I've had a chance to play the new L4D campaign, Crash Course. I'd read that it was geared towards Versus mode, promising to deliver a more fast-paced version of Versus. I also knew it tied the storyline between No Mercy and Death Toll together. Other than that I was in the dark on what to expect from it.
As far as single player is concerned, Crash Course opens with the survivors standing near the crashed wreckage of the helicopter they had escaped in at the end of No Mercy. The opening banter between the characters is hilarious. (In one instance, Francis says without a hint of sarcasm, "Man, I love helicopters!" while looking at the burning wreckage. Zoey replies, "Uh, Francis, are you all right?" Francis shakes his head, "Whoa! Musta hit my head in the crash. I mean, 'I HATE helicopters!'") The level layout and architecture is similar to No Mercy and Death Toll: lots of abandoned cars and trucks to weave around, several warehouse areas to go through, and tight alleyways. The levels sometimes did not seem to flow as well as they did in the original campaigns. Perhaps just because it's new, perhaps because I've only played with the AI-controlled other survivors, but I found myself getting lost or being unclear on where to go next on a few occasions, especially in the alleyway areas.
The opening conversations of Crash Course serve to reinforce its presentation as a continuation of the No Mercy storyline. In all of the original campaigns' openings (i.e., those of No Mercy, Death Toll, Dead Air, and Blood Harvest), the survivors make generic suggestions about what their goal should be, lacking any trace of each character's personality. As you play through the levels, they begin to express themselves more when they speak, making you feel as though the group is bonding in game, and, in fact, making you relate more to each of the characters. At the opening of Crash Course, they already appear familiar and chummy with each other, reminding you they just fought through apartments, subways, warehouses, sewers, and a hospital as a team.
Crash Course's most noticeable difference from the other campaigns is that it only contains two levels. They are, however, lengthy and difficult levels, reminiscent of the notorious "Construction Site" level on Dead Air. The levels present a significant amount of new and exciting gameplay. The finale is a good example, proving to be one of the most intense fights of the game. It takes place in a junkyard and tasks the survivors with starting a generator in order to lower a truck, located in a nearby warehouse, which they can then escape in. When the generator is started, several spotlights illuminate the area. There are several ideal locations for the survivors to defend within the warehouse, but there's a twist on this finale. Sometime after the first tank is killed, the generator shuts off. The players must leave the safety of their entrenched position and wade through a sea of zombies into the junkyard, now almost completely dark since the lights were run by the generator, to restart the power. It's an ingenious trick: Leaving the easily defended positions in the finales is often fatal. Players rarely move from their position until the very end, when the rescue is available. In Crash Course, you have to move halfway through the siege to a decidedly unsafe position, then either try to stay there, or move again to a more defensible position.
Although I haven't played the Versus mode in Crash Course yet, it could definitely be played in half an hour, which was their goal. Since the two levels are so long, with multiple paths through narrow, twisting corridors and alleyways, a moderately skilled team of special zombies could easily separate the survivors and tear them apart.
Unfortunately, it appears Left 4 Dead is no longer half price on Steam, but if you have the game already and haven't checked out Crash Course yet I highly recommend it. While not a huge departure from the original campaigns, it offers enough new content to remind you of the simple joys of killing zombies.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Today's News
A spectacular new video on 1UP, it's kind of like Zero Punctuation crossed with those UPS whiteboard commercials. This week's topic: sex in games.
EA and DICE are fighting back over Mirror's Edge trademark issues. This whole thing is kind of dumb. Tim Langdell is the trademark equivalent of a cyber-squatter, suing or threatening to sue anyone who has used the word "Edge" in a title for over a decade. Unfortunately, he made the mistake of threatening EA about Mirror's Edge, that unplayable (but oh so original!) parkour game from last year, requesting they change the name. This is about as intelligent as throwing rocks at a hornets nest or flying planes into skyscrapers. Now the beast has awakened and is trying to negate Langdell's trademarks. I'm in the weird position of wishing EA luck in its lawsuit. Go lesser of two evils, woo!
An admonishment for World of Warcraft's superfluous quest descriptions. Pretty basic stuff, but at least someone else notices the problem.
Monday, September 28, 2009
The "'Crack' in 'Crackdown'"
Damn. I was almost hoping they'd do away with the Agility Orbs in Crackdown 2. Ah well. Looks like hours and hours of jumping around in my future and a strangely compelling hum in my head.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Censorship Silliness; A Plea to Parents
Valve is appealing the ban of Left 4 Dead 2 in Australia. Basically, the way Australian ratings work is that there's no rating above 15+ for games. This would be analogous to having no "R" movie rating, and instead banning anything over "PG-13" (15 in this case, but you get the idea) unless they were edited to fit the lower rating. This is an obviously broken system; it implies and abides by the faulty old logic that video games are for children and denies any opportunity for the medium to mature. Video games are not and never were merely children's toys. L4D2, specifically, is not made for kids. I doubt Valve would want players under 18 playing it. So how can you ban a game made for players over 15 on principle alone? Most gamers are over 18, and they are being denied the opportunity to play a game in order to ... I honestly don't know. Protect the children? I fail to see the logic.
Hey, Australia: Kids shouldn't have alcohol. You'd best ban beer. For the Children, you know.
The problem lies with parents. Again, the old-fashioned perception that video games are for children comes into play. In the States, many retailers cannot sell a Mature (17+) rated game to a minor. However, those kids can often say to their parent, "Hey, Mom, can you buy me Brain Exploder 4?" and one of two things happen: The parent acquiesces after some pestering and buys the game, or the parent, horrified by the things she sees on the news about video game violence, vehemently refuses, at which point the kid just goes to a friend with cooler parents and plays his copy. Parents regulate children's access to alcohol, firearms, poisons, R-rated movies, and the family car because they are well aware children should not have access to these things. Video games have not taken this status in parents' collective consciousness yet, so governments regulate children's (and everyone's) access to games.
So, parents! Be informed! Know the ratings! Check out what your kids are playing! (Hell, I don't know, take an interest in their lives, perhaps!) The Enterainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) is the ratings body in the US, and they are really pushing to inform parents of the ratings. The more parents know about how games are rated and why, the more intelligent decisions they can make regarding what their kids play. And the less government regulations the industry will have to contend with. Violence is pretty well-tolerated in the States currently, but any sex in a game, regardless of how tastefully done or important to the storyline, is generally grounds for banning in at least some stores over here. A single bare breast in a game is practically a kiss of death, but this, and often much more, is fairly standard in an R-rated movie. This double-standard will be the next stigma for games to overcome.
P.S. Now I'm going to have to make Brain Exploders 1 – 3 just so I can make 4. :-p
Hey, Australia: Kids shouldn't have alcohol. You'd best ban beer. For the Children, you know.
The problem lies with parents. Again, the old-fashioned perception that video games are for children comes into play. In the States, many retailers cannot sell a Mature (17+) rated game to a minor. However, those kids can often say to their parent, "Hey, Mom, can you buy me Brain Exploder 4?" and one of two things happen: The parent acquiesces after some pestering and buys the game, or the parent, horrified by the things she sees on the news about video game violence, vehemently refuses, at which point the kid just goes to a friend with cooler parents and plays his copy. Parents regulate children's access to alcohol, firearms, poisons, R-rated movies, and the family car because they are well aware children should not have access to these things. Video games have not taken this status in parents' collective consciousness yet, so governments regulate children's (and everyone's) access to games.
So, parents! Be informed! Know the ratings! Check out what your kids are playing! (Hell, I don't know, take an interest in their lives, perhaps!) The Enterainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) is the ratings body in the US, and they are really pushing to inform parents of the ratings. The more parents know about how games are rated and why, the more intelligent decisions they can make regarding what their kids play. And the less government regulations the industry will have to contend with. Violence is pretty well-tolerated in the States currently, but any sex in a game, regardless of how tastefully done or important to the storyline, is generally grounds for banning in at least some stores over here. A single bare breast in a game is practically a kiss of death, but this, and often much more, is fairly standard in an R-rated movie. This double-standard will be the next stigma for games to overcome.
P.S. Now I'm going to have to make Brain Exploders 1 – 3 just so I can make 4. :-p
My Current Rogue-like Obsession
(If you're here because you already know what a "roguelike" is and would like to try what I'm playing, feel free to skip to the list at the bottom.)
Lately I've been really into roguelikes. Roguelikes are games based, oddly enough, on an old game called Rogue. There are a couple key characteristics that make up a roguelike game, mainly randomly generated levels, unidentified items (items have generic names until they are used or equipped, at which point their effect, good or ill, is revealed), detailed and complex gameplay interactions, turn-based gameplay (nothing happens until the player does something), and, most importantly, permanent death, a.k.a "permadeath." NetHack's probably the most famous roguelike, arguably even more so than Rogue itself, but games like Angband and Mines of Moria were (and still are to an extent) also quite popular.
Just to be clear, roguelikes are hard. They're not even Nintendo Hard. They go above and beyond. You character usually starts incredibly weak, at best on even footing with enemies he encounters one-on-one. Often you're attacked by several enemies more powerful than you. You have little way of knowing which items you acquire are useful or harmful (or even fatal). Death lurks around every corner. That's the permanent kind of death, remember, as in "game over, try again." Games like NetHack take people YEARS to beat without cheating. Bragging rights are definitely earned from these games. Still, the challenge and randomizing of the level layout, monsters, and items keep people coming back for more.
Modern games such as Diablo, Titan's Quest, Dungeon Siege, and the upcoming Torchlight all owe a lot Rogue and NetHack, but they are more appropriately grouped in the Action Role-Playing Game genre (or "Diablo clone" genre, as Diablo has become as emblematic of Action RPGs as Rogue was to ... roguelikes). Action RPGs are somewhat watered down versions of roguelikes: they rarely feature permadeath, usable items are often identified or easily identified, the gameplay is VERY streamlined and simplified, and your character generally strides over piles of enemy corpses like a conquering warlord, as opposed to hiding a corner, quietly sobbing and praying to whatever gods you know for help, as many roguelikes can devolve into.
So! If you're still reading this, and now know what a "roguelike" is, and would like to try what I'm playing, here's a list!
That's what I've been playing lately.
Lately I've been really into roguelikes. Roguelikes are games based, oddly enough, on an old game called Rogue. There are a couple key characteristics that make up a roguelike game, mainly randomly generated levels, unidentified items (items have generic names until they are used or equipped, at which point their effect, good or ill, is revealed), detailed and complex gameplay interactions, turn-based gameplay (nothing happens until the player does something), and, most importantly, permanent death, a.k.a "permadeath." NetHack's probably the most famous roguelike, arguably even more so than Rogue itself, but games like Angband and Mines of Moria were (and still are to an extent) also quite popular.
Just to be clear, roguelikes are hard. They're not even Nintendo Hard. They go above and beyond. You character usually starts incredibly weak, at best on even footing with enemies he encounters one-on-one. Often you're attacked by several enemies more powerful than you. You have little way of knowing which items you acquire are useful or harmful (or even fatal). Death lurks around every corner. That's the permanent kind of death, remember, as in "game over, try again." Games like NetHack take people YEARS to beat without cheating. Bragging rights are definitely earned from these games. Still, the challenge and randomizing of the level layout, monsters, and items keep people coming back for more.
Modern games such as Diablo, Titan's Quest, Dungeon Siege, and the upcoming Torchlight all owe a lot Rogue and NetHack, but they are more appropriately grouped in the Action Role-Playing Game genre (or "Diablo clone" genre, as Diablo has become as emblematic of Action RPGs as Rogue was to ... roguelikes). Action RPGs are somewhat watered down versions of roguelikes: they rarely feature permadeath, usable items are often identified or easily identified, the gameplay is VERY streamlined and simplified, and your character generally strides over piles of enemy corpses like a conquering warlord, as opposed to hiding a corner, quietly sobbing and praying to whatever gods you know for help, as many roguelikes can devolve into.
So! If you're still reading this, and now know what a "roguelike" is, and would like to try what I'm playing, here's a list!
- Transcendence
- PLAY THIS GAME!! Transcendence is a brilliant mash-up of two of my favorite game types: Space Combat Trading game and roguelikes. It's a shining example of a roguelike in a refreshingly different setting: fast-paced space combat. Instead of swords and spells, you get ion cannons and thermonuclear warheads. It's got permadeath, but you have the option to "Resurrect," and continue your game at the price of halving your score. This option makes it a perfect introductory game to the genre. Transcendence is my favorite free game of all time and it's in my Top 10 favorite games. Period.
- Iter Vehemens ad Necem (IVAN)
- Oh, IVAN... IVAN is about as hardcore as roguelikes come (it's advertised to be unbeatable and actually scales the difficulty to insane heights if you're doing too well) and probably the truest example of the genre on my list. The graphics are detailed and bloody, and the game's got a quirky sense of humor about killing you. There's also a neat "dismemberment system" in which each of your limbs (or enemies') can be severed. Often your head will be beaten to a pulp or you'll bleed to death from your groin (yeah...) long before your actual hit points run out. If you're new to the genre, you'll initially think the game is unfairly difficult. Take your time, figure out what items and commands do, be prepared, know when to run, know when to fight. Like most good roguelikes, there is usually a way out of any situation. You just have to have played enough to know what it is before you're dead (or check out some of the many spoilers online!).
- Spelunky
- Spelunky is one of the hottest indie games of the year, and it is only going to get more popular, just coming out of beta and being ported to Xbox Live Arcade. It's an unusual combination of a platformer with roguelike mechanics. The levels are randomly generated, and permadeath is in play. It's another crazy hard roguelike. It's only 16 levels long, and could easily be completed in under half an hour if not for the difficulty, but I've played over 200 times and never come near beating it. Don't let that discourage you from giving it a try: it's stellar reputation is well earned. The graphics and music are spectacular, and it's just fun! I haven't played the new version 1.0 much, but I've noticed several changes that make it easier to get into. I highly recommend checking it out.
- Elona
- This one's kind of hard to get into (the wiki might help you get into it), but it's kind of fun. No permadeath, but some nasty item and experience loss penalties. Tons of character options and skills. The magic system's fun. There's a lot of depth: lots of dungeons with dozens of levels apiece, some of which are randomized every time you enter. There's some significant grinding involved to get money and exp, and I haven't gotten much past the early game, but it might hook you.
- Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer
- I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Shiren for the Nintendo DS. It's the only one of the list that's not a free PC download, but it's a great roguelike (the Mystery Dungeon series is the Japanese version of roguelikes). A nifty feature is the ability to be "rescued" by another player when you die. Others can undertake a quest to recover your body to revive you and your items where you fell. Shiren is still a moderately difficult roguelike, and I wouldn't recommend it for beginners, but if you dig roguelikes and have a DS, it's a great buy (you may have to order it, as it can be tricky to find in stores). I picked it up for $15 and have gotten over 100 hours of gameplay out of it. You do the math.
That's what I've been playing lately.
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