Mini Review: Spec Ops: The Line

Pros:
-Interesting plot, quite unlike anything in the genre
-Soundtrack is very fitting
-Graphics are great, and the game's art style makes it stand out
-Voice acting is top notch
-Emotion, something rare in a shooter

Cons:
-Gameplay is nothing special
-A little on the short side
-Characters are lacking in detail

Overall Score: 8.5/10

Thoughts: Spec Ops: The Line is the best shooter I've played in a long time.  It's not only intelligently made, but also makes the players really think.  It makes them question their actions, not unlike games such as Nier and Shadow of the Colossus.  And for applying that in the shooter genre, I applaud Yager and 2K Games.

*Note: Multiplayer is not taken into account with this review, as I believe it would not impact the game's score. 

Mini Review: Gravity Rush

Pros:

-Exploration is a blast, especially with gravity powers

-Graphics look great

-Sound and Music is top notch

-Interesting story with a colorful cast of characters

-Makes good use of the touchscreen, especially in combat

Cons:

-Some controls are hard to grasp (especially the Gravity Slide)

-Lacking replay value

-Frustrating aerial enemies

-Simplistic and sometimes repetitive missions

Overall Score: 9.0/10

Thoughts: Gravity Rush is a really interesting game that really feels fresh in a time of HD Remakes and Ports, especially on the Vita.  The game is the best reason to currently own a Vita and an even better reason to consider buying one if you have yet to purchase one.

Zone of the Enders HD Opening Animation

Words cannot do justice for how incredible this opening for the Zone of the Enders HD Collection truly is. As a long time fan, I am incredibly pleased!

Mysterious Orbital Frame in Early Zone of the Enders 2 Trailer

Recognize this orbital frame?  I doubt it, because this particular frame never made its way into Zone of the Enders 2.  It appeared in an early e3 trailer and never showed up again.  So what is this frame?  And where could it have fit in the story?  Hit the jump to read my take on this cut out frame.  

First Draft and The Future

Two days ago, I completed the first draft of my first major game project, titled "Snowfall."  Closing in on 146 pages, I'd say I'm very happy with it.  For now, the draft will enter a long and scary revision process.  In the meantime, I think I'll be starting to work out sprites and play around with some music editors to get an idea of what the music will sound like.  I do have some concern that the draft may not be "good enough" compared to other things out in the industry in terms of style and language, but I will definitely make sure it is once other things are worked out.  The next draft will focus on coherency and stability of the characters.  It really does feel great to have a completed piece of work though, even if it is only a first draft!

Underappreciated Gem: Jesus: Kyōfu no Bio Monster

When one typically thinks of the Famicom, platformers, shmups, and arcade style games are pretty much the first kind of games that come to mind.  But to those who have truly dug deep into the great titles the system has to offer, one can really see that there's more out there, particular some great visual novels.  Jesus: Kyōfu no Bio Monster, a Japanese-only release is one of those, and for a Famicom game, it's rather in depth plot and characterization really make it seem ahead of its time.  And despite its name, Jesus is not what you think it is.

Mini Review: Journey (PS3)

Pros:

-Graphics are top notch

-Phenomenal Soundtrack

-Offers an adventure unlike any game before it

-Fairly good replay value

-Online is always interesting

-A great, minimalistic story

-Fantastic art style

-Filled with great tension and emotion

Cons:

-Short

-Very easy

-Starts a little slow if you can't find a partner right away

Overall Score: 9.0/10

Thoughts: I honestly can't get over Journey.  It's truly a game like no other, between its unique style and its attempt to make something different of a game through companionship more than anything else.  The experience is fantastic and almost indescribable without just playing it.  If you have a PS3, you should absolutely play it and make sure you do not spoil anything about it.  Do it.

A Strange Piece of NieR Artwork

Here's a little oddity that I discovered after going through the Brady Game's strategy guide for NieR.  On Page 19, you can see a piece of artwork that is neither from Grimoire NieR or from any of the game's press releases:

It almost seems like someone simply redrew this piece of artwork:

So what could this be?  And why was it necessary to redraw the original Japanese art?  It's probably a piece of artwork created specifically for use in the guide book.  After all, it's hard to release a guide without that many images to help space out the large amounts of text.  It's also possible that the American one was designed to look less Japanese and more like something that came from the west in order to appeal to American players.  None of NieR's 2D artwork similar to the one above made its way into the book.  There aren't any names of any artists in the credits, so it's hard to say who drew this and where it came from.

There is however, something that sort of resembles this strange artwork.  An image, found in Grimoire NieR, of one of the DLC costumes resembles the artwork found in the strategy guide:

So this brings up another question.  Was the version of this found in the strategy guide a piece of artwork that didn't find its way in Grimoire NieR for some reason?  Or did someone really just take this one and the other piece of artwork and merge them into one?  Maybe there isn't much of a mystery behind this.  But I still find it interesting.

Mini Review: Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D

Pros:

-Masterful gameplay

-Sound is amazing, especially with headphones

-New additions from Peace Walker (crouch walk, damage rings, move while aiming) make the gameplay work very well

-Photo Camo adds a new layer of fun to the gameplay.  Some may feel it makes it feel easy, but I feel it can make the game more fair to beginners

-Character models are excellent and better than the PS2 version

-Quite possibly the best 3D on the system to date

-Great story, perfect for newcomers to the series and fans alike

Cons:

-Frame rate issues

-Controls are wonky without the circle pad, and just okay with it

-No extras (It would have been great to have Metal Gear 1/2 on the cartridge too)

Overall Score: 9.0/10

Thoughts: Metal Gear Solid 3D, despite its frame rate and control issues, remains my favorite version of the game.  It's easy to pick up and play, looks the greatest, sounds the greatest, and has great 3D that really does add to the overall experience.  

From One to Many: A Look at Metal Gear's Expansion of Locations

All Metal Gear games have had notable locations.  In fact, many of them have a single important location that the entire game revolves around.  But a person has got to wonder... Why did the series expand from one single location to many as it progressed?  And how exactly has this expansion helped/hurt the series?

Let's first remember the locations in each significant Metal Gear title:

Mini Review: Final Fantasy XIII-2

Pros:

-It feels like Final Fantasy again

-When the soundtrack is good, it's really good

-Lots to do, including the return of minigames and sidequests

-Engaging battle system with a great amount of variety

-Voice Acting is top notch

-Graphics look amazing

-The game doesn't take itself too seriously, unlike the original XIII

-Length is perfect

Cons:

-Uneven Difficulty (Too easy most of the time, too hard on a few instances)

-The Story (Minus Noel and his future)

-Framerate can be inconsistent

-Obligatory mentioning of the ending

-The Graviton Cores.  My god, the Graviton Cores...

-Too few areas/lack of area variety

Overall Score: 8.5/10

Thoughts: Square Enix is definitely on the right track again with Final Fantasy XIII-2.  Had the story have been better and the landscapes more diverse, XIII-2 may have been one of the best entries in the series.  Hopefully, after all the poor reception the game has received mostly due to the story, the next Final Fantasy will be written well.

Crimson Tears Steals Music from Metal Gear Solid 2?

In 2004, a game titled "Crimson Tears" was released by Capcom for the Playstation 2.  From what I can see, the game fell under the radar, most likely due to its release near bigger titles like Tales of Symphonia or Doom 3.  The reviews were mediocre and the game disappeared without question in only a few months.  So what does all this have to do with Metal Gear Solid 2?  The intro video to Crimson Tears features Amber, one of the game's three protagonists, leaping from a helicopter in order to infiltrate A.R.M.A. HQ and rescue her comrades.  The music in this cutscene sounds all too familiar.  Check it out:

So it turns out that Crimson Tears stole a piece of the Metal Gear Solid 2 theme.  After some research, the man who was responsible for the cutscene's music, Hiroyuki Kasuya, has zero ties to the Metal Gear franchise.  Interesting stuff.

It's the Small Things That Count (NieR)

Of all the things that Nier has grown to be known for since its release in 2010, there are many things that go unnoticed, even by those who have played the game numerous times.  Little details can be found around the game that are quite intriguing, and truly proves that the game stands out from the rest.  Hit the jump to learn about things you'll likely never see in any other game on the market.

Can an Ugly Indie Game Find Success?

Let's face it, there are so many indie games developed each year.  Most of them go unnoticed, but the ones that do typically look beautiful.  Braid, Limbo, Bastion, Super Meat Boy... The list goes on.  All of these titles either look great graphically or have a great graphical style that makes it get noticed by the public.  Sounds good for the groups that are able to pull that off.  But what about the ones who can't?  Would an indie game catch on to the masses if it were truly ugly?  Hit the jump for my opinion on this issue.

Mini Review: Resident Evil Revelations

Pros:

-Excellent Graphics

-Great Use of 3DS features (3D, Touch Screen, Online, Circle Pad Pro)

-Great Value

-Controls are excellent with the Circle Pad Pro

-Brings back the feel of RE1 to the series

-Great atmosphere

-Sound is great, especially in headphones

-The Genesis really adds to the gameplay

Cons

-Exploration is short and almost hidden at times

-Scares are very rare

-Too much ammo

-Voice acting is mediocre

-Lack of puzzles

Overall Score: 8.5/10

Thoughts:  Revelations is a must have for the 3DS.  For it's price, you get a game with console level amounts of detail and depth.  Although I wish the game had more exploration and Metroidvania-like gameplay,  Revelations is a great game that really puts the series back on track.

A Love Letter to Deck A, Crew's Quarters (MGS2)

Metal Gear Solid 2 is definitely my personal favorite Metal Gear game.  It had everything: A great story, great music, fun gameplay, etc.  What about Raiden, you ask?  Once you understood his purpose, you really should end up liking the character for his important role in the game's story. At least, I did.  There are several moments in MGS2 that are remembered more than others: Anything from the Tanker chapter, the exciting finale in Arsenal Gear including Cambell's crazy codec calls, finding Ames... The list goes on for quite awhile.  Though all of these moments make for an incredible experience, one specific area in the game shines above them all to me: Deck A, Crew's Quarters in the Tanker Chapter.

Five Favorite Games (As of 2012)

I'd say it's fairly appropriate to start the blog off with a post about the five games I consider to be my favorite.  Of all the games that I'm likely to write about, these five will definitely show up on here a lot.  I'd say that these aren't exactly in any order.  Of course, they are subject to change, so another article like this may pop up anytime.


Off we go!

Level Start!

Welcome to my blog, where I am logging my progress on fulfilling my dream of working in the game industry.  Right now, I'm a college student studying at UMSL (University of Missouri-St. Louis), majoring in Computer Science.  While I haven't exactly made anything from scratch yet, this is only the beginning of a long journey.  I've made one highly acclaimed title with Alice called 'Bridge,' and am currently in the planning stages of my next game, currently titled 'Snowfall.'  Snowfall will not be made in Alice, as I plan to program it and work on it from scratch.

On the blog, I'm planning on sharing my thoughts about the industry, what I'm working on programming/learning/Snowfall wise, mini reviews of games I've been playing, lists, articles I write about some of my favorite games, and probably a lot more. 

So skill wise, I'm really best at writing, coming up with innovative gameplay ideas, and always trying to do something new.  I've been playing games since I've been five years old or so.  Since then, I knew this is what I want to do. For all I know, I may turn out to revolutionize something in the industry.  So hopefully, you will enjoy watching my progress as I start at level 1 and find my way to the final boss.  Enjoy the blog!