A Different Perspective

Some games I've owned over the years have been played to death.  Whether it is playing Golden Axe or Streets of Rage so many times that I practically know where the enemies are going to appear from, or driving the roads of Outrun 2 until the scenery itself doesn't amaze any more, it can get to a point where you start looking for challenges.

For driving games there is the Time Trial mode - an easy side step that is great for beating your own time and a chance to see how you stack up vs the world with online leaderboards.

For the likes of Streets of Rage, maybe try to see how far I get with only one life?  Maybe put it on hardest difficulty too?

But maybe the answer is more subtle than self made mini challenges.  Is there a way of giving the existing main part of the games a new lease of life?

A game like Spelunky is an interesting concept.  A game that is different every time, with randomly generated level layout and content.  That's fine, but I've always thought that a lot of the magic of games is that you CAN master them if you choose so you DO know every corner or wave of enemies off by heart.

Strangely enough, it was playing FIFA 13 that made me think most.  I play a lot of FIFA, but even when playing online there is a big element of boredom.  Its why the annual updates are welcomed with open arms -   its very easy to get stuck in patterns of play, and the new game that rolls over the hill every August brings a freshness (albeit only slight, in reality).



On a football game, or most sports games maybe, its easier to get to this point, because its too easy to stick with what works reasonably well, as opposed to getting inspiration to do things better and differently each time.  This is different to, say, a 1-on-1 fighting game as you learn quickly to try different things for different enemies if you keep getting battered.

So it came down to one simple yet major change - the camera angle.

Just changing the camera angle from the default 'Tele' setting that defines the FIFA standard, year-in year-out, to a zoomed in Dynamic setting makes a world of difference.

It becomes a new game.  Goals become more satisfying, its closer in, more defined in colour & detail, more real.  Its the same old game that can be played in the same kind of way - but now its had a wash, a beer & a shave of its balls and is ready to go again.

In essence, this is the case for a few other game types.  Changing the camera from a classic chase to in-car or on-bonnet viewpoint on any driving game makes you learn a whole new way of driving - but its still the same courses & tracks.




Also makes me wonder and remember back to when DVD's used to boast about films that have been shot in different camera angles, and how you could choose from each one.  It never really took off.  And besides - a film directed in a particular way with particular camera angles builds its character - like anything from John Woo or Tarantino.

But would there be a benefit for any particular action film to be watched at a different set of camera angles?  Would it give the film a fresh ball shave too??

Time And Time Again

I love the film Groundhog Day.

The whole concept of being able to repeat a day, or a moment in time over and over again, learning and tweaking your actions and behaviour to get better and better, or wiser and wiser each time, is something that fascinates me.

I think the way that Phil Connors (Bill Murray) uses the time he has to meticulously tailor the situation to get to the end result he wants is absorbing and hugely satisfying to watch.  The way he knows what is going to happen though experience and learning is comical and expertly done by the directors.

But equally, I find the way that he also uses the time to do the bizarre things, the ridiculous things, the dangerous things, morbid things and the positively evil things is where the magic of Groundhog Day shows itself - summing up what the human mind can do when there are no real consequences.   Bill Murray isn't my favourite actor, but in this film he is perfection.

I watched another film, Source Code, this week.  Although not a comedy, it has a lot in common with Groundhog Day with the theme of exploiting time shifts, and again I really loved it.

And although Source Code shows the character going 'off topic' (or off mission in this case) and using the opportunity to do something different, the crux of the film is about learning from mistakes & rashness, taking more advantage of time, building progress bit-by-bit to finally change the outcome of the future for the better.

 And, as a bonus, Michelle Monaghan in Source Code is significantly fitter than Andie MacDowell !

Shortly after watching Source Code, it then struck me - these films are just like videogames.

Whether a platformer like Mario, ESWAT or Super Meat Boy, a scrolling fighter like Double Dragon or Streets of Rage, a shooter like R-Type or Afterburner Climax, driving games like Stuntman or maybe an action/adventure game like Dark Souls or Call of Duty, a whole host of games are based on patterns of play, on learning based progression - getting better and better through knowing what is going to happen - before it happens.  I remember playing Virtua Cop so much that I knew exactly where each of the enemies was going to come from - but it made thing no less fun.

But this is combined with the similarities to open world adventures like Shenmue, GTA4 or Fallout 3 where the joys of experimenting interfere playfully with your main focus.  Is it really the best use of time to play on an Outrun arcade machine for hours when you should be hunting down the killer or your father???  No, but when there isn't really an consequence, who cares!

The wonders of XBLA: Scott Pilgrim vs The World

Thought I'd just share some of my recent discoveries on XBLA. I've never, until now, been completely up to speed with new lauches on XBLA marketplace. But having now made some attempts to unearth some new games for the collection I've come accross a few that have really impressed me. Note my previous post "Demo Generosity" - I haven't actually downloaded any of the full games yet... anyway - here we are...

Scott Pilgrim vs The World (800 points)


I'm a big fan of scrolling beat 'em ups. Streets of Rage 1 & 2 are amongst my favourite games of all time. Aside from SOR2, there are a fair few other games in this genre on XBLA such as X-Men, Golden Axe & TMNT 1989 Arcade.

Until today I've never looked into Scott Pilgrim the game and what is was all about. I've not got round to seeing the film let alone the original comics. Shame on me - should have guessed that it would be a scrolling fighter really.

It seems to be a really neat game - a lot of character & charm with clever little details and a strong moves list. There are a ton of available weapons to swipe, throw & kick including the typical baseball bats, bottles etc but also things like dustbins, basketballs & even snowballs. Downed enemies can be picked up and used as weapons themselves - caving in the head of a bad guy with his own buddy before lobbing him over towards another certainly raises a smile.

Its a really neat looking game with an art style to match the film & comics. Everything feels very snappy too - combos can be easily strung together and juggling is possible. Its fun to play and empowering - you feel you can defeat the bad guys in different ways each time just for the sake of it - a really important factor in any side scroller if you want to feel a bit flash.

Such a lot of other good things about it - anyone with half an interest in retro scrollers should give the trial a whirl. I'm not making a habit of downloading much at all nowadays - so I guess the best praise I can say it is a 'will probably download' for me.