Ubisoft Game Production

I recently purchased a game for PS2 called Rayman: Raving Rabbids. The game is a hilarious series of mini-games that definitely earns the title of "party" game.

When I went onto the Raving Rabbids website, I noticed the game was made by Ubisoft and thus decided what other great games 

they were making (assuming of course that Raving Rabbids was not their only good 

game). As you can see from above, the game is a cartoon-like animation where the rabbits stand on two legs, weild plungers, and love to scream at the top of their lungs. Naturally, I assumed the other games would be similar in design.

How very wrong I was...

 

Unlike the game before, this game is detail-oriented, realistic graphics which if fitting given the game topic. Tom Clancey's EndWar is a game designed to represent World War III, the worst and last world war. Gamers choose a country to represent as they battle their way through nuclear warfare. The game has none of the laughter from Rayman's minigames. It seemed odd how these two very different games could come from within the same company.

Looking on I found this...

Shaun White's Snowboarding video game-a sports game! The production company Ubisoft has a wide variety of games which surprised me because I figured that production houses would specialized in a particular style of design. The more I learn about this industry, the more I find that the companies must have many faces in order to make a profit and be quote-on-quote 'well-known'.

Final Fantasy VII - Watching Someone Play

Well, it was very difficult but I finally sat down and watched someone else play a video game and didn't grab the remote myself! Patrick played Final Fantasy VII at many different points and, while he tried to answer my questions, there was so much to learn I felt my head spinning.

I apologize for any mistakes but this is what I got from the game from my second point of view.

First of all, the story is about a planet that supports life through a "lifestream". A company used this lifestream and channeled it as a power source for the city. There was a Calamity called Jenovah that landed on the planet. Cells from Jenovah were placed in different people and clones of people to make them extra-ordinary (super strength, agility, etc). The company's efforts are going to destroy the planet. A group rises to fight this power and save the planet but in the end, the planet itself is the only thing that can defeat the oncoming threat. The story is a basic good conquers evil and has a heavy religious overtone (although to no specific religion).

Our group includes: a red dog-Red, a cat named Cait, a weapons expert-Barret, a tech expert-Cid, girls named Yuffie, Tifa, and Aerith, and a silent leader called Cloud. He played as Cloud for the story line and going through levels but at the battles, he would take a team and fight as each member. Our main enemy ended up being Sephiroth, the child of Jenovah. The end had has a different setup then most games in that the last enemy has three battles attributed singularly to him.

From my point of view, everything went super-fast. Patrick has played this game many times, to the point where he remembers not only where everything is but most of the dialogue as well. When battling, there is no hints as to what this thing or that thing that you summon is supposed to do. However, he had played enough that he knew what each one would do. My favorite move was the Knights of the Round, where King Arthur and his 13 knights would each take a turn beating down the enemy. The damage destroyed the enemy and the graphics were surprisingly amazing.

I was lucky enough to wrap up my lesson with watching the film that spawned from the movie, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. I had seen clips of this film but the cinematography and graphics are just astounding. It is animated but it is so life-like that at times I forgot it was animation!! From small hair movements to giant explosions, the images were lifelike and realistic. In fact one scene reminded me of a scene from Matrix where Nero bends back under the bullets. The film answered many of my questions, even though the story took place after the video game.

Watching someone play was very difficult. I have not played Final Fantasy other than two days where my boyfriend jammed it down my throat. The experience was boring and tedious because he continued to give me directions and advice to the point where I handed him the remote so he could play. I find this often happens when someone is passionate about a video game and I don't begrudge the experience. However, this time round I wanted to take the remote from him. FF7 was very intriguing and I hope to play it on my own someday when I have the time.

Computer Games-Civilization

Where Puzzle Bobble was an arcade game changed into an online play, Civilization is among many games designed specifically for the computer. After being bugged all summer, I finally agreed to sit down to what was admittedly a fun, but long session of Civilization.

What I found most interesting about the game was the actual setup. Each person would play turns. Certain characters took so many turns before they joined your team. For example, a scout would take 1 turn but a hunter may take 3 turns. Also, the skills necessary to evolve your community took so many turns as well. Farming would take 3 turns, but then your food income would increase. Learning to mine would lead to blacksmithing which would lead to bigger buildings, etc. Also, workers could be building a new facility at the same time.

In one turn, you could learn archery, make a scout, and build a farm (One skill, one person, and one build.) While at first this makes for slow progress, eventually you go from farmers to knights (Middle Ages) to soldiers (1800s) and so forth until you reach the future age with GIs and space flight. Older knights can also be upgraded and earn extra points for battles won.

A good portion of the game is one player. However, the interaction is necessary between either computer or other players. While you are building your civilization, there are three other civilizations being build in your "world". You can trade, make alliances, and go to war with neighboring countries. There are also extra points for starting a religion and then spreading that religion (through missionaires) to other countries.

Certain buildings allow you to build certain objects/people. By learning Buddhism, for example, you become capable of making a Buddhist temple which in turn will become a site that can yield missionairies and such people on its own.

I grant there are a lot of rules to this game. I played twice through and still didn't learn everything there is to know (and I had an expert playing right along with me!). I think the benefits of this game is the fact you make up the story. Yes, the computer similulates the opposing sides but you decide whether its war or peace between your nations, whether you will focus on religion, art, or technology.

It begs the question: What kind of world would you develop? Mine was based around art and sciences with one religion. I allowed missionaries open access to my civilization so that I ended up with multiple religions. I was overall impressed with the game and thought it was much better than I anticipated (just don't tell my brother!).

Nintendo DSi Details!

Nintendo has outrun both Microsoft and Sony sales this past year, according to a top marketing analysis from NPD. The handheld arena is hardly a battle-field with Japanese sales for DS skunking those of PSP. In the U.S., the DS hit 3 million units sold!

And Nintendo does it again! The DSi is due to release April 5th, 2009.

The Nintendo DSi boasts new software that definitely is comparable to that of the iTouch. Here are the major new features.

1. Two new cameras for photo taking
2. Software that includes photo editing to a SD card
3. Music playing capabilities through stereo headphone jack
4. Record, edit, and save music or speech through the microphone
5. Cost is only $170
6. Wifi capabilities
7. DS Download capabilities, including a game shop similar to the Wii Ware

As for games? Rhythm Heaven is the first announced game. RH is a music-based game similar to Guitar Hero. The system will play DS games but it is yet unknown if they will play Game Boy Advance games (but I dare ask-who cares as these games are by far outdated by three generations of DS!).  With similar features to an iPod and digital camera, it is not hard to guess that DSi will outsell PSP even further in 2009.

For more information on game sales in 2008, check out this report.

For more info on Nintendo DSi, read the press release at nintendo.com.

Bust-A-Move

NOOO!! Arcades are disappearing before our eyes...and with them? Some of the best games.

One game I particularly enjoyed in arcades was Bust-A-Move, or Puzzle Bobble. This Taito game featured a little dinosaur who sent bubbles of different colors to try and connect 3 or more. You would advance to a higher difficulty upon completing that puzzle/level. For those who remember this great game, I found a way to play online for free. (Sadly not quite the same as in an arcade.) The game has since been developed into a Nintendo DS and Wii game with multiple characters and battle modes. The addiction was partly born on the colorful display, adorable little characters, and, of course, the high score board.

Bust-A-Move Screen Shot

Genre-Board & Card Games

Remember Family Game Night? Well, its been revolutionized by the video game industry. Not only are families playing video games, but also interactive games like Scene It!. Some argue that the best games ever are the original board & card games. Poker, Scrabble, Sorry, Clue, Blackjack, and other games have been completely done over by technology. High-stakes poker is not happening just at a casino's poker table, but at computer desks.

Most of these games are available online but some of the bigger names have made onto Nintendo DS, XBox, Wii, and Playstations (2&3). Monopoly is probably one of the most successful games in this area. Not only has it had handheld and computer versions, but it recently released the Monopoly: Classic & World Edition for Playstation 2. The game is a mix of both the original board game and a new style. The original board game plays by the standard rules (no "house" rules!).

The Richest Edition is a game similar to Mario Party. Minigames determine the number of properties you randomly land on. If the property is unowned, you now own it. Owned properties have a rent of one property (2 for monopoly, 3 for house, etc). Chance and Community Chest have their own surprises as do many other spaces on the board. There are a couple of different boards ranging from the Classic to an Ice board.

Mr. Monopoly goes around board in Richest Edition.

Video Game Trailer

Dr. Jones Lego Style

Indiana Jones: famed archaeologist who knows how to deal with almost anything (ladies, whips, power-hungry regimes). Everything that is-except snakes. The films are classics, the stories legendary, and the video games....

Well, lets just say they live up to old Dr. Jones.

Usually games based off films are a big no-no for me. Quickly produced games with obviously predictable story lines make games like Harry Potter and Spiderman hard to enjoy. Perhaps its the nostalgia of Lego pieces themselves or their selection of films, but I have found that Lego video games leave that theory far behind. My first experience was with Lego Star Wars on XBox, a game I became quickly addicted to. Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures excelled my expectations and here's why.

First, the story is of course predictable, but Lego adds a new spin. Gamers expect to play as the characters and to actually play the stories from the films. However, finding a random C3PO from Star Wars is an interesting twist. The basis of the game is to complete the film stories by advancing through each level. At the end of the level, a comical little video clip is played (often reflecting a humorous side to memorable Indiana Jones scenes). Also, gamers collect lego pieces as points and treasure chests for added bonuses. The points can be used to purchase characters like Mola Ram from Temple of Doom or arch-nemesis Dr. Bolloq. The treasure chests complete artifacts such as an Ivory Elephant or the Golden Idol from the opening scene where Jones is chased by a giant boulder. These little extras make the efforts worthwhile and unpredictable as usually you don't know what the bonus is until you have achieved it.

Opening Sequence in Lego: Indiana Jones

Second, the levels are addicting. Despite finishing a level the first time in Story Mode, the level is not yet complete. The gamer must go back and work through portions of the level to find extra treasure chests, bonuses like a frozen Luke Skywalker, and challenging puzzles. A gamer might have to play a level 3-4 times in order to find everything. After playing a level 5 times (trying to find the last treasure chest), I stumbled across my first Star Wars character! 

(On a side note-it is possible that a bit of the Star Wars animation was due to the similar shooting locations for the films themselves. The canyon in Raiders of the Lost Ark, for example, was the same canyon from Star Wars: A New Hope. www.imdb.com)

Also, some of the prizes fail to emerge if you make the wrong step. Dying, taking the wrong door, or not completing an early puzzle may stop you from reaching a bonus in a later part of the same level. I hate to admit that I did look up one chest's location online after playing the level 10 times to no avail.

The game is 1-2 players, but I strongly suggest 2 players. For one thing, I find it more fun to play with someone else. Secondly, many of the puzzles or contraptions don't move without pulling two levers. Sometimes the game doesn't click into action to help you and switching may mean that the character you were already using will move from its post as well. A second human player is preferred to avoid the eminent frustration.

Screenshot: 2-Player Mode

With what seems endless bonuses, surprises, and even a hidden level or two (shh!), Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures should keep even high-level gamers entertained for some time.