Robert Janelle's Blog
Posted by Robert Janelle
One-hit wonders from the 1980's The Romantics have filed a strange lawsuit against Guitar Hero maker Activision over a cover of "What I Like About You" included with Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80's.
The lawsuit is strange since Activision did secure permission to record a cover for their button-mashing phenomenon that is Guitar Hero.
At issue, according to a Canadian Press report, is that the cover version is so similar to the original that Activision has "infringed on the group's rights to it's own likeness."
Now, I don't play guitar Guitar Hero at all, since I much prefer playing a real guitar and I can say it's a little hard to get E major, A major and D major in that order to sound different from the original. Probably the reason the song is such a favourite among bar bands. .
It'll be interesting to see where this goes, especially since the band has filed an injunction to get the game pulled from shelves.
Posted by Robert Janelle
This is quite possibly the coolest site I have encountered lately: C64S.com
Basically, the site hosts a Java-based Commodore 64 emulator and tonne of old C64 games essentially turning your web browser into an emulator.
It's easy to waste hours on this site due to the plethora of Commodore 64 games available to play. The big ones are all here: Bubble Bobble (with the original music), Paper Boy, Ghosts and Goblins and more.
Along with the blockbuster titles though, there's plenty of other lesser known games to explore, like some weird text adventure called Dennis Through the Drinking Glass.
Now that the gushing is out of the way, I do need to add, the site is far from perfect. The emulator has a few annoying glitches, so long game play probably isn't going to happen here. Not yet, at least.
For some casual play, you can't be a massive catalog of classic computer games.
Posted by Robert Janelle
It turns out liberals and conservatives can agree on something: Mario!
This was the finding a poll conducted by Zogby International that looked at whether personal politics affected entertainment choices.
In the round-up, they found people who conservative leanings feel a lot of entertainment doesn't reflect their values and apparently they aren't big on video games either. But when they play, they're all about Madden and Mario.
The latter choice seems a little strange, since Mario is suspected of being a communist.
But I digress.
Liberals, the poll found, enjoy more variety in entertainment and they play more video games. Their favourites, according to Zogby: Mario and The Sims.
Finally, the poll found that political moderates prefer Donkey Kong, Madden and...Mario - yet again.
All this considered, I have to stop and wonder how the poll was conducted. Did they only give respondent's five games to choose from? While Mario is obviously one of the most popular game characters of all time, you'd think there'd be some mention of say Zelda or Halo.
Along with that, there are more than three political persuasions. What about libertarians? Though, I'm guessing they're the ones who are into Grand Theft Auto.
Posted by Robert Janelle
Another beautiful thing about those free web browser games is quick they are to comment on what's going on.
Take Escape Paris for example.
It didn't take long at all for someone to lampoon Paris Hilton's jail sentence in a video game.
This one is done is the now classic "escape from the room" style where you basically click on objects and hope they interact properly to escape from a room.
Maybe it's because this one has you playing as Paris Hilton, but some of the item interactions don't seem to make much sense, but they work. In other words, to get Paris out of the pokey, try EVERYTHING and ANYTHING.
Of course, that seems to be the usual rule for "escape from the room" type games.
Edit: Link actually WORKS now
Posted by Robert Janelle
Last week marked quite the SNAFU for Rockstar Games and their parent company, Take-Two Interactive.
The sequel to Manhunt was banned in several countries, protested and effectively killed when the Entertainment Software Ratings Board slapped an Adult's Only rating on it.
One would think the game would only have taken a financial hit in these circumstances, since major retailers like Wal-Mart won't carry a video game rated Adult's Only.
However, neither Nintendo or Sony will release a game with the dreaded AO rating. Which begs the question to me: Why have an Adult's Only rating if it's essentially a Trojan Horse for censorship? Slap that rating on a game, it's dead. Sure, the film industry has the evil NC-17 rating (Absolutely no one under 17) but those movies can still see the light of day.
Plus, it seems pretty disingenuous that Wal-Mart and their ilk will carry movies with graphic violence like Saw or Hostel, but a game like Manhunt, apparently that's crossing a line.
In the midst of the controversy, GameSpot published a first-hand look they got at the game and described the content. It sounds pretty gruesome, with one sequence required the player to decapitate a guard and hold it up to a window.
The thing is, without playing it, I can picture the scene perfectly since it's such a cliche from both the horror and action movie genres.
One common explanation for the double-standard between video games and movies is the interactive nature of games. When you're watching Saw, it's passive. Playing Manhunt, you're pushing the buttons to make the dude on the screen garret somebody with a wire. There is some possibility that this could have a negative impact on children playing the game.
However, what groups like the Campaign for a Commercial-free Childhood forget is that THIS GAME IS NOT FOR KIDS!
Seriously, do parents allow their kids to watch Tarantino movies? If I had kids, I certainly wouldn't, nor would I allow them play original Manhunt or Grand Theft Auto or anything similar. And adult games are nothing new. In my own video game-centric childhood, my parents forbid me to touch the Leisure Suit Larry series, which centered around one man's attempts to have sex with many women.
Besides, since I doubt any of the protesters have actually played the games, they probably don't realize how much patience Manhunt requires. Most of the game consists of hiding in shadows and waiting then very slowly creeping up behind the enemy. It's anything but fast paced and I can't see it holding any kid's attention span for a long time. Heck, it tested mine and I usually love stealth games.
Before writing this, I sat back and watched the trailer again (after confirming to the video website that I am indeed older than 18) and realized, I actually do want to play this game.
Perhaps Rockstar should take a page from Tarantino's play book and switch the more graphic scenes to black and white. That was apparently all it took to keep the NC-17 rating off Kill Bill.
Posted by Robert Janelle
This is a rather odd piece of Flash video I stumbled across late at night and felt a strange need to share:
WARNING: The above link contains violence and/or communist content and is therefore not suitable for minors or Republicans.
So apparently Mario's red outfit wasn't just because it looked good in 8-bit...he's actually a filthy commie.
Thank you Internet, for corrupting my childhood since well...Al Gore invented you.
Posted by Robert Janelle
I frequently write in this space about free web games to play at work, but would the temptation to goof off with video games be as strong if work WAS the video game?
That's what Paul Johnson, CEO of Entellium is trying to do.
According to an article in the New York Times, Entellium is developing customer management software that tries to take advantage of the competitive nature of sales people.
The software, called Rave, shows the employee the "sales stages" they're completing (beating levels) and allows them to build a database of clients using the customer's photo (avatar) along with a list of their likes and dislikes (similar to stats in a role-playing game.)
It's an interesting idea for a motivation hack that could work well for people working mundane jobs.
Imagine a call centre where employees see a status bar on their screen that shows their productivity, especially if it showed them comparison to their co-workers. Competitive nature would most likely kick-in. Then when their status goes up high enough, they "level up" (hopefully with an increase in real-life salary.)
Going to work in order to "beat the next level" may very well the drudge more exciting.
Now if only I could find a way to turn writing into a video game. Though editing would be easy: a crosshair to move around and article and shoot down all the grammatical errors.
Posted by Robert Janelle
As big of a fan of the Grand Theft Auto series as I am, I must confess that never got much into San Andreas. Even the early missions were rather difficult compared to the other games and I just got tired of them.
Then when my PlayStation 2 was stolen with the memory card in it, I never started it up again.
Well, not quite never, recently I've decided to give it another shot. I'm aware that this game has some really cool elements: a bigger environment than any of the previous installments, airplane missions and other awesome stuff, but it remains an exercise in frustration.
Which leaves me wondering, for the controversy this game created, I'm wondering how many minors would actually have the patience to play it for longer than five minutes.
Right now I'm stuck having to race low-riders and can't advance the game until I do it, but GTA:SA's driving mechanics are some of the most annoying I've ever encountered. I'd go so far as I say it's worse than playing Forza Motorsport with "realistic damage modeling" turned on. One little bump, the car spins out and you've gone from first place the last, blech.
So lets open up the discussion: What game frustrates YOU beyond belief?
Posted by Robert Janelle
Microsoft seems to be the only console maker without a portable system.
But rabid DIY-er Benjamin Heckendorn shows how to fix that with a few, um, not so simple, modifications to an ordinary Xbox and a laptop.
The step-by-step instructions were posted at the popular gadget blog Engadget in a series, that begins here.
For the technically challenged, the project does look pretty scary. It involves dismantling an XBox 360, adding in more fans and hacking up an LCD monitor. Oh yeah, it's certainly not cheap, either.
It's probably worthwhile for anyone who travels a lot and ends up trapped in hotel rooms with those annoying televisions that you can't connect a console to. Or maybe someone whose got the money and technically skills to have who wants a very interesting conversation piece/something to brag about.
Posted by Robert Janelle
The tragic shooting at Virgina Tech hadn't even been cleaned up before pundits like Jack Thompson were already placing the blame squarely on violent video games.
In response, gamer group Empire Arcadia is organizing an anti-violence rally to be held in Manhattan, May 5.
Fed-up with the bad rap given to video games after such incidents, the New York City-based community group states on their website that they want to gather as many gamers as possible to "protest, morn and show how real gamers play videogames peacefully and responsibly."
To show this, gamers are asked to bring their Nintendo DS, Gameboy Advance, Sony PSP or whatever portable console they play, along with their favorite games to link-up and play.
Dubbed "Fellowship of the Gamers," the anti-violence rally is set to take place at 1p.m. in Bryant Park on Broadway Avenue.
As of this writing, the group's MySpace event's page shows 39 people planning to attend, but with all the media attention they're getting (this new item first appeared on CNet) there may be many more.
The organizer (writing anonymously as TriForceGameMaster) is also encouraging similar gaming communities in other cities to hold their own rallies.
Following violent shootings, gun groups have always been quick to organize and strike back against the blame placed on the weapons, but this is possibly the first time the video game community has done the same.
On the Empire Arcadia website, the organizer writes that it's time for everyone, gamers and non-gamers to take responsibility and do something about senseless violence.
"As human beings we need to contribute and fight this violence with a solution," writes TriForceGameMaster.
Posted by Robert Janelle
Many Muslims have said after a terrorist attack, they pray that the perpetrators weren't Muslim.
I know how they feel.
Every time a young person commits a heinous act of violence, I watch the news and wait for statements that video games made them do it.
Following yesterday's horrific massacre at Virginia Tech, it'll only be a matter of time before video games, or "murder simulators" to use anti-game activist attorney Jack Thompson's term, are in the spotlight taking the blame.
In fact, game blog Destructoid reported earlier that Thompson himself was on Fox News within hours of the shooting spouting just that rhetoric.
It never fails to amaze me that whenever something senseless happens, there's has to be something other than the perpetrator to blame. It was the music, the Internet or video games.
Even blaming the state of Virginia's lax gun laws, although possibly more related, seems ridiculous. How many people live in Virginia under the same laws and how many of them go on killing sprees?
Yes, it's a tragedy, but it amazes me that we as a society can't seem to accept that some people have serious problems and will probably go off with or without the help of any kind of media.
There's millions of gamers worldwide and I'd wager that many of them have never touched a real firearm and many never will.
As Sun Media game journalist Steve Tilley put it after the Dawson College shooting in Montreal: "Hate the player, not the game."
Posted by Robert Janelle
"I'm temporarily rich!" my World of Warcraft playing friend shouted excitedly after completing a few quests in the game. "Until I go spend it all," he added.
"Kinda like your last paycheck?" I inquired.
And then I started to ponder, just what is the point of a "virtual life" when it mirrors real life? Another WoW-addicted friend of mine was regaling me with tales of her latest instance dungeon run gone wrong.
Apparently everyone's characters in the game were too drunk to aim straight and the party got wiped out. Things in real life get messed up often enough because everyone's too drunk (if you've ever had three or more guys help you move, you probably know what I'm talking about.)
Role-playing is supposed to mean just THAT, playing a role, other than yourself, an element of the RPG that seems to have been lost since transition from pencil and paper based games to computers.
Perhaps this KitKat commercial says it all.
Posted by Robert Janelle
This one is for the cubicle-bound.
How many times have you said, "If I have to go to one more meeting, I'll kill myself!" ?
Well, apparently the fine folks at the Cartoon Network's AdultSwim had the same thought. With a web game on their site, you can live that fantasy.
Five Minutes to Kill (Yourself) puts you in an office where you have exactly five minutes to off yourself before a meeting starts using objects found around the cubicle domain.
It may seem like a long time, but fives minutes goes by quickly when you realized the office is a rather ineffective place to commit suicide. Stapling yourself to death? Come on...
Of course, you can always speed things up by offending your co-workers to the point that they lash out. There are plenty of other clever methods to discover, though the game gets kinda dull after two plays.
Besides, if the office environments I've worked in had that dramatic action movie soundtrack in the background, I'd have never felt a need to stick my head in a paper shreader.
Posted by Robert Janelle
I didn't think it was possible, but somehow I've managed to write about roguelike games for three straight days. After my initial Ancient Domains of Mystery fixation, I had no idea I'd end up with this much material.
But here goes, three Nintendo classics have been revived by Columbian programmer (and true geek) Santiago Zapata.
On his website, you'll find roguelike versions of Metroid, Castlevania and The Legend of Zelda, where Link has become a little green "@" symbol.
While the games do involving hacking, slashing and shooting lower-case "a"s, Zapata does move away from the traditional roguelikes by including music and sound effects.
Perhaps these would make a better introduction for the roguelike virgin than ADOM.
(Thanks the gameblog Joystiq for posting this)
Posted by Robert Janelle
Originally, it was the late-March launch of roguelike magazine that inspired me to write about the genre.
But it became much more interesting to me a few nights ago when my roommate insisted I play a game called Ancient Domains of Mystery (known as ADOM, for short.)
"Ah, a roguelike," I exclaimed upon seeing a screenshot on the game's website.
ADOM was created in 1994 by Germany-based programmer Thomas Biskup. The system requirements: A PC running on a 386 processor or better and a whopping four megabytes of RAM.
The game is available as a free download, but Biskup does have a small request. On the site, he asks that anyone whose been enjoying the game send him a postcard.
I was curious about playing, but after surviving the somewhat lengthy process of creating a new character and was in the game, I was hooked.
Maybe it's a bit of nostalgia. Admittedly, I'm too young to have played the original Rogue, but ASCII interface reminds me of the old door games on bulletin board systems (Remember those? Before EVERYONE had an internet connection and you were king because of your 28.8bps modem?)
Or maybe it's because of how different it is from what I've become accustomed to. ADOM makes use of every key on the keyboard, versus console games where you have four main buttons and four on the back of the controller and that's it.
Either way, there's definitely the same addictive quality as any RPG with 3D graphics, with one difference.
While a Final Fantasy game might keep you busy for 25 hours, I've been told to expect to spend a few years on this one.
Posted by Robert Janelle
While most cities are delighted by the extra revenue and free tourism advertising that comes from having a movie filmed there, they're not so kind to video game creators who use the same city as their backdrop.
Recently, the game world has seen three examples of video game NIMBYism (Not In My Back Yard):
Las Vegas
Las Vegas was most unhappy that Tom Clancy's elite commando force was battling terrorism along the strip. Apparently what happens in Vegas doesn't stay there when it applies to the video games.
New York
New York City was displeased upon the release of the Grand Theft Auto IV trailer, showing the game set in Liberty City, Rockstar Games' fictional metropolis that bears a striking resemblance to the Big Apple.
It begs the question though, where was the outrage when GTA III was set in the same city?
They must be even less thrilled by the real life remake of the trailer.
Mexico
In the most extreme case, Mexican authorities are reported to be seizing copies of Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2, as the main plot involves battling Mexican rebels.
So, why is there nothing wrong with showing the negative aspects of a city in a movie but everything wrong with setting a video game there? I'd love to know.
Posted by Robert Janelle
Bringing peace to Palestine and Israel is way hard. But I did it and scored myself a Nobel Peace Prize!
Well, not quite.
Last summer, I wrote about a game in development called PeaceMaker, that challenges players to find a solution to the violence in the middle-east.
Well, it has since been released on the official website for $20.
It took me about two straight days of regular playing as Israel to create the games "conditions for peace."
I've been interested in the game since I first heard of it, though mainly from the social impact perspective. Having now played it, I've learned that not only does it raise of lot of interesting ideas, it's also rather addictive.
Now to embark on a fresh challenge, experiencing the conflict from the other side by playing as Palestine.
A full review of the game will be posted on this site Thursday. Stay tuned!
Posted by Robert Janelle
Possibly some rather twisted viral marketing from Sega or it could be something weirder. Regardless, YouTube has an Al Jazeera-esque video showing a Sega "developer" being tortured for information about their big April release, which has been kept heavily under wraps.
The video shows the poor sap duct-taped to a chair with a bunny mask covering his face. Torture techniques to extract info include leg waxing, chopping off one of the bunny ears (an ode to Reservoir Dogs?) and finally, blaring James Blunt's You're Beautiful.
Oh, by the way, I can not be held responsible for any harm that may come to readers who click the above link due to the last torture method. You've been warned.
So what's the secret this guy is hiding? Sega's been dropping hints that something big is coming in April for some time. Many rumors have flown around the internet, but right now almost all the game blogs are fixated on a Nintendo Wii remake of the Sega Saturn cult classic NiGHTS Into Dreams.
For the truth, of course, we'll have just have to wait until April. Though, it could turn out on Sunday that this is all an elaborate prank (April Fools!)
Posted by Robert Janelle
I paid my way through journalism school by delivering pizzas. One night I drove into a new subdivision, which had recently had manholes put in. Marking these new manholes were large orange and black striped pylons scattered around the street.
Upon seeing this scene, I knew immediately what I must do.
Backed up my black Volkswagen Jetta just behind the first pylon. Popped out the clutch and slalomed between the large cones, completely spinning out on the wet road at the end of the course.
Was it reckless? Yes. Aggressive? Oh yeah. Would I do it again? You better believe it!
According to a study by German researchers released last week, my bad driving can be chopped up to playing Gran Turismo.
The researchers (from the Allianz Center for Technology and Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich) surveyed 198 men and women about how willing they are to take risks while driving. Those who played racing games said they were more likely to drive aggressively and be involved in accidents than those who didn't.
However, this does raise a question: does playing racing games cause aggressive driving or are aggressive drivers more likely to play racing games?
The study continued. According to a Reuters article about the study, the researchers had 83 men play either a racing game or another type of game. They found those who played the racing game admitted to having more thoughts about risk-taking than those who played the other types of games.
Posted by Robert Janelle
Open a newspaper during any given week and odds are, there are stories about Second Life, an online game that you'd think is a massive craze, given the amount of coverage it gets.
In fact, the Reuters wire service even has a full-time reporter in the game who reports strictly on the goings-ons of that online world.
Heck, even I've written about it. But the truth is, I don't really play it. Neither does anyone I know.
So why is it such a big deal in the media?
The truth is, I don't really know.
My only guess is that it has something to do with the high-profile users. Corporations have set up virtual offices to advertise online and press conferences have been held within the virtual world.
In fact, John Edwards, whose running for the leadership of the Democratic party, has a virtual campaign office in the game (which was recently vandalized.)
The Second Life website states that there are more than 4.3 million residents in the virtual world, but only slightly less than 1.6 million have been active within the past 60 days.
By contrast, Blizzard Entertainment announced in January that World of Warcraft had more than 8 million players.
So, what I don't understand is why someone like John Edwards doesn't go where there's a bigger audience. He could even hire a power-leveling company to get his character to level 70 (though I'm sure his campaign supporters would be willing to take care of this for him.)
Now, imagine this. Edwards holds a press conference inside WoW. Standing a tree stump, his avatar delivers his message to level one reporters who are playing the game for the first time.
Suddenly, a giant ogre shows up, threatening to take down the inexperienced press. But Edwards whips out his Grand Marshall ax and makes quick work of the beast. After serious leveling up and gaining some leet gear, he could've even fought off Republican vandals and their "feces-spewing obscenity" single-handedly.
Think about the story THAT would make!
Posted by Robert Janelle
Last August, Microsoft released XNA Studio, a program that allowed almost anyone to create their own Xbox games.
But making the console development tools public did have one drawback: game makers using the free express version of the software couldn't distribute their game to regular Xbox players.
One year later, they'll be changing that with a contest, giving independent developers a chance to get their game on Xbox Live Arcade (the online download service for the console) and a large cash prize.
According to the New York Times, Microsoft will announced the contest, called "Dream-Build-Play" today at a game developers conference in San Francisco.
Next August, the creator of the best game using XNA Studio will win $10,000 along with their chance at spot on Xbox Live Arcade.
That's not the only announcement expected today, according to the Times.
In order to encourage more Xbox players to download indie games, the company will also be releasing the 512 meg portable storage unit for the system, allowing games on Xbox Live Arcade to be bigger and richer.
Posted by Robert Janelle
Is it Xbox, xBox, XBox or XBoX?
Three game journalists have decided to put and end to that debate and others with the upcoming book The Videogame Style Guide and Reference Manual.
David Thomas, Kyle Orland and Scott Steinberg got together to work out hard and fast rules for dealing with spelling and grammar issues for game writers.
In an excerpt from the book, Orland explains that the guide was meant to cover the rules that were missing from the Associated Press and Wired Magazine styles.
But along with with grammar issues, the book also covers history, trivia and contains references of the "who's who" in the game industry.
Orland writes the excerpt that it's time to hold game writers, including FAQ writers, to a higher standard.
I couldn't agree more. As the Internet begins to eclipse print media, it's time to get over the idea that it's okay to be lazy, srsly guys, you noe whatt I mean!
The Videogame Style Guide and Reference Manual will slated for released June 1, 2007 in eBook, paperback and hardcover.
For a limited time, complimentary copies are the eBook edition are available on the website for working game journalists and bloggers.
Posted by Robert Janelle
Attention med students! Should you spend your reading week cracking the books? Or should be firing up the game console and blasting away?
According to a new study, the latter may be better.
Researchers at Iowa State University found that surgeons who play video games for at least three hours per week made 37 per cent few mistakes and worked 27 per cent faster at laparoscopic surgery than non-gaming doctors.
Laparoscopic surgery (also known as key-hole surgery) is a non-invasive procedure in which a camera is inserted through a tiny incision and controlled with a joystick. The actual surgery is done through the hole using chopstick-like implements.
Perhaps a Nintendo DS and a copy of Trauma Center should be standard issue for all new residents.
Posted by Robert Janelle
Last week, the virtual world of Second Life shaken up by an act of terrorism.
Bombs exploded in the commercial district, cloud the area with white smoke, but otherwise causing no real damage.
But isn't that terrorism in it's purest form? The gain attention by creating fear.
Taking credit for this acting was a group known as the Second Life Liberation Army.
With the name reminiscent of right-wing militias, the group has one simple demand: Linden Lab, owners of Second Life, should go public and allow players to buy shares in the company.
However, the group has stated on their website that their campaign does not seek to interfere with normal operation of the world but "will only attack agents of the state and other strategically important sites within Second Life."
While being able to buy shares of company must be an appealing idea of the growing list of Second Life users, one must wonder. Should the San Francisco-based company violate one of the great American codes and give into to terrorists? The SLLA may very well have harmed their own cause.
Besides, Linden Labs has already released the source code for the Second Life Viewer to the Open Source community, isn't that giving people control?
Posted by Robert Janelle
Several game news outlets are reporting details released about the upcoming Metal Gear Solid movie.
What is confirmed so far is that it's being created in Sony's own studio and the producer will be Michael De Luca.
De Luca has previous produced Ghost Rider and Zathura: A Space Adventure. (Interestingly enough, he was also the executive producer for Hedwig and the Angry Inch.)
The Internet Movie Database has Metal Gear Solid listed as being released in 2008, but no other details are available...so the question remains...will it be any good?
The Metal Gear series is very cinematic (often criticized, though sometimes praised, for half-hour cut scenes) and has big screen potential, but I'm weary. Movies based on games have a history of being, well, not very good...(*cough* DOOM *cough*)
On the other hand, I first got into Metal Gear Solid when I played a pre-release demo and realized it was like playing a cheesy action movie.
I guess my biggest concern would be whose going to play Snake? I'm not sure I can deal with anyone besides voice actor David Hayter.
Posted by Robert Janelle
Adventure games do still exist, you collect items which usually appear in an inventory at the bottom of the screen (known affectionately as hammer space) and you click them onto other items to solve puzzles.
But it wasn't always so simple. A time existed when you had to type every command in.
Take wallet
Open wallet
Take money from wallet
...You get the idea. In those days, Sierra led the way with series like Space Quest and King's Quest.
But somewhere along the way, something changed. The mouse became a more prominent feature in these games and the need to type commands just vanished.
It's sad to an extend. I learned to read at an adult level when I was five-years-old out of my determination to play this Space Quest game that had captivated my household.
Besides the education quality the text parser added, it also allowed programmers to put in witty replies to stupid commands: "Lets not and say we did," etc.
Though, my biggest issue is that with a limited number of commands given in these point-and-click games, puzzles with simple solutions are sometimes not so simple.
There was one game where the solution to a puzzle was to switch the mattresses from two beds. It took my about an hour to figure out that I had to click the USE command, click on one mattress and then click on the other. Just typing in "switch mattresses" would've made the solution easier and I wouldn't have felt so dirty looking at a walkthrough.
I guess there's always the Interactive Fiction community, along with Homestarrunner (who seem to understand what made old games great, even if all theirs are parodies.)
Posted by Robert Janelle
It goes like this: You suddenly feel the urge to relieve junior high and want to play Wolfenstein 3D again. You find a copy then attempt to install and um, what? It's not doing anything...
Windows is being a jerk and refuses to let you play.
The problem is easily rectified though, thanks to an Open Source program called DOSBox.
DOSBox is a DOS emulator, pretty much like any other console system emulator. It runs old programs as if they were actually running on an old operating system.
Rather nice for those of us who still like to bust out the games on floppy disks.
Download DOSBox here
Posted by Robert Janelle
It's 2:30 a.m.
I promised myself, one more level and I'll go to sleep.
But then I defend myself. I know the end of the game is near, might as well keep going....
It's 5 a.m. and I need to be on the road in three hours...oops.
Hi, my name is Robert and I'm a video game addict. Well, probably not in the clinical addiction sense, meaning nobody's planning to ship me off to Amsterdam...yet.
But I've decided it's time to confess the top five most pathetic things I've done as a game junkie, so here we go:
1. While playing a game one night, I got a call from some college buddies inviting my out for drinks. I paused the game, downed a few White Russians with the boys and then ran back to continue.
2. I've woken up on the couch with a controller in my hand staring at a Game Over screen...more than once.
3. I once got lost driving in the middle of nowhere and hit thick fog, the car radio stopped working and there was no reception on my cell phone. My first instinct was the look for a lead pipe because clearly, I was in Silent Hill.
4. I had my copy of Final Fantasy 7 pre-ordered (to get the free t-shirt!) before I even owned a PlayStation. I went to pick up my copy of the game and then told the clerk I'd also need a PlayStation to play it on.
5. The anecdote I opened this entry with....ACTUALLY HAPPENED! I'm just glad I didn't get fired for being two hours late. Of course, when my boss asked where I was, I explained that there was an elephant sitting on my car and he wouldn't get off.
At least, those are the first five to come to mind, I'm sure I'll write a sequel to this at some point.
In the meantime, share your own confessions on the discussion board!
Posted by Robert Janelle
My apologies to readers for that slight disappearing act I pulled...it's been a very crazy three months, but those details are moot now.
However, I've spent a lot of time revisiting some older games and I have to say, Deuce Ex blew my mind, all over again.
This first-person shooter was released in 2002 for multiple platforms but it goes so far beyond what an FPS can be.
Unlike most games in the genre, the focus isn't on running around mazes blasting anything that moves. In fact, it's possible to get through the game without firing a shot if you're stealthy enough.
Though along with radically different gameplay (the best way to describe it is Half-Life meets Metal Gear) is something else that's generally lacking in FPS games: plot!
Deuce Ex's plot, with plenty of twists, is deeper than most role-playing games. It keeps you guessing and gets downright philosophical at points (one hidden sequence involves the main character debating God with a computer.)
The game casts the player as J.C. Denton, a new government agent whose first assignment is to deal with a hostage situation. But as you quickly discover in the mission, nothing is as it seems, to use a horrid cliche.
Another difference between Deuce Ex and other shoot-em-ups is that almost every action has a consequence. For example, walking around a bar with your gun drawn will cause the bartender to start shooting at you. Should you shoot back and kill her, later in the game there will be a soldier drinking in the bar who'll blurt out: "Someone wasted the bartender! Drinks are free!"
I'll admit it, it's the subtleties that win me over.
To top off all that is my favourite feature in any game, regardless of genre: multiple endings.
So few games focus on replay value, even older ones, so it's refreshing to find one from any era that keeps you going after the usual 25 hours.
Now to sit down with the sequel, which I've never played.