Soul Calibur IV is one of the latest additions to the series of the popular weapon-based fighter games. It was produced by Namco, and released on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.
Players face off against a single opponent in one-on-one, free-roaming combat. There are a wide variety of arenas, weapons, and characters to choose from, and almost every one has a unique set of moves. This allows for a greatly varied set of play sessions with only the basic components of the game.
The primary modes of gameplay are story(a few scenario battles tied to a common plot, not a good one either), arcade(fight through a series of progressivly tougher opponents), and versus(player vs player). Secondary modes include 'extra' versions of arcade and versus where the different weapons have different attributes (nullify ring out, auto-counter, etc), a tower with an endurance section (never ending opponents, no health recovery) and a challenge section to unlock equipment. However, equipment can be unlocked by playing arcade, story, and versus repeatedly, so some may find that more appealing than most of the 'very' difficult challenges.
It's the difficulty of the game that may turn some away if it's their first time with a game like this.while most of the characters are not difficult to find a few moves that work in most situations once the basic mechanics are understood, there is no 'easy' setting for the game, and the AI can range anywhere from average to merciless, even on standard modes like arcade. At that point, a person would need to put some serious practice into a favorite character or hope one of the cheap moves they learned will get them through.
The difficulty can be ofset by creating a custom character. Players can make up to 50 characters of their own design ased of of the fighting styles of pre-existant characters. This includes skills the character has. More skills are available to a fighting style that's been used more, and different clothing and gear allocate points towards different types of skills. Stuck on a challange that requires countering? Build someone who automatically counters instead of blocks everytime. The opponent blocks everything and breaks your grapples? Make some of your stronger moves randomly unblockable, or make it so you do some damage even with a blocked attack. It's also fun to just try building yourself or a favorite character. However, I find that the options for creation are fewer than when the idea was introduced in Soul Calibur III.
Anyway, it's a fun game, and is easy to pick and play with friends. Patience and practice will get you through most of the challenges, but fortunatly you don't need to be hardcore to get everything out of it. 8/10
Monday, January 11, 2010
Getting into the Video Game Industry as an Artist
Article answering some questions on entering into the videogame industry. Original article at www.animationarena.com/getting-into-video-game-industry.html by 'Arenamaster'.
Many artists are interested in getting into the video game industry. However, many of them are unsure as to how they get into this industry.
A mistake some make is trying to start their own business from scratch. That really isn’t a viable option anymore as video games have become a major business. Quality is important, and if you don’t have the skills, experience, or resources, a fledgling company will just drown in debt. Joining a mod team is a good way to get your feet wet as far as building games go, and they are always looking for new talent. However, modding is more for hobbyists and people interested in the coding aspect of games.
To get in with an existing developer you should have a good knowledge of traditional and digital art. ‘Game Artist’ is a general term for a wide range of jobs. These include texture artists, character modelers, and concept artists to name a few. What you choose to specialize in should determine what tools you should focus on honing your skills with.
For being a traditional artist, anatomy is probably the most important thing you can study. This will help you greatly when drawing not only people, but creatures real and fictitious, and even objects. Daily practice is important too. If you want your 2D work to be digital, Photoshop is the standard and is used just about everywhere. On the side, many up-and-coming artists have adopted an anime-based style in their artwork. Unless you have a unique, bold style, avoid this as it won’t help you stand out from the saturation of rivals when it come to showing off your portfolio.
With 3D, it’s not important to know the ins and outs of the various programs out there, but to understand how they are similar. Most 3D programs work in the same way. 3D Studio Max was the traditional choice for learning game modeling, but the company has recently shifted their attention to film. Alias however, has gone the other way; moving from film into video games. Nonetheless, choose whatever you feel like.
For animators, while it’s true a lot more movement is handled with motion capture or physics engines, there are still many things that simply can’t be generated by a machine. A good grounding in animation is still required to make a dragon fly or a robot transform.
Finally, there are many schools now that offer courses in the field of video games. Talent and hard work will get you a degree, but with art, what you can do is just as important, if not more so, as your diploma. Make sure your demo reel that goes with your application shows only the best of what you can do because that is what the businesses are looking for. Most places want at least a couple of years of experience out of their applicants, but if you can show you have the skill, your inexperience can be overlooked, you’ll get the job, and inexperience won’t be an issue in the future.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Templar Casual Game
I've come up with a little platform game for either the nintendo DS or the iPhone. It's based on the Templar Knights and their search for treasure.
You play as a Templar trying to get to the top of each tower in the stage. Each stage consists of 5 levels which act as checkpoints as long as the player has continues, with a return to the start of the stage once those run out.
You play as a Templar trying to get to the top of each tower in the stage. Each stage consists of 5 levels which act as checkpoints as long as the player has continues, with a return to the start of the stage once those run out.
To reach the top of the tower, player use boxes and boulders to reach new heights, traverse hazardous terrain, and activate out of reach switches. These objects are interacted with via the devices' touch screen, or by pushing them with your character.
There is also a co-op mode, and a level editor. Co-op allows for a second player to help comlete a special set of co-op levels. The characters can jump on each other.
The level editor allows player to make their own levels to share online. For quality control, the levels can only be submitted once they have had a play through by the level's creator.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Review: Battlefleet Gothic
Battlefleet Gothic represents battle amongst the stars with fleets of larger than life space craft.
I very much enjoyed this game. Ships are represented with miniature figures that players can decorate theirselves (meaning that even if another fleet is the same it is still unique), and each ship is worth a certain amount of points. At the start of a standard game, the players decide on how many points they are going to limit their fleets to. They then place markers to represent plants/moons, then place their fleet on the edge of the play area, and finally determine turn order.
Player keep track of their fleet on sheets of paper with sections divided for the elements of the ship. Up to 5 (if I remember corroctly) ship types can be recorded on a sheet. These record weapons and their location, damage, range, speed and 'admiral rating'. The admiral rating is for issuing special orders to a ship, and each ship has their own admiral.
Attacks are determined by rolling several six-sided dice. There is a chart included to help determine how many dice are rolled when variables are involved.
The game has something few battle games have: balance. This is because of two primary factors; Firstly, the mechanics are simple. The more detailed parts are on the same chart as was mentioned earlier, or are listed in the ships' details. In this way, there are a few rules, and each ship has their own way to use them. Secondly, the game was playtested extensivly with people who gave their opinions about what worked and what didn't. This was invaluable in making the game what it was supposed to be; fun.
An excellant thing to play. And if you pick it up, don't feel limited to skirmishing. Expansive campaignes and scenarios can be played out. The simplicity creates flexability. Have fun!
9/10
I very much enjoyed this game. Ships are represented with miniature figures that players can decorate theirselves (meaning that even if another fleet is the same it is still unique), and each ship is worth a certain amount of points. At the start of a standard game, the players decide on how many points they are going to limit their fleets to. They then place markers to represent plants/moons, then place their fleet on the edge of the play area, and finally determine turn order.
Player keep track of their fleet on sheets of paper with sections divided for the elements of the ship. Up to 5 (if I remember corroctly) ship types can be recorded on a sheet. These record weapons and their location, damage, range, speed and 'admiral rating'. The admiral rating is for issuing special orders to a ship, and each ship has their own admiral.
Attacks are determined by rolling several six-sided dice. There is a chart included to help determine how many dice are rolled when variables are involved.
The game has something few battle games have: balance. This is because of two primary factors; Firstly, the mechanics are simple. The more detailed parts are on the same chart as was mentioned earlier, or are listed in the ships' details. In this way, there are a few rules, and each ship has their own way to use them. Secondly, the game was playtested extensivly with people who gave their opinions about what worked and what didn't. This was invaluable in making the game what it was supposed to be; fun.
An excellant thing to play. And if you pick it up, don't feel limited to skirmishing. Expansive campaignes and scenarios can be played out. The simplicity creates flexability. Have fun!
9/10
Friday, November 6, 2009
Review - The Path
'The Path' is described as a short horror game based on the story of 'Little Red Riding Hood'. It was made by 'Tale of Tales' and is available for download through Steam for home computers.
Path is unique in that it breaks what is conventional for video games. It only has two rules: go to Grandmother's house, and stay on the path. Following these rules results in a failure for the player. The rules are meant to be broken because the game is about growing up.
There are 6 chapters and an epilogue in the game, each represented by a girl. They can be played in any order (except for the epilogue which is played last). The girls are of various ages ranging from 5(?) to late teens, and each of them has a different view of the world, theirselves, and what life is about. All of them are naive to the dangers of the world that are reflected in them, and that is where the wolves come into play.
The wolves are all metaphorical (except for the youngest girl). They range from a natural disaster, to idolizing bad people, to hedonism. In order to succeed in a chapter, the player must give in to the girls' 'wolf'. Once players reach the epilogue, they play as what I believe is either a seventh girl, or the seventh wolf (It's a game that make you think). Also, as you wander the forest you may come across various items. Different girls interact with these items and provide deeper insight into the girls' minds. After all this, players are left before Grandmother's house with a girl whose broken from suddenly 'growing up', and the house's interior has become a twisted reflection into the darker parts of what the girl has become.
The display is minimalistic. There are breif control instructions at the start of the chapters, but otherwise no commands are displayed. The forest loops infinatly, and a crude map appears every 100 meters to show where you've been. The only real landmarks are what appear at the edge of the screen. Pawprints indicate the direction a wolf area is in, white swirls show where the girl from the epilogue is who'll be around key items and can return you to the path, or there may be a small icon of an item if your collect enough flowers.
The game can try your patience at times with how slow the girls walk, and running pulls the camera up and pointing down so you can't see around you. This, however is by design to make the players feel defenseless and to force them to observe their surroundings. There is a ranking system for each chapter, but this is generally a farce (possibly to drive completionists and perfectionists nuts). A good game that has to be tried to truly be understood.
Path is unique in that it breaks what is conventional for video games. It only has two rules: go to Grandmother's house, and stay on the path. Following these rules results in a failure for the player. The rules are meant to be broken because the game is about growing up.
There are 6 chapters and an epilogue in the game, each represented by a girl. They can be played in any order (except for the epilogue which is played last). The girls are of various ages ranging from 5(?) to late teens, and each of them has a different view of the world, theirselves, and what life is about. All of them are naive to the dangers of the world that are reflected in them, and that is where the wolves come into play.
The wolves are all metaphorical (except for the youngest girl). They range from a natural disaster, to idolizing bad people, to hedonism. In order to succeed in a chapter, the player must give in to the girls' 'wolf'. Once players reach the epilogue, they play as what I believe is either a seventh girl, or the seventh wolf (It's a game that make you think). Also, as you wander the forest you may come across various items. Different girls interact with these items and provide deeper insight into the girls' minds. After all this, players are left before Grandmother's house with a girl whose broken from suddenly 'growing up', and the house's interior has become a twisted reflection into the darker parts of what the girl has become.
The display is minimalistic. There are breif control instructions at the start of the chapters, but otherwise no commands are displayed. The forest loops infinatly, and a crude map appears every 100 meters to show where you've been. The only real landmarks are what appear at the edge of the screen. Pawprints indicate the direction a wolf area is in, white swirls show where the girl from the epilogue is who'll be around key items and can return you to the path, or there may be a small icon of an item if your collect enough flowers.
The game can try your patience at times with how slow the girls walk, and running pulls the camera up and pointing down so you can't see around you. This, however is by design to make the players feel defenseless and to force them to observe their surroundings. There is a ranking system for each chapter, but this is generally a farce (possibly to drive completionists and perfectionists nuts). A good game that has to be tried to truly be understood.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Terahk Review
Terahk is a board game in which you control a tribe of 'Mayans' for domination of the board. Each player has 3 different pieces (Mayans, an Elder, and an Idol), and a triangular board tile.
At the start of the game each player places their tiles together. This allows for a variety of game board designs based on how many people are playing. Mayans have an 'attack' and 'defend' mode represented by flipping the desired side of the piece up. he different modes confer different bonus in combat with other Mayans. Idols are like Mayans, but, instead of flipping, they have unique abilities like ranged attacks or ignoring defense bonuses. Idols can be offensivly or defensivly improved by defeating Mayans. Lastly is the Elder. This piece can bring defeated Mayans back into the game and rotate the section of the board it is on..
'Mana' is used to perform various actions in the game. Each player gets 5 mana at the start of their turn. Leftover Mana doesn't carry over to later turns. Mana is used to attack, move, revive Mayans, etc.
The last element of play are the cards. They are used to gain a tacticle advantage over opponents, though some cause trouble for everyone.
Terahk has a simple, almost cartoony look to it, but it is not the fastest of games. It can last up to 2-3 hours when 4-6 people are involved. This is due to a short learning curve, but a deep requirement of strategy that can be undermined by the chance of the dice. Underdogs can stop an assault and rise to the top in a couple of turns sometimes.
For strategy buffs, this is a great game. For others looking for something faster, give it a try with 2-4 players. It's easy to learn, and fun to master.
3/5
At the start of the game each player places their tiles together. This allows for a variety of game board designs based on how many people are playing. Mayans have an 'attack' and 'defend' mode represented by flipping the desired side of the piece up. he different modes confer different bonus in combat with other Mayans. Idols are like Mayans, but, instead of flipping, they have unique abilities like ranged attacks or ignoring defense bonuses. Idols can be offensivly or defensivly improved by defeating Mayans. Lastly is the Elder. This piece can bring defeated Mayans back into the game and rotate the section of the board it is on..
'Mana' is used to perform various actions in the game. Each player gets 5 mana at the start of their turn. Leftover Mana doesn't carry over to later turns. Mana is used to attack, move, revive Mayans, etc.
The last element of play are the cards. They are used to gain a tacticle advantage over opponents, though some cause trouble for everyone.
Terahk has a simple, almost cartoony look to it, but it is not the fastest of games. It can last up to 2-3 hours when 4-6 people are involved. This is due to a short learning curve, but a deep requirement of strategy that can be undermined by the chance of the dice. Underdogs can stop an assault and rise to the top in a couple of turns sometimes.
For strategy buffs, this is a great game. For others looking for something faster, give it a try with 2-4 players. It's easy to learn, and fun to master.
3/5
Friday, October 2, 2009
Cyber((c) Truro Police Dept.) Game Draft
Game Type
Wall defense
Objective
Defend the 'firewall' from enemies by encasing them in a net fired from Cyber(c).
Challenge
Waves of enemies (bad messages, identity theives, etc) move towards the firewall. When they come to the firewall, they begin to deal damage to the wall and continue to do so until captured. When the wall takes enough damage, the game is over. Players win a level by holding off an entire wave of enemies. There are ten levels.
Mechanics
Cyber(c) can be moved up and down the screen to postition himself to aim his nets. Stronger enemies take more nets to defeat. At the end of each level, players can choose to repair damage to the wall or improve the strength of their nets.
Wall defense
Objective
Defend the 'firewall' from enemies by encasing them in a net fired from Cyber(c).
Challenge
Waves of enemies (bad messages, identity theives, etc) move towards the firewall. When they come to the firewall, they begin to deal damage to the wall and continue to do so until captured. When the wall takes enough damage, the game is over. Players win a level by holding off an entire wave of enemies. There are ten levels.
Mechanics
Cyber(c) can be moved up and down the screen to postition himself to aim his nets. Stronger enemies take more nets to defeat. At the end of each level, players can choose to repair damage to the wall or improve the strength of their nets.
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