no more embarrassing purple cube! : )
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Week 11: The Importance Of Gameplay
Gameplay is basically how the player interacts with the game or how the character that the player is controlling reacts to its environment. Other aspects of gameplay design will include the changing state of objects within an environment, the changing of rules or difficulty throughout the game or the changing state of the environment as the game progresses.
To me gameplay is the most important aspect of a video game, when I play a game I expect it to primarily be entertaining and satisfying to play. It is also important for me to have a reason to continue playing a game, the prospect of unlocking new items by completing tasks will usually keep me playing, also a good storyline will give me a reason to continue playing.
Basic gameplay functions like navigating menus and controller interaction will be used in most games but other than that there are no rules where gameplay is concerned.
Depending on the type of game it can either be the base upon which the rest of the game is built or it can be brought about through decisions made during early development of the game. When creating an RPG decisions about the storyline and art design may be made long before decisions about gameplay are, whereas a puzzle game may be created with gameplay at the forefront and the graphics and presentation would be worked on after the gameplay is established.
Although gameplay can be an important foundation from which the rest of the game can be built, too much reliance on gameplay can have a negative effect on the rest of the game. For example with the Wii developers may rely too much on interaction using the controller and use this as a selling point rather than spend time and resources on the games presentation and storyline.
To me gameplay is the most important aspect of a video game, when I play a game I expect it to primarily be entertaining and satisfying to play. It is also important for me to have a reason to continue playing a game, the prospect of unlocking new items by completing tasks will usually keep me playing, also a good storyline will give me a reason to continue playing.
Basic gameplay functions like navigating menus and controller interaction will be used in most games but other than that there are no rules where gameplay is concerned.
Depending on the type of game it can either be the base upon which the rest of the game is built or it can be brought about through decisions made during early development of the game. When creating an RPG decisions about the storyline and art design may be made long before decisions about gameplay are, whereas a puzzle game may be created with gameplay at the forefront and the graphics and presentation would be worked on after the gameplay is established.
Although gameplay can be an important foundation from which the rest of the game can be built, too much reliance on gameplay can have a negative effect on the rest of the game. For example with the Wii developers may rely too much on interaction using the controller and use this as a selling point rather than spend time and resources on the games presentation and storyline.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
An Introduction To Game Technology
The first home console that I owned was an N64- the first console to feature a joystick on its controllers. Due to my lack of experience with other controllers I had no problem adjusting to they way it felt, and it wasn't until I bought a GameCube years later that I realized how awful it actually was. Using an N64 controller now feels awkward and the positioning of the stiff-but-wobbly control stick on a separate handle i the middle of the controller is rediculous. The GameCube controller however is very comfortable to hold and the buttons, including the joystick, are very smooth.
I found the biggest problem with the XBox controller was its, well, too big. In fact I found holding the controller for long periods of time was actually very uncomfortable and made my hands ache.
Seeing as the design of the PlayStation controller has changed very little since the original PlayStation to the PS3, it is clear to see that Sony is happy with the design, aaaalllthough.... what happened to that "boomerang" style prototype from last years E3 eh? Guess Sony couldnt take a little criticism so decided to give us another dualshock, oh and wack on some tilt sensors cos that seemed to work for Nintendo.
Yep Nintendos Wii remote, seeing as it has yet to be released in the UK im afraid i couldn't comment on the feel of the controller but its pretty obvious by now that it's definatley going change how we interact with the games we are playing. I think its safe to say that the Wii's controller is going to be the best this generation of consoles has to offer.
And as far as it's overall appearance goes, I would also maintain that the Wii is probably the most attractive console of this generation and perhaps every other generation before it. It has the same simplicity as the GameCube- its just a little white box with a disc slot-but it looks far more elegant.
On the other hand there's the original XBox which may be one of the most unsightly consoles ever made. It's large size and awful black and green colour scheme may have actually been part of the reason why I never had the courage to buy one- i just couldnt imagine having that thing sat next to my TV. However the XBOX 360 is a much more sleek, modern looking console that is far more appealing than the original xbox, although I'm still not crazy about the use of green on gaming hardware.
It seemed that with the design of the PlayStation 2 Sony made no effort to make it look good at all, it's appearance is no more attractive than a standard dvd player. But with the PlayStation 3 on the other hand, Sony appears to have
The notable shift in design styles in all three of the new generation of consoles suggests that the companies are now recognising the growing importance of good aesthetics, a console will become a significant part of the users entertainment/television setup, and so their desire for compact, decent looking hardware should always be taken into account.
I found the biggest problem with the XBox controller was its, well, too big. In fact I found holding the controller for long periods of time was actually very uncomfortable and made my hands ache.
Seeing as the design of the PlayStation controller has changed very little since the original PlayStation to the PS3, it is clear to see that Sony is happy with the design, aaaalllthough.... what happened to that "boomerang" style prototype from last years E3 eh? Guess Sony couldnt take a little criticism so decided to give us another dualshock, oh and wack on some tilt sensors cos that seemed to work for Nintendo.
Yep Nintendos Wii remote, seeing as it has yet to be released in the UK im afraid i couldn't comment on the feel of the controller but its pretty obvious by now that it's definatley going change how we interact with the games we are playing. I think its safe to say that the Wii's controller is going to be the best this generation of consoles has to offer.
And as far as it's overall appearance goes, I would also maintain that the Wii is probably the most attractive console of this generation and perhaps every other generation before it. It has the same simplicity as the GameCube- its just a little white box with a disc slot-but it looks far more elegant.
On the other hand there's the original XBox which may be one of the most unsightly consoles ever made. It's large size and awful black and green colour scheme may have actually been part of the reason why I never had the courage to buy one- i just couldnt imagine having that thing sat next to my TV. However the XBOX 360 is a much more sleek, modern looking console that is far more appealing than the original xbox, although I'm still not crazy about the use of green on gaming hardware.
It seemed that with the design of the PlayStation 2 Sony made no effort to make it look good at all, it's appearance is no more attractive than a standard dvd player. But with the PlayStation 3 on the other hand, Sony appears to have
The notable shift in design styles in all three of the new generation of consoles suggests that the companies are now recognising the growing importance of good aesthetics, a console will become a significant part of the users entertainment/television setup, and so their desire for compact, decent looking hardware should always be taken into account.
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Storytelling In Games
As a gamer i find storylines to be a very important aspect in video games. Although not all games need storylines, genres like RPG's, 1st person shooters and action/adventure games always benefit from a good story. They encourage players to continue playing in order to find out how the story progresses but they also allow players to become more emotionally involved with the game.
David Freeman- who has had years of experience writing for games- says that the storyline should take the player on an emotional journey through the game. He suggests that the story should encourage the player to identify with the character that they are controlling as well as allow the player to establish bonds with other key NPC's.
There are of course many games that need little or no story at all; sports games, racing games, puzzle games etc.
In games such as Zelda or Final Fantasy, players are rewarded with the satisfaction of watching the story unfold through frequent cinematics as long as they keep progressing through the game. The first time i was noticably persuaded to play a game based on the story was when playing Capcom's futuristic shooter PN.03. I found the game itself very repetitive and unrewarding and the storyline was at first virtually non-existant. It wasnt until I reached the first actual cinematic (about a third of the way throught the game) that I felt the desire to continue playing. The cutscene showed the protagonist, Vanessa, enter a room and find an excact replica of herself in a large glass tank "Is it a clone of me, or am I a clone of it?" she says... This did finally get my real attention and I continued playing through the dreary, repetitive levels in the hope that a significant, interesting story would unfold....
David Freeman- who has had years of experience writing for games- says that the storyline should take the player on an emotional journey through the game. He suggests that the story should encourage the player to identify with the character that they are controlling as well as allow the player to establish bonds with other key NPC's.
There are of course many games that need little or no story at all; sports games, racing games, puzzle games etc.
In games such as Zelda or Final Fantasy, players are rewarded with the satisfaction of watching the story unfold through frequent cinematics as long as they keep progressing through the game. The first time i was noticably persuaded to play a game based on the story was when playing Capcom's futuristic shooter PN.03. I found the game itself very repetitive and unrewarding and the storyline was at first virtually non-existant. It wasnt until I reached the first actual cinematic (about a third of the way throught the game) that I felt the desire to continue playing. The cutscene showed the protagonist, Vanessa, enter a room and find an excact replica of herself in a large glass tank "Is it a clone of me, or am I a clone of it?" she says... This did finally get my real attention and I continued playing through the dreary, repetitive levels in the hope that a significant, interesting story would unfold....
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Why the Art Director Is So Important
By looking at some of the job descriptions provided in this weeks links its clear to see that the role of an art director is extremely demanding and requires years of experience and a lot of hard work. The art director is responsible for all the art that goes into a game. Their job is to ensure that all art within the game matches the artistic style and quality standard that they have set, this will usually involve creating an art style guide.
An art director has many responsibilities not just on the project but throughout the rest of the company. The art director will need to provide input on the hiring of new artists as well as communicating with executive staff, licensors and 3rd parties. Their main responsibility however is to lead the rest of the art team working on the game. They will be required to mentor less experienced artists on the project and also ensure that the rest of the team are working to the desired quality an time constraints. It is also their job to provide feedback on the artists and recommend raises or bonuses they are also responsible for managing the schedule and the budget for the project.
The job of an art director requires a LOT of experience, for example to even be considered for the role of art director at bioware you would need at least 3 years of experience in art management, a years experience in the game or TV industry, and at least one shipped as an art lead as well as a BFA from an accredited art/design school. However the most important skill necessary for the job is probably the ability to communicate well. It is important to be able to communicate your ideas and visions for a game to a team of artists. Other assets necessary for the job are good organizational skills, good time keeping and of course a passion for video games.
An art director has many responsibilities not just on the project but throughout the rest of the company. The art director will need to provide input on the hiring of new artists as well as communicating with executive staff, licensors and 3rd parties. Their main responsibility however is to lead the rest of the art team working on the game. They will be required to mentor less experienced artists on the project and also ensure that the rest of the team are working to the desired quality an time constraints. It is also their job to provide feedback on the artists and recommend raises or bonuses they are also responsible for managing the schedule and the budget for the project.
The job of an art director requires a LOT of experience, for example to even be considered for the role of art director at bioware you would need at least 3 years of experience in art management, a years experience in the game or TV industry, and at least one shipped as an art lead as well as a BFA from an accredited art/design school. However the most important skill necessary for the job is probably the ability to communicate well. It is important to be able to communicate your ideas and visions for a game to a team of artists. Other assets necessary for the job are good organizational skills, good time keeping and of course a passion for video games.
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Game Design
The game design process is where the characteristics of a game such as the story, the gameplay and the overall setup are identified. A simple example would be to look at a standard board game, here the aspects of game design would include the number of players, the target age of the player, the theme etc. However the design of modern video games is much more complicated, aspects like storyline, player interaction and difficulty must also be taken into consideration. These design specifications are often documented in a design document which will be compiled at the start of a project and then used to aid the rest of the development process.
The constraints and design requirements set by the design document will depend on the genre of the video game that is being developed. For example a racing game will have a relatively brief design document outlining the course maps, vehicles etc. Whereas RPG or adventure games will require a much more complex design document with a greater focus on stories, characters and larger environments.
The design document will also highlight major aspects of the gameplay. Gameplay is basically how the player interacts with the game or how the character that the player is controlling reacts to its environment. Other aspects of gameplay design will include the changing state of objects within an environment, the changing of rules or difficulty throughout the game or the changing state of the environment as the game progresses.
To me gameplay is the most important aspect of a video game, when I play a game I expect it to primarily be entertaining and satisfying to play. It is also important for me to have a reason to continue playing a game, the prospect of unlocking new items by completing tasks will usually keep me playing, also a good storyline will give me a reason to continue playing.
The constraints and design requirements set by the design document will depend on the genre of the video game that is being developed. For example a racing game will have a relatively brief design document outlining the course maps, vehicles etc. Whereas RPG or adventure games will require a much more complex design document with a greater focus on stories, characters and larger environments.
The design document will also highlight major aspects of the gameplay. Gameplay is basically how the player interacts with the game or how the character that the player is controlling reacts to its environment. Other aspects of gameplay design will include the changing state of objects within an environment, the changing of rules or difficulty throughout the game or the changing state of the environment as the game progresses.
To me gameplay is the most important aspect of a video game, when I play a game I expect it to primarily be entertaining and satisfying to play. It is also important for me to have a reason to continue playing a game, the prospect of unlocking new items by completing tasks will usually keep me playing, also a good storyline will give me a reason to continue playing.
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Writing About Games
When reviewing games for magazines, games journalists will often be facing very tight deadlines. As well as writing the review itself they also need to complete a game in a very short period of time. With this in mind it is easy to understand why they may prefer to review the games based on their characteristics eg. graphics, gameplay, lifespan, controls.
After looking at a few examples of new games journalism it seems that the writers have adopted a more personal style of writing rather than the objective writing usually found in magazine reviews. They tend to give thought-provoking opinions on particular aspects of a game or gaming culture as a whole. NGJ writers can provide an interesting second look at games by a journalist who is un-biased and under less pressure to write the article before a deadline. They are not obliged to review the game or pick out its good or bad points, they simply give their own opinions on the game or what interests them about the game.
In EDGE examples of NGJ can be found in the guest columns at the back of the magazine, these are written by games designers and game journalists. In their columns they discuss their personal views on a wide variety of topics within the video games industry as well as their views on individual games. I usually find the reviews in EDGE magazine helpful but a while back I was slightly discouraged when they gave GTA San Andreas an impressive 9 out of ten when I felt the game as actually pretty average. What was interesting is that a few issues later one of the writers in the guest columns seemed to share my feelings towards the game and wrote an article about the game that conflicted with EDGE's review. Had I read this article sooner it may have affected my decision to buy the game.
although I do find that some reviews in games magazines can be helpful, nowadays I would never be persuaded to buy a game from reading just one review in a magazine nor would I be convinced that a game is worth buying by reading an NGJ article. I prefer to use my own judgment based on my personal preferences in games and genres as well as my knowledge of certain developers/publishers. However I'm definitely a fan of NGJ, its great to be able to read other peoples opinions on games and the industry as a whole and I hope it is used more in future.
After looking at a few examples of new games journalism it seems that the writers have adopted a more personal style of writing rather than the objective writing usually found in magazine reviews. They tend to give thought-provoking opinions on particular aspects of a game or gaming culture as a whole. NGJ writers can provide an interesting second look at games by a journalist who is un-biased and under less pressure to write the article before a deadline. They are not obliged to review the game or pick out its good or bad points, they simply give their own opinions on the game or what interests them about the game.
In EDGE examples of NGJ can be found in the guest columns at the back of the magazine, these are written by games designers and game journalists. In their columns they discuss their personal views on a wide variety of topics within the video games industry as well as their views on individual games. I usually find the reviews in EDGE magazine helpful but a while back I was slightly discouraged when they gave GTA San Andreas an impressive 9 out of ten when I felt the game as actually pretty average. What was interesting is that a few issues later one of the writers in the guest columns seemed to share my feelings towards the game and wrote an article about the game that conflicted with EDGE's review. Had I read this article sooner it may have affected my decision to buy the game.
although I do find that some reviews in games magazines can be helpful, nowadays I would never be persuaded to buy a game from reading just one review in a magazine nor would I be convinced that a game is worth buying by reading an NGJ article. I prefer to use my own judgment based on my personal preferences in games and genres as well as my knowledge of certain developers/publishers. However I'm definitely a fan of NGJ, its great to be able to read other peoples opinions on games and the industry as a whole and I hope it is used more in future.
Monday, October 30, 2006
The Future Of Gaming
In November 2005 Microsoft released their follow up to the XBOX- the XBOX 360, the first of the new seventh generation of home games consoles. The new console is far more powerful than the original XBOX and is capable of producing vastly improved High Definition graphics. This increase in power means that the development of its games cost more due to the increased amount of time and resources spent on creating larger, more detailed game environments and characters. The PlayStation 3 due to be released in the UK in march 2007 will be even more powerful than the XBOX 360. The increasing costs in developing games for new hardware could be bad news for smaller 3rd party developers who will simply not have the necessary resources to compete with larger developers. It is rumored that certain developers have already been forced to cancel games in development for the PS3 due their cost.
With the Wii Nintendo are taking a slightly different approach to the seventh generation. The Wii is at least twice as powerful as the GameCube but far less powerful than Microsoft and Sonys new consoles, and is not capable of producing HD graphics. This is good news for developers because games will be relatively cheap to develop and take less time to make. The real innovation with the Wii is in its motion sensitive controller or remote that recognizes any movement or gesture that the player makes while holding it. With less emphasis on graphics and more on gameplay nintendo hope to appeal to a much broader market than just the "hardcore gamers". The console aims to be easy to use no matter how much experience players have had in the past with video games and nintendo aim to make the Wii accessible to all the family.
The handheld war between the Nintendo DS and Sony's PSP has been very interesting. Despite the DS being far less powerful than the PSP and having less in the way of multimedia funtionality, it has managed to out sell the PSP in every major territory worldwide. Its success may be down to Nintendo's plan to make it appeal to a wide variety of people. Nintendo has produced simple, easy to play games targeted at females and/or older players.
Whats interesting is that Nintendo and Sony are taking the same approach with their home games consoles as they have with their handhelds- the Wii favours gameplay over graphics whereas the PS3 is focused more on power. If their strategy worked for their handheld console then Nintendo may have a good chance of winning the seventh generation console war, however Sonys already large user base for the PS2 and Microsoft's head start with the 360 could affect their chances.
The success of these new consoles will determine the future of video gaming. Will the success of the Wii change how we interact with games in the future? Or will the success of the PlayStation 3 mean even more realism in games causing them to become more and more like films? And what affect will the rising cost of game development have on the future of the video game industry?
The seventh generation console war will certainly be an interesting one...
With the Wii Nintendo are taking a slightly different approach to the seventh generation. The Wii is at least twice as powerful as the GameCube but far less powerful than Microsoft and Sonys new consoles, and is not capable of producing HD graphics. This is good news for developers because games will be relatively cheap to develop and take less time to make. The real innovation with the Wii is in its motion sensitive controller or remote that recognizes any movement or gesture that the player makes while holding it. With less emphasis on graphics and more on gameplay nintendo hope to appeal to a much broader market than just the "hardcore gamers". The console aims to be easy to use no matter how much experience players have had in the past with video games and nintendo aim to make the Wii accessible to all the family.
The handheld war between the Nintendo DS and Sony's PSP has been very interesting. Despite the DS being far less powerful than the PSP and having less in the way of multimedia funtionality, it has managed to out sell the PSP in every major territory worldwide. Its success may be down to Nintendo's plan to make it appeal to a wide variety of people. Nintendo has produced simple, easy to play games targeted at females and/or older players.
Whats interesting is that Nintendo and Sony are taking the same approach with their home games consoles as they have with their handhelds- the Wii favours gameplay over graphics whereas the PS3 is focused more on power. If their strategy worked for their handheld console then Nintendo may have a good chance of winning the seventh generation console war, however Sonys already large user base for the PS2 and Microsoft's head start with the 360 could affect their chances.
The success of these new consoles will determine the future of video gaming. Will the success of the Wii change how we interact with games in the future? Or will the success of the PlayStation 3 mean even more realism in games causing them to become more and more like films? And what affect will the rising cost of game development have on the future of the video game industry?
The seventh generation console war will certainly be an interesting one...
Sunday, October 22, 2006
The Middle Ages
In 1972 the Magnavox Odyssey is the first video games console released and is followed by a string of other home games consoles. In 1983 there's a crash in the video games industry due to a number of poor quality games being released the increasing popularity of home computer systems. This causes many video games companies to become bankrupt. After two years of no significant developments within the industry Nintendo release the Nintendo Entertainment System/Famicom and due to its popularity the industry is revived.
In 1990 Sega return with their popular Genesis console and Sonic the Hedgehog is introduced. A year later Nintendo fight back with their Super NES and a follow up to the popular Super Mario series. The first significant console war begins with Sega using advertising to market their console as the mature, "cooler" console while nintendo continue to market their console as being more family friendly. During this time many quality games were released and many of today's popular franchises were born such as Final Fantasy, F-Zero, FIFA, Donkey Kong, Mario Kart, StarFox, Mortal Kombat.
The next major console war began in the mid-90's when Sony entered the video game market with the PlayStation marketed at older male gamers. Sega struggled to compete with their new Sega Saturn console which was much harder to develop games for and the games lacked the graphical quality of the PlayStation. In 1998 Nintendo released their follow up to the SNES- the Nintendo 64. Their decision to continue using cartridges rather than CD's meant that the games were more expensive to produce than the PlayStation's and therefore cost more to buy in shops. The console war was won by Sony because of the early release of the PlayStation and the much larger choice of games available for the system.
Sega, Sony and Nintendo had now proven themselves as being the three major companies in the industry and were the only companies to release consoles for the sixth generation of video games consoles. Sega's Dreamcast was released much earlier than the other consoles but again failed to compete with the popularity of Sonys new console the PlayStaion 2 which was released a year later. By the time Nintendos GameCube was released in 2000 the Dreamcasts life was nearly over. The last console to enter the current generation was Microsoft's first video games console the XBOX.
In 1990 Sega return with their popular Genesis console and Sonic the Hedgehog is introduced. A year later Nintendo fight back with their Super NES and a follow up to the popular Super Mario series. The first significant console war begins with Sega using advertising to market their console as the mature, "cooler" console while nintendo continue to market their console as being more family friendly. During this time many quality games were released and many of today's popular franchises were born such as Final Fantasy, F-Zero, FIFA, Donkey Kong, Mario Kart, StarFox, Mortal Kombat.
The next major console war began in the mid-90's when Sony entered the video game market with the PlayStation marketed at older male gamers. Sega struggled to compete with their new Sega Saturn console which was much harder to develop games for and the games lacked the graphical quality of the PlayStation. In 1998 Nintendo released their follow up to the SNES- the Nintendo 64. Their decision to continue using cartridges rather than CD's meant that the games were more expensive to produce than the PlayStation's and therefore cost more to buy in shops. The console war was won by Sony because of the early release of the PlayStation and the much larger choice of games available for the system.
Sega, Sony and Nintendo had now proven themselves as being the three major companies in the industry and were the only companies to release consoles for the sixth generation of video games consoles. Sega's Dreamcast was released much earlier than the other consoles but again failed to compete with the popularity of Sonys new console the PlayStaion 2 which was released a year later. By the time Nintendos GameCube was released in 2000 the Dreamcasts life was nearly over. The last console to enter the current generation was Microsoft's first video games console the XBOX.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Matt's Top 5 GameCube Games
These are my personal top 5 GameCube titles, anyone who has a GameCube needs to have these games, they're all bloody amazing!
1. The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Well its Zelda so it had to be good. Its absolutely massive and the sword-fighting is better than ever. Personally I think the cell shaded graphics were a little unnecessary for a Zelda game, but I still think it still looks brilliant.
2. Metroid Prime
One of those games that just feels expensive, like a big budget Hollywood movie only much better. Great environments, great music, great storyline, great creature designs and the hardest final boss fight ever!
3. Resident Evil 4
This is exactly what the series needed after the inadequate resident evil 3. Easily the best resident evil yet, taking all the best bits from previous games and getting rid of those frustrating camera angles. One of the most entertaining and satisfying games I've ever played, and its bloody scary too!
4. Super Smash Bros. Melee
This sequel makes the n64 version look absolutely rubbish- its 10 times faster (perhaps a little too fast...), has hugely better graphics and loads of trophies to collect. It's the perfect multiplayer game, and theres sooo much to unlock in single player, this game lasts for ages.
5. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
I'm not really a fan of RPG's but this one had me hooked from start to finish. Its funny, its cute and has extremely varied gameplay, plus the visuals and character designs are brilliant.
Regards,
Matt.
1. The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Well its Zelda so it had to be good. Its absolutely massive and the sword-fighting is better than ever. Personally I think the cell shaded graphics were a little unnecessary for a Zelda game, but I still think it still looks brilliant.
2. Metroid Prime
One of those games that just feels expensive, like a big budget Hollywood movie only much better. Great environments, great music, great storyline, great creature designs and the hardest final boss fight ever!
3. Resident Evil 4
This is exactly what the series needed after the inadequate resident evil 3. Easily the best resident evil yet, taking all the best bits from previous games and getting rid of those frustrating camera angles. One of the most entertaining and satisfying games I've ever played, and its bloody scary too!
4. Super Smash Bros. Melee
This sequel makes the n64 version look absolutely rubbish- its 10 times faster (perhaps a little too fast...), has hugely better graphics and loads of trophies to collect. It's the perfect multiplayer game, and theres sooo much to unlock in single player, this game lasts for ages.
5. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
I'm not really a fan of RPG's but this one had me hooked from start to finish. Its funny, its cute and has extremely varied gameplay, plus the visuals and character designs are brilliant.
Regards,
Matt.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
The First Video Game
In 1952 A.S Douglas created a version of Tic-Tac-Toe using a vacuum-tube computer, and in 1962 Steve Russell created the first ever computer game called SpaceWar! using a PDP-1 computer the size of a small car, however the first ever video game was made in 1958 by Willy Higinbotham. The game was called 'Tennis for Two' and consisted of a basic side on view of a tennis court where two players could hit a ball to each other using controllers.
Willy Higinbotham worked at a nuclear research facility where tours were conducted in order to give the public an idea of what went on in the facility. Each division within the facility was asked to set up a display for the public and Willy decided that it would be more interesting for the public if they had a display that they could interact with, so he and his colleague set about making the game, and after just three weeks it was done. The game was displayed on an oscilloscope which was connected to a basic analog computer, and the controllers consisted of two wooden blocks with a dial mounted on each which the players would used to control the angle of the ball as they hit it.
The game was brought out only twice during every visitors day, and after a year it was dismantled so that the equipment could be used for other projects. It's clear to see that this may have been where the concept of using computers for entertainment - as well as work - originated. The popularity of Higinbotham's display - especially with school children, gave an early indication of how popular the use of computers for fun would be, and possibly inspired the first popular home console game 'PONG', 14 years later.
Willy Higinbotham worked at a nuclear research facility where tours were conducted in order to give the public an idea of what went on in the facility. Each division within the facility was asked to set up a display for the public and Willy decided that it would be more interesting for the public if they had a display that they could interact with, so he and his colleague set about making the game, and after just three weeks it was done. The game was displayed on an oscilloscope which was connected to a basic analog computer, and the controllers consisted of two wooden blocks with a dial mounted on each which the players would used to control the angle of the ball as they hit it.
The game was brought out only twice during every visitors day, and after a year it was dismantled so that the equipment could be used for other projects. It's clear to see that this may have been where the concept of using computers for entertainment - as well as work - originated. The popularity of Higinbotham's display - especially with school children, gave an early indication of how popular the use of computers for fun would be, and possibly inspired the first popular home console game 'PONG', 14 years later.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
What's In A Blog?
I've been putting this off for the last week and have typically gone and left it to the last minute. Now while my flat mates enjoy pizza and trivial pursuit's (haven't these people heard of Mario Kart?) I'm sat in my room all by myself stressing over my first ever blog. The thing is I not only find it hard writing in general but talking about myself and my opinions is also quite a scary task for me. Anyway I'm sure this will get easier with time.
The only blogs that I've read prior to this task are ones posted by people of interest to me, like friends on myspace, or blogs from my favorite musicians and so on. I have never really been interested in reading blogs posted by people that I don't know, what's the point? So I had a quick look at some other blogs, mostly for inspiration. The majority of blogs seem to be short and concentrate on one particular subject, with the blogger expressing their own personal opinions on the topic. None of them are too formal and the blogger usually tries to convey their own personality within their posts, using their own style - something that I will need to develop. I've found that reading blogs posted by people who are of a similar age group to me and who share the same kind of interests as me is definitely more engaging than I thought.
Alright sorry about the rubbish first blog, I promise my next blog will be much more exciting with funny pictures and links and all sorts.
Thanks
Matt
The only blogs that I've read prior to this task are ones posted by people of interest to me, like friends on myspace, or blogs from my favorite musicians and so on. I have never really been interested in reading blogs posted by people that I don't know, what's the point? So I had a quick look at some other blogs, mostly for inspiration. The majority of blogs seem to be short and concentrate on one particular subject, with the blogger expressing their own personal opinions on the topic. None of them are too formal and the blogger usually tries to convey their own personality within their posts, using their own style - something that I will need to develop. I've found that reading blogs posted by people who are of a similar age group to me and who share the same kind of interests as me is definitely more engaging than I thought.
Alright sorry about the rubbish first blog, I promise my next blog will be much more exciting with funny pictures and links and all sorts.
Thanks
Matt
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