The Code Games News Report 04.20.07
Posted by Shawn Struck on 04.20.2007
Early Peeks At The Greatest PSX Games, The Largest Dungeon Map Ever, and I Can Quit Any Time I WANT.
This week is going to be a little short, because I've had a hell of a lot of things going on this week. But fear not, I still will bring you... The Code.
Why Aren't Video Games More Like Fairy Tales? Because No One's Brave (via theferret)
Prolific Livejournaler "The Ferrett" shares some intriguing thoughts on video game theory and design. As he says, responding to another essay on the subject:
Dmitri's point is that it's next to impossible to effectively simulate luck or bravery - the factors that often make a fairy tale so satisfying - in a videogame. Bravery's next to impossible because everyone takes huge risks in videogames anyway; ... part of the reason why games like Grand Theft Auto are so damned fun is because bravery is effectively removed from the equation, and you can have your character do patently suicidal things like taking on all the cops with a rocket launcher while riding on the roof of a moving ice cream truck.
You can attempt to simulate bravery in one of two ways:
1) You can have the character not respond to you.
[...]
2) You can have the loss affect the player's choices.
[...] .
So what's the key? Free will, says he:
In a videogame, the character can do anything he wants within the confines of the game engine and the level design... Which is tough. As Chekov famously said, "If there is a gun hanging on the wall in the first act, it must fire in the last." But in a videogame, since a character can roam rampant, there's a good chance that he might never enter the room with the gun. In a world where the character can do many things, the character can also choose to not do things that may be crucial. The only alternative is to take away that free will that allows the player to roam anywhere, which may make for a more satisfying plot... But ironically, it's less of a videogame experience.
The entire essay, and the resulting discussion, is a fascinating read. So, as they say in blogtopia, read the whole thing .
This Week's "All YouTube, All The Time":
Early ICo, Two Three
First off, here's a demo reel of the very earliest test footage and gameplay from an early proof-of-concept build of the PLayStation classic Ico:
A movie Ueda put together during this period shows what they had so far on the PSone version. The lone enemy type is one of the masked, horned soldiers present in the final game only during a cutscene, though the horns are now on Ico rather than Yorda. Some locations are already familiar even at this stage; the outdoor sluice gate puzzle is clearly recognizable, as is the waterfall area.
Happily, there also exists footage of a proto version of Shadow Of The Colossus, back when it was under the development name "NICO":
An early technology demo for the project shown at the DICE Summit in 2003 depicted a group of masked, horned boys riding horses while attacking and defeating a colossus.However, Fumito Ueda expressed that, at the time, it was simpler to reuse the character design of Ico's protagonist, and that he never explicitly desired a sequel to Ico.
And finally, feast your eyes on a beta version of the very first Metal Gear Solid Game:
This Week's "Now That's Cool":
A Super Hi-Res Version of the Best Dungeon Game Ever
The map below is a 2535x1616 levaithan of of hand-drawn map from Zork (originally called Dungeon), one of the most popular and well-loved text adventure games ever. Simply ca-click on the picture below to see it in all its wide-screeen glory!
Behold its majesty!
Feature: Jack Thompson's Lies, Deconstructed (via Kotaku)
"What do we learn from this assessment of Thompson's babble on national television? That you can say anything on TV and not have it fact-checked as long as you say it quickly, when TV needs someone to fill time and it's a good sound bite."
It's climbing up the Digg charts as we speak, so read it all and bask in the flames.
Flash Game I Can Quit Playing Any Time I Want, Really!: Desktop TD.
I am hooked, and hooked somethin' awful, on DesktopTD.
Why?
Well, for one thing, the creator of the game keeps updating the damn thing, adding new challenges just as you've finally convinced yourself that you've wrung all of the stimulation out of the game. As Robin notes, it's a brilliant strategy, the continual incremental sequel. Version 1.21 introduced a 10K gold fun mode...you get 10,000 gold pieces at the beginning to build a maze.
Go ahead, just t ry building one where you can send all 50 levels at the same time and not lose any lives. Fun, indeed.
Video Game Girls You Should Respect (via GameSetWatch)
"Whatever happened to having some nice wholesome girl-next-door type characters to idolise, that you can happily play a game featuring the vixen infront of your Dad, and not fear an embarassing pants-tent episode?... I've put together a list of who I think deserves to be on the Shiny Shiny Top Ten List Of Gaming Vixens who aren't just featured for their 34-24-34 ratio and ability to knock out a vertically-challenged man with a simple quiver of the lady-lumps."
I agree with the number three pick(Jade from Beyond Good and Evil), though I think she should have been a little higher:
I was tempted to place Jade an number one in the list purely because I enjoyed the game so much, but that's not the point to this list! This street-smart reporter/journalist earns our respect for being decked head to toe in green, even sporting a peculiar shade of green lipstick that's ever so difficult to pull off with the aplomb she manages. Her patience with that irritating uncle of hers, Pey'j, and perserverance through the challenges she faces puts her at a healthy number three.
I'll kick the question to you, faithful readers: What do YOU think about this list?
The UK girl-oriented gadget site 
