Taking a Sabbatical

After the rapid succession of Prince of Persia titles between 2003 and 2005, Ubisoft gave the franchise a rest while console generations were shifting. In the meantime, the team that developed the Sands of Time trilogy went on to craft two other projects – Assassin's Creed and TMNT (a movie tie-in). TMNT was obviously influenced by the design philosophies of the Prince, and while the game was streamlined for a younger audience, many of the acrobatics found in the recent Prince of Persia games were replicated by the turtles. It even used the same graphics engine. Furthermore, TMNT introduced a team mechanic where a single player could call upon another of the turtles for a limited time to pull off a special move or attack. It was an interesting experiment, and an evolution of this mechanic works its way into the newest Prince of Persia.

Assassin's Creed is an ambitious title, and, based on reviews I've read, it was perhaps too ambitious. (Disclaimer: I haven't actually played Assassin's Creed.) Ubisoft created a world much more real than in the Prince games and forces the player to really think about how to use the natural environment and architecture to get in and out of hazardous situations. Instead of having jump panels or knife holds, the main character is merely presented with basic structures and façades. Where Assassin's Creed may have failed in story and execution, it succeeds in scope and authenticity.


The game engine designed for Assassin's Creed and the new Prince of Persia can support far larger and more open worlds.

A New World, A New Prince

The new game in the series, titles only Prince of Persia, is a break from the Sands of Time trilogy in terms of characters and storyline. Like there are many heroes named Link and many princesses named Zelda, this will be the fourth character to bear the Prince of Persia moniker.


The new Prince is every bit as acrobatic as his predecessor.

This new Prince is a wonderer and adventurer who finds himself transported by a sandstorm to an idyllic garden surrounding a giant Tree of Life. Upon his arrival, the Tree of Life is destroyed, liberating the destructive spirit of Ahriman (Angra Mainyu for the mythology nuts in the audience) to wreck his corruption upon the world. In this place, the Prince meets Elika, a girl with magical powers who can harness the powers of nature to drive back Ahriman's corruption, and they begin a journey to cleanse to world … most likely over the course of multiple games, perhaps a trilogy.


Meet the Prince's new sidekick, Natalie Port -- I mean, Elika.

If it sounds very Biblical in proportion, that's because it is. That and Zoroastrian.

Learning Well From Others

The new Prince of Persia seems equal parts PoP: The Sands of Time, TMNT, and Okami (a Clover Studio game that features a Shinto goddess restoring the world from darkness) with a dash of Zeldal-like exploration and roaming. Some have also drawn comparisons with the 2001 masterpiece Ico, finding parallels with the relationship between Ico and Yoruda with the Prince and Elika. I think, however, that Farah from PoP: The Sands of Time is much more similar to Elika than the nearly helpless Yoruda.


This could end very badly for our hero.

Elika also seems to be influenced by TMNT in that she can help out with special moves and abilities. Instead of envoking her when needed, though, she is always there and seems to be programmed to parallel and react to the Prince's movements. In a way, it's as if the player is controlling two characters simultaneously while only focused on one. Elika also supplants the time-manipulating nature of the Sands in previous titles. If the Prince falls to his death, Elika can rescue him. Furthermore, the new Prince of Persia is far more generous with checkpoints than its predecessors, creating an environment where the player can experiment without being punished.


"Is this ride safe?"

Coming Soon to a PC, 360, or PS3 Near You

Ubisoft revolutionized the Prince of Persia series with their last installments. This title seems more evolutionary, sporting some new moves, mechanics, and a new graphical style. The team has obviously taken their time on this one to get it right, beginning development as they were wrapping up The Two Thrones and continuing work through Assassin's Creed and TMNT (both of those games serving as playgrounds for the developers to try some new mechanics they were planning on including in the new Prince of Persia).

Ubisoft Montreal have set the bar very high with the Sands of Time trilogy. We'll see if they can surpass that standard come December 2. Until then, I'll close out these Prince of Persia posts with a video of the new game in action. It's worth noting that this entire video is done in the game engine as opposed to being pre-rendered.



One last item: as I was finishing this post, Ubisoft released a preview of a comic based on the new Prince’s adventures by the fine folks at Penny Arcade. Here it is.

all images © Ubisoft

Tags: video games, prince of persia

In late 2003, and new Prince of Persia title hit shelves with little fanfare. French gaming company Ubisoft published the game, and it was developed internally by the same team who was behind the original Splinter Cell games. Details on the development of the game were scant, and Ubisoft didn't even reveal the title until a few months before its release. It had been four years since a Prince title had come out, and expectations were low. Could Ubisoft bring the Prince into the modern gaming age where others had failed?

They did.

Entering the Third Dimension the Right Way

The new Prince of Persia games, released in 2003-2005, create a trilogy named after the first game The Sands of Time. The other two games were called The Warrior Within and The Two Thrones. These games feature intense combat as well as the acrobatic standard set by the original games. The developers introduced a variety of new moves for the prince, including rolling, wall-running, and wall-jumping. The combat system was equally refined, initially allowing acrobatic melee combat and eventually allowing multiple weapons in the second two games.

When playing the newer Prince of Persia games, the camera is puled back from the Prince most of the time, giving you a better view of the surrounding environment. The acrobatics are facilitated by (what I like to call) magnetic physics. Knowing the limitations of 3D terrains in performing complex platforming, Ubisoft coded a fairly forgiving physics engine that granted some leeway in lining up jumps. It is implemented so smoothly, though, that the gamer is seldom aware that the game is compensating a bit. Additionally, it helps that the Prince himself has a will to live and will grab ledges and cliffs you might accidentally walk him off. Still, it is easy to die a lot in these games because it can take some experimentation to figure out exactly where you're supposed to fling the Prince.

That's where the Dagger of Time comes in, a magical weapon powered by the titular Sands of Time. As long as the Dagger is powered up, the Prince can alter the flow of time around him. He can slow time down while he keeps moving at normal speed. The sands can power devastating attacks, but, most importantly, the sands allow the Prince to rewind time, giving the player an instant retry in the case of a missed jump or a fatal fall. The acrobatic exploration coupled with the time manipulation mechanics gives this trilogy a very unique place among modern games.

As Sand Through the Hourglass, So Are the Days of Our Prince

This trilogy has the most complicated plot of any Prince of Persia game to date, and the player actually has to pay attention or end up terribly confused. I'm not going to go into details here (lest this essay become too epic), but here's the gist. By the time you complete the first game (as a new Prince) and slay a Vizier who betrayed the Prince's father, you've erased all of the events of the first game because the Prince ends up killing the traitor before he gets a chance to do his thing. This makes the Dahaka, the Guardian of Time, very upset, so it decides it must kill the Prince to set the timeline straight. This leads to The Warrior Within where the Prince goes to the Island of Time, travels into the past, and prevents the sands from ever being created, thus undoing everything that even led up the first two games and getting the Dahaka off his back (only if you get the good ending).

In the third game, The Two Thrones, he heads home with the Empress of Time only to find it ransacked by the betrayer Vizier the Prince killed in the first game, who isn't dead now thanks to the second game. The Vizier kills the Empress, recreating the Sands, and the Prince has to fix everything. In the process, the Prince (now partially turned into a sand monster) runs into the Princess he saved in the first game, who – of course – has no idea who he is, and together they redeem the kingdom and the Prince's slowly corrupting soul. In the end, the player hears the Prince narrating the exact same dialogue that opened the first game, thus bringing the convoluted timeline full circle.

Practically Perfect In Every Way

The Sands of Time nails the level design and platforming elements. The time manipulation prevents the challenging jumping and climbing puzzles from becoming frustrating, and the visuals are stunning. The only place where the Prince lacks in his first new outing is in the way of combat. He really only has two or three attacks, and the fights can become very repetitive. Fortunately, combat is not central to this game. Also interesting is the introduction of a second character. The player never controls the princess Farah, but she helps out both in combat and in figuring out environmental puzzles. You have to be careful in combat though. Both enemies and the Prince can damage her, and her death ends the game. This adds an element of strategy to combat situations.


Hey look, an hourglass, and spike traps are very popular in Persia!


Levels are gorgeous, and the Prince can run on walls!

The Warrior Within features even better level design and a sprawling temple that fits seamlessly together, allowing the player to explore the complex in a far less linear progression than the fist game. The combat system is tweaked, allowing for dual weapons and specialized combos. You can also take more advantage of the environment when fighting enemies. Another high-point comes with the Dakhaka chases that demand fast thinking and precision controls to complete. However, the games darker tone and dominatrix female villains take something from the game. It's hard to take a fight seriously when you're wondering how on earth her outfit is staying on during combat! Aesthetic issues aside though, Warrior Within is an improvement over The Sands of Time in almost every way. In some ways, it's my favorite of the three even if it is the hardest.


Time traveling and fighting a woman in a metal thong. You'd think that would put her at a disadvantage. You'd think that, but you'd be WRONG!


Some enemies are pretty manageable, but others are ginormous!

The Two Thrones mixes the two previous games, bringing the Prince out of the darkness and back to the light, so to speak. It added a few mechanics to the gameplay, such as the Dark Prince abilities when his corruption is threatening to take over. (These sections are made all the more difficult because the Prince's health drops continuously when he is the Dark Prince.) Also, a stealth mechanic allows the player to bypass some of the normal combat. This game's Achilles' heel comes by way of graphical glitches. The game feels slightly rushed through development, and this is evident in the visual glitches and clipping issues that pervade the game, though they never affect gameplay. While still a great game, the Two Thrones left me wondering where they could go from here.


Breathtaking level design and the Dark Prince.


It's easy to die on a chariot, and the Prince shows off his balancing skills.

Fun Facts

• The forgiving physics allows you to glitch your way out of the library in The Sands of Time. I actually didn't discover the proper route out of there until my second play-through.
• The second two games are very gory, but you can turn off the blood in the settings menu. With this option, villains will "bleed" sand instead. It actually looks pretty cool.
• You have to get the good ending in the second game for the third to make any sense. In fact, you need it for the third game to exist at all!
• The clipping issues in the third game sometimes result in Farah's hair coming out of her chest!
• The third game has "nudity" cited as a reason for the M rating. I don't know why.
• Prince of Persia Revelations for the PSP is basically the same as The Warrior Within, and Prince of Persia: Rival Swords for the Wii is the same as The Two Thrones. Why do they have different names? You got me.

Wrapping Up

The Sands of Time trilogy proved that the fundamentals of Prince of Persia gameplay could indeed enter the third dimension successfully. The use of time manipulation was a brilliant addition to the mechanics as well as a nice way of reducing frustration. In all, these games rank among my favorites on the PlayStation 2.

In our final look back at the Prince of Persia franchise, we'll look ahead at the Prince's newest outing on the PlayStation 3 and XBox 360.

All images in this post are from the great mobygames.com.

Tags: video games, prince of persia

In 1999, the Prince made his way back to computers and consoles five years after his previous debut. Much had changed over those intervening years. Super Mario 64, Quake, and Unreal had all come out. Tomb Raider was taking the world by storm. Polygons had replaced sprites, and it was apparent Prince of Persia would have to evolve in order to remain relevant in this new world of 3D graphics engines.

Using the NetImmerse graphics engine (also used in The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, Dark Age of Camelot, and Zoo Tycoon 2), a team of dedicated programmers toiled to bring Prince of Persia's intense platforming elements and strategic combat to the third dimension.

They almost didn't fail completely.

Doomed Before Release

The story of Prince of Persia 3D is a tortured one at best, and it is a true tragedy of the gaming industry. It was developed by Red Orb Entertainment, initially a division of Brøderbund who published the first two Prince games. Unfortunately, Brøderbund was purchased by The Learning Company in 1998, and a Prince of Persia title did not fit their portfolio. Therefore, the game was shopped around and sold to Mattel. Then The Learning Company bought the game back, but they didn't want to invest any more money into the property, so Red Orb released the game to publishing before it was properly tested. This means the game was released with several severe bugs and graphical glitches (including one level that looked largely unfinished).

This is not how a successful game is made.

Enough History! What About the Game Itself?

Prince of Persia 3D pulled a Final Fantasy when it comes to the plot. Where the first two games lead into each other and even leave an open end for a third installment, Prince of Persia 3D brings a new Prince, Princess, and villain to the mix. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Remember, Prince of Persia 2 was five years old now.

The plot involved Assan, a double-crossing brother to the Sultan – the Prince's father-in-law. Assan wants the Prince's wife for his own son Rugnor, so he puts the Prince in prison and lets Rugnor run off with the Princess to his dirigible. Oh, and Rugnor is a were-tiger. You know, if I explain the plot any more, I'm going to start losing IQ points, so let's get into gameplay!


Do you see the spikes directly below? And, "I'm hitting you with my sword in the air!"

Level design spans from the repetitive and mundane cliffs outside Rugnor's Sun Temple to the outright bizarre Floating Ruins – a level that looks unfinished because many areas are completely untextured. All of these levels are made more difficult by unreliable collision detection, clipping issues (bugs that allow characters to fall through solid floors or walls), and glitches that would halt moving platforms in their tracks. In addition, most of the levels are incredibly dark, and it can be difficult to see exactly where ledges and obstacles are.

Combat is no less frustrating due to the problems with collision detections. Also, some weapons featured such epic opening animations that some enemies could score two or three hits on the Prince before he was ready to fight. Fortunately, in later levels, enemies' opening animations provide the Prince the same advantage. Finally, there is the problem that the Prince can target only one enemy at a time in the game's combat engine. This only affects the player once or twice in the entire game, but those instances will result in much wailing and gnashing of teeth.


"Why am I fighting a man in a tiger suit?" And just try jumping onto that rope on your first or fifth try!

The final component of silliness is seemingly unfinished puzzles. Special weapons and potions in singular locations in which they seem to serve absolutely no purpose are a hallmark of this problem. For example, one level gives you a potion that makes you immune to arrows. It's the only level in the entire game that features this potion! There is only one archer in the entire level! Yeah.

Wrapping Things Up

Watching the developer diaries of this game, it's hard not to feel bad for the programmers working on this trainwreck of a game. They honestly worked hard and were forced to release an unfinished product. Unfortunately, it looks and plays like the unfinished work it is. Have you ever watched a movie that's so bad it's good? Sorry, but this game is so bad, it just stays bad. Reviews of the time were surprisingly forgiving, but I think that's just a testament to how low expectations were. Fortunately, Prince of Persia 3D came out for PC and Dreamcast ... and nothing else.

In our next retrospective, we'll take a look at a complete reboot of the franchise under new owners, setting off a trilogy that became wholly unique and critically acclaimed in the previous generation of game consoles.

Tags: video games, prince of persia

In 1989, a relatively unknown game programmer named Jordan Mechner released the game he would become most famous for: Prince of Persia. Since then, the Persian Prince has graced nine video games across multiple systems (not counting cameo appearances, remakes, and horrible cell phone games which I refuse to dignify). Among characters such as Link, Mario, and Sonic, the nameless Prince has become one of the most enduring creations of the early video game industry.

In about a month, Ubisoft will be releasing a new installment in the multi-decade series, so I thought it would be fun to do a retrospective of sorts, looking back at the series as it has evolved over the years. Unlike some of its peers, the Prince's journey into the modern console generation has not always been an easy one, with as many missteps as masterstrokes along the way, and, unlike the Zelda or Metroid franchises for example, modern Prince of Persia games have departed significantly from their roots while still paying homage to those foundational games.

In this retrospective, we'll take a look at the games that established the principles that define a Prince of Persia game.

Prince of Persia

The original game was developed by Jordan Mechner for the Apple II computer. It was released in 1989 by Brøderbund software (who also distributed such classics as Lode Runner, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego, and Myst). Prince of Persia was by no means a complex game. In fact, it was pretty short once you learned how to get through it, but it distinguished itself in a few significant ways.

First, the animation was remarkably fluid for the time period, a result of Jordan Mechner filming his brother performing various stunts and basing his animations upon the film clips. Additionally the game included a rudimentary combat system that involved some actual strategy to be successful in as well as eye-catching pseudo-3D environments. The big draw of the game, though, was the level design itself.

The levels of Prince of Persia were labyrinths filled with tricky jumps, hidden switches, and merciless traps (with some surprisingly gory results). The plot was a simple save-the-princess ordeal with little more explanation, but a wrench was added in the form of a time limit. The player had 60 minutes to complete the game, or the princess would die. No pressure or anything.

Prince of Persia was a phenomenal success, and it was released on more systems than any game has the right to exist on. After the Apple II version, the Prince's original adventure found its way to the Amiga, NES, DOS, Atari ST, SNES, GameBoy, GameBoy Color, Sega Game Gear, Sega Master System, Genesis, and TuboGrafx just to name a few! It was even recently released on XBox Live Arcade as Prince of Persia Classic. Here are some shots of the game in its various iterations.


The Prince looks angelic on DOS, and the Sega Genesis version picks up some bad-itude!


The XBLA version features eye-candy galore.

Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow and the Flame

The sequel to Prince of Persia came out four years later in glorious sixteen-bit color, and it picked up right where its predecessor left off … in terms of difficulty. Prince of Persia 2 was a very Japnese-style sequel of the time period. Any of you ever play Super Mario Bros. 2? No, not the American one! The REAL Super Mario Bros. 2 that was deemed too hard for American audiences, so it was never released in the States (except as part of a compilation on the SNES). What we know as SMB 2 is really a completely different game that Nintendo simply replaced the character sprites in and released as a Mario game here. Do you know the real SMB 2? Prince 2 is like that, only harder.

Seriously, the game introduces no new controls or weapons of notice, only new traps and harder enemies. It's insanely difficult, and it is still timed (though the developers were gracious enough to give the player fifteen more minutes, not that it matters). There are traps and puzzles in this game that don't even pretend to be fair. You memorize the levels, or you die. On the upside, Prince of Persia 2 introduced a save system between levels, which made things slightly less frustrating.

Prince of Persia 2 was released for PC, Mac, and SNES. Rumors are an XBLA port is in the works using the same graphics engine as Prince of Persia Classic. Here are a couple shots of the game.


What's this? An outdoor environment? And I hated those floating heads in Castlevania. I hate these floating heads more.

It's interesting to note that Prince of Persia 2 featured a cliffhanger ending that, to this day, has never been followed up.

Wrapping Up

These two games gave birth to a franchise. After this point, Jordan Mechner relinquished his role as the primary creative force behind the games, but he would continue with the series as a consultant. In the next retrospective, we'll take a look at the incredibly ambitious Prince of Persia 3D and how the game failed in every respect.

All images in this post are from the great mobygames.com.

Tags: video games, prince of persia

While I'm finishing up my second post about creativity (read: procrastinating), I can't help but write a bit about some upcoming games I'm keeping an eye on. I feel the need to point out that most of these games feature some relatively creative aspects about their design or gameplay!

de Blob

de Blob has already come out for the Wii, and it is an action-puzzler that gives the player a goal of bringing color to a monochromatic world. See, your character starts out as a colorless blob of water, and he acquires pigmentation which he can then … oh, just watch it in action right here!


De Blob (Wii) Gamplay Video, Wii Minute Radio from wiiminuteradio on Vimeo.

Mirror's Edge

Mirror's Edge is set in a totalitarian future where all communication is heavily monitored. The player takes on the role of Faith, a courier who tries to get messages to organizations and individuals without government surveillance. It's a first-person game, but involves several game mechanics (like jumping and hand-to-hand combat) that don't traditionally work well in that perspective. I'm eager to see how the developers pulled it off. I'm also intrigued by the fact that it's possible to beat the game without firing a single shot.


Mirror's Edge from Adventagious on Vimeo.

Prince of Persia

The Sands of Time trilogy stands as some of my favorite video games ever made. While this reinvention of the franchise borrows heavily from its predecessors as well as Okami, it's definitely taking on a life of its own. Since the last Prince of Persia game, the development team has been working on co-op combat with TMNT and wider environments with Assassin's Creed. It looks like elements from both of those properties are finding their way into this new Prince of Persia Title.



Of course, there are a couple more titles on the horizon like Dead Space and Guitar Hero: World Tour. Also, there are rumblings that Team ICO is ready to unveil a PS3 project, and their work is always impeccable. Many, many games come out that feel like they are manufactured to appeal to a specific audience, but it's always refreshing to pick up games like these where the developers have crafted the game into something more. It's the creative games that make a difference.

Tags: video games

A real honest-to-goodness post is in progress for the rest of you! In the meantime, grab your Weighted Companion Cube and enjoy…


Portal - Still Alive typography from Trickster on Vimeo.

(There's a typo in here I keep hoping gets fixed. Can you find it?)

via Kotaku

Tags: video games

Let me take a break from the problems of the world, political races, and environmental talk and address something small.

Hi, Activision? Yeah, it's me, an obsessive-compulsive Guitar Hero fan. We need to chat. Sit down.

Really, sit down.

So some buddies from church showed the wife and me Guitar Hero II early last year. It was good. Freaking hard, but good. A couple weeks later, the wife and I bought both Guitar Hero II and Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s. I guess I should have guessed something was happening at the time because Rocks the 80s had 30 songs to GHII's 66. Maybe it should have been called Guitar Hero Encore: Cash-In, but I let it slide. After all, it was being marketed as an expansion pack, albeit an expansion costing $50.

Still, Rocks the 80s was fun.

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock set off some more warning bells. The title seemed slightly pretentious considering only one of the unlockable characters could be considered a rock legend, but perhaps you were referring to groups like KISS, The Who, Cream, Aerosmith, Sex Pistols, Santana, Metallica, and more appearing in the set list. Fine. Maybe Yahtzee's suggestion to call it Legend of Rock is too harsh.

Then there were the poorly animated cut-scenes. It's Guitar Hero. We don't need a story, especially one as silly as the one you included. There was a nice anti-corporate message to the story, but you did a great job undermining that message by cramming product placement in some of the most unlikely places. I mean, an Axe Body Spray guitar? C'mon. At least the companies advertised in the previous Guitar Hero games had something to do with music.

Still, the game is fun, and I'm a forgiving sort of guy.

Then I started seeing more and more silly Guitar Hero products come out, like Guitar Hero Carabiner, Guitar Hero: Air Rocker, and Guitar Hero III Mobile, but this takes the cake:



May I ask you a serious question, Activision? Did any of you – I don't know – watch this before releasing it to the public? Did any employee say, "You know, that looks kind of stupid. Perhaps we should just show some gameplay footage instead?" If so, promote the dissenter, please. Really, I felt like the Guitar Hero: World Tour trailer was pretty bad, but this transcends bad.

Do even know who your core audience is? Harmonix seems to get it. Remember them? They used to make the Guitar Hero games until they moved on to bigger and better things. I know you acted like you've never heard of them at the D6: All Things Digital conference, but the GH: World Tour interface is a carbon copy of Rock Band (just with round notes instead of rectangles).

Here's where I'm going with all of this. You are slowly doing to Guitar Hero what Traveler's Tales did to Crash Bandicoot and Universal Studios did to Spyro after their respective creators sold them to move on to bigger and better things. You are sucking the soul out of the series. You are transforming Guitar Hero from an innovator into a me-too toy. You are alienating your core audience.

Look, I plan on picking up Guitar Hero: Aerosmith at the end of June. After that, though, all bets are off. The chances of you getting me to yell "Rock On" into my DS are pretty slim, and the prospect of the wife and I picking up a Rock Band clone that will cost another $180 is also slim. Let's not even mention additional market saturation from Konami's Rock Revolution.

Those of us who have enjoyed Guitar Hero over the past few years want to believe. We want to think future Guitar Hero games are going to be worth it, but do something for us first. Rediscover the game's soul.

Tags: video games, guitar hero

This is quite possibly the best Aril Fools' prank of the day:

Tags: silly, video games

Here we go again!


image from The Cult of Rapture

Signs you've been playing too much Bioshock:

• You start speaking like a 50s radio show.
• You buy brightly colored juices in the store in hopes that one will make you telekinetic.
• People catch you trying to mess with vending machines in hopes they will lower their prices.
• You begin hoarding rubber tubes, steel screws, and other random items to invent your personal arsenal.
• You think weapons in vending machines is a pretty good idea.
• Capitalism begins to scare you.
• Seeing little girls alone in public now sets you on edge.
• You begin taking random pictures of people you don't like in hopes of gaining combat advantages over them.
• You begin collecting books by Ayn Rand.
• You start pointing at things and wondering why they aren't catching on fire.
• You freak out every time you see a security camera in public.
• You stop trusting doctors in general.
• You take up eating slugs.
• Searching corpses becomes a new hobby for you.
• The phrase "Would you kindly" takes on a whole new meaning to you.

Tags: video games, silly

After checking in with many locations, we finally found an XBox 360 Elite at our local Circuit City. I was truly surprised how difficult it was to find and XBox 360 after the holidays – well, except for the XBox 360 Arcades. (As an aside, my wife facetiously noted in several locations, "There seems to be no shortage of PS3s around here." I love that my wife is a closet geek!) Honestly, I held out no hope of finding a Wii, but I believed purchasing a 360 would be no problem. How wrong I was.

Fortunately, after some mis-adventuring, we got the 360 home and proceeded with the unboxing ceremony. I have to admit that it wasn't quite as fun as unboxing a new Apple product, but I was shocked by just how much stuff was in the box!


It even has an HDMI cable included!

Getting Started

Hooking the XBox up was no problem, but creating an XBox Live Gamertag was another story due to the Live outages that have been going on. It took four tries over two days to successfully create an online portfolio, and, even then, I ended up with a typo (probably because I was rushing through the process by my final attempt)! This wouldn't be such a big deal if it didn't cost 800 MS points ($10) to fix this.

Additionally, in the middle of the glitches and my typo, I lost out on my free month of XBox Live Gold. This isn't too big of a deal, but it was still another early frustration. I had to wonder if this was going to turn out to be another stereotypically Microsoft experience.

Playing Games and Demos

Fortunately, the rest of my experiences have been much more positive than the setup. Our first two games were Burnout Revenge and Viva Piñata. Both look fantastic. The wife has been tending her piñata garden with much enthusiasm, and I've been trying to unlock as much as I can in Burnout. In truth, we already own the PS2 version of Burnout Revenge, but it would be hard to go back after playing it on the 360.



I should also mention that a fee puzzle game called Hexic HD came on the hard drive, and that has proved to be extremely addictive. Furthermore, when compared to the smaller PS2 controllers, the XBox 360 controllers are much more comfortable to hold.

Additionally, we've tried several Arcade titles and demos, including Doom, Catlevania: Symphony of the Night, Double Dragon, TimeShift, Perfect Dark Zero, Quake IV, Amped 3, Burnout Paradise, Beautiful Katamari, and quite a few more. There wasn't much I didn't like, but I'm wondering where the XBox 360 answer to Ratchet and Clank or Jak and Daxter is. I guess that's why we will also be picking up a Wii when we find one!

The Marketplace

From the previous paragraph, it's pretty apparent I've become addicted to the game downloads. Both XBox Live Arcade and the Game Demos section are fun to peruse, and much on the Arcade seems pretty reasonably priced, though I do wish MS Points did a better job of reflecting real world value. Fortunately, the Microsoft Point Converter comes to the rescue in this regard. As far as add-ons go, some are priced okay, but other things seem a bit steep. I especially wonder why pictures and themes (which are essentially promotional items) cost anything.

I probably won't be downloading any TV shows or movies. iTunes already fills that niche nicely.

Wrapping Up

Despite a rocky setup, I think the XBox 360 is going to fit into our home quite nicely. There are a couple original XBox games I want to check out that I know work with the 360, and we might also pick up a few PS2 titles we own that have 360 versions (like Guitar Hero II & III and Lego Star Wars) because I have to admit these games look quite poor on a 1080p television! (Not too surprisingly, GameCube games fare better.) In the end, the XBox 360 is a good console, and I'm sure we'll be enjoying many hours together both competitively and cooperatively in games. Here's to hoping I never get a Red Ring of Death!

Tags: video games

I'm on my second time through Okami. There aren't too many games I end up playing twice, but this is one of them. Since I've only ever done a list like this once before, I think I'll have another shot at it.


image from Wikipedia

The Game is Beautiful

Beyond a doubt, Okami is a visually stunning game. Using a cel-shaded style reminiscent of sumi-e wash paintings, the game shines aesthetically. From the game menus, to characters and villains, to environments, and even the end credits, the game retains a consistent visual flair that is impressive in its polish and its simplicity. Occasionally, in other cel-shaded games like Zelda: The Wind Waker, some elements look out of place, but Okami suffers none of these problems. It is a fantastic looking production from start to finish.

Attention to Detail

Recently, as I accidently swiped an incorrect brush stroke, I noticed some birds were blown around by a sharp wind I had created. I began playing around in other areas and noticed that animals in the environment reacted differently to the gales. Throughout the game, it's apparent that the developers obsessed over the small stuff that, while hardly consciously noticeable, brings the game's world to life that much more. So few games demonstrate genuine care and craftsmanship that the polish Okami exudes is especially apparent.

It's Both Challenging and Relaxing

Make no mistake, there are some tough-as-nails battles in Okami. In order to master the combat system, you have to memorize weaknesses various enemies have in order to dispatch them before they can do too much damage. I fear anything shaped like a wheel nowadays. Fortunately, the game is generous with items called Vengeance Slips that render your character temporarily invincible. I've used them a lot. They are the first thing I stock up on at item shops. They may be 10,000 yen a pop, but I don't care. They are worth it – especially when engaging in some of the optional battles.

In direct contrast, Okami is also one of the most soothing games I've ever played. Not up to battles? Feed some animals. Restore damaged flowerbeds or ponds. Go fishing, or just roam the expansive environments looking for treasures and secrets. It's easy to completely lose track of time playing this game without accomplishing a single game objective.

It Out-Zeldas Zelda

If you've ever played The Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, or The Wind Waker, Okami will feel very similar to you. A healthy dose of exploration and backtracking? Check. Epic story? Check. Obsessive hunting for every last treasure? Check. Puzzle-oriented dungeons? Check. Boss keys? Check. It's all there. This is the PS2's answer to Zelda (as is the amazing Beyond Good and Evil), but, as unbelievable as it may seem, Okami takes the Zelda formula and refines it into an even better experience.

Praise Motivates

In so many adventure games, no matter how powerful the main character is, you are often relegated to numerous fetch quests and menial tasks when encountering towns and villages. Okami is no different, but, once you complete a task, characters and other animals praise you for your work. Praise can then be used to strengthen Amaterasu in various ways. It's surprisingly reinforcing.

This trend continues when you remove cursed zones from areas. Along with the praise heaped upon you by the environment, restoring a Guardian Sapling results in an amazing cinematic of the restoration in progress. It's very reminiscent of the final vignette of Fantasia 2000, and I never get tired of seeing the flowers and other foliage spring up all over the once-barren landscapes.

Okami is a fantastic game from beginning to end. Yes, it has some minute flaws. For example, the camera is killer in tight corners, and some of the dialogue becomes long-winded and repetitive at times. However, the whole experience of Okami far outweighs any minor quibbles. If you have a PS2, it's definitely worth your time to give this game a chance.

Tags: video games

You know you've been playing too much Chibi Robo when...

• You scout out the locations of all electrical outlets when entering a room.

• You play army games with hard-boiled eggs.

• You wish you had a flip-top head.

• You expect your dog to give you money when you feed and water it.

• You wonder which eggplants in the grocery store are royalty.

• You think Happy Points are legal tender.

• You try to equip a helicopter attachment when you jump.

• You find yourself randomly squirting people with various liquids just to see their reactions.

• You wonder what your toys are really doing when you're asleep.

• You end every conversation with, "Spread the happiness."

Tags: video games, silly

Okay, I've about polished off my PS2 and GameCube libraries in the shadow of next-gen iterations. The PS2 hasn't been that difficult in that it has been insanely successful, so its games are still provided retail space. The 'Cube, however, is a different matter, and its titles are quickly vanishing into thin air.

A couple titles in particular have been especially elusive:

x

Chibi-Robo I can understand. It probably only sold marginally well at best, and it doesn't have any brand recognition going with it. Mario Tennis, on the other hand? I mean, really – I can find, Super Mario Sunshine, Mario Golf, Mario Kart, Mario Strikers, Mario Baseball, but no Mario Tennis! What gives? It's even going for an arm-and-a-leg secondhand on Amazon Marketplace!

I have to give an honorable mention to Zelda: The Minish Cap here, as well. This is another one of those fantastic Nintendo titles that just up and disappeared after a few months at retail.



I know I can fire up the credit card and buy these pre-owned, but I have a bias against that. Part of it is my autistic trait to want everything flawlessly new. (I will return a CD, game, or almost anything if the packaging is so much as scratched.) However, I also have a problem with the fact that the publisher gets no kickback from used copies and is therefore unrewarded for the great title they produced.

Oh well, the obsessive-compulsive completion nut in me might just override the obsessive-compulsive media moralist. Amazon Marketplace may be my last refuge of 'Cube hope!

Tags: video games, software

It's the last week of the school year, and things are insane. Here are some quick bits to keep you entertained until I can formulate a more substantial post.

•••

I just finished supporting one of our fourth grade teacher's movie-making project with her class. The children wrote, directed, and starred in their own production. A good time was had by all – except for us adults who had to piece everything together in the end!

x
editing the film in iMovie & iDVD

On a related note, I'm also trying to finish up this year's fifth grade memories DVD. Even though I'm ahead of schedule compared to previous years, it still feels like this project will never be done! Throw a talent show into the mix, and things just get nutty!

•••

In totally unrelated news, I noticed that the most recent version of NeoOffice displays the correct "close" widget on unsaved documents! You might remember that I noted this as a flaw in my overview of NeoOffice earlier this year.




•••

Finally, this made me utter a hushed "woot!" of awe:



To paraphrase the cinematic trailer – it's about time, indeed.

Tags: work, video games, technology, neooffice

The shootings at Virginia Tech are nothing short of an absolute tragedy. It pains me deeply to see any place of education turned into an unsafe environment. I want nothing more in my classroom than for my children to feel safe and secure while learning, for learning is nearly impossible in any other environment. Seeing someone randomly and maliciously robbing that blanket of security makes me sick, and I mourn the growing loss of safety in our schools.

It also makes me frustrated how individuals come out of the woodwork at times like these to further their own agendas through uninformed tactics that morbidly entice the public into either higher ratings or political support. Again, a violent act is being used to propagate the hypothetical video game-rampage link. I really wasn't going to write about this at first, but I strongly dislike these kind of blame-games being played that divert the concepts of personal accountibility and responsibility from our minds.

First up is Dr. Phil:

And the problem is we are programming these people as a society. You cannot tell me - common sense tells you that if these kids are playing video games, where they’re on a mass killing spree in a video game, it’s glamorized on the big screen, it’s become part of the fiber of our society.

I have a grudging respect for Dr. Phil (despite his former association with Oprah), but here he's taking a tried-and-true approach: "video games train our children to be murderers." However, playing Grand Theft Auto, for example, trains me in the art of killing no more than Gran Turismo makes me a better race car driver, Mario Golf makes me a better golfer, or Trauma Center makes me a better surgeon.

I agree that desensitization to violence can only be a Bad Thing™, but desensitization does not equate actions. Again, playing Mario Golf does not make me more likely to step onto a golf course at any point in my life. Likewise, having played a game like Halo does not compel me to perform acts of violence toward anyone.

Of course, Jack Thompson has a thing or two to say:

Several Korean youths who knew Cho Seung Hui from his high school days said he was a fan of violent video games, particularly Counterstrike, a hugely popular online game published by Microsoft, in which players join terrorism or counter-terrorism groups and try to shoot each other using all types of guns.

A game depicting counter-terrorism and warfare? You mean like this one published by the United States government? Why aren't you blaming republicans for the violence? Oh yeah, blaming Bill Gates will get more attention.

Mr. Gates, your company is potentially legally liable the harm done at Virginia Tech. Your game, a killing simulator, according to the news that used to be in the Post, trained him to enjoy killing and how to kill ... Mr. Gates, pull the plug on Counterstrike today, or do we need more dead to convince you? “Virginia Tech” was the 9-11 of school shootings, and it appears Microsoft is in the middle of it, in more ways than one.

I feel bad for Microsoft. It was bad enough when everyone wanted to vilify them as the Evil Software Empire. Now they are a bunch of murderers too. By the way, poll a bunch of random high school-aged males. I bet more than a few of them play or have played violent video games. Two individuals out of millions does not a trend make.

Now, on a more technical note, shouldn't this rant have been addressed to Steve Ballmer, as in the man who actually runs Microsoft and has for the past seven years. I know – I'm picking nits. Calling out Bill Gates (who people have actually heard of) will get more attention, and that is all Mr. Thompson is really after.

Finally, we have a caller to the Rush Limbaugh show:

I’ll bet my last dollar in my pocket, that this shooter will be found to have been a compulsive video gamer, and when people are living that kind of lifestyle - and college students do this a lot.

I totally expected Mr. Limbaugh to take this and run with it, but he did not.

Not every video gamer goes out and murders 33 people on the college campus though. There’s more to this than that… it may desensitize people, but it doesn’t turn everybody into mass murderers.

Here, I think, is a key issue. There are 103 million PS2s in homes, 21 million GameCubes, 24 million XBoxes, almost 3 million PS3s, 6 million Wiis, 10 million XBox 360s, 17 million PSPs, 79 million GameBoy Advances, and 35 million DS units in the hands of consumers worldwide. This is only counting currently supported systems, but that equals almost 300 million current gaming products. Also, this does not count people who game on their PCs. (As a note, at 11:43 p.m. EDT, there are 177,930 PC users logged into GameSpy Live.)

You would think, with those incredible numbers, that juvenile homicide rates would be skyrocketing. However, the opposite is true:

Sternheimer notes an obvious but underemphasized figure: despite the proliferation of violent, first-person shooters in the wake of Doom, juvenile homicide rates have fallen in the decade since its release. Random school shootings remain incredibly rare; for all forms of homicide, students face a seven in 10 million chance of being a victim.

Additionally, two separate reports have recently failed to find a causal link between video games and violent behavior. One report was conducted by the British Board of Film Classification where it was noted:

... Even the "interactivity" of video games can keep gamers from getting immersed in the same way, since players are continuously reminded that they are controlling the action on-screen. The report also notes that gamers are less involved emotionally in games, in part because games often stress action over character and story development.

Also:

... Gamers almost never feel that the onscreen violence is making them more open to using violence. "I no more feel that I have actually scored a goal than I do that I have actually killed someone," said one participant. "I know it’s not real. The emphasis is on achievement."

The other is a study from the journal Psychology, Crime, & Law, noting that stable populations remain largely unaffected by video game violence:

The authors propose that gamers fall into two groups: stable personalities, and those with emotional states that are susceptible to being influenced by game play. Within the latter group, the response to violent games largely depends on the emotional states of the gamers when they begin play. Angry gamers will cool off, calm gamers will get agitated. They also note that only two of the cases of rising anger reached levels that would be considered cause for concern, suggesting that dangerous levels of anger were rarely triggered by gaming.

Unfortunately, video gaming is the most recent media scapegoat to cause such atrocities, joining the illustrious ranks of world religions, TV, movies, rock music, and banned books. This speaks to a deeper problem, though, in which we, as a collective consciousness, have grown overly comfortable with "passing the buck." We have our folk devils that can carry the blame, so we don't have to look in the mirror and face responsibilities we would rather avoid. Until we can wean ourselves away from the folk devils and start facing our own sense of accountability as a group entity and as individuals, tragic events such as this will not go away – no matter who or what we blame.

Tags: opinion, video games, politics, media

A god beckons me. I am in a forbidden land seeking an unattainable goal. I carry a sword of mysterious origin. Shadows much like ones I've seen before try to attack me, but they recoil from my blade. I wish to resurrect the dead, but to do so I must destroy the incarnate versions of the idols towering all around me. Even accomplishing this, a price must be paid.


image from Wikipedia

I strike out atop my steed, experimenting for a time in the verdant landscape, mastering the control of this beast. A cliffside looms ahead, both foreboding and inviting. A beam of light reflected from my sword tells me this is the way I must traverse.

I dismount and begin to scale a precarious path, more a creation of erosion than that of man, though evidence of some kind of human intelligence is pervasive throughout this environment. Regardless, the land is forsaken. No inhabitants of any kind are apparent outside the voice of gods and the fearful shadows. I reach the precipice.


image from TrustedReviews

I hear it before I see it, plodding footsteps that shake the very earth I stand upon. I turn quickly and see a behemoth lumbering towards me, taller than I can comprehend, legs four times the circumference of the nearby trees, wielding a club of epic proportions. It has seen me. Its pace quickens.

I rush the monster, hacking away at any skin I can reach. My height does not even reach the giant's ankles. My sword deals no damage. It swings its massive club, and my limp body flies through the air, landing in a crumpled mass some fifty feet away. I fight despairing hope in defeating this monstrosity.

I charge again but more warily this time, paying close attention to the swinging bludgeon, watching for patterns in the footsteps, strafing around the colossus, looking for any vulnerabilities. Finally, I see it – a patch of exposed skin just above the achilles tendon. My hopes flatten as quickly as they rose. It is beyond my reach.

I spend more time dodging the assaults of this massive foe. There must be a way to bring it down, and the heel must be key. At last, I notice a ridge long the creature's foot, and I jump up and grab. I can climb the giant! Somewhat clumsily, I scramble up the massive leg until I reach the vulnerable spot, and I dig my blade in until the behemoth falls forward. My task is not yet done. The heel only opened the way.

I clamber up the beast's body, easily at first, but the way grows treacherous as it realizes what I am doing. It swings its massive torso to and fro, desperately trying to dislodge me, nearly succeeding at times, but I refuse to be thwarted. After a relentless journey to the apex of the creature, I see an emblem on his head. I know what to do.


image from Wikipedia

My sword sinks into the monster's skull, and thick, dark blood streams into the air as if a fountain. Triumph is certain, but the giant throws its weight forward. I tumble and plummet to the earth below. I stumble forward barely quickly enough to avoid being crushed like an ant. I scramble away, bloodied and bruised. I slink off to a ledge where my adversary will not follow. I crouch low, pride and body hurt, and I wait.

Slowly, I feel strength return. I know I am not fully recovered, but it is enough for one more attack. I know I'm being foolish. One more fall like that will spell my end, but the colossus' very existence taunts me beyond reason. I will be victorious, or I will die trying to bring him down.

Once more I attack the weak tendon. Once more I clamber up his body. This time, the enemy knows what I am doing, and he tries harder to shake me off. He is powerful beyond words, but my resolve is stronger. I hold on. Slowly, I reclaim lost ground, and I am atop his head once more. Initially, I rely on short quick stabs that allow me to reclaim my grip and balance as the giant tries to shake me off. I know I am wearing him down. I just have to endure.

Finally, my quarry ceases his convulsive thrusts for a moment, and that singular moment is all I need. I loosen my grip and gather my strength into a mighty downward thrust. Again, the creature lurches forward, but this time the motion is different. The body is limp, and I ride the carcass down, leaping clear of its impact as it crashes to rest upon the broken earth. The remains take on a smoky quality and vanishes from sight – as does the world around me with my failing consciousness.


image from TrustedReviews

I wake in the temple where I began. One idol lay crumbled on the floor. Fifteen remain. This is only the beginning, and I am cursed to venture out to seek the shadow of the colossus once more.

Tags: video games

This weekend, Ars Technica posted a debate between two of its writers regarding the price of the PlayStation 3. Both sides make good points about the PS3 and its current investment-versus-return ratio.


Frank, speaking for price cuts:

"There's no question that on paper and in reality the PS3 is a good piece of tech with lots of capabilites that appeal to the technologically-inclined like us. But that's not good enough. The reality of the industry is that you can't just appeal to the hardcore techies and audio/videophiles. You need as wide an audience as possible."

"Every time I'm at EB there's always people playing the PS3, but they always walk away saying the same thing: 'I'd get it if it weren't so expensive; once the price comes down, I'll probably buy one.'"

Ben, asserting that the price is fine as-is:

"If you're an audio- or videophile the PS3 is a ridiculous value already. With Blu-ray players priced around $1,000, the PS3 is a a great half-price Blu-ray player where you basically get the gaming functionality for free. Or you can look at it as only $100 more than the 360 and you get a great next-gen movie player. Does the system need a price drop? No, I think the extras are worth the $100 upgrade from the price of the 360."

"Sony would be silly to slash the price now; it would be an admission of failure. The truth is we're not even done with the first round of this console war, and Sony is a powerful contender even at $500."

I agree that $500+ does contribute to a great deal of sticker shock. It's hard to feel justified putting down that much cash on what is essentially a game machine, and the $600 system is really out of the question as far as I'm concerned. On the other hand, at $500, the PS3 is a very reasonable Blu-Ray player. Other BD players I've seen in stores have cost in the region of $1000. Unfortunately, without the proper home theater system already in place to take advantage of the technological wizardry of the PS3, the value begins to drop sharply.

Regardless of perceived value, I think there is one other large factor involved when debating the price of the PS3: Can Sony afford to cut its price? Does it make good financial sense? Right now, Sony is losing roughly $300 on every $500 system sold and roughly $240 on every $600 system sold. Assuming sales of each are equal (which is probably an incorrect assumption but makes the math easier), Sonly is losing an average of $270 per PlayStation 3 sold. Compare this to about $125 loss for each XBox 360 sold and the fact that every Wii sold is actually profitable to Nintendo.

Since launch, Sony has sold over 1 million PS3 units, averaging a net loss of about $270 million. If the PS3 sold for $100 less, then that loss would be about $100 million greater. I can hardly fathom working with numbers that big, let alone losing that much cash. If Sony sells PS3s and an absolutely steady rate, they will have 6 million sold by the end of the year, resulting in losses of over $1 billion – without a price drop.

Granted, Sony has many divisions to help offset this loss, and both Microsoft and Sony treat their consoles as loss-leaders. (Remember that the original XBox resulted in a total $4 billion net loss for Microsoft during its life-span.) However, how much loss can you take before the product becomes a greater liability than an asset? This is precisely why Nintendo has dropped out of the specification wars and have begun trying to attract customers through different approaches. Nintendo's products have to be profitable. They don't have a music division or an office suite to help with the bottom line.

I don't think we're going to see a PS3 price reduction anytime soon. Yes, it might move units, but such a move would likely do more harm to Sony's bottom line than good. What Sony needs to be doing is convincing developers to exploit BD media for all that's its worth and start convincing consumers that the PS3 is worth its price. PR and exclusive titles are going to play a big role in the perceived value of the PlayStation 3, but price cuts are out of the question until manufacturing costs can be brought under control.

Tags: video games, opinion

For those of you who don't know, this month's issue of the Official Playstation Magazine will be its last. (In fact, I don't know how much longer that link will be valid.) The story was published on 1UP.com back on November 14 as well as on GameSpot. The biggest official reason Ziff Davis Media published is that, due to the ease of online distribution, the practicality of a demo disc driven magazine is no longer significant. As a result, after nine years and 112 issues, OPM is no more.

Various OPM employees have blogged about the demise of the magazine and what it means to them. (Joe, Dana, Scooter) As it turns out, it seems some of them, even the biggest contributors, are just flat out-of-work now. The OPM Message Boards have had numerous posts of frustration, encouragement, and memories, and one last RadiOPM is being broadcast as a final sendoff. Also, the final magazine itself features farewells from the staff and well-wishes from readers.

OPM was nothing earth-shattering. It was a well-done magazine about games. Admittedly, that is a rarity, but it's not like the publication solved problems like cancer, world hunger, global warming, or HIV. What it did do, though, was bring some joy to the gamers that were old enough to appreciate it for what it was.

OPM has been the only magazine I've regularly purchased for the last five or six years. They still packaged PS1 demo discs on alternating months when I first began reading. In fact, I saved those monthly demo discs for a while because we didn't even have a PS2 back then (and we've never owned a PS1)! How strange is that? Even in this age of websites and downloadable content, a part of me likes the feel of holding a magazine, enjoys the immediacy of a demo disc over waiting for a download. To me, those tangibles were worth the $10 per issue.

I hope everyone at OPM lands on their feet all right. Thanks for the great magazine!

Tags: video games, media

Final Fantasy XII is turning out to be a very enjoyable game. I don't play a lot of them, but when I do, I really get into playing console RPGs. I've played most of the Final Fantasies, the Dragon Quests available in the US, some Xenosaga, Dark Cloud, and a smattering of other titles. Usually these are engaging, thought-provoking, and rewarding experiences – but fun? That's what I have We Love Katamari and Burnout Revenge for! Anyway, here are some aspects of FFXII that bump up the enjoyment factor:

The Battles. Simply put, the battle system is great. The battles flow well, and they do not feel near as random as in previous installments. To get Licensing Points, you have to fight tons of enemies – each worth only one LP. In fact, Licensing Points are very similar to Ability Points in other series entries like FFX-2 and FFV, but they don't feel near as tedious to accumulate thanks largely to the battle system.


Image from Wikipedia

The Licensing Board. The Licensing Board is similar to the sphere grid in FFX but with tons more versatility. I'm loving filling out the board and creating black mage-ninja-warriors and other combinations. In fact, I've probably spent more time filling out the Licensing Board than I have been following the plot!

The Art Direction. FFXII is a beautiful game. Characters, environments, and enemies all look fantastic. The look and feel of the game has been very consistent so far, and everything works together to make the world seem all the more epic and grand.

Exploring. Even though FFXII is every bit as plot-driven as its predecessors, I don't feel near as tied down to a specific area or course of action. Many areas open up quickly (even regions where death is guaranteed), and you can walk away from many missions to explore surrounding areas for hours. Regions are connected fairly seamlessly, and you get a terrific sense of distance while you are traveling across the lands.

The Command Screen. Basic commands can be brought up at any time with a tap of the "X" button, and (greatest of all) you can drop into the menu screen at any time, even during battles, and change members or equipment with no turn penalty. I always hate it when you lose a turn for changing swords in the middle of a fight. (I'm looking at you FFX.)

The Settings and Characters. This game feels epic and fantastic at every turn, even with its smaller-scale plot. No summoners turned pop divas; no airborne castles; no soldiers singing arias; and no sports stars turned warriors. So far, every character and location feels consistent with the tone of the game, and all of the characters' actions harmonize with who they are. Even Moogles seem noble, and that has to count for something.

For fear of sounding like a fanboy, I think this is the best Final Fantasy I've played since FFIV. This game is hard to put down, and anyone with a PS2 really should give Final Fantasy XII a try. If you're not big into RPGs, rent it, but I think you will be pleasantly surprised. Reading up on this game before it came out, I was worried how I would like it. Now that I've been playing it for 40 hours (with tons to go), I'm hooked!

Tags: video games, opinion

Okay, the title sounds epic in proportion, but this post will be far from profound. I'm just musing here on the Nintendo Wii and Sony Playstation 3 in context of the tech-giddiness you all know I suffer from and which console(s) I'm most likely to spend my hard-earned cash on.


Of course, I wouldn't be fair if I didn't consider Microsoft's established player in this field – the XBox 360. Many things, from its design to the well-implemented online service, impress me about the XBox 360. Price-wise, it's middle of the road. However, to play next-generation movies on the console, an additional $200 purchase is necessary. The real problem with the XBox 360 is that none of the games particularly excite me. Gears of War and Halo 3 do look very nice as does Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Unfortunately, shooters have lost much of their appeal for me, and Oblivion is not exclusive. I like the 360. I just don't $400 like it.


On the downside, the PS3 is really expensive. Fortunately, I could see myself settling for the base model with no qualms, so that trims $100 off the investment. Still, can I see myself plunking $500 down for one of these? In a word, no. However, the PS3 will be home to new installments in the Final Fantasy, Ratchet & Clank, and Metal Gear Solid series – franchises I am near fanatical about. Add these to the eventual release of a new Burnout title (which will also be available for XBox 360), and Sony's gaming machine looks tempting.

The tipping point could be Final Fantasy XIII, but that may not be out for a while. If I do get a PS3, it won't be until two things happen. First, its library of games that really interest me grows, and, second, the price comes down a bit.


The wild-card of the new consoles is the Nintendo Wii, and I'm going to spoil the ending by saying I am most immediately interested with this product. Between the 62 physical and virtual titles to be released by the end of the year, I see quite a few interesting leads – including a new Zelda game on launch day. Also, at $250, the Wii is much less of a hit on the wallet, and it even comes with a game, meaning I'm not obligated to shell out an additional $50-$60 to make use of my shiny new console.

The big drawback with the Wii is the lack of HD resolutions. However, all we have is a standard definition TV in our house, and I don't see that changing anytime soon, so the lack of HD is a non-issue at the moment. Still, I want to actually try this machine out before making any decisions.

All the same, I'm getting a lot of use out of our GameCube and PS2, so I feel no rush to buy any of these. Last generation, we didn't pick up a PS2 until Final Fantasy X was out, and the GameCube was acquired an entire year after that. Still, there is a very good chance that when we do get a new console, the Wii will sit at the top of the list, and I promise to post unpacking pictures and impressions whenever we get around to buying one!

Tags: video games, opinion

I haven't done one of these posts in a while! You know you've been playing too much Final Fantasy XII when...



• You want to visit the Playboy mansion just so you can see a real life Viera.

• You harbor a strong distrust of cute bunnies, onions, and tomatoes.

• You wish your real friends could be controlled by gambits.

• You believe there is a direct correlation between how much you sell to the local consignment shop and how awesome their stock is.

• You talk to no one who doesn't have a smiley-face icon above their head.

• You berate chess players for wasting Licensing Points.

• You go to your favorite bookstore to try and buy spells, gambits, and techniques.

• You check public bulletin boards for notices on monster bounties.

• You know you could ask him/her out on a date if only you unlocked the right Licenses.

• You expect colored arcs to travel between others and yourself depending on if they are planning on being nice or attacking you.

• You visit jewelry stores looking for Teleport Stones and Save Crystals.

• You begin to think metal thongs and fez vests are stylish.

If you liked this list, check out this one as well: Too Much DQ.

Tags: video games, silly

Here it is – My new Nintendo DS Lite!



I wanted to get a DS back when they came out but could never justify the $150 for the little system – especially since Mario 64 was about the only game I would have wanted at the time. Eventually, however, some more titles came out, and the system became more and more attractive. Then, when an improved version came out for $20 dollars less than the original, I was sold. Fortunately, thanks to Animal Crossing: Wild World, my wife agreed.

Now, I have had a GameBoy advance for some time. In fact, my GBA harkens back to the days prior to backlit screens, so, needless to say, the DS Lite is quite an improvement in our portable gaming.



In the lovely picture above, the DS Lite is running, as you can probably tell, Metroid Prime: Hunters. Can you tell me, though, what game is playing on the GBA? If you said Metroid: Zero Mission, then you know me well because there is no way you can see what game is playing on that screen. As you can also see, the DS Lite is thinner than the GBA (even shut), and it is about the same height as a GBA when closed. Using only my hands, I can't really tell which is lighter.

Overall, the DS Lite is very compact, and I have carried it in a few different pockets with no annoyance. It is comfortable to hold. The touch-screen reacts well to the provided stylus, and I haven't successfully killed its battery yet, but I did recieve a low battery warning once after playing Animal Crossing off and on all day. Furthermore, the DS Lite looks like it would smudge very easily, but I have not found this to be the case, and what marks do show up on its shiny exterior are easily removed.



One slightly unfortunate side effect of the DS Lite's slimmer profile is that GBA cartridges inserted into the bottom slot stick out ever so slightly. Also, I am finding it annoyingly easy to accidentally press the shoulder buttons. These complaint, however, are very minor and do little to tarnish the experience I've had with this little console. The games we have (Animal Crossing: Wild World and Metroid Prime: Hunters) have been enjoyable. The screen is visible even in daylight, and closing the DS Lite puts the system to sleep just like a laptop. Open it up, and you can pick up exactly where you left off.

In parting, I'll leave you with one last wonder of the DS – the size of a DS card. The shot below has a GameBoy Color cartridge, Super Mario Bros. DX, a GBA cart, Metroid: Zero Mission, and a DS card, Metroid Prime: Hunters, all next to each other. Cool, huh? The DS card is about 1 inch wide and 1 1/4 inches tall!

Tags: video games, technology

Ten reasons you know you've been playing too much Dragon Quest VIII (in no particular order):



• For some reason, only green books interest you (bonus if said book is on the second shelf).

• You wish you could add skill points to your charisma or sex appeal.

• You see a cow in a field and wonder if touching it will give you a bottle of milk.

• You go to Victoria's Secret looking for a "dangerous bustier."

• You start randomly entering houses and rummaging through cabinets and other possessions. When the police cart you away, you retort, "You don't understand! The goddess put those there for me!"

• You begin mistaking Chuck E. Cheese tokens for mini medals and demand a Staff of Divine Wrath from the poor kid working at the exchange counter.

• You think more girls should go around wearing bunny suits.

• You randomly throw clothing and objects into a boiling pot hoping that something better will pop out in 30 minutes.

• You collect "cow-pats."

• You secretly want a pony, hoping it really turns out to be a princess.

Bonus: You go to 11 if you ordered the $40 PS2 controller that looks like a blue slime!

Tags: video games, silly

"Did you get an XBox 360 yet?" That question (or a similar variation) has hit me upside the head at least ten times in the last week. It's not so much that my friends and family care that much about games. They don't, but they know I'm avid. However, they seem a little surprised when I answer that I have not, in fact, acquired an XBox 360 as of yet. Furthermore, holiday money probably will not go toward an XBox 360 either. Why? Because, when it comes to something as permanent as a game console, I prefer to wait a while before diving in.

With something like Mac OS X, I enjoyed being an early adopter. I was able to install the public beta on a machine that was not mission critical, and I knew Apple would correct any serious flaws with time. Granted, the Finder is still a pretty big flaw in and of itself, but most others have been ironed out. Furthermore, in the case of a computer operating system, many third party solutions crop up to enhance the user experience and fill in the holes. Most of these can be applied at little risk.

A console, on the other hand, is less flexible. If the unit I purchase has flaws that are corrected a few months later, guess what? Those corrections will most likely not apply to my console. As far as fixes go, if it's a hardware fix and you mess up, your warranty is voided, and you are out a console. I've had to replace a PS2 because of a faulty optical drive, and my brother-in-law's XBox had a power supply burn. There's no deleting a .plist file or downloading a patch to correct those problems.

So what about the XBox 360 concerns me at the moment? Well, first of all, there have been less than glowing reports of its DVD playback capabilities. Furthermore, some reports of freezing systems are going around (seemingly related to an overheating power supply), and Quake 4, one of the reasons I want an XBox 360, has been criticized for framerate issues. Now I know, the framerate issue could be conceivably corrected with a downloadable patch. Hopefully, Raven will do the right thing, and work toward such a correction.

A final issue I have is with the whole hard drive issue. I'm sorry, but $100 for a 20 GB hard drive? What a rip off! The 120 GB second hard drive in my PowerMac was right around $100. Also, those who buy an XBox 360 w/HDD will surely outgrow the hard drive quickly. What solutions are there available for transferring the data from one XBox hard drive to another? Again, only time will tell how these issues will be handled.

Right now, we are a two-console home. We have a PS2 and a GameCube. Right now, a Nintendo Revolution is almost a given because we are both Nintendo fans. So the battle will be between the PS3 and the XBox 360 at to who gets to occupy our TV's second AV input, and that brings me to the most important reason for waiting: I want something to compare the XBox 360 with. Other issues aside, I don't see myself rushing out to buy a 360 without being able to objectively compare it to the competition.

No, I have not purchased an XBox 360, nor do I have any plans to in the foreseeable future. Anyway, there are still plenty of GameCube and PS2 games to keep me occupied. I haven't even started Dragon Quest VIII or the most recent installments of my beloved Ratchet and Jak series! Call me around E3 2006. By then I might be getting worked up over this whole next-gen thing.

Tags: video games, opinion

I hate to add fuel to a fire that should have never started, but the recent attacks on the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) have got me thinking of how much we seem to need protection from ourselves.

You see, this whole brouhaha launched when some content that some described as "sexually explicit" was discovered in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. The fact that this material is only accessible on the PC version of the game (not the console versions) by means of hacking the application seems to be completely irrelevant. As a result of the mess, the ESRB changed Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas to Adult Only (AO) from Mature (M). (More Info Here.)

The issue is being brought up again with Capcom's stylish puzzle-shooter, Killer 7. Again, the same attorney, Mr. Jack Thompson, is behind the crusade, and he is appealing to his prior allies, Sen. Hilary Clinton and Sen. Joseph Lieberman, for support. The drive is to have Killer 7 changed from an "M" rating to "AO." This time, Mr. Thomson takes things one step further and claims the ESRB should be dismantled if they do not submit to his requests. (Article Here.)

So, I hear many of my readers asking, why do I seem to be taking the side of the ESRB and the video game publishers on this one? Am I not opposed to such material in entertainment media? Don't I believe that children should be protected from such content? Well, of course I do, and that's why I say buyers should look at the label and see it is already rated "M" for Mature.

It's very simple, "M" in the video game world is the equivalent on an "R" rating in the movie world, and "R"-rated movies with content much more explicit and disturbing are created and available in normal retail stores. We all know what an "R" rating means. Despite this, I know of people who won't let their children watch a movie if it's rated "PG-13," yet these same children have several "M"-rated video games.

It all comes down to being responsible consumers. Game ratings will not change the content in video games any more than movie ratings have helped movies become more wholesome and moral over the last couple decades. We parents have to become more informed about what content is in the games, and the way to do this is easy: Flip over the box, and read why the game is rated what it's rated.

For example, Katamari Damacy is rated "E" (for "Everyone"), and it is qualified with "Mild Fantasy Violence." Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is rated "T" (for "Teen"), and its content includes "Blood," "Suggestive Themes," and "Violence." Now let's take Killer 7, which is rated "M" for "Blood and Gore," "Intense Violence," "Sexual Themes," and "Strong Language." Based off of those descriptions alone, do you think it is possible to make responsible buying decisions for your family? I do.

Of course, this brings up a whole slew of other issues. One issue is consistany. If we are to be this strict on the gaming industry, why has explicit material become so common on TV and in movies. After all, Jennifer Garner is allowed to run around in fetish costumes in Alias during prime time with but a "TV14" rating while nudity is becoming more and more common in "PG-13" movies, and don't tell me that Desperate Housewives has no sexual content.

Another issue is that of built-in content versus mods and add-ons. This same Jack Thompson alleged that EA's The Sims titles should be changed to an "M" rating from "T" because one can download nude skins for the characters off of the Internet. EA neither creates or endorses this material, but those facts seem to be trivial.

Mr. Thompson, the solution is not to dismantle the only industry watchdog. The answer is in responsible, informed consumerism on the part of parents and caregivers – unless I'm solving the wrong problem. If the problem is trying to figure out how to gain more media and political attention, then you have found a topic that will get you that attention.

Tags: video games, opinion

Okay short post, I promise. Revolution will have the ultimate in backwards compatibility if the reports are accurate. The XBox 360 will have "limited" backwards compatibility, and, yes, I'm hoping Halo, Halo 2, and Doom 3 are on that list, and the PS3 will have compatibility with the PS2.

Here's the real question: Will the PS3 be backwards compatible with PS1 games?

Tags: video games

I can never figure out why people spend so much money to make their desktop computer into a gaming rig. It's an exercise in futility at best. (And, yes, I know this slightly contradicts an earlier post, but I reserve the right to contradict myself any time I want to.) Half Life 2, Doom 3, the upcoming Unreal Tournament 2007 – all of these are games that people will upgrade their computers for. Even if we upgrade only one component, maintaining a desktop as a gaming solution can get spendy. Chances are, every time a new generation of graphics engine, a gamer will want to buy a new graphics card. Now take the ATI X800 for example. It's not even the best card out there, but it sells for about $300 – the price of and XBox and a PS2 combined.

To illustrate: My first-generation PowerMac G5 struggles to run Halo smoothly at high settings. (Granted, here is one advantage the desktop gamer will point out to the console gamer. Playing Halo on my Mac, I have the option to run at higher settings. THis point will be rendered moot a little later on.) If I wanted to get a mid-range Macintosh G5 graphics card, say a Radeon 9800 Pro SE, I would be set back between $230-$250 dollars. Again, this is not even the best card I could get, but it would do the job. Still, when UT 2007 comes out, it would be officially obsolete. Chances are, I will need a whole new tower to handle that monster.

Gaming can be very expensive.

Alternatively, though, lets assume we can forgo the graphics card upgrade (and whatever else could fall short – CPU, memory, hard drive space, etc.) and follow a cheaper alternative. How much would a new XBox be? On Amazon.com, I would be set back around $150. Along with this, I would now also be able to play Halo 2 and Doom 3, neither of which would have been viable with my previous solution because Halo 2 is not available for the Mac and the 9800 would most likely be scared of Doom 3 at anything but low settings.

Now that E3 has completed, console developers are even more attractive. The games demoed (and yes, I understand some pre-rendering was going on) were breathtaking. The FF VII demo, MGS 4, Killzone 2, UT 2007, Quake 4, Alan Wake, Project Gotham 3...Wow! And HD quality will be a given. This means that these games will look as good on your (nice) TV as they would on your (nice) computer screen.

This leads to another interesting point of discussion, though. None of these consoles (assuming Revolution has similar specifications) are particularly earth shattering. Sure, XBox 360 has 3 CPU cores, but, outside of that, you have your standard 3.2 GHz processors, 512 MB RAM, 500 MHz graphics card, nothing out of the ordinary. Despite this, these consoles will produce visuals that will trump similarly spec'd desktops. Yes, the whole machine is geared to be an efficient gaming powerhouse, and that explains some of the performance, but I think the rest of the credit belongs to the good console developers.

Take the current de facto console leader for example, the PlayStation 2. It has a 300MHz processor, 32 MB RAM, a 150 MHz graphics card with 4 MB VRAM and a 4x DVD-ROM drive. This thing is comparable to a second generation G3 iMac, but I dare any 400 MHz PC or Mac to successfully run Burnout 3, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, or Star Wars Battlefront. It would never happen. RTCW requires a 500 MHz processor on desktops and Star Wars Battlefront wants a 1GHz processor (not to mention 256 MB of RAM and 64 MB of VRAM). Even the XBox has a mere 733 MHz processor.

Again, the culprit is code. Console developers have a set overhead they know they have to work with. The parameters are immobile, and they have to squeeze as much power out of those concrete specifications as humanly possible, and may developers (Criterion, Naughty Dog, Square Enix) do a fine job of doing just that. Graphical disasters like Enter the Matrix are often the result of coders who cannot seem to respect those parameters well enough to stretch them to their limits.

On the other hand, PC-centric developers can often be guilty of creating resource-hungry monsters. (Although I have to hand it to Valve for the scalability of HL2.) Returning to Star Wars Battlefront, why do the specs more than double from the PS2 to the desktop? There has to be some jump, of course. The PS2 isn't running Windows XP or Mac OS X along with the game, but it seems that the real problem is that desktop developers have grown comfortable with the fact that their target audience's machine are upgradable. Therefore, they do not spend as much time and effort optimizing the code to run on a 400 MHz machine.

The moral of the story after this insanely long post? If I'm that desperate for a Halo or Doom 3 fix, I'm getting an XBox. (Although, by now, I might as well wait for the XBox 360.)

Tags: video games, macintosh