Worthless Review Scores

How many times have you read a game review and seen it given some type of score? Usually these scores are used to convey some actual meaning. When I read the the whole review, I kind of expect the score they gave to be reflected in the review. If I see a low score, I expect the review to be full of complaints about a game. If I see a high score, I expect to read about how great the game is. I really didn't think you could mix that formula up (high score = good review, low score = bad review), but apparently someone did.

Recently I read a review of a new game that came out last month, NFL Head Coach 09, from EA Sports. The game focuses less an the actual football games and more on the management and coaching aspects of the sport. On the site Operation Gaming, a site for sports gaming, the score given for this game is a 9 (out of 10, I assume). To me, that's a great score. If a game gets a 9/10 score, I assume it's a great game and worth looking into. When I saw that, I thought I should read the review and see what exactly makes this game great.

Yeah...that was a mistake.

Apparently, the author of that review must think their scores are like golf scores...the lower the better. Here are a few inspiring quotes from that review:

When it comes to football gamers, the vast majority will look at something like NFL Head Coach 09 (NFLHC) and ask one simple question.
“Why?”

The first thing you’ll notice when you hop into a Coach Now game is that the game looks horribly bland compared to Madden NFL 09.

The audio isn’t anything to write home about, with a white noise crowd sound in the background, and your coordinators rattling in your ear. The actual play calls are great to hear, but if I have to hear, “We’ll win this game one inch at a time … one inch at a time,” ONE MORE TIME, I’ll scream.

When you start to game plan for your first opponent, you can start to get confused again.

Sometimes you’ll also end up with goals that aren’t easily understandable.

The running game was a joke, as the CPU could never mount a consistent attack, let alone against another CPU opponent.

In its current state, NFLHC plays a sublime game of football 90 percent of the time. The other 10 percent can be extremely frustrating...

But the real stumbling block for NFL Head Coach 09 so far seems to be the buggy release.

Thankfully, the process of improving your team is far from easy.

Speaking of seeing what’s going on -- if you’re an online gamer, you’ll be sorely disappointed. You only have the Supersim mode available, with no graphics.

There are some notable bugs (some of which will really get to a large percentage of gamers)

and finally...

When you boil it down, though, NFL Head Coach is the best coaching sim on the console market.

(I think it's the ONLY one on the console market)

I don't know about you guys, but after I read that review, I really didn't feel the urge to rush out and buy NFL Head Coach 09. After reading that review, I really had to wonder why EA Sports, a developer known for it's great sports titles, would put out such a low quality product. Maybe it's in some contract they have with the NFL. I have yet to meet another gamer who actually played this game and liked it. Actually, I have yet to meet another gamer who has even played this game.

My advice to you? Read the full review. Don't just go by the score you see. Again, to Terry Crouch, the author of the review, a '10' means it's good and a '1' means it's bad, not the other way around...

Camping - Brings out the worst in gamers

How did all of a sudden style of play somehow become taboo amongst video gamers? I'm talking about camping. For those that don't know, camping is a strategy where you identify key locations of a multiplayer game map and defend those locations. I'm not talking about knowing how to exploit glitches in a game that allow you to kill your opponents as soon as they spawn in the game. No, I'm just talking about playing smart. It seems lately that online gamers have grown to view this as poor gamesmanship, and for the life of me I can't figure out why.

Every game or sport has key facets that need to be controlled or managed in order to win. In football it's not uncommon to hear a commentator say that whoever controls the line of scrimmage will win the game. Does this mean that the team that does this is showing poor sportsmanship by camping the line of scrimmage? What about in soccer--is having a goalie poor sportsmanship? Why is he camping the place the other team needs to get to in order to score?

A group of my friends and I have taken it upon ourselves to learn how to camp different maps in the game Call of Duty 4 to near perfection. The same group of players plays together often enough that we all learn each others strengths and weaknesses. We know the maps enough to know what areas need to be controlled. We don't try and exploit the spawn algorithm and kill our opponents where the spawn. What we try and do is pick one half of the map and just control it.

Vacant

In the above image, I've shown a typical layout on one map, Vacant. Our strategy isn't to rush and spawn camp the other team, but it's very simple though. We stay outside of the building while trying to keep our opponents inside. By doing that, we can control where we encounter them--the exits. By doing this we only have to cover a few key points of the map, as shown above. Sure, sometimes the other team will kill a few of us, by most often we kill a lot more of them.

What I really don't get is the distaste many gamers have for this strategy. Maybe it's because they get beaten by it so easily. Instead of whining and complaining that another team beat them by a superior strategy, maybe gamers need to instead focus on ways to counter it. We've played against other teams with similar strategy and still prevailed. I think too many gamers out there know how to play first person shooter (FPS) games one way and one way only. To be a good gamer you need to learn to adapt your strategy to fit your opponents' strategy.

The fundamental tenet of a good camping strategy relies on the premise that you will be more patient than your opponent. In the above example, if our opponent knew we would stay outside the building the whole match, they could just stay inside and force a tie game. In my many hours of using this strategy, I have yet to find an opponent who will do that though. They can't resist the urge to rush out, guns blazing. This usually results in a quick death them respawning back inside the building, ready to do it all over again.

Favorite Halo Maps

This is taken from evildoctorwill over in the TTL Forum. I thought it interesting and am sharing it with you. They are listed from least favorite to most favorite.

Who likes Halo? I do. Who likes Halo multiplayer? I do! So I decided that I'd rank every multiplayer map from Halo to Halo 3 (excluding the PC exclusives) from my least favorite to my favorite. Believe me, what started as a simple question from one friend to another became an epic time-consuming project, one that has only helped to build on the respect I hold for those Bungie folk who created my favorite multiplayer experience. Please remember that this is by no means an attempt to show the world the "Best and Worst of Halo Maps" or anything of that sort, instead it is just one fan's personal opinion on what he does, and doesn't, enjoy playing when it comes to the multiplayer mayhem we all have come to know and love called Halo. Feel free to comment on choices, or just leave a quick note on why you love or can't stand a particular map. So, without further ado, here are my Least Favorite To Favorite Maps in Halo.

#54. Coagulation

Kicking things off on this list of Least Favorite To Favorite Maps of Halo, we have the red-headed step child of Blood Gulch itself, Coag. Coagulation took everything that was great from it’s predecessor, chewed it up, spit it out, and then proceeded to defecate itself onto the remains. What was left was Coagulation, a name just as ugly and retched as the map itself. Perhaps its due to the oh-so-many fond memories I have of playing Blood Gulch that seem to distort this map into what it is today, or maybe it is the absence of a certain entirely-too-over-powered-and-yet-somehow-amazing pistol, but I still hate this map. Maybe hate isn’t strong enough of a word. What’s worse that hate, anyway? Why do I detest this map? With the exclusion of the Halo pistol from it’s sequel, and the rather large distance that this map had from on point of cover to the next, having a sniper rifle in Coag meant total domination. Spawn, killed. Spawn, killed. Spawn, killed. Get the picture? I remember right after Halo 2’s launch, some friends of mine got together for a LAN party, just as we always did before with Halo, and fired up some Coag CTF. It didn’t feel the same, as you would expect, and thus began the downward spiral that shall forever be known as Coagulation.

#53. Tombstone

If there ever were a map that comes close to Coag in terms of my utter hatred toward, it would be Tombstone. Now, I was not one of the countless Bungie fan boys clamoring for a remake of Hang ‘Em High, I grasped the concept that Bungie very early on stated about their trying to recreate this map in the Halo 2 engine and it just not feeling right. I was totally fine with this map not showing up in Halo’s sequel, but lo and behold, it did. Just as Coag did to Blood Gulch, Tombstone seemed to lack just about everything that made it’s original so entertaining. However, unlike Coagulation, Tombstone was still semi-playable, and that is why it merely makes second to last.

#52. Elongation

Is anyone noticing a trend here? I don’t like remakes. When all you do is take the original, put a nice graphics polish on it, and it back out into a game engine that is not the same, you don’t really get the same experience. Elongation built on Longest in a way that I didn’t enjoy, focusing on the objective side of the map, creating two bases for teams to attack, whereas my greatest memories of Longest (which will be detailed later on) were of the fun long distance rocket games. Elongation turned into a map where, if it popped up in matchmaking, I definitely wanted a veto option.

#51. Foundry

Mind you, I am not talking about the forged-into-everything-and-your-mother version of Foundry, I am talking about the run of the mill, default, wondering-who-on-Bungie-thought-this-would-be-fun version you get in matchmaking. To be honest, this map has brought us, through the wonders of Forge, such awesome maps as Onslaught and everyone’s favorite Griffball court, but when it comes to seeing it pop up in Team Doubles or Team Slayer, I always get that slight taste of vomit like I’m going to hurl in a moment if I don’t get something to drink soon when I see it show up in matchmaking. This map turns into a heated race for the snipers and rockets, and especially if you aren’t playing a BR variant, it just turns into a Duck Hunt, waiting for the opposing team to pop their heads out so you can remove it from their sternum. Foundry is definitely on the Least Favorite side of my Least Favorite To Favorite Maps of Halo.

#50. Snowbound

Does anyone else think this is an attempt to re-imagine Battle/Beaver Creek? Well, if it is, it’s a failed attempt. While some game types are enjoyable on Snowbound, like much of any SWAT gametype (minus SHWATGUNS) or even Team Splasers, most games of Team Slayer or Team Doubles always turns into one thing: Camping the shield doors. And if one team dares to stray outside of the protective shell otherwise known as the bases, its hello ghost, please mow me down! Snowbound and I don’t get along, and I don’t think we’re going to work this out anytime soon.

#49. Last Resort

Another remake? You don’t say! Last Resort feels to me like Bungie wasn’t trying. They simply took Zanzibar and threw it into Halo 3 with about five minutes of tweaking (I know, I know, they put a lot more time into it than that, I’m just trying to make a point). It also feels larger to me than Zanzibar did, am I crazy for that? While not the horrible mess of a remake that Tombstone and Coagulation were, Last Resort is a map that I don’t exactly smile when I see pop up in matchmaking. Although, Team Snipers and Shotty Snipers are at least semi enjoyable on Last Resort.

#48. Desolation

“Ahhh! Enough with the remakes, we get it already!” Is that what you are saying? Guess what, it’s what I’m saying, too. While Derelict wasn’t exactly a map I particularly enjoyed in Halo, Desolation took anything that was really good from it and just took it away. I will say it again; man-cannons don’t equal teleporters. This map made spawn camping a real art form, where all you had to do was simply pick off your opponents as they spawned on the bottom of the map. Oh, what’s that? You don’t have a BR? Well, don’t worry, the guy shooting at you does.

#47. Chill Out

Perhaps Chill Out makes it this low on my list of Halo maps due to the simple fact that I didn’t play a lot of it back in the day. One thing is for sure, this is where this list officially stops being the “worst of” and simply begins to count down to the “best of” Halo maps. Chill Out didn’t really have much wrong of anything wrong with it, however, just never really made it into my list of “most played” during my Halo days. Many will be angered, this I understand especially when you see what made it above Chill Out next…

#46. Chiron TL 34

I think I’m one of maybe five people who actually enjoyed this map. I loved it. Once you learn what leads you where, you can own on this map. But, to be quite honest, it is a pretty ridiculous map, and that has been proven by it being one of only four original Halo maps not to be remade in another Halo game. But, like I stated, I actually had fun playing this map every once in awhile. Definitely not a lot, though.

#45. Damnation

It had a waterfall, how can you go wrong?!? I did enjoy Damnation, with it’s dizzying heights and complicated level design. Although, as original Halo maps go, I don’t seem to have so many fun memories of this map as I do from the others, and for that, it sits near the bottom of the list.

#44. Derelict

Semi-fun map, large enough to be able to sneak around on, but not large enough to where you felt like you were lost trying to find your opponent. Many a night during a LAN party this was a great alternate to the hour-long Blood Gulches and crazy rocket games of Longest and Prisoner. At least Derelict was more fun than it’s remake.

#43. Battle Creek

Everything this map did, it’s successor did better. That is my #1 reason for it placing as low in this list as it has. While Battle Creek was fun, I never really got into the small map located in a hole in the ground on God-Knows-Where, that is until Halo 2 came out. Battle Creek was a great idea, two bases closely located, with little room to maneuver and yet so many points to attack from. Good map, just had the sad fact of a better successor.

#42. Waterworks

Now while most seemed to hate Waterworks, it did have it’s moments. A good map for large sized parties, with its multiple points of entry and even the ability to reign down terror from above, albeit from a banshee or a falling stalagmite from the cave’s ceiling, Waterworks worked wonders for BTB. The few times I did play BTB during Halo 2’s run on Xbox Live, Waterworks was always a welcome addition to our list of laggy games.

#41. Blackout

Much like trying to figure out what’s really going on between Brett Favre and the Packers, trying to deduce what went on behind closed doors (or at least beyond the watchful eye of their deep-voiced security guard) with Bungie when they decided to create this map is impossible. But honestly, who’s idea was it to just throw on some paint and call it Blackout? It’s a different game, and because it is a different game, Blackout does not feel like Lockout. It feels like someone took a copy of a copy, then copied it some more, and passed it off as the real thing. I will take a reimagining or “spiritual successor” like Guardian over a “fresh paint job” like Blackout any day.

#40. Rat Race

First thing that comes to mind when I think of Rat Race: You could shoot down the power ups! Your opponent is up top, waiting patiently for the overshield to spawn. Just as it does, it magically tumbles to the ground with them chasing after it, only to find you, shields-a-chargin’, ready to add another point to your kill count. A fun map for its time, but I feel as if I were in Halo 3, it would need so much more to make it enjoyable. But back in the day, when it was only you and your buddy plugging away at Halo multiplayer, it filled the niche. Mostly.

#39. Sandtrap

Perhaps this map will continue to climb up this list as I begin to play more BTB, but until then, it sits closer to the bottom then the top. Sandtrap has a lot going for it, and really only one large blemish against it: The Elephant. An idea that probably looked great on the drawing board, but when it becomes playable, it just doesn’t feel right. I would have greatly preferred to have the flag/bomb point somewhere either behind the giant, towering structure, or even within it.

#38. High Ground

Oh, High Ground. One would think that another sweet asymmetrical map like Zanzibar, just smaller and squeezed into a small canyon might be fun. And it is, kinda. I can’t say I hate High Ground, but when it comes to a list of my favorite Halo 3 maps (kinda like this list!), it definitely takes a plunge toward the bottom of the list. Perhaps in the LAN environment, where teams of equally skilled and sized players face off in a real, true test of “we want to win!” this map might be fun. But, when it comes to Xbox Live, I seem to not enjoy this map as much as most. The only real game type that I get overly excited for on this map seems to be the Zombies variant that Bungie created and employs during their “Living Dead” weekends. Maybe that’s what they really made this map for.



#37. Gemini

I will always remember Gemini as the map that seemed to almost break MLG. Now I know that’s nowhere near a true statement, but that’s how it felt when, I believe it was Final Boss (or STK, or whatever name they were calling themselves at the time) decided to show the entire world how one sided this map truly could be. Now, bear with me: Go to the back of the map, where the teleporter and two sliding doors are. Now, have the sword man guard the teleporter, and have your best sniper jump on his head and then jump on top of the teleporter. Now put a player at each door. Total Domination, nuff said. Other than this, I found this map semi enjoyable. But I just can’t get that image out of my head.

#36. Colossus

Think you can get a flag to bounce 50 feet? Well, we did on this map. Not to mention the fact that, due to the spawn placement, if played right, you can seriously cause the other team some heartache. Put that aside and you still had a very cool map, that had a bridge sometimes… and no bridge other times (Always seemed to confuse me. Yes, I know… I confuse easily). If you think about it, minus the giant lower level in the middle of the map, you could make this map in Foundry. Or has someone already done that? Oh well. Team Snipers worked well on this map (minus the aforementioned spawn trap), as did most 2 flag variants, although they sometimes lasted hours. I can honestly say that I was able to get a few decent montage-worthy clips from this map. Sadly, I think that is the best I can say for it.

#35. Turf

A lot of people enjoyed Turf. I was not on that list. I liked the concept, but wanted it on a much larger scale. Add to that the aspect of people superbouncing (or simply knowing where to jump) to the top of the level, and it slides down my list of favorite maps. While bomb games were semi fun, I wasn’t all that big on assault variants on Turf. Team Slayer was enjoyable, but, especially in the later times of Halo 2’s life span, people chilling on the top of the level started to cause my skin to grow goose bumps every time it showed up in matchmaking.

#34. Avalanche

Not quite as good as its predecessor, but nonetheless fun Avalanche is a map crying to be played on BTB. Perfectly set up for either double sided or single sided objective based games, I seem to crack a smile whenever it shows up on my matchmaking playlist. Although I haven’t had a lot of time to play on this map, I’m sure it will continue to climb up my list of favorites as time goes on.

#33. Rat's Nest

Anyone up for a race? I love it when Bungie takes a level almost directly out of the single player campaign, or at least tries to draw most of its inspiration from the single player experience. Rat’s Nest originally wasn’t something I enjoyed, but has since then slowly crept up my list of favorites. A map where you can’t really make it to the other teams base without running into someone, and if you can, it’s a miracle (or the other team are morons), Rat’s Nest is almost as simple as it gets, and yet still finds a way to be fun.

#32. Burial Mounds

While it could turn into a spawn camping death trap on single sided objective games (which would have been easily solved with the advent of today’s Forging), Burial Mounds still made for great one sided objective based games. I loved the strategy when on offense and playing CTF of simply driving the warthog up to the front of the base, letting your passenger out to jump from on top of the warthog into the base, grab the flag and simply jump back into the vehicle and ride home for the cap. Sadly, it usually didn’t end that way. Also fun was charging for the rockets which were centrally located as to not really give either side an advantage for them. Burial Mounds holds a special place in my heart. Just please don’t remake it, I’ll probably begin to remember something bad about it, and I don’t want that.

#31. Beaver Creek

One of the few remakes I enjoyed, Beaver Creek was a fun map for 4v4 CTF and assault, although I preferred CTF myself. Just as fun were Team Slayer and SWAT, which seemed to end most of the time with people camping the top of the bases and the sniper ledge. Just like Burial Mounds, however, I hope to never see this map in Halo 3, if only for the reason that I don’t want any bad memories to be stirred up that are huddling at the back of my mind, always managing to escape the grasp of my ever reaching memory.

#30. Sidewinder

I loved driving a warthog on ice; it was almost as fun as driving a real car in the snow! To be honest, I never really played a lot of object games on Sidewinder, instead it was usually Team Slayer, or even 1v1 slayer. And let me tell you, it was fun. A great instance of where large and scary does equal fun. And those fun memories are the reason why it makes it higher than its spiritual successor on my list of favorites.

#29. Cold Storage

I would have said that this map was another answer to squelch the clamoring masses of MLG fan boys begging for their pistol back (because we all know it eventually boils down to that) if it weren’t for the fact that I know that Bungie was discussing this remake from day one. Once this map makes it into greater circulation in matchmaking, I’m sure it will climb higher on my list, but, for now, Cold Storage can sit pretty knowing I like it more than Avalanche.

#28. Backwash

Did this map actually disappear from matchmaking? Like Seaquest DSV, waaaaaaayyy after it actually happened, I turned around and asked that very question (come on, who doesn’t like talking dolphins, way too large underwater ships and space aliens???). Backwash was such a great idea, and quite moody! This map made playing swords enjoyable for probably the first time for me. Sadly, it left us too soon, I guess due to some environmental glitch or something… I don’t know, don’t ask me, I’m not a weatherman… no wait, I am…

#27. Headlong

A level that really reminded me more of a city on the planet of the Auto-bots than something to be found on Earth (then again, I’m not from the future), I probably spent more time playing Headlong trying to get on top of the map with friends during custom games then I did in actual matchmaking. It’s single sided objective games were fun, although the Sniper matches did make my skin begin to crawl and my blood boil (that means I didn’t like them). One thing I think someone should try to do: make Headlong out of Lego’s. Ready, GO!

#26. Foundation

Snipers no shields. That was the game to be played on Foundation. Get a good ten people in the match, make four teams, and go at it. So much fun. Foundation was so simple, and yet worked on so many levels. Whether you played FFA, two teams, or even multiple teams, objective or FFA, this map was fun. Except for Zombies. I don’t care what all of you clamoring fan boys tell me, charging over and over again into a highly barricaded room only to be shot in the head was not fun. Unless you had limited ammo, then I was all about it.

#25. Containment

Until I went to compile this list of all the maps from Halo to Halo 3 (minus the PC exclusives), I had completely forgotten about this map. Which was a shame, because I remember a lot of fun games on Containment. Mainly hailed it as the sequel to Sidewinder, Containment was another great map for BTB, with a good smattering of Team Slayer/Team Snipers thrown in for good measure. For never really remembering the map, now that I do I remember happy thoughts about it. Or at least mostly happy thoughts.

#24. Ascension

Speaking of superbouncing, here comes Ascension! And superbouncing wasn’t even it’s number one problem, that award goes to placing a banshee on a level with really no cover and 2v2 gametypes. I enjoyed this map a lot when I wasn’t being superbounced on, whether it be Slayer or Single Flag CTF. And who can forget the most greatest thing Ascension was famous for: Tower of Power. What crack-head came up with this idea? Whoever it was, that was your one good idea, don’t come up with anymore, we don’t want you to hurt yourself.

#23. Wizard

Small, round, with teleporters that no one really knew where you’d end up, Wizard had its niche in my Halo playing days. First it was rocket FFA, and oh it was fun. As a matter of fact, this was the very first level and game type I played of Halo, and it was fun (I think I ended up cowering beside a teleporter in the shadows, trying to pick off unknown passer-byers). Then we found a new crazy gametype: shotguns no shields. Oh the humanity, and hilarity! Wizard was a map where, when you needed a good laugh or brake from serious, hardcore gameplay, you would definitely get it on Wizard.

#22. Isolation

Isolation is a map that has grown exponentially on me. From the beginning, I detested this map, nay, I hated this map. Perhaps it spawns from a simple game of One Flag I played on it, where this famous (well, to me famous) photo was snapped:

(and yes, I am on the losing end of that snapshot) After playing with good teammates a few times on Isolation, I have come to realize that this map isn’t the utter trap that other maps like Snowbound or Foundry are, but rather a map where team work and good communication can go a long way. Also, it’s a map where one section of the map can’t get held on to forever, giving one side an unfair advantage until the timer counts down to zero. After the dust of Halo 3 settles and we move on to our next Bungie created shooter (hint hint, nudge nudge Bungie), Isolation very well may end up in the back of my mind much as Containment did, but for now, I like it. And I hope you do, too.

#21. Valhalla

When I first saw Valhalla, I thought “Wow, someone put Blood Gulch and Timberland together.” Whether this was Bungie’s intention or not, the map turned out great. Perfectly set up for both BTB and even smaller games of 4v4 and 5v5, Valhalla seems to be the right size for any amount of players. From large scale BTB games with heavy vehicles, to just a simple 4v4 game of Shotty Snipers, Valhalla opens its every loving canyon of fun to parties of all sizes. With it’s bases built into a small area, opening up to a rather large center that begs for fire fights to be started, Valhalla is a map that will be fondly remembered for a very long time.

#20. Sanctuary

Sanctuary is another map that I seem to hear quite a few grumblings about for a remake, and to be quite honest, I don’t really know if I’d enjoy it in the Halo 3 environment. However, back in Halo 2’s hay-day, Sanctuary was one of the maps I would always be thrilled to play when it showed up in matchmaking. I have a very fond memory of playing a single bomb assault game against a modder who had the ability to move incredibly fast, and due to his arrogance and want to just mock us during our rounds to attack, we were actually able to win the game 1 to 0. Great memory. But Sanctuary was so much more than that, being another map where you could seemingly play both objective and slayer type games and enjoy yourself equally. With its symmetrical sides and the energy sword waiting in the center for the taking, Sanctuary was a well balanced map that played well and was pretty fun at the same time.

#19. Standoff

Standoff feels to me like someone took Blood Gulch and just smashed the two bases together, putting a rather small road in the middle and blocking it on both sides by rocks. Standoff is one of those maps where you live or die according to your teamwork. So many times in matchmaking I have decided to “go it alone” into DLC Objective or BTB, and just been squashed by the opposing team because we as a team weren’t able to coordinate and work together. The decision not to place a sniper rifle on the level was probably the best thing Bungie could have done for the map, as seen now that we’ve had a couple weekends of Team Snipers and now understand that that weapon really will rule that map. Not to talk bad about Team Snipers on Standoff, which is one of the few maps I feel like I can actually do decent in a game of Team Snipers (maybe my teammates have something else to say about my skill, but they aren’t talking and I am, so… I’m awesome!). I know this is also another “controversial choice,” placing this map ahead of Valhalla. It’s nothing against Valhalla, and I don’t want anyone to think I am taking anything away from Valhalla, I just enjoy this map just a little bit more.

#18. Epitaph

The more and more I play this map, the more I seem to find people who don’t like it. I’m not quite sure why that is, perhaps the shield doors? Epitaph is one of those maps where weapon and power up control are paramount to winning, and because of this, it’s a map where you can begin to feel like the quicksand is quickly pulling you under if you are on the receiving end of it. While I haven’t really played much of anything other than Team Slayer on Epitaph (with the exception of a few FFA/Multiteam KotH games which were semi-enjoyable), I still don’t get that sinking-pit-in-my-stomach that most seem to do when it shows up in matchmaking. Maybe it is because it does emphasize the coordination, teamwork, and good communication skills that I (would like to think I) thrive off of, especially in Team Doubles, that I have such warm feelings for this map. Or maybe I’m just crazy. Either way, I say thank you, Bungie; I love this map.

#17. Warlock

I remember when Bungie said they were going to remake Wizard, I was pretty happy. I had some great memories of Wizard from Halo (as stated previously) and was equally excited for it’s grown up brother to be released. Warlock seems to be the exception to my idea of a simple graphic overhaul and a few simple tweaks here and there. This map seemed to be even better than the original. From the back-and-forth games of Team Slayer, to the balancing act of objective games, Warlock seemed to have something for everyone. Warlock’s only blemishes for me were the games of plasma punchout Bungie decided to subject us to, as well as a very bad memory of playing a modded version of said map in matchmaking (totally subjective for me, I know, but still frustrating none-the-less).

#16. Zanzibar

Zanzibar was the first multiplayer map I can remember seeing from Halo 2. One team spawns on the beach, with vehicles ready to take them to their objective, while the other team spawns in the building, their very own fortress to defend. From a giant door that could be opened from within, to a Camp Froman, where sniping became paramount to our teams victory, Zanzibar was set up for nail biting rounds of CTF and Assault. Later in Halo 2’s life, super bouncing began to chip away at it’ legacy, making it a map that made you cringe when it popped up in matchmaking. But, alas, this map still holds a special place in my heart for those fun filled rounds of CTF and Assault that were played out on the coast of Africa.


#15. Lockout

Lockout was to Halo 2 like Hang ‘Em High was to Halo. Lockout was the elitest map, the map to end all maps. Lockout is map where I could play almost anything on and enjoy it. One of my favorite game types was playing No shields, multiple teams of 2, only BRs, with one life. Epic. I feel Lockout slid down my list of favorite maps in a large part due to Blackout, the map that helped to emphasize my reimagining vs remake mentality. Lockout was something I felt that, at the time of Halo 2, I hadn’t really seen done very well. Most of the maps I enjoyed so much from Halo were simple, with symmetrical layouts and everything really flowing well and making sense. Lockout brought so much more to the table, with different levels and multiple areas to mold into your strong hold. Lockout, for Halo 2, was the map to end all maps, a catch all for almost any game type. (Just not my absolute favorite from Halo 2, but still in the Top 5!) On a side note, my all time favorite thing to play on Lockout was FFA Rocketball, with a time to win of just 30 seconds (60 if you wanted to be there forever!), and as many people as you could get into your party. This game went on forever, and yet was still fun.

#14. Ghost Town

Ah, Ghost Town, the shunned child of the Legendary Map Pack. When Bungie announced the maps that would be included in the Legendary Map Pack, everyone cheered for Avalanche, the reimagining of the classic Halo map Sidewinder, and the entire “pro” community let out a sigh of relief when Blackout was shown, the direct port (with new sparkling wallpaper!) of Lockout from Halo 2. Ghost Town was the map people saw and simply brushed off as the “filler” to an otherwise crowd pleasing DLC package. I remember the first time I played this map in DLC Objective, Single Bomb Assault being the game. This map seriously rocked my world. Not since the first time I played Zanzibar did I feel like a map was so perfectly crafted for one sided game types. With multiple points of entry, a great weapon layout, and a base that wasn’t mind-numbingly hard to defend, this map screamed “play assault on me” like no other map in Halo 3 had for me yet. To be quite honest, I haven’t been interested in assault since its tweaks in Halo 3, but this map brought it back for me. Ghost Town also works wonders for Slayer gametypes, from your run-of-the-mill Team Slayer, to Shotty Snipers and Team SWAT, this map has it all. The only real downside for me is KotH on Ghost Town, which is just about the only reason I will veto this map (especially Hammer Hill).

#13. Boarding Action

Such a simple idea: Two ships floating side by side in space. Maybe this is the brain child from the pirate loving Bungie folk. Think about it, it’s like a pirate ship, pulling in along side it’s prey, preparing to board. Boarding Action was awesome because it felt like a map where you couldn’t hide. Despite the large size, even a 1v1 match (as long as you weren’t on split screen) made you feel like you were walking through a haunted house, just waiting for your opponent to sneak up behind you and assassinate you. Because the Halo pistol had such a long range, even if your opponent was on the opposite side of the map you could still effectively target them. Snipers was another favorite on the map, but even playing a simple slayer match was amazing. The weapon set up on the map was great, with rockets and snipers strategically placed around the map to allow for maximum usage. Definitely a favorite, but definitely one I would have serious doubts about a remake (or even a reimagining) due to the large differences in the original Halo’s game mechanics and Halo 3’s game mechanics.

#12. Hang 'Em High

I think I’m going to be flayed alive for not putting Hang ‘Em High in the Top 10. Sorry guys. Hang ‘Em High is awesome, and is in the Top 5 on this list for the original Halo, mind you. I think the big detractor for me is the fact that I didn’t really play much of any CTF on Hang ‘Em High. After so many countless hours of epic game play on Blood Gulch, the non-symmetrical layout of Hang ‘Em High just never appealed to me. However, this map is freakin’ amazing. Whether Team Slayer or Slayer FFA, this map rocked. This map will hold up as the best example for how awesome the Halo pistol could be. It’s simple, open-air environment, coupled with tall walkways and bases created a false sense of security that was quickly taken away by the pistol’s range. Hang ‘Em High was another one of those maps from the original Halo that helped to create the fun, party-type atmosphere that everyone so fondly remembers from the game.

#11. Longest

“Oooohhh, it’s the Loooooooooooooonnnnnggg Ranger!” This was the battle cry that would not stop once a game of rockets on Longest was loaded up. To be quite honest, we never really played much else on this map. Rockets seemed to satisfy all the needs we had, and once played with rockets, everything else just seemed mundane. Whenever a game of CTF on Blood Gulch got too hot to handle, and tempers began to flare, a game of rockets on Longest always seemed to qualm our fueling anger. After you have nailed an opponent from one end of the hallway to the other, everything else just melts away and that famous phrase leaves your lips. The Long Ranger lives on.

#10. Terminal

The train, the train! Everyone has a story, at least one story, of trying for either the overshield or the sword, and right when they thought they had it… SPLAT! CTF and assault games were the main dish for this map, where things weren’t really balanced but still seemed to make for entertaining times. One of the things that brings this map down was its excessive spawn camping and sniping, hiding above the garage (mostly slayer games), as well as total domination from the wraith at times. But these few blemishes don’t outshine its awesome set up for objective type games.

#9. Prisoner

Nostalgia. I’ve seen many a remake of Prisoner using Forge and Foundry, but none seem to be able to stir up quite the same feelings I got from the original. Rockets was the name of the game mostly, with its towering heights and dizzying walkways, this map seemed to be made from the simple thought of “reigning terror from above.” Later, we discovered CTF games on Prisoner, which were again enhanced by playing Rocket CTF. Oh the memories, the fun, fun memories.

#8. Relic

Again, perhaps a controversial choice on my part, more so I believe due to the fact that it was introduced later in Halo 2’s life cycle, but you didn’t get more epic objective battles in Halo 2 then on Relic. After Halo 2 was released and people began beginning for remakes (hmmm, sounds familiar), one of the immediate maps that came to my mind was Death Island. When Relic came out, it seemed to be Bungie’s long lost answer to my question. Relic’s objective point, placed at the end of a long, tall… well, Relic, required teamwork and determination to bust through the opposing teams defenses and win the round. A little too strong was the sniper’s strangle hold on the map, with long lines of site and little cover on at least one side of the map. However, it’s use of a teleporter than could only be deployed by reaching the defending team’s base and “flipping the switch” was pretty awesome.

#7. Narrows

Perhaps this map is the spiritual successor to Longest, much as Guardian is to Lockout. I mean, I LOVED Longest (as seen by its high placement on my list), and when you really get down to it, this map really does take what was great about that map, and flesh it out. In all honesty, Bungie probably never thought of Narrows and Longest as related in anyway, and I’m probably just crazy. But this map just seeps conflict. Narrows is not a map to hide on (if you forget about the few leap-to-your-death-if-you-don’t-get-it-right spots I try to not think about), where the only way to reach your objective is to run headlong into your opponent. And I love it for that. With man-cannons of doom and it’s bridge (or highway) to hell, this map will always be a personal favorite for me.

#6. Ivory Tower

Oh man, if ever I wanted a reimagining (but not a remake), this always seems to be the big one in the back of my mind every time it comes up. Ivory Tower was a pretty big map when you stop and think about it, but it didn’t really feel all that big when you did stop and think about it. I remember some great CTF/Assault games that were played out on this map. Team Slayer was also a big one, with awesome weapon placement, and those three/four levels (layers) of the map that really loved to screw with your radar. Although, snipers in the trees and even in the snipers loft did get rather annoying. Speaking of said snipers loft; this is where this map started to seem to lose some luster for me. So many Team Slayer/SWAT games seemed to end with one team barricading themselves on the top floor, and it simply turned into “who can hold it the longest.” Still, this is the only blemish on an otherwise wonderful map.

#5. Midship

Ahhhh, and the MLG/fanboys all issue a sigh of relief. I didn’t think, originally when beginning to compile this list in my head, that this map would make it in my Top 5. But I asked myself one question: What maps can I enjoy multiple game types, with both large and small numbers of players, and continue to play on said map for hours on end. And to be quite honest, this map is second only to Blood Gulch in all those categories. So why isn’t it #2 then? Oh, personal preference, obviously. But I digress. Midship was a map where I enjoyed almost anything on. From objective( KotH, CTF, Assault, Oddball) to slayer (Team, Shotty Snipers, Snipers, Swords, Shotties), and could be enjoyed with any number of players (1v1, Doubles, 4v4, and even 16 players). This map, in Halo 2, was definitely one of those maps where, when it came up in matchmaking, I was perfectly happy. And don’t we all just want to be happy in the end?

#4. Construct

Now this is a personal choice that many will find controversial (or just plain wrong), but to be honest, it’s my list, so phooey to you! Alright, but in all seriousness, I really do enjoy this map. The layout is weird, I give you that. I remember the first time I saw the map (someone posted a video from a “bootleg copy” of Halo 3 they got before launch), I remember thinking, that map just doesn’t make sense. But every time I played it, it just gets better and better. My personal preferences for game types on this map are Team Doubles (Slayer) and MLG KotH. But, also not to be forgotten or taken lightly are Team Slayer, Shotty Snipers, or even Zombies. Again, I just find myself enjoying this map more and more every time I play it.

#3. The Pit

When it comes to strategy, team work, and a freaking awesome symmetrical map, the Pit rocks. From flying cones of doom, to sword squatting campers and freaking annoying snipers on the towers, the Pit has it all. This map requires coordination, communication, and overall teamwork in order to best your opponent, while the symmetrical layout allows for a very fair and balanced game. The fact that both teams are separated and can not see each other at the start of play, allowing each side to begin to set up their defense/offense, really helps this map to be one that I try very hard not to veto when it pops up in matchmaking.

#2. Guardian

For myself, Guardian is the near equivalent of Blood Gulch in Halo 3, lacking only the ability to be played on with any number of players (haven’t tried 16 yet, don’t think I want to unless it’s Rocket Ball [see Lockout]). When I jump into matchmaking, no matter what playlist, if Guardian comes up, I’m playing it. Slayer, Swat, Oddball, KotH, MLG (even VIP for crying out loud!), I’m all about this map. This map is the #1 reason I am all about reimagining’s and not remakes, because it really feels like someone said, “Hey, let’s take the essence of what Lockout was, what made that map great, and peel away everything else, then build it from that (and the ground) up. Frickin’ awesome. Merely by the fact that this map is in Halo 3, the game I play 99% of the time, and Blood Gulch isn’t, almost puts it at #1. Almost, but not quite…

#1. Blood Gulch

Ahhhh, good ol’ Blood Gulch. This map tops my list because of its versatility and ability to be played on for hours on end without becoming boring. Weather it was CTF or even a good game of Slayer, whether 4 players or 16, this map was able to entertain. It’s greatest point was playing CTF, where all-nighters were held, with epic flag captures, long range rocket-to-warthog’s where exploded, and where the boys were separated from the men. There’s also a reason this map is at the polar opposite of its red-headed step brother from Halo 2, but that has already been outlined, and I won’t bore you with those details again. Blood Gulch was, and always will be, for me, the best Halo map Bungie has ever made. If someone paid me for all of the countless hours I played this map, I’m pretty sure I’d be one of the richest, if not happiest, Halo geeks on the planet.

Well there you have it, my list of Least Favorite To Favorite Halo Maps. Let me know what you think!

What's Your FPS Strategy?

In a first person shooter (FPS) video game, there are many playing styles favored by different people. Whatever style you choose to play with has its advantages and disadvantages. But all styles come down to two basic strategies, offense and defense. For offense you want to maximize your capabilities and for defense you want to minimize your vulnerabilities.

Run & Gun - This type of player usually favors rapid fire, highly effective weapons, maximizing their offensive capabilities. Not much is used for defense here, except the element of surprise. This type of player likes to spend their game constantly moving, relying on their quick reaction time to dominate any encounter they may face when running around a corner or into a room. For those players with great reflexes this can be a very effective style of play.

Stealth - This type of player favors silent weapons when available. They prefer not just to surprise their opponents, but to overcome them before they even know they've been attacked. This player uses as much defensive capability as possible to remain hidden and undetected. Many games offer this type of player the ability to mask themselves from opponents' detection using camouflage or radar jamming.

Sniper - This type of player prefers the long range encounter. This may be due to exceptional prowess with long range weapons or just because they like a slower paced game. This style of play also makes it very important to remain undetected, not by stealth, but by distance. This type of player can be easily overwhelmed by a 'Run & Gun' player if encountered in close quarters.

Camping - This type of player needs teamwork to be effective. In a FPS game, the matches are on a closed area. There is only so much space to work with. With all the obstacles on a game map, there arises natural choke points--common areas that players come through. This type of player prefers to find those locations and let their prey come to them. Camping doesn't require any specific type of weapon to be effective. You can camp with long, medium, or close range weapons, they all work. But this playing style does have the significant disadvantage of being very predictable. Once a camper is recognized, using longer range or explosive weapons should easily remove them from their campsite.

In my opinion, these are the four basic styles of game play exhibited by all gamers in one form or another. Some players prefer to use one style of play for an entire match, while others like to switch it around depending on their situation. No single playing style is better or worse than another. Each has their own advantages and disadvantages. The key is recognizing what style your opponent is using and what best to counter with.

My FPS Gaming Style

Back when I was in high school I went to a basketball camp at a major university. The coach there made a statement that has stuck with me to this day. He said "I'll tell you the secret to winning every game you ever play in, against any team. Just score one more point than your opponent." That's it. That's all it takes. Sure, the coach was talking more about free throws than anything else, but that motto can be applied to any type of competition where score is kept, including video games.

My preferred style of gameplay, when I'm with the right teammates, is camping. Camping takes advantage of that simple strategy the coach laid out so long ago -- just score one more point than the other team. Almost every game nowadays has a time limit attached to it. There's nothing requiring me to reach the maximum kill limit in a game. I just have to have one more point than my opponents when time expires. When we have a good team that can communicate well, camping works best, especially when our opponents (almost always) fail to recognize that we are camping and don't use a different strategy to counter ours. All too often we find ourselves sitting in front of a doorway that our opponents repeatedly feel they need to run through, dying on our bullets over and over again.

Camping Fundamentals

Many people wonder what it takes to enjoy the outdoors. Here are a few suggestions for making the most of your next camping trip.

Survey the area

Get to know the area you're going to be camping in. Learn the layout of the land. It's helpful to know landmarks and obstacles that can obstruct your view of the lovely scenery. Knowing the area you'll be camping in will make your outdoor adventure all that more enjoyable.

Pitch Your Tent

Pick a good location as you're going to be spending quite a bit of time there. Make sure to pick someplace on high ground, preferably with a view. After all, isn't that why you went camping? Don't pitch your tent too close to someone else's tent. Going camping is about enjoying the outdoors and getting away from other people.

Protect Your Site

There's nothing that ruins a camping trip more than an unwanted guest. Animals (and other annoyances) like to wander into your campsite. One option to keep them out is to put your food storage in a bear bag and raise it into a nearby tree. Personally, I'm much more a fan of just laying down a few claymore mines in your vicinity. Either way, it should keep the pests out and allow you to enjoy your camping experience.

Enjoy the Outdoors

Camping is all about spending time with nature and leaving civilization behind. Whatever you do, don't let civilization follow you. While camping you may witness other people trying to come and take your camping spot from you. Protect your little piece of nature with everything you have. I suggest either a Barret .50 caliber sniper rifle, a silenced M-4 Carbine, or maybe just a good old fashioned standard military issue KA-BAR.

Fishing with Dynamite

Well, tonight I decided to play some Call of Duty 4 with some friends online. After a few games we managed to get a full party together and play some Team Deathmatch. Usually we play pretty well together, but tonight was something different. We played awesome together. By the time I finally had to call it quits to go get some sleep (and post this) my winning streak was up to 50 games (and Yelzan had it beat at 51). Maybe tomorrow night or Friday I'll try to extend it.

...for those wondering about the blog title, Call of Duty 4 is commonly shortened to CoD...and cod is a type of fish

The Ugly Side

Every society has an ugly side to it, whatever that may be. The sad truth of it though is that when forced to face it, most realize that the ugly part of their society isn't just some small minority, but usually tends to be the large majority. Today's modern communication systems allow for online gaming on a scale never before realized. When joining this online gaming community, it's like jumping head first into the deep end of the ugly side of society's pool.

The fact that there is absolutely no identification available to others beyond what information you choose to put up with your own gamer information, opens people up to the realized freedom to say whatever they want. This freedom (and sad reality that people choose to exercise it) is a clear window to the ugly side of our society, a side that will likely turn out to be more of a majority than we would like to admit. While most people who meet someone on the street, face to face, will act with some amount of mutual respect towards each other, the same cannot be said of online gamers. Often times the first words out of a gamers mouth in a new encounter are laced with profane, sexist, racist and homophobic remarks.

As G4's Adam Sessler comments in this video, there is no reason for this type of behavior. Just because someone on the other team chose to camp an area because that was their best strategy against you isn't reason enough to hate them for it. Since when did Run & Gun become the only strategy to use in shooters? There are no rules as to how to play FPS games..you just play them. Whoever has the most kills in the end is the winner, no matter how they got them (except by the obvious system manipulations which ruin the game for everyone). There's no need to whine and complain when you get beat. Just grow a pair and be man enough to say Good Game to the other guy and go your separate ways. Even after the Boston Celtics dismantled the LA Lakers in the NBA Finals last night, Kobe Bryant was man enough to go over and congratulate the other team. Kind of sad that most gamers today aren't man enough to even do that.

Wanted: Original Content

So, yesterday I received the latest issue of the Official Xbox Magazine (OXM) in the mail. I spent a few minutes to read through the articles and advertisements about new and upcoming games. My biggest complaint I have after reading that is the severe lack of original game content being produced. Almost every single game I read about in the magazine was either a game based off of a feature film or television show, a game that was a sequel to a previously released game, or a sports game. It's almost as if the creativity people at game studios went on strike and the developers just kick out tried and proven ideas. The only problem with everyone releasing games based off previously successful ideas is that it gets old real quick.

Just looking at the Top Live Titles for Xbox Live this last week, only one game can be seen as 'original'. It also happens to be the oldest game on the list and it's still at #6 most played (Gears of War), attesting to its success. Game studios seem to just look for hit games and then try to copy them. While that may be financially all well and good for some (Call of Duty, Splinter Cell, Ghost Recon, Grand Theft Auto), the parade of sequels and knock offs can't last forever.

Another thing that I just don't get is the need for every major movie release to be accompanied by a video game. I mean, if I want to be enterained with that particular storyline, I'll go watch the movie. If I want to play a shooter, RPG, or whatever style of game it is, I'm sure there are better, more original games than the ones based off of a movie.

Sports games are another genre that just gets rehashed over and over. Almost every sports game is eerily similar to every other sports game out there for whatever sport it is. It doesn't matter if I play Madden 08 or NCAA 08...they're basically the same game with just different decorations. While I enjoy the friendly competition involved with sports games, I think developers are missing out on a good opportunity here. Why not branch the sports genre with the RPG (role playing game) genre (or other genre)? I'm sure fans of sports aren't just fascinated with the athletic abilities their role models posses, but with their lifestyle as well. Why not use other genres to explore that?

The seemingly unending flood of sports, movie and sequel games has left me wanting more from my video games. There are more games coming out now than ever before, and yet, I can't find a single one out there worth purchasing right now. It's not that game studios need to come up with a new genre of game or style of play, but just get some good original content. Give me something to be intrigued about when I play the game. Generic war shooters with generic bad guys to shoot at isn't fun anymore. If you're going to base a game off of a movie, don't just remake the movie in game form. Give the game it's own original story based in the fictional universe of the movie. Don't just retell the movie story through my Xbox. I really do like playing video games, but I don't play just to click buttons. I play to be entertained. I want to be entertained. Unless game studios finally decide to get some original content creators involved I foresee my Xbox devolving into just an expensive DVD player.

Grand Theft Auto

First off, let me premise this post by stating that I have not played the game Grand Theft Auto 4 at all. I'm not going to make the mistake of reviewing the game when I haven't taken the time to sit down and play it. Instead, this post is about why I haven't played the game and a review of the other reviews I've seen of the game.

Whenever new games come out I have to make the decision as to whether or not I'm going to purchase the game. I consider myself an avid gamer with a wide range of gaming tastes. Different factors affect my decision, such as reviews I read, friends' recommendations, trailers I watch, game rating, and game genre. I try to pick games that I can play anytime, whether my family is in the room or not. With that said, GTA4 failed to meet that criteria and thus, I did not purchase the game. While I'm sure GTA 4 is a well designed game with many of the criteria met that I discussed in previous posts as to what makes a good game, the content of the game itself didn't meet my own personal standard. I didn't make the decision because of what some crazed lunatic said on national television. I made the decision on what I feel is best for me and my family.

Many in the media try to lay the blame for societal problems at the feet of video game developers. If there's a school shooting, many jump to the conclusion that a video game caused it. The morality of video games keeps coming up in the media with each successive game release. [link] Government legislative bodies keep trying to pass legislation to restrict the distribution of these games and almost every time the laws get shot down as unconstitutional. [link] The funniest part about all this is that the games in question all have content less controversial than most prime time network television shows, yet no one is making a fuss over that.

To be blunt, many out there need to sit down and take a chill pill. Stop trying to legislate the gaming industry. Let the free market do that for you, the way it did with the movie industry. Nobody is yelling about passing laws to prevent kids from buying R-Rated movies because retailers already enforce that policy. Most retailers are moving in that direction with M-rated video games as well. The media are also incorrectly assuming that because GTA 4 is so successful that it must mean lots of kids are playing it. What they fail to realize is that the average age of video game players today is somewhere around thirty years old. GTA 4 is a game that is actually appealing to many adults. I just did a check of my Xbox Live friends list and noticed that almost every single adult on that list has played GTA 4, yet when I checked those who I know are minors, all but one or two has NOT played the game. This tells me that for the most part the ratings system is working. Adults are buying and playing the M-rated games and kids are not. Those few kids that are playing the M-rated games are likely getting their parents to buy it for them. That's not a problem for the government, retailers or gaming industry to concern itself over. If parents want to let their children play M-rated games, that's their decision. No laws should be passed to prevent that.

Overall, I think GTA 4 is probably a very well made game. Due to the content I chose not to purchase the game. The media and government need to keep their noses out of individual citizens' decisions to purchase games when it's fully within their rights to do so. While I may not choose to play this game, I can only look forward to other games that do meet my criteria which will be of similar quality as Grand Theft Auto 4.

What makes a good game? (Part 4)

I've hit a few points of what I consider key components of a good video game in recent posts. The is the last post on the topic. While I consider these required for a game to be good, that doesn't mean the game won't be successful or profitable. These are mainly just characteristics of games that I've noticed have stuck around longer than others, games that people tend to play more often than others. The last component I feel needs to be included for a game to be good is realism.

---

Part 4

---

Realism isn't that the game reflects real life physics, but that would be nice. When I talk of game realism I mean that the game reacts the way you would expect it to. If a FPS game is going to put in a sniper rifle alongside a battle rifle, the sniper better have a much longer range than the battle rifle. If a rocket launcher is present, it better cause a lot of damage. With newer games, developers are even able to implement destructible environment. This means if I shoot a bridge with a rocket, the bridge better collapse.

Game developers need to first and foremost establish a law of physics for their games. Once that law has been established, they need to abide by it. One of the first things players will do when they get a game (besides playing through the storyline) is to test the limits of the game's physics. If a game reacts the way players expect it to, within whatever rules of the game exist, players will be able to enjoy the game more. If unexpected results happen, the game becomes to unpredictable and therefore un-enjoyable.

What makes a good game? (Part 3)

For online games this part is probably the most important part a game studio has to worry about getting right. Multiplayer functionality can easily make or break a game. The game may have a great storyline, but if the multiplayer aspect isn't there, a lot of incentive to pick up the game and play it goes out the window after the initial play through.

---

Part 3

---

There are two basic types of multiplayer functionality. There is player vs player (PvP) or player vs machine (PvM). While not totally necessary to have both aspects in a game, having both does increase the quality of the game, so long as they're done right.

In PvM multiplayer, players work together against the game itself. This is usually done in a cooperative version of game's single player campaign or done in role playing games. The benefit of this is that players are able to work with their friends towards the common goal. Some people don't enjoy the competitive nature of PvP games and are much more drawn to PvM multiplayer. PvM multiplayer also allows game developers to add in more storyline content that can only be accessed via PvM play, thus encouraging players to enjoy that aspect of the game.

In PvP multiplayer games, players are pitted against each other. This is very common in first person shooters (FPS) and fighting games. In fact, some FPS games are strictly PvP with no single player or PvM to speak of (Shadowrun). PvP multiplayer is probably the most important aspect of a game that developers need to get right. If the interface is awkward or ineffective, players just won't use it. With different broadband internet speeds between players, the game needs to take that into account and adjust for it. If done incorrectly the game can be filled with lag and the overall experience for players is worsened. To date, probably the most successful and efficient PvP multiplayer game on the market has to be Halo 3. The party system implemented along with their matchmaking system to pit similarly skilled players against each other has yet to be equaled by other game developers.

For a game to be considered a good game, I feel it needs to implement some form of multiplayer functionality. Whether it be PvM or PvP or both, something needs to be there. Games that don't put in some form of multiplayer support tend to start collecting dust after the initial glow wears off. Granted, just having it there doesn't make the game successful. Poorly implemented multiplayer can also kill a game's success.

What makes a good game? (Part 2)

This is part two of a recent blog post I started about characteristics of a good video game. My last post was about the storyline. While storyline is vital in making a good game that will be enjoyed by many, other characteristics are just as important.

---

Part 2

---

Replay Ability
A lot of game studios out there are very capable of making good games. Unfortunately, many of them don't due to one key characteristic they leave out or overlook -- replay ability. I've played a lot of games that were awesome the first time through, but after I finished it I never went back to that game because it had no appeal any more.

Role playing games (RPG) are most susceptible to this problem over other genres of games. Due to technology limitations, many RPG's are limited in the options they can present to a player. Even complex games like Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic and Mass Effect limit players to two basic endings, good or evil. Choices players make throughout the game seem to influence you one way or the other, but ultimately the story conclusion is based off which side of the good-evil line you're left standing on at the end of the game. Once you've played both to both endings the game has little left to offer the players.

One feature I'd like to see put into new RPG games is where the choices you make open or close different options for the player later in the game. Most RPG's allow players to take it slow and play out almost every single story arc in the game the first time through. Instead I'd like to see multiple possible story arcs that are only accessible through subtle character choices within the game.

What makes a good game? (Part 1)

I'll admit it. I'm a video game geek. I like to play video games...a lot. My wife could easily make the argument that I play them too much. But I do have to interject that unlike many other video game geeks out there, I won't play just any game. For me to play a game it has to have some sort of unique appeal. There are certain prerequisite characteristics it needs to exhibit before it becomes worthy of my time. In general terms, these characteristics are storyline (Part 1), replay ability (Part 2), multiplayer (Part 3), and realism (Part 4). While a lot of games out there exhibit these characteristics, the mere fact they have them doesn't necessarily make them good games.

---

Part 1

---

Storyline
Almost every game out there has a storyline. The quality, believability, and implementation of the storyline is vital to a game's overall quality. Game studios hire on people exclusively to write the storyline for their games. Usually though, the storyline is what comes first and the game gets designed around that. Being the cornerstone of the game necessitates that the storyline be of good quality to begin with.

What makes a good storyline? That's highly debatable. To me, a good storyline is one that draws on other good storylines for influence. Don't misunderstand me here. I don't want cookie cutter stories that are straight up copies of others. It's possible for writers to draw on other great stories for influence and still have their own unique story. One example of this is Star Wars. George Lucas' story draws on many ancient myths and legends for content. But his story is his own and isn't a rip off of any other. The reason myths and legends last is because they are good stories. In the video game industry, one of the most successful games out there does just this. Bungie studios drew heavily on other science fiction stories and mythology for the Halo storyline. The biggest draw of Halo 3, the most successful game release in history, was not the new action scenes or features, but the storyline. People wanted to know how it all ended. Halo 3 is the perfect example of how storyline can carry a game, even a first-person shooter.

Another key quality of a good storyline is that it draws the player into it and makes you feel as if you're part of the storyline. With role playing games, this is vital. When other genre games are able to do this, it's usually a highly successful story. A game that did this well was BioWare's Star Wars, Knights of the Old Republic game. While the game had its issues with technology, the story was almost flawless. The player was drawn into the story and actually cared what happened to the characters. The more characters are developed, the more players know them and actually care about what happens to them.

What makes a bad storyline? There are too many ways to list, but I'll try. Not including a background to the story is probably the biggest mistake game studios make. Even if your game is a sequel, you need to bring your audience up to speed about what's going on. Rainbow Six Vegas 2 made this mistake. The player was thrown into the game with absolutely no background given. The worst mistake that can be made, besides not including a background, is relegating that background story to the game manual included with the disc. No one reads those. Another way to make a bad story is to not close out the plot of the main story arc. Players don't like cliffhangers or plot holes unless the sequel has already been promised.

Basically, what makes a storyline good or bad is the same is the same as that for movies. With video games though, it seems storyline has taken a back seat most of the time whereas in the film industry storyline is usually foremost on the producers mind.

The Influence of Literature and Myth in Videogames

One in a million shot

So there we were, playing a game of capture the flag on this snow covered level called Avalanche. Our enemy was strong, but so were we. We had played them to a near standoff the whole game. With just over a minute left we decide it's time to make our final push. We all go on the offensive and hold nothing back.


I kill off the last of their recent offensive and pick up a rocket launcher off a dead opponents body. Just my luck. Only one shot remaining. I jump in the man cannon to head back into the base, where I will take the teleporter route to get more rocket ammo. As I jump into the base I hear my teammate call out for me. I turn to see him waiting on his mongoose, needing a second man. I guess I'll forget the ammo and just have to make this one shot count. As I hop on he accelerates to insane speeds that only a mongoose can achieve.


Most of our team is already in the battle with only us and the tank operator behind. As we head towards the bend, ready to engage the enemy, our opponent comes around the corner. It's a fully loaded hornet, ready to rush in and grab the flag behind our offensive. My teammate shouts we need to turn around and head back to defend our flag as we're the last line of defense. As powerful as the wraith tank is, it's no match for the mobility of a hornet. Knowing the time remaining I shout back "No, we go on." I'll just have to make this one shot count.


Going full speed on a mongoose makes it difficulty to hit an enemy with any weapon, let alone a rocket launcher with absolutely no tracking ability whatsoever. As we approached the hornet I took aim and fired. We continued on at ludicrous speeds. I never even got to see if I hit it. All I saw was the beautiful words come up on my screen...."Triple Kill". Our flag was safe for now. Our whole team could concentrate on the offensive. Fate was on our side and there was nothing that would stop our victory this game.

Fileshare Download: Film Clip

Rainbow Six Vegas 2 Review

I don't know what it is about Tom Clancy games, but they never really seem to live up to their hype. I'm personally a big fan of Tom Clancy novels, but really, he needs to pick a different game studio for his games because Ubisoft just seems to mess them up.

First off, I never really played the first Rainbow Six Vegas game, so I wasn't familiar with the storyline. When I put in Rainbow Six Vegas 2, I expected to somehow be brought up to speed on what was going on. I had no clue who the character is or what I was doing. The game didn't do much to enlighten me either. The single player campaign jumps straight into a tactical assault with little to no background information. That was the first clue I had that this wasn't going to be a good experience.

The next thing I did when starting the game was pause and try to setup my control scheme. I've played plenty of shooters and role playing games. Some games are really good at giving players customizable control schemes (Halo 3) and some are just horrible at it (Star Wars Republic Commandos). This game fell somewhere in the middle, closer to the horrible end. You think game studios would come up with some standard for control schemes for genres of games. Personally I feel all shooter games should have the same options available. That would eliminate control schemes from being a deterrent for some gamers. Even better would be if the console manufacturer would implement a set of standard schemes that players could set globally and have all their games pull from those settings.

RBSV2 does have some interesting features, such as the ability to use your Xbox Live vision camera to scan in your face and put that on your character. The game also gives immense customization options for ho