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Hipsters and Hadokens
A Multimedia Journey Through the Video Game Industry in Austin, Texas
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On Borderlands 2...
It is often surprising when a game sequel successfully deepens the narrative pool behind the original title, particularly when most of that narrative revolves around shooting people in the face and searching for galactic treasure. The original Borderlands was a riotous romp through the scorched and savage world of Pandora, and what it lacked in narrative drive, it more than compensated with some impressively hilarious writing and a deliriously huge loot system that makes fans of Diablo and other action RPG games blush. Unsurprisingly, Borderlands 2 is a by-the-numbers sequel that sticks to what makes the name famous by delivering the same wild first-person shooting entertainment, while still tweaking the bits and pieces that needed but a slight improvement.
Understanding it’s most noticeable flaw, the minds at Gearbox were determined to build a sequel that had a solid narrative focus, and for the most part Borderlands 2 succeeds. Taking place 5 years after the end of the original title, the new vault hunter you create will inevitably be drawn into a story of power and revenge involving the four heroes from the first game. Fortunately, each are given a spotlight that weaves them into the narrative without making it feel forced or artificial. Their personalities are distinct and at times dysfunctional from one another, but they do display moments of humanity that bring a bit more emotional impact to the general plot, which is made all the more entertaining by Gearbox’s keenly adolescent writing team.
Perhaps the brightest gem in Borderlands 2 is a mixture of new and returning characters that help breathe new life (and hilarity) to the world of Pandora. The dumb-yet-adorable mechanic Scooter will never cease to make you smile with his insights into incestual tendencies and enlisting you to help write a poem for his latest crush, and new characters like Tiny Tina flex Gearbox’s creativity further beyond the realm of sanity, yet it never travels into feeling too absurd or unnecessary. Pandora has become a kind of circus for some of the galaxy’s weirdest people, yet somehow they feel right at home between warring gangs and giant bandits hellbent on violence and carnage.
Much like it’s predecessor, Borderlands 2 strongest element is in it’s colossal amount of guns, grenades, costumes, shields, and other modifications that you’ll be looting every few moments. The term “loot-fest” applies more than ever, as you’ll be spending just as much time analyzing and comparing dozens of guns as you would using them. While some might argue the sheer volume of loot can distract from the action or halt an otherwise adrenaline-pumping 4-person game, the empowering and euphoric feeling of acquiring a slightly stronger form of firepower keeps you constantly on the lookout for the next gun that will top it.
Play style has also been liberated from the four classes you have to choose from. From the very first level, each character will have access to any type of weapon you prefer. This is a welcome relief to veterans who felt constrained by their class choice, as those who prefer sniper rifles may not have wanted to play as Mortecai. Class skills are largely left intact from before, with the Siren class receiving the most significant changes to her innate ability. The newly added Gunzerker class is every bit as ridiculous as it sounds, becoming the new powerhouse for groups when his “gunzerk” skill is activated. If you’ve ever pondered what it would be like to dual wield a rocket launcher with a sub-machine gun (or just another rocket launcher), you’ll have plenty of opportunities to find out.
he basic combat mechanic is most impressive, however, when used in a 4-player co-op game. Enemies will scale to challenge the entire group, dealing more damage and taking a lot more damage to kill than before. As a result, players will need to utilize their skills with more efficiency in co-op games, especially toward the end of the game. The difficulty curve takes a large jump in the last few hours of the story, and even high-level characters will be tested more than they prefer. Fortunately, the quality of loot improves with more players in the game, thus leading to some incredibly powerful loot that someone will be sure to use. A shared loot system, though, may disappoint players who are slow to the pickup, as pick-up games with strangers will ultimately devolve into who can grab loot the fastest.
Minor complaints aside, Borderlands 2 largely succeeds at doing what it did so well before in the form of rewarding headshots, showering players with trinkets and keeping them laughing along the way. It isn’t the most creative means to entertain players–and at times Borderlands 2 can be a bit over-the-top with certain lines or side quests, a fan favorite undoubtedly being “shoot this guy in the face”–but that doesn’t make it any less effective. The world of Pandora seems to thrive off of quirky people delivering death on an almost comical level, but that’s part of the charm that makes Borderlands 2 so much fun. In the midst of death and blood, the people of Pandora seem to be having fun, and so should we.
See you in the next level,
Gray
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On Black Mesa...
In the hands of bold men, a reinvention can either be very effective, or very dangerous. Is redesigning a classic worth the risk of falling short, or tarnishing the original? And what of the legions of fans who hold such games so near and dear? While many welcome HD updates of their favorite titles, others argue a form of sacrilege by meddling with something perfect to begin with. After nearly 14 years, Valve’s debut game Half-Life has remained a pinnacle of video game achievement. What began as a polished FPS game soon became a benchmark by which all future shooters should be measured by. When it was announced in 2005 that a team of volunteers and community developers would utilize Valve’s Source engine and completely redesign the iconic PC game, cries of joy were tempered with lingering concerns that such a team might not pay proper respect to the original, or create a maligned experience that resonates Half-Life in name only.
Seven years since then, such fears have been put firmly to rest as Black Mesa is a masterful culmination of tribute, precision and design that pays proper homage to Half-Life while adding a dash of game play ingenuity that strengthens the pacing. Marred only by frequent game-crashing glitches and technically still incomplete (the final chapters will be released sometime in the future), This reimagining of Gordon Freeman’s original tale of survival against all odds is bested only by the superb job done by the dedicated community team behind it.
From a graphical standpoint, Black Mesa is far and beyond the original game as every character model, environment and level design was reworked from the ground up utilizing the Source engine used in Half-Life 2 and the Portal games. While the difference is vast, the graphics are still noticeably dated when compared to current PC titles out there. This is to be expected, however, as the Source engine is approaching its eighth year. Quite the contrary, Black Mesa looks and feels surprisingly good considering Source’s age, and the attention to such minute details around every corridor and office room is staggering. From the most banal office corners to the HEV and first-aid power nodes, nearly every detail was retooled, tweaked and updated to exist comfortably in our HD, 1080 progressive world. Memorable set pieces like the catastrophic resonance cascade that opens the alien portal or battling an attack helicopter are all perfectly recreated and feel more visceral than ever. As the Black Mesa complex crumbles into chaos, you feel more than ever the sense of dread and impending doom as Gordon Freeman becomes the primary target of both the aliens and the government seeking to contain the invasion.
In the gaming industry music and audio effects are often overlooked by stunning visuals and high-octane firefights, but Black Mesa expertly expanded upon both elements to their greatest potential. Many of the trademark monsters from the Half-Life games retain their familiar grunts and gurgles from before, while others were tweaked just enough to bring forth that little extra impact. Shuffling zombies snarl with more gusto and torture than ever before, and the enslaved vortugants now sound identical to their peaceful counterparts in Half-Life 2. More impressive is the voice-acting and soundbites added to various scientists and the government forces. As the game progresses, soldiers grow more and more violent with their voiced opposition to Freeman, reinforcing the overall threat they represent. Small conversations can be heard between them revealing that even they aren’t sure what makes Gordon Freeman so important, yet such moments fuel the tantalizing immersion into the many mysteries that surrounding the famous protagonist.
Perhaps most impressive among the updates is the soundtrack accompanying the game. Whether it is the haunting piano strokes as you traverse a warehouse wired with dozens of laser-tripped mines, or the adrenaline pumping guitar riffs and electronic squeals as you face off against another squadron of soldiers, Joel Nielsen has performed a dazzling feat of marrying ambient and melodic tempos with the context of each chapter Black Mesa takes you into. No matter the situation, each track succeeds at building on the emotional tone set by the corresponding actions taking place in the game and at times are simply chilling. Feeling the hair stand on my arms as the track “Questionable Ethics” kicks off an ambush from repelling soldiers was an absolute thrill to feel, and many other tracks induce similar feelings throughout the rest of the game.
While so much of Black Mesa was produced with such precision and expertise, it is frustrating to see just how frequently the game will crash due to the numerous bugs throughout the chapters. Problems of this nature highlight the importance of game testers and quality assurance as you will undoubtedly find your game glitching out frequently. The majority of them crop up during scripted events and have rather odd solutions, but some players will come across missing panels or locked doors that fail to open after a certain even takes place, forcing a reset of the event or, in severe cases, reinstalling the entire game. Though an occasional bug here and there can be forgiven in major releases, the sheer quantity of them in the 10-hour experience is Black Mesa’s biggest flaw, and future updates should make debugging a huge priority.
Lastly, Black Mesa is still incomplete as the final chapter and the climactic ending have yet to be completed by the community team. Unfortunate as it may be, the ten to twelve hours of game play you do get are still highly polished and incredibly satisfying to Half-Life veterans and shooter fans alike. If nothing else, the lack of an ending will give players plenty to be excited about as they wait for the team to finish the incredible final minutes of Gordon Freeman’s first tale of survival.
When it comes to passion projects and labors of love, it is often too easy to lose yourself to a vision without properly realizing it. What starts as a jubilant excitement to see the finished product debut to millions of eager fans can easily change into a hastily-designed appeasement that doesn’t deliver on its potential. But with great patience, steadfast design and an iron-clad commitment to paying Half-Life its greatest compliments, Black Mesa is a near-perfect remodeling of a near-perfect game. The adventure might be the same, but the experience is still one of the purist forms of video game entertainment ever achieved. Much like any product that comes from Valve these days, the wait was long but worthy every minute.
See you in the next level,
Gray
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Computer America Radio Show: Gamer Tuesday!
It's that time of the month folks! I popped on as a guest host and the video game correspondent for the Computer America National Radio Show! This month, Craig, Ben and I talk about the new Half-Life redesign called Black Mesa, make predictions about Nintendo's upcoming Wii U Media event, debate whether or not video games have become too easy, and a caller asks us about OnLive's recent corporate restructuring. Enjoy!
Hour 1:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/60252603/computeramerica%209.11.12%20hour1.mp3
Hour 2:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/60252603/computeramerica%209.11.12%20hour2.mp3
See you in the next level,
Gray
#video games#Computer America#Half-Life#Steam#Steam Greenlight#Dark Souls#Demons Souls#Nintendo#Wii U
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LocoCycle: An Interview with Jay Stuckwisch of Twisted Pixel
First, it was about an alien named Frank and his weird, amorphous creature-buddy called the Maw. Then it was about an escaped science experiment who could make himself explode over and over again. From comic-jumping heroes to resurrected gun-fighters looking for revenge on the posse that killed him, the minds at Twisted Pixel have made a name for themselves with quirky, out-of-left-field stories and characters that all have just a touch of charm. And it has payed off, as the minds at Twisted Pixel are currently developing their sixth Xbox Live Arcade release, titled LocoCycle.
“Like most of our game ideas, it came from the mind of our Creative Director, Josh Bear” says Jay Stuckwisch in an interview. LocoCycle came to Bear after watching the movie Torque, a mediocre movie about underground motorcycle gangs and racers. “Josh woke up thinking about making a whole game based on dueling motorcycles. He came into the office the next day and told the crew, ‘We are making a game about fighting motorcycles.’”
And from there, the team was off and running. Featuring several elements from action, fighting and racing games, LocoCycle is about an experimental sentient bike I.R.I.S. capable of far more than just getting from A to B. According to the debut trailer released at E3 this past June, I.R.I.S. graduated valedictorian from the Big Arms Academy’s School of Assassination. For unknown reasons, she breaks free of the people that created her and is on the run, forcing the company to send a rival smart-bike S.P.I.K.E. after her.
“What we showed at PAX was a lot of action-based melee fighting and shooting with some racing elements mixed in” Stuckwisch commented regarding the main gameplay elements of LocoCycle. Though I.R.I.S. can operate without the need of a driver, recent gameplay trailers have shown a person attached to I.R.I.S., in many instances being dragged behind her as she (it?) rockets down the road. “The guy is her mechanic and he will play an important role in the game and story, but we’re not going into that too much right now.”
LocoCycle will also be Twisted Pixel’s first time utilizing voice acting from celebrities. Famous Teminator 2 bad guy Robert Patrick is voicing S.P.I.K.E. A long-time enthusiast of motorcycles, Patrick was quite happy to portray a talking one. Lisa Foiles will be providing the calculated, computerized voice of I.R.I.S., but fans of Twisted Pixel might recognize her as the narrator from their earlier successful game ‘Splosion Man.
“For some people it will definitely be “too odd” but we wouldn’t have it any other way. We want to make memorable games with personality, and LocoCycle has a lot of personality” Stuckwisch said.
Specific details are scarce at the moment, as the game is still early in the development cycle, but the developers are aiming for a 2013 release date exclusively on the XBox Live Arcade platform.
See you in the next level,
Gray
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It's time for another video review! This month I get my hands on Darksiders 2 and feel Death's sweet embrace. Enjoy!
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After much toil, here is my video review of Quantum Conundrum, another first-person puzzle game by Kim Swift, one of the lead minds behind Portal.
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Radio Show Time!
Evenin folks!
The computer America Radio Show with Craig Crossman is a nationally syndicated radio show, and the second Tuesday of each month is "Gamer Tuesday", for which I am their official video game correspondent. This month, we talk about the newly announced video game console kick starter project the Ouya, discuss the possibility of a Final Fantasy 7 remake, the implications of Sony utilizing cloud gaming, and talk about touchy subjects finding their way into modern video games. Hope you like what you hear.
The first link is for the first hour, and the following is for the second:
1: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/60252603/computeramerica%207.10.12hour1.mp3
2: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/60252603/computeramerica%207.10.12hour2.mp3
See you in the next level,
Gray
#computer america#craig crossman#ben crossman#video games#video game industry#sony#gaikai#onlive#cloud gaming#Tomb Raider#Final Fantasy 7
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Radio Show Time!!
Stay a while and listen!!
I know it’s been a while, and for that I cannot apologize enough. I’m sure a bunch of you out there have been knee deep in Diablo 3 like myself. Thankfully, I was able to pull myself away and make this post about the radio show I was on last week!
The Computer America Radio Show with Craig Crossman is a nationally syndicated radio show, and the 2nd Tuesday of each month is Gamer Tuesday, for which I am now their official video game correspondent! That’s right people, I get a nation-sized amp to talk about video games once a month. So why not check it out? Have it on in the background while you game, read, go to the bathroom, on the road, wherever! This month we go indepth with Diablo 3 and recap the bigger announcements at E3 this year.
Here is the first hour, followed by the 2nd hour:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/60252603/computeramerica%206.12.12%20hour%201.mp3
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/60252603/computeramerica%206.12.12%20hour%202.mp3
See you in the next level,
Gray
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Interview Podcast 4!
In my travels, I have been fortunate enough to talk to some really fascinating employees in the video game industry. One of my personal interests in these people is to hear their journey, how they started a career that ultimately led them into one of the most lucrative (yet intense) industries in the world.
I had the chance to catch a few minutes with Jay Stuckwisch, an artist and PR/Marketing person for Twisted Pixel Studios. Formed in 2006, TP moved down to Austin in 2008 as it is a growing bubble for independent developers. With early successful titles like The Maw, 'Splosion Man (and it's follow-up Ms. 'Splosion Man) and Gunstringer, TP earned great success on the XBLA market and, last year, was acquired by Microsoft. With a publisher at their backs and a robust team of 30 talented developers, Twisted Pixel is fast becoming a common name in the gaming industry. I spoke with Jay about their recent success and what changes have occurred since their acquisition. Hope you enjoy!
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/60252603/Podcast%204%20Stuckwisch.mp3
See you in the next level,
Gray
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Interview Podcast 3!
In my travels, I have been fortunate enough to talk to some really fascinating employees in the video game industry. One of my personal interests in these people is to hear their journey, how they started a career that ultimately led them into one of the most lucrative (yet intense) industries in the world.
This next interview is with Brad Clark, a seasoned developer with over a dozen years working in the game business. He worked primarily at Acclaim in the early 2000s before leaving to pursue smaller video game projects and contract work. He touched upon some of the darker elements in the bigger game studios that have plagued many game developers in the past--crushing deadlines, long hours, and plenty of unpaid overtime and late nights at the office. He also talks about the educational side of the business and how important it is for developers to constantly be learning new trends and technologies to be proficient with in order to stay competitive in the industry. Hope you enjoy!
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/60252603/podcast%203%20Clark.mp3
see you in the next level,
Gray
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Interview Podcast 2!
In my travels, I have been fortunate enough to talk to some really fascinating employees in the video game industry. One of my personal interests in these people is to hear their journey, how they started a career that ultimately led them into one of the most lucrative (yet intense) industries in the world.
This interview takes place also at Steel Penny Games with Tiffanny Varga and Adam Strax, both of them responsible for the artistic side of the video game procution. Tiffanny has over 10 years in the game business, while Adam has three to 4 years under his belt. I pick their brains about working for a indie company as opposed to larger studios and how they handle entire department's responsibility on just their shoulders. Hope you enjoy!
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/60252603/Podcast%202%20Tiffanny%20and%20Adam.mp3
See you in the next level,
Grayson
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Interview Podcast!
In my travels, I have been fortunate enough to talk to some really fascinating employees in the video game industry. One of my personal interests in these people is to hear their journey, how they started a career that ultimately led them into one of the most lucrative (yet intense) industries in the world.
This interview is with Jason Hughes, founder and part owner of Steel Penny Games, an independent studio in Austin, TX. With over 20 years in the business, Jason is a long-time veteran of video game production and has worked with major video game companies such as Retro and Naughty Dog. This interview talks about his perspective on why he moved away from the big companies and wanted to start his own company, as well as the pressures that go along with it. Hope you enjoy!
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/60252603/podcast%201%20Hughes.mp3
See you in the next level,
Gray
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SSX Video Review
After a long battle with the gods of technology, I finally managed to edit the footage and get this beast done. It ain't perfect, but it should give you a good idea on how much fun this game was to play. Enjoy!
See you in the next level,
Gray
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Interview Time!!
Like video games? Like listening to people, who make video games? Like this blog? Then you've come to the right place!
I recently interviewed Jason Hughes for a long-form piece I am working on. Jason Hughes is a UT Austin graduate with over 20 years of experience in the industry. He has worked with big-name studios like Retro Studios (Metroid Prime series) and Naughty Dog Studios (Jak and Dexter, Uncharted Series) before moving back to Austin and starting his own independent studio, Steel Penny Games. In this interview, I talk to him about the pressures one must face in order to be a video game developer, as well as some of the reasons why he left AAA development for smaller projects. Hope you enjoy!
Gray
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/60252603/podcast%201%20Hughes.mp3
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One Ending to Rule Them All...
So I had been thinking about the whole Mass Effect 3 ending debacle that occurred last month, and so for class I decided to try my hand at Storify and give you a digital journey from the beginning. I actually like how Storify can consolidate so many different social media, but it does need a little tweaking. It would be nice to pick and choose specific people to quote off twitter or facebook, rather than just pick from whatever Storify finds. But that's just nitpicking really. In Any case, hope you enjoy!
Gray
http://storify.com/Grayson1987/one-ending-to-rule-them-all
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Radio Show Podcast!
If you missed it last night, I was on the computer america national radio show on their monthly "gamer Tuesday" night! It was a blast talking to hosts Craig and Ben about video games, and below are the links for you to check out the Podcast.
Here is the first hour: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/60252603/Comptuer%20America%204.10.12%20hour1.mp3
and the second hour: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/60252603/Comptuer%20America%204.10.12%20hour2.mp3
Hope you guys enjoy!
See you in the next level,
Gray
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On Kid Icarus: Uprising
How many of you remember Pit? I can say with complete honesty that beforeSuper Smash Bros. Brawl came out back in 2008, I never knew of him. As it turns out, the last time Pit was around was all the way back in 1986 on the NES in his first game ever, Kid Icarus. Well, someone in the big Nintendo family finally decided to get around to making a a sequel, but not any ol’ run of the mill sequel. In fact, Kid Icarus: Uprising is so vastly different from the original game that I wouldn’t even call it a sequel at all. Blending on-rail shooting elements familiar to Star Fox fans with a very cool, customizable on-the-ground fighting system, Uprising is a refreshingly unique and awesome 3DS game that boasts some of the best use of the portable console’s 3D graphics.
As a loyal servant to his goddess Palutena, Pit is an angel that is tasked with taking on Medusa, who has risen again from the Underworld they put her in all those years ago. Unfortunately, Pit doesn’t have wings of his own, and Palutena can only bestow the gift of flight for five minutes at a time. If the idea of an angel with temporary flight seems a bit funny, you’ll be happy to know that the writers make fun of that fact frequently. The whole narrative is kept very tongue-in-cheek and peppered with bits of humor that keep the story from folding in on itself. It’s always refreshing when developers don’t take themselves too seriously and give their characters a little breathing room to joke and point out some of the game’s more ridiculous points. Pit and Palutena have gentle banter with each other that will often force a smirk out of you.
The various chapters begin with a flight segment that guides Pit from the heavens to the location on the ground below. All of them have great visuals that really bring out the world and make it seem like a much larger place, but the on-screen action will often prevent you from having a moment to enjoy the scenery. Once on the ground, you take control of Pit with the analog while aiming his bow with the stylus. The action can get a little hectic at times, but the 3DS doesn’t falter even when several enemies are launching projectiles at you. Holding the 3DS while moving and aiming all at once, however, gets taxing quickly. Fortunately, the game comes bundled with a stand in which the 3DS can sit, taking the pressure off your wrist. Looking around with the stylus makes sense at first, but the camera is actually a bit looser than I would have preferred. Normally this wouldn’t be an issue, but when it is directly tied to your aiming ability, you’ll start to notice how the camera makes you more inaccurate.
A welcome innovation in Uprising is the sliding difficulty scale. Before each chapter, you can move the slider to how easy, or how difficult, you would prefer it to be. Harder difficulties mean more enemies with more health, but it also improves the quality of loot you can pick up. Better equipment and weapons are frequently dropped by enemies, which you can later sell, fuse, or equip for better attributes. If a bow isn’t your thing, Pit has access to clubs, swords, and even giant energy cannons that each cater to different play styles.
From the ground to the air, Kid Icarus: Uprising is a delightfully fun action game that keeps each level short and sweet. Never too demanding, yet not without moments of real challenge, Uprising is a fantastic reintroduction of a long-forgotten Nintendo character that deserves the spotlight. With the WiiU looming over the horizon, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a full-fledged Kid Icarus game happen on the Wii U sometime (unless they’re already working on it). But if not, this game will do just fine.
See you in the next level,
Gray
Author’s Note: In my excitement to purchase this game, I overlooked the very small print that the movement/aiming system is for right-handed people. Left-handed controls could only become available with the recent 3DS add-on that gives you another analog stick on the right side. Due to my extreme reliance on my left-hand, the game is almost unplayable for me. I was unable to complete any chapter beyond a difficulty of 4 or higher, and my improvement over the several hours was very little. While I understand why I can only play it right-handed since the analog stick is on the right side, I can’t help but feel a bit cheated. Moreover, when I went searching for the 3DS add-on, I found that every GameStop or Best Buy I went to either didn’t have it, or didn’t even know what I was talking about. The only way to get my hands on one was to order one through Nintendo’s website which is, well, disappointing. The experience has me wondering about the strategy behind this add-on and how Nintendo seemed to drop the ball. Perhaps it’s just me, but I should have been informed about this factor before buying the game, or at least confronted by a notice that’s VERY BIG and VERY READABLE.
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