tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221526142024-03-13T21:00:04.688-06:00Ghosts in the Game"Ever since the first computers, there have always been
ghosts in the machine. Random segments of code that
have grouped together to form unexpected protocol. One we call behavior, unanticipated."
-Dr. Alfred Lanning, "I, Robot" (2004)Duncan Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13280914228859902589noreply@blogger.comBlogger130125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22152614.post-79440866615800076692011-03-26T20:43:00.001-06:002011-03-26T20:43:24.324-06:00Back OnlineThanks to a new Android phone, I am now able to get online without having to pull out a full computer. This is a good thing because I rarely have the time anymore. But with some apps, I can surf from the palm of my hand. I can read newsfeeds and generally stay on top of things (or at least think that I am). I can even blog again.
Now I just need to do some spring cleaning on my various social Duncan Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13280914228859902589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22152614.post-88200689069140982592010-09-24T21:29:00.000-06:002010-09-24T21:29:05.977-06:00There is No Family in DRMI have a problem. I just bought my wife an eBook reader for our anniversary (5 years!). It's a pretty good little gadget. Very simple to use, basically plug and read. The software is slick, and ties directly to their store. And their store is pretty closely tied to our local big-box bookstore.
I live in Canada, so our big book store is Chapters (slash Indigo, slash Coles... It's practically a Duncan Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13280914228859902589noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22152614.post-78665645317017830952010-01-30T22:05:00.000-07:002010-01-30T22:05:09.273-07:00I'm Gonna Let You Finish...But first I have to apologize for the horrible Kanye West reference. Sorry.
Anyway, I wanted to talk a bit about the conversation interrupts in Mass Effect 2.
I love these things. I think they are fantastic. They feel immediate, visceral, and allow the player to feel like they can have an impact on the conversation. They are not Quick Time Events because they are entirely optional. They Duncan Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13280914228859902589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22152614.post-53821277905622208102010-01-29T08:45:00.000-07:002010-01-29T08:45:53.956-07:00Save the World for Only $5Until January 31st (2010), Telltale Games is offering the entire first season of Sam & Max for $4.95 USD.
Go Here To Get It
For five bucks you get 6 episodes of hilarious cartoon violence and witty dialog. If you've been reading this blog for any length of time you'll know that I've talked about Sam & Max before (here and here). That was back when I was subscribing to GameTap. I've Duncan Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13280914228859902589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22152614.post-44888279448104001922010-01-26T23:57:00.000-07:002010-01-26T23:57:50.905-07:00Maxwell Shepard is DeadI've now had a little over 4 hours with Mass Effect 2 and I think I can reliably say this about it: Bioware is worthy of all the praise and acclaim they will certainly receive from reviewers and fans in the next while. ME2 is glorious. The story grips from the onset, gives you control, and the galaxy is far more alive than it was in ME1. I could probably gush about it for a several paragraphs Duncan Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13280914228859902589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22152614.post-16384541552408686082010-01-25T09:37:00.000-07:002010-01-25T09:37:35.571-07:00Making ArtSeth Godin (master marketer and thinker on things community) has a short blog post about art. He defines art thusly:
Art is made by a human being.
Art is created to have an impact, to change someone else.
Art is a gift. You can sell the souvenir, the canvas, the recording... but the idea itself is free, and the generosity is a critical part of making art.
Drop this definition into the discussion Duncan Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13280914228859902589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22152614.post-36691884582401486512010-01-23T22:22:00.000-07:002010-01-23T22:22:27.080-07:00Digging for GoldTwo weeks ago I purchased a year long membership to Xbox Live Gold. Truth be told, I did it because the package included a chat pad, a headset and a game for a price I really couldn't say no to.
And I like some of the perks (though have used few of them). For instance, I can now get demos and videos of games I probably won't buy a week before I used to. And I can use the crippled and nearly Duncan Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13280914228859902589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22152614.post-17400851068489273472010-01-14T20:45:00.000-07:002010-01-14T20:45:36.177-07:00Still Waiting for JackI have written about You Don't Know Jack at least twice on this blog (here and here). Both times lamenting the fact that I can't play a current version of the irreverent trivia game on my living room TV with friends and strangers over the internets. This was brought painfully to mind again this week as I dipped my toe back into the world of trivia gameshows with 1 vs 100 on the Xbox 360.
More Duncan Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13280914228859902589noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22152614.post-71358246336255045942010-01-02T13:11:00.000-07:002010-01-02T13:11:06.682-07:00I ResolveAccording to the rest of the world, this is going out a day late. All I can say is that sometimes these things take time. So, January 2nd just around 1 in the afternoon (Mountain Standard Time) I am writing this. I suppose it is my New Year's Resolution.
It is an odd ritual, the making of resolutions. People pick an arbitrary day in the Solar year and make a statement that they will strive to Duncan Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13280914228859902589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22152614.post-73258399428595867062009-11-27T15:29:00.000-07:002009-11-27T15:29:07.677-07:00Epic Failure to CommunicateIt has been nearly 6 months since I last posted anything to this blog. Not for lack of things to post. Not even for lack of time (I have spare time, I simply waste a lot of it). I seem to have lacked drive. The fickle inspiration to transcribe my inner litany to black and white text had fled, leaving my keyboard un-tapped. I was in input mode.
This seems to happen, every now and again. I become Duncan Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13280914228859902589noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22152614.post-1769987433686341442009-06-11T23:30:00.000-06:002009-06-11T23:30:42.000-06:00Video Games Are the RulesThis a rebuttal to Yehuda's post: Why Don't Video Games Tell You the Rules?
Firstly, a declaration: I am a video gamer and a board gamer. I love to explore any system that has rules and systems. However, there are fundamental differences between the organization and execution of each type of game that alters not only how we perceve them, but also how we play them. Most of these have to do with Duncan Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13280914228859902589noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22152614.post-71946369832257443122009-05-03T18:35:00.000-06:002009-05-03T18:35:00.731-06:00$3 is a No-BrainerI have purchased my first-ever micro game. Expect more of these in the next while, hopefully all with as simple a way to buy in.
The game is Windosill, a very simple Ambient Point-And-Click Puzzler. Describing the game is difficult. Each scene is a window into a strange world. The window sill has a block car and a locked door. You have to find the cube that unlocks the door so you can get the Duncan Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13280914228859902589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22152614.post-27009040973102969782009-05-02T08:27:00.000-06:002009-05-02T08:27:04.298-06:00What's Your Rush?I just played Blurst's newest release: Paper Moon. Go ahead, have a go, it's free. It's a very basic platformer. The twist is that you can pop select pieces of the scenery in and out. These bits are either behind, on level with, or in front of the scene.
This means that jumping puzzles can have an added element where you have to jump and then pop the next platform into place. The neat part comesDuncan Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13280914228859902589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22152614.post-91283854562795931582009-04-28T08:00:00.004-06:002009-04-28T08:00:00.274-06:00µReview: Prince of Persia [+/-DLC]**Warning: this post may contain spoilers as it talks about stuff that happens after the main game ends. Also it may digress into discussions paying for content.**
So far, the only downloadable content for PoP worth speaking of is the Epilogue. It picks up exactly where the ending left off and carries the prince and Elika away from Ahriman's immediate control and into new lands. It also serves Duncan Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13280914228859902589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22152614.post-58684060412735664892009-04-27T08:00:00.005-06:002009-04-27T08:00:00.412-06:00µReview: Prince of Persia [-Ending]**Warning: there are spoilers in this post. If you want to stay blissfully ignorant about the ending of PoP until you play it, STOP READING NOW**
There have been a lot of complaints about the ending to PoP. If you haven't played it, but don't care about spoilers, here's the synopsis:
Elika's father, the last king of the Ahura, has released Ahriman, the dark god of corruption. He did it to bringDuncan Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13280914228859902589noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22152614.post-17852945860094865672009-04-26T08:00:00.003-06:002009-04-26T08:00:00.601-06:00µReview: Prince of Persia [+Narrative]PoP presents a fully realized story backdrop to accompany the decaying vistas that populate your sightlines from horizon to horizon. It is a story of a trapped evil god, freed though despair and loss. You fight his four acolytes, men who have bargained with him in the past, and lost their souls in the process. Each tale is a wonderful digression, exploring classic themes and stories. Each Duncan Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13280914228859902589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22152614.post-90078620943524592862009-04-25T08:00:00.004-06:002009-04-25T08:00:00.449-06:00µReview: Prince of Persia [-Combat]The combat is a negative point for me, but not for a lack of trying. I think with a little more play testing and some adjustment the cinematic quality could have been preserved without the unnecessary punishment for not being psychic.
I applaud the combat for using the same button contexts as the movement in the game. Jump becomes acrobatics and dodge. Grip/Glove becomes grab and toss. Magic Duncan Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13280914228859902589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22152614.post-41601960428656892042009-04-24T08:00:00.005-06:002009-04-24T08:00:00.185-06:00µReview: Prince of Persia [+Difficulty]The positive aspect isn't so much about the PoP's difficulty, as it's about the unique way it handles the difficulty curve: it doesn't really have one.
The intro teaches you the basic moves: jump, wall climb, wall run, rings to extend moves. After that you are quickly given teaching on the additional moves: vine crawling, co-op jumps, and the ceiling crawl. A little later you will unlock the "Duncan Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13280914228859902589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22152614.post-42710537635136669482009-04-23T08:00:00.001-06:002009-04-23T08:00:00.508-06:00µReview: Prince of Persia [+Length]The game is short. It clocked in under 12 hours, including the Downloadable Content. Even for me, and I like to take my time to explore. Case in point: I got the achievements for collecting all of the Light Seeds, and doing the Speed Runs, and still got the achievement for finishing the game quickly. No internet help on them either.
This is good, because the game doesn't outstay its welcome. Duncan Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13280914228859902589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22152614.post-12231521219699569332009-04-22T08:00:00.002-06:002009-04-22T08:00:01.442-06:00µReview: Prince of Persia [+Visual Direction]The first thing that hits you about this game is that it's bloody gorgeous. Actually, maybe not. I'm trying to think back to when I first started playing the game. You begin with a short cut-scene where The Prince (note: not actually a prince) is trudging blindly through a sandstorm. He promptly falls down a cliff and is landed on by a beautiful woman.
The game is pretty nice looking at this Duncan Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13280914228859902589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22152614.post-61495800334514649292009-04-21T23:04:00.000-06:002009-04-21T23:04:11.940-06:00µReview: Prince of Persia Overview [++++/---]Ubisoft Montreal's re-envisioning of Prince of Persia has far more qualities than flaws. The beautiful world design, coupled with the fantastic voice work and competent narrative create a highly immersive world that feels like playing an action movie.
I played the entire game, with the DLC Epilogue in a couple of weeks with no sessions longer than 3 hours. I found a few parts frustrating, but Duncan Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13280914228859902589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22152614.post-36700127557980677262009-04-15T21:27:00.000-06:002009-04-15T21:27:46.901-06:00Space is Disease and Danger Wrapped in Darkness and SilenceSpace, so I've been told, is a bleak and depressing place. There is a lot of nothing, and when you do find something (anything) it tends to be harsh, inhospitable, and dangerous.
Which is probably why exploring planets (the main activity of side missions in Mass Effect) is so bloody boring.
Warning! (Boring) Spoilers Ahead.
Just about every side mission has the following attributes:
(optional)Duncan Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13280914228859902589noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22152614.post-29062816094864222552009-04-12T20:44:00.000-06:002009-04-12T20:44:27.829-06:00The Many Lives of Commander ShepardI mentioned in my last post that I recently finished my first play through of Mass Effect. I managed to cover a lot of the content, side missions, exposition, and general tooling around that the game provides. Yet I still hope to play it again. Twice if I can manage.
There's a small problem with many epic-sized games, specifically with the Western-style RPGs: multiple paths through the narrativeDuncan Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13280914228859902589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22152614.post-43240661857877338402009-04-11T09:02:00.000-06:002009-04-11T09:02:52.261-06:00HoorahLast weekend I finished my first play through of Mass Effect, the first installment of BioWare's epic Space Opera. It is a rare occasion that I get to complete a full-sized RPG like this, and I'm still feeling inordinately pleased about it.
When I play, I like to get immersed. I lean heavily towards games with lots of narrative elements and large storyworlds. This used to be adventure games. Duncan Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13280914228859902589noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22152614.post-2304210220860271462009-03-28T20:28:00.000-06:002009-03-28T20:28:52.813-06:00TPSRPG?It's been a while since I blogged. I'll try to fix than. First, a short diversion.
I am hearing echos down the inter-tubes that Bioware's space opera sequel (Mass Effect 2, for those playing at home without a scorecard) will be a Shooter RPG. This worries me.
I am a self-professed Bioware Fanboy. Having a deep love of epic storytelling, and growing up in the same town, has had the expected Duncan Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13280914228859902589noreply@blogger.com0