All posts by Alex McCumbers

Classic games are my inspiration. Many of those games hold design elements that are blatantly ignored in modern games. Doesn't mean I'll ignore new titles, but I will reject play requests to spend time with my SNES.

Game File, Games and Software

Halo 5: Fun with Friends, but Lacks Cohesive Narrative

November 25, 2015 Alex McCumbers

The Halo Universe has never been known for a groundbreaking story. Novels and other projects have sought to expand it, but the series never really seemed to excel at narrative. Halo defined a console and added a new level of interaction among gamers across the world. Sure, online play existed before Halo, but Xbox Live owes much of its success to it. Therefore, there is a ton of pressure on 343 Industries, as it attempts to add to the legacy Bungie left behind. Unfortunately, Halo 5: Guardians comes close with it’s multiplayer, but lacks depth in its story.

Before diving into this game in detail, know that I’ve always been a fan of Halo‘s Universe. I lacked an Xbox as a kid, keeping a tight grip on my PS2 with Kingdom Hearts and Radiata Stories, but I was always interested in the story of Halo. Thus, I picked up the novelizations of the games at Borders. While these books never blew me out of the water, they were substantial enough to make me want to read the others. Master Chief always felt more fleshed out in the books, making my eventual move to the Halo games feel lackluster by comparison.

Minor characters are expanded upon in the novels. Making them feel stale in the games for fans of the books.

I will admit that I had high hopes for the story in Halo 5. The marketing campaigns played up the mysterious Locke, chasing down the Master Chief for disobeying orders and going rogue. Chief wandered the deserts in those commercials, a tattered cloak in his wake, a classic trope with characters trying to find themselves in solitude. All clues pointed to a dynamic, daring story framed with all the pew pew a mind can handle.

Whoever edited the marketing deserves a damn medal. While the one directing what was shipped needs a firm reprimanding.

halo screen 2 — There is a truly epic moment here, but what that is exactly is unclear.

Halo 5‘s story feels like a large puzzle. All the pieces are there, that much is evident, but someone has gone and tossed the puzzle about, leaving nothing but a fragmented image. I’m normally easy to appease when it comes to stories; I usually only give harsh words after much reflection. However, I couldn’t keep track of where my characters were supposed to be. What should’ve felt like a chase across the galaxy, is a highlight reel cut by an amateur at a high school sporting event.

I will give credit where credit is due: the action during the cutscenes is phenomenal. The camera dynamically follows the characters as they proceed to pull off supernatural feats. Yet, it would be more gratifying if there was more context to the story.

Master Chief’s team does comprise of characters I grew to love from the novels. There are plenty of solid character development in the books, but they are merely a quick nod to long time fans in the current game. These characters are mostly there to explain why there’s four player co-op in the main campaign.

It’s obvious Halo 5 had a better story planned out, but what is delivered lacks direction, coherence or passion for the universe it’s built on.

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Is there a logical reason for this abundance of lens flares? Star Trek Into Darkness had a disease of sorts when it comes to the technique.

Also, it’s hard to see what’s going on with all the lens flares. JJ Abrams has left a negative impact on the visual directing for many, painful years to come.

On the other side of the game, Halo 5 supports a solid multiplayer experience. Slapping ten-year-old kids with a flag or chucking grenades at my dearest friends has never been my draw to Halo, but I do have fond memories with such. I’m sure I’m not the only one who gathered as many people with Xbox 360s as possible to spend countless hours throwing back Mt. Dew, cheering with each kill.

Playing Halo 5‘s multiplayer feels nostalgic, but also fresh. Being able to zoom in with each weapon is an awesome addition, especially since each weapon has unique sights. Player movement has new tricks such as the Spartan Charge or being able to hover in the air for a short time. Slaying enemies is still as rewarding as the early days of dominating with the magnum.

Some punk took the Banshee? Spawn with one with REQs!

The newest mode, Warzone is interesting, as its Halo‘s take on the MOBA craze. It lacks the strategic depth of that genre, but it can lead to some interesting situations. Players fight over several bases to earn points, while also combating each other, Covenant and Promethean invaders. Being able to snatch away points from an aggressive team from afar by doing the final hit on a boss is hilarious and aids one’s team.

Warzone also offers Requisition items, which are essentially like FIFA‘s addictive Ultimate Team mode. Unlike FIFA, players will be opening packs of weapons, armor skins, vehicles and more to use in Warzone. Collecting items is fun, but the fact that the cards are used after a single use makes them feel less like a tactical loadout and more like having your latest toy ignored by everyone else who has the limited edition cause they bought more packs.

While Halo 5: Guardians lacks the narrative it was built up to be, the multiplayer remains a solid choice for an evening with friends. Kicking back with a snack and a headset on my brow feels like it should and that’s not a bad thing.

343 Industries has recently released a large patch, adding new modes, so there is hope beyond the game’s initial launch. I’d love to see them retcon the campaign mode, even though its hard to patch a flooding submarine with duct tape, no matter how valuable the adhesive is in the Wasteland.

Pick up Halo 5 for the multiplayer, play the campaign when there are no friends online and nothing is on TV.

Game File, Games and Software, Indie Pennant, Industry Now

Levl Up Bros Seeks to Make a Home for Early Access Titles

November 23, 2015 Alex McCumbers

Early Access titles seem to be what all the cool kids are doing in the game designing world for better, but more often for worse. From the excellent uses of the system found in Starbound to the terrible lack of attention that destroyed The Stomping Land, Early Access as a term comes with a bit of mixed perception. As a whole, I’m a big advocate of Early Access games, but when the system is abused or the games that lack any sort of coherency get onto the Steam Marketplace, it’s more than frustrating as a gamer and as a writer. It’s hard to find games on the Steam Marketplace as is, so throwing in tons of Early Access titles with questionable quality just makes things asinine.

That’s where Levl Up Bros, a monthly subscription-based platform for Early Access titles, seeks to stand out with its service. Players will be able to play an unlimited amount of games and be given the option to pre-order games when they are eventually published. There are some interesting indie games and rom hacks to check out, but more games should start showing up as the platform develops. So how does Levl Up Bros seek to enhance the gaming experience for both developers and gamers?

Even seasoned designers often find publication disconcerting. The percentage a development team should make is usually slashed down by larger publishing companies, limiting profits, but adding marketing solutions. Levl Up Bros seeks to give developers a broader range of publishing options, as well as a system that allows popular content to be shown prominently.

The entire platform focuses on levels in the traditional, RPG sense. Players will be able to gain levels from completing quests, which can be as simple as leaving a comment on a game’s page or pre-ordering a title. This way, feedback is encouraged. The levl up system also wants to reward its players by giving them free memberships, as well as full-game downloads as they level up their account.

Games will also have levels, gaining experience points based on comments, time played and much more. This way, the best gaming experiences is featured by the system. The Levl Up Bros will not only give attention to these games on their client, but also on their various blogs and outlets, such as their Twitch or YouTube channels.

They contain a substance called alpha-androstetenol that mirrors viagra prices pheromones (which is the thing that pulls in truffle chasing hogs). levitra vs viagra This has increased the demand for anti ED medicine in the minds of people. It may include feelings of sadness, anxiety, emptiness, hopelessness, worthlessness, guilt, on line viagra irritability, or restlessness. Erection is the major cause which ruins men’s tadalafil price mood and not allow men to have intercourse. Levl Up Bros seeks to provide a space for game designers to stay focused on making their games. The platform takes care of marketing and distribution, as most gaming clients such as Steam seek to do, but also rewards developers and players for engaging in their service. Where Levl Up Bros currently focuses on computer gaming, it also seeks to branch out into console gaming, giving players a chance to truly shape the way games are designed by giving feedback to developers.

Many games and studios have already agreed to be featured in the early era of the Levl Up Bros client. Disciples of the Storm, an ambitious attempt to recreate a classic PC game—a game we’ve featured before here on Giga—is on that list. Other than that, the other titles are unfamiliar, but that’s exactly what this client needs: unknown titles utilizing the system to further their goals.

If Levl Up Bros succeeds in its Kickstarter campaign, a test client should be available in the Spring of 2016, with more features slated to roll out by the Summer. Users can take a look at the Levl Up Bros website for an idea of the sort of aesthetic the creators are going for.

Unfortunately, as of now, there is no prototype available for use. All of the designs proposed in the campaign, as well as the visuals behind the assets used gives a really solid first impression; however, there is no way of knowing how the platform will fair until its available for testing, at the very least. There’s also a lack of editing apparent on the campaign and its website, hopefully it will be rectified in the future.

Either way, it would be interesting to see a new outlet for Early Access. Some games would truly benefit from this system. Until Levl Up Bros rolls out for testing, I’ll continue picking through the mountains of Early Access titles on Steam, searching for gems.

Interview

Building The Forgotten City: Interview with Nick James Pearce

November 16, 2015 Alex McCumbers

Sitting down with The Forgotten City, a story-driven mod for Skyrim, was one of the most immersive experiences in recent memory. It has left such an impression and heightened expectations when it comes to story and atmosphere. Luckily, I’ve gotten to know Nick Pierce through email and asked if he would mind answering some questions for Giga.

He humbly obliged.

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Why mod Skyrim? How does that particular game fit the goals of the project?

So many reasons. First of all, modding Skyrim is awesome fun! Though I probably don’t use the same definition of “fun” as most other people. For me, it’s a creative outlet. I get to activate parts of my brain that I don’t get to use in my day-to-day. I suppose the alternative to modding Skyrim would have been to make my own indie game, but it wouldn’t have been anything like The Forgotten City. Modding Skyrim is like standing on the shoulder of a giant (the giant being Bethesda Game Studios); it allows you to do things you couldn’t dream of doing alone.

I started modding Skyrim because I was inspired by a lot of modders from Oblivion and Fallout and wanted to try my hand at it.

I also drew a lot of inspiration from my favorite side-quests in Bethesda’s games. For example, I remember stumbling across the Dark Brotherhood by accident in Oblivion, and being blown away by how much work had gone into something I might never have discovered; that made it feel personal, something unique to my adventure. I remember stumbling across Vault 11 in Fallout: New Vegas (technically made by Obsidian, published by Bethesda) and its chilling social experiments which exposed some dark truths about society. I remember “Waking Nightmare” in Skyrim; entering a dream state to travel to the past, if only in a superficial way. I remember discovering the ancient Dwarven underground city of Blackreach, and wishing I could have explored it more. The Forgotten City takes loose threads from all of these quests, and weaves them into something I hope is even greater. It’s an homage to Bethesda.

Elder_Scrolls_V-Skyrim_Concept_Art_Ray_Lederer_Troll_Fight

What sort of challenges did you have to overcome with this mod?

Well this mod took me 1700 hours to make, and I think more than half of that was spent fixing bugs. Some of them were pretty funny. I had this one ridiculous bug for a long time where Brandas, on his deathbed, covered in horrific burns and speaking his last words, was supposed to fade away into death. Unfortunately, just before he died, he would stand up out of bed, face the player, then comically ragdoll into the floor. In the end it was caused by something that just seemed totally unexpected.

Generally though the key challenges were acquiring the skills I just didn’t have. When I started I had no idea how to use the Creation Kit, write scripts in Papyrus, cast voice actors, master sound files. The whole time I was learning on the fly. Every time I hit a big hurdle I had this feeling of dread as I realized: “If I can’t sort this out, this project is dead in the water, and everything I’ve done so far is for nothing.” (I’m an optimist, you see.) But three years on, I never encountered a hurdle I couldn’t overcome—that’s pretty satisfying, looking back.

“Modding Skyrim is like standing on the shoulder of a giant (the giant being Bethesda Game Studios); it allows you to do things you couldn’t dream of doing alone.”

What are the perks of modding, as opposed to full game design?

The main one is creative control. I wasn’t pandering to a demographic, and I didn’t try to simplify anything to make it more accessible to the general population. I made a game for intelligent gamers, because that’s what I wanted to play. It turns out a lot of other people wanted to play that too.

Another perk of modding is that you get to work on all aspects of the project, not just one aspect. One of my favorite parts were working with the 18 voice actors I cast: getting to know them, listening to their performances, hearing the lines I’d written come to life, sounding better than I had ever imagined. And now I chat with most of them online pretty regularly. I’d like to think of them as friends. That’s been a lot of fun. Also, working with Trent Moriarty (the composer) has been really fascinating and thrilling as well. I don’t know how, but he managed to take a few ideas and emotions and transform them into these achingly beautiful musical compositions. I feel privileged to have witnessed him working his magic.

Another perk is not having to worry about how many people play it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m pretty stoked that 50,000 people have downloaded it within 2 weeks of launch (from Nexus, Steam Workshop and ModDB combined), and I wanted to make sure Trent and the voice actors got as much exposure as possible, but I would have been happy enough if the number was a fraction of that.

What is your history with Game Design? Were there other projects before The Forgotten City?

I don’t have a history in game design: this is my first project. If you don’t count the terrible games I made in QBasic when I was 13, which I don’t, because they were terrible.

How does it feel to have The Forgotten City receive such praise?

It’s been a big relief to get such positive feedback. I tried to pitch the game at intelligent gamers, and I wasn’t sure how well that would be received; TFC gives players a bit more credit for being intelligent than the vanilla quests. . . The reaction has shown there are a lot of intelligent gamers out there, and they seem to appreciate games that treat them as such.

Fallout4_Concept_Blast_1434323459.0 — Gorgeous concept art from Fallout 4.

Are there any other projects in the works?

At the moment I’m weighing my options, but one possibility I’m excited about is a Fallout 4 expansion. I’ve had a lot of requests for that, and I’m looking forward to playing Fallout 4 and dreaming up some ideas for sci-fi social experiments in Vaults.

The Forgotten City has seen praise by many outlets, including Giga, and can be downloaded via the Skyrim Nexus or through the Steam Workshop.

Game File, Games and Software, Industry Now

Cloud Storms into Battle!

November 12, 2015 Alex McCumbers

“I’d never thought I’d see the day.”

Truer words have never been said. With Street Fighter creeping into the latest Super Smash Bros, alongside the fan voting system that was finalized in October, there are some crazy things in store for the Nintendo celebratory fighting game. Sure, I’ve seen Cloud of Final Fantasy VII in just about any fan-made game ever, but to see him appear in an actual, professionally designed game leaves me in sheer awe.

This move to bring Final Fantasy back in cahoots with Nintendo after years of it being mostly a Sony franchise is huge. Of course, the franchise found its feet on the NES and made history with the SNES iterations, only to see its golden age on the PSONE. Will there be a resurgence of Final Fantasy games making it to the Nintendo marketplace? Remakes and spin-offs are abundant, but what does this mean for Square Enix and Nintendo?

Speculate in the comments below Giga Bytes! I’ll be sitting here stirring my tea with a phoenix down, while I wait for what other crazy things are coming to Super Smash Bros.
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Oh, and to add another octave to the squee of fans everywhere, think about this.

Cloud. Amiibo.

Boom.

Games and Software, Indie Pennant

Indie Alert: Noct

November 6, 2015 Alex McCumbers

Horror is a genre that relies on multiple layers of design. Designers have to know these layers inside and out, as well as study their players to see what’s working to make a game scary. Often times, the titles with residual horror tend to stand out the most, such as Silent Hill 2 or Amnesia. These games have elements that stick to the player, often with their narrative or hints at one.

The Indie scene has blown up over the past few years with titles like Five Nights At Freddy’s and Slender soaking up popularity. This, in turn, has many developers focusing on horror. Devolver Digital is helping developer C3SK bring Noct to a reality.

Noct is a top down, multiplayer shooter that mixes elements of Silent Hill and Rust with monsters of which Lovecraft would be proud. Players see and control their survivors through a satellite feed, while given directions by a mysterious being known simply as XMIT. Who XMIT is and why he is helping the player are some of the questions that make these exchanges especially unsettling. It seems that XMIT wants nothing more than to see the survivor succeed, but is just as quick to move on upon death.

The game carries many solid, uncanny elements in its visuals. According to the game’s website, Earth has been cast into perpetual darkness, plagued by monsters known as the Nocturnal. The monochrome color screen fits with the notion that the player is being watched from above, presumably by mostly XMIT. The monsters of the game are all terrifying and overwhelming, as they can kill players with a single hit. The HUD is also cryptic; players must manage ammo and supplies without any clear numbering. It’s never easy to fight off a monster when ammo is low, but it’s oppressive just knowing ammo is low in general.

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It’s important to note that Noct has not been fully developed. It is currently under Early Access on Steam and has already gone through quite a few patches. As of now, once most objectives are cleared, it seems that players can get stuck in a loop to gather supplies. Being that many monsters can simply chase down the player, especially the little worms, there isn’t as much horror as there is frustration. The game’s framework is there, but the actual experience feels just as empty as the world its attempting to create.

Noct does carry a visual and thematic framework that could turn into something special. The monsters look great and the graphic style is oppressive, all while being accompanied by some interesting guitar songs that are reminiscent of Silent Hill. I was also hoping to get that overwhelmed feeling that comes with horror games. No matter what forced my character to say “Uh oh,” there was usually little room for avoidance or for confrontation. Most of my session included heading towards a waypoint, dying, and then continuing to the waypoint, until reaching it. It didn’t feel scary, just time consuming.

Being enclosed in a building, frantically grabbing supplies, felt unnerving, especially when the scratching of claws got closer and closer.

Let’s hope Noct continues to evolve and capitalize on those moments.