A long time gone, it seems.

So, clearly, I have neglected my blog for about a month. Well, almost exactly a month. Truth is, we moved back to Michigan and I got back into the habit of things so overtime the blog was one of the things I put on the backburner. Luckily, personal life is getting a bit more calm now, so I am going to try to start writing once again – still trying for a Monday, Wednesday and Friday schedule. Remember though, this is all unofficial.

What I can say though, is that my gaming has continued – I’ve been playing Rock Band 2, a ton of Resistance 2 and I’m really starting to get into Little big Planet. So much, that I am planning on releasing my first new level sometimes next week. I have wittingly called it, “First!” in hopes that all the people who play will be merciful on my pathetic first attempt. Little Big Planet level creation is much like Flash. It’s hard as hell to grasp, but once you get the bare essentials, you can scream through it. And I’d say I’m about 40% into it knowledge-wise. The hardest part is seamlessly doing “land-layout” for the levels without it looking bad.

In terms of Resistance 2, I’ve been playing mutliplayer like crazy. More co-op than competitive at the moment but I tend to switch back and forth. Many people say the Campaign mode is pretty poorly done, and while I won’t say that, I will say that the campaign mode is clearly the weakest element of the game. All in all, though, a very fun game. I’m hoping to get a review of it sometime this week. My only hope is that the multiplayer continues after Killzone 2 comes out.

I will try to update more, but when I have so little time to play video games without interruptions while the personal demand to play certain games are so high, it seems like blogging is something that it temporarily put on the back burner. We’ll see though – but again, look for a Resistance 2 review sometime this week.

VOIP, not withot its downfalls.

VOIP – also known as Voice Over Internet Protocol – is a pretty neat feature. I was introduced to it first in World of Warcraft. It was great – because all the strategy was now discussed through your headset instead of typing it out. It was also a great way to easily handle situations that you’d otherwise have to type out which would be a hinderance. It was so widely used and required for most guilds that Blizzard themselves implimented a voice chat feature.

It’s also neat with video games because you can talk to the person you’re gaming with. I talk to quite a bit of people through Rock Band just to make sure everyone is good with doing a 7-song setlist or letting them know that I’m looking for expert players only. In Resistance 2, it’d be a great way to collaborate with your team. I do not doubt for a second that VOIP also helps your team out when doing a team multiplayer. It’s much more easier to verbalise your issues rather than type them out – and that’s if it’s a computer game. With consoles, your only options is really to use a bluetooth headset.

But, like all great things, there are downfalls.

Rock Band Multiplayer is weird

I love Rock Band – I think it’s a great game. I love Rock Band online multiplayer even more. It’s really cool when you have a “full band’ working on getting the highest score. Unfortunately,it has some setbacks which if they fixed would make it that much more enjoyable.

The first point that I should bring up is the fact that if you substitute in a band, you get very little credit for your character. Substituing in a band is when you join someone elses band to help them get the highest score. The problem with this is that - outside of the money you receive – you get no other benefits. Only the “hosts” band will get the credit, scores and the fans. And when you leave, then you’re gone. Never to be seen again. There is no recollection of your character’s contribution to that band’s journey to success. And when you think of it that way, why exactly would you substitute in a band when you can just put your band online and get band members?

The second is that when you do have a full band – you’re scored by the lowest difficulty. For example, I did a seven-song setlist with a full band. I’m the only one on expert, two are on hard mode and one is on medium. Well, when the gig is done – that set has you marked down as clearing it on medium. And at the very end, the number of fans I got was the cap for medium – which was abut 350,000 fans. Had everyone been on expert, my band would have gotten about 3,000,000 fans.

The third reason ties in with the second reason – there’s no filter. You can’t filter your search so that only those who choose expert mode will play. There’s an easy way for the game to detect the user’s preferred difficulty because on your band select screen it sums up your difficulty chosen and the stars you’ve gotten – so my band (The Vagabonds) would have it’s difficulty set to Expert with five stars. Instead, you’re left guessing until you actually start your gig.

I think this could all be easily patched via an update. Probably not that big of a deal either. But the fact is, these reasons generally make me stray from playing unless I want to sub in another band for money. Because – at no offense to others who play on a lower difficulty – doing that with my band lowers my band difficulty summary and then I generally have to work solo to bring that back up.

Patch it up, Harmonix – do it. I have faith in you.

Mirror’s Edge: Looks over Length

Well, Mirror’s edge was released and as I read the reviews my prediction came true. The game got great reviews about how it’s played but it’s a pretty short game. One reviewer said that you could clear the game in six hours if you wanted to.

Six hours! And how long did the game take to develop?

You know, this may be why companies constantly report profit losses. The game was announced a year and a half ago. Which means the game was in development for over a year and a half. Lots of trailers and lots of hype … and it’s all gone in six hours?

Here’s how the money is lost. People like me will not buy this game now. People like me will rent it, clear it and return it. Add a new entry to the list of games I’ve cleared and forget about it. How terribly frustrating must it be to spend $60 on a game and have it be cleared within the same day … maybe even in the same sitting. I wouldn’t be too happy.

Now, I know why it took so long to develop. The graphics are amazing and the gameplay seems to be the first of its kind. But unfortunately, not a lot of thought was put into making the game last outside of time trials. I can’t help but think that the game wasn’t meant to last, but to impress.

And it seems like that’s just how it’s going to continue to go in the gaming industry. This is the third PlayStation game I’ve cleared in a very short amount of time – the other two being Uncharted and Heavenly Sword. To defend Heavenly Sword, though, I did own the game and had a lot more play time.

So it’s one of two things. Either games are getting shorter, or I’m getting better at gaming. And I really don’t think it’s because I’m getting better. I am led to believe that the majority of the development and money probably goes to the graphics and the engine. But, graphics don’t make the game … and I think the mindset that companies have lately is that graphics do make the game. Make a beautiful game but make it short. Throw in a few levels of difficulty and send it on its way.

Well, the games may look great but I’ll be pissed if I buy a game for $60 and clear it in one sitting. Methinks it’s time to shift priorities a bit. Make games last longer even if that does mean the graphics won’t look so crisp and shiny. If a game is really good, it’ll be fun no matter how unpolished it may look.