General gaming

General gaming

PAX: How Firaxis is Upholding the X-Com Legacy

Posted: 08 Apr 2012 05:32 AM PDT

You've already read our thoughts on X-Com: Enemy Unknown, Firaxis' "reimagining" of the classic strategy game X-Com: U.F.O. Defense. After checking out the demo for myself at PAX East, I spoke briefly to producer Garth DeAngelis about the developers' approach to recreating one of PC gaming's all-time greatest games.

PAX: Mark of the Ninja Proves Stealth Can Work in Two Dimensions

Posted: 08 Apr 2012 05:31 AM PDT

PAX East is absolutely crammed to the brim with excellent games. Honestly, the big-name titles at the major publishers' booths -- good as they are -- are considerably less interesting than the smaller titles that dominate the show floor (in numbers, if not in real estate). Some of the AAA titles look great, but they're not the show-stealers that all the quirky, inventive downloadable games lining the side of the expo floor are. Anyone who laments the loss of originality and craftsmanship in modern gaming clearly hasn't been paying attention and needs to spend a few hours strolling through booths at PAX. For anyone who loves diversity and creativity in games, this weekend is downright heartwarming.

PAX: Super T.I.M.E. Force Demonstrates the Chaotic Potential of Elegance

Posted: 07 Apr 2012 02:41 PM PDT

Not only was 1998 gaming's greatest year, it was also the year I learned to appreciate the value of simple, elegant game design. That year I played Banjo-Kazooie and Klonoa -- two platform games starring cute animal heroes who spoke in bizarre fever-dream babble -- in quick succession, and I found the latter much more appealing. Banjo isn't a bad game, but its control scheme felt too complicated and the general design of the game seemed padded and overlong. Klonoa's creators, on the other hand, were content to limit controls to two simple buttons -- jump and grab/throw -- and build increasingly intricate challenges by employing the hero's stripped-down abilities in new and interesting ways. Complex games have their place, to be sure, but there's something wonderful about a game that can lay down a few simple rules and find new and interesting ways to put the player through their paces.

Posted by Shri Krishna

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