Why not?

It seems everyone has a blog these days, whether they have anything to say or not. So why give in to the trend? Why jump into the virtual mosh pit that is Internet blogging? Well, I had to sign up for one to leave comments on other peoples' blogs. But as this intro proves, it's much harder to get the ball rolling than to leave comments on an already-rolling one.




The nth Power

I was reading an article in The Guardian about this new kind of Japanese number puzzle called Kakuro, and it sounded pretty excellent (I'll wait for you to stop laughing... OK). So I went over to download.com to see if there were any free downloadable versions of kakuro that I could try out. Little did I realize I would find one of the greatest action/puzzle games I've ever played: n. It's a simple game, using only the spacebar, Shift, and arrow keys. There is no music, and the graphics look like the result of a half-hour's work in Microsoft Paint. But behind the simplicity is a thoughtful, challenging, and unlimited gaming experience. The free download comes with 500 designer-made levels, plus around 50 player-made challenges. In addition, the game features a custom level designer, leaving the doors open for infinite replayability. Talk about getting your money's worth.

Too often in today's games the challenge is derived from either controlling your character or arranging the camera so you can see what's going on. Both of these characteristics need to stop. They've been making 3D games for over a decade now, so there's really no excuse for the wacky cameras we still see in many third-person games, especially when you back up against a wall. All of a sudden there's an enemy right in your face, only you can't see it because the camera is off doing its own thing. Of course, games with a first-person camera tend to avoid that pitfall, but why should all games be in first person? Even when the camera is behaving correctly, sloppy physics or controls take away from the experience. Sometimes you can clearly see the enemy in front of you, but aiming and shooting is so complicated that you're dead before you can get off a shot. Is it just me, or are these problems on the rise? There is too much focus on graphics and not enough on simple user interface decisions that could turn lukewarm games into hits.

The reason Halo was a huge success was that it combined a clean, simple user interface with intuitive (and customizable!) controls. Ten minutes after picking up the controller, you feel like you ARE the Master Chief. The Zelda series is always successful, no matter what the graphics look like, because it's so easy to step into Link's shoes. The player is able to focus on the puzzles instead of the controller. The Grand Theft Auto series is another example--there have been dozens of imitators, but I bet all of them combined have made less money than any of the recent GTA titles. Why? Sluggish controls, complicated aiming and shooting, unrealistic car physics, and a million other things that GTA did right. Tetris, the best-selling game ever, couldn't be simpler. And now, as a new console generation approaches, n takes me way back to the basics, reminding me that flashy graphics may mean higher prices, but not necessarily better games.


What I'm into now:
Music: "Late Registration" --Kanye West
Game: Age of Mythology
TV: The Office
Book: David Copperfield --Charles Dickens


Something funny:
I realize this was a very un-funny post, but hey, I'm new at this. Read The Boondocks if you want something funny while I warm up. Or, there's always this.