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• Genres I'd Like to See on the Wii: 3rd Person Shooters

  Hello, developer studios? Yes, the Wii remote is motion sensitive. It's pretty nifty and I know some of you are super excited about he Motion Plus add-on. However, did you know the Wii-mote also has a pointer function? Yeah, that sensor bar thing with the infrared light. Oh? You keep forgetting about that function eh? Keep getting distracted by the wiggle waggle hmm? Well wake the hell up already because you're missing some golden opportunities! Maybe I'm a touch off base here, but it seems to me that the pointer functionality is a little bit neglected within the Wii library. Considering how superior an experience the pointer offers over the analogue stick when it comes to aiming, you'd think, you'd really think, the Wii library would abound with quality titles that take advantage of that function, and you'd be wrong. Read More... Posted Apr 16 2009, 10:00 PM by Amber Ahlborn with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: metroid, wii, fps, mega man, amber ahlborn, ratchet & clank, game design, third person shooters, jak

• Voicing Reasons: Why Does Voice Acting Suck?

  With the exception of the hand held industry, the era of using text alone to convey dialog is ending. Voice acting in the video game industry is here to stay. Many games are trying (not always succeeding) to present more involved story lines with deeper characters. Character development is a particular interest of mine and I have some strong opinions about how to go about developing a good character. A problem I see a lot in games concerning character development is in how the game tries to get the player to connect with the character. Here's a hint, elaborately absurd back stories only offer a cheap interest at best. Narratives about characters don't create connections. People get to know each other by listening to each other. That's the way we work in real life and thus, dialog (or internal monologue) is perhaps the most potent tool for creating emotional connections with characters. For games seeking to capture that connection, the portrayal of characters is of utmost importance. Obviously good writing would be a big help here, but even the best writing goes to waste if the voice actors can't portray their characters well. So why is voice acting in video games often sub par? The knee jerk response might be “because game studios are cheap and hire crappy voice actors”. Well, yes, game studios are often cheap in this regard, but not in the way you might think. Read More... Posted Apr 14 2009, 11:00 PM by Amber Ahlborn with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: amber ahlborn, voice acting, game design

• Game Length Versus Quality: The Debate Continues

  When it comes to game length, how long is too long?  This is a question I've personally pondered for quite some time; thankfully, GameSetWatch's Mister Raroo has done an excellent job of detailing this dilemma in a recent article.  So, what exactly is wrong with the bloated, modern game? Nobody wants to pay $60 for an experience that is over in an evening. Thus, games are usually stuffed with enough content keep players busy for weeks or even months. That said, too often the length of games is artificially lengthened in order to provide players with the perception of a longer experience. I’ve done enough backtracking and fetch quests in games to know filler when I see it. It's true; there's a certain dollar-to-content ratio that we've all come to expect over the years.  But just how much of that content are we actually going to play?  Personally, I tend to check out of a game when it's stopped giving me anything new to care about.  As much as I liked Odin Sphere, the mechanics--essentially unchanged throughout the game's entirety--were so repetitive that I didn't feel bad checking out shortly after finishing the first chapter.  In my eyes, I had "finished" the game.  The "seen about enough of you" defense has been a huge help in getting me to stop playing through games I'm no longer enjoying; though this new healthy lifestyle has only developed recently in my adult life. Read More... Posted Nov 13 2008, 07:00 PM by Bob Mackey with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: gaming culture, jrpg, bob mackey, game design, gaming habits, game length, filler

• Crossing the Uncanny Valley: Part 1

  Time doesn't seem to be on my side. As my day job devours so much of my time I tend to wait until the weekend to do the majority of my writing which means that sometimes somebody else writes about what I was planning to write about. In this case, it would be the Uncanny Valley; a theory concerning design (mostly visual but it can extend to the other senses as well). The Uncanny Valley is an incredibly important concept for artists in the video game industry to grasp. With today's systems being as powerful as they are, photo realistic graphics are not simply possible but becoming ever more common, and if I had my way, no artist (or director, or producer) would be allowed to work on a game project without having a solid grasp of what the Uncanny Valley is and how it relates to the art assets used in video games. Seriously, somebody has already done the heavy lifting for me in describing what the Uncanny Valley is. Go here. The article even includes an awesome little video that explains the theory in simple, clear, and entertaining terms. Do it, I'll wait... Back already? Okay then, let me add to what we've learned. Read More... Posted Nov 10 2008, 10:00 AM by Amber Ahlborn with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: uncanny valley, amber ahlborn, graphics, game design, best of 2008

• What Games Actually Appeal to Casual Gamers

  Some time ago I had a thought after musing for a bit on this “casual gamer phenomenon”. The thought came and like many things I don't write down, went. However, Nadia Oxford in her recent post brought that lost thought right back to me. Ever since games for non-gamers became the perceived goose that laid golden eggs, developers have been trying very hard to cash in. Considering the scatter shot success rates and the growing numbers of pissed off core gamers in deathly fear that 'their” games are being simplified to appeal to casuals, me thinks many developers do not know what makes a good casual game. I do. Read More... Posted Oct 15 2008, 10:00 AM by Amber Ahlborn with | with 6 comment(s) Filed under: casual, amber ahlborn, game design

• Linearity is Not a Dirty Word

  With the dawn of 3-D games on home consoles, new buzz words and selling points like draw distance, open worlds, and free roaming worlds were birthed. Games grew in size and linearity become a negative point on many reviews. Bigger, however, is not always better, and great games should never be docked points because they proceed in a linear fashion. Content is king! It has always been an enigma to me why linearity has developed this stigma. Why it should ever be considered a negative while wide open, sandbox, free roaming aspects are typically considered a good thing. Let's ignore the entire history of gaming greatness that existed in the linear majority of 2-D games and just look at some samples from my 3-D library. Some of the most enjoyable games I've ever played have been knocked in reviews for their linearity, while other games have actually used their wide open dead space as a selling point. Read More... Posted Oct 14 2008, 10:00 AM by Amber Ahlborn with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: legend of zelda, prince of persia, amber ahlborn, ratchet & clank, sly cooper, game design, jak 2

• Too Many Crayons

  As I write this, I'm in a conversation that has me thinking about old games and how they were developed. The game that has prompted this moment of musing is Mega Man 9. I like what's been done with Mega Man 9 and the purposeful 8-bit approach, not because I care for the NES style but because I like the intentionally imposed restrictions. Sometimes, when the sky is the limit, sloppy design can result. I'd like to see more developers give their teams pet projects like this just to hone their skills and learn the value of efficiency. Read More... Posted Oct 01 2008, 10:00 AM by Amber Ahlborn with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: amber ahlborn, mega man 9, nostalgia, game design