Category: Video Games

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Video Games

Bored bored bored

Over the weekend, I had the chance to sit down and evaluate my current gaming and to decide if it was time to get another game. Despite still having fun with Soul Calibur 4, I think I’ve achieved all I’m realistically going to (after all, I don’t have nobody‘s skill or dedication, so there’s no way in hell I’m going to reach 450,000 points in Arcade mode).

All the recent intellectual discussion on games as art, and gender politics in game design has got me hankering to play something new but kind of turned me off current offerings. I also blame Yahtzee. Nonetheless, let’s have a look out there and see if I can be convinced to part with my money on something.

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Reviews Video Games

DBZ: Burst Limited

I picked up Dragonball Z: Burst Limit ages ago and was going to write a moderately positive review. I kept putting it off, and now I understand why: it’s just not that good. After giving it about 4 hours, I put the disc back in its box and moved on. I didn’t really play anything until Soul Calibur 4 came out. And that’s the true measure of how good a game is, isn’t it? After your excitement about the shiny new toy wears off, are you still playing with it?

So, what’s wrong? Nothing specifically: there’s just not enough of anything.

Let’s get the good stuff out of the way so I can pound in the mediocrity: the visuals are amazing. The use of cel-shading really hides the polygonal nature of the game and engages the player like no game in the DBZ franchise has before. It is exactly like directing a fight out of the cartoon, and that is awesome. For no other reason alone did I buy this game. If you’re a fan of DBZ, or even of fighting anime in general, then this game will satisfy the need to interact directly with the animation.

And upping your power level to go Super Saiyan or Kaio Ken in the middle of a battle looks awesome.

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Video Games

Controversy!

Here’s an interesting followup to yesterday’s post on games as an artistic expression.

Kotaku (I must read them more often) is offering up opinion on the controversy surrounding Douglas Edric Stanley’s Invaders!. In what Stanley is calling installation art, players are pitted against the traditional Space Invaders, which are destroying the World Trade Center.

… the exhibit … was also accompanied by video clips of American films and President George W. Bush, additional peripheral elements that let us know we had a nebulous “political message” on our hands.

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Tabletop Games Video Games

Games as art?

This began as a rambling comment to nobody’s post on games as art, which I decided to cut short so I could share my ideas with the rest of you. I’m not sure where it’s going, so hang on.

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Video Games

Fable 2 expectations

Generally, I don’t follow speculation about new games until they’re ready to drop, but E3 is on and Gamespot’s article on Fable 2 hilights some interesting mechanics which could make it quite fun.

After Shamus Young’s panning of the first game, I have to say I’m a bit wary of any big claims that Molyneux wants to make regarding a sequel, but I’m liking some of the stuff I see there. None of them are necessarily huge improvements on Oblivion, but if the world is as open and free as it sounds, then I’ll probably pick it up.

I’m looking forward to a world where I get the choice of silencing the bard who sings of the ignominious goins on during my last adventure. And apparently consequences for unprotected sex. We’ll see if that gets past a ratings board.

nobody has previously mentioned that I should give the original a try, and I might do that. After all, even independent writers have to be controversial to keep their audience coming back.

Maybe after I’m done with DBZ: Burst Limit.