30 Seconds of Fame

Lighting strikes at the same place twice.

Don't think I am eligible to win a subscription for my next lifetime, though.

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=25059


And, make that trice. Funny how the same post gets featured for 2 weeks straight...

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=25060

15 Seconds of Fame

It may not be the lottery, but winning something sure feels good - not to mention the validation that comes along with it.


Featured in Gamasutra: http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=25058

Avalon Legend

MDA-Microsoft XNA Initiative: Team EXYLE : Shooter : Xbox Live Indie Games

Dream.Build.Play. 2009 : 12th Annual Independent Games Festival Main Competition Entry

Synopsis

“Combine and Control two characters simultaneously in a post-apocalyptic abstraction of the King Arthur Legend with a haunting metaphorical overtone.”

Avalon Legend is a metaphorical game that explores the theme of "Loneliness" through the gameplay mechanics, aesthetics, and narrative of the game.

Players take control of Arthur the Exiled in a unique "Single-Player Co-op Experience" where players control 2 characters simultaneously in a fast-paced, top-down "shooter", battle 9 different demons, and unlock secrets to discover the meaning behind Avalon Legend.

Players will be probed to ponder upon the deeper meaning behind the elements in the game and its representations, as every game element is carefully crafted with reference to the central metaphorical overtone.

Aimed to marry white-knuckled, fast-paced gameplay, with a deeper artistic, metaphorical meaning, Avalon Legend aims to appeal to players both viscerally and intellectually.

Key Features

• Innovative Control Scheme:
Avalon Legend is built upon a refreshing and unique control scheme that allows players to control up to 2 characters simultaneously, each one assigned to “one-half” of the controller in a “single-player co-op game.”

• Unique Game Mechanics:
Learn to take control of 2 characters simultaneously over two different modes - Attack Mode and Defence Mode – to cooperatively vanquish enemies in action-packed combat.

• 5 Playable Characters:
As Arthur the Exiled in a post-apocalyptic world, harness the powers of 4 different robotic companions, across 2 different modes for a combination of 8 different play-styles towards striving for the highest score.

• 9 Different Enemies:
Go up against 9 different types of deadly enemies, each with unique behaviour and weaknesses, based upon their metaphorical representations.

• Deep Metaphorical Overtone:
Set with a metaphorical overtone, players will be probed to ponder upon the deeper meaning behind the elements in the game, as both the main character and the player alike embark on their journey toward discovering the meaning of “Avalon”.

• 2 Different Game Modes:
Avalon Legend boasts 2 different Game Modes, in addition to an in-game tutorial, that allow players of different skill levels to pick-up-and-play Avalon Legend, and make it accessible to hardcore and mainstream gamers alike.

• Replayability and Depth:
Strive for the highest score and learn to master the 8 different play-styles as well as utilizing the special abilities of each knight to fully take advantage of the deeper mechanics in the game, such as the “Enemy Weakness System” or the “Health Restoration System.”

• Enchanting Artwork:
Be enthralled by the Stylized 3D Characters locked into an overhead 2D perspective with snazzy effects for that additional dazzle, giving life to the haunting and vacant landscape of post-apocalyptic Camelot.

• Rewards System:
Featuring over 40 rewards unlocked by fulfilling special gameplay conditions. Discover the secret behind the meaning of Avalon Legend through the “Journals” or take the time to view and enjoy the conceptualizations of the different elements in Avalon Legend and find clues towards their metaphorical meanings in the “Gallery”.




Videos

Avalon Legend DreamBuildPlay 2009 Trailer

Screenshots

Concept Art

3D Art Assets

3D-Models Preview

Game Story

Websites

12th Independent Games Festival Main Competition Entry

Microsoft DreamBuildPlay 2009 Gallery

Take-Out: Castle Crashers

I completed Castle Crashers (XBLA) over the weekend with my girlfriend. What's interesting is that when I played the demo with my brother earlier this year, I wasn't entire sold on it, and didn't think it justified a purchase.

But after hearing that it was the No.1 selling Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) game, I just had to check it out, and try to find out exactly what the hell makes it so popular.

And so I mashed, and tapped, and madly rotated my stick occasionally, before finally laying the smackdown on that wizard guy. But more important that kissing the Princesses, is that I managed to take-away some Food-for-Thought from my weekend experience.

What I took away was this: that the success of the game had very much to do with the game meeting the expectations for the type of game distributed on a platform such as XBLA, or perhaps, even across almost the entire Digital Download scene.

The Top 5 reasons that I think made Castle Crashers strike a resonating chord on XBLA are:-

1) Casual-ness

Above all, Castle Crashers is a casual game, something that is so easy to pick-up-and-play, in long or short bursts; and perhaps this says a bit of the profile of the target audience of XBLA - to provide slightly more casual affairs in conjunction to the hardcore-boxset experience.

2)Accessibility

The game is extremely accessible - no hardcore combo memorization or the like. Button-mashing can get you pretty far. Basically, this means that almost anybody can just pick it up and play, and still have a decent amount of fun with it.

3) Multiplayer Mayhem

Perhaps the biggest sell-through factor for the game, the frantic (and perhaps nostalgic) experience of working together and occasionally against other players, in a tried-and-tested genre that almost anyone can appreciate.

Put this together with Point #2, and you have an ideal party game that non-gaming friends or girlfriends can partake in. For the more hardcore gamers, Castle Crashers would probably be a game to occupy their hands and the occasionally silence while they chat and catch up on their lives or other unimportant stuff.

4) Quirkiness / Personality

Even though the game has ARPG elements like Guardian Heroes (SS), the gameplay hardly carries the same amount of depth. But what Castle Crashers lacks in depth, it more than makes up for it in Personality.

From it's distinctive "Flash-game" graphics to it's humour-laden levels and bosses, almost every minute of Castle Crashers oozes personality, regardless of the gameplay. It's definitely not hard not to at least chuckle at some of the crazy things that happen in the game, like the profusely-shitting animals, for example.

5) Replayability

With multiple characters to unlock, different animal orbs to find and weapons to experiment with, Castle Crashers is a game that is choked-full of excuses in revisiting. True, the levels and bosses are always the same with each playthrough, but it's multiplayer alone already gives the game it's own 2 legs in terms of replayability.

For everything else, they just tend to serve as icing on the cake; any additional incentives provided, no matter how minute, gives the seasoned-player an additional reason to sit through the game "just one more time" with a new group of friends - and perhaps even spur people to convince more of their friends to get the game to join in the fun, amounting to it's current success.

All in all, I think that the underlying point is that people expect very different things coming out of a full-priced boxset game and a smaller, indie-developed, digitally-distributed game like Castle Crashers. It has come to a point that the market has enough space for both type of games, and perhaps now, more so than ever, it is important to profile and pander towards that different set of expectations.

Design Analysis: Resident Evil 5 Times Over

About a month ago, I finally shelved Resident Evil 5, after a very whooping 5 back-to-back playthroughs. First playthrough on "Amateur", then going back to "Amateur" to get S rank for all levels, then finishing the game on "Hard" (with Infinite Rocket Launcher), then finishing the game on "Professional" (battling through occasionally bafflingly-stupid AI), before finally finishing a co-op game on "Normal" with my girlfriend (which proved a very different and entertaining experience thanks to my partner-in-crime).

What's surprising is... this is the first time that I played through a Resident Evil game more than once after beating it. However, what's even more surprising is... Resident Evil 5 is not even my favourite Resident Evil game. So, why did I drag my ass through the same game so many times then?

Before I go into answering that question, let me go into some of the reasons why I wasn't as blown away with the latest instalment as I was with the last few entries in the series, particularly Resident Evil 4.

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Resident Evil vs. Resident Evil

Before anything else, I know that a ton of people have said that Resident Evil 5, while being a good action game, doesn't feel like Resident Evil anymore; and I have to say that I completely and utterly agree with this statement.

Even though the control scheme and viewpoint were adopted and evolved from the revolutionary series entry that was Resident Evil 4, the gameplay scenarios in which these controls are employed are totally different; I mean c'mon, a "Cover System" (a la Gears of War) in a Resident Evil game, never saw that coming.

Back-to-back, Literally

But the biggest lost in transition for me in Resident Evil 5 has to be in terms of the atmosphere. The Resident Evil games have always been more about the creation of atmosphere and ambience, and the sense of tension that results from that. Even with the redesigned controls in Resident Evil 4, the game still managed to hold its own in this regard.

Gone and missed are the gloomy, cloudy and occasionally intentionally claustrophobic environments of the past Resident Evils, only to be replaced by a bright African town depicted in broad daylight for a good quarter of the game. The perpetual presence of a partner also takes a lot away from the fear factor of the game's settings, and making her powerful enough to hold her own doesn't help either, when it comes to this.

I understand that Resident Evil 5 tries to create the tension through a different gameplay lens, by making the zombies faster, more aggressive, smarter and deadlier, and focusing towards the tension and excitement through the action-oriented gameplay; as opposed to the reliance of tension-induction through setting and atmosphere as in the past games. But personally, without the atmosphere, Resident Evil just doesn't feel like Resident Evil anymore.

Perhaps Less is More in this case

Through its own merits, Resident Evil 5 is a good action game, and the co-op factor is a welcome addition as well (if you minus the occasional hiccups in the AI). But in the evolution of the series, I would have much preferred Capcom to actually have used the current-gen technology to create a better atmosphere with all the smokes and mirrors of today, and ride on the original essence of the series, rather than evolving it a little too far from its roots.

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Through the Grindmill: When Play feels like Work

So going back to the question at hand: Why would I play a game that is relatively less stellar 5 times while leaving more stellar games to sit comfortably on the shelf after one playthrough? If it has to come down to one thing, then it has to be: Achievement Points.

Achievement Points - The Killer of Time

Resident Evil 5 is a rather tricky case. The game itself is actually very replayable. However, stretch that replayable-fun-factor over 5 playthroughs of the linear structure of the game, and the entire experience straddles the thin line between work and play at times - especially on "Professional Mode", where I saw Sheva stand right next to me and refusing to rescue me on multiple occasions.

If playing through the game itself was work, then the Achievement Points acquired at the end of the day probably felt like a fat paycheck. In my opinion, Achievement Points are actually glorified bragging rights that you can actually validate and verify, unlike in the old days that people mostly took your word for it when you tried to prove to them how hardcore you were. But the deeper implication of Resident Evil 5's case told me a little more about the power and influence of this new-found "glorification" and also a little something about my own gaming habits.

Firstly, let me say this out straight, I am NOT an Achievement Whore. While I do try my best to acquire as much as I can to prove myself, I am not the kind that will go about buying Avatar just to get 1000 points in 10 minutes. For me, the Achievement Points are a way to create an enjoyable meta-game around the game, and I will do it as long as I find it at least somewhat, bearably fun - which often takes into account the time, fun factor and potential reward in trying to achieve them.

This in itself is a little nostalgic, as it reminds me of the times when I was a kid. I had a lot less games to play, I and would grind and try to set up these challenges for myself for bragging rights among my friends (I had a promoted Level 37 Adam and Bleu in Shining Force). But as I grew older, and as I built a much bigger library of games than I actually had time for, I started to try to finish the games I had to a "justifiable" level - this being subjective of course, but often was taken as completing the game and seeing all the stages / missions / bosses possible in a single playthrough.

Grinding Force: Till the Enemies were worth 1EXP each

Basically, under this "justifiable" rule, the basic instinct was to shelf a game when the game was relatively less gratifying in itself once the logical or reasonable ending was reached. But with Achievement Points, I found myself doing things that were a lot less gratifying in themselves, but still did them anyway as I knew that there was a reward at the end of it.

And the power of the reward to me, comes from 2 factors. 1 of which is mentioned, being able to show-off said Achievements to the world, but the other factor is because of the fact that these Achievements are developer set, there is a greater and more universal level of recognition and "certification" that people agree on and gives rise to a greater sense of pride in obtaining them. I personally think that Achievements have come so far that they have become an artful balancing act or perhaps a bit of a tug-of-war between the gaming community and the developers.

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The Power to Shift Paradigms

One weird effect that I questioned in my gaming habits were the change in my "Bartle Test" results. I always thought of myself more of an "Explorer" - I remembered that the thing I liked most about The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, was exploring the world of Hyrule and discovering all its little secrets. In fact, I attributed my preference towards exploration as the reason for it being my favourite game, because I enjoyed that sense of amazement and discovery as I journeyed and explored someone else's world.

Ocarina of Time - The Vastness of Exploration

I kind of knew that I was partially an "Achiever" as well, considering my self-proclaimed hardcore-ness and all, and just wanted to prove to myself (and perhaps to others as a secondary audience), that I could do certain things in the games that I play (like my 2.7 million Geometry Wars score, for example - that's hardcore).

Bartle Chart

However, in recent months, I really find myself questioning if my type has shifted, as now, when I play an Xbox360 game, I seem to have developed a stronger threshold for the repetition of gameplay and levels if there was a reward at the end, as compared to trying to take all the time I need to find explore and discover the game world.

Perhaps this is another issue altogether, on whether I personally find the game worlds these days to be becoming too large for a comfortable pace of exploration without feeling lost for more than half of the game, knowing that you are barely scratching the surface, like in Fallout 3 or in The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion.

But what I do know is that Achievement Points are here to stay, and the dilemma of trying to decide between gratification and accomplishment will only continue to haunt me as long as I give a damn about them.

Pictures Courtesy of:

Gamespot: http://www.gamespot.com/

Design Analysis: Street Fighter IV - The Fighter's Legacy

At the recent Game Developer's Conference 2009, Yoshinori Ono gave a talk about Street Fighter IV, and discussed the direction his team took in the development of Street Fighter IV.

The keyword in the development of Street Fighter IV was 'origin', and "the team wanted to return the series to where its phenomenally successful run began, Street Fighter II." One particularly interesting analogy he used was likening Street Fighter IV to a "class reunion" of sorts.

I find this term particularly apt, as beyond being a "class reunion" for the distinctive cast of the Street Fighter II, (and some returning characters from other entries in the series as well); Street Fighter IV also came across to me as a somewhat-meta "class reunion" of sorts between the iconic 2D Fighters since Street Fighter II.

Dissecting Street Fighter IV's gameplay system reveals some familiar gameplay elements, and to a long-time 2D-Fighter-fan that's been there since the heyday of the original Street Fighter II: The World Warrior, Street Fighter IV almost seems like a nostalgic snapshot that pays tribute to some of the ghosts of the past in the genre's (relatively) long and varied history.

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1) EX Special Moves

Yes, Fire Hadoken is now EX-Hadoken

In Street Fighter IV, players can use one bar of the Combo Meter to enhance their regular special moves into a more powerful, EX version of the special moves, giving it properties like additional hits, armor-breaking properties, etc. This adds some new opportunity for mind games or simply allows players to build more powerful combos.

In memory of: Darkstalker / Vampire Hunter Series

ES Dae-mon Craaa-dle

For me, this was an INSTANT throwback to Capcom's Darkstalker / Vampire Hunter series, where players could use one bar of power to enhance a special move into an ES Special Move. But between the 2, Street Fighter IV's EX Special Moves only takes 1/4 of your combo meter as opposed to 1 entire bar in Darkstalkers, which players could be using to perform a often more powerful and unique EX Special Moves.

In addition to that, Armor-Breaking and Hyper-Armor properties give an additional layer of play to consider deciding when and what moves to EX.

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2) Hyper Armor

Focus attacks (see below) and certain moves in Street Fighter IV allow players to absorb one-hit of an incoming attack in exchange for a chunk of their vitality that will regenerate over time. Getting hit before the vitality is fully regenerated will cause permanent damage to the player's vitality.

In memory of: Street Fighter III, Marvel-Vs. Series, Darkstalkers 3

When using the Hyper Armor properties of a Focus Attack, it seems to be a simplified replacement of Street Fighter III's insanely difficult parrying system, even down to the blue flash. Things have been slightly simplified in the sense that the Focus Attack's Hyper Armor blocks attacks from all directions, instead of Street Fighter III's different parries for high and low attacks, making it less exclusive to expert-players.

But the difference is that while in Street Fighter III multiple parries are possible, Street Fighter IV's Focus Attacks can only take one hit. And will also cost you a little bit of your vitality too, temporarily at least.

The First time when there was something worse than a Red Life Bar

First seen in X-men Vs. Street Fighter, where the inactive fighter regenerates health over time when tagged out, this feature was later incorporated in Darkstalkers 3's system as well. This features causes players to consider balancing attack and defence in accordance to the situation.

Unlike the other two series, where every move causes a permanent damage and a recoverable damage, in Street Fighter IV, only the Hyper Armor moves gives rise to this effect. Overall, it adds a bit more strategy of balancing attack and defence, but it's probably intentionally kept this way as compared to a game like X-men Vs. Street Fighter, where knowing when to tag out was a core part of the gameplay.

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3) Focus Attacks

At Least the Ink Effect made it into the Game somehow

By pressing the Medium Punch and Kick buttons simultaneously, players can perform a chargeable and potentially unblockable Focus Attack that can cause the opponent to stumble. Also has hyper-armor properties and can be cancelled into a front or back dash.

In memory of: Street Fighter EX series

3D Street Fighter has come a Long Way

Perhaps one of the most blatant references, Street Fighter IV took what was a rather rarely used move in Street Fighter EX, the Guard Break, and totally ran with it to the moon. In Ono's talk, he mentioned that "The command is simple, but there needed to be a reason for hardcore players to use it. Ono said the team went about looking to incorporate it as an "easy to learn, difficult to master" gameplay element."

And they sure did stack-up the hardcore factor in the Focus Attack, making it chargeable, hyper-armor and cancel-able all at the same time.

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4) Ultra Combos

Brings back Memories

A new gauge was added to Street Fighter IV that builds up as the player takes damage. Once filled sufficiently, players can perform powerful Ultra Combos to turn the tide of the match and come back into the match with a decent fighting chance.

In memory of: The King of Fighters '95, '96

I wonder why they took away the Ripping Clothes for Yuri

A little history lesson behind this. In the good old days, Capcom and SNK had very different views about how a character would build up his / her gauge towards a finisher. Whereas Capcom believed in rewarding offensive play, where each move hit or special move performed increased the gauge; SNK chose to take the reverse approach, gearing towards damage-centric increment, in light of the chance for a last-minute comeback by the losing player.

Initially, SNK coupled this with a charge move that allowed players to increase their gauges by charging, in The King of Fighters (KOF) '94 - '96, before becoming ambivalent about which approach to go for in KOF'97, where they offered players 2 styles of play. Eventually, offense- heavy play became the preferred choice, and SNK only retained the last-minute-match-reversing moves in the form of Desperate Attacks, which could only be performed when the player had less than 1/4 vitality and a full gauge.

Taking a page out of SNK's old design philosophy, Street Fighter IV introduces Ultra Combos to give losing players a chance for a comeback. Probably in an attempt to make the game more accessible and potentially lessening the chances of utterly one-sided matches. I personally like how the Ultra Combos are balanced in the way that while more powerful than the regular Super Combos, but cannot be Super (Ultra?) Cancelled and are much harder to combo into.

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5) EX Focus

Probably the most advanced-mechanic in Street Fighter IV, players can interrupt and cancel special moves with a Focus Attack or EX Focus, which then allows it to be cancelled into a front or back dash, as with a regular Focus Attack, which can then be cancelled into any regular or special moves.

Needless to say, this gives players the potential to string together some really impressive combos. Fortunately, it uses up 2 segments of the combo gauge, limiting its use and preventing it from being abuseable.

In memory of: Guilty Gear series, Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves

Perhaps the most obtuse of references, the mechanic of cancelling a interrupting a special move mid-way through its animation has been used in the likes of Guilty Gear's Roman Cancel or Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves Break system, both of which involve hitting 2 or more buttons simultaneously.

Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves - Extremely Underrated

While in Fatal Fury: MotW, no gauge was necessary to perform a break, it was limited to only specific moves being interruptible. Street Fighter IV's EX Focus is a bit more akin to Guilty Gear's Roman Cancel, but is more advanced as it requires a dash after a EX Focus before cancelling into another special move, and doesn't allow players to cancel one special move into another special move immediately like the Roman Cancel.

Either way, mid-move cancellations are always a deep and rewarding system, and Street Fighter IV's system allows players to improvise on their combos while not limiting it to dial-a-combo type of fix sets, given they are prepared to invest the time in mastering the timing of the EX Focus.

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Street Fighter IV is an excellent example of evolutionary game design that even though borrows gameplay elements from its genre counterparts, it still manages to marry them together into a cohesive, elegant and balanced system that is "easy to learn, difficult to master."

Ono spoke about his "theory of fighters not as games, but as tools for competition," where like chess, "a grandfather can play against his grandchildren for fun, while the game is deep enough to justify high-level champion-versus-champion play in an entirely different context. Proper fighting tools such as this cast a wide net, offering something appealing to all audiences."

I'm personally not sure if the gameplay references in Street Fighter IV are actually an intentional tip of the hat to its forefathers or not. But for me, aside from the deep and rewarding gameplay mechanics, part of the appeal of Street Fighter IV is the warm sense of nostalgia of seeing and identifying some of the shadows of past fighters that have managed to leave a legacy in today's update.

Pictures Courtesy of:

Gamespot: http://www.gamespot.com/

Street Fighter IV Walkthrough and Guide:

http://www.greenpixels.com/games/guides/955947/Xbox-360/Street-Fighter-IV/p2

Dreamcatcher

MDA Invigorate 2008 : Protégé Productions : Simulation : PC




Synopsis

“Guide the Destiny of the Tribe through the Stars.”

As the Great Spirit watching over the Tribe, use the magical power of the stars to help your tribe survive the harsh environment, answer their earnest prayers, guide the development of their village, protect them from treacherous enemies, and ultimately lead them to become the Great Tribe that they are destined to be.

Dreamcatcher is a real-time resource-management / development game interlaced with exciting tower defense battle sequences. Stylized silhouette visuals contrasted against a star-lit twilight sky help to create a magical and mystical Native-American-inspired setting.

Game Concept

In Dreamcatcher, the player utilizes the different colored stars in the sky to bestow different things on the tribe and guide the development of the tribe:-

• Each Level requires players to complete specific objectives.
  
  
• Players circle stars in specific groups to fulfill needs or construct buildings.
  
  
• There are 3 primary-color stars (Green, Red, Blue) which are mostly for fulfilling Survival needs (Crops, Fire, Tepees).
  
  
• Players can create Secondary-color stars (Purple, Yellow, Cyan) by circling two corresponding primary-color stars. These are essential for buildings / structures.
  
  
• Players also can create special White stars by combining 3 secondary-color stars. White stars can be used to cast Magic Spells, which can aid the Tribe in a variety of ways.
  
  
• Occasionally, players will have to help defend their village from aerial attackers in a Tower Defense-style gameplay, where efficient resource management and strategic building placement can separate victory from defeat.

Videos

Dreamcatcher Gameplay Video

Music by: McVaffe (http://www.ocremix.org/)

Dreamcatcher Battle Gameplay Video

Music by: McVaffe (http://www.ocremix.org/)

Screenshots

Game World / Backstory

They say that in the beginning, the Great Spirit created man out of seven stars. With a mighty hand he reached across the night sky and ground them into dust. This he gave to the Wind and she scattered them across the land, that every grain might become a man, woman or child, and so the seven tribes began.

Since then, man has always looked longingly towards the sky, and that is how we, the Ancestral Spirits of each tribe, were born. Since times immemorial we have kept watch over our children, we have guided them, protected them, taught them, and all was good. But now we live in dark times…

Tech Tree

UI Design

Website

MDA Invigorate 2008