Gadgets Blog » Video Games

The Legacy of “Tron”: Bringing a New Face to Gaming

brock — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 18:52:53 +0000

In was but a wee one when the original “Tron” came out in 1982, but I was mesmerized by the amazing graphics and cool special effects. It has action and light cycles, and it involved computers, something not many movies were doing at that time.

Almost 30 years later, a much-anticipated follow-up movie premieres today, and the video game Tron: Evolution is already in stories. It got me thinking about when “Tron” first came out and the arcade game that was developed to follow the movie. I frequented a lot of arcades back then, and that game got me hooked far more than Donkey Kong or Pac Man.

Perhaps the most fun about it was that it was four games in one. It wasn’t just the same game over and over again with maybe a new terrain or faster enemies; there were four completely different games. While that may pale in comparison to the Mario Party and Carnival Games of today, back then, it was unheard of.

Everybody had their favorite game, and the one that they couldn’t stand but played anyway because it was the only way to beat the game. The arcade game featured black lights and fluorescent lights, and it just looked amazing on the arcade floor.

You have to remember that arcades of the ’80s were nothing like the arcades of today. They were loud and dark and filled to the brim with people. For teens and younger, the arcade was the only place to go and play for cheap. All you needed was a few dollars in quarters.

Tron was a far departure from other video games of that time, but it soon became something of a revolutionary for mini games. Developers finally realized that people wanted more than just the same gameplay over and over again, and this led to many of the characteristics of today’s games.

Imagine how games would be different if they didn’t incorporate the changes that “Tron” started. Imagine no games within a game, or no bonus rounds, and how boring things would be. I am not putting “Tron” up on a gaming pedestal or saying that is was single-handedly responsible for the changes, but it did have a major impact.

I doubt the new “Tron” will have the impact of the old one, but it will be nice to get in the light cycles again.

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/revgeorge/26149731

The History of Video Games: A Look Back at Atari and More

brock — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 18:20:58 +0000

This holiday season many children will open up a new PlayStation 3, Wii and X-box 360 with Kinect and play the most graphically amazing games created, using everything from handheld devices to their own body as controllers.

I have been gaming for more than 25 years, so I remember the early days of Atari and Nintendo. For this reason, I thought I would take a look back at the technology of the past so that we can appreciate the technology of the present.

Atari: Who remembers using a screwdriver to connect the Atari to the television? This was before the days of the red, white and yellow A/V inputs. I still remember sitting on my parents’ bed playing Breakout for hours. The sound effects consisted of beep followed by a boop and then another beep. Whew, those were some crazy times. Space Invaders, Combat and a plethora of other classic games that anyone over 30 remembers. The graphics consisted of various block forms, and the controllers had one button.

8-bit machines: I like to call this the golden age of gaming. Nintendo debuted the Nintendo Entertainment System along with a little Italian Plumber named Mario bent on saving Princess Toadstool from the clutches of the evil Bowser. Some of you might also remember Robbie the Robot, who you could control to play a game called Gyroscope. Yeah, nobody else does either. Needless to say, it didn’t catch on. Nintendo also brought out the light gun and Duck Hunt. The sounds were actually sounds like the tiny output of a synthesizer. There were thousands of games that came out for it, and it ruled the roost for years. There was also the Sega Master System, but Sega didn’t become popular until the next phase.

16-bit Machines: Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis battled for supremacy of the 16-bit graphics world. Sega put all its chips in Sonic the Hedgehog, while Nintendo kept churning out Mario games. They were pretty head-to -head competition until Sega brought out the Sega CD attachment to the Genesis system. The graphics were the same, but the CD format allowed for more information to be placed on gaming medium. This was the age of full motion video gaming and the development of CD systems such as the 3DO. Sega even created a third add-on for the Genesis, the 32X, which enabled 32-bit graphics, but it never really caught on.

PlayStation Era: Nintendo had the Nintendo 64 and GameCube, Sega had the Dreamcast, but the real players of this era were the PlayStation and the X-box. The sound and graphics of the PS1 and X-box were light years ahead of anyone else. Nintendo pretty much admitted defeat and concentrated on its portable platforms, and Sega just gave up. It was a little sad about Sega, but I was too busy playing Resident Evil on the PS1 to care.

PS2: I think I can say in all honesty that the PlayStation 2 is the most popular gaming system ever developed. Even homes in ramshackle huts of China and India had a PS2 in them. In my opinion, the flagship games for the PS2 were the first-person shooters and role-playing games. The audio was top notch, and the video was amazing. I still have mine hooked up and love to play it occasionally.

The limits of today’s machines are still being sought out, and it will be a few more years before another contender hits the shelves. Today’s systems can have hundreds of players in one game on the Internet, and their motion-capture technology and realism is incredible. I can only imagine what’s going to happen in the next generation.

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/grooveraider/3257662084

Xbox Kinect Could Break Wii Hold on Motion Control

brock — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 18:48:16 +0000

For years, Nintendo’s Wii has been the unrivaled leader in motion control technology with its nunchuk-like controllers that followed peoples’ movements and translated them to actions on the screen.

This year, both PlayStation and Microsoft unleashed their version of motion control, and Microsft Kinect for Xbox 360 seems to be leading the pack. Unlike both PlayStation and Wii, Xbox Kinect does not use a controller, instead using a camera to track the movements of the player.

When the player jumps, the character jumps. This controller and camera in one gives players the unique opportunity to have their direct image placed into the game screen, and it even reads clothes and colors and translates it to the screen for chats, etc.

Tech and gadget G4 recently tested this device’s capability to recognize specific clothing, from standard jeans and a T-shirt to a naughty school girl uniform, bikini and even nude. Jeans and even naughty school girl translated to the game, but the digital version of nudity was blocked. Unfortunately, it does not block direct video nudity, even though there are supposed to. That’s something for parents to watch out for.

If Kinect continues to perform as it has been, and game developers continue to push its limits, then I see Kinect eclipsing Wii as the motion control leader. While Wii has focused on family games and such, Microsoft isn’t afraid to make it more than a tool for family fun.

While I don’t think we will be seeing full-fight simulation, my guess is that developers are already working on something like it. While the Wii’s capabilities are reaching their limits, Kinect hasn’t even begun to discover where such a new and innovative control mechanism can take the player.

When you add in the possibility of 3D televisions and games, then you are opening up an entirely new era of interactivity. We may still be a few decades or even centuries from a holodeck like on “Star Trek,” but the Kinect and 3D combination may bring us as close as we can get.

If Nintendo wants to stay on top of the market, they will have to step up development of their own peripherals and get rid of the nunchuk for something more virtual.

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/duanebrown/5042815080

Senior Citizen Services: Gaming Characters Past Their Prime

brock — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 17:53:35 +0000

5. Donkey Kong: He came into the video game world as a menace to Mario and his girlfriend, and has since become a loving father and avid race car driver. It’s obvious when Donkey Kong was created that they were going after the whole King Kong vibe, but just like wrestling, he ended up changing sides. His most recent game, Donkey Kong Country Returns, came out this month. He’s an old monkey, and it’s time to slip him his last banana and leave the tough stuff to Donkey Kong, Jr.

4. Lara Croft: Arguably, the first video game sex symbol when she burst on the scene her tight shorts and athletic moves had gamers playing with their joysticks for hours. She spawned many games and even two movies starring Angelina Jolie, and there is talk of a reboot in the works. Her latest game, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, came out in September. Let’s face it, folks; she’s had the same outfit and hairstyle for 15 years. Just like Angelina needs to make way for Megan Fox (oh, snap), Lara needs to make way for someone else.

3. Pac Man: Just like Donkey Kong, Pac Man was one of the first true video game stars found in arcades around the globe. He even got his wife and kids in on the ghost-gobbling business. He spawned countless games, cartoons and breakfast cereals, and his most recent game came out this month. You want to talk about a workaholic? This guy was busy through his children’s entire childhoods and is still churning out the games. Put Pac Man to pasture so that he can actually enjoy his golden years with the Misses.

2. Sonic the Hedgehog: Sonic was Sega’s equivalent of Mario back in the Genesis days. While he never was able to eclipse the lovable plumber, Sonic did create quite a following, including cartoons and countless games. Sonic Colors recently came out on Wii, and more are on the way. For a guy whose whole shtick is running fast, he’s got to be getting on in years. I am not sure how long hedgehogs live, but he must be their version of Methuselah. Come on, Sonic, hang it up. Get married and have some kids so they can carry on the tradition when you get fitted for that walker.

1. Mario: Yeah, I said it. Mario, the king of all video game characters, is so long in the tooth that even his own brother won’t talk to him anymore. He’s started hanging out with that Wario character and cheated on Princess with that weird Mushroom chick. Nintendo is shuffling Mario out in every game that gets released, and they even started re-releasing and sprucing up the old games. Don’t you think Nintendo could put the old man in the plumber retirement home and bring in someone else? He’s never had a kid, and Princess Peach keeps getting kidnapped. It’s got to be frustrating. Give the guy a vacation.

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/hikikomori/155243447

Gran Turismo 5 Release Features New, Limited-Edition PS 3

Dan Evans — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 17:37:19 +0000

Few titles are as revered in the world of gaming as Gran Turismo. The signature racing simulator for Sony’s line of gaming consoles, Gran Turismo got its fantastic origins on the original PlayStation.

Over time, the series has become one of the most hotly anticipated and best-selling entries into Sony’s impressive lineup of titles. Along with the name recognition and revenues working in Sony’s favor, there has come a strong love-hate relationship with the game’s development. The series is no stranger to significant delays in production, pushing back the release of these essential titles for weeks, if not months, at a time.

All that is coming to an end for the title’s latest release, Gran Turismo 5. Sony’s got a little extra bit of fanfare in the works as well, gearing up a brand-new limited-edition version of the PlayStation 3 specifically for the event. Nov. 24 will mark the exciting return of the franchise. The premise behind Gran Turismo is part of what makes it so compelling. Unlike arcade-style racing games, the title focuses on the technical aspects of driving, pitting the player against competent AI opponents on a series of difficult road courses.

The real focus of the game, however, is the cars themselves. With a spectacular lineup of real-world cars, all lovingly licensed from their producers, the series allows auto-lovers to race a wide variety of exotic cars from around the world. Increases in performance, changes in paint schemes and other upgrades are all possible, adding a collector’s style bonus to the gameplay. The fifth entry in the series also has slated improvements to online play, allowing users to compete via the Internet with high stakes on the outcome of the races.

While the limited-edition PS3 isn’t going to be making a debut stateside, the sentiment behind the release of this title certainly is. The titanium-blue PlayStation 3 will hit the market for about $400, which could be steep for Japanese fans who already have a perfectly functional unit. If not, the sleep titanium-blue unit would make a great addition to someone’s personal gadget library. Keep an eye out for Gran Turismo 5 later this November.

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/nikonvscanon/2409641226

New Video Game Releases: Call of Duty Black Ops

Dan Evans — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 18:49:10 +0000

It’s difficult to talk about a new video game release these days without mentioning a sequel. In the current generation of consoles, developers have seen the stakes of their successful titles raised to new heights. The immense costs of creating a game with the current standards of graphics, gameplay and content have placed pressure on developers to deliver revenues to their companies. As a result, many of 2010’s biggest titles were sequels in successful franchises. Call of Duty: Black Ops is no different, but it boasts perhaps the most difficult challenge: filling the shoes of the hottest-selling video game of all time.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is the spiritual predecessor to Black Ops, and it was a divisive title in the gaming community. Utilizing current-events politics and contemporary weaponry, the title weaved a fiction dealing with global conflict, putting the player in charge of defending the United States from invasion. It was a great release with multiplayer, bringing users back to the title again and again. But it wasn’t perfect. The writing in MW2 served as a major downside, as the plot of the game relied too heavily on Hollywood-style melodrama and cheap tricks on the player, typically involving the “death” of the user in a cinematic cut scene.

Black Ops solves this problem by placing the player in the boots of a special operations soldier. Operating behind enemy lines, the player works primarily on covert missions in the single-player side of things. The game is being developed by Treyarch, which was responsible for other Call of Duty games in the past, but neither of the franchise’s Modern Warfare entries. The last outing for Treyarch was Call of Duty 5, set back in WWII. While it sold well, it lacked the critical acclaim of developer Infinity Ward’s Modern titles. Black Ops is a great opportunity for Treyarch, as pre-sales have already set new records benchmarks.

Multiplayer will, as usual, be the key to bringing players back to the title. Black Ops doesn’t do anything drastically different from the classic Call of Duty multiplayer format, but there might not be anything wrong with that. Players earn experience points by playing matches online, slowly allowing them to unlock new weapons and special abilities. It’s a combination of first-person-shooter action with role-playing character customization, and its availability on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 will catapult the title into the hands of hardcore gamers. Look for Call of Duty: Black Ops on shelves starting today!

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/popculturegeek/4719821136

Microsoft Kinect Prepares for Launch

Dan Evans — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 17:07:02 +0000

Back when current generation gaming consoles were being released, a perplexing turn of events set Nintendo apart from its competitors. Where Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s PlayStation 3 opted for high-powered machines that supported other kinds of multimedia, Nintendo kept the graphic capabilities on their Wii console relatively limited, embracing instead a motion-sensing control scheme that provided an extra dimension to their video games. Nintendo’s gambit seems to have paid off, with the Wii standing as a high-selling console with positive market trends on the rise.

Enter Microsoft’s reaction to the Wii. While the Wii controllers had motion-sensing devices built into them, Microsoft’s Kinect controller is entirely hands free. The device is capable of spotting human movement while mounted just in front of the television screen — no controller required. That person’s movements translate into in-game activities, creating an experience that Microsoft hopes will be perceived as more involved and compelling. The players don’t use a peripheral anymore. Instead, they use their entire bodies.

Slated for release one week from today, the Kinect has been met with both praise and skepticism from the gaming community. Many have been skeptical of the Kinect’s ability to operate in the manner Microsoft intends, and the release titles don’t demonstrate anything particularly gaming-intensive. The majority of the release titles for Kinect resemble Nintendo Wii counterparts, including sports mini-games, dancing and rhythm games, and even weight-loss titles. Down the line, further games, such as Forza Motorsport 4, will offer Kinect support, but nothing in the launch titles suggests anything other than casual.

The Kinect device comes packaged with an Xbox 360 for only $229.99. This stands as a pretty great steal, until you realize that this package only has a 4GB hard drive packaged with the console. Microsoft is pretty clearly going after the casual gaming market with this latest device. Still, it could stand as a great package, provided your gaming needs aren’t that demanding. In the 360, you also get a great way to stream Netflix and play some other great titles, but hardcore gamers will want to pass on the $150 upgrade that the Kinect presents.

Photo Source: flickr.com/photos/popculturegeek/4756565723/

Fallout New Vegas Brings the Apocalypse to Living Rooms

Dan Evans — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 19:29:42 +0000

In an alternate reality, civilization as we know it has come to an end. The rivalry between the USA and the USSR never came to a peaceful conclusion, but rather a horrendous nuclear war fought sometime in the alternate 1950s. This is the world of Fallout, a franchise that has lasted countless technological advancements due largely in part to its unique setting and fascinating take on morality. The latest title in the series, developed by Obsidian in partnership with Bethesda, takes the series to a place its never been before: the wasteland surrounding Las Vegas.

Fallout: New Vegas appears at first glance to be more of the same from the two developers who have worked on the project. Bethesda’s Fallout 3 was a highly successful title in 2009, with tremendous sales on the computer, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. The new title operates on the same graphics engine, featuring many of the same gameplay mechanics. Things are different this time around, however. With a host of new features geared towards advanced players, early reviews of the game have pointed towards a classic entry in the series, and one of the best titles of the year.

The game puts the player in the shoes of a wanderer in this post-apocalyptic wasteland. After suffering from an attack by a band of strangers, you’re nurtured back to heath by a compassionate doctor. As the game progresses, the player encounters a large number of characters, all suffering in the same circumstances in the difficult living. A key element of Fallout has always been the exploration, and this title is no different. Some of the tasks given by strangers are required to successfully complete the game, while others offer bonuses and item while remaining separate from the main quest.

Fallout: New Vegas is a mature title, with graphic violence and adult content. It represents a portion of the video game market that grew up on titles like Mario and Zelda, but now ages in their mid to late twenties. Games with this type of atmosphere and depth rival any major Hollywood movie, and the writing in particular has always been stellar in the Fallout series. With an open world, deep moral choices, and the ability to do combat with a wide range of creatures and bandits, Fallout: New Vegas makes a great addition to any gamer’s library.

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/popculturegeek/4719174205/

New Medal of Honor Generates Controversy

Dan Evans — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 22:27:52 +0000

In the ever-popular world of first-person shooter video games, developers have been mobilizing quickly to play catch-up to a few successful titles. Every few years, a shooter manages to come along to reinvent the genre, causing excitement in the gaming community and inspiring dozens of rip-off attempting to capitalize on the bandwagon phenomenon. In the last year we’ve seen two iterations of successful franchises that have been oft-imitated but never overtaken. Halo: Reach was released earlier this fall, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was a smash hit last spring.

Call of Duty is perhaps notable for its modern weaponry, utilizing the military technology of today to create a fast-paced game with a Tom Clancy-inspired story. With fictional politicians deciding the fate of the free world, Modern Warfare 2 managed to encapsulate the intense atmosphere of 21st century global strife with a fictional story. Not to be outdone, rival developer Electronic Arts re-booted their Medal of Honor franchise for the 21st century. While the game itself features a strong story and similar gameplay, Electronic Arts opted to use the conflict in Afghanistan for their setting.

This created controversy over the game’s release. A staple of shooters has been the multiplayer combat, with players able to compete head-to-head online and off. In the case of Medal of Honor, this became problematic. The alternative to playing as the Americans in combat was to opt for the insurgents, whom Electronic Arts had declared to be the Taliban. While this use of current events might have been a great addition to the single player, the game came under fire for allowing players to kiill “American” soliders as the Taliban in multiplayer.

In response to the controversy, Electronic Arts dropped the “Taliban” monicker from the insurgents for online gameplay, instead dubbing them the “Opposing Force.” While this may have served to placate critics of the game, it doesn’t change the reality of the game’s intent. In their quest for realism, the developers of Medal of Honor crossed a sensitive line between video games and reality. Real-world events may be filled with intrigue and drama, but with troops still serving overseas, developers will have to think twice before including such edgy content in their games.

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/popculturegeek/4719818710/sizes/s/in/photostream/

Civilization V Brings New Chapter in Classic Series

Dan Evans — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 21:31:22 +0000

In the world of video games, “epic” is a word often worked towards and rarely achieved. As shooters and adventure games attempt to transport individuals to new environmentsunlike any encountered in the real world, development teams rely on their imaginations and creativity to stand out from the rest of the market. Halo: Reach gives us aliens and space marines, the recently released Enslaved gives us a fantasy world with its own culture and laws. Civilization, the classic franchise from developer Sid Mier, does nothing more than present us with the story of humanity’s accomplishments. And epic it truly is.

Civilization V is the latest installment in the classic series, which began back in the early 1990s and has lasted nearly 20 years. Each entry into the library has involved a tremendous reworking of the formula, drawing in new players while appeasing seasoned veterans. Unlike other strategy games like Blizzard’s famous Starcraft or Microsoft’s Age of Empires, Civilization takes place on a turn-by-turn basis, much like a board game. Instead of frantic moves and multitasking by the players, the game favors a more relaxed pace with each and every decision requiring extensive thought prior to execution.

Beginning in 4000 BC, the player begins building cities on a large world map. Cities are albe to generate income and build units ranging from the infrastructure building worker to battleships and cavalry. As time progresses, so does your technological advancement. Other civilizations are encountered, enabling the player to engage in diplomacy as borders become close and conflicts arise. Civilization has always allowed the player a great amount of freedom in how to win the game. It’s not simply last man standing, the player is able to forge alliances, make trade negotiations, and share resources in addition to the option of brute force.

Civilization V’s changes revolve primarily around the board itself, with hexagonal tiles and limitations on military units requiring additional tactical ability instead of simple brute force. The changes, as per the norm when releasing a new product, can take a bit getting used to for veteran players. Complaints that the interface has been streamlined have surfaced on the Internet, but they’re distracting from the fact that this title is a tremendous work, easily on par with the previous entries in the series. If you’re looking for a game to test your intellect, look no further.

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/55935853@N00/4550729784/sizes/s/in/photostream/