Silent Hill Scribblings

I'm back with another round of pre-review scribbling, this time for the mildly horrifying Silent Hill: Homecoming. Being a fan of the series, I had a lot to think about while playing and reviewing this game and therefore took many notes during the gameplay process. Here's what I was thinking as I played:

good thing the first save point is called "nightmare" or else i actually would have felt suspense and surprise

ooh, a siren, and fucked-up-ness. feels like good ol' silent hill.

weak/strong/stronger melee attacks. i like choices. still a bit clunky, though. maybe it's just me

the stop-motion of these nurses is cool. lighting is good, too.

i can't tell if this camera is terrible or if it's just my fault for being unskilled with non-inverted vertical controls. in any case, there SHOULD be an option to switch that.

mash the a button to keep your arm!

that basic drum beat ramp-up isn't really all that cool. maybe if the timing was better/it was used very sparingly

the map operates agreeably, but why does shepherd's glen have the same fog problem as silent hill?

and is it normal to be welcomed home in the middle of the night by some lady near a creepy monument?

nice house, but who has this many locked doors in their house?

i figured it out. it's the move/strafe look/turn combo. doesn't fit survival horror somehow

i like this combat camera. dramatic.

this game just insulted my intelligence by giving multiple hints to what was so obvious i could barely call is a puzzle.

facial expressions are very good. obviously the best graphics in a sh game

that industrial, static-filled soundtrack is true to sh, and still heart-pounding

as if a foggy, devastated shepard's glen wasn't creepy enough, here i wake in silent hill. time to party

now there's a familiar... head

guns are actually useful!

wtf, do enemies respawn?

love the real-time transition to otherworld

bosses seem to be alright. not just blasting away.

Cut scenes are very nicely directed. Dramatic camera angles along with clean graphics and ambient lighting.

The game feels more like a dark action game than typical horror. I find myself waiting for the psychological mind-fuck that characterizes the sh games of old to suddenly kick in, but it never does, and i'm left just wandering from dark place to dark place fighting monsters.

the early signs of plot cohesion and thematic content still strike me as being weakly applied.

this is not the triumphant return to form that i expected from this installment in the silent hill series, but it is an improvement over the unfortunate misstep that was sh:o.

there's a delay between input and action for these context sensitive commands

i'm fighting order members. i suddenly have lots of ammunition. again, this doesn't feel like the horror game i'm used to. i'm using 3d move/strafe, look/turn controls to shoot guns at humans. they're humans. feels wrong.

there are some good puzzles mixed in

slow to start, but this game is getting interesting and tying together at the end. getting sorta nuts.

good game, but it's no silent hill of old

like an action-horror flick shot with a camcorder, as opposed to a psychological thriller shot with professional grade filming equipment.

Point And Click Comedy -- Sam & Max: Season One

Point and click. These basic gameplay mechanics are at the core of the Wii hardware, built directly into its input and operating systems. It makes sense, then, that popular point-and-click PC adventures should eventually find their way onto Nintendo's humble home console. Such is the case with the Sam & Max franchise, as Season One has finally arrived on the little white box more than a full year after its PC release.

Regardless of timing, this is the same wise-cracking pair of freelance police who work to solve a number of cases revolving around hypnosis and mind control schemes. Each of the six episodes has its own specific plot, but they all tie into one another and act as building blocks for the game's overarching storyline. Season One definitely delivers a strong episodic experience, although part of its intended effect is tempered by the compilation format. Rather than simply building familiarity and consistency between episodes, the repeated inclusion of a few "home base" locations can feel slightly redundant.

The game remains virtually unchanged from its PC counterpart, save for a few adjustments to graphics and game controls. Directing the detective work is accomplished by pointing the Wii remote at on-screen objects or characters and then tapping A to make Sam and Max interact with them. Inventory items are accessed with the + button and then used as in any normal interaction, and conversations are carried out through branching dialogue trees with plenty of response choices. The Wii remote does an acceptable job with this control setup, although the lack of precision and added strain of continually pointing in 3D space reveal that it is not as favorable an input method as a computer mouse provides.

Throughout the adventure, players will find that Sam & Max: Season One is not a perfectly smooth ride. At its best, the game gives players subtle clues to help them figure out the next course of action, the solutions being clever and fulfilling. The worst parts leave players in a tiresome trial-and-error cycle, searching for nonsensical resolutions to what can be described as either puzzling or simply absurd situations. Most often, this involves exhausting every option in a non-player character's dialogue tree until an event is triggered or a response tips the player off.

Each episode is quite short and can be completed in a single sitting. Despite the brevity of these sections, progress often moves at a snail's pace thanks to a combination of load times, a leisurely strolling pair of protagonists, and the necessity to travel back and forth between a small handful of areas in order to collect and combine the proper items and unravel the game's plot. A few slow-down issues and at least one lock-up bug don't help these matters.

Graphically, the Wii version of Sam & Max has been toned down to match the processing power of the console. The visuals are not as crisp on the Wii as on the PC, and there are a few additional hang-ups involved in normal play, as mentioned earlier. The soundtrack and voice acting are still excellent, with enough good and humorously bad jokes to last until next year.

Sam & Max: Season One is a fun experience that fits the Wii console well. While there are a few issues that hurt this version of the game, the comic storyline and animated cast of characters manage to compensate for those shortcomings. Old school gamers will get feelings of nostalgia from the classic style, and all Wii owners will find something worth standing on in a sea of Wii mediocrity.

Unnecessary Roughness -- Blitz: The League II Review

Blitz: The League II is the second in Midway's anti-NFL football franchise, designed to highlight and glamorize the less wholesome aspects of the game. With no NFL license the developers have gone the extra mile to keep things interesting via plenty of rough play, injuries, drugs, and nightlife. This is no simulation.

The "official" game of football is almost of secondary concern in Blitz. The storyline sets The League up as an alternative association to the NFL, which is exactly the stance that Midway has taken against the likes of Madden and EA's exclusive NFL rights deal. In Blitz, there are fewer men on the field, and the point is simply to play hard, score points, and hurt your opponents.

In fact, injuries play an important role in any Blitz match-up. After delivering a devastating hit and getting an internal close-up of the anatomical destruction wrought, treating the injury on the sidelines is a big factor in determining how quickly a player is able to return. It's completely off-the-wall, of course, with a shot of "juice" magically getting a player with broken ribs back into the game a few plays later, but gamers are expected to suspend their disbelief and simply have fun.

Administering the brutal crunch of bone-on-bone contact is made easy by the game's "clash" system. As plays are made, a meter fills up and serves as a fuel reserve for big plays. Pulling the left trigger activates clash and drains the meter, allowing players to slow down the action and perform special offensive and defensive maneuvers in a bullet-time type of environment. These range from big catches and killer jukes to the game's precision-aim tackles meant to debilitate specific body parts of opponent players.

To get right into the action, quick play mode consists of choosing teams and a stadium, and immediately hitting the gridiron. A short lesson on the clash system and special high-powered moves precedes each game in order to level the playing field, but players can skip this if they so desire. It's then on to the truncated, loosely regulated version of football that Blitz specializes in, where late hits, pass interference, unnecessary roughness, and the like are all applauded rather than punished.

The real meat of Blitz, however, is its campaign mode, which follows the career of a star athlete from his initial signing with the league. At the start of the campaign, offensive and defensive positions are determined by answering questions at a post-signing press conference. Additional questions add bonuses to different attributes, depending on the answers given. If the superstar says he got in trouble with the law as a kid, for example, he will earn a speed bonus. If he worked on a farm, he will be given a strength bonus.

During the campaign, the new team captain acts as a player/coach, and is responsible for playing games, managing the team roster, training players, purchasing equipment, and even doing some public relations work. On top of that, one can participate in the less wholesome aspects of the business, like gambling on games and juicing players with illicit substances. Blitz uses this part of the game as an opportunity to take shots at the NFL, mimicking various real-life scandals within the game's storyline.

If the hard-hitting and over-the-top version of football that "normal" Blitz brings to the table isn't enough, bonus modes offer six completely new ways to play the game, like fast-paced prison ball or a game with "winners ball" rules. Other variations reward points for hard hits and injuries or reduce touchdown value as the number of plays in the drive increases, among others. These house rules games can quickly dial up the intensity (and chaos) on the virtual field.

Players can also participate in a 16-team single-elimination tournament and battle it out until a champion is crowned. The cpu fills in any empty brackets to make a complete tournament. The game automatically saves tournament progress, so a group of friends could potentially draw out a tournament over many weeks and form their own Blitz league.

Training camp is where players can run drills in the five categories of rushing, passing, receiving, defense, and triage to hone their skills before taking it to the field. What better place to use those skills than in competitive matches on Xbox Live? Unfortunately, the online options are few; the Live experience consists of only quick, custom, and hosted matches with the default Blitz rules.

Blitz: The League II is the type of title that is different and fun for gamers who seek an alternative to the typical football videogame experience. When that novelty wears away, however, what gamers are left with is a relatively shallow experience waiting to be replaced by the next new thing.

Rumble | Silent Hill Versus Resident Evil

As we approach the best holiday of the year, when women do their best to look as slutty as possible because they have an excuse to do so, when we get to eat pumpkin pies and make art from those veggies' unused husks, and when horror movies and games are released for us consumers of entertainment media to experience in the darkest rooms we can find, what better than to have a Game Crush Rumble between the two biggest survival horror franchises in the gaming industry?

I can think of a few better things, mostly involving those scantily-clad celebrators, but for now, I'll just lay down the Google gauntlet so that these two rivals can to go to war. Without further ado:

Resident...Evil...WINS.

Below The Summit -- Silent Hill: Homecoming Review

Coming into this sixth installment in the Silent Hill series, expectations were low, but hopes were high. The second consecutive outsourcing of the franchise--this time to Double Helix Games, a development studio famous for nothing--was sure to eclipse Climax Studios' decidedly mediocre Silent Hill: Origins, but could it restore the standard of quality set forth by Konami's original tetralogy?

No, this is not the triumphant return to form that fans have hoped for, but at least it represents a metaphorical foothold on progress after the disappointing misstep of the last title. Silent Hill: Homecoming delivers an interesting, albeit late-developing and initially incohesive tale constructed within the familiar framework of the titular town's cultish lore.

The game's primary downfall is that in trying to create a more action-oriented experience, the developers diluted the heavy atmosphere and psychologically disruptive themes typical of the series, and weakened the methods by which those elements are delivered to the audience. This leaves players moving mostly unchallenged--in a mental sense--through a relatively fast-paced (and quickly completed) action/horror title, rather than engrossing them in what has made past Silent Hill games great. Players progress from hall to dark hall, room to dark room, and building to dark building laying enemies to rest and solving menial puzzles.

It's clear that with Homecoming, Double Helix was influenced by the Resident Evil series' successful shift from traditional survival horror into the realm of action gameplay, but the player-controlled 3D camera implemented in this game only serves to deaden the atmosphere that would have been possible using the semi-static perspectives the series is known for. Instead of absorbing exactly what these types of games are made for, players are forced to spend the entire game fighting with a awkward camera just to see straight. It isn't even possible to invert the vertical axis, an option that should never be omitted.

Combat in Homecoming is an improvement over past Silent Hill games, although truly favorable combat mechanics are still a long way off. The game gives players weak, strong, and charge-up attacks with melee weapons and implements an over-the-shoulder view and targeting reticle when guns are drawn. Players can also make protagonist Alex Shepherd dodge enemy attacks with a quick tap of the B button, rounding out what is a much tighter combat setup than the series has ever seen.

Homecoming also marks the first time a dialogue system has been included in a Silent Hill game. Theses are very simple, two-option choices that are presented during only a few conversations throughout the game, but they still add a layer of interactivity to the story, and even dictate which of the game's five ending sequences the player will see.

All of the cut scenes in Homecoming are very well-directed. In addition to the clean graphics and impressive dynamic lighting, the camera angles used in these clips heighten the dramatic effects of every shot. Graphically, this is the best in the series. The characters' facial animations are exceptional, and effects such as the film grain camera and the real-time transition to "otherworld" improve the game's overall presentation. The signature industrial, static-filled soundtrack is back; true to the franchise and still heart-pounding.

Measured against the standards set by previous games in the series, Silent Hill: Homecoming rests near the lower regions of the proverbial totem pole. Judged independently, however, this game still provides much of what survival horror fans are looking for, including a decently deranged plot, occult themes, and a full cast of sick and twisted monsters. It may not be the most cerebral or frightening option, but it will still satisfy that horror fix.

One Word Review | Okami

This is One Word Review, a concept that I shamelessly lifted from my friend Creighton over at Nerdology (it's okay, he said I could). The idea behind OWR, as we like to call it, is that videogames are so often rated, reviewed, and discussed to exhaustion that it is sometimes a relief to read a succinct, definitive description of a game--a single word that sums up the most prominent characteristics of the gaming experience. That's the idea, so here goes:

Sumisprawl

SimEverything -- Spore Review

If legendary game designer Will Wright sat down one day with the intention of figuring out which of his games he liked best, only to realize that he just couldn't choose a single aspect of virtual existence he most enjoyed tinkering with, then Spore might very possibly have become the order of the day. Instead of choosing just one, Will Wright would simply sim everything.

Spore is a genre-blending evolutionary and social simulation that lets players have a hand in the evolution of species from their multicellular beginnings all the way up through galactic conquest. As cells develop into creatures, interact with other species, form tribes, build civilizations, and expand empires, the mechanics of the game also evolve, becoming more complex with each phase.

The cell phase operates like an advanced version of Pac Man. Players' microbial creations gradually grow in size and complexity as they consume food and collect parts from the environment and/or the remains of other organisms. Mating opens up an editor where those parts can be used to create more successful designs for new generations of creatures, eventually stepping out of the tide pool and onto dry land.

The creature phase moves into a fully three-dimensional environment and introduces social interaction into players' list of options. Taking a friendly or aggressive stance when coming into contact with another species dictates the goals the game sets for dealing with that group. Both killing and befriending other species earn DNA points and new body parts that help the creature to evolve. Searching the environment also yields rewards to be used in the mating/editing portion of this phase.

Once a species develops enough mental capacity to organize into cooperative social communities, the tribal phase begins. Here, the tribe's goal is to defeat or ally with neighboring tribes and be the first to achieve a civilized culture. This phase is the first to bring simple real-time strategy elements into the game, allowing players to outfit their natives with stat-boosting apparel and equip them with special tools earned by successfully interfacing with competing tribes. With each conquest or alliance, a new building can be placed in the village. Each of these provides a weapon, musical instrument, or food gathering tool to assist the tribesmen.

Successfully micro-managing a tribal village allows a civilization to flourish. In the civilization phase, players focus on global conquest, administrating multiple cities' economic, military, and religious affairs. The urban landscape must be developed in such a way that population, production, and happiness are all maximized, maintaining a steady flow of income from the planet's natural resource, spice. This is achieved by placing residential, industrial, and entertainment buildings in an effective way and then protecting the safety of the city with turrets and military vehicles. Vehicles also serve as the religious and economic links to other cities, converting or allying with them to support the civilization's cause. As in the real world, waging war is not the only answer; there are a number of paths to prosperity. Regardless of the imperialistic strategy a player employs, the goal is to unify the entire planet under the home city's rule, and then venture into the final frontier.

The space phase is the final phase, and also the most complex and expansive portion of Spore. This is the only phase that does not have predefined win conditions, but is instead set up as a galactic sandbox with open-ended opportunities to accept and complete missions, earn money, expand the empire, colonize planets, encounter alien species, establish trade, form alliances, go to war, hunt for treasure, and explore, explore, explore. There are over 50,000 planets in the Spore galaxy, all of which are accessible to the player. The many social, combat, colonization, collecting, and terraforming tools that players earn by achieving certain milestones add even more options to the dynamic space phase. To quote Will Wright himself, Spore becomes a "massively single-player game" by the time players reach the end.

So is this five-in-one gaming experience any good, or is it nothing more than a novel idea turned into reality?

Spore is great fun. At each step of the way, there is something new to play with, learn about, experiment with, and eventually master. Each small portion of the larger product appeals to gamers in different ways, and all of those parts manage to remain interesting in their own right. The editing features, as evidenced by the success of the stand-alone Creature Creator and the endless stream of user-generated content that populates the game's "Sporepedia," are enough to keep players inventing and tweaking microbes, animals, buildings, vehicles, and even the celestial bodies themselves for hours on end. Spore has so many tools and parts to work with that creativity is rarely stifled.

Another very important part of Spore's design is that it slowly guides players through progressively more complex levels of videogame mechanics, effectively making itself an analogy for the thematic content it delivers. The later the stage of evolution, the more advanced the gameplay strategy, each phase building upon the last in terms of required skill sets. Spore manages to satisfy the needs of seasoned veterans with its vast selection of options, yet remains accessible to any gamer by gently acquainting them with the gameplay environment. I see many first-time gamers getting their start with Spore, and many long-time gamers becoming obsessed with the sheer magnitude of the final phase.

Spore is yet another wonderful creation from the mind of designer Will Wright. While it may not achieve the level of gaming utopia that many had predicted prior to its release, the final product is still a very enjoyable, engaging, and complete package. With just a little more depth and polish, it would be more than just an evolutionary sim--it'd be a revolutionary one.

The Downloadable Wayback Machine -- Mega Man 9 Review

To everyone who thought the 8-bit era died out over 15 years ago, Capcom and the Blue Bomber have just made a compelling argument to the contrary. Mega Man 9 has arrived on all three current generation consoles' respective download services, emulating and doing justice to the classic Mega Man style we've come to know and love.

Mega Man 9 picks up right where Mega Man 6 (the last NES entry in the series) left off in terms of both gameplay and audio/visual presentation. Capcom has even gone so far as to create a promotional Mega Man 9 box art image in the traditionally abysmal style the series is known for. The end product is a game that feels as authentically 80s as one could hope for, maintaining the integrity and enjoyment of that challenging era of gaming, while still appealing to the modern gaming crowd.

The plot is simple; eight evil robots are wreaking havoc, so of course Dr. Wily is the prime suspect. The mad doctor goes on television to simultaneously absolve himself of any guilt and accuse the benevolent Dr. Light of this treachery. It's Mega Man's job to destroy the fiendish machines, save the world, and clear Dr. Light's good name.

Just like its predecessors, Mega Man 9 initially gives players very few tools to work with. Mega Man can run, jump, and shoot, and one must learn to be patient and incredibly precise with these abilities in order to successfully traverse the game's highly hazardous stages. Many jumps require perfect planning and execution to avoid Mega Man's early demise, and his enemies always seem to be positioned to do the most harm possible.

In terms of level design, Mega Man 9 has again stayed very true to the Mega Man games of old, but also includes a number of platform elements that keep things interesting as players progress from the first stage to the last. Still, these additions fit so seamlessly into the Mega Man framework that veterans will feel like they are visiting an old friend. The only gripe here is that certain types and combinations of enemies tend to repeat more often than one might prefer.

At the end of each physically trying stage, players are faced with a super-powered boss robot and rewarded for their subsequent victory with that enemy's special weapon. Defeating these hunks of junk is usually incredibly difficult with the Mega Buster cannon alone, but by using the various boss weapons to exploit each robot's weakness, success becomes far more attainable. It's like an eight-way game of rock, paper, scissors, except the player is completely ignorant of those relationships at the outset and must figure out the proper way to proceed on their own.

Mega Man 9 is yet another in a string of Capcom-authored love letters to old-school gamers, and this one is especially mushy. The game's difficulty may lead some to categorize it as "tough love," but at the end of the day, the game encapsulates everything that made the franchise great in the late 80s and early 90s and recycles it for the current generation. With a $10 price tag and add-on content already becoming available, Mega Man 9 is a worthy addition to any gamer's digital library.

One Word Review | Mega Man 9

This is One Word Review, a concept that I shamelessly lifted from my friend Creighton over at Nerdology (it's okay, he said I could). The idea behind OWR, as we like to call it, is that videogames are so often rated, reviewed, and discussed to exhaustion that it is sometimes a relief to read a succinct, definitive description of a game--a single word that sums up the most prominent characteristics of the gaming experience. That's the idea, so here goes:

Re-childing

How Does The DSi Like Them Apples?

It is something to be expected by now: Nintendo releases a handheld product once, twice, three times and more, introducing a smaller form factor, more appealing design, and updated hardware and software features with each iteration.

The ever-popular Nintendo DS is the latest machine to get the upgrade treatment, as Nintendo has announced that the un-creatively named DSi will be hitting the Japanese market in less than a month.

The company seems to be at least slightly afraid of the potential threat that Apple's iPhone poses at it begins to round up support for its open software platform with a number of downloadable application and games, so the Big N has decided to also offer a download service and infinitely expandable memory. The DSi will come equipped with a built-in browser and "DSiWare" download service that works on a points system much like WiiWare. Combine that with a GBA slot-replacing (yes, GBA backwards compatibility has gotten the axe) SD card reader, and the DSi is ready to step into the digital content delivery arena.

Some experts have been supporting the idea that the iPhone could be the next big thing in handheld gaming, considering its high-powered graphics, input, and communications technology, so opening up new avenues for game development on the DSi is certainly a smart move for Nintendo. They've even decided to award DSi purchasers with incentive points that are good until March 2010, in an effort to jump-start everyone's digital shopping.

Other new features listed on the DSi's spec sheet include a smaller shell, larger screen (now 3.5 inches, up from 3), integrated 640x480 pixel camera (and portrait-morphing software), mp3 playback, and an audio recorder with pitch and speed adjustment options.

The evolutionary DSi will hit Japan--where it will more than likely be instantly SOLD OUT--on November 1st at a retail price of 18,900 yen, or about $180. I have to admit that I kinda want one. Then again, when was the last time I downloaded a WiiWare game? (Hint: never)