Ugh, technical problems have kept me from posting for a while (can't log into the site from home).  Until it gets resolved I have to post from work, which means updates may not be too frequent.  Hopefully I'll get it figured out soon.

I'm in the IMDB!  Who knew?  Of course, it's not for any of my lousy programming work, but rather for clearly my biggest contribution to the industry: voice work on System Shock 2.  :)

It's been an interesting two weeks for new game releases.  Lots of new additions to my game library:  Front Mission 4, Spiderman 2, Driv3r, Mario Golf Advance, and soon Mega Man Battle Network 4 (a great under-rated action-ish RPG) and Soldiers: Heroes of WWI.  As usual I won't possibly have enough time to play all these games.

Also, Dark Age of Camelot Platinum is coming out.  While I barely have enough time to play on City of Heroes and occasionally FFXI, Planetside, or Puzzle Pirates as it is, a lot of my friends are still playing DAOC and enjoying it.  I find the idea of using PvP style combat as a primary way of leveling quite interesting, so I'm thinking of giving it a shot.  Conveniently enough, they are running a new promotion for a few free weeks to try and get old players back in again... I may just take them up on it.

I helped out at the SMU Guildhall program last week, providing feedback on several of their team projects.  It's great to see what these students come up with, and even though the final results may not always be too polished, there are still usually some interesting ideas.  I find it particularly notable how the same problems that usually hamper professional game developers, like lack of focus or inability to work with limited resources, are just as relevant to these small student teams. 

Unfortunately I only made one of the two review sessions they had last week due to yet another annoying run in with a nasty cold.  They do these sessions a few times a year (at the end of the Guildhall's terms, I believe) and it's one of the few ways I feel I can contribute my time as a game developer and give back a little bit to the community.  Lets face it, it's not like we're curing cancer or defending our nation's borders here, so I like to do something positive when I can.  I think programs like the Guildhall have a long way to go before they will begin to come close to truly preparing their students for the industry, but I'm glad to see at least they are making steps in the right direction.

I just finished Surreal's excellent action-horror game, The Suffering, earlier in the week.  I highly recommend, it by the way, and while I played it on the Xbox it's the kind of game I think would be even more immersive and scary on the PC (the PC version was just released recently).  I love horror games (as if anyone working on System Shock 2 could feel otherwise), so it warms my heart to see really great new horror games coming out.

The game has fantastic boss battles, good action combat, and some really creepy moments.  It does have a few "read the designer's mind" puzzles, so bear with it -- I was forced to use GameFAQs a few times but that didn't really detract from my enjoyment of the game.

Anyways, what I really wanted to mention was the game as a reflection of the player's morality.  There are multiple endings to the game based on your actions (and in an interesting twist, how you play in the game reveals your backstory as having different elements in it).  This isn't super new but is well executed in the game.

One of the major determining factors for that is how you react to the guards and other characters you encounter in the game.  If you just blow them away like a cold-blooded murderer, well, you go down the bad path.  If you shelter them from attacks from the hordes of creepy monsters, that's the good path.

I set out deciding to play the good path (as I often do, the self-psychology of that to wait for another day).  But I wound up finishing the game with the "neutral" ending.  I always tried to do the overtly good thing (not killing people arbitrarily, freeing trapped people, etc.), but in the end I believe what kept me from the promised land was that I let too many NPCs die.

However, the Suffering makes no distinction (that I could tell) whether or not someone dies because you put a a shotgun to their head and decorated the wall, or because they got overwhelmed by the monsters.  I suppose dead is dead.  This is further complicated by the fact that a lot of the time the NPCs will run madcap into combat on their own, so you have to compensate for a mix of bad AI behaviors and just foolhardy companions.  So while I never once pulled the trigger on an inmate or guard because they annoyed me (though it was tempting), in the cold moral calculations of the game, letting them get ripped apart by abominations is just as bad.

Obviously, games are not intended to be deep meditations on morality, but my neutral ending in the Suffering did make me think a little.  Is it "less evil" to let someone die at the hands of monsters than kill them yourself?  Does "trying" matter and if so how should a game detect that beyond the empirical life / death result of your efforts?  If that person dies because they are acting in a reckless fashion does that change the morality of your action or inaction (setting aside for a moment whether that's a personality quirk or an AI bug)?  My tools for communicating to the AIs were pretty much non existent, so it's not like I could plan with them or meaningfully cooperate, of course.

Yeah, I know I'm reading way too much into a simple system designed for some cool replayability and immersion.  My pointy head has never been pointier. 

I love it when games have morality systems like this and the Suffering's system works fine in practice.  It's fascinating to me that games have reached the level of complexity and immersion where it can serve, even a little bit, to make us think about how these game issues reflect on our views of the real world.

Finishing out my picks from E3 is defintiely taking longer than I had intended, and I don't want to get so caught up in structure that I don't just write about random things that catch my attention here.  So I'll finish up the console picks right now and then because I hate unfinished business, try and write up at least a line or two of high level thoughts on the PC picks next time.  At least I can get through them all at once with that method.

Hm, once again the PC titles lose out to the consoles.  Allegory for our industry, or not? 

Odama link

Imagine a nice looking feudal Japanese battle scene.  Nicely animated troops running around, big siege engines, large battles.

Now imagine that your interface to it is that of a pinball game.

Yep, pinball.

Yoot Saito, who also brought us Seaman and Sim Tower has another wacky but fun looking game. (Note to self: ramble in the future about the human need to attribute individuals with success of large team efforts).  I love pinball games, and I love feudal japanese warfare.  I admit, I never ever thought I would see them together in one game.

From what I played on the show floor, this is a blast, fast paced with lots of little mini objectives like knocking down the siege towers with the Odama (large ball).  Like all the other games on my list visually it is quite nice.  But really, it's the sheer audacity of the concept that caught my eye here.  Along with Katamari Damancy anyone who says there are no more original games just isn't looking very hard.  Perhaps they are only looking in the Top 10 sales list, which I admit Odama has very little chance of hitting.  That won't stop me from having a blast with it.

Spiderman 2 link link

I've been a huge comic book fan since my best friend in high school got me hooked on Teen Titans and The Uncanny X-Men.  While I no longer have the time to read comics like I used to, I still love superhero games, especially ones that don't suck (in fact, lately City of Heroes has been my MMO of choice). 

Spiderman 2, being a mix of open-ended city exploration gameplay and superheroes, is therefore pretty much designed to grab maximum interest in my book.  Good marketing tie-in to the zillions of marketing dollars for the movie won't hurt either but unlike most movie tie-ins this one looks like there is a seriously good game to back it up.  What strange days we live in.

Also, don't confuse this with Spiderman 2: Enter Electro, or the Spiderman 2 PC game, which are apparently all completely different games.  Assuming you don't pick up the wrong version, I believe this will be out in a few short weeks along with the movie.  I'll certainly be checking it out this summer. 

Fable link link

It's impossible to have Peter Molyneux demo something to you as part of a crowd and not fall for the pitch.  He's just got a great charisma, and knows how to speak the lingo.  Populous is one of my favorite games of all time (Black and White, not so much), so I continue to hold out hope for every new Molyneux game (The Movies very nearly made my list).  There I go again with the single-author attribution... I really should know better but it's so darned convenient.

It is entirely clear to me that Fable will have the interesting little features, gorgeous visuals, and unique high concept.  What wasn't clear to me was whether Fable had the gameplay to back it up.  Getting some hands on time at E3 convinced me that this will be so.  The core minute to minute gameplay might still be pretty basic action-RPG gameplay, but it was nicely polished and looked like it would at least hold up that end of the game enough for the more distinctive features like the morality and aging to be a real part of the game.

I know I sound like a broken record, but it also just looks really nice.  I was so blown away with how good all the games looked this year.  While looking gorgeous is no longer a key distinguishing feature, it's clear to me that games that can match technical prowess with well-executed art direction )like Fable) will continue to really make a strong impression.

All in all, a very exciting set of games at E3.  My list of games that almost made the Top 10 is huge... Jak 3, Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal (Worst. Name. Ever.), Prince of Persia 2, Dead Rush, Star Ocean 3, Xenosaga II, Baten Kaitos, Ys, Metroid Prime 2, Spyro: Hero's Tail, Silent Hill 4, Resident Evil 4, Burnout 3... the list goes on and on.

What will easily be my actual #1 most anticipated game (console or otherwise) for the season is GTA: San Andreas but was, alas, not showing at E3.  At least I only have to wait until October to play the real thing.

Recent acquisitions: Chronicles of Riddick, Spyro Orange / Crash Purple. 

Kind of disappointed with Spyro / Crash, the focus is too much on some overly long minigames and impossibly cryptic boss monster battles.  My 3 yr old loves them though, so at least I'm getting some value out of it. 

Riddick has gotten stellar reviews all across the board and several of my co-workers are raving about it all the time at work.  I'm thoroughly hooked on Full Spectrum Warrior right now, but I imagine Riddick will be next in the pipeline...

On to more of my random observations on interesting games from E3.  This time a trio of games from Pandemic, a developer I honestly never thought too much of back when they were making Dark Reign 2 or Star Wars: The Clone Wars (though I admit a soft spot for Battlezone 2, a game ahead of it's time and on an self-destructive license).  But they sure seem to have gotten their act in gear -- all four games they were showing at E3 looked quite good (though their Star Wars BF1942-style game didn't excite me enough to make the list, it still is a cool concept).

Full Spectrum Warrior link link

I guess I'm going a bit slow on my E3 reporting since this game is already out!  It just hit stores this week and I picked up my copy (though I've not had time to play it yet).  That second link above is a review compilation link, which will give you far more in-depth info than I possibly can.

There are a couple of things I find quite interesting about FSW.  First, it really is trying to do something different from all the other games out there.  There are tens of games out there with a similar setting, squad based modern combat.  But it's a bold and very cool decision to have you not be the guy actually pulling the trigger.  We'll see whether audiences agree that it's cool or scratch their heads in confusion.  A fairly obtuse title doesn't help either but I think that the combination of positive buzz, some very unique gameplay, and highly topical real world events will help get this game out there into the mainstream.

Second, it's a game funded by US tax dollars.  Unlike America's Army which is more obviously financed in such a fashion, the military version of FSW is used for experimental troop training.  On the one hand, I think it's incredibly cool that the tools of our craft could actually help better prepare our brave soldiers for what they may encounter on the battlefield.  On the other hand, I have to admit that I'm a little uncomfortable with the fact that my competitors in the game industry are getting financed with my money.  That sets a pretty scary precedent -- I'm just glad that for the time being I don't think Uncle Sam is going to be too interested in the kinds of games I make. 

I'm sure once I've had some serious playtime with it I'll have more thoughts on how their interesting interface paradigm shift works out.

Mercenaries link link

I am a total sucker for freeform, non-linear gameplay, as my total fanboy-like worship of GTA will prove.  So when I heard the concept of being a mercenary let loose in a giant city able to use any means available to accomplish my goal I was interested right off the bat.

Seeing it at E3 I had somewhat mixed feelings.  On the one hand, it looked gorgeous, and the ability to have a bunch of things like air strikes that you can call in (for a big wad of cash) is the sort of decision-based gameplay that I totally love.  The controls seemed pretty tight, and I was pleasantly surprised with the variety of vehicles available in the mission they were showing. 

On the other hand, it felt much more constrained than I was expecting.  Perhaps it was just the mission they were showing, but I was expecting to have free reign over the territory, able to explore the region and hatch whatever crazy plan I could dream up.  Instead the mission area was a relatively limited area, which I found pretty disappointing.  Perhaps understandable, for a variety of development reasons, but disappointing nevertheless.

Despite that one qualm about it, Mercenaries looks jam packed with action-y, free-form goodness. 

Destroy All Humans link link

This was my pick for best game of E3 2004.

There were other games that might have had it beat on looks (though the art direction for the 50s sci-fi look is quite sharp).  But the basic conceit of the gameplay is absolutely genius.  Now admittedly, I only got to see a staged presentation for this one, I didn't get any hands on time, but the sheer fun-factor of the gameplay blew me away.  Mind-probing civilians, causing chaos with mind control, wreaking havok with a giant UFO ... really these are just awesome moments that feel unique and powerful.

It's a fine line between camp and genre, and what I saw of DAH walked it perfectly.  It was never TOO over the top but all the staples were there: cattle mutilation, men in black, mysterious coverups.  There is something fundamentally powerful about the reversing of the typical player / environment relationship emotionally, and it is really often a much better mapping to the player's abilities and tendencies.  Lets face it, destroying things is generally a lot more fun than maintaining order, and this looks to have not just the usual "big explosions" type of chaos but the really delightful "mind control a farmer into causing a ruckus" chaos.

My sources tell me that it took a bit of shopping around for Pandemic to find a publisher for DAH, which is really unfortunate.  I can understand the worry, that the 50s UFO thing is too campy or schticky and will not hit into the mainstream.  But I think the trappings of that genre are familiar enough that it will get a lot of people to take a look and if the gameplay pans out like it looks set to, I think Pandemic could have a major hit on their hands here.  When it comes out (early 2005?) I have a feeling a lot of publishers that let this gem slip through their fingers are going to be kicking themselves.

The only thing I saw that gave me slight concern as was a bit too much potty humor (in the things the alien reads in the hapless human minds) but I can suffer through that gladly if the rest of the game is anywhere as awesome as it looks.

A short anecdote for those of you who didn't get the reference of my last posting... the original Thief's full title is "Thief: The Dark Project".  A horrible name if ever there was one.  The story behind it is a classic example of a name that kind of made sense in an evolutionary way but definitely should have been changed before ship. 

Before Thief was Thief, when it was still just our next 3d RPG, it was originally "Dark Camelot", a fairly cool (if still totally non-mainstream) take on the King Arthur mythos, only with the roles reversed: the player was Mordred, a charming rogue plotting and scheming against the fascist Arthur and his heavy-handed Knights.  Anyways, that eventually got killed internally, so that team just starting going by the "Dark Project", since it used to be for Dark Camelot.  Eventually the whole Thief idea came up (I wish I knew whose idea it was originally, since it's really strong, IMO) and the game became Thief: The Dark Project.

Why on earth none of us realize that just plain Thief was a much better name, and what everyone would call the game anyways, I'll never know.  At least I don't think it hurt the game too much (at least compared to the other decisions we made at the time).

Sorry for the lack of updates lately... been down with illness a bit lately.  I hope to get back to my E3 picks this week.

Also, I've been playing a lot of Thief: Deadly Shadows which has really sucked me in.  There's something special about returning to Garrett's dark shadowy world that other stealth games can't quite capture -- even great ones, like Splinter Cell.  While my contributions to the original Thief game were quite minimal (mostly just being around and contributing some random ideas) I still feel an emotional attachment to it. 

It's even more bittersweet to play Thief 3 given the chaos going on at Ion Storm Austin.  I hope all the people who got laid off land on their feet -- there are some incredibly talented folks down there.  It's rough when industry turmoil gets in the way of making the damn games, but sometimes it is unavoidable. 

Recent game acquisitions: Full Spectrum Warrior, Duel Masters.  Looking forward to the Spyro / Crash crossover games coming out this week too.