Today I woke up early, showered and played a bit of Broken Sword on the iPhone. It’s a really well put together adventure game.

Then I went over to Nick and Amanda’s where I and their friend Ryan were meeting to go out hiking. We stopped and grabbed yummy kolaches first and then went to the park. I can’t remember the name of the park, but it was a great hiking trail.

Then we went to see Cop Out at the Alamo. Pretty silly movie. It could have been directed by anyone. As Kevin Smith didn’t write it, it didn’t seem to have anyone signature on the film.

After the film we went back to their place and watched Amanda play Heavy Rain for a few hours. Totally different game than what I experienced in the demo. I’m really looking forward to playing the game on my own. I can see what changes by making different decisions than Amanda.

I had to leave and go to Great Hall as I was playing in a Dominion Tournament. This was a slick operation. Everyone got personalized name badges to wear. We played three rounds, with three different load outs. They had these funky tournament rules where you played until 45 minutes were up or you ran out of *all* Victory cards. At first this sounded crazy, but it totally worked. You totaled your scores from each game and that was your tournament score. I ended up in 3rd place with 121 points. 1st was 125 and 2nd was 123, so it was close. Plus, the guy who got first place was taught by a guy that I had originally taught to play the game. Overall, it was a blast to play. It was like being in a geek poker tournament. Everyone was standing around, talking strategy, how each game had gone. Super fun.

Having recently played the Heavy Rain demo, Batman: Arkham Asylum, and Uncharted 2, I’ve been thinking about linearity in video games and the impact on game play and narrative. As I have already written a piece on the subject, this is more of an addendum.

I have come up with a Theory of Player Freedom vs. Narrative Cohesion (working title): The scope of a player’s freedom to explore a game world and choose courses of action is inversely proportional to the cohesiveness of any overarching narrative structure. Read the rest of this entry »

Sometimes I fall into that slough of self-examination where I feel as though I have accomplished nothing with my life. Or, when compared to Person X, I am found wanting. This often happens when I’m not currently working on a creative project, as they tend to define me and give me purpose.

So I think it might be helpful to recollect the things I have achieved. Not in a boastful, resting on my laurels sort of way. But to remind myself that I am the same person who did all of those things. Try it yourself when you are feeling somewhat less than. Read the rest of this entry »

The little red light on top of my projector came on. While not quite as alarming as the Xbox’s red ring of death, the light is indeed a dreadful harbinger. The lamp has surpassed 1800 hours of use and needs replacing. Of all the material objects I possess, my projector is one I actually have attachment to. Without it, there would be no movies, no video games. The projector makes everything go. Without it, my PS3 is just a wedge-shaped hunk of (questionable) modern art.

Every month it seems that there is some event, some newly awakened need, which siphons away whatever extra money I might have. This month it will be the projector lamp.

Last night after Dave and I had recovered from our space shuttle adventure, we went back over to Downtown Disney where we checked out the magic store and the LEGO store and had lunch at Planet Hollywood. Later that night we popped into Disney Quest, the five story virtual reality and arcade complex. Read the rest of this entry »

Dorkness set on overdrive today. Got up and watched some shows then played some games. Didn’t feel up to socializing or getting anything productive done. Felt incapable of writing anything good. Sometimes one must retreat to their cave.

I had assumed I was heading toward the usual Friday night routine of XBox and Netflix, my faithful companions. Then I got a text from Reed, inviting me out to hear his roommate play a gig at Momo’s. It is always a good idea to say yes to Reed because a good time is assured. Read the rest of this entry »

Today was a lazy Sunday during which I played Borderlands. I downloaded the Zombie Island expansion. Borderlands itself is a loose parody of Mad Max and the Zombie Island is a direct parody of Left 4 Dead. So if you ever need to waste post-apocalyptic hockey mask-wearing mutants who are also zombies, there’s a game for you.

I have seven video game platforms. It’s a bit ridiculous, I know. Each one has games waiting for me to finish in some way.

Although I’ve enjoyed playing some of the latest hotness like Bayonetta and Borderlands, I find that they are like meals at fancy restaurants. Really enjoyable while it is happening, but I can’t see myself going back to the restaurant every night until I’ve tried everything on the menu.

I also find that I have a lower tolerance for games I did not buy. If I rented something, I have virtually no investment in the game and it is up to the creators and the power of their art to keep my attention. I never think, “Well, I spent $60 so I really ought to finish this.”

It’s actually been “old” games or retro-style games that have held my attention, especially point and click adventure games. I devoured Machinarium. I recently completed the amusing Ben There, Dan That and the sequel Time Gentlemen, Please! And thanks to Steam’s recent insane holiday sale ($5 for the entire Space Quest series?!), I will be awash in nostalgia for quite some time.