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University Chronicle: Freeman is no all-time hero
Dec 3, 2009 Game Column, Journalism, University Chronicle Leave a comment
Disclaimer: Originally published on the St. Cloud State University campus paper, the University Chronicle on the Sept. 28 2009 issue. Written by Jun-Kai Teoh, Managing Online Editor.
This article may not be reproduced in any form, including online or print media, without first and foremost contacting the University Chronicle.
Gordon Freeman, from the Half-Life series, is officially the greatest all-time game hero.
Or, at least that’s what Gamespot found when they started their “All-Time Greatest Game Hero” competition.
Out of a pool of 64 candidates including idols such as Donkey Kong, Snake from Metal Gear Solid, Duke Nukem, Pikachu Niko Bellic and even the all-time favorite plumber Mario, it’s hard to believe that Gordon Freeman came out at the top.
In the final round, Mario the plumber stood off against Gordon the scientist. Gordon barely won with a 7 percent gap.
Mario is the icon with a feature movie under its belt – horrible, but nonetheless a feature movie – and a spectacular 116 appearances in various games.
On one hand, we have a plumber that first appeared in 1981 and since then has been constantly saving his loved ones from weird revolting mushrooms and overgrown bipolar turtles.
On the other hand we have an MIT graduate that works in a research facility flipping buttons and pushing carts, and subsequently resulting in having Earth being invaded by aliens.
Wait, greatest game hero?
An ordinary plumber that rises against all odds and saves his loved one over and over again, or an MIT graduate that starts a world invasion and then subsequently “saves” it.
Also, it is impossible to forget that throughout all his appearances Gordon has remained a mute, never uttering a single word.
Either he’s rude, unbelievably narcissistic or he had his vocal cords magically removed by aliens during his studies at MIT.
We had the chance of a lifetime (maybe a tad dramatic here) to pick a game hero to represent the growing depth and intellectualism that is the gaming community, and we picked a button-flipping, cart-pushing, violent and mute scientist?
Yes, this is violent.
A gun-toting, crowbarwaving, rocket-launching MIT scientist with a deepseated sense of Xenophobia.
The Half-Life series is a fantastic series of games.
Personally loved the games, it’s just a little bit preposterous to think of Gordon Freeman as the “Greatest Game Hero” to ever grace my controller/ keyboard.
The gaming community is often laughed at and poked fun at, with a stereotypical image of people that never managed to mature and grow up.
Games are looked at as mindless violent games or a waste of time on depth-less addictive media.
In terms of character qualities, Mario should have won.
He’s the bunny-hopping, fireball hurling, kart-racing, lady-loving everyday man that rose against the odds and kicked virtual turtle butt while doing it.
He has a dinosaur to ride on for goodness sake.
Heck, Niko Bellic would have been a better choice. A person in search of “The American Dream” in a world that makes no sense at all.
Gordon’s a decent game hero, he just shouldn’t have won the title. At least it wasn’t the semi brain-dead Marcus Fenix or the psychotic God of War Kratos.
At the end of the day, Pikachu should have won. That adorable yellow fluffball that can power up your house almost effortlessly.
Not only does it represent a world without electric bills, but it makes people say “aww” too.
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University Chronicle: Going back to the gaming basics
Dec 3, 2009 Game Column, Journalism, University Chronicle Leave a comment
Disclaimer: Originally published on the St. Cloud State University campus paper, the University Chronicle on the Nov. 2 2009 issue. Written by Jun-Kai Teoh, Managing Online Editor.
This article may not be reproduced in any form, including online or print media, without first and foremost contacting the University Chronicle.
Simplify, simplify, simplify. That was an advice that William Zinsser gave in his book “On Writing Well.” Valve took the same approach to the zombie-horror survival genre and the result of it was “Left 4 Dead,” a game that took the masses by pleasant surprise.
The game became an unbelievable success. Critics raved all about it, gamers loved every inch of it, and their developers swam in praise and adulation.
“Left 4 Dead” was a success not because it tried to combine different genres together, or that it had a really beautiful graphics engine, or that it had “87 bazillion guns.” It was successful because it’s formula and concept was really simple.
Gamers didn’t need twitch-reflex gaming skills with that game, all that was needed was to aim in the general direction of those swarming zombies and just button mash away.
Players didn’t have to familiarize themselves with the weapons, because they were straightforward enough.
A combat rifle shoots fast, a shotgun sends bodies flying and the sniper pierces bodies; everything was simple and the pace of the game was frantically fast.
Zombies were plentiful and they came in hordes.
They came in such big numbers with a few “Special Infected” that whenever they appeared it would typically result in a shout-scream test. Passionate gamers shouting for help, screaming in frustration, giggling in pleasure and laughing in glee.
Teamwork, something many people these days know nothing about, is vital in “Left 4 Dead.”
It’s practically impossible, save for cheating, for a solo player to get through any one of the campaigns while leaving his/her teammates behind.
It’s a game where everything was made simple, broken down to the basics.
This was what made “Left 4 Dead” so unbelievably successful. A deep and emotional storyline was unnecessary because it didn’t have any real storyline to begin with at all.
The whole game involved selecting a gun and reaching the next checkpoint.
The concept is simple, the game play is exhilarating.
The player is seemingly thrown into the final scenes of George Romero’s “Land of the Dead,” where all he or she has to do is shoot everything to make it out alive.
Game developers should take note from Valve’s “Left 4 Dead.” Simple can sometimes be a lot better than the recent slew of convoluted complicating games.
Spectacular graphics and realistic physics isn’t going to win over simple reward management, because that’s what games are all about.
Reward management involves tempting the player with a challenge that he or she might lose and put a nice reward at the end of it.
It’s like the ‘give the dog a bone’ concept.
Games should still have depth; they should still try to break into new grounds.
But developers have to remember what makes games fun, which is sadly something more and more developers are forgetting.
Every new feature or function or setting should further enhance the “challenge-reward” system, and not hinder it.
Borderlands by Gearbox did a great job in simplifying their game.
It’s a simple cooperative multi-player shooter mode that just emphasizes on teamwork and a lot of shooting.
The storyline is more of a sidebar in this game. Players are occupied with getting their hands on some randomly generated “uber-powerful” shotgun than they were about who stole what from where.
Borderlands has a mood and feel that is completely different from “Left 4 Dead,” but the idea of simplifying the game to a “challenge-reward” idea worked splendidly with it as well.
But game developers often forget what makes a game fun.
In fact, Valve might have forgotten a little of it with their sequel to their first zombie-horror survival masterpiece called “Left 4 Dead.”
Valve will be releasing the sequel to “Left 4 Dead” on November 17.
They did however give over-enthusiastic pre-ordering gamers early access to their demo though.
The demo of “Left 4 Dead: 2” is fun, no doubt, but while Valve seemed to have done an even better job with the frantic pace and feel of the game, and how it takes place during the day instead of the night, the creators got a little too carried away with the weapons.
There are far too many weapons in “Left 4 Dead” sequel.
The inclusion of new melee weapons was a great idea, it’ll add a twist to the game, but Valve got carried away and added a plethora of melee weapons instead of a few select distinctly different weapons.
What makes it horrible is that they function almost all in the same way save for the chainsaw and machete.
The pan, police baton and the guitar (yeah, you can “thwack” the head of a zombie with a red electric guitar) all work about the same. They look different, but have the same range.
Their new rifles and shotguns also add to the confusion.
Valve seemingly forgot the formula they had that made their game successful.
Their new weapons are just going to confuse and slow down the pace of the game as players stand and ponder the weapons.
Game developers should take heed and remember to “simplify,” just as long as they don’t return to the days of Pong.
Popularity: 6% [?]
University Chronicle: Gaming to win
Dec 3, 2009 Game Column, Journalism, University Chronicle Leave a comment
Disclaimer: Originally published on the St. Cloud State University campus paper, the University Chronicle on the Nov. 9 2009 issue. Written by Jun-Kai Teoh, Managing Online Editor.
This article may not be reproduced in any form, including online or print media, without first and foremost contacting the University Chronicle.2
It’s that time of the year again where games flood the market, and gamers pull their hair in frustration trying to decide on what to buy.
To make life easier for fans, here are a few titles that gamers might want to consider saving up for.
They come in no particular order and are multiplatform games.
Borderlands
This game has already been released, and is available for PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.
A hybrid of two wellloved genres, RPG and FPS, Borderlands is the perfect game for gamers that love fast-paced shooter action with an almost endless choice of weapons.
Proudly claiming that the game offers “87 bazilion guns,” this game definitely offers a twist to traditional shooter games.
While the storyline of the game may not be spectacular, it really does not matter at all as the variety of weapons at your disposal easily offsets everything else.
Except for the rewards given by quests, all other weapons in the game are randomly generated, encouraging players to go through multiple playthroughs.
The co-op multiplayer is where the game truly shines.
Traversing the world as a lonely treasure hunter can be depressing at times, so take advantage of the multiplayer aspect of the game and wreak havoc with up to three other players.
The enemies are harder, the dropped loot prettier and the game just tremendously better.
Dragon Age: Origins
This game has also bee released already, and also available for PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.
The spiritual successor of Baldur’s Gate, developed by RPG masters Bioware, is simply a spectacular tale of sword and sorcery.
Gone are the simple moral choices of earlier RPG games, replaced instead with decisions that are always bordering on either, much like choices presented to the player in Mass Effect and The Witcher. The consequences of the actions are never clear either, with empires rising and falling unwittingly.
With a complex, and yet surprisingly user-friendly, battle system, the game holds true to the many promises from Bioware and the tremendously high expectations that fans have for the game.
Depending on the player’s choice of race and their “origins”, the game offers a myriad of possibilities.
Coupled with the plot twists and the often unsuspected consequences, Dragon Age easily offers hours upon hours of satisfying gameplay.
Assassins Creed 2
This game will be released on November 17 and made for PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.
The sequel to the hit Assassins Creed, the player is this time thrown into another
open world consisting of Venice, Rome, Florence and Tuscan.
Addressing the earlier concerns of fans regarding Assassins Creed, Ubisoft Montreal aims to provide an even richer experience as players take the role of an assassin with the help of Leonardo da Vinci and his many contraptions.
Running across rooftops, scaling walls, gliding through Venice with da Vinci’s flying contraption, gamers should definitely look forward to this upcoming installment of the game.
Left 4 Dead 2
This game will be released November 17, and will be available on PC and Xbox 360.
Zombies, chainsaws, guns and machetes. A few keywords that easily summarize the chaotic and yet addicting sequel to Valve’s 2008 Left 4 Dead.
In addition to the new melee weapons, L4D2 has introduced new zombies such as zombies in hazmat suits or riot police suits.
Taking place in the South this time and in broad daylight, the added vibrant color to the game works even better with the game.
Graphics of the game have improved significantly, the weapons seem to have a more distinctive feel, and the overall pandemonium of the game can be felt much better.
Smashing the head of a zombie running at you, while carnival music is playing in the back, is unbelievably satisfying.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
This game will be released November 10. It will be available on PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.
For gamers that are familiar with Modern Warfare 1, no introduction should be necessary at all.
Modern Warfare 2, developed by Infinity Ward, is the sequel to one of the most successful shooters of 2007.
While the game features a single-player and co-op campaign, it truly shines on the online multiplayer level.
The game still features its previous experience and unlockable reward system, a new kill-streak reward system is implemented as well where players can order supply drops or missile strikes.
However, PC gamers and fans of modding might want to consider the game carefully as Modern Warfare 2 does not support dedicated servers and modding capabilities.
These are the prominent RPG, Action and Shooter games that gamers should be looking to purchase and play.
Nothing beats the preparation to warm up the blood during the cold St. Cloud winter with the warm blood of virtual villains.
Popularity: 5% [?]
University Chronicle: Beating online omens
Dec 3, 2009 Game Column, Journalism, University Chronicle Leave a comment
Disclaimer: Originally published on the St. Cloud State University campus paper, the University Chronicle on the Nov. 16 2009 issue. Written by Jun-Kai Teoh, Managing Online Editor.
This article may not be reproduced in any form, including online or print media, without first and foremost contacting the University Chronicle.
Video games are competitive, which is nothing new. Even back in the days of Pong or Pac Man, people competed against each other one way or another.
With the advent of Internet however, all that has changed.
I believe that people would nod their heads in agreement if I said that the Internet is both the best and the worst thing that was introduced to games.
Multiplayer games have never been more intense.
With up to 64 people shooting at each other in certain competitive games such as Battlefield 2, and with intense “up-close-and-personal” team fights in games such as League of Legends or Demigod, multiplayer is no more the Robin of Batman.
The multiplayer aspect of games is one of the biggest selling points of games these days.
A new phenomenon has been increasingly apparent in the online gaming community in the past few years, where a new species of gamers have slowly mutated out of the depths of hell and has begun a pesky assault against the gaming community.
These demons are often stubborn, quick to offend (and easily offended), rude, arrogant and at times even outright racist.
These elitist snobs bring a bad name to the gaming community.
Even though many gamers are fairly helpful and nice people, it’s the vocal and rude ones that get the attention.
Their opponents a “noob” (derogatory term, implying lack of skills) when they lose, a “noob” when the player wins against them, and sometimes they’re even excited enough to use racial slurs.
And it isn’t restricted to their opponents either, these horrid beasts think of themselves so highly that they’re quick to insult their own teammates as well.
They fail to realize that teamwork is essential in most multiplayer games; instead imagining themselves as a great hero of which is failed by incompetent lackeys.
It is sad however that these monsters are unaware of their own path to self-destruction.
By being the nuisances that they are, they turn away others from playing online game matches.
By being the annoyances that they are, they will slowly end up in a playing field consisting of mostly their own.
By being the pests that they are, they’re ridding the “community” aspect of the online community.
Here are a few ways that are very useful in annoying these rodents.
Shouting matches against them will not work; they’ll just get excited and act like monkeys on cocaine and LSD.
1. The Big Laugh
Really, just laugh at them. If they say I suck, I laugh at them. If they say I’m cheating, I laugh at them. If they call me names, I laugh at them. And I never offer an explanation either, which just annoys the heck out of them.
They absolutely despise being laughed at, and even more so when they have no idea why.
So just laugh.
2. The Counter-Statement
This is generally restricted to situations where they make a comment about skill-related issues. Such as when I successfully kill them with a knife, and they say knife-kills require no skills, I’d simply reply “Knife throwing is a skill!” even if it really isn’t.
In fact, it works better when what I say is absolutely untrue, because it just turns them into a vein-popping, blood boiling, feet-stomping lunatic.
It’s important however to reply only once and let them go on a rant. Ignoring them after they’ve incoherently pieced their argument is part of the fun.
3. The Dictionary Attack
It’s a sad and amusing fact that many of these pesky elitists don’t spell properly and often use terms and words incorrectly.
“These people are too absorbed in their own world to look in dictionaries; so they assume that what they think it is truth,” Private. Jackass (Glard Chia) said.
Having been at the forefront of the battle against these snobbish jerks, Chia’s favorite technique is to twist their words around and poke fun at them.
It works well too.
A very simple example is the word “gay”, which is often used as an insult against others.
Twist it around and think of it as “happy” and just agree with them, and the tables will have turned. The trick against these cretins is to take it as a joke.
No matter how competitive the game is or was, take it easy and it will be far more enjoyable.
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