowess with the Japanese language.

Wait…is that even a game?

Despite the obvious similarities, this is not an homage to The Secret of Monkey Island. This disembodied head is just irritating.

Nick:

You’d think that I’d be knee-deep into Titan Quest, having picked it up for a mere five bucks last weekend. Or maybe you’d assume I’m relentlessly improving my Firefight scores in Halo 3: ODST. At the very least, you’d be absolutely certain that most of my free time has been spent feeding my fetishistic love for the Rock Band Network beta.

The truth is, I barely touched any of them. I’ve got two reasons for that, and neither of them is gonna make any sense.

The first reason is the oft-maligned Too Human, Silicon Knights’ biggest gamble and most controversial release. Critics and gamers alike expressed almost universal disdain for the game, and I can see why: The plot is baffling, the voice acting is pathetic, the art and enemy design are painfully uninspired and the game is incredibly short.

It is, by most accounts, a colossal failure. So why can’t I stop playing it — even after I already beat it?

Between the ludicrous amounts of loot to gather, the relatively replayable dungeons and the adrenaline rush from taking down hundreds of enemies in mere seconds, Too Human has brought me closer to the euphoric destruction of games like Diablo II than anything else has in recent years. It’s a very uneven package, and though I’m a little ashamed to admit it, I’ve gotten way more than my money’s worth out of it.

The second reason why I’ve avoided the mainstream in gaming is the officially licensed Skee-Ball game for iPhone. Developed by Freeverse, the 99-cent app delivers a surprisingly deep physics-based game with hilarious bonuses redeemable with tickets won in the game. Glittery pencils, fake mustaches, little cheap plastic dinosaurs, Peruvian Flute Band CDs — all the crap you coveted as a child at Chuck E. Cheese is lovingly reproduced. The game also features clever integration with ngmoco’s Plus+ network, a sort of Xbox Live for various iPhone games.

Aaron:

As I mentioned last week, I acquired Titan Quest for $5. I have to say it’s much more fun than I expected. Nick may be satisfying his craving for Diablo-like gameplay through Too Human, but I’d wager Titan Quest is a better companion for those loot-oriented needs. It’s a shame that the title faded from most gamers’ memories.

It’s been another slow week for me otherwise — most of my time has gone to reading, being social and looking for work. But I’ve surprised myself with a new-found appreciation for Left 4 Dead. The game wowed me when I first played it, but the honeymoon was incredibly short. Since January I’ve rarely touched it, instead turning to Team Fortress 2 for online FPS fun. But with the release of the Crash Course DLC this week I’m reminded how clever and sustainable the L4D concept is. Thanks to L4Dmods.com and its collection of well-made community campaigns like Death Aboard and Heaven Can Wait, I’m actually anticipating the upcoming sequel.

Next week, Halo 3: ODST will be arriving from Amazon. Thanks to a 10% Entertainment Consumers Association (ECA) discount and an Amazon sale that took $10 off the game, I feel much more comfortable spending $44 on what I largely feel is an expansion to the core Halo 3 game. Debate that point with me all you want, but I’ll at least be able to enjoy co-op and Firefight with my friends now.

Doug:

In an ironic turn, the most time I’ve spent playing games this week has actually been for class! Along with an online marketing simulation game for my marketing class, I’ve been taking advantage of one of the most useful games I have — DS Rakubiki Jiten — in my Japanese classes.

Anybody who’s studied a foreign language knows how essential dictionaries are. Especially with Japanese and Chinese, having access to an electronic dictionary that can provide both meanings and how to write words in both languages is an extremely useful tool. DS Rakubiki Jiten, then, turns your average humble Nintendo DS into a Japanese-English electronic dictionary. At the relatively good price of $50, I bought my copy of DS Rakubiki Jiten through an import shop a couple of years ago and have found it vital to my study of Japanese ever since.

Considering that most electronic Japanese dictionaries cost at least $200 — and that, unlike those entry-level models, the DS Rakubiki Jiten allows you to use the bottom touch screen to write in kanji that you don’t recognize — it’s highly suggested as a valuable way to improve one’s study of Japanese.

I’ve also gotten a bit more seat time with Madden NFL 10 — that game suffers from terrible rubber-band AI trying to keep games close — and Peggle on iPhone. I also got the chance to go to Ground Kontrol Classic Arcade in Portland on Wednesday; it was a night where a $5 cover charge got you into the arcade and from there, all the games were set to free play. I spent some time with my friends on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Simpsons, a little bit of Street Fighter II, DDR, and Bubble Bobble.

The Sims is unlike any other game brand in existence. While most find success by focusing on delivering a fun, exciting experience, The Sims excels not by being fun — which it typically isn’t — but from its uncanny ability to be fascinating on a humanistic level.

Like most of Will Wright’s games (SimCity, Spore, etc.), The Sims eschews the traditional need for linear progression through a series of tasks in a static game world. Instead, players are given an impressive set of tools to create characters, objects and environments and watch as life unfolds. It’s a formula for resounding commercial and critical success, and it still works as well as it did twenty years ago. But almost all of Wright’s games were built for computers, which carry with them the expectation of a greater commitment of time and effort on the part of the player.

Adapting The Sims to the iPhone, then, was no easy feat from a technological or a design standpoint. On iPhone, The Sims 3 is an impressive example of shrinking a massive game down to phone-size proportions without losing most of the elements that gave the series its clout: the requisite customizable characters, charming set pieces and robust decision-making aspects are all retained from its flagship PC release. But it is the very fact that so much from the original release was crammed into such a minuscule and difficult interface that makes The Sims 3 almost impossible to recommend.

The game thrives on an abundance of opportunities to assert your Sim's personality.

Portable games are typically only successful if they are structured to accommodate short play sessions that can be interrupted by phone calls, texts, or a particularly aggressive bus driver. But ask anyone who’s sat down at a computer with a copy of The Sims, and — after some prodding — they’ll sheepishly recount that time they saw a half-hour play session turn into a six-hour marathon without even thinking to check the clock.

The payoff of watching your choices affect your Sims in both planned and unexpected ways fosters empathy and engagement, which is where the real enjoyment of The Sims has always come from. Recognizing such marathon sessions weren’t plausible for the average phone user, Electronic Arts instead streamlined Sim creation and implemented an overarching goals checklist, ranging from rudimentary (“befriend a Sim”) to lascivious (you can guess what “WooHoo eight times in one day” alludes to) and utterly bizarre (“Use everyone’s shower at least once”). These objectives allow for quick gratification and are well-tailored to the humor of the series.

Your Sim has his or her own cache of deep desires, largely dictated by the archetype you assigned to him/her.

These goals help guide players through an experience that’s digestible in small bursts on a mobile phone, but they also emphasize the lack of value for Sims fans hoping to take the more chaotic, open-town experience of The Sims 3 on the road with them. For better or worse, The Sims 3 is a much more rigid experience on iPhone.

Yet despite all that, The Sims 3 would have still been fairly easy to recommend if it weren’t utterly crippled by one of the most unfriendly camera control schemes in a major iPhone game. Attempting to pan, rotate and zoom the camera is stunningly counter-intuitive. When a game like The Sims relies so heavily on maintaining a good vantage point on the action, it quickly moves from being an annoyance to an absolute deal-breaker.

It’s a shame that such an impressively robust adaptation of a beloved PC game is hindered so thoroughly by a relatively minor grievance. With any luck EA will update the game with improved camera controls, but until then, everyone but the most dedicated of Sims fans should steer clear.

A copy of The Sims 3 was provided for review by Electronic Arts. As of publication, The Sims 3 is available for $6.99. (iTunes link)

Recommended for:

• Established Sims fans who can tolerate the frustrating controls and limited design

Not Recommended for:

• Newcomers to The Sims, who will be off-put by its limited scope and relatively unfulfilling goal-driven structure
• Its unacceptably haphazard and continually frustrating camera control scheme

Read our policy on reviews here.

Don't let the identical exterior fool you. Apple's latest iPhone iteration is packing some significantly upgraded hardware.

Apple pulled no punches with its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) keynote this year: Its flashy (and affordable) new operating system, Snow Leopard, was priced and dated, and a new line of more powerful and less expensive MacBook Pros was announced. But as usual, the iPhone swooped in at the last minute to steal the show — this time with a brand new model: iPhone 3G S.

Although Apple wasn’t eager to spout specifics at the WWDC keynote, various sources have disclosed the details on the iPhone’s first major performance bump (see AnandTech’s writeup here.) Simply put, the increases in processing power and graphics rendering capabilities mean Apple’s newest device will be capable of greater visual detail, faster rendering and more complex imagery than ever before. It also means that, theoretically speaking, games could be developed that will only run (or run effectively) on the iPhone 3G S.

Video capturing and editing, voice commands and a built-in compass: Finally, a phone built for all the limbless orienteering documentarians in the world.

Progress is inevitable, particularly in the tech sector. And consumers wouldn’t ever think otherwise, although groaning and complaining are natural reactions. But because of the universal compatibility of applications across all models of iPhone and iPod Touch up to this point (save for some GPS- and phone data network-dependent features), the 3G S could create the first great schism in Apple’s latest platform.

This wouldn’t be such a problem for most consumers if it weren’t for the draconian pricing put forth by the iPhone’s sole provider in the United States: AT&T. While new subscribers and a few current AT&T customers who qualify for upgrades can take advantage of the new pricing scheme (ranging from a $99 8 GB iPhone 3GS to the 16 GB and 32 iPhone 3G S models, priced at $199 and $299 respectively,) current customers in mid-cycle are forced to pay much higher premiums for the phones themselves — to the tune of an extra $200.

To put things in perspective: This means I’d be paying the same amount of money I paid for my 16GB iPhone 3G on its release day nearly one year ago ($299) just to purchase an iPhone 3G with 8 GB of storage today. But to upgrade to a 3G S with the same storage capacity as my current phone? I’m looking at $399.

Even more alienated are the iPod Touch owners, who are facing a dearth of hardware upgrades to match the latest iPhone revision. It’s likely that Apple will roll out a new line of iPod Touch hardware to keep things on equal ground before too long, but it looks like the most advanced technology will only be available to the iPhone crowd.

While Apple doesn’t dictate how AT&T conducts business, it is significantly accountable for how its sole provider operates in a major market.

ngmoco's upcoming first-person shooter, LiveFire, will operate on all iPhone and iPod Touch hardware — but iPhone 3G S owners can look forward to a bit more visual flair.

Fortunately, some developers have the best interests of all iPhone owners in mind. Today, ngmoco trumpeted the benefits of iPhone 3G S’s superior processing and graphics capabilities, but it stressed it won’t develop games exclusive to the new-and-improved 3G S hardware. Instead, games will perform differently in order to best utilize the capabilities of the hardware they run on:

We’re scaling the imagery based on the performance of the device, so if you’ve got a 3G S, the game’s going to look better and run at a great framerate. And if you’re on an iPhone 3G, the game will look a little bit different, but the framerate will be the same, ’cause obviously performance and speed are actually an important part of a cool first person shooter gameplay experience.

– ngmoco co-founder Neil Young, in an interview with MTV Multiplayer

Given the massive install base of iPhone and iPod Touch users — 40 million owners and counting — contributing to 3,000 apps downloaded per minute, there’s no denying the vivacity of Apple’s digital marketplace. But there’s no denying the iPhone would have been much less successful if it lacked its near-seamless integration with Apple’s iTunes Store and App Store. The hardware draws consumers in, but it’s the content that keeps them coming back.

With any luck, Apple and its development community won’t be locking anyone out from continuing to share in the fun.

Well, we’re all a little burned out here. I mean, you all saw the media deluge last week, didn’t you? The countless trailers, the hours of presentations, the Brütal Legend lawsuit . . . it’s just exhausting.

So, we failed to deliver on the E3 commentary we promised, and I wanted to personally apologize. We weren’t sure how we were going to discuss the event as it raced by, and thanks to each member of our bustling staff of three having something major come up, it just didn’t happen.

If you’re still with us, I want to thank you for your patience and understanding. All three of us have busy lives, and I know that it’s been a constant struggle for me at least to have a full-time job and keep up the quality and consistency in blogging that I aspire to.

We’ll be getting back on track shortly. In the meantime, excuse our flakiness.

Now, let’s talk about some games, shall we?

Nick:

I’ve been rounding up notes on about a dozen games to start discussing them on the site. And while there are a couple of standout titles among the bunch — InFamous and Red Faction: Guerrilla in particular — I’m eager for a nice, carefully structured linear experience. All this open-world exploration is great, but we all need some variety now and then.

And in about ten minutes, I’m going to be playing resent Apple for announcing something cooler than my iPhone 3G while I follow the Worldwide Developers Conference. It’s a little ridiculous of me, of course, but let’s be realistic. I play games on my iPhone more than any other platform at this point, and I’m gonna feel a little snubbed when people start buying something way cooler than the thing I’ve got. Oh well. That’s simply the way of things — especially when Apple is involved.

Aaron:

E3 slightly cut into my gaming capability for part of the week, but since Tuesday I’ve been enjoying Red Faction: Guerrilla. It’s really a slow start, but the destruction-based gameplay builds on you over the first few sectors in need of liberation. After awhile you’ll be bringing down buildings strategically by targeting their weak points (go for support beams!) and discovering your favorite combination of weapons (I’m fond of an upgraded rocket launcher, an upgraded nanomachine rifle and max demolition charge capacity). It’s really an amazing title overall, but I still see it being a sleeper hit despite THQ having saturated various media outlets with marketing for the game.

Oh, and multiplayer is ludicrously fun. More on that when we post our review sometime next week.

Doug:

It’s all Fallout 3, all the time. Hoo boy — time to go find a doctor and get injected with some pre-war stuff to clear out the addiction. I think I’m only about a third of the way through the game, but I’m still completely hooked. I’m to the point where I feel comfortable with the controls, how to get around the Wasteland, and how to fight. Not being at level 1 or 2 also helps — I’ve customized my character through weapons and skills. Unfortunately, though, the enemies don’t get any easier. I do look forward to kicking ass with the Brotherhood, though, as I’ve got the Broken Steel DLC installed too.

I got a bit of time to play a few other games, too — NCAA 09, FIFA 09, Mass Effect, Super Street Fighter II HD Remix — and hooked them up in HD, too. That was a situation I could get used to.

State-of-the-art entertainment, ca. 1992.

It was a simpler time in gaming. Of course, that was nearly twenty years ago, and now we’re playing the game that once required a sturdy personal computer on our mobile telephones. What a difference a few presidencies makes!

When a game has been ported countless times to every platform under the sun, purchasing it again has little to do with whether the game is fun to play start-to-finish. In terms of content, this is the exact same Wolfenstein 3D you remember; all six episodes arrived intact. But that’s not the reason Wolfenstein 3D was brought to iPhone.

Instead, it’s a proof of concept — an inquiry into the viability of taking a time-honored game and rebuilding it for a platform it was never intended to exist on: a mobile phone with an exclusively touch-based interface.

B.J. Blazkowicz, in all his shirtless glory.

If nothing else, Wolfenstein 3D on iPhone proves that a first-person shooter can function accurately and make for an enjoyable experience on a touch-driven device. John Carmack, co-founder of developer id Software, personally labored over the iPhone port of Wolfenstein 3D. He admits the game isn’t going to stand toe-to-toe with the latest innovations to spring forth from id, but Wolfenstein still has its moments:

The game is definitely simplistic by modern standards, but it still has its moments.  Getting the drop on a brown shirt just as he is pulling his pistol from the holster.  Making an SS do the “twitchy dance” with your machine gun.  Rounding a corner and unloading your weapon on … a potted plant.  Simplistic plays well on the iPhone.

– John Carmack, Wolfenstein 3D iPhone development notes

Realistically, you’re not going to play this game start-to-finish. Castle Wolfenstein is as treacherous and unforgiving as ever, even on easier difficulty settings. Fortunately, a newly-added map function helps compensate for the maze-like level construction, and being able to immediately jump into any level from the title screen is a blessing when frustration sets in after twenty minutes of scouring the same corridors looking for that damn gold key. Fully customizable controls allow for simplified or complex movement schemes, and they even allow players to arrange the virtual movement buttons as they wish. No one arrangement is perfect, but there’s fun to be had in exploring the flexibility of the iPhone’s touch screen.

But Wolfenstein is not the mind-expanding “three-dee” experience it once was. It’s a relic — a cherished piece of gaming history, and rightfully so. And thanks to the care and thoughtful decisions behind this latest iPhone adaptation, it’s a glimpse at greater things to come. Who better to bring an innovative approach to a radically different platform than the guys who practically invented the first-person shooter?

Wolfenstein 3D is available for iPhone and iPod Touch from the App Store for a discounted price of $1.99 as of this article’s publication (regular price: $4.99). A trial version is also available, which offers the first three levels of episode one for free. This review was written after playing the first episode to completion and skipping around to the more interesting levels in the later episodes.

Recommended for:

• The palpable, distinct brand of satisfaction that can only be obtained by gunning down Mecha-Hitler as one-man army B.J. Blazkowicz
• Long-time Wolfenstein 3D fans who will appreciate modern additions like the map, selectable levels and customizable control scheme

Not Recommended for:

• Endless hallways of homogeneous Nazis, Nazi dogs, Nazi treasure and the occasional bowl of dog food
• Sixty levels that all boil down to: Kill the bad guys, find the key, exit the level

Read our policy on reviews here.