FTL recently won the GDC Audience Award and Excellence in Design. Both awards are very well deserved and FTL is the game I am playing right now. Each one of my games lasts an hour or less. I have made it about 75% of the way to the end on Easy and am currently refining my strategy to go further but I heard there is a boss battle at the end that I am kind of nervous about. Ill have a party when I beat this one.

Gamasutra recently posted an Interview with the FTL devs about the games design.

“We started with a very vague idea for a concept and used that as a guiding light for the entire project,” said Davis. “By having one singular focus we were able to abandon everything else that didn’t fit in line with that vision.”

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/189353/Designing_without_a_pitch__An_FTL_postmortem.php

Blizzard recently celebrated the 15 year anniversary of Starcraft. And in other news, I feel very old.

"Following its release on March 31, 1998, StarCraft warped millions of us through time and space to the 25th century, where we explored the unruly Koprulu Sector for the first time. We built armies and brought ruin to countless enemy bases as we helped the terrans, protoss, and zerg wage war against each other. The release of StarCraft: Brood War just nine months later saw the Queen of Blades become one of the most iconic villains of all time, and the popularization of professional StarCraft competition in South Korea....

Blizzards post gives a good brief of Starcraft and its history up to the modern era. They are also handing out special classic Starcraft BattleNet portraits if you...

"Play one game of StarCraft II in any online mode before 11:59 p.m. PDT on April 17"

Ill be nabbing those portraits over the next few days as I raise my glass to 15 years of Zerg rushing. 15 years.... doesn't feel that long.

http://us.battle.net/sc2/en/blog/9369230

I need to take a break from playing amazing EA games to talk about the crown jewel in its chalice of badassery, the Battlefield series. Battlefield is the best franchise of all time and EA is the best company in the industry to bring us this series of games. We totally need to all slam a Pepsi™ as the ensuing bro-dom sugar rush as I take us back to look at this franchise.

You’d better put on them headphones, because I am going to RAWK you EAStyle™!

The first Battlefield game was 2002’s Battlefield 1942. This game was solely unique in that it offered all us dude-bros a way to live our shared dreams of fighting in World War 2. No game to that point brought us gamers the ability to run and gun in the setting of WW2 and was seen by many as a essential evolution of the genre.

Battlefield 1942: Road to Rome dialed things up considerably by launching on less platforms, contained less guns and less maps. EA was really taking things to the next level and I laud them for the design and approach they took to this game.

EA consulted with Zeus and Thor to bring us the next installment Battlefield 1942: Secret Weapons of WWII. Some people thought this game was too expensive and brought little to the table. History will judge this game as a liberation of features and an expanse of cost!

Battlefield Vietnam changed the Battlefield landscape by doing something radical. They changed the locations you fought in! This gaming advancement was felt throughout the universe and in one offshoot timeline, blew up the planet Vulcan before Nero. Utilizing such powerful technology as 3D and Music, Battlefield Vietnam plunged us into deep combat never before seen in a shooter to date. Plus it added new skins to guns that previously didn’t use them.

After so many home runs EA decided to progress the Battlefield franchise by gifting the world with Battlefield 2. Providing more value by shipping on only one platform, EA realized to meet the demand of a modern audience they needed to up the ante by allowing people the ability to shoot guns from our modern time. Battlefield 2 also incorporated many more polygons in each model allowing all players the ability to buy faster computers.

Battlefield 2: Special Forces tore the video game industry to pieces when it shipped in 2005. I can’t write enough about how absolutely epic-tastic this game truly is. I used to own Shakespeare but after I played this game I destroyed my copies of this work because it makes King Lear look like horse shit. The writing alone propels this game to the largest heights of human creativity.

Battlefield 2: Modern Combat was awarded the Nobel Peace prize for its attempt to solve the conflict in the Middle East as seen through its epic narrative. After its release, Battlefield 2 went on to start a charity organization to help Earthquake victims in third world countries. Plus it added a new feature to the franchise, shooting people with guns who are on the other side of a battle.

Battlefield 2: Euro Force saw the series take a sharp turn in that it was an economic policy simulator. In Euro Force you took control of the Eurozone Bank as you attempt to sway all the remaining countries in Europe to adopt the Euro. Utilizing such tactics as more modern fiscal arguments, trade imbalance regulations and shooting people in the face, Euro Force was a really interesting take on the franchise. Largely considered one of the most influential treatises of modern Economic policy, Euro Force was a radical departure from the Battlefield forumla.

Battlefield 2: Armored Fury won IGF’s Best Video Game Award in 2006. Some people only viewed this release as only adding a few maps and vehicles to Battlefield 2. Whereas that might be factually true, what I find more interesting is what this game didn’t ship with. In Jazz, less is more and in keeping with that spirit, Armored Fury is one of the biggest expansions to the Battlefield series to date.

Battlefield 2142 answered the question that Battlefield fans had been wondering for years. “What would happen if they added 200 to 1942?” The Battlefield franchise had innovated so much by bringing us the combat of the past as well as modern combat to fans so the next logical step was to tackle the future. Unlike Battlefield games of the past, 2142 saw players shooting at each other with guns on land, flying planes shooting guns and driving things to shoot guns. Innovating even further these guns required ammunition and reloading, a huge leap in advancement to come in the upcoming 200 years of human combat.

Battlefield 2142: Northern Strike took the series focus to Europe, an area previously left untouched by the Battlefield franchise. EA, daring to never return to the success of its past really floored the gaming industry by showcasing future combat in Europe.

Battlefield: Bad Company took the franchise in an entirely new direction and focused on a human dinner protocol simulator. Bad Company allowed you to play the host of a dinner where you had to outline the flow and pacing of the unfolding event. EA offered players a challenging set of guests all related to the theme of “Bad Company.” One set of guests as seen in the Protagonists parents saw the conversation turn to uncomfortable territory such as “you will never amount to anything” and “why don’t we have grandkids yet?” Other Bad Company missions saw the protagonist navigating such awkward situations as serving steak for your very vocal vegan friends, accidentally mentioning politics around strong political activists and people that eat like pigs.

For many years Battlefield players complained that they could only pay for a game once. EA heard this complaint and attempted to sway fans with Battlefield Heroes. Battlefield Heroes solves the painful problem of not being able to give video game companies enough money by incorporating a Microtransaction model and a Free to Play atmosphere. No longer burdened by the shackles of paying for things once, Battlefield Heroes is one of the most beloved games in the franchise.

Battlefield 1943. If I have to spend time talking about how epic this game was, then Hitler will be magically resurrected as a Unicorn hell bent on destroying Eurasia.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 built on the human dining protocol simulation that the original Bad Company built and took it to the next level. Adding amazing features such as more guests and dialog options, Bad Company 2 really pushed the genre forward. The game is also noteworthy because it also featured vocal work by Dom Deluise.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam really showcased EA’s subtle attention to detail. As the development team enhanced the dining protocol simulation’s core rendering pipline a new outer meshing 3D polygon count block wave vertical flux particle enhancement was made to its spatial transformation protocol rendering. This radical transformation allowed the games artists to simulate clothing at a level unseen by most modern games. Polyester and cotton never looked so real and as such EA won a IGF technical excellence in artistry award for making clothing look “Even more realer than the real looking shit in the last game.”

The Battlefield franchise had made so much progress to advance video games as art that EA decided to take an entirely new direction. Hiring young children and partially illiterate marketers EA employed its short lived “lets start naming games like children and illiterate marketers” initiative. Battlefield Play4Free was the result of that initiative and as such the game became an instant hit with the very young and incompetent.

Battlefield 3 was largely considered by all gamers to be EA’s shining work in multi-player innovation and creativity. Long time video gamers had been complaining for years that online multi-player was way too free and as such implemented an online pass for its console versions. Since most players also despise purchasing used games this allowed EA the ability to give players the ability to purchase a new online code when they made the mistake of buying a used copy of Battlefield 3. “We are unleashing our most valued customers from the tyranny of the used games market. This public service in our online pass we sell to enable multi-player is our way of hugging our customers into doing the right thing.”

Battlefield 3: Back to Karkand might have technically been DLC that just recycled old Battlefield maps and just added some new gun and vehicle reskins but thats only scratches the surface. The development team was experimenting with a new feature that would, according to some leaked memos “Allow the customer to question why they would spend $15 on this stupid bullshit and instead do something creative.” The feature was very controversial as it enabled free thinking and was later stricken in favor of the shipped feature that impressed upon users “Oh whatever, i'll just buy this as its only $15 and I wasn’t doing anything anyway.”

Battlefield 3: Close Quarters saw the inclusion of EA’s new Crosshair 4,000 technology. Never before had players experienced pointing guns at people with as much visual detail and clarity.

Battlefield 3: Armored Kill was the first Battlefield game to feature in game players with armor that you had to kill. Also allowing the player to ride in armored tanks and planes, this advancement of the genre actually informed the United States military in its most recent combat operations.

Battlefield 4 is the next installment in the mind bendingly diverse Battlefield series. Boasting such features as next gen console support, Battlefield 4 will be the set the new standard for video game excellence. Pushing the envelope, EA now supports the HD graphics of the Playstation 4 and PC. “Shooting the other team has never looked better” reported IGN in a recent hands on with the Battlefield 4 Alpha. Battlefield 4 will push the genre forward by allowing online multiplayer, matchmaking and the ability to switch between a few guns. I am really looking forward to this game as it will be a modern masterpiece!

This was posted April 1st, 2013

Recently at a GDC Panel, former Diablo III lead designer Jay Wilson spoke a bit on his thoughts on the auction house. He believes the auction houses really hurt the game and they are looking into ways to address this in the future.

http://www.pcgamer.com/2013/03/29/diablo-3-auction-house-jay-wilson/

YouTube is entering the game video streaming space currently occupied by Twitch.tv. They cite the popularity of certain game videos and the massive ascent in game videos as entertainment.

http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/28/4157298/youtube-announces-new-live-streaming-video-platform-for-game-developers

Looks like the Ouya will see its retail launch June 4th. With a initial cost of $99 I could see myself picking one of these up, will you?

http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/28/ouya-launches-at-retail-june-4-for-99/

The Free Bundle hits its 5th release including: Super Smash Land, Burn & Turn, The Witch's House, Alter Ego and The Battle For Wesnoth. With all the free to play games and the free bundle yet again proves you need not spend a dime to have fun on your PC.

http://www.thefreebundle.com/

The other day I was playing a game with four complete strangers. One of the players came into the game boasting that he was very good and simplicities sake lets call him “Boastmaster.” Its also worth mentioning that it was known that most of the people playing the game hadn’t played before, myself included. As the game moved forward Boastmaster was moving closer to last place. From the halfway point of the game onward, Boastmaster started getting really upset about that. He commented a few times about so angry and flipping the table and as the game game to the end, threw a few chips down and stormed off only to come back and finish his turn. At the end of the game Boastmaster came in last place and wasn’t too happy.

Boastmaster said “I just want you all to know I will never get that time back!” I wasn’t sure what to say about that and just listened. Boastmaster left muttering to himself about his lost time and the rest of the people around the table gave a sheepish smile and talked about the game a bit. I joked that I had a lot of fun and as such, “would never get that time back.” People laughed and I put Boastmaster on my list of people to never play games with.

When I was at University I had a friend who was really good at Counter Strike. He was also good at a Half-Life mod where you played as a Vampire or Vampire Hunter. He showed me his game ability one time and ripped through everyone. Really, he just destroyed them and it was awesome to watch. As he did this people typed “haxx” and other less savory things. Thing is, he wasn’t a hacker or things less savory, he was just really great at the game.

As I continue my journey as a gamer I realize there is a fine line that separates awesome people from people that are lacking. And one such thing is your ability to lose. I get it, I totally love winning too. But how awesome is it to play with someone that can’t lose well? Its really not.

And I mean just that, we should lose well. When I lose, I congratulate the winning parties. Why? Because when I win I don’t want someone fussing about it. Fussing over a win breeds an air of illegitimacy to the win that doesn’t need to exist.

If its really important to you that you win at a game take that negative energy and focus it on practice and improve. Because you can’t argue your way to first place, all you can do is just win your way there. But if you can’t be the best then just be awesome and lose well.

I picked up the Skyrim 4CD score from a music site and a month later I hadn't received it. I emailed them and they let me know they were refilling their stock and would ship it out as soon as it could. To tide me over for the time I didn't have the album they allowed me a digital download of the album and a bonus of the Guild Wars 2 score. I haven't played Guild Wars 2 yet and as such, wasn't familiar with the score. As I loaded it up in iTunes I noticed that the Guild Wars 2 and Skyrim score were both written by Jeremy Soule. Pleasantly surprised, I have been listening to it over the last few days.

As I listened to the first few tracks I started becoming more aware of Jeremy Soule's style and started thinking back to Dungeon Siege. The Guild Wars 2 score seemed somewhat reminiscent of that and I did a bit more searching on Soule and as it turns out, he did indeed compose the Dungeon Siege score. Dungeon Siege is a game that is on my list of old classics that is amazing in the tone it conveys. The score is superb and the graphics and style allow you to feel immersed in the game.

Soule is a fairly prolific composer as he has worked on many games spanning his career some of them being The Secret of Evermore, Total Annihilation, Icewind Dale, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, Dungeon Siege, Morrowind, Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Unreal II, Dungeon Siege: Legends of Aranna, Guild Wars Prophecies, Dungeon Siege II, Company of Heroes, Oblivion, Prey, All the Guild Wars Expansions, Skyrim, Guild Wars 2 and World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandera.

I have some of the games listed above and am trying to figure out how I can obtain the individual scores for them. The Dungeon Siege and Neverwinter Nights score stick out to me as ones I particularly want to obtain. I played those games so much that I believe I have all the music forever burned into my brain. Being able to come back to it whenever I want particularly appeals to me.

Soule is Kickstarting his next project "The Northerner: Soule Symphony No. 1" and I have linked to it above. This is a interesting project as it is not tied to a video game like much of his work. As a fan of Soule's work I am going to back this project and think its pretty cool that the starting backing option is a physical copy of the album.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/499808045/from-the-composer-of-skyrim-soule-symphony-no-1

Capybara Games upcoming game "Super Time Force" looks rad-tacular. Pulling many elements from sugary cereal, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, GI Joe, Contra, Metal Slug and no-death-time-rewindy-amazing puts Super Time Force in "game-citement list in 2013." And it also has one of the most epically funny game videos I've seen in quite some time.

Clipped from the Capy site:

"THE PROBLEM: EVERYTHING’S GONE TO SHIT!

THE MISSION: FIX IT!

THE GOAL: MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE FOR YOU AND ME + ALIENS!"

I can respect the "EVERYTHING'S GONE TO SHIT SO FIX IT" premise. I also respect the games about section being in all caps. Capy is showing this at PAX East and you are in the neighborhood, you should check it out and report back.

Capybara Games are the amazing folk that brought us such hits as Sword & Sworcery and Corporeal.

http://www.capybaragames.com/super-t-i-m-e-force/

For you continued reading pleasure, checkout a recently Joystiq interview with Capybara Games prez. Nathan Vella on the companies philosophy about arriving at great.

http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/27/capys-catchphrase-its-getting-there

Anodyne is one of the most compelling games I've played in quite some time. Every time I mull over what game to play next, Anodyne lulls me back. Its a very uniquely paced game and as such mixes in some really surprising elements. For instance, Anodyne contains some very cool art for certain levels that really does harken back to an older Super Nintendo era. Each dungeon has a hook to it, like the old Zelda dungeons from Link to the Past onward. For instance, in one dungeon you must master a series of jump puzzles that gets a bit fiddly, but once you learn the ropes it isn't too bad.

Anodyne has a story that may be hard to follow but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate it. Sometimes the game dialog and story go a particular direction and then in another beat some joke changes the flow which can be a bit odd. In a way, I appreciate how disjointed Anodyne is and if you are expecting it to hand you the narrative simply, this isn't your jam. I believe that games and life even is a journey which can incorporate multiple elements in story, art, music and overall feel of how it mixes together. The fact that Anodyne has a less accessible story doesn't bother me as I am really drawn into the journey of the game more than yet another retelling of Star Wars or The Iliad.

After a few play sessions I would say I am about 70% through the game and am looking forward to completing it. Anodyne is one of those games that has fantastic art and these are a few shots I took of it:

http://i.imgur.com/FUsCyh7.png
http://i.imgur.com/uIzpWsD.png
http://i.imgur.com/Ci6Ldkz.png
http://i.imgur.com/IwKgsX4.png

Dungeon Defenders 2 pre-alpha footage was released and is embedded above. Fun to see early builds of games, I wonder how well this will stack up to the final release?

An awesome gamer is porting Doom to Half-Life 2's Garry's Mod. Yes, you heard right a mod is getting modded, now if I could mod the doom mod on the mod...

http://www.pcgamer.com/2013/03/19/garrys-mod-doom/

Blizzard likes to release bits of the Starcraft and Diablo universe in the form of short stories and art. They just dropped the latest short story "Just an Overlord" for you to read on BattleNet as well a free PDF download.

http://us.battle.net/sc2/en/game/lore/short-stories/just-an-overlord/1

"Set out on a grand adventure in this turn-based retro style pixel-art RPG, inspired by the great titles of the 90's, where players take on the roles of in-game players taking on the roles of their characters in a traditional pen and paper RPG session.

Players are able to control both the playing characters AND the dungeon master, and they choose which battles to fight. Put together a bunch of monsters to make for a challenging fight, your efforts will be equally rewarded!"

Knights of Pen and Paper looks really interesting. It boasts launch support on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS which is pretty awesome. Having someone play AS the Dungeon Master that facilitates the game sounds very cool. I would be very interested in getting people together to play this online after it drops if its fun.

http://www.paradoxplaza.com/games/knights-of-pen-and-paper-1-edition