Big Bang Game Industry

The game industry can’t seem to stop itself. Software sales alone jumped 34% to $8.64 billion in 2007 from 2006 and are predicted to surpass $10 billion in 2008. Growth is always healthy, but are creative and fun games becoming replaced with bigger and better versions of proven genres?

After I made the move to a current generation console, I was neither expecting nor thrilled about buying $60 games. What happened to the glory years where games ran a cool $40? The answer is that big name games cost much more to develop than in the mid 90’s. An $800,000 budgeted Playstation game would be considered a smash blockbuster if it sold over 1 million units. A single AAA current generation game costing upwards of $20 million is seen as a disappointment by a studio if it only sells 1 million units.

I’ve noticed the increased price for games has changed my purchasing habits. Years ago I would be much more willing to try out a unique looking title that may only be receiving 7’s or 8’s in reviews. At $40 a pop it didn’t seem too bad to go out on a limb every once in a while and try something new. But with games being more expensive now, I tend to not even think about buying a game with reviews less than an 8. If I go out and buy every $60 game that I think looks even decent, how am I gonna be able to afford the $2 Pabst at the bar?

Since studios must rely on such large software sales, they aren’t as likely to release the creatively fun and original games that I idolize. Look at some recent/upcoming games: Devil May Cry 4, Gran Tourismo 5, Grand Theft Auto 4, Ace Combat 6, Call of Duty 4, Metal Gear Solid 4, Virtua Fighter 5, Tekken 6, Resident Evil 5… While these games are all quality titles and some of my personal favorites, they are all just fine-tuned modified versions of the originals. The market is potentially becoming stale and filled with clones.

Luckily a handful of original games come out every year that still can rock the foundations of game design. Digital distribution is also providing a great outlet for smaller developers to get their titles into consumer’s hands. By not needing a publisher, developers can afford to charge less for games distributed online. Xbox Live Arcade games typically sell for $5-15 and produce some original new titles that are a breath of fresh air. Mediums like these are starting to be a great breeding ground for independent studios to get out material that would normally never have a chance to see the light of day.

Nintendo is also doing the industry some good with its casual game market. The Wii and DS led system sales in 2007 and much of that had to do with the type of software Nintendo was putting out. Many of the games were new, inventive, accessible to non-gamers, and plain fun to play. Last year marked the legitimate solidification of the casual games market and I am finding myself investing more and more time into these pick-up and play games. It’s just good to know you can jump in and have some fun without needing to invest multiple hours into an epic title.

While the most high profile games will continue to one-up each other in production values and flare, there is a limit to how many games of one type people can play before becoming bored out of their mind. Thankfully there is still hope for new innovations and the ability to get that into the hands of open-minded gamers. 2008 and beyond is going to be a real eye-opener on the split between causal games and hardcore games. While the monotonous pitfall is ever present, digital distribution allows for fed-up indie developers to churn out normally inaccessible hits for everyone to get their hands on.

2008 Gaming Preview

My 2008 preview is up over at The Synthesis. First article in a long time, check it out!

The Synthesis 2008 Gaming Preview

Intel buys Havok

The Irish founded Havok physics engine was purchased by Intel yesterday for a reported $110 million. Havok will continue to be ran as an independent company but will now have Intel as its parent company.

I am surprised that Havok has actually not be purchased yet, as it was founded in 1998 and has been such a featured toolset in so many games. Anyways, hats off to Havok, they helped push games into the current state they are in today and continue to impress.

BioShock Review

In the 1950’s an underwater city has been erected where the greatest minds in art, medicine, and engineering can freely pursue their creative paths without the hindrance of laws or regulations. Hidden from the rest of the world, the city is Rapture and its founder is a man known as Andrew Ryan. Like most philosophies, the enlightened city of Rapture sounded good in Ryan’s head, yet over the years it has taken a dark and twisted turn from its utopian ideals. After genetic altercation was discovered people began overdosing on their vanity and it destroyed their minds. A war broke out, and all hell broke loose.

While technically BioShock is a first-person shooter, it is difficult not to attempt to classify it as a role playing game and/or action title like the System Shock games that came before it. After a plane crash in the middle of the ocean, the player makes it to a lighthouse and discovers the water entombed Rapture. Armed with a wrench and the first plasmid Electroshock, BioShock evolves into a beast of its own.

A scientific citizen of Rapture created these plasmids that re-write a person’s genetic code and enables them with such unnatural “powers” as electricity. Plasmids are mapped to the left side of the controller while the traditional FPS weapons are on the right. The bumpers are used for plasmid/weapon selection and the triggers use the equipped instrument of survival. The typical fire, ice, and telekinesis plasmids make an appearance but there are also ones such as Enrage which turns an enemy berserk, Target Dummy which creates a replica of the player and draws enemy distraction, and even the Security plasmid which makes enemies susceptible to alarms and turrets. Needless to say, while the player can only have six plasmids equipped at a time, there are more than enough types available to suite any player’s style.


The enemies in Rapture are referred to as Splicers because they have become so junked up on genetic alterations. In order to upgrade plasmids and unlock more slots, the player must get his hands on the most valued substance in Rapture called Adam. Adam can be found in the bodies of deceased Splicers or humans, and acquiring Adam introduces us to the more infamous enemies in the game who are actually not enemies at all. These would be the Big Daddy and Little Sister characters who roam the world and harvest Adam. The Little Sisters are monstrous little girls who crawl out of pipes in the walls and extract Adam by using a syringe tool. While the Little Sister is doing her nasty deed, the Big Daddy is standing guard protecting his investment. The Big Daddy is a large diving suited shell of a man equipped with a rail gun and a disconcerting temper. These characters, if left alone, will have nothing to do with the player. They will go about their business as usual and exist as they have been before you arrived on the scene. But beware; once the player or a greedy Splicer attempts to harm the Little Sister in order to come up on some Adam, he/she will have the Big Daddy to deal with and that is no push over of a foe.

Here is where the player is given a moral dilemma. After defeating the Big Daddy that is protecting the individual Little Sister, the player can either harvest her for the Adam that she possesses and thus kill her, or he can cure the Little Sister and free her of her curse, but at the cost of receiving only a fraction of the Adam. Each player may decide on a different path when it comes to which is more important; saving the innocent or worrying about himself.


Along with being able to upgrade your character with plasmids, there are also three types of Gene Tonics: Physical, Engineering, and Combat. The player can equip six of each type at a time and once equipped the tonics take effect instantly. Physical tonics can make you stronger and more powerful, engineering tonics help with hacking security systems, and combat tonics improve your ability to deal and resist damage. There are a shitload of tonics to either discover or create and the player will need to decide which category is more important along the journey. The six main weapons can be upgraded as well and each weapon can handle multiple ammo types that are suited better for certain enemies. After talking to others who played BioShock, none of us approached the game the same way.

This alone says a lot, especially when dealing with first-person shooters since they can be regarded as the most repetitive genre in gaming. And while these features may sound like interesting gameplay tweaks, they can seemingly become set aside as it is the world of Rapture that steals the show.


Rapture sucks you in the second you enter its walls and it is near impossible to tear your eyes away. The 1950’s motif mixed with WWII propaganda, utopian undertones, and limitless amounts of water combine to bring to life one of the most immersive gaming environments ever created. It looks fabulous and it’s creepy as hell.

The game spans around seven different areas ranging from sadistic medical facilities, slums turned prison camps, a maniacal theater district, and industrial factories. Every area is dilapidated from the carnage that has taken place in Rapture. Rubble is around every corner, apartments are torn apart, fires are burning, and the ocean is slowly attempting to reclaim the city.

Some of this stuff is a real trip. Corpses are strewn everywhere, blood litters the pavement and walls, people have been hung in the town square, and others have been tortured or medically experimented on. Slaughtered families, including children, are still sitting in the living room of their ravished apartment with the television broadcasting an emergency signal. People are coated in plaster and positioned as living statues in the theater district. Make no mistake; BioShock is a very dark game in both its color scheme and content.


BioShock developer Irrational had a whole team dedicated solely on water graphics and physics. While the game takes place entirely indoors, Irrational wanted to make sure the player was always aware of the impending sea. There is running water produced from every nook and cranny, pools of standing water that the player must wade through, and an organic moving current flowing past every window. Sorry Wave Race 64 but you just got ousted.

Once again it is the audio that ties everything together. BioShock boasts a haunting mix of orchestrated and piano-induced tracks guaranteed to chill your bones. There is also some classic 1950’s pop music interlaced that clashes against the somber landscape and confuses the senses. Add in quality sound effects and the audio blends with the visuals in a way that creates an unforgettable ambiance. The constant trickle of water ensures that the player is engulfed by the liquid at all times.

The voice acting is just as superb. Most of the story is explained through radio transmissions and by picking up audio diaries that the residents have left behind. While this may sound like a cheap way of explaining what happened to Rapture, it isn’t. There are only three scenes in the game where the player does not have complete control and must sit through storyline. These do not last for more than a few minutes in length and as such the overall experience never feels broken. The events of Rapture can be found by listening to the audio diaries and investigating the environment. It is a great way to let the player decide how involved he/she wants to become in Rapture’s history and ideally it draws upon the end user’s innate curiosity to flesh out the world.


For the most part I only have very minor complaints with the game. The two that stand out the most should be mentioned as they were more prominent than the others. There was not enough enemy variety for my taste. The Big Daddies and Little Sisters were fantastically unique and the handful of different Splicer types were all quality as well, but just a few more would have been cool. Plus, it seemed like all of the enemies were introduced within the first area of gameplay. Spreading out the encounters may have been more rewarding. Secondly, the player cannot die. You can carry up to nine first aid packs to heal yourself during battle, but even if you die (which I did often) you will be respawned at a Vita-Chamber with no consequence. The enemies will retain however much damage you dealt before dying and you don’t lose any items or get penalized for failing. This began to bother me after a while because the player isn’t really forced to figure out a strategy in using all the cool abilities he has decided upon. You can just go out, take some damage off a Big Daddy, die, and repeat until the area is cleared. I found it to be an odd design choice, as it didn’t really make some situations as difficult or intense as they could have been.


I could go on another couple of pages about how much more there is to do in BioShock such as becoming a hacking expert, doing enemy research by taking photographs, collecting and creating items through invention machines, and dealing with security cameras and bots. But the facts remain; the controls are tight and responsive, the game is drenched in style and substance, the art and design are fantastic, the story is great, the AI is phenomenal, and oh yeah, it’s fun. I honestly cannot wait to return to BioShock after the New Year and play it an entirely different way than my first outing. Play this game alone, at night, with the volume pumped and prepare for one of the most intense and unforgettable experiences with a game in recent memory. I haven’t been in bed after a gaming session with my mind playing tricks on me this bad since Resident Evil 2. Even if you don’t like shooters, go buy this game. It is a must play for any video game fan.

Retail Profits: Special Edition

I wrote this about a year ago but it is just as prevelent today. Especially with the three different versions of Halo 3 coming out reaching a pricetag of $130 for the game and a Master Chief replica mini-helmet. BioShock had a special edition with a Big Daddy statue as well. I guess these are cool for kids with a bunch of cash to burn, but I already think a regular price of $59.99 is too much. Anyway, let me know how you feel about it.


There is a new plague contaminating the gaming world. Oh no! What could it be? Our worst nightmare has come to life with the emergence of Special Edition/Limited Edition games. This whole ruckus began in the DVD world, as any self respecting collector knows about the double dip. A double dip is when a studio releases a film and then a few months to a year later release a “Special Edition” version with new extras and/or transfer and audio. This spineless profiting tactic begins to enrage a fan of the film because after dropping $20-30 the first time, they have to spend another $20-30 for the better version. The best example of this can be found in the Star Wars Trilogy. From VHS to DVD this series has spawned not just two releases of the set but multiple editions. We have the original theatrical trilogy, the widescreen edition, the enhanced THX version, the re-released 1997 special edition, etc. This in turn always makes me cautious when buying a new release DVD. I have found myself not swooping on a film that I may really enjoy because of the fear of having to re-buy it at a later date.

I recently experienced such a feeling when I purchased Resident Evil 4 for the PS2 last fall. I eagerly walked into the store and asked for the title. “All we have left is the Limited Edition,” I was told. I was in a rush, the extras sounded cool, and I was a fan of the series. So for ten more bucks I got a metal case with different artwork from the regular edition and a bonus DVD with a making of feature. I decided that I had come out on top and returned home a satisfied customer. That is until I viewed my extra disk and was slapped in the face with a ten minute pile of shit. I gained minor insight to the development of the game. Any information thrown at me could be easily found online. Ten bucks may not sound like much money but it could have been put towards an 18-pack instead of wasting 10 minutes of my life.

Afterwards, I began noticing more and more titles being released with the Limited Edition sticker pimp slapped across their covers. Marc Ecko’s Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure Limited Edition. If that paragraph of a title alone doesn’t piss you off then maybe the soundtrack, tin case, and graffiti book for ten more bucks will. Another ten dollars down the drain can get you Driver: Parellel Lines Limited Edition with soundtrack and a behind the scenes feature. True gamers want to play a good game, not be drowned in accessories. The list of companies jumping on this bandwagon is rapidly increasing. Why pay the extra cheese when there is no difference in game content?

Now, for some games that have done it right. Virtua Fighter 4 was released to critical acclaim only to be followed by Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution a year and some change later. Are two new characters, improved graphics, and the addition of the original Virtua Fighter worth $49.99? Apparently Sega didn’t think so and thus posted the new release with an MSRP of $19.99. I can live with that. Another huge title was double dipped with Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistance. It was released again with a price of $29.99 and the inclusion of an all new online multiplayer mode, Replay Theater to view all cut scenes, the original Metal Gear 1 & 2, plus mini-games. For two titles that already kicked major ass, these double dips were handled perfectly.

So beware fellow gamers, this is only the beginning. We must make a stand and not allow ourselves to be mesmerized by fancy extras thrown in our face. Unless it’s a plush Chocobo doll, how can anyone resist Final Fantasy swag?

Eternal Sonata Demo Impressions

Okay, it is a horrible fact that this game is going to be the game this fall that everybody should play yet nobody will. The reason? Because it is not going to get the advertising that it deserves and it will be buried by the 20 other established big name releases coming out in the surrounding months. This brakes my heart because Eternal Sonata is shaping up to be one of the best RPG’s to hit the current generation systems yet.

This game takes place in the famous composer Frederic Chopin’s dream world as he lies on his deathbed. Eternal Sonata is a traditional Japanese role playing game and some people may hate on it at first glance for not offering anything new. Although it looks like a number of RPGs from the past in terms of combat, Eternal Sonata needs only one chance to change your mind.

The combat system is an evolving entity of its own. It begins turn-based, then as the player gains experience it starts taking elements away so that eventually the combat is much more real-time. For the demo the player is at level two and this allows a nice mix of turn-based and real-time combat for someone who has never played Eternal Sonata.


Another factor in battles is that areas of the arena are shrouded in light and dark. Depending if either a party member or enemy is situated in the light or in the shade, different abilities are at their disposal. For instance, each party member has a special move, one for light and one for dark. Depending on where he/she is in the arena depends on which move is available and thus not only do players need to be mindful of which abilities each party member has, but also mindful of the character’s positioning as it will effect battle strategy. The same goes for enemies, which can even be physically altered by the shade/light. This seemingly minor twist to combat is just enough to switch things up while retaining some of the familiar.

I totally love the look of Eternal Sonata (OMG I TOTALLY LOVE IT!). From the character designs, environments, visual effects, coloring, and polish, Eternal Sonata has a style of its own. The game is hauntingly linear, but I don’t really mind this while exploring massive areas/dungeons. The cut-scenes are shot well and animations look great.

Since this story takes place in Chopin’s dome I figured that the music has got to be worthy of such an association. From the few areas that the demo allows the player to explore I can say that so far the score for Eternal Sonata is top quality.


While the relatively short demo spans only a small village and a few forests, there are not many negative things I can say about Eternal Sonata. Plus there are enough elements that have me wanting this game even more than I did last week. Personally it has been much too long since I got to play through a quality JRPG and I miss the nostalgic style of gameplay and presentation. If you fancy yourself an RPG this fall, check out Eternal Sonata on September 17th.

Stranglehold Demo Impressions

The demo for John Woo Presents Stranglehold came out this Wednesday on Xbox Live, along with a demo for Eternal Sonata (which I will have impressions posted shortly). But for now let us take a look at Stranglehold shall we?

Stranglehold is a cool idea with big ambitions and I was on the fence as to how this game would turn out. It has all the ingredients to be a third-person shooter rivaling the brilliant Max Payne, but if not executed perfectly Stranglehold may just be the game that COULD have been better than Max Payne. After playing the demo, which consists of the games first level minus the boss, I am still undecided.


This demo is fun. It is a tad easy for my taste but from what I have heard Stranglehold eases you into the game and then punks your skills by ramping up the difficulty significantly. The harder difficulties are unlocked after beating the demo and I enjoyed the frantic pace and more challenging areas. The player has access to two of the four “Tequila Bombs” which are his special moves. Heal does what you think it does and Trueshot allows the player to zero in on an enemy and pull off a one hit kill. Beat the demo a few times and you will eventually have access to all of the Tequila Bombs. These include Barrage, which turn Tequila invincible and ramp up the strength and firing speed of your weapons, and a smart-bomb type attack that kills everyone in the vicinity in a cinematic full of flying doves and shot up thugs.

A brainchild of John Woo and Chow-Yun Fat, it is no surprise that Stranglehold is very cinematic. Long cut-scenes have the player feeling like he is watching a movie and the gameplay lends to the notion that this game could be a feature film. The player also gets a taste of another gameplay element called Standoffs. Twice in the demo Tequila enters the Standoff mode which is when he finds himself in a situation surrounded by bad guys. The camera becomes fixed and cycles through each enemy who is actively trying to gun down Tequila. By using the right stick to aim and the left stick to avoid incoming bullets, Tequila can take out each threat and ideally come out unscathed.


Stranglehold is touting itself as having Massive D that is supposed to stand for Massive Destruction, but every time I read it I just think Massive Dick and start giggling childishly. Stranglehold is processing tons of destructible Havok objects in this game and rooms will be transformed for the worse after Tequila does his dirty work. Many objects are highlighted to bring the player’s attention to more effective targets that can cause chain reactions or change the environment in order to aid the outnumbered Tequila.

I played through the demo three times and enjoyed it more during each playthough. The harder difficulty is a better challenge and after becoming familiar with the areas the player is really able to create some fabulous shoot-outs. Hopefully the full game can keep bringing fresh ideas and fun levels throughout the final build. If you like guns and Massive D(ick), check out Stranglehold either now with the Xbox Live demo or when it releases on August 27th.