I (heart) Level Editors

Reality Check: Japanese and Western developers

2012-03-09T11:39:00.006-05:00

This week is GDC, the Game Developers Conference, where industry members gather and discuss the business and processes of creating games.

There are always a lot of great stories that come out of GDC, new product reveals, great interviews and excellent panels, but there is one particular story that has stood out and has personally affected me. This week, following a panel on Indie Game: The Movie (which I can't wait to see), Phil Fish, the creator of the soon-to-be released Fez (my most anticipated game of this year!) replied to a question from an attendee (Japanese game developer Makoto Goto) who asked about what he thought of modern Japanese games by saying "Your games just suck". He then continued to criticize Japanese games (I have not been able to find any source that mentions exactly what the criticisms were).

First of all, I would like to say that I believe that everyone is entitled to their opinion, regardless of how it conflicts with my own. I don't have any problem with his comments (as wrong as they may be), but I do feel that this has poured gasoline onto the fiery discussion that is "Japanese vs. Western developers". And for that reason, I would like to inform the uninformed (and there are many uninformed people out there, based on what I've been reading on the internet in the past 24 hours).

This whole anti-Japanese game sentiment has been prevalent for over a year now, and I don't know how it started (Keiji Inafune made comments about the "dire" state of the Japanese development community a couple of years ago, this may have started this sentiment). I believe that taking an anti-anything stance is usually incorrect (I'm of course not counting fighting injustice or criminal behavior, of course), if your platform is "all ____ are ____" then you are embarrassingly showing your ignorance. I also haven't heard many (or any) compelling arguments that support this theory, either. So, I'm going to present some factual data, and present a case that illustrates what I see are the strengths and failings of Japanese developed games when compared directly to Western developed games.

One comparison that most effectively and evidently illustrates the difference between Japanese and Western games is Super Street Fighter IV vs. Mortal Kombat.

An epic fanboy battle that's been going on for 20 years

Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter have been battling for fighting game supremacy for a long time, and both have loyal fans. Street Fighter games, developed in Japan and Mortal Kombat, developed in the USA are both great examples of where these developers put their focus and what their goals are when developing a title.

Now, trying to be as objective as possible, I will start off by saying that, as a developer myself, I believe that the gameplay systems and core mechanics are much more sound and well implemented in Street Fighter. I would even go as far as saying that it is a more skillfully crafted game. The controls, animations and gameplay AI are more evidently refined in SSFIV.

As for Mortal Kombat, it is a well made game as well, just not as "well made" as SSFIV. Where MK surpasses SSFIV is in its content. There is much more variety and depth to Mortal Kombat's content, from gameplay modes, to additional features and gameplay modifiers. There are so many different ways to play and experience Mortal Kombat. There's a mission mode (with 300 missions to complete), a lengthy and interesting story mode, and many additions that affect how matches are played out (like the option to play with characters that have no arms!).

And therein lies the big difference. It's my observation that in the present-day, Western developers create better products and Japanese developers create better games. Typically, that is the most common complaint I have with Japanese developed games; a lack of additional content.

Japanese developers seem to struggle with understanding how to create that elusive "complete package". Whether its absent or broken online features or a strictness that only allows the player to play the game a certain way (lack of player freedom).

A great example of this lack of understanding is Nintendo's online presence. The Wii's online capabilities are laughable and I don't think Nintendo has any idea how to create, foster and support an online community infrastructure like PSN or Xbox LIVE. And I have my doubts that the WiiU will fix that.

I've been saying for years now: "Could you imagine being able to play Super Smash Bros. Brawl easily and trouble-free online?" I think I would literally never play another game. Luckily, I'm convinced that will never happen.

A common argument is that Japanese developers are "stuck in the past", and I happen to think that's not such a bad thing. I prefer to think of it as "Japanese developers have not forgotten that they make GAMES." Let's take a look at another example.

Third-person shooters, head-to-head

I going to go out on a limb and assume that you didn't play Vanquish (and if you haven't played it, you should look into remedying that ASAP - doctor's orders!). Last year, I loaned that game out to almost everyone at my studio and the most common reaction was "that was one of, if not the best third-person shooter I've ever played." The game plays well and is a joy to play (you know, like how games are supposed to be fun?) The dialogue is hokey (at best) and the story is somewhat of a convoluted mess... but it plays like a dream!

Then we have Gears of War 3, the third part of the Epic (both in scale and developed by) Gears of War series. GoW3 doesn't play as fluidly or as smoothly as Vanquish, and it's not as fun. It's still an excellent game, but its gameplay (I'm a slave to gameplay) just isn't as good as Vanquish's. What GoW3 does provide however, is a more complete experience. Beyond the single player campaign (which you can play with up to 4 people cooperatively) there is an awe-inspiring amount of content. There are multiple variations of both competitive and cooperative multiplayer modes and the story telling is straight forward, allowing you to become more invested in the characters and the world.

This comparison bares more than some resemblance to the fighting game comparison above. I think you are no doubt seeing a pattern here. And this pattern is quite common.

When people say that Japanese developers are "out of touch" and "behind the times", at most you can say that they are talking about the ways in which they are presenting and packaging their content. It's quite foolish (and downright wrong) to say that it is the content itself (the game at its core) where the Japanese are lacking.

Someone recently asked openly on twitter "Are there any major game developers that specialize in creating new IPs? Excluding indie developers." and I replied by mentioning Platinum Games (the developer of Vanquish, Bayonetta and Mad World). Someone else replied with Grasshopper Manufacture (No More Heroes, Killer7, Shadows of the Damned). He later responded that those were the only two valid answers he'd received. If you actually take a look, it's the Japanese developers who actually take risks and create exciting new ideas. Of course, this does not always work out commercially (have you played any of those games mentioned in this paragraph?).

In fact, if anything, I'd say that indie developers have the most in common with Japanese developers. The way you see risks, original ideas and unique spins on classics... that's so Japanese!

Japanese developers need only learn how to build more complete packages and build communities. When it comes to the games themselves, clearly, they do that just fine.

Now that this craziness is behind us, I can go back to waiting (not so) patiently for Fez to be released!

My Gaming Log: February 2012

2012-03-01T13:51:00.004-05:00

The ol' gaming log is going strong and with February done, it's time to look back at the past month and see what I've been up to.

Click for a larger view

February was a month of focused obsessions. The month started off with me finishing off Deus Ex: Human Revolution (including getting all endings - although only one was truly worth seeing). Then I was possessed by Batman, I completed just about everything in Arkham City (all Riddler Trophies, all upgrades, completed the more challenging NewGame+ mode) and then decided to play through Arkham Asylum in a single marathon sitting (on the 13th). Then, just for fun, I jumped back into Arkham City and started from scratch just for fun.

The week of the 19th was Donkey Kong Country week! I played through Donkey Kong Country, and completely finished DKC2 (102%) and DKC3 (103%) and continued with Donkey Kong Country Returns. I am currently working my way through the super-tough Mirror Mode (play levels from a reversed perspective with no Diddy Kong and you can't even take a single hit!), I'm currenty at 173% complete (200% being the maximum).

I ended the month finally getting into Red Dead Redemption. I know I'm way behind the times on this one, but back when the game first came out, I went through a defective PS3 copy AND a defective Xbox 360 copy, so I was somewhat soured on the experience.

The only new game I played from this month was Gotham City Imposters. It's a lot of fun (I enjoy the lighthearted take on competitive shooters) and I'll likely continue playing it the future (free DLC on the way!)

That's it for February, what have you been up to?

Happy March Gaming!

Nothing beats a great boss fight

2012-02-19T19:30:00.008-05:00

I've been writing a lot about video game boss fights this past week, and it got me thinking about some of my favorites.

The boss fight is one of my favorite game elements. Some argue that modern games don't need boss fights, that they are a relic of a bygone era (I'll be covering that issue very soon), but I love them.

Among my favorite boss fights of all time, is the Stage 6 Boss from Metal Storm for the NES.

I know many of you may be asking "Metal wha--?", so let's start there.

This game rules!

Metal Storm was released for the NES in 1991, and was developed and published by Irem (most famous for being the creators of the R-Type series).

Metal Storm is a side-scrolling action platformer with an interesting mechanic that lets you reverse the gravity at any time. This gravity-shift is very useful in helping you approach and fight enemies and also factors in very heavily with the game's puzzle-like elements (gravity-shifting can sometimes affect the environment around you).

To better get a sense of the gameplay, here's a video of me playing through the game's first level.

In addition to being a ton of fun, the game looks really great for an NES game!

Jumping ahead 5 levels brings us to the boss of the 6th level. Here's a video of the boss fight:

It's a quick fight, but it is tough! One the key elements of this fight is that if you touch either the floor or the ceiling - you instantly die. You have to continuously ride the machines (snowmobile engines?) that are circling the room to keep for touching either surface. This requires a combination of well timed jumps and even better timed gravity shifts.

I really like the fact that your ultimate goal is to destroy the only things that are keeping you safe! It's really fantastic when you think about it. The most important part of the fight is when all three machines turn red (meaning that they will destroyed with only one more hit), you have to very carefully plan out in which order you will destroy them. If you don't plan your attack carefully, you could be left with nothing to stand on and fall victim to the energy beams above and below.

A defining characteristic of this boss fight is that beating it relies heavily on both an understanding and a mastery of the game's mechanics (a signature trait of any truly great boss fight).

Boss fights are shining examples of game design expertise and ingenuity at their finest, and this one is no exception.

Game Music Jukebox #6

2012-02-17T21:26:00.010-05:00

Game Music Jukebox has spent a lot of time in the past. Today, we'll listen to some more modern game music. Steel yourself, and prepare to die as we examine the music of Dark Souls.

Dark Souls is my choice for the best game of 2011. Everything about the game is top notch, including the music. While most of the music featured in Game Music Jukebox so far has been classic video game music, with a signature chiptune sound, this is a fully orchestrated soundtrack (featuring a performance by the Tokyo Philharmonic Chorus) that effectively conveys the intensity and dark foreboding of the game.

One of Dark Souls' main highlights is it's boss fights. Earlier this week, I praised Batman: Arkham City for having a particularly cool and interesting boss encounter, and I stand by that. But if one were to select a game that overall features the best boss fights, then Dark Souls wins, hands down. Almost every boss fight in Dark Souls is a seemingly impossible encounter, until you are finally able to devise (and execute) an effective strategy.

This article is about music, so why am I talking about the bosses so much? Well, of the 23 tracks on the game's original soundtrack, 18 of them are boss themes. The soundtrack itself acts as proof of the importance of the game's bosses.

The soundtrack was primarily composed by Motoi Sakuraba. Looking over his past works, you can see a strong background in JRPG's (Star Ocean, the Tales series and Valkyrie Profile). The soundtrack was made available digitally to those who pre-ordered the Collector's Edition version of Dark Souls (which I definitely did!).

Firelink Shrine:

Let's start off light. This is one of the only area themes that you'll hear in the game. As this is the theme for the game's central hub area, Firelink Shrine, you'll hear it often. The safest area in the game, this is where you'll frequently come to rest and seek respite from the hoards of undead demons that seek to kill you at every step.

While not an intense theme, by any means, it is hardly relaxing. You can feel the despair, especially as you look around and see characters huddled around the bonfire, failed adventurers beaten by the dark world around them. This is where the desperate and downtrodden gather.

Also, my wife swears that she hears a little bit of Final Fantasy VII in this track.

Taurus Demon:

The Taurus Demon is the first real boss of the game (technically, there is a boss before during the tutorial level that you can stubbornly choose to fight without aid, if you so choose). This is likely the first true "wall" that players will encounter. If you're careful, and experienced, you may be able to get through the game's first area, Undead Burg, without any real difficulty. But then, you'll face the Taurus Demon.

The Taurus Demon introduces itself by leaping over a castle wall and charging straight at you. The Taurus Demon (like most every other boss in the game) is massive, and will likely make short work of you when you first meet it. Which is a shame, because you won't even get a chance to properly hear this beautiful and intense music.

Four Kings:

At a certain part of the game, you enter the Abyss... a lifeless void shrouded in complete darkness. There you meet the Four Kings. Once proud leaders, they gave in to the darkness and protect the Great Soul that gives them their power. Each of the Four Kings is a massive phantom of a warrior king that strikes at you from within the darkness of pitch black void.

This is one of the most intense battles in the game. If you are not efficient, not quick enough, you will have to face all Four Kings simultaneously. Each of the Four Kings arrives one-by-one at a timed interval, so it's as much a race against time as it is a fight against an opponent. The high energy and intensity of this theme effectively conveys the desperation and struggle.

Ornstein & Smough:

If the boss fights are a key feature of Dark Souls. Then the fight against Dragonslayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough is the MAIN EVENT! This folks, is a battle for the ages!

Taking place in the grand hall of the great castle of Anor Londo, this battles puts you up against two of the deadliest warriors in the entire game. I won't go into the specifics of the fight, too much. But this is a battle against two royal guards, which the music effectively communicates. It's also great that the music doesn't hold back the epicness either. A very fitting theme for the greatest battle that you'll (hopefully eventually) overcome in Dark Souls.

One of the most interesting things about the Dark Souls soundtrack is that, while it is an excellent soundtrack, I did not have any recollection of hearing the music during the game. The boss encounters are so intense and so engrossing, that at the time, I wasn't even properly experiencing the music. To really "hear" the music, I've had to sit back and listen to it outside of the context of the game. I did find, however, that on my second (and third) playthrough, I was much more comfortable and familiar with the dangers, and therefore could take in the music more easily.

Honestly, I'm not even sure if that's a good or a bad thing.

I (heart) Great Design: Best Boss Fight of 2011

2012-02-14T15:00:00.004-05:00

Disclaimer: possible (minor) Batman: Arkham City spoilers below

Last year was a great year for games. One of the best in recent memory, in fact. In this edition of I (heart) Great Design, I would like to write about one of my highlights from 2011: The Mr. Freeze boss fight from Batman: Arkham City.

The fight against Mr. Freeze is one of the standout moments in this absolutely stellar game. It's a sneaky, cat-and-mouse, head-to-head showdown that requires the use of almost every skill that you've learned and mastered up to that point in the game. As Batman, you have to sneak around Mr. Freeze's lab and continuously find new ways to take him by surprise. And you can use each tactic only once, because Mr. Freeze adapts his own strategies to protect himself against your attacks.

When the fight begins, Batman gets a rundown on Mr. Freeze's suit uploaded to him from his trusty Bat-computer. You get information on Mr. Freeze's twelve weaknesses. For example, because of the domed helmet that Freeze wears, he has a complete lack of peripheral vision. This allows you to easily sneak up behind him and land an unexpected blow. However, upon being hit from behind, Mr. Freeze activates a counter-measure that fires a stream of ice continuously out of the rear of his suit, so he can longer be attacked from behind.

Now you have to find another one of Freeze's weaknesses to exploit.

The whole sequence is a welcome change from the traditional boss fight (strike, strike, dodge. Dodge, strike, dodge. Honk, honk, brake!). It requires strategic planning and effective use of a wide arsenal of abilities. You even have to find clever uses for the bat-gadgets you've obtained up until that point.

This was a great segment of gaming goodness that was possible thanks to some great design.

Also, since it's Valentine's Day: a reminder to anyone playing Batman: Arkham City, don't forget to visit Calendar Man today!

Game Music Jukebox #5

2012-02-12T19:14:00.008-05:00

Thanks to another reader request, let's take a look (and a listen) at the music from Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest for the SNES.

One of the most beloved series of games on the Super Nintendo, all three Donkey Kong Country games are very solid platformers that feature some of the best gameplay of the time (1994-1996). Each game has a great soundtrack, but DKC2 is most commonly referred to as the best.

The music for the Donkey Kong Country games was composed by David Wise, who composed the music for many games developed by Rare in the late 80's and early 90's. He is responsible for the music from many games, such as Battletoads, R.C. Pro-Am and Marble Madness (and many more).

DKC2 has a great soundtrack that covers a wide range of instruments and melodies that perfectly complement the wide range of areas featured in the game. Volcanoes, pirate ships, beehives, amusement parks and ice caverns all come to life with beautifully appropriate musical scores. Here's my personal selection of the best that DKC2 has to offer.

Flight of the Zinger:

This is the music that plays during the hive levels. You find yourself in the middle of a hive surrounded by giant hornets buzzing in every direction. You really don't belong here and you really don't want to be here. This music does an excellent job of capturing both the tension and the excitement of these levels. The track has a slow build and at about 30 seconds in, things get a little creepier before reaching greatness at the 1 minute mark. Things start to settle down and then it loops and we go on that wild ride again. Amazing!

Kaptain K. Rool:

I love boss music. I think it's always a shining moment in a game's soundtrack. Especially the Final Boss. This is the music that plays when you meet the final boss of DKC2: Kaptain K. Rool. The fight against Kaptain K. Rool is a marathon head-to-head brawl that is as difficult as it is climactic. You fight K. Rool in his flying airship high above his pirate island castle. This theme features a suitable "technological" sound, but you still get you fair share of horns that blast out a pirate theme (check it out at 0:33), just to remind you that K. Rool is, in fact, a dastardly pirate.

Stickerbrush Symphony:

This was the first theme that came to mind when I was asked to do a feature on this game. This is the highlight of this game's soundtrack. The longest piece of music in the game, it takes a while to get going, but the beauty of this track is utterly undeniable. This is one beautiful piece of music. This theme can be heard when venturing through the brambles; mazes of thorny bushes high in the sky.

This piece of music is powerful and introspective in a way that is usually reserved for the endings and credits sequences of games. This is definitely Mr. Wise's finest piece of work!

BONUS!

Stickerbrush Symphony (Remix):

A remix of Stickerbrush Symphony is featured in Super Smash Bros Brawl for the Wii. Working from pretty amazing source material, this is one of the best remixes I've ever heard, listen and enjoy!

We need some REAL cross-platform gaming!

2012-02-11T21:54:00.007-05:00

One of the most overlooked problems with this so-called "console war" that's constantly going on in the gaming industry, is the inability for friends and fans to "cross borders" and play together. This perpetual divide that keeps gamers in separate camps, with separate allegiances (PS3 vs. Xbox 360, specifically) also keeps them from being able to play together.

Firstly, I'll chime in with my personal opinion on this "console war":

The correct answer is always (and has always been): ALL OF THEM

Now, that doesn't apply to everyone. Not everyone can afford this solution, and I respect that. But the truth is, there is no platform that is superior to the others. They are all different, and each one offers something unique. If you want to really experience everything that makes gaming worthwhile, you have to own all of them. If you prefer a particular console, that's fine. Don't crap on someone else's preference. We need to stop this completely ridiculous flame-war.

< /rant-within-a-rant over >

Back to the topic at hand. Many gamers own only one of the gaming platforms (be it a PS3, Xbox 360, Wii or a PC). And there are many games that are released on many of those platforms (games that are released for both Xbox 360 and PS3 are quite common). My point is that there is no reason that these versions of the same game should not be able to interact with one-another.

I am a pretty big fan of fighting games. I love fighting games. Few things in life disappoint me as much as when I meet someone and discover that they share a love of fighting games as well, but they play on a different platform. I love me some Super Street Fighter IV, and recently I've met some other Street Fighter fans, and have faced a disappointing dead-end when they told me that they play online on Xbox LIVE (I prefer to play my SSFIV on a PS3). This is an alarmingly common experience that keeps happening to me. Fighting games, racing games, I play on PS3, they play on Xbox 360, I play on Xbox 360, they play on PS3... it never ends.

There is no reason to split a game's online community between two platforms. Everyone who plays Street Fighter online, should be able to play with anyone else who plays Street Fighter online (PC included, of course).

Of course, this is my wishful thinking. There are many business-related reasons to oppose this. For different versions of the game to interact, they must of course, be identical. Meaning, that no version of the game can feature any unique elements (obviously, the Xbox 360 version would not be able to have a character that is not in the PS3 version). If neither version can be promoted as better than the other, then how can the console manufacturers convince people to buy their version?

But I disagree with this way of thinking. I believe that developers and publishers owe it to gamers to let them play together. Besides, there are many other reasons for a player to prefer one platform over another: the shape and feel of a controller, for one.

I'm tired of only being able to play with half of my friends (and no, buying the game twice is not a solution in my eyes). C'mon developers! Publishers! Let's do our jobs and get people playing together!

It would be the first step in ending this tiresome "console war".

My greatest influence

2012-02-09T13:19:00.005-05:00

I've been asked "What game made you want to start making your own games?" before. And it's a very good question. After much introspection, I've traced back my love of gaming to a single game that first made me think "I want to make these". That game is Pi tfall II: Lost Caverns.

Pitfall II Atari 2600 cartridge

Let me begin by saying that I started playing games in the early 80's. The first games I played were games like Defender, Asteroids, Missile Command and Pac-Man. Even as a young boy, I loved these games but realized that they were all just endless exercises in reflexes that continued until you ran out of lives and your reward was a score. You played and played to achieve higher and higher scores. That was fun, but I felt like I needed something "more".

I remembered when I first played Pitfall! on the Atari 2600... Released a few years before Super Mario Bros., it's the game that introduced me to the side-scrolling platformer (my favorite genre of game). Featuring great gameplay moments like swinging on vines, and jumping on crocodile heads to cross ponds, it was a lot of fun. The only problem with the game, was that, although it wasn't a sci-fi shooter (like many of the other games of the time) it was still just an infinitely long game that continued forever until you ran out of lives. Your goal was still ultimately to just get the highest score possible.

Then one day, I found Pitfall II. Which, incidentally, was the first game sequel I had ever encountered. I noticed that the game played similarly to Pitfall!, but it seemed to feature a larger, more coherent world, not just a single horizontal path. You could descend into caverns and swim in subterranean lakes. But, what I soon discovered, and the thing that changed me forever... the game had an ending.

That "guy" is actually Pitfall Harry's pet mountain lion, Quickclaw

While simple by today's standards, Pitfall II had a narrative (presented entirely in the instruction manual) and a goal: you have to save Rhonda (Pitfall Harry's niece), save Quickclaw (Pitfall Harry's pet mountain lion) and find a priceless Diamond Ring. When you achieve those three objectives, the game ends and you win. The concept of "completing" a game blew my childhood mind!

Suddenly, I realized that videogames weren't just a "toy" or a simple diversion, they were a way of presenting a story. Just like a movie, you could create characters and worlds, only you could let the player experience a story, on their own. I had instantly discovered my greatest passion in life.

That was the exact moment that I knew I wanted to make games.

To any fellow developers out there, what are your biggest influences? Or anyone who just loves games, what game turned you into a lover of games? Let me know in the comments.

A great place for fond memories

2012-02-07T12:03:00.010-05:00

I recently came upon a great tumblr blog, called Mapstalgia.

Mapstalgia is a collection of hand-drawn maps of video game areas and locations. It's a really great nostalgic trip and the blog has a really great sense of community. All maps are user-submitted and allow for people to offer feedback and comments. These maps are really great conversation starters for old-school gamers.

The mantra of Mapstalgia is "Video game maps drawn from memory". The from memory part is very important. The charm of these maps is in their details, and especially in their flaws. This site is so cool, because it is all about memories.

If you're in the mood for having you mind blown, then I suggest checking out this post in which someone mapped out all of Half-Life from memory.

I was so inspired by Mapstalgia, that I even created and submitted my own map. With a submission, they ask you to include a little write-up, about the game and also about why you made it and what it was like (what did you remember, what couldn't you remember, etc). Hopefully, it'll appear on there soon, but in the meantime, here's a preview:

C-Island from Startopics (by Jason Canam age: 30)

When you have some spare time, check out Mapstalgia, and browse through all of the maps. They're nicely organized by game, by genre and by platform. Hopefully, it'll stir up some fond memories, and you'll be inspired to contribute something, too.

Game Music Jukebox #4

2012-02-06T21:01:00.007-05:00

It's time for a second round of Super Mario RPG music!

Last time, I focused on the music that accompanied the battle sequences in the game. This time around, I'll feature the music that gave life to the different areas of the game. These are the pieces of music that really give the game character. Each theme below perfectly describes the area in which you hear it.

Mushroom Kingdom:

Ah, the mushroom kingdom, the home Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach and the Toads. In Super Mario RPG, the mushroom kingdom is a home to a castle-town inhabited entirely by the toads. This theme has a very regal sound to it, especially when it "kicks in" at about the 0:46 mark.

Booster Tower:

To understand this particular piece of music, you really have to know Booster.

This is Booster:

Booster is a fan-favorite

Booster the Seventh is a wealthy lord who lives in a tower with his minions and his toys. He has the mind of a child, kidnaps Princess Peach because he likes how she smells, and then decides to marry her when he learns that there's cake involved (Also, the cake is a boss fight -- how awesome is that?). Simply put, Booster is awesome.

As Mario works his way through Booster's tower, he encounters toy trains, cannons, fighting marionettes, and he even has a daydream wherein he remembers what it was like when he was a blocky 8-bit character (a hilarious segment that is sadly far too short). Booster's theme is a rockin', weird piece of music that fits this off-the-wall part of the game, perfectly.

Forest Maze:

This is a fantastically haunting and atmospheric song. It really evokes the feeling of a creepy, poison-mushroom-filled forest. I've heard this song re-used, remixed and re-purposed more than any other song from this game's soundtrack. And I know more than a few people who count this as one of their favorite game songs, ever.

BONUS!

Ending Parade:

This is the music that plays during the game's ending credits. It's a great medley of themes from the game (you'll undoubtedly hear a bit of the mushroom kingdom in it). I'm a big fan of "ending" music, and this is one of the best. It's a great 6-minute song that closes the game in fine style!

Next time, another request. The music of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest!

Game Music Jukebox #3

2012-02-04T20:13:00.016-05:00

This is my first reader-requested entry of Game Music Jukebox. Last post, I got a request to do an entry on the music of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. So here, goes!

This game is awesome!

The only problem is that Super Mario RPG has a huge soundtrack, that is far too awesome to contain within the confines of a single entry. So, I'm going to present the music of Super Mario RPG as two separate entries: the first one highlighting a few of the different battle themes, and a second one for area and event themes.

So, here are a few choice tracks from the battle scenarios of Super Mario RPG.

But first, a little background info. The music of Super Mario RPG was composed by Yoko Shimomura, who before, had composed some of the music for Street Fighter II (a classic game soundtrack!). The game itself was a co-production between Nintendo and Square (of Final Fantasy fame).

The game came out near the very end of the Super Nintendo's life-cycle (The Nintendo 64 was released about 6 months after this game). What this meant was that composers had had years to master the nuances of the SNES's sound capabilities (some of the SNES's best soundtracks come from games released between 1994 and 1996). The game is a fairly lighthearted RPG-Adventure, and the music suits the game very well.

Battle Theme:

It's a good thing that this is one catchy tune, because you hear it about 500 times throughout the game. I have fond memories of renting this game and playing it with my brother and my cousin, and we would all be humming along to this tune. The series of percussion beats that signal the loop (at 0:29) is my favorite part of this piece.

Boss Theme:

This theme let's you know that things get serious. This music plays when you encounter a strong opponent - a boss character. It carries a more sinister tone than most of the other tracks in the soundtrack, but doesn't stray too far from the lighthearted theme of the game. This is one of my personal favorite pieces of music in the entire game. It has a really nice gradual build that reaches it's peak just before the loop. It's really great!

Smithy Battle:

Smithy is the main villain of the game. He is a being from another dimension who creates armies machines and weapons (living swords and cannons) to take over the mushroom kingdom. This is the music that plays when you encounter Smithy at the very end of the game. I think it's a very industrious and mechanical theme, which suits the character very well. You also get a nice sense of urgency from it, letting you know that everything is on the line with this fight.

BONUS!

Battle against Culex:

Final Fantasy Veterans will immediately recognize this music as the boss theme from Final Fantasy IV (released as Final Fantasy II in North America). This track was composed by master composer, Nobuo Uematsu, who is the composer of the Final Fantasy series of games - some of the most recognizable and most beautiful video game related compositions of all time (more on that subject at a later date).

That's it for the Super Mario RPG battle music. Next time, even more Super Mario RPG music!

My Gaming Log: January 2012

2012-02-01T18:17:00.006-05:00

One month in, I'm proud to announce that my New Year's resolution to log all of my gaming is my most successful New Year's resolution ever! Granted, it's a really easy one to stick to. But nevermind that.

With January done, I now have a complete record of everything I've played last month.

Click for a larger view

First thing you may notice is that I maintain a healthy diet of both new and retro games (a gamer cannot live on current-gen alone). The amount of Gameboy Advance games is a direct result of the Gameboy Micro I got as a Christmas gift (which was especially great because it completed my Gameboy collection). I have a pretty long daily commute (anywhere from 2-3 hours per day spent commuting on the train) and portable gaming really helps pass the time.

Some of the more notable accomplishments from this month:

Jan 3rd: Platinum Trophy: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Jan 14th: Played some Kinect games for the first time
Jan 29th: Platinum Trophy: Dark Souls

I also finished Uncharted 3's single player campaign, and am getting knee-deep into the multiplayer. So Uncharted 3 will definitely keep appearing on these logs for a few months.

Finally, on the 31st, I tried the long-awaited Twisted Metal demo.

All in all, a pretty good start to the year.

I (heart) Great Design: Morality in games

2012-01-31T13:22:00.008-05:00

I just recently acquired the Platinum Trophy in Dark Souls, and I’ve been looking back on the experience quite fondly. It was a great 130 hours; about 20 hours longer than it took to get the Platinum Trophy in Skyrim. It was a long and challenging road and one of the best gaming journeys I’ve been on in a while.

I had such a good time that I even decided last night to start the whole thing over again, with a new character. From scratch. It started off well enough, I was able to breeze through the introductory section of the game easily enough. But then I encountered something quite jarring… I was griefed. Hard.

For those not entirely familiar with the “Souls” games (Dark Souls and its spiritual predecessor Demon’s Souls): players can invade other players’ game worlds and attack them to gain souls (the game’s currency system - and other circumstance-specific rewards). Because Dark Souls is such a difficult game, things get especially tense when an additional opponent is thrown into the mix. It puts you on edge as much as classic survival-horror games used to.

Pictured Above (from right to left): an honorable knight(on stairs), and an asshole

Because I started playing the game immediately at launch (I had the game pre-ordered months in advance), I guess I was progressing alongside most other players in the world. The times I had encountered invading players, we were (mostly) evenly matched. I’ve won (and lost) many tense 1-on-1 duels with invading Black Phantom players.

Getting back to the story of griefing… Starting with my fresh, new Level 12 character, I was traveling through the game’s first area. Suddenly I was invaded by another player. I’ve experienced this before, so I was ready for what was to come. As a Level 12 character (a very basic low-level character), I was fully expecting to go head-to-head with a similarly powered phantom. It did not happen that way. I was completely overmatched by someone decked out in high-level gear and a giant flaming sword that struck me down in one hit. Only, it wasn’t quite so quick. He stood in place, taunting me repeatedly, and even invited me to strike him a few times with my pitiful broadsword that barely even scratched him.

After he killed me, I revived. I did not take long, however, for another crazily overpowered Black Phantom to invade my game and ruin things for me. With no possible way to fight back, it was a rough and thoroughly unpleasant experience. It took some searching on some forums online, but I was able to find out that there is a practice going around where players are beating the game at a ridiculously low level, starting a New Game+ (which lets them keep all of their end-game gear), and then thoroughly trouncing low-level beginner players.

This brings me to my topic: Morality in Games.

Many games offer morality as a very superficial narrative device. A common occurrence in modern RPGs, you’ll meet a character who will have a problem. It’s up to you as a player to either do something “good” or you could do something “evil”. It’s quite cut and dry. And often times, your decision will have very little to no impact on the game’s story and outcome.

What is even more effective is when the game allows you, the player, to express your own morality through the game. Not with “A or B” choices, but through your actions and how you carry yourself.

I’ve Platinum’d both Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls, clocking in about a combined 300+ hours of gameplay, and I’ve never, ever invaded another player. I just can’t do it. That is to say, I don’t hate those who do. Invading is an integral part of these games, and I will always welcome a (fair) challenge. I much prefer to assist others by joining them as a White Phantom (entering another player’s game world, with the express intent on helping them).

Pictured above: the Dark Souls equivalent of an upstanding
citizen helping someone murder a 20-foot rat

More games need to include this kind of subtlety. When it comes to something like morality, don't give me a binary "good vs evil" dialogue choice, let my everyday game actions define who I am as a player.

Game Music Jukebox #2

2012-01-24T20:39:00.014-05:00

With winter descending on Toronto, I've decided to kick-back with the warm, tropical sounds of Super Adventure Island for the SNES.

This was the first game soundtrack that, for me, really bridged the gap between "traditional" music and "game" music. When I started playing this game, I couldn't even play, I was so distracted (actually, more like "entranced") by the music. This, along with the Mega Man games, is one of the defining moments in my appreciation of game music.

Firstly, let's start with Everlasting Summer, the theme to the first level of the game. This track does an excellent job of setting the mood for the game. It's instantly catchy, and you'll be humming along within seconds.

Listen to Everlasting Summer:

Catchy, right? Next is the boss theme. while a bit more repetitive, it is another catchy tune that accompanies a semi-tense boss battle (the bosses in this game aren't terribly difficult).

Listen to the Boss Theme:

Finally, in my opinion, the crown jewel of the Super Adventure Island soundtrack: Jungle Chase. This is the theme to the second area of the game. This is an excellent piece of music that plays like a great pop song. It starts well enough, but builds to a great chorus that is an absolute blast to listen to. Take a listen and here for yourself.

Listen to Jungle Chase:

There are many other great tracks in the Super Adventure Island soundtrack. But I'm sticking with my self-imposed limit of three featured tracks per post.

If you really like this, don't worry, this soundtrack was composed by Yuzo Koshiro, and you'll be hearing more stuff from him soon.

What do you think of these tracks? Do you have any favorite game music that you want to see featured here? Comment and let me know!

Game Music Jukebox #1

2012-01-13T22:47:00.006-05:00

I've tried setting up weekly updates before, with mixed (read: no) success. But it's a new year, and I feel very strongly about this subject, so here goes.

Starting this week, I'm publishing a weekly post called "Game Music Jukebox" where I'll highlight a few music tracks from a specific game.

I am a huge fan of video game music. I believe it is an under-appreciated art form, and one of the most overlooked elements of a game's presentation. People always talk about a game graphics, but outside of the extreme core audience, very few people truly take the time to recognize great game music.

I will cover over 25 years worth of gaming music history, from the earliest arcade games, to the 8 and 18-bit eras to the modern day surround sound orchestrated masterpieces. I'm going to start off shying away from the obvious choices (you don't need me to tell you how great the Legend of Zelda theme is) and will try to focus on some game music tracks that you may or may not have heard before. So, let's kick this off, with...

Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers for the NES!

Back in the days of the NES, Capcom was responsible for releasing games based on Disney licenses. Among these releases were some true classics: Darkwing Duck, Duck Tales and Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers. These games all featured some great music courtesy of Capcom's fantastic NES compositions. Just over 20 years ago, on the NES, Capcom were completely unstoppable in the music department.

While the game is a lot of fun to play, especially the 2-player co-op mode, for me it's the music that really stands out. Here's a selection of music from the soundtrack:

First up, is the most commonly heard music in the game. This music is featured in three of the games levels: Zone A, Zone C, and Zone E. It's a nice, lighthearted but high-tempo theme that works very well with the fast-paced, frantic gameplay. You're very likely to catch yourself humming along with this theme while you're playing.

Next up is a theme that is a little more intense: the Boss Theme. This is the music that accompanies every end-of-area boss encounter. For a game as easy-going and carefree as this one, this is a really intense "duel-to-the-death" type theme. This music always makes me want to make the boss fight last just a little longer, and usually results in me hesitating on landing that final blow, just to hear another few seconds of the music.

Finally, the real star of the soundtrack: the Theme of Zone J. This is the music for the game's final level. To me, it almost sounds like this music is "too cool for this game". This music would be at home in a Mega Man game, it's that good. This music is the reason that I have to play the game through to the end every time I sit down to play it.

So, that's it. If you've never played Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Ranger on the NES, I strongly suggest you do so. It;s a really fun game with a great NES soundtrack.

What do you think of these tracks? Do you have your own favorite music from this game? What's your favorite game music? Let me know in the comments!

Until next week, don't forget to play with the volume high and appreciate game music!

2012 New Year's Resolutions

2012-01-01T19:56:00.005-05:00

2011 was a pretty swell year, and I am definitely looking forward to 2012.

As the year starts, I (like many others) am thinking about some resolutions for the coming year. Aside from the more obvious resolutions that I have (being healthier, eating better, reading more), there is one that is a little more relevant to this blog: I'm going to chronicle and record all of the games that I play in 2012.

It's something I've been meaning to do for the past few years. So now, on my website, there will be a list of all of the games I've played -- in a calendar format.

just look for this link in the sidebar

With the end of 2011, many gamers are thinking about their favorite games from the last year. With my great fondness for ranking lists, I always like to write up a "top 10" list of the year's best games.

I'm a little behind this year, and am not quite ready to make any final decisions yet. I've got two more games to play before I feel that I've really had a chance to experience what 2011 had to offer. As soon as I play Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, I'll finalize and publish my top 10 of 2011 list.

So, I guess I've got some gaming to do. Happy New Year, everyone and welcome to 2012!

Getting Player Feedback: Reactions vs Comments

2011-12-18T15:44:00.009-05:00

As a game designer, I always keep in mind that I create games not for myself, but for others. What I enjoy most is the process itself, the development. But the end product? That's for everyone else!

Keeping that in mind, I always allow myself to be open to feedback from players. The only way I can create the best experiences for people to enjoy, is to hear from them what they want. But what I've discovered is that people tend to not tell you what they really want, well not directly, anyway.

Game balancing is one of the most important, and rewarding, parts of my job. This is the process of making small (and sometimes large) adjustments to gameplay elements to tweak the game's difficulty and ease-of-use. This process is not possible without outside feedback obtained by allowing people to play the game.

There are a couple different ways that I have participated in which to receive and process this information:

Gameplay Survey: players play through a section of the game (most often a demo or vertical slice of the game) and complete a follow-up questionnaire.

Usability Test: Having a player play the game while the designer (and other developers) observe. In my experience, the play session is recorded and then watched later. This is usually followed by a brief interview with the player to get their thoughts and comments.

These are two very effective means of getting feedback from your game. In my experience, one has proven to be more useful to me, as a Game Designer than the other. I personally, much prefer the second option: the Usability Test, and I'll explain why.

There are outside factors that can alter a person's responses; someone may not answer truthfully because of a fear of being embarrassed, or being perceived as "dumb". This is most common when asking people if they found the game was too difficult. I've observed play sessions where a player is stuck at point and is visibly frustrated, yet during the post-session interview, when asked if they were ever stuck or had any trouble, the person answers: "Nope. I had no trouble at all!"

Because I was able to watch the player as they were playing, I was able to see the part in which they actually did get stuck (and this was seen repeatedly across multiple test sessions with different players), I was able to identify a potential problem with the design and could think about ways to improve it. The part in question was a specific puzzle that did give the player enough information to logically deduce a solution, trial and error became the only effective method to solve it. Thanks to the information from the play sessions, I was able to identify and fix a problem before release.

Game balancing and testing is a very important part of the design process that must not be overlooked. My experience has taught me that by letting people play your game and by watching how they play, you can learn more about how your game plays than by simply asking them: "So, how was it?"

As with all disciplines of development, a game designer must remain diligent, focused and proactive.

2-for-1: "Long time, no see" & "Hard Times in Lordran"

2011-10-11T21:51:00.008-04:00

Well, regular updates sure came to a screeching halt in September... but at least I have a good excuse this time.

That's right, I've taken inspiration from a Rodney Dangerfield movie

I'm bettering myself, one College credit at a time. On top of my very busy work schedule, I am taking some courses at Toronto's George Brown College.

It's been tiring and exhausting, but the payoff should be worthwhile; the self-satisfaction that I am continually bettering myself through education (or something like that).

I just realized that College credits are like Achievements that actually have meaning! Although, I think I'd trade any diploma for the chance to have the Xbox's "Achievement Unlocked" sound (or the PS3's "Trophy Unlocked" sound) play whenever I pass a class.

So, with that out of the way, let's move on to this week's topic:

Hard Times in Lordran

For those who don't know, Lordran is the fictional setting of the game Dark Souls. Dark Souls is one of my most anticipated games of the year ([barely]beating out games like Batman: Arkham City and Uncharted 3!). The only game I'm even looking forward to even more is Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

For the uninitiated, Dark Souls is the spiritual successor (and by that I mean "exact sequel" but can't be called that because it's being distributed by a different publisher) to 2009's Demon's Souls. Demon's Souls is considered to be one of the hardest games ever. I powered my way through that game (earning myself the Platinum Trophy along the way!) and it earned a spot amongst my favorite games ever. Demon's Souls provided a sense of accomplishment that has barely been matched since.

So far, after a week with Dark Souls, I can say that Dark Souls is better than Demon's Souls... and it's also a hell of a lot harder! The advertising campaign gleefully told players: "Prepare to Die", and they weren't kidding. In fact, dying is very much an integral part of Dark Souls, you will do it a lot. But if you able to learn from each death, you will eventually triumph and overcome. Just make sure the big words "YOU DIED" that appear don't get burned into your plasma screen.

Over the next little while, I will keep a diary documenting my journey through Dark Souls. If it goes anything like Demon's Souls did then it should be exciting journey of frustration, loss, despair, joy, more frustration and eventually... victory.

One week in, here's how things are going:

Character Name: Wiegraf
Character Class: Pyromancer
Level: 29
Bosses Killed: 3
Times Died: Already lost count (30+, I think)
Trophy Progress: 7%
Current Mood: Happy Adventurer
Current progress: Trying to kill the Capra Demon, not sure what to do about it as this boss has managed to kill me in less that 5 seconds on 3 separate tries...

Wish me luck, I guess.

FanExpo 2011

2011-08-30T00:49:00.016-04:00

This year was my first time at FanExpo (or any kind of con for that matter) and I will start off by saying that I had a great and am completely sold on the experience. I’m ready to sign up for life.

My wife, Courtney, and I attended three out of the four days of the event (Thursday, Saturday and Sunday) and enjoyed every moment. It was a weekend filled with good times and good company.

Here are some of the highlights:

On the Show Floor

The main floor of FanExpo was a bustling city of vendors and exhibitors. The broad scope of the show helps make it a great atmosphere for everyone, from the super-nerdy to the ultra-nerdy. With Gaming, Comics, Sci-Fi, Anime and Horror being represented, there really is a lot going on. And there are plenty of cosplayers on hand too, so you’ll see your fair share of Storm Troopers, Wolverines and Narutoes (Naruti?).

Here’s an awesome Pyramid Head costume from the show floor:

I couldn’t help but feel that my knowledge of Anime is shallow at best, as there were a lot of Anime costumes that I didn’t even have a clue about. Actually, maybe I should take comfort in that :P

Artists Galore

Next to all of the big corporate booths is Artist Alley, where many independent (and very talented) artists set up booths to showcase and sell their artistic creations. This actually proved to be one of the more interesting places for us as we came across several great pieces of art that we just had to have.

One of the things I was hell-bent on finding was anything Mega Man related (which was surprisingly (or maybe unsurprisingly) difficult to find). So when I saw this print by artist Elizabeth Sherry, I had to get it:

The Light family portrait... all kinds of awesome!

Another artist of note was Ricky Kruger, who was showing off some really fantastic superhero paintings. Courtney fell in love with Ricky’s Captain America. It is one of our most prized finds of FanExpo. You can see it and more at Ricky’s website.

Ricky's an awesome dude, and deserves a million high-fives!

http://www.rickykruger.com/

http://sherryillustration.com/

John Waters

Fan conventions are very sycophantic gatherings, so there is never a shortage of celebrities. There were many big names on hand to see and get autographs from, but we were more interested in attending panels and walking the floor than standing in long lines for all-too-brief exchanges with celebrities. There was, however, one person on hand that Courtney couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see in person, John Waters.

We waited patiently as the line inched forward at a slow to non-existent forward pace. Courtney had a photo on hand, ready for an autograph, looking forward to catch little glimpses of his exchanges with the fans. We noted how kind and cool he was carrying himself, as expected.

We got to the front of the line, it was our turn. We walked up, got a smile and an autograph then a quick handshake and I took a few quick photographs of John Waters with Courtney. We walked away and I realized that it all happened so fast, it was a blur.

Marvel Panels: Re-invigorating my burning desire for comics

We attended a few Marvel panels (I was at two and Courtney went to four in total) and all were excellent. Getting the chance to meet comic book writers and editors provided amazing insight into the creative process (which was awesome enough). Getting information on current and upcoming storylines and series’ was cool, and it was all fascinating and occasionally hilarious (Jason Aaron is a master of deadpan humor).

The lesson I learned: It is my Canadian duty to support Alpha Flight. And I’m only too happy to step up.

Marvel Comics panelists (Left to Right): C.B. Cebulski (talent management), Axel Alonso (editor-in-chief) and Jason Aaron (writer)

Retro Gaming Lounge

One of my favorite places of FanExpo was the Retro Gaming Lounge set up on the 800 level. It was a large room with Old Computers (an Apple II and Commodore 64), Retro Consoles (NES’s, SNES’s, N64’s) and some nice rarities (a top-loading NES, an original PONG and a compact Genesis/SEGA-CD duo). There was plenty to look at and even more to play as there were stations set up and ready for Super Mario Kart, Mario Kart 64, Goldeneye and more.

There was lots of cool stuff there and I found it useful for those times I had an hour or so between panels.

We are merely passing through history. But this... this IS history!

Games

There were some games on display, but not very many. Sony had a huge booth set up for Uncharted 3 (the multiplayer beta has been available for a while, so it wasn’t new). Microsoft had a slightly stronger showing with a booth that had Gears of War 3 and Halo: Anniversary multiplayer matches going. I watched gameplay of both (there were lengthy lines of people waiting to play) and came away with more of a desire to pick up Halo: Anniversary than I did before (as in, my interest went from “None” to “A little”). I was reminded of how much I loved the original Halo, so I may actually pick it up now.

Ubisoft was showing off Assassin’s Creed: Revelations and Rayman Origins. As an Assassin’s Creed fan, AC: Revelations is a must-by for me. It was nice to see Rayman Origins, which is a fantastic looking multiplayer platformer (the animation is top-notch!). Unfortunately, the experience was marred by Ubisoft insisting on making the demo run on a 3DTV (I’m not a lover of the current 3D ‘craze’).

The Uncharted 3 booth was pretty cool, but I'm already sold on the game so I didn't stick around too long

In Good Company

Meeting people is easy. Sometimes. FanExpo is one of those times. It is a crowded, fast-paced and sometimes stressful environment, but in the end, everyone is there for the same (or at least, very similar) reasons. It was easy to meet people and start up a conversation (you are literally constantly surrounded by conversation starters).

BrentalFloss

One of the last panels I attended on Sunday afternoon was for Brent Black (AKA Brentalfloss). Brentalfloss is a musician who performs the “…with lyrics” series, where he takes classic videogame themes and adds lyrics.

Interestingly enough, while waiting in line to get into the panel, I noticed that a few places in line in front of me was Tommy Tallarico, a videogame music composer most known for creating the music for the game Earthworm Jim and one of the founders of the Video Games Live concert series (I’ve been twice).

This turned out to be the highlight of my weekend! It was a Q&A session was hilarious, interactive and just a lot of fun. The hour flew by so quick and everyone was having such a good time, that when organizers literally drove us from the room, Brentalfloss took it to the hallway and just kept going. Afterwards, he took the time to meet everyone, one by one. It was really awesome!

Brentalfloss was full of hilarious stories. Everyone had a great time.

http://www.brentalfloss.com

Final Thoughts

I had a great time at FanExpo and recommend it to anyone who has a dedicated interest in Gaming, Comics, Sci-Fi, Anime or Horror. And I highly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in many or all of those mediums/genres.

We’ll be at FanExpo 2012 for sure. But we’re also looking forward to San Diego Comic-Con and (hopefully)PAX East as well!

I don't know what took me so long...

A thinking man's game

2011-08-16T23:13:00.006-04:00

I really enjoy strategy games, but only of the "turn-based" variety. I believe that turn-based strategy games get the heart of the genre better than RTS (real-time strategy) games do. After all, strategy is about thinking and planning, it's not a race.

Think about the greatest strategy game of all time: chess. It's turn-based. You have to watch you opponents moves and react (and even predict) appropriately. A pure battle of the minds.

Maybe I'm just a little biter because I'm not terribly good (in fact, downright terrible) at RTS games (Warcraft, Starcraft, Command and Conquer). I find that when I'm playing these games, especially when playing against human opponents, I am never able to think. With everything continuously and constantly happening, I don't get a chance to properly plan ahead.

Now before you cry out: "But that's the whole point of RTS's!!!", let me just say that I understand that, I'm simply pointing out how it's not for me. I'm simply saying that to me, a pure strategy game comes down to thinking and completely removes elements that rely on reaction time and precision. If I lose at a strategy game, I want it to be because of my poor decisions or an oversight (which is completely my own fault), not because I mis-clicked on a unit on screen and didn't give him orders fast enough, or worse, because the other guy has created a key-bind for every unit type in the game and I haven't.

This recent revelation of my love of turn-based strategy games has come after I finished the campaign in Advance Wars: Dual Strike for the third time. I also came to the revelation that it is hands down, my favourite DS game.

This game is awesome!

The Wars series (sometimes referred to as the Nintendo Wars series) is a series of turn-based strategy games that have long existed in Japan but were never released in North America until Advance Wars on the Game Boy Advance (previous entries were released in Japan for the Famicom and the Game Boy).

While the games have a "cartoony" look, they are very intricate and expertly balanced military strategy games. I definitely count the Advance Wars games as my personal favourite turn-based strategy games.

From a game design point of view, my appreciation of strategy games comes from the fact that the outcome is almost always decided by the players understanding of the game (or lack thereof). This is different from action games, where perhaps the player has lost because of a slip of the thumb, causing them to miss a jump or fail an attack. The reflex element (some would call it skill) has been completely removed, leaving the player with only their wits to help them get by.

That's why I (heart) strategy games.

I really DO (heart) level editors!

2011-08-03T22:54:00.006-04:00

Finally, an update that's on topic with the title of this blog!

First, for anyone who hasn't tried Terry Cavanagh's excellent game, VVVVVV: check it out!

VVVVVV is a 2-D platformer that uses a gravity switching mechanic instead of jumping. It has an cool retro look and an AWESOME soundtrack. I got the game while ago, and enjoyed it quite a bit. However, the game recently piqued my interest once again when v2.0 was released, which included an in-game level editor!

Try this game, it's awesome!

I've been working with it for a few days, and have created my first level. It's available on my website here.

If you have VVVVVV, I encourage you to download the level and try it out. Leave and comments below, or e-mail me (jason.canam@gmail.com).

Install instructions: download the *.vvvvvv file and place into [user\Documents\VVVVVV] (Win Vista) or [user\My Documents\VVVVVV] (WIn XP). You should see other *.vvvvvv files in that directory.

I really appreciate the inclusion of the level editor, and has really helped me to fall in love with this game all over again.

Everyone should try VVVVVV. Check out the Humble Indie Bundle and support indie developers!

Mystery without the mystery: Storytelling in casual games

2011-06-20T19:39:00.004-04:00

I have spent the last year working on casual PC/Mac games. There has been a fair share of ups and downs along the way. Most of the downs have been the direct result of my stubbornness and contempt for casual games. To be a successful designer, you cannot have a lack of respect for the audience you are designing for. Sounds easy enough, but it's a lesson that has taken the better part of a year to sink in.

When designing games for the casual audience, there are a few different challenges that must be overcome. And by "overcome", I don't mean "dealt with", I mean "worked with". This where having respect for your audience comes in. Casual games present themselves with different rules and expectations than "core" games, and it's your job as designer to stick to those rules. Otherwise, you run the risk of creating something for yourself and not for your audience (I know I've been guilty of this from time to time).

One of these challenges that I have learned how to work with is the challenge of storytelling in a casual game. Let me begin by explaining my (former) process of writing a story for a casual adventure game.

I begin by writing a complex, convoluted story filled with murder and mystery. It features secret identities and double crosses. I begin by leaving the reader disoriented and confused. Only at the end do I reveal all of the plot twists and explain what has happened. I am writing an award-winning novel (or so I think). Next, I think of how to fit the "amazing" story into the context of a game. Calling it shoehorning would be an understatement.

This, needless to say, was proven to be ineffective on many occasions. We would get feedback from players complaining that the story was confusing, the goals unclear and the world uninteresting. My initial reaction was to scoff at these "insults", responding only with "well they just don't get it!"

My counter-argument would be to point out that I've played games before where I've been left out of the loop until the very end (side note: using the argument "but other games do it!" like a 5 year old is not the way to win over your fellow developers when you're pitching a game design concept).

My stories weren't working in these casual games, I had to do something. I did the only thing I could do: learn.

One interesting thing about game development is that there is never a shortage of opinion about your game. You will hear criticisms from fellow developers, from your bosses, from the publisher and from your audience. Because harsh criticism is always a tough pill to swallow, it's far too easy to dismiss all of this feedback and simply move on (this is the wrong thing to do). It takes time, but when you eventually learn to embrace this feedback and learn from it, your games will improve drastically.

What did I learn about storytelling, specifically? Well, simply put, I learned how to streamline my stories into easily digestible (yet still exciting) tales that get the point quickly and draw the player into the world immediately.

What do I mean by this? Let me give a few examples from a game that I have worked on:

In the first draft of my story, the character meets several characters, including the villain. The player has no idea who any of these characters are, and does learn who any of them are until the very end of the story (all of the characters have overlapping stories and a shared history). The problem with this was that players were playing a demo version of the game (chapter 1 of a 6 chapter game), and had no idea what was going on. This was a problem because people were judging the game based on this demo sneak peek, and they were not impressed. Of course, my reaction was to tell them that they have to wait until they can play the entire game to understand the story. This did not go over well at all.

The game was being seriously judged based on this player feedback, and all of this negative feedback was holding the game back, something had to be done. I had to step back and re-examine my approach to this story. I had to think about who I was telling this story for and how to best deliver it.

My re-write of the story featured a more obvious villain (the villain is introduced to the player right away) and setting the player off in a chase after this villain. For the purposes of a game, this provides the player with an immediate goal. This is important and was lacking in the previous version. To add an element of intrigue (and to give players the satisfaction of experiencing the story at their own pace), clues are hidden throughout the game world. There are newspaper clippings, advertisements and notes left behind for the player to find that help them learn about the villain as they pursue him.

This approach has proven to be much more successful. Players are no longer left confused and disoriented but are given a clear goal. Most importantly, players are able to experience the story at their own pace and can learn (or ignore) as much as they choose. This method works much better than having characters on screen talking back and forth for a long time (a good sign that the game designer is trying to flaunt his "amazing" storytelling ability).

As I've said, this is a lesson that's easier taught than learned, as it took me a few development cycles to really learn the lesson. Most importantly, the real lesson is to understand your audience and what your design goals are. If you simply try to do "what you think is best, period", then you are setting yourself up for failure.

Humility is a powerful tool, indeed.

Pause for a sec and check this out

2011-06-03T00:53:00.004-04:00

I picked up a good book recently that I'd like to recommend to anyone who loves games, and especially anyone who wants to know more about making games.

All your base are belong to us by Harold Goldberg. Using a tired old meme as a title aside, it's a good read. It features a lot of stories about the people behind many excellent games.

I'm sure I can whet most of your appetites by mentioning there's a fascinating chapter about the development of Bioshock, with some inspirational stories about the early career of Ken Levine (my hero, and yours).

The title of this photo is: "Ken Levine +1"

I've read books about gaming history, and technical books about development, but not one like this that really focuses on the people themselves. There's lots of stories that resonate with me like stories about the eternal struggles between creative teams and marketing teams (making a game that's creative and original vs. making a game that's guaranteed profit).

I think it's a must read for anyone in the industry, but also for anyone who just wants to get know the people who make games. I mean, people love "making of" features about movies, so why not games?

Give it a try, if you don't like it... I'll stay still and give you a free headshot next time I'm online.

I (Heart) Great Design: #1

2011-05-29T15:10:00.004-04:00

Here's a new bi-weekly feature that I'll be posting here: I (Heart) Great Design where I talk about some of the features and elements of games that have most impressed me and have stuck with me over the years.

So, in this first installment I would like to call out a particularily good level in a very overlooked game.

The Great Tower from the SNES game Skyblazer.

The Great Tower is the second to last level in the game and it is remarkable because it's a great example of a how to build a final area that culminates with you having to use everything you've learned about that game up to that point. This level features enemies from every area in the game and requires you to use every ability you've gained throughout the adventure.

It truly is the "Skyblazer final exam".

This is a design element that I believe should be in every game. Using the combined knowledge of everything you've encountered to overcome one final challenge, it's exactly how a game should build towards its conclusion.

Games that effectively pull this off: all of the games in the Legend of Zelda series.

The final dungeon in a Zelda game always requires you to use every piece of arsenal you've collected to get through. It's nice because it typically gives you another use for that all too specific item that was quite under-used throughout the game (I'm looking at you, Spinner).

Games that surprisingly don't: Metroid games (makes me so sad).

Actually, Metroid games almost always have disappointing final areas. The final area of a Metroid game is always a very linear, and straightforward experience (see: Tourian from Super Metroid or the Impact Crater from Metroid Prime), which is strange as this conflicts with the very nature of the rest of the game. These final areas very rarely require you to use an of your abilities either, they're the complete antithesis to what I'm pointing out in this entry.

It seems that Metroid can learn something from a 15 year old SNES game that hardly anyone has played. Or, (more likely), Metroid can learn from Zelda games...

Either way, I'd like to see more games use this kind of design in their endgame sequences.

The most recent example that I can think of is the Grandmaster Galaxy from Super Mario Galaxy 2. I could write a whole 'nother entry about the Grandmaster Galaxy. In fact, I'm going to do just that.

Priorities and Principles

2011-05-07T14:57:00.003-04:00

I've already decided. I'm buying Duke Nukem Forever on day one, no matter what. No matter what I hear, no matter what people say, no matter what I read. I'm getting that game.

Gaming is so important to me that this happens often. I buy most of my games completely out of principle. I ignore reviews and I don't listen to anyone's opinion. This hasn't been a foolproof system, either (far from it). I've made some very unfortunate purchases that I completely regret.

The most recent being Metroid: Other M, easily one of my least favourite games of all time. I could go on and on about how much I hate that game, but I'll save it for another time.

The point I want to make is, I don't think there's any conceivable scenario in which I wouldn't buy the latest Metroid game. I have committed myself to getting every Metroid game, period. I had my doubts about Other M leading up to release, but I got it anyway. Like I said, I do that a lot.

Back to Duke Nukem Forever; I am so psyched!

Do I think the game will be perfect? No.
Will it be revolutionary? No.
Do it look like the best game ever? No, not really.
Will it be fun? It sure does.
(Pro Tip: That last question is the most important!)

It's more of how important the game is to me. As a developer, I'm fascinated with its absolutely epic development time (in case you didn't know, various people have been working on this game for almost 15 years, it was originally supposed to be released in 1998). It's long been a running gag in the development community. I for one am really impressed and glad that Randy Pitchford and Gearbox Software (the guys who made Borderlands) stepped up to finish the job.

It is very important to me to show my support. How do you show support for a game? Well, the easiest way, of course, is to buy it!!

I have personal investment in the game, too. Duke Nukem 3D is one of my favourite games ever (top 20, probably, definitely top 30). I've been looking forward to this game for over 10 years.

Waiting for over 10 years... That's exactly what DNF's biggest problem will be: it's completely unrealistic expectations of game that's taken so long to come out. There's no way it'll live up to expectations. As long as people don't resent the game too much for this, I think it'll do fine.

Lastly, I will say that I've been keeping up to date on all of the reveals, new trailers, and gameplay info. I think the game looks great! It looks like a lot of fun. Anyone who complains about the violence, nudity and fart/dick jokes just doesn't understand what Duke Nukem is. It's part of the game's identity, not the character's.

If everything I saw made me think that the game looked terrible, I probably wouldn't be so inclined to get it. But the game looks good, and that's enough for me (some of the time). In the end, that's all the game has to be: good. Not every game needs to be on the same level as Fallout 3 or Super Mario Galaxy.

So, On June 14th, I'll finish off my last piece of gum and be ready to go get some!

Who's with me?

My LBP Dilemma

2011-04-11T20:43:00.008-04:00

Well, I guess I'll start off by acknowledging the fact that I haven't updated my blog in over a year (it's been a busy year!). I'm making my springtime 2011 resolution (New Year's resolutions are for chumps) to update this blog on at least a monthly basis. Trust me, it's more for my own benefit than yours...

To stay on topic with the title of this blog, I figured I'd talk about LittleBigPlanet 2, a game I love so much but just don't have the time or energy to take advantage of properly. The same thing has happened to me with LBP2 as with the first LBP game: I have published exactly zero levels.

Turns out my LBP moon is just like the our moon: lifeless and boring.

For a guy who loves level editors so much, this is sad. When the first LBP came out, I was so psyched. It felt like a gaming gift from above! When I got it, I played through the story levels and hundreds of user-created levels. But when I settled in and started to create my own levels, I quickly lost interest. I became so overwhelmed with the thought that I just couldn't spare the dozens (and hundreds) of hours needed to really make the worlds that were in my mind come to life. Late last year, leading up to the release of LBP2, I was getting my self pumped up for some level building. I was looking forward to all of the new and exciting features of LittleBigPlanet 2, and all of the possibilities. Sure enough, the exact same thing happened.

Sorry to disappoint you, Sackboy.

15 years ago, I had no problem sinking 100+ hours into a Duke Nukem 3D campaign or a DOOM episode. But now, I just can't do it.

I'm stuck in a situation where I want to build an LBP level, and yet can't muster the energy to do so.

Is anyone else having the same experience? Or am I simply lazy?

...and I just realized the scary thought of being too lazy to play a videogame...

The Who's What's and Why's

2010-02-21T15:30:00.001-05:00

Welcome to I (heart) Level Editors, my blog about gaming, game development and gaming culture.

My name is Jason Canam, and I am lucky enough to make games for a living, and I enjoy every minute of it!

So, I guess that's the Who and the What, so let's get to the Why. Why "I heart Level Editors"? Because I've been using level editors for over 20 years, and they're primarily responsible for me becoming a part of this industry.

Back in the 1980's, the first seeds of game development were planted in me when I discovered a Commodore 64 game called Wizard. It was a single screen platformer where the player had to find a key and take it to a lock to complete a level. I enjoyed it a fair amount, but it was the included level editor that would literally change my life forever.

I've literally built hundreds of levels for Wizard. A couple of years ago, I found a box of 5 1/4" floppy disks labelled "JaSon'S LevELS!!!" (numbred 1 through 12) and decided to take a look. It was nice to see that one could notice a very clear progression in my understanding of both the tools and of basic design principals. Throughout the course of a single disk (which would hold about 50 levels) I could see how the levels became more and more intricate. And by disk 6, I started to see my "experimental" phase, using elements from the game for purposes other than their original intention.

Beginning at a very young age I was trying to learn and understand principals such as "What is fun?" and the idea of Risk Versus Reward. In my first levels, I would always litter the stage with the most valuable prizes (hey, I was ony 5), but I quickly learned that the player should have to work for the treasure.

Wizard was only the first level editor I've used, throughout the years I've enjoyed building DOOM maps with Waded and the DCK (Doom Construction Kit), Duke Nukem 3d build (probably my favourite level editor ever!), UnrealEd, and recently LittleBigPlanet. I'm a huge fan of level editors and believe that they are absolutely a great tool for anyone who wants to learn games and has any desire to make games.

That's why I (heart) Level Editors.