http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs Blogging resource for the Interactive Arts and Media department @ Columbia College Chicago Wed, 16 May 2012 18:22:32 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Blogging resource for the Interactive Arts and Media department @ Columbia College Chicago no http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=33235 http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=33235#comments Tue, 03 Apr 2012 16:16:02 +0000 Colin McInerney http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=33235 http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?feed=rss2&p=33235 <p>We had an opportunity to pick a new game to play, and while I’ve been enjoying Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, playing a game that requires looking at the strategy guide 90% of the time isn’t easy when you only have an hour a week.  So instead, I’ll be playing a game I’ve played before, but a version I haven’t played.  Before I begin, I want to state my argument as to why this will be different enough to justify picking it as a ‘new game.’</p> <p>1. Difficulty: I’m playing through on the difficulty setting ‘Final Mix: Proud’.  The gummi ship deals half as much damage, takes 4x as much, and all the enemies are stupidly hard.  If there ever was a need to organize your abilities, it’s in this game, which leads me to my next point:</p> <p>2. New Abilities/Weapons/Enemies: Sora has 10 new abilities, two new keyblades, and there are many new heartless, changing the combat in some areas significantly.  And since the damage these enemies do is on par with the old enemies, it’s going to be a hard fight.  And as much fun as it is to use my abilities, there’s a bit of a problem:</p> <p>3. Language Barrier: Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix is a Japan-only release.  While the spoken dialog is in English, all cutscenes, written dialog and MENUS are in Japanese.  On the main menu, I have to rely on indicators like 30 HP in item descriptions to figure out that it’s a potion, but otherwise have to learn to recognize the Japanese text for potion to use it effectively in battle.  The same applies to all my abilities.  Not only do I have to figure out what my old abilities are in Japanese, but I have to learn what the new ones do.</p> <p>After playing the game up until the first real boss fight (Guard Armor), I reflected on my progress.  I had died probably 10 times, compared to about never when usually playing Kingdom Hearts.  The language barrier has been extremely difficult to overcome, and short of looking up my abilities (which I’m trying to avoid), it’s been a process of trial and error.  I’ve also leveled up to level 9, and have had almost no indication of what has changed, except for when a visible change in health or magic occurs.</p> <p>The game feels completely alien.  The faces are familiar, the voice actors are all known to me, but it feels like I’m playing a brand new game.  The recolored Heartless add to this illusion, as they now seem unfamiliar and more sinister.  Even the lowest-level enemies can kill me in about 4 hits, so I find myself mashing Square to dodge roll a lot.  Combat feels almost… tactical.  Charging in to kill every enemy is a sure-fire way to get myself killed.</p> <p>The final note is the inversion of the O and X buttons.  In the US, we use X to select and O to cancel, but the Japanese do the opposite.  This means that to make Sora jump I hit X, and to attack I hit O.  It’s very hard to get used to, and more than once I’ve died due to trying to jump and accidentally swinging my sword, leaving me a sitting duck.</p> We had an opportunity to pick a new game to play, and while I’ve been enjoying Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, playing a game that requires looking at the strategy guide 90% of the time isn’t easy when you only have an hour a week.  So [...] http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=32968 http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=32968#comments Tue, 20 Mar 2012 17:41:45 +0000 M. Heintz http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=32968 http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?feed=rss2&p=32968 <p>Formatting <em>Asura’s Wrath</em></p> <p><em>Asura’s Wrath</em> is a game consisting of violent action coupled with characters from Hindu mythology and science fiction.  It is also considered an interactive anime, rather than a game, by multiple video game critics and standard gamers alike.  While some mention that this is merely just another flavor in the ever-expanding medium of video game entertainment, others believe that it should have just been made into an anime, rather than a video game.  Similar sentiments were raised back in 2010 when the game <em>Heavy Rain</em> was released.  This paper will look into the game <em>Asura’s Wrath</em>, and determine if being formatted after an interactive version of the Japanese anime style is truly detrimental to its enjoyment.</p> <p>The player starts the game in space, with Asura looking down at the planet Earth, watching hideous black and red beings rise up from it.  After pressing the start button, Asura launches himself off the spaceship he was standing on, and dives right for the gigantic enemies, shooting blasts from his fists or by merely punching them until they explode.  Already, the anime influences can be seen right from the beginning.  It’s commonplace in anime to mix science fiction with mythologies and historical moments when it certainly wouldn’t have existed (ex. <em>Sengoku Basura</em> and <em>Samurai 7</em>), as well as the idea of blowing up a huge monster the size of Lake Michigan with nothing but one’s fists.</p> <p>While the anime influences can be obvious right from the get-go, this is not necessarily a bad thing.  If anything, it allows the player to realize what they are getting themselves into, and that maybe an increased suspension of disbelief may be required in order to enjoy this game to its fullest.  Otherwise, if that is not possible, the player would feel more at home playing <em>Call of Duty</em> or <em>Madden</em>, being that this game is oriented for those who are already pre-exposed to the genre, or at least familiar with its concepts.</p> <p>As the player continues fighting with the their enemies, multiple cut scenes occur, many of them right after the other, featuring introductions to other characters as well as plenty of quick time (QT) events.  It is these cut scenes that have some gamers in such a rage.  Most of the game will consist of watching cut scenes, but this game attempts to do something a bit different.  It grades the player on how well they can complete the QT events, providing a percentage of how well they did compared to doing them all perfectly.</p> <p>Many of these QT events, however, are a specific timed event where the player must hit the Y button (if using a 360) or the Triangle button (if using a PS3).  Even though hitting it too early or a little too late will still continue the cut scene, the real enjoyment is hitting it spot on.  Not only will it increase the grade for the player in this specific section, but it will also create the feeling that the player is still doing something within the cinematic.</p> <p>When timing the QT just right with Asura’s punches, it creates emphasis on each of those punches, making them feel that they have more weight and power to them, rather than just simply sitting back and watching Asura do it himself, or the alternative of playing it normally just like the player was doing moments before.  It is through these QT events that the player is given a sense of interactivity, despite the large portion of the game that is narrative.  So while QT events are often shunned in the video game community, <em>Asura’s Wrath</em> handles them in a way that blends well into the action scenes and allows the player to feel as [...] Formatting Asura’s Wrath Asura’s Wrath is a game consisting of violent action coupled with characters from Hindu mythology and science fiction.  It is also considered an interactive anime, rather than a game, by multiple video game [...] http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=31740 http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=31740#comments Thu, 16 Feb 2012 04:07:33 +0000 Cameron.Cooper http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=31740 http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?feed=rss2&p=31740 <p>Let’s take a step back from last week’s Tactical Espionage Action sequence to take a look at the finer things that I rushed past last week. Mainly, the actual game and not so much the story within it. Upon turning the game on and actually paying attention to what’s going on it automatically throws you into a game select screen. This is due to the game disc actually containing multiple games. Disc 1 for Metal Gear Solid : HD Collections contains the two games ‘Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater’ and ‘Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty’. The screen is very simple, being a plain white with just the names of the two Metal Gear Solid (MGS) games taking up the left and right sides. Upon highlighting either game, the background shows blurred art relating to the game within the white background and the year the game takes place in. MGS3 takes place in 1964 while MGS2 takes place in 2007 and 2009. Once choosing a game the blurred image in the back becomes visible  and a brief description of the game is given along with the access of a revised version of the original manual.</p> <p><em>“One origin of the Metal Gear series begins in 1964 at the height of the Cold War. Naked Snake-the man who would later become the legendary soldier known as Big Boss-heads into Soviet territory to help the scientist Sokolov defect into the West. However the mission ends in failure when Snake’s mentor, a female soldier known as The Boss unexpectedly defects to the Soviet Union</em></p> <p><em>The fate of the world hanging in the balance, Snake is forced to question the true meaning of “loyalty”, as he embarks on a lone mission to kill his former mentor.” </em></p> <p>Once actually starting the game itself for MGS3, the opening sequence begins. A very jazzed up sequence of gameplay, character arts, and enough colors to make a rainbow feel proud. Showing plenty of newspaper articles and pictures from America’s achievements in the 50′s and 60′s to give that patriotic feel. Snakes and their skeletons slithering across everything on the screen that interrupts just about every scene of the clip. But by far the most impressing thing out of this collage is the music that goes with it. The song ‘<em>Snake Eater’</em> sung by Cynthia Harrell for this game is just a perfect fit for the intro and game itself. The jazz flow with a touch of pop and a voice full of soul singing about the jungle, love and tree frogs, it literally can get no better than this. As for the ‘Start Screen’, it shows the silhouette of Snake taking down enemy personnel with close-quarters-combat (CQC) in a variety of ways. Now, MGS has always been a series full of EasterEggs and fun stuff so let’s list off what can be done in the menu; Inverse the colors by pressing LT, zoom in with LB, speed up the clip with RB, slow down the clip with RT, pressing Y eliminates the background-camo effect, the right stick shifts the colors of the scene from warm/cool variations and the main stick controls the angle of the entire scene.</p> <p>Once in the main menu, which looks like a very old computer screen, you can choose to save/load a game, ‘Briefing Files’ which allows you to practice and train your skills, ‘Demo Theater’ to view all past cutscenes, Options, ‘Special’ which teaches you controls and view your photographs throughout the game, and you can also choose to play ‘Metal Gear’ and ‘Metal Gear 2 Solid Snake” which were the first two games in the MetalGear series that came out on the MSX2.</p> <p>But once you play the game, it feels like a pretty modern experience. One of my favorite features of the game is the Codec. The Codec is the communication system used to talk to various allies aiding snake through his mission. Seems simple, but you can freely talk to these people as much and as often as you want and most conversations will [...] Let’s take a step back from last week’s Tactical Espionage Action sequence to take a look at the finer things that I rushed past last week. Mainly, the actual game and not so much the story within it. Upon turning the game on and actually [...] http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=31646 http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=31646#comments Tue, 14 Feb 2012 06:37:21 +0000 Maxwell.Barrett http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=31646 http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?feed=rss2&p=31646 <p>A great aspect of Deus Ex: Human Revolution that I neglected to mention was the soundtrack. The music of this game does a great job of completely immersing yourself in the world provided. The soundtrack consists of a blend of electronic beats and flow accompanied with classical instruments and eerie voices, think 300 meets Tron:Legacy and you will have an idea of what i’m trying to convey.</p> <p>Aside from the music making an impact the environment is truly unique, your surroundings are what make the immersion feel complete and Deus Ex does not fall short in this department. From industrial office complexes to the slums of future Detroit the developers spared nothing in the matter of detail given. It is in this visual style that we have a glimpse in the artistic directors mind.</p> <p>I’ll mention once again the controls being a hinderance to my ability to enjoy the game. Due to my inability to play consecutive hours i find myself having to constantly reestablish the basic controls. I cant tell you how many times I’ve thrown a grenade instead of taking cover, which can be an annoyance when trying to progress. Again i feel as if this game is more oriented to PC gamers as opposed to console gamers, if you are thinking of purchasing this game i would suggest a PC as your choice of platform.</p> <p> </p> A great aspect of Deus Ex: Human Revolution that I neglected to mention was the soundtrack. The music of this game does a great job of completely immersing yourself in the world provided. The soundtrack consists of a blend of electronic beats and [...] http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=29184 http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=29184#comments Wed, 02 Nov 2011 04:29:21 +0000 Troy Milnes1 http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=29184 http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?feed=rss2&p=29184 <p>The parts about how interactive drama has to have a balance between the material and the formal constraints really hit me hard. I find that those two ideas should be considered when trying to find a balance in the game. For instance take the game Grand Theft Auto IV. The game allows the player to roam around and basically destroy everything around them. And all though it can be quite fun to do for awhile, the game eventually gets quite boring because even if the player blows up the car or kills a few people nothing really happens except the player getting arrested and put right back onto the street. This has nothing to do with story at all and really doesn’t get the player to enjoy the story as much. The game doesn’t force the player to go through the story and the game just not as enjoyable to play. For the most part the main reason that I play video games is because of the good story lines that I can follow. And maybe it is not just the story lines, but also the world that I am transported into.</p> The parts about how interactive drama has to have a balance between the material and the formal constraints really hit me hard. I find that those two ideas should be considered when trying to find a balance in the game. For instance take the game [...] http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=28932 http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=28932#comments Thu, 20 Oct 2011 02:45:30 +0000 Gina Schaefer http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=28932 http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?feed=rss2&p=28932 <p>The excerpt we read this week proposed many ideas on the framework of the interactive narrative. One point that seemed to resonate throughout the reading was the fact that people want more out of the narratives. As the beginning of the article stated: as graphic capabilities go up, so should the strength of the narrative. In my personal gaming experience, I find that this statement rings true. In fact, I feel that this statement is more accurate now than when it was written. </p> <p>Graphic capabilities are clearly improving, but the narratives are not moving at the same pace. I find that gaming companies spend way too much time catering to the online players and not enough to the people who actually want to play the campaign and follow the plot. Even games like resident evil 5 and dead space 2 have multiplayer. Multiplayer almost completely defeats the purpose of these games that are specifically designed to make you feel alone and afraid. Why so much time is spent on these features that are so irrelevant to the game and not on developing the narrative and campaign is something I don’t understand.</p> <p>The article also brings up some great points about the struggle between narrative and interactivity. Narratives and interactivity seems juxtaposed in that narratives require a certain amount of control whereas interactivity is all about freedom. The excerpt does a very good job of making this point clear. However, creating a good interactive experience with a strong story is definitely not impossible. </p> <p>The proposal of the interactive drama I find interesting because, once again, even though this excerpt is a bit dated, the concept is still very true in today‘s gaming world. Heavy rain is an incredibly popular game and a shining example of interactive drama. By combining an intensely emotional narrative with a strong sense of agency, the game has proved that interactivity and narrative can work together beautifully. </p> The excerpt we read this week proposed many ideas on the framework of the interactive narrative. One point that seemed to resonate throughout the reading was the fact that people want more out of the narratives. As the beginning of the article [...] http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=28871 http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=28871#comments Wed, 19 Oct 2011 17:04:08 +0000 axel.boutry http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=28871 http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?feed=rss2&p=28871 <p><a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/EricMickols/20111005/8599/The_Evolution_of_Controllers.php">this game blog</a> is about how the evolution of the controllers influenced how people gamed. It went from simple controllers such as analogs, to keyboard which gave kids a much wider variety of choices and buttons. The directional pad then came to mind and was used in controllers like the playstation and started to love how much easier it was to control characters. The mouse was also used for computers with the same idea as an analog but with an easier access to movement. The keyboard and mouse then became one and were used at the same time and gave players a much higher possibilities for gaming capability. The thing that revolutionized the world is the past couple years has been the kinect and PS3 move because it gave people full capabilities of movement and wider control of a characters in the game. I really enjoyed this blog because it gave me hope for something even better to come out soon because the technology is growing incredibly rapidly.</p> this game blog is about how the evolution of the controllers influenced how people gamed. It went from simple controllers such as analogs, to keyboard which gave kids a much wider variety of choices and buttons. The directional pad then came to [...] http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=28689 http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=28689#comments Tue, 18 Oct 2011 20:01:33 +0000 Troy Milnes1 http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=28689 http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?feed=rss2&p=28689 <p>So there was this article posted on <a href="http://kotaku.com/speak-up-on-kotaku/" target="_blank">Kotaku Speak up</a>.  The main thing that it talks about is that there should be older, maybe not wiser, but a person who has been there and done it before.  The article talks about how it is a change in pace from the younglings that roam every turn of our gaming experience.  I completely agree with this statement.  There should be older looking heroes out there in the gaming world.  Even if they are just a side kick in the adventure, they can add to game experience in a positive way.  They can, as the article says, a comical relief, because who doesn’t like to laugh at a good old person who states stuff like “Back in my day.”  But they also have a good place towards a role model or someone that can help inspire the player to play the game.  Even if the old person is not the protagonist, they can teach the hero in the “old ways” of doing things and then die to give the player more of a reason to defeat the antagonist in the narrative.  Overall more old people in video games would just be plain awesome.</p> <p> </p> So there was this article posted on Kotaku Speak up.  The main thing that it talks about is that there should be older, maybe not wiser, but a person who has been there and done it before.  The article talks about how it is a change in pace [...] http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=28339 http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=28339#comments Wed, 05 Oct 2011 17:20:55 +0000 Armando.Munoz http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=28339 http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?feed=rss2&p=28339 <p>Blog article<a href="http://kotaku.com/grow-up/" target="_blank"> here</a>. The article quotes a cnn representative named William Bennet who claims that video games have corrupted late teens to men in thier thirties into not being able to achieve, find a job, or get married. The arguement is preposterious. The economy is not bursting with job opportunities at the moment, the percentage of marriages has been in decline for decades, and because of the lack of government funds and just not having money, the rate of college enrollment and graduation by most students has gone down over the last few years. As far as I know video games has not been a major factor in this decline.</p> Blog article here. The article quotes a cnn representative named William Bennet who claims that video games have corrupted late teens to men in thier thirties into not being able to achieve, find a job, or get married. The arguement is [...] http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=28115 http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=28115#comments Mon, 03 Oct 2011 23:31:29 +0000 Troy Milnes1 http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=28115 http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?feed=rss2&p=28115 <p>Ok so I just read this <a href="http://www.gamepolitics.com/2011/10/03/mojang-lawyer-little-chance-brand-confusion-between-039scrolls039-and-039elder-scrolls039" target="_blank">article</a> on how Bethesda does not want the this one firm to not have Scrolls in their name because they believe that this will cause that firm to be confused with their own franchise The Elder Scrolls. Ok the reasoning behind this logic is just ridiculous Bethesda, and just when I was starting to like your games too. First off, if consumers of your products were actually that incompetent, then I am pretty sure that they shouldn’t be playing video games in the first place. I mean what person in this day of age lacks the common sense to distinguish between Mojang Scrolls and Elder Scrolls. To me this argument smells a little like a money making scheme instead of actually caring of whether or not people would get confused with the name. That is in all rights wrong. How about instead of worrying about name confusion, how about you get to work on the new game that you are about to release so that you can fix those major bugs that have been prominent in most of your recently released games.</p> Ok so I just read this article on how Bethesda does not want the this one firm to not have Scrolls in their name because they believe that this will cause that firm to be confused with their own franchise The Elder Scrolls. Ok the reasoning behind [...] http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=27903 http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=27903#comments Wed, 28 Sep 2011 18:43:52 +0000 Charles http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=27903 http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?feed=rss2&p=27903 <p>Throughout the twenty-one years I have walked this planet I have heard video games are at best a fun thing to do in your free-time and at worst a waste of time. Well today while searching for something interesting to write about I stumbled across this <a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/37512/Gamers_Help_Discover_New_Potential_Planets_Using_NASA_Data.php" target="_blank">article</a> which shows games can be used to help astronomers study the stars.</p> <p>In the aforementioned article Mike Rose of Gamesutra.com reports on an impressive bit of news about two possible planets circling distant starts in our universe. Now this would be the sort of thing you go “yeah for science!” about, but the more impressive bit is how these possible planets were found using an online game created to allow gamers to help in the search for these planets. The gamers play the game using images gained by NASA’s Kepler space probe picking out possible subjects that are screened by the organizers. Anyone that helps in finding a planet is acknowledged in the Royal Astronomical Society’s monthly notices.</p> <p>This goes to show everyday gamers are becoming integral in the advancement of society. Hopefully this project will remain a successful gamer/scientist relationship news of this nature will continue to be a common occurrence for years to come.</p> Throughout the twenty-one years I have walked this planet I have heard video games are at best a fun thing to do in your free-time and at worst a waste of time. Well today while searching for something interesting to write about I stumbled across [...] http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=27700 http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=27700#comments Mon, 26 Sep 2011 05:08:11 +0000 emily.saliba http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=27700 http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?feed=rss2&p=27700 <p>Where did <a title="Destructoid " href="http://www.destructoid.com/study-3d-gaming-unpopular-among-3ds-owners-212227.phtml" target="_blank">these</a> 1,600 people come from?  There are some bad consumers out there, I just hope this isn’t reflective of most of the rest of the users.  How could someone purchase a $170+ console with out knowing its main feature or not realize it later on?  It’s called a 3DS, which should be a pretty big give away.  So, let’s say you still haven’t got the concept yet and you open up the box and turn it on, there is a light by the screen that says “3D” next to a scroller.  If that isn’t enough, if continue the initial set up walks you through how everything functions, including the 3D feature.</p> <p>Aside from that appalling statistic in the post, I agree with the distraction factor.  It’s not the 3D itself that is distracting, it’s the way the 3D functions.  You have to be just the right distance and at just the right angle.  So if you are a fidgety person, or you instinctively move your hand while you play, the 3D doesn’t quite work.  I turn it on during cutscenes or any low activity parts of the game, but otherwise it’s off.</p> <p>I disagree with the ending statement, however.  Nintendo advertising that the function can be turned off isn’t anything shameful.  I like it on sometimes, and sometimes I don’t, and it’s nice to have a choice.  Even if the functionality was not affected by perspective changes, the option is still imperative for some.  The system has other features and some people just want the next generation games without the latest gimmick.</p> <p> </p> Where did these 1,600 people come from?  There are some bad consumers out there, I just hope this isn’t reflective of most of the rest of the users.  How could someone purchase a $170+ console with out knowing its main feature or not [...] http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=27684 http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=27684#comments Sun, 25 Sep 2011 03:14:33 +0000 emily.saliba http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=27684 http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?feed=rss2&p=27684 <p>I’d like to start this out by saying I didn’t know anything about Catherine besides that it’s a puzzle game of sorts.  I didn’t know anything about the plot or characters, which I was shocked at right when the first cutscene started.  A puzzle game, hmm, I was expecting some outlandish plot with some evil villain that leaves solvable puzzles for some silly reason.  That is most certainly not what I got in this game so far.  Maybe the villain will be reveled later, so far it’s unexplained.</p> <p>Basically, your a 32-year-old guy named <a title="Vince" href="http://xbox360.ign.com/dor/objects/83916/catherine/images/e3-2011-catherine-screens-20110608095350201.html?page=mediaFull" target="_blank">Vincent</a> who works to drink and isn’t really ambitious.  You have a girlfriend of five years, <a title="Katherine" href="http://xbox360.ign.com/dor/objects/83916/catherine/images/e3-2011-catherine-screens-20110608095348155.html?page=mediaFull" target="_blank">Katherine</a>, who wants to settle down and get married with you.  Apparently, Vince has some commitment troubles.  He drinks himself into a stupor after his buddies leave the bar, and wakes up next to <a title="Catherine" href="http://xbox360.ign.com/dor/objects/83916/catherine/images/e3-2011-catherine-screens-20110608095329390.html?page=mediaFull" target="_blank">Catherine</a>.  Then begins the nightmares of him climbing to the top of a tower to reach a safe landing, but if he falls, he will actually die.  That’s all I got so far.  This is definitely not what I was expecting at all, but I should have, considering it’s the same team that made the Persona games.</p> <p>While this something new and unexpected, I’m not that impressed with the story yet, and I’m already sick of the boobs.  Right now, I’m part of some unmotivated guy’s life drama.  It feels like I’m playing a bad reality show with some horror thrown in. I suppose this is just the beginning.  I have only completed the first floor of the tower, so I’ll give the story a fair chance to pick up.  As far as the boobs, I only foresee them to be more frequent.  That’s going to get old real quick.  So far, I find this game intriguing and different, but I’m not impressed yet.  At the very least, the puzzles are fun which is a good enough reason to play.</p> I’d like to start this out by saying I didn’t know anything about Catherine besides that it’s a puzzle game of sorts.  I didn’t know anything about the plot or characters, which I was shocked at right when the first cutscene [...] http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=27557 http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=27557#comments Wed, 21 Sep 2011 07:43:50 +0000 nicholas.trevino http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=27557 http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?feed=rss2&p=27557 <p>The Dead or Alive series has always been one of my favorite games. My first DOA game was Dead or Alive 2, on Sega Dreamcast. I played it on a demo disk that came with the purchase of the console. There were only three characters to choose from: Kasumi, Ayane, and Ein (aka Hayate). I tried each character, but I quickly took to Kasumi and Ayane. I played the demo so many times that I mastered most of Kasumi and Ayane’s moves before I purchased the game. Then when DOA 3, DOA 2 Ultimate (Included the first DOA game and a remake of DOA 2), and DOA 2 Hardcore (PS2 only) emerged, I got them all! Yes, fighting games are among my most favorite genres. As soon as DOA 4 was released, I was at the store in a heartbeat.</p> <p>I came across the advertisement for DOA 5 on face book. I was simply replying to a friend until my eyes caught “Dead or Alive 5 In Development.” I totally forgot about my reply and clicked straightaway at the link. Oh gosh, I was extremely happy when I saw that Team Ninja was going to develop a new installment to the series! I do have to agree with Josh Harrison, author of the article, that this game is unique and sets it apart from other fighting games. Dead or Alive has a reputation for having beautiful, bubbly, extremely voluptuous women with exaggerated “breast physics”… oh and realistic scenery. The game is not very gory; it contains a more mild violence compared to Mortal Kombat and Soul Calibur. The story is simple; it’s very straightforward. In my opinion, I think that the story is a little bland needs more complexity. I think the developers were trying to focus more on the game play than the story. However, the game has amazing game play, especially with the controls. Some techniques displayed by characters have easy to follow button sequences, but most of the advanced moves requires you to execute a complicated series of button-pressing, which I find delightfully challenging.</p> <p>In the teaser video for DOA 5, it seems to be very similar to DOA 4 except that there are a little more added effects such as sonic waves emitted by powerful blows and more “fall down” animations. Even though the game is in development, I hope to see more additions!</p> <p><a title="Dead or Alive 5" href="http://ology.com/technology/dead-or-alive-5-development-xbox-360-ps3" target="_blank">Visit the website to read the article and see video!</a></p> The Dead or Alive series has always been one of my favorite games. My first DOA game was Dead or Alive 2, on Sega Dreamcast. I played it on a demo disk that came with the purchase of the console. There were only three characters to choose from: [...] Josh Harrison Dead or Alive 5 http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=27027 http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=27027#comments Thu, 05 May 2011 18:48:50 +0000 AK-05 http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=27027 http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?feed=rss2&p=27027 <p>In a recent article I read, researchers in the UK found in a study of video games in relation to brain activity found that playing a soccer video game cause higher levels of brain activity and agitation then playing violent shooters. According to the results from the experiment, gamers showed very little brain activity when killed in a first person shooter but after conceding a goal in a soccer game, there were much higher levels of brain activity. The theory the researchers concluded with was that since soccer has more real life relevance then the warlike images seen in shooters, sports games cause a greater reaction.</p> <p>While I think these are interesting results and want to point the finger at people who say shooters are too violent and say “HA!”, I find myself a little skeptical of the results. Brain activity is a tricky thing try to quantify and nail down to any one thing that is happening to a person at one time. The are so many confounding variables which could alter brain activity during these results that its hard to believe the results of the study are reliable. The article never specifies which part of the brain the researchers were looking at or if they were studying general brain activity. I know I personally am more tense and get more angry play soccer games then shooters but is that because I have a strong personal connection to soccer and not as much about shooters? I know friends who are way more serious about their shooter and could care less about sports. It’s all too subjective to be a study with concrete results for me.</p> In a recent article I read, researchers in the UK found in a study of video games in relation to brain activity found that playing a soccer video game cause higher levels of brain activity and agitation then playing violent shooters. According to [...]