Gamer Grow

Eden. The unknown garden where players can guide their Grimp through space and along what can only be describe as some kind of plant like structure. Monocot, dicot, or any other known classification is completely lost to the plant like elements of this world. And yet, as I swing from stem to stem, suspended by my own silken string and dream like sense of momentum and gravity, I make my way to the glowing goal. The Spectra. I'll excuse the Pollen Prowlers I destroyed along the way some other time. I think I'm drawn like the pollen to a destination out of view. Like an innocent child's eye I follow. For in this world, sometimes plants grow down and away from the sun. PixelJunk Eden (PJE) has the kind of look that instantly attracts my attention. Everything is composed of flat colors and simple shapes that layer together nicely to sit somewhere between LocoRoco, Victorian patterns, and the tail ends of a couple of illegible signatures. It's quite apparent that this game ha...

Drebin Factory I've been working in the Drebin Factory. That's just my fancy way of saying, I've been developing working models for a few Drebin Points. If you don't know what Drebin Points are click here . This time around, I've busted out my electronics kit and I've been tinkering around with IR LEDs and GBA carts. Let's just say that there's an RPG like GBA game that I have no regrets destroying in the name of Drebin. Sorry Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones. I was guided by the spirit of Johnny Lee . I finally got his Wiimote programs to work on my PC. Expect great things from great minds like his. Mechanical Upgrade I wasn't sure where exactly to put this information, so I'm putting it here as a bite sized update. From now onward, I'll be putting the single words or small phrases that describe gameplay mechanics/function in ALL CAPS. For example, the primary function in Super Mario Brothers is JUMP. And one more just for kicks. The primary f...

Recently on a GFW podcast, Rod Humble talked about the words he felt he couldn't/shouldn't say when talking about the Sims games just because they're overused in the video game industry. The conversation reminded me of when Garnett Lee on the 1up podcast expressed how much he hated the word "gameplay." Because of how "gameplay" was misused or overused, Garnett developed a negative attitude for the word. These are just a few of the "problem" words. Now NeoGAF is addressing the same issues. Based on some of the responses, it seems there are some who don't understand how language works. In efforts to express ourselves, we create words with definitions so that when we say one thing, its meaning is distinct and separate from other possible meanings. So without words like gameplay, intuitive, and emergent it would be very difficult or tiresome to explain these ideas. Perhaps the issue stems from the lack of real critics in the games industry; cr...

By using concrete forms video games can bridge a game fictional world with the player's experiences from the real world to create a deeper sense of immersion and greater ease in the learning process. We've already covered organic amd abstract mechanics . Inorganic design is very similar to abstract design. Abstract mechanics often influence level design that diverges from organic forms, mechanics, and gameplay.The main difference between inorganic and abstract design is that inorganic design is made up of concrete/organic game elements. How these elements are arranged create artificial environments and more restricting gameplay. Now it's time to cover level design. In order to figure out where a game's level design falls on the organic spectrum, you have to examine the game elements at work. The form of each game element must be compared to the forms of the surrounding elements. Seaweed, bubbles, fish, and squid all belong in water environments. Unless the game's fi...

Back when the Wiimote was first announced many came to the conclusion that the Wiimote would be perfect for a game like Pikmin. I find this comment a little strange. Sure, the Wiimote's pointer technology would make aiming quicker and more intuitive, but aiming was never a large issue in Pikmin. Generally, the player has plenty of Pikmin to throw at large targets. And after the Pikmin are thrown, they kick into auto pilot and take action to the nearest object. Furthermore, aiming and moving Olimar were two mechanics that were merged together. Like in Neo*RPG, the player aims and moves with the same pointing device which adds a bit of tension when moving away from danger and then turning around for an attack. For these reasons, I never felt the Wiimote could improve upon the design established in Pikmin 1 and 2 on the GameCube. In order for the pointer capabilities of the Wiimote to significantly change how Pikmin is played, there must be more substantial targets to point at. This s...

Everyday I live the third dimension never ceases to amaze and boggle me. From a trash-ketball arcing into a waste bin to a nearly weightless piece of lint dancing in any direction it pleases, motion through volume is too advanced for most people to fully grasp. Sure, we live in 3D (let's ignore 4D for the time being), but that doesn't mean that we've all have a firm grasp of 3D space. Even in our favorite videogames, though the graphics are certainly rendered in full 3D, the gameplay and the controls may be something more deceptive and less dimensional. Could it be that promises of 3D gameplay is really snake oil? Is it possible that our control and understanding of 3D space is limited to how we interface with the game world? Let's start at the beginning. Wheel paddles. Arrow Keys. Joy sticks. D-pads. All of these input types are great for quantified movement and other such mechanics. Because these controllers can only send on or off (pressed or released) signals to the...

Pokemon O-SNAP. Beyond Good & Evil Wii. Metal Gear Solid Stories. When I said that each of these games are worth picking up the WiiR Cam for, I was completely serious. But don't just take my word for here. Naturally, you might want some details before being completely convinced. I completely understand. So here are a few details about the games. Pokemon O-SNAP click image to enlarge Use the WiiR Cam technology to take pictures in a fully 3D virtual environment in front of your TV set. Get closer to get a closer shot. Lean to the side to change the angle. Kneel down to put yourself at eye level with a Pikachu. click image to enlarge Use the focus ring and other professional techniques to enhance the quality of your photos. Work for different companies that need pictures taken for their articles and news stories. Explore the vast Hoen region on foot by walking with a Wiimote in your pocket similar to the jogging game in Wii Fit. Use the Wiimote and other Nintendo peripherals like...

I'm excited and proud to announce a new addition to the Wii family. Actually, it's more like a new addition to the Wii and DS family. Introducing the WiiR Cam . I know what you're thinking. "I already own Wiimotes, Nunchucks, the Wii Balance Board, the Wii Wheel, and even a Wii Zapper. Do I really need the WiiR Cam?" I know. I hear what you're saying. But the WiiR Cam is different from all of those other controllers for a few key reasons. The WiiR Cam gives players control of a fully 3D camera controller that allows the Wii to determine how close the camera is to an virtual object and at what angle the players is aiming the camera. Remember Johnny Lee's Wiimote head tracking experiments? This is the first product that was created from his inspirational research. The WiiR Cam reverses the Wiimote and Sensor bar technology which essentially puts a dynamic censor bar in your hands. Because the WiiR Cam is simply a few IR LED lights and an electric current (p...

The first game I'd like to unofficially announce comes from a unique entry from the DS library. Electroplankton is a one of a kind piece of electronic art from the colorful mind of Toshio Iwai. A small team of developers brought the sonorous, melodic, and sometimes cacophonous aquatic animals to life on the DS, and now I'm please to announce that we're taking Iwai's vision and inspiration into open waters. An ocean of water to be exact. In ElectrOcean, players will be free to interact with a variety of musical "plankton" simultaneously unlike what could be done on the Nintendo DS. This time, players will be submerged into a 3D sound environment thanks to the implementation of our new "Dyanmic-Interactive-3D" sound design (Drebin #11). Instead of listening to paltry DS speakers, personal headphones, or even a home surround sound system, the sounds in ElectrOcean can be projected from a combination of such outlets simultaneously. A 3D "Ocean"...

Many gamers are hurting from the relatively disappointing E3 show across the board. Games were shown, but very little impressed or gave me hope of our gaming futures. Perhaps Nintendo had the most disappointing conference out of the big 3. Seeing Miyamoto's face not smiling was just about as much as I could take. So, I've spent the meantime coming up with this plan that just might rekindle our hope in Nintendo's future. We're doing it all over again. It's time for... That's right. Forget that Animal Crossing looks and plays like an N64 game. Forget that Wii Music made Miyamoto frown in front of millions. Forget that the new Call of Duty game looks like it's stuck in the past, and I don't mean its setting. Forget that we don't even know what the new GTA DS looks like (I realize this one may be the hardest to do). And Forget that Nintendo is releasing yet another Pokemon game that we don't care about. This time, I taking over Reggie's job and ...

Shawn White Snowboarding What's with the weird tweening animations when the characters land from jumps. Looks like last gen or even last-last gen. Hopefully the controls will be as good as Wii Fit snowboarding. My greatest fear is that the controls will be digital instead of analog when using the Wii Balance Board. If that happens, this game will have nothing. Animal Crossing: City Folk Extremly dissapointed. Lazy Graphics. Lazy gameplay. Lazy Ideas. This is why new people need to take over Nintendo's IPs. I completely called the community mike though. But I figured Nintendo could use the DS mice as a community mic. Call of Duty The co-op mode is like Jet Force Gemini's co-op play. Graphics look pretty good actually. But the gameplay looks pretty old school/unappealing. Guitar Hero DS: Decades Song sharing is genius. What a great solution to fit the unique hardware situation. Wii Sports Resort The WiimotionPlus is looking good with the Frisbee game. The jet ski game better ...