The Doubleshot Expresso : games

Openness in the Video game Industry

ac3raven — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 00:38:00 GMT

Nocturnal Initiative PhyreEngine Independent Game Press XNA UT 3 Modding for Console versions XNA Zune development Wii Ware This years GDC theme seemed to be one of openness and advancing games as a viable platform for artistic expression and communication....(read more)

Metroid Prime 3 Review

ac3raven — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 04:34:00 GMT

So, I finally finished the game and now I am going to tell you what I think of it. First and foremost, I have to point out genius of making the Metroid series of console games into a first-person platformer (it is not, contrary to popular belief, a first-person shooter). This gave the original Metroid Prime a sense of scale that no other game at that time could even come close to matching. Add to that the masterful level-design, puzzle layout design, and beautiful environmental effects and you get a game that defines its generation in every way. A sequel was inevitable; Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (also known as Dark Echoes) didn't particularly raise the bar that its predecessor had set so high, but regardless, the game was well-received by critics and players alike. Echoes introduced what would be a critical component of Corruption's plot: Dark Samus. The concept of phazon corruption really gave the game a nice good vs evil feel, although I'd say that they went a bit overboard with that. I would have liked to have seen phazon be treated more like an indiscriminant disease or plague (maybe something like the Flood in Halo or the creatures in The Thing). Anyway, this is a Metroid Prime 3 review is it not? So let's talk about Corruption. I didn't finish Echoes so I couldn't tell you if Corruption picks up right where that left off or if it's a few indeterminable time frames later. But without spoiling the game for you I can honestly say that Metroid Prime 3 is by far the most intense, and satisfying game I've played in a long time. The locales Samus visits are jaw-droppingly gorgeous, and mind-bendingly dangerous at the same time. The enemies can scare you if your not careful and the puzzles are flawlessly designed to make you think, not throw the controller in frustration, and upon figuring it out, you are left satisfied, even if the reward is only that you've found another puzzle to solve. The controls (I'm sure someone thought I was going to mention this first) are solid, and the game really makes you use both the remote and nunchuck in very logical and fun ways. The grappling hook, for instance, requires the player to target a context sensitive area, then push the nunchuck forward as if tossing a rope, then when the hook (it's a plasma beam) latches, pull back. The back of the case will tell you that the game has the best FPS controls ever made; now I would definitely say the game has the best CONSOLE fps controls ever, but it's hard to beat a mouse and keyboard for fps games. Now onto the Audio; guess what? it's awesome too! The music is, and this has been the case with every Metroid game, absolutely stellar. The musical score has the perfect mix of epic, adventurous, and scary and the sound effects compliment it well. The extra content is really cool also, the concept art, story boards, and such are actually worth unlocking, and the bonus content is definitely worth the effort. If you have enough points (earn point by scanning new creatures, finding secret areas, etc..) then you'll be able to buy the ability to take screen shots or you could get decals for your Hunter ship. All the music can be unlocked for full-playback as well, which is nice, because a lot the music makes for good ambient sounds while your busy with something else.

The only issues I have with this game are the loading time and the friend voucher. in the previous Metroid games, the moment you shoot a door to open it, it opens, but in MP3 you'll almost always have to wait no less than 3 seconds, sometimes up to 10 seconds. the friend voucher feature, while it makes perfect sense, is really just annoying. Friend vouchers act just like the awards you get for in-game achievements, and most of the unlockable content requires at least one friend voucher. That's a problem because in order to get one of these vouchers I have to send one to a friend (friend meaning that they are in my wii address book) that also has a wii and the game. Once I send that voucher, the friend has to accept it, giving him/her a voucher and then once he/she adds me to their wii address book, they can send a voucher to me. It's a complicated process and unless I go online to some random forum about friend vouchers and trade them with people I've never even met before, I'm not going to get very far into the unlockable content.

I'm giving Metroid Prime 3: Corruption a 9.5/10

The Wii Potential

ac3raven — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 14:17:00 GMT

I'd say with confidence that the design of Nintendo's Wii is revolutionary, and inherently, it has almost infinite potential. Nintendo is making all the right moves, and it's fascinating to witness this companies success. The Wii is sold out world wide, and for good reason. The recently updated version 3.1 of the Wii dash board coincides with an update that allows a USB keyboards (wireless or not) to be used within Opera and the dash board. The virtual Console has been host to a flux of new titles lately, and original downloadable content has been promised and is coming very soon. A massive update to the Everybody Votes channel will not only make polling more fun, but also introduce game rankings and search functionality. Opera will now support user-created content for it's wii web browser as well. When I turn on my Wii, I have access to weather reports, news report (both channels feature a really cool globe view), I can buy and play classic games from the past, download trailers (and soon game demos), answer polls and look at world wide or nation wide results, view and edit (editing is multiplayer!) pictures or videos from an SD card, post pictures to a message board and view them in a slide show with custom music, I can also transfer my Mii to my remote and carry Mii around, and we've established that I can browsing the internet. I could also send messages from my Wii to a friends Wii, cell phone or computer. Keep in mind that the Wii is backward compatible, so I could go to the disc channel and choose to play a game cube game or maye I want to play Mario Strikers online with 3 other friends.

Many may argue that Nintendo's online strategy is horrible when compared to Xbox Live or Home, but I think it is simply a case of the tortoise and the hair. Consider Nintendo's market penetration, they've sold their Wii to hardcore gamers, casual gamers, parents, and grandparents. Not to mention the DS sales, now all Nintendo needs to do is slowly get their new found audience to accept Online multiplayer, then you'll have close to 14 million Wii's Online.

VGL coming to Louisville, KY

ac3raven — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 02:45:00 GMT

Tommy Tallarico's Video Games Live tour is coming to the Kentucky Center for the Arts on Friday July 20th at 8PM. Video Games Live has toured all over the world and has finally arrived in my home state! Last year I had every intention of attending the Ohio show but that plan fell through due to a simple lack of initiative, but this year I have invited a few people and I WILL be attending (Louisville is only 45 minutes away from my house). The Louisville Orchestra will play selections from Final Fantasy, Legend of Zelda, Metal Gear Solid and other orchestra worthy video game soundtracks. I don't know how good they sound compared to, say, the London Symphonic Orchestra, but they have played a Lord of the Rings concert before so this is not necessarily new to them. I cannot wait to see this, it will be the best day of my summer break!

Visit www.videogameslive.com to purchase tickets and view show times, you can even submit requests for music to be played.

Dungeons and Dragons, My DM Exprience.

ac3raven — Tue, 29 May 2007 19:38:00 GMT

With a little help from my cousin and an abnormal sense of initiative, I started a DnD party of which I am the Dungeon Master. I was kind of pushed into being a DM considering we were lacking in anyone with enough experience to properly control a party. I didn't entirely reject the idea of being a DM, I actually volunteered myself for the task because I didn't want this to be a failed endeavor (My cousin and I had already spent money on it).

I can honestly say that, although I did not think I would like the job, being DM is a very fulfilling experience, especially when your party enjoys your work and has fun. I started DMing when My cousin bought a Basic game that came with most everything we needed to play, I followed along a guide book with a preset plot and dungeon. The first two times I DMed, everyone used the pre-made characters that came with the basic game, and the experience was very shallow and boring for the party. But these two sessions taught me a lot about DMing and I was able to replay the sessions and diverge a little from the preset plot and dungeon of the Basic Game, which made for a much more gratifying experience for the Party members (which inluded 3 girls and my cousin).

I have now officially accepted my status as DM and a concrete party of custom made adventurers is being formulated while I design a world for the adventurers to explore and a plot for them to delve into.

My Most Anticipated May Releases

ac3raven — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 12:32:00 GMT

Spider-man 3 - Both the film and the videogame will release on May 4th, and I have every intention of seeing the film in iMAX and playing the Wii version of the game. Honestly I am more excited about the game because I have played the previous Activision Spider-man games and the web slinging mechanic is simply a lot of fun. On the Wii, as you can imagine, the web slinging mechanic uses both the nunchuk and remote, so it should be quite fun.

Pirates of the Carribean: At World's End - This series of films is delightfully funny, yet intensely action-packed with the nice bonus of a somewhat deep plot. The May 28th release of the film marks the third in the franchise and most likely the conclusion of Jack Sparrows incredible adventure. I will make a point to see this, maybe not iMAX worthy, but certainly worth the theater experience.

Mario Party 8 - A rejuvenation of the franchise, thanks to Wii-centric controls and mini-games. This franchise started going down hill after Mario Party 4 (the best one, until 8) but I firmly believe that Mario Party 8 will be among the top selling games for the Wii in the first half of 2007. The game is due out at the end of the month, and I will pick it up as soon as it is put on shelf, buy it, and invite some friends over to play the game.