Monthly Archives: November 2013

Action, Adventure, Games and Software, Indie Pennant, Multiplayer

Indie Game Alert: Skyjacker

A couple of days ago, I stumbled upon an indie game in development, Skyjacker. The closest I’ve ever come to a space simulator is Mass Effect, so this kind of game is new to me. After reading “You play Ael, the most feared and ruthless space-pirate human,” I was instantly intrigued. The main character was abducted by aliens, raised by space pirates, and is now the lone human in this dangerous galaxy.

You are not a hero; you will have to sabotage, kidnap, rob, infiltrate and extract your way to the top. Without a linear path to follow, players can pick and choose which jobs they want to complete. Want to upgrade your ship? Salvage and use weapons, engines, and other parts from ships you hijack. Depending on the type of parts you put on your ship, you can change the way you play the game: “. . . play it like an arcade game, like a classic space game, or with full inertia and momentum.” Ship customization is a welcome change to a flight game of this type. It appears to have a lot of depth to the customization; you can see each piece of your ship, allowing you to pick and choose the parts you want to equip.

To build your crew, you will be able to choose from various A.I. or  invite your friends. With the co-op feature, players will be able to work with friends to become stronger and take on riskier missions. Along with the single-player and co-op modes, there is a multiplayer mode, which will include Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, and Last Man Standing. Skyjacker will also allow players to create their own missions (no coding knowledge necessary) using art assets and a design framework.

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Just by looking at the demo, I can tell a lot of thought has been put into this game. The universe is vibrant with colors instead of just being dark and cold. Space is littered with various asteroids and debris, and the planets stand out. The ships you encounter are well detailed and unique. You will fight against (or along side) 10 very different alien races. Each race has unique looks, abilities, technologies and histories.

If you’re looking for something different with a lot of potential, then you should back Skyjacker on its Kickstarter page. Funding ends on November 22, 2013, so you have to be quick. For more information, screenshots, and videos, checkout the Skyjacker website (download playable demo)and Eugene Zhukov’s (project lead) YouTube page.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VifzGCYW3M

Game File, Games and Software, Industry Now

Am I a Bad Female Gamer?

When I was a hardcore Battlefield 3 addict (now a hardcore Battlefield 4 addict) and needed a good laugh, I would peruse the Battlefield forum. One day, I came across a female player complaining about the lack of female soldiers in multiplayer. I felt bad, not because I too wanted to play as a kick-ass female soldier, but because it never crossed my mind. I tried to justify my lack of feminism by thinking, “Well, [at that time] female soldiers are not allowed to serve in combat, so it would only make sense to not have a female soldier in multiplayer.” Yes, it is just a game, but DICE does pride itself on how realistic Battlefield is compared to other FPS’s. Besides, you can’t even see your character while playing.

Then it happened again. I stumbled upon an article about how Rockstar missed out on the opportunity to cast a female lead in GTA V. After reading the article, I again thought to myself, “Hmm, I didn’t even think about that.” Even though the author (a guy) is right—it would have been interesting to have a female main character in GTA for once—it never crossed my mind and it didn’t bother me. Why? I’m starting to think I’m just a horrible representative for female gamers. No I’m not taking scantily clad “geek” pictures or recording my boobs on twitch and flirting for a donation, but I still feel ashamed, guilty. I should be standing on a mountain top shouting, “We need more women in games!” but I’m not. I’m quietly enjoying these games as is, as long as they don’t reinforce any negative (“You should be in the kitchen blah, blah, blah”) stereotypes.

Some female gamers have a hard time connecting with the male characters they are forced to play as. Maybe I’m just used to playing as a male, so it doesn’t bother me as much. To me, playing a video game is like reading a book; as long as the story is good, I don’t care about the sex of the characters. I can still make a connection because the story intrigues me or because I sympathize with their situation. I’m reading this book or playing this game because I want to learn about the characters and their story. A female lead doesn’t create an automatic connection; it’s still someone else’s story and whether I enjoy it or not doesn’t depend on the character’s sex. It’s great to see a kick-ass female lead in video games, but it’s not the first complaint I think of if she is missing.

Character creation is becoming more popular in games. Creating my own character gives me the chance to play as a woman and create my own story. That is more satisfying to me because I can make the decisions and create my own path. No there isn’t a female lead in GTA V, but I can create one and choose whether or not I want to go skydiving with Dom or help out Lamar on one of his missions (unlike in the story).

Maybe I’m just ill-prepared to fight for women in games because of how I grew up. My sister (who is ten years older than me) introduced me to video games when I was very young. We had all the systems: NES to PlayStation 1. In middle school and high school, my two best friends (who are sisters and have no brothers) were also gamers. We spent—what had to be—thousands of hours playing GoldenEye 007 and Perfect Dark. Female gamers were the norm for me growing up. All of the women (including my mom) in my life played video games, and we were never told they are for boys only. Though this issue existed then, I completely missed out on it and am now confused by the outcry of feminism in the gaming world.

I’m not saying I’m against having more positive female characters in gaming, far from it. I’m just saying I suck at being a feminist. Sometimes I don’t see things the same way other women see things.

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Game of the Year Editions: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Being that I love fighting games and comic books, I bought the deluxe edition of NetherRealm’s Injustice: Gods Among Us at a midnight release, complete with free DLC and a statue. I’ve also purchased most of the DLC that has been released. I even downloaded the mobile game in order to unlock some special content. Then a few weeks ago WB Games announced Injustice: Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition, which will include all of the DLC that have been released and the original game for only $60. This, of course, annoyed me.

Honestly, this was something I hoped wouldn’t happen, which is ironic because I own several “game of the year” (GOTY) edition games, all of which I got at bargain prices. I was grateful for that since I’m not made of money. However, like when I bought Marvel vs. Capcom 3, I wish I had known this would happen, so I could decide if I’d rather spend more money upfront or wait and pay less later.

There are benefits to GOTY editions, both for developers and gamers. There are some annoying downsides to them, too. Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly:

The Good: For developers, this is great marketing. Some players may not have the awareness or ability to purchase DLC. Some may wait to see if the game is worth playing, and seeing that the game has won awards will tell them is worth purchasing. In some ways, it’s like the seemingly “old-fashioned” price drop that would happen with game titles six to twelve months after its release. This has been true of games like Fallout 3, Gears of War 2, and the Batman: Arkham titles.

Some games have issues with their net code or gameplay mechanics, which have to be fixed via updates. GOTY’s come with those patches.

The Bad: Unfortunately, some GOTY editions do not offer bonus content. They’re simply re-packaged versions of the original game with a reduced price. Then there are those oddities like Mortal Kombat (2011 version), which get later editions that aren’t labeled “game of the year.” They’re popular and may have won awards, but these new versions seem to be made strictly for marketing purposes.

One benefit of buying early is getting more practice on the online multiplayer. Players who wait might find themselves getting trounced or disrespected by “veteran” players who have had the game since day one. This steepens their learning curve a bit.

Another downside is it dramatically decreases the resale value of the original version. A game that once would have had a $30 trade-in value at GameStop will drop to a $10 trade-in value.

The Ugly: The catch-22, however, is these editions of games aren’t made unless the original does well. A game usually must win multiple awards from recognized publications or websites and sell well to warrant a GOTY. Hence why such versions aren’t announced until about six to eight weeks prior to release. By then, months have passed and most players have purchased all the DLC, in some cases, doubling the amount of money they have invested in the game.

Gamers must face a dilemma: pay more day one or spend less later. Strapped for cash? The answer is obvious, but for those who can afford games day one, what should they do? This anemic economy has made everyone more money-conscious. Some gamers feel cheated to have purchased a game and its DLC only to see it re-packaged with DLC at a lower price. It not only saved people money, but it also saved them hard drive space.

Conclusion: I’ve been on both sides of the issue. As I mentioned, I bought Injustice day one, but I bought GOTY editions of  Mortal Kombat (the 2011 version) and the Arkham games; I even bought them when they were on sale for twenty dollars! For a penny-pincher like myself, it was great.

Ultimately, players must decide which option is best for them or the one they would prefer. That may be the best thing about the GOTY concept: it opens up more possibilities for gamers.

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