GEARS OF WAR 2

As mentioned in previous posts, I’m using my time to catch up with all those games I couldn’t play while I was writing the novel. So I’ve just completed Gears of War 2.

Great game, by all means. They’ve kept the basic guidelines of GoW’s combat system (quite good), and they made some interesting decisions to enhance the final result. Instead of moving the focus of the sequel on new weapons, like many other games do, they added a small group of not-particularly-impressing new weapons and instead they chose to add many Hollywood-style sequences to the game, thus making it similar to an adventure movie.

That’s something I’ve seen in other games, such as Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 (holy shit, it takes longer to say the game’s name than finish it). In order to avoid repetition in the combat situations developers add from time to time small game mechanics (vehicle chase, vehicle conduction, using a turret, jumps, handle a crane…) which are only used at that point in the game, and makes you feel the game has so high production values that it’s worth more than the money you paid for it. Maybe it’s a trend in following titles. We’ll see.

CALL OF DUTY MODERN WARFARE 2

Now that I’m back on the saddle, I’m trying to finish all those games that were released while I was writing the novel, and I didn’t have the time to play. The first is CoD Modern Warfare 2.

Mixed feelings about it. On the plus side the level design is as good as ever, I appreciate the variety of graphic themes along the game, great animations and small unique mechanics associated to specific situations.

On the minus side the plot is simply unbelievable, too many odd-planned combat situations with enemies coming from behind, and frequent ‘real war situations’ were you are surrounded by enemies in a strange environment were you are uncertain where to go.

Also, the game can be completed within 6-7 hours. Great hours, for sure, but not too many. I seriously doubt I’ll play the co-op campaing, and I’ll take a look at the multiplayer but not in depth. I wish I would have been given the chance to buy just the singleplayer campaign for a reduced price.

The game is definitively worth the money I paid for it, but I think it’s an 8 or 8.5, tops.

COME BACK

Well, I’ve just completed the hardest part of writing my novel, so I’m coming back to videogame business. I’m updating my online status in Linkedin and other sites so headhunters know I’m looking for a job.

My ideal company would be one with a portfolio of games (no more start-up companies for me), the ability to release games on a regular basis (no more Pyro-like companies, who can spend 5 years without releasing a game), international (no more spanish managers. No sir) and a nice atmosphere. Let’s see what I can find and who wants me in. I’ll keep you updated.

GAME WRITING - Narrative Skills for Videogames

Thank god, I eventually finished reading Game Writing – Narrative skills for videogames. Not totally sure, but I think it’s the book which took me more time to complete in my life. More than 2 years, I’d say.

I’m not saying it doesn’t contain some useful info, but it’s scattered around its 300 pages. The bulk of the book is common places, data that everyone knows and some over-detailed info about minor aspects that become almost useless. It’s a compilation of different articles from different authors. Some of them are more fun to read, some others are boring as hell.

You can also add the fact that reading essays is always more exhausting than stories, and it’s even worse if it’s in a foreign language (english, in this case).

Even though I have some writing experience on published games (minor contributions to Runaway & La Prisión, 2 text-based mobile games and the source spanish version of Imperial Glory & Wanted texts), I don’t think this book was worth my time. If you don’t need to read it, try to skip it.

HOW MUCH HYPE DO I NEED, DOCTOR?

Bionic Commando was one of the failures of (now extinct) Grin. Everyone assumed it was going to be a huge hit. I’ve been told it’s not a bad game at all, but somehow it has been perceived like a flop since it was released. Not sure, but I’d say that the hype was badly managed, and it made journalists give it worst reviews than deserved.

Let me explain this point: Since they started showcasing BC (something similar also happened with Wanted: Weapons of Fate) all the Grin/Capcom spokesmen said it was going to be an amazing game, a unique experience, one of the most remarkable games ever… That created so high expectations that when the game was released, and it was not that amazing, journalists were somehow encouraged to ‘attack’ the game instead of just saying how good/bad it was.

I can understand these spokesmen, they’ll probably say ‘Hey, I did my job! I created a lot of buzz around the game! It was the studio’s fault not to reach the expectations!’. Bullshit, in my opinion. You see games, like many other leisure products, are impossible to know if they’ll eventually be great or poor. You can suspect, but you can never be sure, particularly since there are some many ‘smoke-sellers’ in this industry. That’s why I think an excessive hype around a title can later be dangerous for ratings and sales.

So, in my humble opinion, unless you’re extremely sure that you’ve got an amazing game in your hands, I think hype should be kept relatively low while you’re developing. Just enough to let the press know that you’re working on a title, and let them figure out if it’s going to be good or bad (of course provide the best materials – screenshots, videos, etc – you’ve got, so their perception is good). Once you’re approaching to the final stages of the development, then you can decide if it’s going to be great or not, and create the appropriate buzz.

GRIN STOCKHOLM DOWN

Shit, more bad news. Seems like Grin Stockholm, the central office of my former company, has been forced to close its door too (click here for the Gamasutra post).

I’m really sorry for Bo, one of the owners. He’s an enthusiastic man, more talented than he thinks (specially if you compare him with his brother Ulf) and they created a unique company with a great personality, encouraging people to take out their shoes while in the office, bringing cakes for the employees regularly, hiring their own mother as secretary… yeah, really unique.

I don’t know about the main reason why they had to let their 12-year-old baby die. But anyway it’s something bad for the industry, Swedish professionals and videogame people in general (click here for their last words in Grin's official site).

VIOLENCE AND CHILDREN

Videogames are often accused of showing too much violence, particularly when they’re used by younglings. As a developer, I use to get mad when I hear that and I see how those same parents allow their children to watch violent movies without remorse.

I’ve just watched ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’. According to my recount, 24 people are injured along the movie. 51 dies, and 10 of them are directly killed by the main character, Dr. Indiana Jones. And that’s one of those ‘family movies’ that all parents will be happy to let their children watch. Both in games and movies the user emphatises with the main character, so in a way you’re also the killer of those 10. At least I felt happy when they died and my favourite archeologist of all times could go on with his quest.

Leaving aside hypocrisy, I think the whole point of this is motivation. You can’t doubt of the good intentions of Indiana Jones. He fights nazis (evil by definition), and fights for saving precious artifacts so they can be kept safely in a museum. On the other side, users often impersonate characters in games who have no motivation for killing, or a really thin one.

Maybe that’s all we developers need to work on. I remember Sonic got some ‘Protect the children’ awards because when you kill an enemy, a little smiling animal was released. That’s should be enough for kid’s games. For adult games, hypocrites will continue bugging around.