Chapter 1: The Start of a Legacy (lol)
By now you might have noticed the amount of times I’m referencing halo 3 in my blogs, so before I ruin any more future blogs, I’m going to get everything halo 3 related off my chest. I’m going to tell you how halo 3 affected my life, in both a positive and a sometimes negative way.
After bungie announced the release of halo 3 by showing a really cool trailer at e3, my mind went into worship mode. I clung to every tiny image, screenshot and article ever released on the web and in magazines. I was so excited; I even queued for crackdown for fuck sake, just so my place on the beta was guaranteed! The beta blew my mind; I remember how fun it was. I think the first couple of weeks of playing any game are the best weeks you will ever have, because everyone is shit and doesn’t know what’s going on half the time. Anything can happen; the game play takes a turn towards insanity. But then everyone learns the maps, weapons and tactics, and eventually every encounter end up playing out the virtually the same.
After the beta, my mind went back to scanning every information source, just to satisfy my lust for knowledge, my lust for halo 3 wisdom (god I sound so sad). Eventually the time arrived. The release was the next day and I was heading home to get some day sleep, so I would survive the night of queuing outside of the game store in Stevenage. On the way through my small home town of Hitchin I noticed that a small independent music/movie/game store was shutting its doors. I went up to the guy shutting it and asked him what time he was opening for the release the next day. He stopped what he was doing, paused and looked at me and said the magical words I will never forget ‘’do you want it now?’’. I was so shocked I just said ‘’O.K.’’ and my heart was beating all the way up to the counter. I fucking legged it home (yes that’s right, a 19 year old running through crowded streets. I looked like a right prat. But I was on a mission). Never had I been so excited in my entire life. You know when you get that feeling that anything can happen while you walking home. That gods just not going to let you be happy for once, like a chav is going to jump out of an alley and steal halo 3 from you. But that didn’t happen.
Over the next year I slowly got better and better and better. And so did my friends. The combination of split-screen gaming and online play was the perfect combination of training and fun.
Chapter 2: The Hunt for Perfection
I could never be satisfied. The time had come were I had stopped having fun, and had started to chase perfection. I knew how easy it was to get your level 50 in team doubles. But I wanted to stick it to the people by getting my level 50 in lone wolves. Only 5 % of Generals achieved their level 50 in lone wolves. I’ll tell you now; I still to this day haven’t managed it. I’ve reached level bloody 49. Yes that’s right. I just can’t seem to get that last level. It sucks big time!
My second target was to get a killionaire in lone wolves. It is the single hardest achievement in the entire game. It is impossible to achieve: no one’s done it before. People have achieved killionaires in team games and in social games, sure. But no-one’s managed it in ranked FFA lone wolves. The closest I ever got was a killamanjaro (7 kills) with the battle rifle! I was so proud of myself. The reason why it is so hard, well I’ll explain it to you. To get a killionaire you have to get ten kills in a row without dying. That’s easy you say. NO, it’s not. You also have to get each kill within 4 seconds of each other. Yes that’s right. If you get to 9 and it goes past 4 seconds before your 10th, it goes back to zero!
Queue drum roll... On the 25 of September 2008 I achieved a killionaire in lone wolves. I dropped the controller and shouted YES at the top of my voice. If I’m not mistaken, I was the first person in the world to do this. There was a bitter taste of irony that accompanied this achievement because I had achieved it on the exact anniversary of when I first played the game, in the exact same hour. Now that’s just fucking freaky.
Proof: http://www.bungie.net/Stats/GameStatsHalo3.aspx?gameid=757139553&player=XLAX%20360%20ELITE
Chapter 3: Rehab
Achieving the killionaire set me free. I can’t explain it, but I think I was finally satisfied. I didn’t need level 50 in lone wolves. I had a killionaire. I had finally completed halo 3.
Now I am like a recovered alcoholic. I play halo 3 occasionally, but just for fun! I don’t care about ranks or medals anymore; I am free to live my life!
Gamertags:
XLAX 360 ELITE - This is my secondary account and the one I achieved a killionaire with!
F1re 8lade - This is my main account
Add me and challenge me I dare you. Now that I have finally got this off of my chest I can forget about it forever. YAY:).
Friday 9 January 2009
Press B to Reload
I think we are reading too far into the actual meaning of gameplay. We could waffle on all day about the complex meaning of gameplay and get nowhere. To me, gameplay simply means, to play a game. I’ve used the term ‘gameplay’ all my life. Let me give you an example of how I would use gameplay in a sentence; ‘’the graphics and storyline in Pac-Man are amazing, but what really sells the game to me is the gameplay’’. Gameplay means what it’s like to play the game.
Grrrrr... Confusion – how to define gameplay?
This is too difficult. I’ve had enough trying to define the meaning of the word, so I’m just going to go off on one. Right. Halo 3 has the best gameplay in the world. When the Beta was released, bungie released a statement saying that they were not aiming for the level of detail in gears of war, but that they were aiming for brilliant and seamless gameplay. Do you know how much science went into designing the multiplayer maps? It’s insane. I read in an issue of edge magazine that Bungie used detailed software that showed the main density and movement of player kills and deaths, with help from an army of testers. They then tweaked tiny things in the map to try and even out the spread of deaths/kills across the entire map and to make it even for both teams, even on asymmetric maps. But Halo was all about the multiplayer, so all this is understandable. Games like Oblivion, Farcry 2 and Fable 2 are all about single player story defining gameplay. It’s all about choice; evil or good, the high road or the low road, stealth or more bang for your buck.
Why don’t all the game developers join together in one massive team and make the biggest and best game the world has ever seen, mixing all the different gameplay styles in one big pot? Why? Because it would make no difference. Halo 3 is perfect gameplay in my eyes, but I get bored if it’s the only thing I play. I like to switch between games, trying out all the different gameplay styles. Mirrors Edge blew my mind, when I first started to play it I thought it was the best game I’d ever played in my life, but after a week I got bored of it because I realised I was just doing the same thing again and again and again. I think the main reason why halo 3 works as a game for me, the reason why I can always rely on it to entertain me is because the multiplayer gameplay allows for such vast variation. Every day I find a new way to outsmart my opponent. I feel there is always room for personal improvement.
If I try to go into gameplay anymore I’m going to have a seizure. So I’m going to stop now.
Grrrrr... Confusion – how to define gameplay?
This is too difficult. I’ve had enough trying to define the meaning of the word, so I’m just going to go off on one. Right. Halo 3 has the best gameplay in the world. When the Beta was released, bungie released a statement saying that they were not aiming for the level of detail in gears of war, but that they were aiming for brilliant and seamless gameplay. Do you know how much science went into designing the multiplayer maps? It’s insane. I read in an issue of edge magazine that Bungie used detailed software that showed the main density and movement of player kills and deaths, with help from an army of testers. They then tweaked tiny things in the map to try and even out the spread of deaths/kills across the entire map and to make it even for both teams, even on asymmetric maps. But Halo was all about the multiplayer, so all this is understandable. Games like Oblivion, Farcry 2 and Fable 2 are all about single player story defining gameplay. It’s all about choice; evil or good, the high road or the low road, stealth or more bang for your buck.
Why don’t all the game developers join together in one massive team and make the biggest and best game the world has ever seen, mixing all the different gameplay styles in one big pot? Why? Because it would make no difference. Halo 3 is perfect gameplay in my eyes, but I get bored if it’s the only thing I play. I like to switch between games, trying out all the different gameplay styles. Mirrors Edge blew my mind, when I first started to play it I thought it was the best game I’d ever played in my life, but after a week I got bored of it because I realised I was just doing the same thing again and again and again. I think the main reason why halo 3 works as a game for me, the reason why I can always rely on it to entertain me is because the multiplayer gameplay allows for such vast variation. Every day I find a new way to outsmart my opponent. I feel there is always room for personal improvement.
If I try to go into gameplay anymore I’m going to have a seizure. So I’m going to stop now.
''I am the voice of the covenant''. ''Then you must be silenced''.
Books are a portal to another world. They fill my head with so many wonderful things and portray story better than any film or game! My favourite book is Iain M Banks ‘Consider Phlebas’ with Paul Stuart’s and Chris Riddle’s ‘The Edge Chronicles’ being a close second.
http://www.iain-banks.net/science-fiction/consider-phlebas/
http://www.stewartandriddell.co.uk/edge/index.php
Consider Phlebas made my heart beat really fast, made me laugh and cry. The edge chronicles took me away to another world. The characters, landscapes in ‘The Edge Chronicles’ reek of detail and history. For a game to produce the same feelings and experiences is rare, if not non-existent!
For me there are 3 things that can make a good film;
1) Special affects/Set Design/Artistic Value
2) A strong moral message
3) A strong main character, well acted!!
I usually go for the first one, but my favourite film of all time is ‘There Will be Blood’. I have never seen such brilliant acting from one man before! The set design is awesome, and the story is well structured. ‘’Your nothing but a bastard from a basket in the middle of the desert’’, ‘’you see, I take my straw, and I go aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaall the way across the room to your milkshake, I drink your milkshake. I drink it up!’’: those are two of my favourite quotes from the film.
Books and films like these are timeless masterpieces. In my opinion, it’s gonna be a long time before we see a game that has the same affect! Halo 3 nearly got it. It came close. In my opinion, Games use story to explain the game play. There are very few games that use game play to explain the story. But for me that’s o.k. I play games for intense game play and action. I read books and watch films to get my dose of decent storytelling!
p.s. There are 2 games I can think of that have achieved story that matches that of a brilliant book or film. I have played ‘Dark Messiah: Might and Magic’ (the pc version) 7 times and have never got bored of it. The story couples with the game play so perfectly it is nothing short of epic! The game ‘Medieval’ for the ps1 is similar, but more comic. They also have excellent game play! If games companies churned out more games like these I would never see daylight againL. I’m perplexed why dm:mam did not sell better.
http://www.iain-banks.net/science-fiction/consider-phlebas/
http://www.stewartandriddell.co.uk/edge/index.php
Consider Phlebas made my heart beat really fast, made me laugh and cry. The edge chronicles took me away to another world. The characters, landscapes in ‘The Edge Chronicles’ reek of detail and history. For a game to produce the same feelings and experiences is rare, if not non-existent!
For me there are 3 things that can make a good film;
1) Special affects/Set Design/Artistic Value
2) A strong moral message
3) A strong main character, well acted!!
I usually go for the first one, but my favourite film of all time is ‘There Will be Blood’. I have never seen such brilliant acting from one man before! The set design is awesome, and the story is well structured. ‘’Your nothing but a bastard from a basket in the middle of the desert’’, ‘’you see, I take my straw, and I go aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaall the way across the room to your milkshake, I drink your milkshake. I drink it up!’’: those are two of my favourite quotes from the film.
Books and films like these are timeless masterpieces. In my opinion, it’s gonna be a long time before we see a game that has the same affect! Halo 3 nearly got it. It came close. In my opinion, Games use story to explain the game play. There are very few games that use game play to explain the story. But for me that’s o.k. I play games for intense game play and action. I read books and watch films to get my dose of decent storytelling!
p.s. There are 2 games I can think of that have achieved story that matches that of a brilliant book or film. I have played ‘Dark Messiah: Might and Magic’ (the pc version) 7 times and have never got bored of it. The story couples with the game play so perfectly it is nothing short of epic! The game ‘Medieval’ for the ps1 is similar, but more comic. They also have excellent game play! If games companies churned out more games like these I would never see daylight againL. I’m perplexed why dm:mam did not sell better.
Game Technology
In my opinion game technology should only be upgraded when Nintendo makes the leap first. Let Nintendo take the risks. Why not? Why risk a flop when Nintendo can do it for you. I love the layout and simplicity of the XBOX 360 controller. I think it is perfect for the market and games that exist at the moment. But the people buying new consoles and games are always looking for something that’s better, something that’s new. I thought ‘Red Steel’ was an awesome game. The Wii’s new control system gives you the feeling you’re actually holding a gun, swaying it as you move. But the game is let down by bad game play.
The Wii took a brave new move, by introducing a new control system. Anything could have happened. ‘Wii sports’ was the first game that my older relatives actually played. They loved it. It was a surreal sight, seeing my auntie swing a Wii remote around.
I’m looking forward to seeing the next step. What are Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony going to bring out next?
I put allot of thought into what I personally want from a controller, taking into consideration what experiences I have had in the past, I designed my own controller:
The Wii took a brave new move, by introducing a new control system. Anything could have happened. ‘Wii sports’ was the first game that my older relatives actually played. They loved it. It was a surreal sight, seeing my auntie swing a Wii remote around.
I’m looking forward to seeing the next step. What are Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony going to bring out next?
I put allot of thought into what I personally want from a controller, taking into consideration what experiences I have had in the past, I designed my own controller:
Wednesday 7 January 2009
Why do I have to go into that cave?
A man walked into a bar and was shot by a man with a Kalashnikov. Was this the cut scene or in-game?
Story is good, depending on the game. The burnout series is similar to the Need For Speed series, but Burnout has no story, while Need For Speed has a strong story backing the game play. Story is essential for the sale of some games. Halo 3 is an excellent example of story in a game. Even the multiplayer maps reek of story! When you play through the campaign you are immersed in a rich and vibrant story coupled with breath-taking game play. Notice though how Master Chief doesn’t say much throughout the game. This is to put the player in the game more. It makes you feel that you are the main character, instead of playing as someone else. Clever! Story is an integral part to games like halo and gears of war ect. It gives you a goal, a reason for playing. I hate first person shooters when you play through and think, ‘’what the hell am I doing here, why am I killing these people, where do I go and why and why do I need to go into that cave’’.
I suppose the use of story in a game is so that everything makes sense. Some games do not need a strong story but I suppose you could argue that everything is story; the colours on a car, the amount of lamps turned off in a street, the size of the evil spider trying to kill you! Racing games, shooting games, role playing games, they all follow the same basic structure and game play. The main thing making the different from each other and unique is the story behind them.
Story is good, depending on the game. The burnout series is similar to the Need For Speed series, but Burnout has no story, while Need For Speed has a strong story backing the game play. Story is essential for the sale of some games. Halo 3 is an excellent example of story in a game. Even the multiplayer maps reek of story! When you play through the campaign you are immersed in a rich and vibrant story coupled with breath-taking game play. Notice though how Master Chief doesn’t say much throughout the game. This is to put the player in the game more. It makes you feel that you are the main character, instead of playing as someone else. Clever! Story is an integral part to games like halo and gears of war ect. It gives you a goal, a reason for playing. I hate first person shooters when you play through and think, ‘’what the hell am I doing here, why am I killing these people, where do I go and why and why do I need to go into that cave’’.
I suppose the use of story in a game is so that everything makes sense. Some games do not need a strong story but I suppose you could argue that everything is story; the colours on a car, the amount of lamps turned off in a street, the size of the evil spider trying to kill you! Racing games, shooting games, role playing games, they all follow the same basic structure and game play. The main thing making the different from each other and unique is the story behind them.
Tuesday 6 January 2009
The Art Director
The role of the Art Director is massive. It requires massive experience, in the industry coupled with extraordinary talent. The Art director is essentially the Commander in a battle. Overseeing and managing his forces. It is a huge responsibility being the Art Director. The success of the game essentially rests on their shoulders.
Being the Art Director is a creative role. He/she is essentially responsible for every level, model, texture, ect. In the final game.
They have to create and manage a timeline from concept to final product. They have to make sure the team in united as one towards a single goal. They work closely with the recruiting team to build a brilliant Art Team. They offer feedback to the artists throughout the project.
This and many other tasks and responsibilities create what I see as a daunting task indeed. I never considered myself becoming an Art Director in the future, but now my mind is completely open to the prospect. Obviously it will take time and effort to procure the skills and experience needed to fulfil the job requirements, but none the less obtainable! I would have to develop an exceptional skill communicating with people and working with a team.
Maybe I’m looking too far into the future. I think right now I have to focus on becoming a good concept artist and 3d artist!
Being the Art Director is a creative role. He/she is essentially responsible for every level, model, texture, ect. In the final game.
They have to create and manage a timeline from concept to final product. They have to make sure the team in united as one towards a single goal. They work closely with the recruiting team to build a brilliant Art Team. They offer feedback to the artists throughout the project.
This and many other tasks and responsibilities create what I see as a daunting task indeed. I never considered myself becoming an Art Director in the future, but now my mind is completely open to the prospect. Obviously it will take time and effort to procure the skills and experience needed to fulfil the job requirements, but none the less obtainable! I would have to develop an exceptional skill communicating with people and working with a team.
Maybe I’m looking too far into the future. I think right now I have to focus on becoming a good concept artist and 3d artist!
From 'Pong' to 'Next-Gen'
Pac-man and Fear are arguably two of the best games ever made. They are massively different but arguably massively similar! Both games still evoke the same kind of emotion. Pac Man: ‘’Argh I’m surrounded by four ghosts, got to get round the next corner, eeeeek so close’’. Fear ‘’ Argh I’m surrounded by four invisible ninjas, got to get to the shotgun ammo, eeeeeeek, quickly, use a health pack’’. You get the idea. Why spend millions on developing fear, spending such lengthy times on the design process to evoke the same reaction as PacMan, a game that took little money and time to create. Why? It’s simple. The audience need the best and the newest. To create the best and the newest you need money to be invested in the design process. No one’s going to spend £40 on PacMan, but they will on Fear. It is my opinion and I’m sure the opinion of many others that what it takes to create a blockbuster game that an audience will flock to is to have a solid and sound design process backing it.
Half-Life 2 took around 7 years to create. The game had a massive programming team behind it to create a realistic and working physics engine. Painstaking hours were spent on the level design process. They were hours well spent. The levels themselves set a realistic environment for the player to immerse themselves in. But the levels alone did not make HL2 what it is! Lots of teams of designers, animators, programmers, testers ect. Worked together, interlocking the process to come up with the final product.
What I look for in a game is a new experience. I liked the look of ‘Conflict Denied Ops’, but for me that game is basically the same as ‘BLACK’ but with better graphics. That’s why I did not buy it. My final conclusion is this. For a game to be good and sell well, it needs a good design process to back it, but it also needs originality and the ability to make the audience say ‘’Wow, I want that game!’’.
Half-Life 2 took around 7 years to create. The game had a massive programming team behind it to create a realistic and working physics engine. Painstaking hours were spent on the level design process. They were hours well spent. The levels themselves set a realistic environment for the player to immerse themselves in. But the levels alone did not make HL2 what it is! Lots of teams of designers, animators, programmers, testers ect. Worked together, interlocking the process to come up with the final product.
What I look for in a game is a new experience. I liked the look of ‘Conflict Denied Ops’, but for me that game is basically the same as ‘BLACK’ but with better graphics. That’s why I did not buy it. My final conclusion is this. For a game to be good and sell well, it needs a good design process to back it, but it also needs originality and the ability to make the audience say ‘’Wow, I want that game!’’.
Nooooooooooo Splat...
After Reading about New Games Journalism I thought I would give a short ‘’review’’ of a game called ‘Mirrors Edge’. So here I go:
I arrived at my mates flat with my TV and Xbox, ready to show off my skills in Mirrors Edge to my mates. They were all there but not doing much. I set everything up and started to play. After about 5 minutes the room was glued to the TV screen.
It was a massive jump in front of me! I ran along the vent, did a short wall run and then dived across a massive gap, only to miss the roof I was aiming for!! I knew what was coming as I started to fall to my death. So I put the controller down, put my arm in front of my face and flinched, uttering a little cry of dismay. Ben laughed and said ‘’what was that?’’. I was slightly embarrassed ‘’sorry, I got a bit carried away there’’, I said. ‘’It’s just a game’’, he said. ‘’Year, but it’s really good. Never have I been so immersed in a game before! When you play you actually feel a relationship between you and the character’’, I argued. ‘’Matt’s in love with a computer game character’’ Yogi said. Ben laughs. ‘’No I just don’t like to see her die’’ I argued. Then in my defence I said ‘’the other day I was playing Test Drive: Unlimited and I was driving along at like 200 miles an hour and missed a turn and started heading for a tree. And then I dropped the controller and crossed my arms over my face and screamed’’. That got a laugh from everyone in the room. I had successfully escaped everyone finding out about my secret love for a video games character (jokes).
I arrived at my mates flat with my TV and Xbox, ready to show off my skills in Mirrors Edge to my mates. They were all there but not doing much. I set everything up and started to play. After about 5 minutes the room was glued to the TV screen.
It was a massive jump in front of me! I ran along the vent, did a short wall run and then dived across a massive gap, only to miss the roof I was aiming for!! I knew what was coming as I started to fall to my death. So I put the controller down, put my arm in front of my face and flinched, uttering a little cry of dismay. Ben laughed and said ‘’what was that?’’. I was slightly embarrassed ‘’sorry, I got a bit carried away there’’, I said. ‘’It’s just a game’’, he said. ‘’Year, but it’s really good. Never have I been so immersed in a game before! When you play you actually feel a relationship between you and the character’’, I argued. ‘’Matt’s in love with a computer game character’’ Yogi said. Ben laughs. ‘’No I just don’t like to see her die’’ I argued. Then in my defence I said ‘’the other day I was playing Test Drive: Unlimited and I was driving along at like 200 miles an hour and missed a turn and started heading for a tree. And then I dropped the controller and crossed my arms over my face and screamed’’. That got a laugh from everyone in the room. I had successfully escaped everyone finding out about my secret love for a video games character (jokes).
The Affect of New Games Journalism
Wow, all this time I’ve just limited myself to game magazines and websites like IGN; I would never have thought there are actually blogs and reviews that talk about games in such a personal and subjective manner. Reading a few of the links has opened up my eyes a little. Saving Private Donny made me open up a new tab in my browser to find out about Joint Operations; a game I gave no heed to when I heard about it years ago. When I first started to read Saving Private Donny, I thought it was just going to be a straight down review of a game, in a somewhat stylised way, but it’s not. It is a true life absorbing story that kept me glued till the end. I like the idea that the guys thought they could influence a kids future decisions by spawn killing him continuously. The story ends up being quite ironic, with the kid ending up trouncing the older guys in game, and announcing that he never wants to join the army but instead wants to become a fireman.
I agreed with Tim Rogers ‘Defence of Metal Gear Solid 2’. Why people thought the game was too crazy and post modern in the first place, I do not know. The first game was crazy and post modern as well. The article Gave a good defence of the game though Tim’s views on the gaming culture and Hideo Kojima.
I think games reviewers should embrace new games journalism, but I believe that the audience is not ready. I know personally when I flick though a Games magazine I don’t read the main story’s barely ever, unless I have a genuine interest in the game. I just flick though the magazine looking at pictures and there captions, and the final score. Games journalism faces a challenge. I’m looking forward to the impact that New games Journalism is going to have.
I agreed with Tim Rogers ‘Defence of Metal Gear Solid 2’. Why people thought the game was too crazy and post modern in the first place, I do not know. The first game was crazy and post modern as well. The article Gave a good defence of the game though Tim’s views on the gaming culture and Hideo Kojima.
I think games reviewers should embrace new games journalism, but I believe that the audience is not ready. I know personally when I flick though a Games magazine I don’t read the main story’s barely ever, unless I have a genuine interest in the game. I just flick though the magazine looking at pictures and there captions, and the final score. Games journalism faces a challenge. I’m looking forward to the impact that New games Journalism is going to have.
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