SteevnP Posts Things

my step

2012-02-02T10:46:00.000-08:00

Pull

2012-01-26T09:33:00.000-08:00

Sparked by this : link

kind of a drag

2012-01-22T09:05:00.000-08:00

very first time

2012-01-18T08:54:00.000-08:00

Sparked by this: link

I got a new WACOM tablet for Christmas; still finding my way with it.

things forward

2012-01-17T15:30:00.001-08:00

storm again

2011-12-09T10:42:00.000-08:00

A quick one.

past

2011-12-08T09:59:00.000-08:00

I wonder why they called it "A Link to the Past". There's no time travel.

metro

2011-12-08T09:28:00.001-08:00

A poster (or something) for a movie I adore.

santa awakens from stasis

2011-12-07T12:16:00.001-08:00

with a look

2011-12-05T13:03:00.001-08:00

bigun

2011-12-04T14:51:00.000-08:00

wunduh

2011-12-03T20:03:00.000-08:00

soopuh

2011-12-02T10:08:00.000-08:00

every little thing she does

2011-12-01T12:19:00.001-08:00

or perhaps "pimps down"

2011-10-20T07:27:00.000-07:00

pass me a coat

2011-10-18T13:25:00.000-07:00

Autumn is my favorite season; I can go outside again.

islands

2011-09-22T10:36:00.000-07:00

I've been having trouble finding inspiration lately. A while back, I took a look at a Cassini Orbiter photo of Saturn and thought it was gorgeous. This piece fell out of me as a result.

hooked on the bruvahs

2011-09-11T18:30:00.000-07:00

Check it: http://palette-swap.blogspot.com/2011/09/steven-phillips-p-swaps-mario-bros.html .

I'm Taking Commissions

2011-09-05T08:13:00.001-07:00

What I will draw:

- Original characters, family, friends, etc.

- Fan art.

- My backgrounds are abstract or basic. So if you don't want that, specify.

- Others. Maybe. Ask; I may say yes. Look at my work and consider what you see, before asking.

What I won't draw:

- Porn. Though nudity is not out of the question.

- Mechanical, i.e. cars and such. It's a weakness on my part.

All my work is digital.

Process:

- If interested, email me. Please explain in detail what you want. If it’s an original character, I’m going to need even greater detail. Provide some visual reference, if at all possible; link to an image of what you have in mind (photo, sketch, etc.). No matter how basic the reference may be, it’s the key to getting what you’re looking for. Without images to work from, it will take longer to finished the piece. Your request email should include commission specifics (e.g. pose, expression, colors, etc.), your name, and your email address.

- I'll send up to 3 very rough sketches by email from which you can choose one for the final piece. Once you have chosen which sketch you like best and have made your suggestions and/or corrections, you'll send payment. Then I will begin work on the final. If I don’t get payment from you within 3 days of sketch approval, I’ll have to assume the job has fallen through.

- You’ll get a high resolution jpeg file of the final piece by e-mail . If requested, I can send a high resolution png as well.

- Revisions take time, so I'll have to charge +$5 for changes requested after a sketch has been approved.

- These commissions are intended for personal use, not meant for commercial re-usage unless you want to discuss a special arrangement.

Payment:

- Payment is through Paypal, in US$. I'll include a link via email response.

- Portrait/bust, black and white -- $30 (+$5 each for up to 2 additional subjects)

- Portrait/bust, color -- $40 (+$5 each for up to 2 additional subjects)

- Full body, black and white -- $45 (+$5 each for up to 2 additional subjects)

- Full body, color -- $50 (+$5 each for up to 2 additional subjects)

thestevenp@hotmail.com

the flash

2011-09-01T06:10:00.000-07:00

The original, by Carmine Infantino:

And my jack-assery:

instrumental

2011-09-01T06:07:00.000-07:00

instrumental

2011-08-30T08:09:00.000-07:00

A speedpainting. I guess? An experiment, certainly.

contestant

2011-08-20T12:47:00.000-07:00

Clean Sweep, as seen on PaletteSwap

2011-08-08T19:45:00.000-07:00

I was looking at videos of Vectrex games and saw this Pac-Man look-alike.

So, I made this.

And this happened.

ms. han

2011-08-04T02:13:00.000-07:00

Juri is © Capcom.

my own summer

2011-07-31T10:33:00.000-07:00

ice cream

2011-07-29T15:13:00.000-07:00

alison

2011-07-21T15:11:00.000-07:00

Dazzler is © Marvel.

As seen on Repaneled.

2011-07-21T13:51:00.000-07:00

I saw this on Comic Vine.

And felt compelled to do this.

Original written by Edmond Hamilton and illustrated by Curt Swan.

Also, this happened.

mgs snake eater

2011-07-18T13:29:00.000-07:00

A fan made box art design for Metal Gear Solid 3 using found production and marketing artwork. Roughly DVD sized. For the back art, I chose a character and quote from the game that I felt best represented the narrative.

Metal Gear Solid is © Konami.

mgs sons of liberty

2011-07-13T08:45:00.000-07:00

A fan made box art design for Metal Gear Solid 2 using found production and marketing artwork. Roughly DVD sized. For the back art, I chose a character and quote from the game that I felt best represented the narrative. Note the faint honey-comb motif.

Metal Gear Solid is © Konami.

the music influence

2011-07-13T07:46:00.000-07:00

If I had my way and had the know-how, I'd have every square link to an appropriate ten second sound clip.

Inspired by that deviantART thing that was going around a while back.

mgs

2011-06-21T07:39:00.000-07:00

A fan made box art design for Metal Gear Solid using found production and marketing artwork. Roughly DVD sized. For the back art, I chose a character and quote from the game that I felt best represented the narrative. Note that the title treatment matches the shape of Snake's in-game SOCOM pistol.

Metal Gear Solid is © Konami.

a million sons

2011-06-21T07:32:00.000-07:00

a million drums

2011-05-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

You never know who'll stumble across this blog, so I'm exercising caution. The only worthwhile censorship is self censorship, I feel.

storm

2011-04-24T05:49:00.000-07:00

Storm is © Marvel.

jubilation

2011-04-22T05:42:00.000-07:00

Jubilee is © Marvel.

emma

2011-04-14T05:39:00.000-07:00

Emma Frost is © Marvel.

combustication

2011-04-01T13:32:00.000-07:00

super one

2011-03-02T14:11:00.000-08:00

fortune or fatal

2011-03-02T12:07:00.000-08:00

on point like

2011-03-01T07:07:00.000-08:00

spiral out

2011-01-24T07:17:00.000-08:00

lost in a forest

2011-01-20T07:13:00.000-08:00

now I'm sunk

2011-01-14T15:54:00.000-08:00

this town turning

2010-11-12T12:21:00.000-08:00

05lunching

2010-11-06T09:45:00.000-07:00

04wanding

2010-11-06T09:40:00.000-07:00

03sitting

2010-11-02T10:19:00.000-07:00

02raining

2010-11-02T09:14:00.000-07:00

01flying

2010-11-02T08:46:00.000-07:00

used to know a boy

2010-10-21T19:16:00.000-07:00

the nightly news

2010-08-26T15:27:00.000-07:00

Another fan design for a book I like a lot.

conscience clear

2010-08-24T10:59:00.000-07:00

manhattan

2010-08-11T17:37:00.000-07:00

Watchmen is © DC

of them bones

2010-08-09T15:49:00.000-07:00

sleeper

2010-08-07T15:07:00.000-07:00

Sleeper is © DC

Sleeper cover

2010-08-07T14:21:00.000-07:00

Sleeper is © DC

semi-annual self portrait

2010-07-06T09:56:00.000-07:00

Just A Few Thoughts On: Alpha Protocol

2010-06-24T21:50:00.000-07:00

Mike Thorton, Alpha Protocol's constantly put-upon protagonist, walks like the rear half of a horse costume when he's stealthily crouched. This animation never stops being awkward and embarrassing, despite the satisfaction it grants you when you silently disable an enemy or slip under a camera to access a secret server farm. On its own, this certainly isn't a deal breaker, but it's indicative of a larger issue that pervades nearly ever aspect of AP: the game is a sloppily put together shooter erected around a brilliant espionage thriller.

I really hope to see Alpha Protocol's take on character interaction and relationship development implemented in future role-playing games. The concepts of party building and status buffing tie directly into how you behave and how you are perceived. Each conversation branches in ways that are difficult to predict. The resulting atmosphere of doubt and dishonesty succeeds in conveying espionage in a way we rarely get to actually play in games. Your job is almost always about gathering intel and building up resources in preparation for a larger mission. Other agents and local gangs may be useful, if you don't alienate them by staging a shootout in their backyard. Killing isn't always productive. In fact, you'd be wise to dump as many experience points as you can into stealth, early and often.

One of my favorite missions has Mike, by now hunted and cut off from US government support, bugging a CIA listening post in Rome. My handler at the time, Mina, gently suggests I take it easy on the agents manning the disused hotel I'm infiltrating. I've been playing the game relatively quietly up to this point, so I see no reason to cause a fuss. There are only about five people in the building, but I'm careful to avoid direct combat. With a combination of temporary invisibility and a tranquilizer pistol, I slowly work my way up from point to point, gathering much-needed money and equipment. I place the bug and escape like a ghost. Later, a major enemy will compliment me for my ability to remain unseen; his growing approval will make him a potential asset in my personal war.

Another mission involves multiple objectives -- one of which requires me to save a recently acquired ally or raid a cache of equipment and essential data... one or the other, but not both. In my second play through, I've chosen Tech Specialist as Mike's pre-espionage background. This allows me to recommend a course of action that lets Mina give me access to both the cache and the ally. In the long-term, I strengthen the ally's fondness for and trust toward Mike, culminating in a funny public display of affection at the start of the final mission, hours later. The immediate rewards are the continued field support of this ally, the wealth within the cache, and an in-game achievement perk that permanently reduces my health recharge time.

Speaking briefly of perks -- there are dozens of the things to be had for nearly every stance, action, handler, and preference. You're rewarded for playing the way you want, and those rewards make it easier to play that way. Devotion to stealth action (again, I think this is the way to go) gains you reduced enemy sight and quieter movement, for example. The character-specific perks are especially fun in that they reflect Mike's relationships -- love them or hate them, he uses his support characters as motivation. And while you're encouraged to avoid neutrality when dealing with others, there is in fact a perk for committing yourself to sitting on the fence.

Despite all of this, most of one's time in Alpha Protocol is spent struggling with stiff controls, an anemic supply of basic information, and frustrating design choices. The most evident problem lies in simply aiming and shooting. Your reticule is a circle that tightens into its center when held over an enemy, representing Mike's concentration. Waiting for the circle to shrink into a critical hit size can take far too long, especially when trying to aim at a moving target. The game's ranged combat appears to randomize hits and misses based on various stats, leaving Mike a fairly limited marksman at the game's start and only a slightly improved gunman when better weapons and components are collected. As a third-person shooter the game feels like it's constantly trying to make up for its shortcomings: stealth abilities are a necessity you lean on and gadgets serve as easy outs when shoddy, inconsistent enemy behavior leaves you vulnerable. Enemies often change their patrol patterns or outright freeze in place after you inevitably die and reload a checkpoint. You're given upgrades to reduce how easily you're seen, though there is no reliable way to tell when you're in someone's sight or within earshot. Changing your equipped gadgets and waiting for abilities to cool down takes too much time and too many steps to feel like a thought-out part of combat, instead working against the balance of tension and skill one might expect from a shooter. You don't stand a chance in an straight gun battle, so you better learn to ninja your self from one guy to the next.

There's more. Sometimes button prompts fail to appear over the appropriate interactive items. Bodies, which alert enemies to Mike's presence, seem to disappear according to some hidden logic, making it difficult to determine who should be taken down in what order and where. Backtracking can cause the game to spawn enemies in previously empty rooms, resulting in a comical group dash to find their places, like actors at the start of a poorly produced play. At one point I defeated a boss by standing above him and repeatedly shooting him in the head as he tried to run through a solid object. Granted, he was high on tainted cocaine, but I'm convinced this was unintentional buffoonery. AP has issues, is my point.

I feel like the graphics deserve to be mentioned only because they reflect the game's struggle toward being anything other than mediocre. And it's a fruitless struggle; nothing here is especially complex or attractive. Everything looks fine from a distance, but surfaces get grungy and muddled up close. Maybe it's just me, but I notice an odd effect, like there's an invisible bubble surrounding Mike, filling in the fine details in the textures around him as he approaches sections of walls and floors. Also, an overabundant haze of poorly implemented depth of field photographic effects do little to hide the sometimes ugly visuals.

Let me be clear that I really like this game. I like it despite itself. I like what it wants to be, but I can't stand by what it is. The world and it's interconnected, complex inhabitants are fantastic. Your morality is never being judged whether you're working with a known terrorist leader or gunning down a somewhat leery stranger to protect your anonymity. Mike Thorton's job requires a level of moral ambiguity that makes for some very uncomfortable choices and unintended consequences. Bad things are going to happen in this world, no matter what Mike does.

The kernel of espionage role-playing in a dubious, reactive world makes Alpha Protocol worth playing, even if that core is surrounded by a less than great presentation. Thorton's adventure will hopefully influence better projects -- which may seem like an odd, backhanded compliment, but there's something special here that needs to live on elsewhere. It's one of those games that deserves a high recommendation with a laundry list of caveats.

BCR

2010-06-21T16:19:00.000-07:00

partyman

2010-06-08T13:05:00.000-07:00

searching for answers

2010-05-12T13:44:00.000-07:00

reh_soo_maye

2010-05-02T19:19:00.000-07:00

click to enlarge

wallpaper: get sleep

2010-04-12T18:35:00.000-07:00

holding an apple

2010-02-15T09:30:00.000-08:00

wallpaper: bands

2010-02-12T11:49:00.000-08:00

click to enlarge

observe

2010-01-02T16:44:00.000-08:00

click to enlarge

wallpaper: where are you going

2009-12-28T16:54:00.000-08:00

click to enlarge

sketch: lips

2009-12-28T08:17:00.000-08:00

these days

2009-12-11T12:19:00.000-08:00

click to enlarge

loveshot

2009-12-06T08:21:00.000-08:00

click to enlarge

sketch: dryad?

2009-11-18T14:08:00.000-08:00

sketch: patch

2009-11-05T07:26:00.000-08:00

Just A Few Thoughts On X-men Origins: Wolverine (Uncaged Edition)

2009-11-04T15:37:00.000-08:00

Too much of a good thing can leave me feeling numb toward whatever initial joy drew me into a game's central gimmick. That's the problem here. X-Men Origins: Wolverine is creatively lacking in nearly every way, relying on repetitive ultra violence in stock comic book settings to carry you through waves of walking hit point receptacles that serve as enemies. Thankfully, the game does allow for graphic executions so satisfying that, though lack of variety becomes a huge late-in-the-game issue, the bloody path to the final boss has slightly more peaks than valleys.

One aspect that drags the experience down in the long run is Raven Software's use of flashbacks to tell a wholly uninteresting tale the game is saddled with as a result of being a movie tie-in. You're constantly pulled back to a generic African jungle in order to fight machete men, magical machete men, and machete men on fire. There are soldiers, giant rock monsters, and naked gelatin ladies (I honestly don't remember if the game explains those last ones) that show up to add something to the mix. That something, however, never transcends the cut and paste appearance of the environments. Leveling Wolverine's skills and tagging him with various status bonuses can result in some neat ways of approaching different enemy types, but it never quite matters enough to warrant much thought. Nor does the virtually nonexistent artificial intelligence make up for the repetition. Things don't get any better in the game's other levels that take place in similarly boring modern and futuristic settings, somehow also set in the past.

You're occasionally hit with boss fights that require one dodge and mount tactic, with little deviation from this formula. What's more, the game's method of spicing things up within its limited scope amounts to either queuing ever larger group battles or forcing you into awkward platforming. The enemies change only in as much as they wear different clothing and sometimes some of them are annoying robots. A battle with a giant Sentinel prototype serves as the game's most exciting deviation from the film. But even that simplistic fight falls short of its potential. One can't help but wonder if the "not too distant future" setting of the narrative's excellent framing cutscenes (produced by Blur Studio) wouldn't be far more suited to this game's over-the-top ambitions.

I should also say I experienced several glitches that either prevented key objects from appearing or jarringly teleported Wolverine through walls and floors as he lunged at opponents who were right in front of him. These issues occurred multiple times, once resulting in a reload from a checkpoint. This lack of dependability, coupled with very poor frame rate in crowded rooms, makes the entire game feel sloppy.

There isn't a lot to X-men Origins: Wolverine and that little bit is ultimately dampened by the game's aggressively juvenile attitude. I'll admit I intentionally punched explosive barrels so I could watch Wolverine recover from horrifying injuries. And I would go out of my way to kill enemies through various types of impalement or dismemberment. The character's feral nature isn't often given this much room for expression and I took some delight in watching Wolvie do his thing. The initial wave of euphoria fades, however. After that you're left with a game that is, at best, mediocre.

All images (c) 2009 Activision Publishing, Inc.

rain

2009-10-31T08:18:00.000-07:00

perspectives

2009-10-02T14:29:00.000-07:00

click to enlarge

sketch 003

2009-09-28T08:13:00.000-07:00

Upon closer inspection, I have to wonder where his hand is.

crunchy

2009-09-25T14:35:00.000-07:00

I don't know what I ate Monday night, but Tuesday was one of the most physically agonizing days of my life. My stomach hurt so much I nearly passed out when I got up to eat some corn flakes. And when I did eat, my stomach sent the food right back. Standing up was an ordeal as I had the constant sensation of a glass hedgehog rolling through my lower GI tract.

Eventually -- thankfully -- some Cup Noodles and Sprite had me feeling about ninety-nine percent better.

Just A Few Thoughts On Batman: Arkham Asylum

2009-09-22T20:42:00.000-07:00

Arkham Asylum succeeds largely through the two factors that define it as a Batman game, rather than as simply a Batman-themed title. The experience of observing, deducing, infiltrating, and brawling is presented in ways that show reverence to stealth titles of the past while stripping away the bulk of the trial and error frustration so often associated with the genre. Combat, which typically pits the Dark Knight against groups of thugs, serves up maximum hyperactive output while demanding little from its rhythm based input. Arkham, the surrounding area, and the crumbling architecture below all look appropriately ominous and beautiful, benefiting from well thought-out lighting (alternately reminiscent of the two Tim Burton movies and the Adam West series) and smart use of textures where greater detail is needed.

My adventure stumbled in just a few spots, most notably the nearly identical boss fights and a plodding, rather than suspenseful, journey into the sewers. Gadgets, traits typical of Batman fiction, were generally put to good use in many clever scenarios. However, Arkham's layout could have used a bit more color coding to mitigate the multiple uses of these few devices. Backtracking would have been more user friendly if the game hadn't left me in a constant state of anxiety unrelated to the Joker's taunts or Killer Croc's growls. My uncertainty was often generated by the feeling that I'd missed something in the previous room, or by the false belief that my next batarang upgrade would allow me access to an elusive Riddler trophy. When exploration is instrumental to enjoyment a game needs to clearly and consistently communicate both ability and availability to the player; Arkham Asylum sometimes failed in this respect. Hours were wasted trying to reach an area that wouldn't become accessible until the plot deemed it convenient. If, at some point, the game had established that, say, a particular item would always interact with a specifically colored section of wall or floor I think the visual language would have been more dependable. It's an issue of time spent playing versus time spent pondering.

It's clear -- after marathon sessions of play -- the rewarding qualities of Batman: Arkham Asylum hardly let up as I waded through its oppressive set pieces, solving stealth puzzles and environmental riddles, or gracefully pummeled knuckleheads like a brutal ballet dancer. All of it worked well enough to form a cohesive whole that was paced expertly, making the journey's end one of the more satisfying gaming experiences in recent memory.

All images (c) 2009 Eidos Interactive Ltd.

gesundheit

2009-09-18T08:15:00.000-07:00

work

2009-08-10T14:20:00.000-07:00

Just A Few Thoughts On Tomb Raider: Underworld

2009-07-06T19:52:00.000-07:00

I like to feel empowered by my game avatars. Maybe the reason I detested the early Tomb Raider titles is the same reason I've done a good job avoiding habitually stiff survival horror games: I like to move in ways my real flesh won't allow. The first game I played in the Lara Croft series made me feel as if I were controlling the adventurer simply with the power of a my mind; maybe she'd do what I wanted, and maybe not. When developer Crystal Dynamics threw our grotesquely sexualized hero back into the oven and brought the world a new Croft series -- complete with usable controls -- I was on board from day one. Twice Lady Croft has rewarded me with excellent adventures that capture the thrill of acrobatic exploration.

Tomb Raider Underworld does nothing to drastically alter the series' current course, yet the details of how one faces challenges -- and how those challenges are presented -- feature small and mostly welcome changes. The game utilizes popular design trends that actually encompass other, older trends. There are, for instance, timed button pressing events or QTE or whatever we're calling them now. To the game's credit, however, these extremely brief and sparsely placed events only require that the player be observant, if not particularly quick. For example, Lara could be rock climbing toward a particular set of ledges when a fireball wielding enemy appears behind her. The camera pulls back as the flame rockets toward Lara, time slows, and full control remains in the hands of the player. This method of interaction can be frustrating, however, the first few times one dies without much on-screen guidance as to the expected reaction -- no button prompts or obvious glowing objects.

Also following modern trends, the game attempts to mitigate its often steep difficulty using an optional hint system that I rarely found necessary. In addition to this, an idle camera will sometimes pan or tilt slightly to point lost players in the right direction. Lara's excellent animation chips in as well; often she will look toward a point of interest or shakes her head when attempting something that simply isn't within her considerable abilities.

Death is a constant promise and no area ever feels like safe or solid ground. That helpful camera has a disobedient side that menaces Lara, at times refusing to spin far enough in any direction to reveal the next appropriate platform. This turns far too many jumps into leaps of faith that end in tears and shatters knees. And when not battling the two-faced camera or struggling to see handholds too well hidden amongst pieces of scenery, the player must suffer needless, uninteresting combat that serves more as an impediment to the game's core than an enhancement. In tight corridors, the camera can explode into unwatchable spasms trying to keep Lara and her locked targets in frame, leading to further death.

Make no mistake, though, this game is extremely satisfying on a regular basis, when it's doing what it's meant to do. Each highly detailed area features a major puzzle that requires several smaller puzzles to be solved using precise jumping, climbing, and logic. Some of the smaller tasks can be taxing in their own right. This makes the moment everything falls into place much sweeter such as when an already massive series of statues opens a gigantic underwater complex. Reaching one's goal takes care and skill, resulting in a sense of pride at the end of the short journey.

As for the narrative, Underworld benefits from the revamp trilogy's focus on emotional intensity and plot motivated by character. Lara as a protagonist is only remotely empathetic, but is easy to target with one’s sympathy. One can incorrectly see Lara's ambition and disregard for others as easy-to-fix character flaws that’ll be completely reversed by adventure’s end. I think she has flaws like the mythical figures she chases inasmuch as she breaks, kills, and desecrates everything around her, even to the detriment of the people she loves. Her attitude gives Underworld’s story a driven, frantic tone echoed by the powerful (but never overpowering) orchestral score that ramps up after each successfully completed puzzle.

Underworld seemingly closes out the Lara Croft revenge tale started in Legend, so now Crystal Dynamics are faced with a choice in terms of their character's evolution since they still haven't nailed down who or what she truly is. Is Lara as a very clumsy explorer who leaves dead animals and destroyed relics in her wake? Or, alternatively, is she merely a well-armed and opportunistic sociopath? Along with completely axing the combat, I'd like to see future games explore exactly what keeps our protagonist moving forward into the mouth of danger. And I want to follow her, every step of the way.

There’s been much progress toward incorporating an emotional narrative and enhanced usability into a game about -- at its heart -- jumping and climbing like a woman possessed. As the continuation of a series' path toward redemption in the eyes of a wanting public, Underworld does what is necessary to inch nearer to greatness, setting up a clean slate for its heroine.

Tomb Raider: Underworld © Eidos Interactive Limited. 2008.

green

2009-06-12T15:39:00.000-07:00

mouth

2009-05-27T15:26:00.000-07:00

A Few Thoughts On Bionic Commando (2009)

2009-05-26T15:49:00.000-07:00

Bionic Commando is overburdened by its desire to be a modern game and its inability to be itself. BC: Rearmed (the remake of the '88 console sequel of the '87 arcade game) embraced and embellished its own ridiculousness while in the end establishing itself as more than a cynical attempt to prey upon nostalgia. Unfortunately, this sequel to that remake fails to draw influence from its predecessor as a loving tribute to the NES game. Nearly every step of the way developer GRIN seems to have made baffling, unfortunate decisions that should have been caught and revised before the game ever hit store shelves.

Gone are Rearmed's slick aesthetic touches. The in-game graphics here are passable, but muddy. Enemies not outfitted with glowing weak spots blend into the environments, making them difficult to see at times. In cutscenes characters look ugly and the world itself does not stand up to close examination. Also gone and sorely missed is the self-referential humor of Rearmed. We're meant, instead of chuckling at localization jokes, to empathize with this or shed a tear for that. Attempts at being funny are few but they still exist, and they almost always fail.

The game's narrative is sub-par, borrowing from the self-seriousness and emotional resonance of superior titles. Characters are rice paper thin and the only dialogue that ever seems to matter, as far as progressing the plot, is thankfully delivered in-game over Nathan "Radd" Spencer's earpiece. Anytime the game stops to explain itself or reveal a new fold in what should be a straightforward tale, everything crumbles. On the other hand, any instance where the narrative could develop personality through its characters is wasted on crappy archetypes. I swear, there is a female character whose only purpose seems to be getting beaten up. Again, nothing here is meant to be examined up close, and the developers should have had the presence of mind to keep things simple. Instead, things are dumbed down until the last act where, after a section of game that involves minimal grappling, the player watches the final boss encounter and there is no ending -- the game simply stops. Seriously, the story slams the brakes after a major plot revelation and then the credits roll.

Where Bionic Commando succeeds is in its approach to aerial locomotion. Swinging is involved, fun, and satisfying because it requires the player's full attention. The game puts players in control of just how cool the protagonist looks. This is on full display in the game's exhilarating multiplayer component. I often find myself tearing through the online multiplayer levels, eluding other players rather than attacking, waiting for the right moment to strike and retreat (sometimes without ever touching the ground). You can sit back and watch a beautiful dance take place between two or more players as they swing about architecture, attach to each other, fall, and rise again -- all while unloading ammunition. Sure, you will die soon after witnessing this due to the ease with which opponents can flank a stationary target, but it's a price worth paying. The mechanics and execution of swinging here are peerless.

There is a brilliant challenge and reward system that grants bonuses such as body armor or enhanced rate of fire for completing certain goals. This ties into the modern achievement hunting nature of gaming and it encourages a player to take chances in fun ways he or she may have avoided otherwise. Challenges are, however, hampered by the game's restrictive auto save system: after some difficult enemy encounters or swinging sections, the game may or may not save. As a result, the player may die in a patch of radiation or a body of water, forcing them to replay everything they've just accomplished -- including challenges and secret item collecting. Its frustrating, but not ultimately debilitating.

Bionic Commando is flimsy, perhaps partially the victim of a lack of resources or time. Never does it live up to its potential as laid out by Bionic Commando: Rearmed. In almost every way there are hints of greatness, masked in ill-advised design choices. The game needed, first and foremost, to get the three-dimensional swinging right, and it succeeds, though I fear many players will be put off by its glaring flaws. It's a shame, because there is a tremendous amount of fun to be had here.

All images © 2009 CAPCOM

silver

2009-05-20T14:15:00.000-07:00

Just A Few Thoughts On: Prince of Persia

2009-01-31T16:20:00.000-08:00

Let's be clear: Prince of Persia is not an easy game. It is simple and it's straightforward. I can't help but make comparisons to Fumito Ueda's Ico and Shadow of the Colossus by way of explanation -- it has the desolate and decaying landscape, the follow-the-leader aspect of partnering the Prince with Princess Elika, and the fairy tale art direction. The difference between this product and its apparent influences is that Prince wants to be everything to everyone.

The premise is about as basic as one could imagine: a kingdom is divided into several branching cities with each city under the influence of a corrupt overseer. You are tasked with leading a the princess to a certain point in each area to heal the land of its corruption. First, you have to get there by jumping, running, and climbing, which are really enjoyable. Joyous, even. There are a few scattered enemy encounters, leading into a rhythm intensive boss fight. When you've cleared an area of its poisoning corruption you are asked to collect powerful light orbs to unlock special powers. Since only a fraction of the 1001 total "light seeds" are required, much of your collecting is done purely for giggles. Finding a path, taking that path and continuing to the next corrupted land can be challenging and rewarding, and the fact that it is largely optional takes away much of the drudgery you might associate with video game item collecting. There are impressive visual moments, when you turn to look at what you just traversed on the quest for light seeds. For this Prince, like the hero of the previous trilogy, locomotion is job one. And while much of his movement feels automatic, the player is given just enough control to feel pride in getting from point A to point whatever.

Somewhere in there, though, the game stumbles on its own feet. Prince loses sight of where its fun is at its greatest and, in a effort to be something it isn't, combat gets thrown into the pot. Sure, the two-on-one combat feels more intimate and meaningful than the multi-person fighting of the past. But the pretense of ease presented by automation carries over into sword-fighting. You never feel you're involved in the combat as you're mainly waiting to be told exactly which button to press. Compounding this issue is the way the game is shy about conveying timing -- honestly, are you meant to press Y as the prompt appears or a half second later? No idea; and it doesn't matter now, because you've taken damage, again. Players are given on-screen indicators as to whether or not one needs to advance or block (hint: you'll be blocking a lot more than striking). During a recurring fight with one boss, the screen is periodically obscured by black phlegm, eliminating your ability to read the enemy's purposely overwrought animation, potentially causing further health loss. The game just does a poor job of giving up vital information on the whole. And while death is no major penalty in combat, these sloppy timed button pressing moments extend an already unpleasant aspect of the game.

On the subject of unpleasantness -- in nearly every instance, when Prince of Persia stops moving forward, it stops being fun. Never is this more obvious than in the game's few-yet-still-too-many crank-turning puzzles. They stop the game in its tracks and they simply have no place here.

Whereas the Sands trilogy allowed the Prince to rewind whenever it was convenient.
This series reboot relies on Elika, the Prince's magical co-protagonist. Elika will pluck the Prince from death's grip and put him down where both of his feet last touched solid, level ground. These points of reprieve can be viciously few and far between during some of the games longer, more challenging jumping puzzles -- a fact exacerbated by the realization that Prince of Persia's camera apparently wants you to die. When using your special powers, the camera is fixed on what I presume is meant to be an optimal view position that really just gets you killed. For instance, there's a flying ability that's more akin to being quickly yanked through the level while gently nudging your protagonists out of the way of abrupt obstacles. These events can go on for far too long. And, again, you don't feel any sense of control, making it difficult to know when or how to act. As a result, when the Prince dies, you rarely feel it's your fault. Very often -- to the point where it quickly becomes the norm -- the game presents absurd leaps into unseen areas. There are times when Elika's resurrections feel like an admittance of either a faulty camera or weak level design.

All that aside, the biggest asset to the game and a large factor of its appeal comes from its personality. Prince of Persia isn't out to tell a powerful story by beating the player over the head with heavy-handed ideals or a lot of stiffly delivered messages. The narrative is a lovely fairy tale that hits all the expected notes: the Prince is a charming cad, Elika is your standard god-like healer, there's something ugly devouring something beautiful -- go have an adventure. I like that simplicity. I also appreciate that Elika's not always a plot receptacle; she will often point the Prince toward a goal or make observations about things you may have missed, but most of the backstory is an optional button-press away.

This write up seems very negative, I know. Let me be clear again: I had a lot of fun with Prince of Persia when its strengths were at the forefront. On the other hand, I don't know who I'd recommend play this game. In an effort toward overall simplicity, Prince let's go of identity. The automatic nature of the game may turn off seasoned players looking for a more involved challenge and the repetitive trial and error aspects of combat and platform jumping may leave casual player with a sour taste. Ultimately, there are better games available that offer more consistently fun experiences for both of the audiences.

All Images © 2008 Ubisoft Entertainment.

Just A Few Thoughts On: Gears of War 2

2009-01-11T21:33:00.000-08:00

I wrote off the original Gears of War as brainless, pornographically violent, childish trash with an unappealing art direction comprised largely of ugly dudes carved from wet spam. Somehow, though, the sequel caught me at the right moment, ready to scratch my shooter itch.

Within an hour, I'd acclimatized myself to how Gears of War 2 asked to be played; I learned my way with active reloading and found the skill of gracefully bounding from cover to cover. Two hours or more passed and I'd become increasingly annoyed with how often my avatar, Marcus, was stopped so he could jam a sausage-y finger in his ear for the sake of receiving exposition -- it ruined the momentum, and I couldn't care less about what was being said. Really, I was having too much fun shooting things and dodging explosions to tolerate any story.

Gears 2 impressed me with how much it embraces its video game qualities. From the graphical prompts that inform the player of their options when in cover or interacting with objects, to the risk/reward balance of the reloading mini game, to the absurd moments like searching out the many hearts of a the massive worm that swallowed my team. The things that happen while I was in direct control were exhilarating enough on their own -- this game did not need, nor did it benefit from, any cutscenes. Not one of the cinematic moments enhanced the overall presentation in a fashion superior to the in-game moments. Gears 2 was incessantly robbing the player of control so as to point out the next objective.

On a base level, Gears 2 just does what it does extremely well. Gun fights have little to do with precision and more to do with directing a steady stream of ammo toward the bad guys and letting the recoil-driven line of damage ride up to the enemy's face. Whereas I typically want my shooters to move at the speed of thought, here I find a lot of joy in stopping behind cover and thoughtfully flanking my way into the next encounter.

The feelings I had about the first Gears were not wholly inaccurate. My squad mates are endless fountains of blood and idiocy. I hate Cole. I hate him about as much as I thought I would. The dialogue is often needless and the plot takes a baffling turn at the end. The art direction, particularly the environmental designs, become more interesting as they become more organic. I still dislike the general attitude of the game as it insults the audience an M rating would supposedly draw in.

Under the facade of the high school aged "kill 'em all" presentation, Gears of War 2 requires a measure of skill, patience, and thought that makes it stand above the rest of the crowd. I get it now; I really do.

All Images ©2009 Epic Games, Inc.

Just A Few Thoughts On: Fable II

2008-12-02T19:15:00.000-08:00

After my first ten or so hours of playing in Albion:

There is revenge to be exacted, a vicious plot to be halted, and a collection of city-states to be conquered/saved. Yet I often find myself happily shopping for baubles and chocolates and condoms in an effort to keep my family happy. I've just purchase a hideous church-lady hat and extended a fart for a crowd of seven farmers. My quest log tells me there is a new mission that will progress the main story and also that there is a bar-tending job waiting at the nearby pub where the six-foot-whatever, muscle-bound warrior woman I've been dressing up for the last ten minutes can make some walking around money as her dozens of real estate holdings rake in what I hope will eventually allow for the purchase of Fairfax Castle. I'm far more ambitious as a fictitious woman than I am, in life, as a man. Does that say something bad about me?

First, there's business at the harbor that I've been putting off. This story mission was prefaced by several warnings that it may be some time before I see my family again. And, indeed, a significant amount of in-game time has passed when I return victorious (not morally victorious, mind you) to the two-level home where my husband and son wait for me at the doorstep. I play with the kid, give him a toy sword I've been holding onto for a while before luring his father upstairs to do what any warrior does after an extended time away from their spouse. As a result, I gain a stat bonus and lose one condom.

I leave the idyllic farm I call home, accompanied by my ever-vigilant dog, Shiznit. His nose has sniffed out all of treasure in the surrounding area, but there are always a few bandits or goblins he's keen to bring to my attention. The multi-person battles are brief and I mix magic with swordplay to make them even more so. My rifle gets little use as, even with my high skill level, aiming is stiff and fickle. The Highwaymen are the most dangerous, but they're dead soon enough. However, they leave a scrap of paper that together with two other sheets I'd found earlier, forms a map. Now I know where they live and I'll deal with them later. After I reap the experience points from the last of the assailants, I take a moment to remove some of my Strength XP. This makes me weaker, yet preserves my womanly curves. There's a social commentary to be made there, but I'm on the other side of a loading screen before I can care.

My wife lives in the Gypsy camp where my grand adventure properly began. She's a bit of a nag, constantly scolding me for staying away too long and gently complaining about the state of our little one-cot caravan. At one point, in my character's youth, I had considered killing her out of convenience. I thought better of it, though. I make funny gestures and gift her with chocolate to get her to be more affectionate, then we travel to the city of Bowerstone. I'm an object of worship in Bowerstone; it's a nice place. There, the townsfolk adore me, applauding and complementing as I pass. Most of the men and a few of the women ask to marry me. A little girl breaks from her group of friends to beg for my autograph. I'm out of paper, so I can't offer her one. This results in her mumbling something derisive and stomping away.

Eventually, Simza (that's my wife's name, though I can give her a nickname if I choose) and I arrive in the alley where my character once shared a tiny shelter with an older sister, Rose. I'm reminded of the earlier events that took place on that spot, reminded of my mission and the blood already spilled. The alley has become just another gorgeous part of a prosperous neighborhood, thanks to my actions. A house stands there now; I buy it and move in. Simza is pleased. Shiznit waits outside as I take my wife upstairs while the sun glides toward the orange horizon. A stat bonus makes me tougher when I awaken.

This is my narrative. And the game allows for it. Where most titles struggle to unite main quest lines with optional diversions, Fable II makes every thread of its tapestry an integral part of the whole. I doubt the drama will ever come to a grinding stop so that I can go snowboarding or chicken breeding because those events would not feed into the motivations of the game. And those motivations are simple and easy to relate to: your world is troubled but good, there are certain things worth fighting for, and you believe you can make Albion better for the people who believe in you.

Heading back out into the streets of Bowerstone in the morning, I visit a few of the homes I own and I rob them. I'm maxed-out on the good side of the moral teeter-totter, so I can take the hit. Besides, I can use the stolen potions and money on my journey toward the den of the Highwaymen. First, though -- hat shopping.

All images © 2008 Microsoft Corporation

Fear in Gaming (or A Few Thoughts On Dead Space)

2008-11-13T11:47:00.000-08:00

I played the original Silent Hill for about fifteen minutes before I had to press power and go for a quiet walk in the real world, perhaps secretly hoping to remind myself that everything would be okay. Stubbornly, I refused to play Resident Evil until the fourth numbered title. And, even then, only out of a sense of obligation in the face of overwhelmingly breathless praise. At what I'm guessing was the half-way point, it got to be too much. Though I enjoyed RE4 as an action game, the survival horror foundation turned me away. For years I've tried to periodically expand my horizons as a game player, but -- much like the point-and-click adventure -- horror has never dug its hooks into me.

That horror -- as it is traditionally presented in games -- has never held much appeal is a disappointment, as I always hope I can enjoy the genre as equally as my peers. I don't mind being afraid and I can appreciate sustained tension punctuated by jarring scare tactics. I do not, however, like feeling helpless. The Clock Tower series and Haunting Ground are fair examples of games I'm told are excellent, but I'll never know other than as an observer. For me, there is nothing entertaining in constant terror without much (or any) self defense.

By the way, why is it that being female is so commonly the method with which developers convey helplessness? The Resident Evil series is another offender in this regard, except Capcom broke the player mobility to add tension. That's not very creative.

Screwed

I won't get into the baffling survival horror conventions of counter-intuitive puzzles and fever-dream logic item combination other than to say the new Alone in the Dark had a good idea until it "pooped the bed", to put it politely.

Dead Space, which I bought completely on a whim the week of its release, continues to deliver a reliably enjoyable experience. And that's the best endorsement I could give for the game: as someone naturally averse to horror (or horror-themed games, if you want to nitpick) I latched on and I keep coming back to Dead Space for the heavy atmosphere of the surrounding unknown and the exhilaration of wiping out a room full of killer undead. There is a very solid sense of location and that alleviates another peeve of mine: confusing, maze-like settings. And though the player is being pushed down one corridor after another, exploration is encouraged for the bold and rewarded for the observant. The handy objective trail usually points one in the right direction, so there is little aimlessness. While this game still holds on to the traditions of restricted movement and limited resources, it also takes pains to help the player experience the adventure in his or her own way. It works with you and not against you.

Not necessarily screwed.

Some may see Dead Space as a horror genre lightweight -- merely an action game with a few scares and a fistful of survival horror trappings. I, however, compare the game to the movie Independence Day in as much as that film was a 1950s era sci-fi B-movie dressed up for the 1990s, a worthy member of a long tradition that sought to set a new standard of presentation quality for its sub-genre.

Maybe, unlike ID4, Dead Space will hold up with time.

Now. Having said all that -- or, rather, typed it -- I must admit that I can only play Dead Space at hour-long intervals. Then I gotta walk it off.

Dead Space is © Electronic Arts, Inc
Haunting Ground is © Capcom Entertainment, Inc.

A Thought On: Far Cry 2

2008-11-04T09:19:00.000-08:00

Pretty. If not for everyone and everything wanting me to die (including an infectious disease) I might have enjoyed it.

multi-tasking

2008-10-30T21:16:00.000-07:00

I spilled LOST fanart all over my Dead Space fanart.

Just A Thought On: Metroid Zero Mission

2008-10-20T13:39:00.000-07:00

Another instance where I missed the original the first time around. I realize I'm so "late to the party" I'm early for the next shindig, but whatever.

Zero Mission drips with level designs that encourage careful dexterity and exploration, leading to that old-school satisfaction I infrequently get from modern games. This game reminds me why many Nintendo handheld titles break my heart; they highlight a grim reality that (as I see it) 2D games, no matter how competently made, are marginalized and doomed in the eyes of many publishers -- they are a cheap alternative to big-budget titles rather than games worthy of their own hefty financial backing.

Just A Thought On: Sonic Chronicles

2008-10-15T22:38:00.000-07:00

An isometric perspective Sonic game? One that doesn't focus on running? And it's an RPG starring all the characters I can't be bothered to care about? Yay?

Honestly, it all works generally well; while there are times when the stylus-only controls suffer from the same hand-in-the-way issues as Elite Beat, (a game to which Chronicles owes its special attack and defense gimmick) that's probably the biggest fumble. Surprisingly (to me, at least) this is one of those few instances where a role-playing game with a totally skippable story is worth skipping through to get to the actual play -- and since I can't tell a Robotnik from an Eggman, Sonic's friends (and enemies) are only as interesting as their integration into the environmental puzzles and, thankfully, they do a more than serviceable job.

Just A Thought On: Super Mario World (Super Mario Advance 2)

2008-10-07T14:06:00.000-07:00

Shame-faced, I must admit something: though I watched the cartoon every single Saturday to fake my way through playground conversations about Cape Feathers and Yoshi Eggs, a secret shame hounded me in the dark and palindromic year of nineteen hundred ninety-one -- I never played Super Mario World, until just now, on the suddenly defunct GBA. And...

Truthfully, I find the now ever-present Yoshi to be far less useful than the (then new) Spin Jump and the item box which are integrated into the traditional Mario platforming experience as the Italian Stallion treks through bogglingly dino-themed settings; many of my favorite alterations to Mario's world are subtle tweaks, like checkpoints, that accommodate and facilitate trickier level designs. Missing the verticality of Super Mario Bros. 3, World immediately seems to make one of its primary additions irrelevant (since the most obvious use of the cape takes you above the screen and out of sight) but in actuality this power-up's real strength seems to draw its influence from the Princess of Mario 2 in that it is a safety item used to navigate the many pesky old-school-hard jumps the player must face -- jumps that are challenging enough to anger you, but clever enough to keep you coming back (and back and back and back) just like any good Mario title should offer.

Just A Thought On: Contact

2008-10-05T14:37:00.000-07:00

Looking beyond the superficial, Contact reveals little that could be considered new or interesting other than its visuals and premise; with my DS as a conduit between two worlds (one of painterly pre-rendered backgrounds and polygonal characters, the other a brightly colored home of two endearing NPC sidekicks) I'm tasked with guiding an unresponsive child hero into harm's way through (somewhat) turn-based combat, aided (somewhat) by a litany of nearly indistinguishable stat boosts and weapons while taking orders from a (hardly) helpful retro-gamey professor. Plodding, frustrating, and -- after the "two worlds, plus you" novelty wears thin -- downright boring, my adventure with Contact never rose above its initial presentation to become anything more than bland.

Just A Thought On: Kirby Canvas Curse

2008-10-03T08:51:00.000-07:00

Riding rainbows really wrangled the wacky but weak and (arguably) waning Kirby franchise by producing portable frustration plus addictive trial and error with a patently peculiar piece of play predicated on pretty much painting the puffball's path through puzzling environs; absorbing assorted assailants while avoiding attack; and collecting coins cast cautiously or corralled and kept cloistered in locales ranging from caves to clouds. A good whiff of freshness but, hampered by it's own limited non-traditional design, not an outright excellent game.

A Thought On: Astro Boy - Omega Factor

2008-09-28T21:37:00.000-07:00

I'm trying, perhaps like a lot of players, to catch up on all the games I should've played already; readying myself for the monsoon that starts at the end of October.

Originally, I was hoping to do a full-fledged write-up about each title I check off of my list. But, that's not going to happen, largely do to deficiencies in my own ability. No, instead I think I'll distill my thoughts and feelings about a game into a pair of sentences. This will help me to actually get my write-ups posted (I lose motivation quickly once it feels like a chore) and I will cut down on the verbosity. Semi-colon abuse, ahoy!

So, first: A Thought On Astro Boy Omega Factor.

Omega Factor, like the short-lived 2003 animated revival, exists as a monument to past greatness; it captures the spark, verve, and challenge of the best 2d sidescrolling beat-em-ups while wrapping itself in the sheen of Astro-mythology and a clever mid-game twist that justifies playing through the same level tree twice, if not more. Charm, exemplified.

Anniversary Gaiden

2008-09-20T07:43:00.000-07:00