For my walkthrough, I analyzed Mirror's Edge, developed EA Digital Illusions CE, powered by the Unreal Engine 3, and released in November 2008 for the Xbox360 and PS3. The game is a single player, first person-view action/adventure, mostly platformer game with sections of fighting and shooting. The player follows the path of Faith, a member of a system of "runners" who physically carry information through a semi-futuristic city that's been otherwise oppressed and kept under close surveillance by a totalitarian regime. The main strength and novelty of the game in my opinion, was the realistic and unique first-person interface.
The player guides Faith fluidly through the game environments by executing time-sensitive combinations of wall runs, wall tacks, jumps, rolls, slides, and other parkour-style acrobatics; the interactivity with the environments is similar to the Prince of Persia games, where there are many areas to freely interact with in different ways, although there's really only one "right" path to follow. There are no distracting indicators on the screen with the exception of a center reference point (that turns into a crosshairs when holding a firearm), creating a more immersive environment that really allows the player to feel like they themselves are in on the action. While the player can't directly see their character, Faith's presence is represented by glimpses of her arms and legs when she reaches for objects, climbs up on platforms, curls in on herself to roll safely from a high jump, or lashes out to punch an enemy.
The game plays through more like a chaptered story than a series of score or performance-based checkpoints, so there are no extra stats to monitor onscreen. There's not even a health bar, although Faith will grunt and the screen will flash red when she sustains a minor injury. If she's taking fire, the screen will flash red and show blood splatters, eventually dimming to black and white as her health fades and she dies. Most of the challenge in the game comes from timing your moves and manuvers correctly, which is paramount to navigating the environment- if you're too slow, you'll often quickly get shot by the authorities (AKA "blues") and the helicopters that follow you closely during chase sequences. If Faith doesn't have enough momentum, or is angled a little bit off from her target, she won't be able to jump or wall run to a far platform or reach a high-up pipe.
These limitations do help to make the gameplay as realistic and plausible as possible. For example, Faith runs slower and can't jump as high once she's picked up a pistol, can't jump or run at all when she's holding a shotgun, and often needs to shoot to break through thicker glass. With the exception of course of surviving extreme falls and multiple gunshot wounds when she has no armor to speak of, the limitations like the small window for executing moves sometimes gets to be annoying- On a couple occasions, I had to repeat a rather long sequence of platforming, fighting, then platforming again between the automatic save checkpoints in the game because of just one jump or wall run that was extremely hard to make if your timing was off at all. This wouldn't have frustrated me so much if there'd been an additional save checkpoint somewhere in between that action, so that I wouldn't have to start over every time I failed to make the jump, on one occasion, starting over INSIDE an elevator where I'd have to wait for it to reach the ground floor and then open before playing through. I also found it unnecessarily annoying how when I was trying to get my bearings of the surrounding rooftops sometimes, Faith just falls if you get too close to a ledge, she doesn't automatically dangle or recover herself.
Timing also comes into play during some of the mandatory fight sequences, which offers a refreshing challenge to the usual shoot-em-up setup. Since Faith is unarmed herself, you have to find a weapon or steal it from an enemy utilizing slow motion- Usually, enemies will be largely immune to kicking and punching, which might knock them back to give you breathing space for a moment, but won't kill them. The more heavily armored "blues" that chase you out of buildings in escape sequences can't even be deterred with pistol fire, thereby forcing the player to exit the level the way they're supposed to by finding alternate routes out, climbing up fountains, breaking through windows, climbing through ventilation shafts, and racing up stairs and hallways instead of trying to cheat and fight their way out of pursuit.
The audio and graphics were particularly essential to aiding gameplay, as red-colored objects offered a hint as to where to go next, and the "hint" B button usually pointed you in the right direction if you were lost- sometimes however, that just made it more confusing since it would be referring to a general, not an immediate course of action, which was increasingly unhelpful when you were unsure whether you could physically make or a jump or not and it actually pointed you AWAY from the platform you were supposed to reach next. Sound cues also clued you in on the action, since Faith herself is mostly characterized from what you see of her in the cartoon-styled cutscenes, her breathing, occasional cursing, and sound effects when she falls, gets shot, or pulls herself up onto a ledge; sometimes your boss would tell you to get going over the radio or inform you of what to do next, and the music would change from a majestic, thrilling tune to a faster pace when you were being chased or under fire.
While the mostly linear, largely homogeneous clean-looking environments aided the "need for speed", get-in-and-get-out dynamic of the navigation, I still would have liked some more content to enrich them. There weren't really any extra pickups besides bonus packs, and interaction with objects in the environment was limited besides platforming on select surfaces, turning the occasional crank, pressing switches, and opening doors. When using a gun, Faith can only fire at enemies- nothing else is destructible (even fallen enemies' dead bodies). Sometimes little pieces add dimension to the city, like a passing train, pigeons that scatter when you run through them, or scrolling advertisements on the screens in the elevators. For the most part, the city seems to be a ghost town with the exception of a few visible cars and passerby in the streets when you're on building tops.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Game Walkthrough Analyses III: Shadow of the Colossus
In Jesse's examination of 2005's Shadow of the Colossus for the PS2, he highlighted the game's content failings that offset the ambient environments and original story following Wander, a warrior who quests to save a princess, the 2005 release was initially praised for.
Driving story and visually impressive cutscenes aside, the gameplay itself was lacking; the flow is largely linear, predictably alternating navigation/platforming phases with a short, boss battle sequence. The only enemies in the game are the 16 colossi, which steadily grow larger as the player progresses, although the difficulty level required to beat the creatures never seems to disproportionately offset the hero's available skills enough to offer a satisfying challenge. Although the game does succeed in requiring the player to use any new weapons or skills they've acquired to defeat each boss, once the player has figured out the specific strategy to exploit each monster's weakness, the actual fight becomes easy to win without ever dying.
Other features of the design also leave the player wanting, such as the simplistic environments, and other barriers to any sense of believable realism the otherwise visually immersive scenery offers. Wander's health regenerates over time which further decreases the risks to the player, there are no powerups, his horse has unlimited stamina, invisible barriers near cliffs or other hazards further make it impossible to kill yourself, and most of the map areas are redundant, empty space. Aside from an optional, object-hunting sidequest, there's little in the way of filler content, or even other NPC's to talk to, and the game in its entirety offers virtually no replay value.
Although it comprises no more than 6 or 8 hours of gameplay, Colossus' ambient visuals and stirring, dramatic soundtrack are redeeming. The cyclical structure of calm nagivation and action-packed fighting make it a refreshing take on the usually fast-paced action/adventure genre, and the hero does change overtime to reflect the story's progression. The game ends with a thrilling twist, as Wander absorbs the souls of all the colossi he's slain to save the princess, in turn becoming a giant beast himself to fight off the mortals that then turn against him.
Driving story and visually impressive cutscenes aside, the gameplay itself was lacking; the flow is largely linear, predictably alternating navigation/platforming phases with a short, boss battle sequence. The only enemies in the game are the 16 colossi, which steadily grow larger as the player progresses, although the difficulty level required to beat the creatures never seems to disproportionately offset the hero's available skills enough to offer a satisfying challenge. Although the game does succeed in requiring the player to use any new weapons or skills they've acquired to defeat each boss, once the player has figured out the specific strategy to exploit each monster's weakness, the actual fight becomes easy to win without ever dying.
Other features of the design also leave the player wanting, such as the simplistic environments, and other barriers to any sense of believable realism the otherwise visually immersive scenery offers. Wander's health regenerates over time which further decreases the risks to the player, there are no powerups, his horse has unlimited stamina, invisible barriers near cliffs or other hazards further make it impossible to kill yourself, and most of the map areas are redundant, empty space. Aside from an optional, object-hunting sidequest, there's little in the way of filler content, or even other NPC's to talk to, and the game in its entirety offers virtually no replay value.
Although it comprises no more than 6 or 8 hours of gameplay, Colossus' ambient visuals and stirring, dramatic soundtrack are redeeming. The cyclical structure of calm nagivation and action-packed fighting make it a refreshing take on the usually fast-paced action/adventure genre, and the hero does change overtime to reflect the story's progression. The game ends with a thrilling twist, as Wander absorbs the souls of all the colossi he's slain to save the princess, in turn becoming a giant beast himself to fight off the mortals that then turn against him.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Game Walkthrough Analyses: II
In his walkthrough for Batman: Arkham Asylum published by Rock Study, Chris outlined how the design excellently blended the compelling story with the various game mechanics. The underlying plotline of the Joker releasing all of Batman's enemies from Arkham Asylum for him to capture and defeat once more drives the action, and the story seems faithfully reproduced from the cartoon series, making it a joy for old and new fans alike to play.
The graphics are impressive, placing slightly stylized, yet realistic looking character models into a slew of dark, gritty, nonlinear environments. The combat system seamlessly incorporates time-sensitive button mashing with stunning, slow-motioned visuals of Batman's powerful kicks, punches, and chokeholds, and the Unreal and Chaos engines used in the design lend satisfying ragdoll effects to the enemies.
In addition to Batman's successively growing arsenal of deadly weapons, picked up as rewards throughout the game, the player is given access to a bunch of useful gear to help navigate dynamic levels; players can scale walls with a grappling hook or swoop down on unsuspecting baddies using Batman's cape-turned-glider, allowing the player to develop their own fighting tactics using their environment. The platforming is just as engaging as the fight sequences, often blending hand to hand combat, exploration, and the masked hero's stealthy side in detective mode, or when the player chooses to have Batman perform silent takedowns of his enemies instead of merely barging in, guns blazing so to speak (or in this case, fists?). Collectively, the wide range of options offered to interact with the game environments keep the action from ever being redundant, and maintain replay value even after the game has been beaten once.
The player character isn't static either, as Batman sports more visible cuts and bruises and picks up upgrades and different weapons as the game progresses. The game world is as successfully atmospheric as those in the Bioshock or Prince of Persia titles, and enriching sidequests such as the trail of clues left by the Riddler encourage the player to venture from the more linear, main plot sequence to explore the limits of their environment.
Conducive with the immersive setup, the actual gameplay experience is interrupted only by a loading screen, the occasional map, and verbal cues said by Batman himself to offer valuable hints as to what the next goal is to keep the player from getting lost or confused too often.
The graphics are impressive, placing slightly stylized, yet realistic looking character models into a slew of dark, gritty, nonlinear environments. The combat system seamlessly incorporates time-sensitive button mashing with stunning, slow-motioned visuals of Batman's powerful kicks, punches, and chokeholds, and the Unreal and Chaos engines used in the design lend satisfying ragdoll effects to the enemies.
In addition to Batman's successively growing arsenal of deadly weapons, picked up as rewards throughout the game, the player is given access to a bunch of useful gear to help navigate dynamic levels; players can scale walls with a grappling hook or swoop down on unsuspecting baddies using Batman's cape-turned-glider, allowing the player to develop their own fighting tactics using their environment. The platforming is just as engaging as the fight sequences, often blending hand to hand combat, exploration, and the masked hero's stealthy side in detective mode, or when the player chooses to have Batman perform silent takedowns of his enemies instead of merely barging in, guns blazing so to speak (or in this case, fists?). Collectively, the wide range of options offered to interact with the game environments keep the action from ever being redundant, and maintain replay value even after the game has been beaten once.
The player character isn't static either, as Batman sports more visible cuts and bruises and picks up upgrades and different weapons as the game progresses. The game world is as successfully atmospheric as those in the Bioshock or Prince of Persia titles, and enriching sidequests such as the trail of clues left by the Riddler encourage the player to venture from the more linear, main plot sequence to explore the limits of their environment.
Conducive with the immersive setup, the actual gameplay experience is interrupted only by a loading screen, the occasional map, and verbal cues said by Batman himself to offer valuable hints as to what the next goal is to keep the player from getting lost or confused too often.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Game Walkthrough Analyses: I
In his analysis of the Playstation 3 hit, God of War II, Jimmy focused on how the developers used the element of scale to effectively create an original, thrilling gameplay environment. Using perfectly picked examples of epic boss battles, and clips showcasing the game's seamlessly blended fighting and platforming, he demonstrated integrating extreme scale differences into GoW brought to life the mythology-based storyline and more than made up for the unusually short game length.
Kratos, the game's hero, uses the blades chained to his wrists not only for hacking and slashing, but to navigate his environment as he swings from one platform to another and scales walls like a mountain climber with an ice pick. This feature is particularly useful with the game's massive baddies, since Kratos must first attack his foes from lower ground before actually climbing up Atlas' monstrous hand to place the finishing move or slashing at the midsection of a Colossus before climbing up his arm.
This evokes the same scaling aspect that made the Prince of Persia, or Legend of Zelda games such a pleasure to play- while the environments in GoW II seem more linear than the expansive Ocarina of Time map, or the elaborate, dynamic, interlinked rooms in Warrior Within, all of these games successfully immerse the player in organic, sprawling settings, easily viewable by cinematic camera angles. The God-sized GoW enemies specifically remind me of some of the boss battles in OoT and Twilight Princess (ex. giant Ganondorf, the lava dragon Volvagia, and the titanic Morpheel) as well as the trolls in WW, and the Hellish gladiator creature or the final battle with the evil, super-sized vizier the Prince faces in The Two Thrones.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Game Essentials Overview: Room for Improvement?
Even when failures don't easily come to mind when thinking of a game as enjoyable as these, there's always room for improvement. Besides the unavoidable slew of occasional bugs and glitches innately found in Twilight Princess and the Prince of Persia games, each have their fundamental design failings.
Twilight Princess alone is hard to find fault with, besides the storyline which is initially similar to its predecessors that may be just as easily redundant as it is familiarly enjoyable to fans of the older Ocarina of Time and other Zelda games.
The limited audio of the game are definitly notable though, since the various charcters throughout Hyrule still appear voiceless as all dialogue and explanations are presented in text form only. The deisngers could easily have employed that capability but for whatever reason chose not to accompany the updated graphics and extended scope of the game with new in-game dialogue and voiceover additions as well. Even the sound capability that Nintendo added to the Wii controller is also a design flaw in my opinion- the sound quality is poor and annoyingly tinny, and while the idea of having Link's yells, sword clashes, and certain sound cues like the melodic opening of a door come from the controllers itself might be good in theory, the actual implementation of it is ultimately distracting and detracts from the immersiveness of the game whenever the player hears half of the key sounds coming from their hands and not echoing from the room around them.
Additionally, the hearing impaired players might run into trouble during the few sections where sound is helpful or even essential to gameplay, for example when Link must follow the music through winding forest paths to find the Master Sword.
The motion-sensitive manual interface of the Wii is another feature with its own cons as well as pros; while the controllers allow more physical involvement and command over the myriad of items and long-range weapons than the Gamecube or N64 consoles could ever offer the Zelda franchise, it might make more sense and make gameplay more fun if the direction of the player's Wiimote motions actually corresponded with Link's swordstrokes.
Turning a critical eye to all three Prince of Persia titles , more flaws are naturally noticeable, perhaps in part because Ubisoft didn't quite have the option of following as popular a tried-and-true blueprint as Twilight Princess had to build off of. The Sands of Time that generated more than a little acclaim in its own right, was named Game of the Year in 2003, and is arguably the best designed title of the trilogy I've examined here, still leaves room for one or two improvements; the character models aren't exactly incredibly high polygon, although the textures and animations used do compensate for their limited realism. Besides that, the visuals are stunning, even by today's standards in my experience. The implicit challenge level of some boss battles could be questioned too, and the limited combat options definitely get repetitive after repeating the same 4 or 5 moves throughout the game.
Warrior Within elicited widespread criticism from many fans of the first game, namely for its sudden directional change and accompanying deviation from the more likeable, innocently arrogant Prince to make way for a darker, tougher, selfishly-motivated warrior. I enjoyed this game as much or more than the first one however, although I did notice a few new features that bothered me. Although the backtracking through previous environments perhaps was intended to be more immersive than the sometimes unnaturally linear gameplay of Sands, it pushed the explicit challenge of navigating the extensive environments with an entirely useless minimap menu to a level that was downright confusing and frustrating at times. The intentionally darker, almost obnoxiously moodier feel of the game overall would likely anger fans if they didn't take it as an entirely different game altogether, but even with such acceptance, the less-than stellar voice acting (Favorite line: "You BITCH!" Or was it "Who do you think you are??" - "I am the Prince of Persia!" No shit, Sherlock. Guess he still doesn't have a name) seemed cheesy and idiotic, a far cry from the charming banter in Sands of Time.
The Two Thrones seeks to combine the best of its two predecessors, returning to the simpler storyline and more linear gameplay of SoT with the visual vengeance and free-form combat system of WW. Its few flaws then, are naturally a decrease in breadth and content from the previous title, as well as more limited explicit and implicit challenges- it sought to replace the puzzles and strategy the first two titles possesed with more action and fighting, although even the exciting chariot races and boss battles seemed a little too easy.
Twilight Princess alone is hard to find fault with, besides the storyline which is initially similar to its predecessors that may be just as easily redundant as it is familiarly enjoyable to fans of the older Ocarina of Time and other Zelda games.
The limited audio of the game are definitly notable though, since the various charcters throughout Hyrule still appear voiceless as all dialogue and explanations are presented in text form only. The deisngers could easily have employed that capability but for whatever reason chose not to accompany the updated graphics and extended scope of the game with new in-game dialogue and voiceover additions as well. Even the sound capability that Nintendo added to the Wii controller is also a design flaw in my opinion- the sound quality is poor and annoyingly tinny, and while the idea of having Link's yells, sword clashes, and certain sound cues like the melodic opening of a door come from the controllers itself might be good in theory, the actual implementation of it is ultimately distracting and detracts from the immersiveness of the game whenever the player hears half of the key sounds coming from their hands and not echoing from the room around them.
Additionally, the hearing impaired players might run into trouble during the few sections where sound is helpful or even essential to gameplay, for example when Link must follow the music through winding forest paths to find the Master Sword.
The motion-sensitive manual interface of the Wii is another feature with its own cons as well as pros; while the controllers allow more physical involvement and command over the myriad of items and long-range weapons than the Gamecube or N64 consoles could ever offer the Zelda franchise, it might make more sense and make gameplay more fun if the direction of the player's Wiimote motions actually corresponded with Link's swordstrokes.
Turning a critical eye to all three Prince of Persia titles , more flaws are naturally noticeable, perhaps in part because Ubisoft didn't quite have the option of following as popular a tried-and-true blueprint as Twilight Princess had to build off of. The Sands of Time that generated more than a little acclaim in its own right, was named Game of the Year in 2003, and is arguably the best designed title of the trilogy I've examined here, still leaves room for one or two improvements; the character models aren't exactly incredibly high polygon, although the textures and animations used do compensate for their limited realism. Besides that, the visuals are stunning, even by today's standards in my experience. The implicit challenge level of some boss battles could be questioned too, and the limited combat options definitely get repetitive after repeating the same 4 or 5 moves throughout the game.
Warrior Within elicited widespread criticism from many fans of the first game, namely for its sudden directional change and accompanying deviation from the more likeable, innocently arrogant Prince to make way for a darker, tougher, selfishly-motivated warrior. I enjoyed this game as much or more than the first one however, although I did notice a few new features that bothered me. Although the backtracking through previous environments perhaps was intended to be more immersive than the sometimes unnaturally linear gameplay of Sands, it pushed the explicit challenge of navigating the extensive environments with an entirely useless minimap menu to a level that was downright confusing and frustrating at times. The intentionally darker, almost obnoxiously moodier feel of the game overall would likely anger fans if they didn't take it as an entirely different game altogether, but even with such acceptance, the less-than stellar voice acting (Favorite line: "You BITCH!" Or was it "Who do you think you are??" - "I am the Prince of Persia!" No shit, Sherlock. Guess he still doesn't have a name) seemed cheesy and idiotic, a far cry from the charming banter in Sands of Time.
The Two Thrones seeks to combine the best of its two predecessors, returning to the simpler storyline and more linear gameplay of SoT with the visual vengeance and free-form combat system of WW. Its few flaws then, are naturally a decrease in breadth and content from the previous title, as well as more limited explicit and implicit challenges- it sought to replace the puzzles and strategy the first two titles possesed with more action and fighting, although even the exciting chariot races and boss battles seemed a little too easy.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Game Essentials Overview: Success?
In review, both Twilight Princess and Prince of Persia games successfully immerse the player in the game world and play experience by effectively implementing rules, challenges, level design, visuals, audio, and an excellent story and cast of characters.
Both games make sure to set enough limiting parameters and guiding rules so that the player isn't totally lost in figuring out what the point of the game is or how to play, while still leaving enough mystery and content for the player to explore on their own so that the player doesn't get bored quickly. Both are sure to clearly define victory conditions, such as defeating an enemy, completing a subquest, unlocking a door to access another level, or even ultimately killing the final baddie responsible for the protagonist's strife. They also make sure the player is aware of loss conditions, such as letting your health run out while fighting minions or evading traps, falling from a ledge, or allowing an enemy to capture or kill an ally.
Various goals are set to guide the player's actions and provide a challenge, including puzzle-solving, combat, exploration, and advancement. Challenges faced in each game are implicit and explicit, that is intentional and immediate or emergent through gameplay itself, which helps create a more interesting and varied play experience. Implicit challenges like defeating different enemies using a series of swordstrokes, acrobatics, and evasion tactics, or having to guide Link or the Prince through deadly traps or a winding dungeon are obviously entertaining in the first place, but having to figure out which passage leads to somewhere I've already been before, deciding which door I need to go through first, or realizing I need to use Link's iron boots to traverse the magnetic deposits on the walls and ceilings of the Goron Mines adds another element of fun and discovery.
The levels of each game seem for the most part to be expertly designed in my experience- I can't recall being bored by any particular part of either game, although I may have gotten frustrated by an especially confusing setting or tricky fight on more than one occasion; levels were geared towards accomplishing the current goal, and usually ideally balanced the time spent completing them with the amount of content found throughout them- I'd spend just about the number of minutes I had patience for completing a task or defeating an enemy, and just about the amount of effort I wanted to expend to find doors, hidden objects, powerups, and other bonuses in the levels before I lost interest. The settings were varied and interactive enough to convince me in the moment that it was real and significantly natural which accentuated the rich story and world of each game. It was up to me whether I wished to race through a series of cleverly integrated ropes, ladders, and platforms, slip past any enemies I didn't need to confront, and breeze through required quests/tasks to finish the level, or whether I wanted to take my time exploring environments, looking for hidden rewards in a cracked wall or treasure chest, talking to non-essential characters, completing subquests, and "playing" with my enemies using attractive but probably unnecessary fighting combos.
The visuals and audio of each game were also superb- The environments blended realistic textures and lighting with a more fantastical layout and ambiance. Although the Twilight Princess graphics were a little more stylized and less realistic than those for the Prince of Persia games, each created the sense that this was a living, breathing realm of its own. Painstaking details in each like the wandering cats and dogs in the streets of Hyrule Castle town or the weapons that can be picked up and used once a weapon rack has been smashed in any of the last two PoP games made each world all the more believable.
The original soundtracks for each added even more to the pleasantly complex gameplay, and there seemed to be realistic sounds for any event imaginable, such as the thud and resounding clanging when Link hits a bucket-headed training dummy with his sword, lights a torch, barks in wolf form at an opponent, or when the Prince cracks open a wall with his sword, pulls a rusty lever, or rolls over smooth flagstones. The voiceovers in the PoP games are decently executed and expressive as well, and help to enrich the story and the general mood of the game as well.
Both series are definitely notable for their memorable characters and compelling storylines, and while each utilized the age-old model of the Hero's Journey Joseph Campbell observed, neither plotline was boring or too cliche. The character development that emerges through the Prince and Farah's entertaining interactions in the SoT is distinctly charming, and the developers did a good job of evolving the Prince's more mature character to fit the changing feel of the following games. Twilight Princess Link is the same, quietly humble farmhand turned fierce and dedicated warrior he's always been, but he's still easy to identify with and sympathize with throughout the story.
Both games make sure to set enough limiting parameters and guiding rules so that the player isn't totally lost in figuring out what the point of the game is or how to play, while still leaving enough mystery and content for the player to explore on their own so that the player doesn't get bored quickly. Both are sure to clearly define victory conditions, such as defeating an enemy, completing a subquest, unlocking a door to access another level, or even ultimately killing the final baddie responsible for the protagonist's strife. They also make sure the player is aware of loss conditions, such as letting your health run out while fighting minions or evading traps, falling from a ledge, or allowing an enemy to capture or kill an ally.
Various goals are set to guide the player's actions and provide a challenge, including puzzle-solving, combat, exploration, and advancement. Challenges faced in each game are implicit and explicit, that is intentional and immediate or emergent through gameplay itself, which helps create a more interesting and varied play experience. Implicit challenges like defeating different enemies using a series of swordstrokes, acrobatics, and evasion tactics, or having to guide Link or the Prince through deadly traps or a winding dungeon are obviously entertaining in the first place, but having to figure out which passage leads to somewhere I've already been before, deciding which door I need to go through first, or realizing I need to use Link's iron boots to traverse the magnetic deposits on the walls and ceilings of the Goron Mines adds another element of fun and discovery.
The levels of each game seem for the most part to be expertly designed in my experience- I can't recall being bored by any particular part of either game, although I may have gotten frustrated by an especially confusing setting or tricky fight on more than one occasion; levels were geared towards accomplishing the current goal, and usually ideally balanced the time spent completing them with the amount of content found throughout them- I'd spend just about the number of minutes I had patience for completing a task or defeating an enemy, and just about the amount of effort I wanted to expend to find doors, hidden objects, powerups, and other bonuses in the levels before I lost interest. The settings were varied and interactive enough to convince me in the moment that it was real and significantly natural which accentuated the rich story and world of each game. It was up to me whether I wished to race through a series of cleverly integrated ropes, ladders, and platforms, slip past any enemies I didn't need to confront, and breeze through required quests/tasks to finish the level, or whether I wanted to take my time exploring environments, looking for hidden rewards in a cracked wall or treasure chest, talking to non-essential characters, completing subquests, and "playing" with my enemies using attractive but probably unnecessary fighting combos.
The visuals and audio of each game were also superb- The environments blended realistic textures and lighting with a more fantastical layout and ambiance. Although the Twilight Princess graphics were a little more stylized and less realistic than those for the Prince of Persia games, each created the sense that this was a living, breathing realm of its own. Painstaking details in each like the wandering cats and dogs in the streets of Hyrule Castle town or the weapons that can be picked up and used once a weapon rack has been smashed in any of the last two PoP games made each world all the more believable.
The original soundtracks for each added even more to the pleasantly complex gameplay, and there seemed to be realistic sounds for any event imaginable, such as the thud and resounding clanging when Link hits a bucket-headed training dummy with his sword, lights a torch, barks in wolf form at an opponent, or when the Prince cracks open a wall with his sword, pulls a rusty lever, or rolls over smooth flagstones. The voiceovers in the PoP games are decently executed and expressive as well, and help to enrich the story and the general mood of the game as well.
Both series are definitely notable for their memorable characters and compelling storylines, and while each utilized the age-old model of the Hero's Journey Joseph Campbell observed, neither plotline was boring or too cliche. The character development that emerges through the Prince and Farah's entertaining interactions in the SoT is distinctly charming, and the developers did a good job of evolving the Prince's more mature character to fit the changing feel of the following games. Twilight Princess Link is the same, quietly humble farmhand turned fierce and dedicated warrior he's always been, but he's still easy to identify with and sympathize with throughout the story.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Game Essentials: Audio
A key factor in fully immersing the player in a game is including appropriate audio. Music will help enhance the playing experience, while background noise and sound effects provide ambiance and believability. Audio can also provide feedback and cues to the player.
The audio in Twilight Princess and Prince of Persia is just as rich and layered as the graphics and gameplay themselves; the inclusion of background sounds such as the distant rush of running water or tranquil birdcalls in Link's Ordon Village, or the echoing howl of wind and dripping water heard as the Prince navigates an underground cavern makes each world more realistic, and help to set the scene.
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Event-based sounds offer feedback to actions the player takes, or may provide audio cues. Walking over grass or stone in Twilight Princess will elicit squishing, crunching, or hollow tapping sounds, adding another dimension of realism to the visual environment. Link's signature "Heeyah!" yells and grunts when fighting, lifting rocks, or rolling add character, while the "thunk" or clanging sounds heard when he hits a tree or rock with his sword breathe life into the game world whenever the player reacts with it.
The Prince's fierce Warrior Within roars and injured grunts he makes when struck again enhance the character himself, while metallic weapon clashes, scraping sounds whenever he kicks up a fallen enemy's weapon to use as a secondary one, familiar pattering as he runs across walls, or the deep, resounding sound made by rolling over a metal prison grate all enrich the gameplay experience.
Sound effects like the hum of Sand clouds in SoT, the intimidating roaring and zooming sounds as sand creatures materialize and teleport, the whirring and slicing of deadly boobytraps, the pulse as you enter sneak attack mode in TT, or Farah's "Look out! Behind you!" warnings can help to cue the player to move or attack at the right time.
Similarly, the sound of Midna's impish laughing indicates you've reached somewhere she can teleport you to when platforming, the tinny giggling whenever a poe appears, or the ticking sound whenever a timed switch in a dungeon has been activated let the player know it's time to take action.
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Voiceovers provide spoken in-game dialogue or narration, which can add depth to characters and plotline to further shape the mood or environment of a game. Although Twilight Princess includes no voice acting past the occasional grunts, croons, or laughs of various characters and textual dialogue, The Prince of Persia trilogy makes expert use of voiceovers, including decent voice acting to help flesh out each model, as well as incorporating spoken narration to tell the story itself.
Sands of Time in particular opens like a storybook movie, combining cinematic cutscenes with the Prince himself introducing the story and providing exposition. Even when the player is given full control of the action, they are still treated to hearing the Prince's private thoughts and spoken monologues from time to time as they platform. Through these voiceovers, the Prince reveals his guilt and remorse for his actions, as well as his initial annoyance turned affection for Farah, his royal companion (" 'I'll meet you at the baaaths'- She orders me around as if I were a servant!"). Another amusing addition is how the Prince asks "Shall I continue?" when you are promted to save during a pause screen, or even corrects you at the continue screen after you die, saying "No, that's not how it happened," or "She didn't die, I saved her!". The Prince proceeds to narrate his continuing tale in Warrior Within through beautiful cutscenes and flashbacks, furthering the player's sense of his personality as he taunts and banters with enemies he's fighting. The Two Thrones is narrated strangely enough from the point of view of the deceased Kaileena, although the Prince cuts in from time to time to fight verbally with his darker counterpart, the Dark Prince.
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The soundtrack helps set the mood of a videogame and can consist of either a song soundtrack of pre-existing songs that have been licensed from copyright holders for use in the game, or an original score, instrumental music written specifically for the game. Twilight Princess and Prince of Persia are set to an imaginative set of original music, soundtracks I found so enjoyable and evocative I actually had to own them.
Twilight Princess repeats some of the classic Zelda themes like the lively and heroic music that swells during the title screen or whenever Link enters Hyrule field, as well as new tunes for specific stages and settings. All three PoP scores create a decidedly authentic flavor, incorporating archaic chanting, eastern-sounding percussion, and string instrumentals that sound like an oud or sitar with more modern musical touches like synthesized undercurrents to add a fantastical element. Warrior Within in particular unleashes a darker, tougher sound to compliment the game's brutal, bloodier combat with grungy guitar riffs and deep bass chords while still retaining the exotic sound found in the previous and following titles.
Both scores also incorporate adaptive music, which changes to conform to a player's actions throughout the game. For example, the current soundtrack might morph into a more ominous one whenever enemies appear, or special, ambient music whenever a secret cavern or mystical portal is entered.
The audio in Twilight Princess and Prince of Persia is just as rich and layered as the graphics and gameplay themselves; the inclusion of background sounds such as the distant rush of running water or tranquil birdcalls in Link's Ordon Village, or the echoing howl of wind and dripping water heard as the Prince navigates an underground cavern makes each world more realistic, and help to set the scene.
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Event-based sounds offer feedback to actions the player takes, or may provide audio cues. Walking over grass or stone in Twilight Princess will elicit squishing, crunching, or hollow tapping sounds, adding another dimension of realism to the visual environment. Link's signature "Heeyah!" yells and grunts when fighting, lifting rocks, or rolling add character, while the "thunk" or clanging sounds heard when he hits a tree or rock with his sword breathe life into the game world whenever the player reacts with it.
The Prince's fierce Warrior Within roars and injured grunts he makes when struck again enhance the character himself, while metallic weapon clashes, scraping sounds whenever he kicks up a fallen enemy's weapon to use as a secondary one, familiar pattering as he runs across walls, or the deep, resounding sound made by rolling over a metal prison grate all enrich the gameplay experience.
Sound effects like the hum of Sand clouds in SoT, the intimidating roaring and zooming sounds as sand creatures materialize and teleport, the whirring and slicing of deadly boobytraps, the pulse as you enter sneak attack mode in TT, or Farah's "Look out! Behind you!" warnings can help to cue the player to move or attack at the right time.
Similarly, the sound of Midna's impish laughing indicates you've reached somewhere she can teleport you to when platforming, the tinny giggling whenever a poe appears, or the ticking sound whenever a timed switch in a dungeon has been activated let the player know it's time to take action.
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Voiceovers provide spoken in-game dialogue or narration, which can add depth to characters and plotline to further shape the mood or environment of a game. Although Twilight Princess includes no voice acting past the occasional grunts, croons, or laughs of various characters and textual dialogue, The Prince of Persia trilogy makes expert use of voiceovers, including decent voice acting to help flesh out each model, as well as incorporating spoken narration to tell the story itself.
Sands of Time in particular opens like a storybook movie, combining cinematic cutscenes with the Prince himself introducing the story and providing exposition. Even when the player is given full control of the action, they are still treated to hearing the Prince's private thoughts and spoken monologues from time to time as they platform. Through these voiceovers, the Prince reveals his guilt and remorse for his actions, as well as his initial annoyance turned affection for Farah, his royal companion (" 'I'll meet you at the baaaths'- She orders me around as if I were a servant!"). Another amusing addition is how the Prince asks "Shall I continue?" when you are promted to save during a pause screen, or even corrects you at the continue screen after you die, saying "No, that's not how it happened," or "She didn't die, I saved her!". The Prince proceeds to narrate his continuing tale in Warrior Within through beautiful cutscenes and flashbacks, furthering the player's sense of his personality as he taunts and banters with enemies he's fighting. The Two Thrones is narrated strangely enough from the point of view of the deceased Kaileena, although the Prince cuts in from time to time to fight verbally with his darker counterpart, the Dark Prince.
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The soundtrack helps set the mood of a videogame and can consist of either a song soundtrack of pre-existing songs that have been licensed from copyright holders for use in the game, or an original score, instrumental music written specifically for the game. Twilight Princess and Prince of Persia are set to an imaginative set of original music, soundtracks I found so enjoyable and evocative I actually had to own them.
Twilight Princess repeats some of the classic Zelda themes like the lively and heroic music that swells during the title screen or whenever Link enters Hyrule field, as well as new tunes for specific stages and settings. All three PoP scores create a decidedly authentic flavor, incorporating archaic chanting, eastern-sounding percussion, and string instrumentals that sound like an oud or sitar with more modern musical touches like synthesized undercurrents to add a fantastical element. Warrior Within in particular unleashes a darker, tougher sound to compliment the game's brutal, bloodier combat with grungy guitar riffs and deep bass chords while still retaining the exotic sound found in the previous and following titles.
Both scores also incorporate adaptive music, which changes to conform to a player's actions throughout the game. For example, the current soundtrack might morph into a more ominous one whenever enemies appear, or special, ambient music whenever a secret cavern or mystical portal is entered.
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