Dynamic Music Evolved January 30, 2009
Posted by shoinan in Design, Theory & Play Habits.Tags: geometry wars: retro evolved 2, video games
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Over time, the relationship between gameplay and music has been refined and advanced. It’s an old dynamic; Super Mario Bros. and Bubble Bobble both featured music that sped up when the timer began to near zero, increasing the pressure to complete the level in time. Developers know that making video game music is not restricted to composing roaring symphonies and catchy beats; dynamic music can reflect on in-game events, adapt to them and amplify them through this adaption. The soundtrack to twin stick shooter Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 performs this powerful role exceptionally.
Drake, The Icon January 25, 2009
Posted by shoinan in Character Discussion.Tags: uncharted 2: among theives, video games
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Despite last year’s exact same prophecy crashing and burning, the oracles are at it again, proclaiming that this year will be the PlayStation 3’s. Not that I know any more than they, but I suspect otherwise given the PS3’s steep price point in our current economic climate. What I’ll concede is that Sony have once again amassed an immense arsenal of great-looking games to launch their assault on 2009 with. One of these armaments is Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, the sequel to one of the PS3’s highest-rated exclusive titles. This month’s edition of British magazine gamesTM included a meaty preview for it, showing off screenshots displaying the staggering detail of the harsh scenery that will be found in one of the series’ new destinations, the devastated war-torn country of Nepal. Looking at these images gave me little to doubt that Uncharted 2 will be a big plus for the PS3 this year. However, what got me thinking was a seemingly innocuous tail to a paragraph focusing on the game’s returning protagonist:
If everything comes together just right, Nathan Drake could very well be heading into the upper echelons of videogame character fame
Should’ve Been Heavenly January 23, 2009
Posted by shoinan in Character Discussion, Game Criticism.Tags: heavenly sword, video games
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With Q4’s onslaught of top billing games that I’ve yet to play, I’m glad Boomerang decided to finally send me Heavenly Sword, a PS3 title from September 2007; at least it lived up to its sender’s name. At just eight hours total gameplay, it returned as quickly as it arrived. The game’s minimal length has seen it docked marks in quite a few reviews. Is that fair? I think a video game can be more of a sojourn than a journey, as long as the trip remains enjoyable. In this case, however, the reviews are right. Heavenly Sword suffers for its abridgement in quite a few ways.
The Gender Of Character Creation January 16, 2009
Posted by shoinan in Character Discussion.Tags: fallout 3, video games, world of warcraft
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I’m still cheerfully treading through Better Game Characters by Design: A Psychological Approach. I’m enjoying relating Katherine Isbister’s book to games I’ve recently played. For example, I’ve already connected her discussion on first impressions of game characters to Left 4 Dead’s survivors. The concept of communicating the four universal emotions through characters’ facial movements (and implanting these emotions on players through this) immediately stirred thoughts of LittleBigPlanet’s marvellously lively Sackboy. However, when she considered how non-player characters (NPCs) react differently to male and female player characters, I found myself wondering if this was an area that video games had properly explored.
96 Not Out January 14, 2009
Posted by shoinan in Self-Analysis.Tags: blogging, cranky gamers uk, thegamereviews, video games
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It looks like the lads at Cranky Gamers UK are going to broadcast the TGR interview in segments across the next three podcasts. Therefore I think I’ll just post a link to their site and point you in the general direction of episodes 56 (now up), 57 and 58 if you want to hear the full interview, or if you just want to tune in to a really good podcast by the by!
So it’s a fitting introduction to this, a candid progress report, for me to humbly admit that the podcasting bug has bitten me – and hard. I spent over an hour yesterday recording some inane waffle to see how it would sound. I tried to do it until I was happy that I didn’t come across like a total gimboid. Eventually I had to compromise and accept that I didn’t sound like a total gimboid.
ShoNTell #11: Open Your Eyes January 12, 2009
Posted by shoinan in ShoNTell, YHL! Feature.Tags: left 4 dead, metroid, video games
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A brief but beautiful ShoNTell this week because I’ve got tons of stuff that needs to be done. It definitely has nothing to do with the new season of 24 starting in just under half an hour. However, on a completely unrelated note, this blog will be taking a temporary break for 24 weeks. Please send all your complaints to Sky One and Jack Bauer.
Good Grief, Bob January 11, 2009
Posted by shoinan in A Little Bit Silly.Tags: bob's game, video games
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(Author’s note: don’t take this post too seriously)
By now you’ve probably heard about Bob Pelloni’s unreservedly stupid protest against Nintendo for not giving him the DS development kit required to push his game into retail, but if not click here to fill in the gaps. Bob had been posting daily updates of his ‘100 DAY TENSAI SIT DOWN PROTEST’ on to the bob’s game website, but after nearly thirty days Bob decided to call it quits. You’d think after spending five years working on a game alone that he’d be able to see a meagre further hundred days through, but poor Bob couldn’t hack it, claiming that he was losing his mind trapped inside his room. A lot of people would agree given that Bob’s updates became increasingly desperate and worrying as the days wore on. Was Bob going insane? I don’t think so. I reckon Bob was just going through the classic five DABDA stages of grief.
Content With Left 4 Dead January 10, 2009
Posted by shoinan in Game Criticism.Tags: left 4 dead, video games
3 comments
Left 4 Dead is a breath of fresh air for the often torpid FPS genre. Its emphasis on true teamwork, unpredictable tension and magnificent do or die finales make it the interactive zombie carnage I’ve been yearning for ever since I watched 28 Days Later. L4D has received the plaudits it deserves, and yet there are some mild dissenters claiming that a lack of content holds it back from glory.
You Have Lost! is a blog about video games written by me, Sinan 'shoinan' Kubba. I'm the editorial and features director at TheGameReviews and I also host the Big Red Potion podcast. As you can see, I'm also a pirate but not of games (ha). E-mail: shoinan AT gmail DOT com. Screename: shoinan [PSN, XBLA, Steam & Twitter]. Your comments and feedback are always welcome. Please subscribe to my satiating feed by clicking 
