Record Of The 16-Bit War: Skyblazer

This post also appears at The Digitized Ramblings Of An 8-Bit Animal

Today’s video takes a look at Skyblazer for the Super Nintendo from Sony Imagesoft.

The Sound Shapers – Anoy337

The “SoundShapers” is a series of articles and interviews that spotlight a different member of the Sound Shapes community weekly. Check out other posts here.

The outstanding thing about the Sound Shapes community is that levels will bubble up through various means. Between chatter amongst the heavy hitters on PSN or the different filters on the Sound Shapes community website there are dozens of ways for players to find great content. While digging through my “following” list I saw that many of folk’s favorite levels were from this week’s shaper Anoy337.

Some of his stand-out levels that I have played include:

“Fatal Progress” – Levels like this are special because they take the usual platforming conventions and flip them on their heads. Usually you try to avoid things that can kill you, but in FP you embrace death by jumping into the red hearts on every screen. It also makes the save points (usually a good thing) into a total annoyance to run into. Hitting some of them will have you re-spawn in a part of the level that takes you away from your goal. It makes this level really challenging and almost Vita-chucking. The payoff is well worth it if you can keep pushing.

“Breakdown” – Breakdown sets you up to believe that it won’t be a pain in the arse, but you soon see that it’s devious, treacherous and beautiful. You can see that going into making this level Anoy had a plan, and it was to push players to think before you leap. Besides the actual plaforming, there are a couple of screens that are really gorgeous to look at.

“Bonus Round_01” – So far this is my favorite Anoy level. It plays like a side-scrolling version of the classic game “Mousetrap”. I really appreciate craftsmanship and this one-screen level is chock full of it. What makes it cool is that you have to open gates all around the screen through quick movement, precision jumping, and sequencing. It’s extremely well thought out and is challenging and fun to play.

After playing his levels I had to ask him some questions about his method.

TSP: Give a little background on yourself and why you decided to play Sound Shapes.

Anoy337: Hi all, my name is Lee and I’m a tattoo artist by profession. I’m mostly drawing on people but pretty much whatever spare time I have usually gets donated to video games. Among the many I enjoy is the gem that is Sound Shapes. The ability to use such an amazing platform to freely create your own “songs” is what won my heart.

TSP: How do you plan out your levels? (Music first or art?)

Anoy: To be honest I try not to have a standard approach to making the song but rather choosing my underlying concept first and then approaching it in whichever way is more practical for concept of song. Sometimes however I take a more loose approach and sort of try to let the song just make itself, if that makes any sense.

TSP: Do you make your levels on the PS3 or Vita?

Anoy: I use my lovely little lady, the PS Vita. Sometimes I play on my PS3 but I have made all my levels on my PS Vita thus far. I prefer the touch screen over cursor.

TSP: What are your favorite levels that you’ve made and why?

Anoy: Well this is a tricky one because I have lost many a level before doing online backups and some of them are amongst my favourites. My top published level would have to be “FATAL PROGRESS”. I could maybe have done more with the music but I love how it can make you fear save points if you play it too long, which is usually evident when you play a normal level afterwards. Also I felt making the only thing that could kill you in the level a heart seems to help you embrace death easier.

TSP: What is the favorite level you’ve played and why?

Anoy: There are so many amazing songs and creators out there it would be unfair to choose only one. A stage I enjoyed very much recently though was the “Shape Invaders Song” by Gasssst. It had some innovative game play ideas and a really nice style also. But with guys like Daftbomb, Beejabides, TT, Jool, Gezouten, Earlee and all the many other amazing Sound Shapers working hard, it’s guaranteed another winner song will be uploaded probably while you are reading this interview. Thanks again for making this possible Queasy Games and Sony.

TSP: Any tips or tricks that you’ve learned?

Anoy: Mmmmmmmmm…don’t use elevators the other way around, no matter how tempted. I recently learned that shapes isn’t enough for a good level; sound is also very important. Think about the player objectively when making your song and know who you’re trying to make the song for, even if it’s just for yourself. Most importantly don’t over complicate panels and try to spread out the songs; I struggle a lot with this one.

TSP: What would you like see added to the game in future updates that would make your creations even better?

Anoy: I heard something about a curve pack which was my only wish at first, but recently when getting into the sound side I find that a volume adjustment on individual game objects seems like something that could be very useful. I’m not too sure however on how the programming behind it would work so it might not even be possible. Other than that, maybe some weapons to fight back against the reds in Sound Shapes 2.

Anoy also gave us some shout outs:
I would like to thank Kahlief ‘kahjah’ and The Spawn Point Blog for this opportunity. You guys are doing an awesome job. Thanks also to all Sound Shapers for working hard at making dope levels and a very special thanks to all the queasies @Queasygames for making this amazing medium its truly the canvas of our time. You guys rule.

Thanks again to Anoy337 for sharing his great work with the community and taking time to chat with us at The Spawn Point Blog. We hope that you all are enjoying the #SoundShapers series and Sound Shapes. Check back here next week to see our interview with DUSTINISGOOD.

Related articles

• The Sound Shapers – Jool2306 (thespawnpointblog.com)
• The Sound Shapers – Gasssst (thespawnpointblog.com)
• The Sound Shapers-TheBeejAbides (thespawnpointblog.com)

The Sound Shapers-TheBeejAbides

The “SoundShapers” are a series of articles and interviews that spotlight a different member of the Sound Shapes community weekly. Check out our entries here.

 This week in our SoundShapers series we spotlight community member, TheBeejAbides.

 Beej was generous enough to share some of his time and grant us an interview. Here is how it all went down:

The Spawn Point (TSP): Give us a little background on yourself and why you decided to play Sound Shapes.

TheBeejAbides: I guess you could say that I’ve been platforming ever since they made platforms, so SoundShapes was a natural path to take.  From Pitfall (ColecoVision) to WonderBoy (Sega Master System) and Mario Bros. (Nintendo) to Sonic (Sega Genesis), and beyond, I have been trying to avoid the inevitable video game platforming death for over two decades.  I’m old school, son!  When I found out I was able to create my own platforming levels, I jumped at the chance.  I downloaded SS on day 1 and have basically been profoundly hooked ever since.  The fact that the game combines three of my loves (Gaming, Art and Music) has made it so I really haven’t had to play anything else since I bought it.  Damn you Queasy!   It’s so good!

TSP: How do you plan out your levels? (Music first or art)

Beej: I always create the musical composition first (unless it’s a 1SL, and then music is secondary).  I have found that a good song really adds a lot to your level.  The emotion or panic that it can evoke works with the color scheme and art to set a tone, and those tones dictate the experience that someone will have while playing the game.  You obviously want them to have a memorable experience when playing, so after the music, I start placing platforms in places that require the player to collect the notes in an order that makes sense for the music.  Sometimes I like to require the player to stay on a screen for a moment after all the notes are collected so they might hear the music for a couple of loops. After the rough platform ideas are in place, then come the dangerous red obstacles and moving parts (lasers, creatures, etc).  I basically play the level from start to finish after every screen I create, to see what the experience is like and how well it flows. This sometimes inspires vast overhauls or idea changes while I am creating, so I’ve learned to not rush a level to completion. I guess that’s where the artist in me takes over and I can obsess about the angle of a box or the placement of a vertical wall or sometimes even the tone of the music.  It’s rare my levels end up looking like what I had originally envisioned. I love the fact that you can go back and update your levels, too, because ideas never stop coming and sometimes you notice a third elbow on a screen that needs to be amputated. The surgery is relatively painless.

TSP: Do you make your levels on the PS3 or Vita?

Beej: I am one of the few that create and play on the PS3.  Most of the other shapers that I communicate with via the PSN are rocking the Vita. Shaper “Daftbomb” has tried persuading me to get a Vita, and he’s lobbied quite well, but I have yet to pull the trigger.  I’m guessing that creating on the Vita is a bit easier, but I’ve come to feel quite comfortable with the PS3 controller as my ’paint brush’.  Oh, and I can’t receive picture attachments that are sent from a Vita.  Yo Sony, what’s up with that?

TSP: What is your favorite level that you’ve made and why?

Beej: This is a difficult choice, but I’d say “Plug Me In” is my favorite so far. The concept is sort-of-kind-of like you are rolling around inside a microphone or an amp (or something musically electronic) and all the while you are experiencing a very tame Def-Poetry type of arrangement. I worked with the idea of revisiting sounds by having the player enter parallel screens to the ones that they had already collected notes from. Each screen has a word or words that are intended to be part of a long statement or ‘groove manifesto’ that is really, in essence, the way I feel about the game of SoundShapes.  It’s long and difficult in certain spots, but it is definitely emotive for being kind of simple in appearance.  In short, it’s saying: “Plug Me In to this game so I can get funky!”

 TSP: What is your favorite level you’ve played and why?

Beej: This is also a difficult choice because I just logged my 1,000 level played, so there are a lot to choose from.  I’m not super discriminate with the “like” button when assessing someone else’s level because if there is even one single aspect that I like about it, be it the music, the art, the play-ability… heck sometimes I just like the title… I will give it a ”like”.  But when it comes to levels that are just plain awesome or memorable, these stand out:

     1. “Triptych” by Daftbomb – This level is super tough; it looks great, and has no checkpoints. It’s pretty typical of what you can expect from a Daftbomb level:  It’s a sharp as a knife but you want to take a bite out of it because it looks like a birthday cake. It combines all the skills of movement, and the sounds create an environment that puts the pressure on you to make no mistakes. Daft has been a driving force behind a lot of stuff going on in the SoundShapes online community.  He put together a discussion group of some of the most active creators and we’ve all been communicating and bouncing ideas off of each other such as the  1SLs (Daftbomb), the ESCs (Escape Levels) (gezouten), and maybe a new project yet to come (TheBeejAbides)? I guess we’ll have to wait and see…  but with over 500 fans following him, it’s no surprise that Daftbomb continuously cranks out awesomely challenging and aesthetically beautiful levels. He’s even created playable levels to explain some of these niche ideas, which are also pretty great. He’s a true master of Shaping. {I also suggest “Deathcom” by Daftbomb…. it’s long and difficult and oh so rewarding to finish!}

    2. “A Nightmare on Church Street” by TonyTough – It’s another great narrative from an original artistic mind. He creates depth very well and uses background objects to create landscapes unlike anyone else in the SoundShapes community. The slow and low music places you in a setting that is creepy and dangerous, and you aren’t sure what perils will come next. He’s really good at using objects in a non-literal way to create his scenes, like an ice sheet for a fireplace mantle and other such cool twists on platforming.  There’s also a kind of puzzle aspect to the level with clues to finding the ending, which are not immediately evident.  All of TonyTough’s levels are awesome and take a nice chunk of time to play.  They all have a replay value because the art and stories are pretty awesome.  I’m super excited for his new saga called “The Ninja”, because I have an affinity towards ninjas and he is experimenting with a new way to tell the story.  It’s pretty fricken sweet.

    3.  “Life is Too Short” by jool2306 - You don’t really “play” this one as much as you ”watch it”, but it delivers in all the right ways.  jool2306 has an aesthetic that I love, which is kind of a child-like “cartoonishness” that goes along great with his storytelling ability.  He goes a little further in “The 8th Wonder of the World”, where he recreates iconic world landmarks that you tour while unlocking the portal to the final world wonder… I wonder what it is?  Hehehe. He is fast becoming my favorite creator and it’s worth paying attention to his “Egg” series, which is very creative and, so far, boundless in its aim.  I like when I am wowed by a level, and jool2306 certainly does that.

     4. “FATAL PROGRESS” by ANOY337 – Death is good? In this level, it is. You have to die in a certain sequence in order to make forward progress in this level, and it is fricken’ awesome! Very fun, frustrating, rewarding, and time consuming, but all the while you are totally engaged and determined. The platforming is creative, varied and challenging; just don’t accidentally trigger an unwanted checkpoint, because you will have to start all over again.   ANOY337′s other levels are great too; he will sometimes use giant-sized forms to create a miniature perspective in a macro world.

     5. “Escape From Guantanamo Bay” by Old_PopTarts -  This level isn’t overly difficult or even super artistic, but it just works very well as an environment and is fun to navigate as a platformer.  It’s arranged well and you certainly feel the coldness of the prison before you make your way out.  Unfortunately, Old_PopTarts has had some internet trouble as of late, but hopefully he gets it sorted out because I’d like to see a new level from him.  He’s one of the fiercest players (along with Milkmaniac) and his times are always some of the best on almost every level.  Tenacious is an apt description of both PopTarts and the Milkster, they can just flat-out get it done.

     Honorable mention:  Check out these users for more totally awesome levels-  Gannon767, gezouten, DUSTINISGOOD, TheFrostE, reinokid, VengefulTorture, pikathon, and yodalex.

TSP: Any tips or tricks that you’ve learned?

Beej: The more time that you take with your creation, the better it will be.  The more you play your levels while creating them, the better the platforming movement will be.  And remember people, it’s: “SOUNDshapes”. Make it sound good!  (Also, try to limit the amount of objects on a screen [especially creatures or moving parts] and try not to move around the start and finish markers while creating… this will help you avoid the dreaded “Script Error” for overmaxing… this is the primary problem with the game and I hope they can fix it with a patch or with DLC or with a SoundShapes2… I’m already salivating at the thought of it.)

 TSP: What would you like see added to the game in future updates that would make your creations even better.

Beej: I’d like to see the kinks and bugs ironed out of the game (as mentioned above) and I’d like to see a more diverse instrument set.  I’m not crazy about using the loops so I’d rather have more tones and single-note noises that I can play with. I’d like the ability to overlay colors or shapes in whatever manner I’d like to, instead of the fact that my sticky substance always has to be on top of the red or on top of the non-sticky platforms.  Also, I’d eliminate the vocal tracks.  I’ve only used it one time on one screen, but some people just abuse the use of them.  I think even Beck would say that.

Before we wrap this article up, I wanted to take a quick stroll through some of my favorite Beej levels and have the artist himself share some of the inspiration behind them.

MY TAKE:

“Diamond Elephunk Factory” – This is the first level I ever played from TheBeejAbides. Its screenshot gave off the notion of airiness and light, an awesome level of asymmetrical detail, and great use of the embedded color themes SS has to offer. I had to play it, and once I did, I soon became a fan of his work. Although one of his earliest levels, Elephunk had a really cool style and a beautiful musical arrangement. There is a really distinct balance in this level that seems to always be at play. The platforming, which–although not super hard–is difficult enough to keep you on your toes, and the lovely Oriental zen garden-esque soundtrack is fun to listen to. Towards the end Beej drops perfectly placed drums to push you towards your goal. I appreciate this level and think it’s a must-play for folks.

“LazerDogAccident-1SL” – This level is a part of Beej’s “LazerDog” series in which LD is put in harrowing circumstances and has to make a way through. The first thing that has to be said is that this level is HARD, and as you will see from our interview, Beej made it that way for a reason. The pulsating lasers and bounce targets are one thing but the screw missiles and breakaway floor are another. Your dexterity and patience will be tested, but as a survivor of the level I can say there is a method to the madness. If you don’t go mad first, that is. I really think Beej should start giving out “I survived the LazerDog level” t-shirts upon completion. It’s only right.

“Clusterfunk Spelunking” – The Clusterfunk level pays homage to classic horror movie tropes as signage foreshadowing your doom. Along with suspenseful imagery, ominous musical tones provide a great background for a really well-thought-out level. Lots of jumps that seem just out of your reach, smart uses of the geometry and nice flourishes of style all around make the level great to play. I loved his “Beej Presents” text towards the beginning of his level, it brings that feeling like something cool is about to happen.

  BEEJ’S TAKE:

“Clusterfunk Spelunking” – I kept the song very simple with one loop (until the end where I bring a new loop in) and add one guitar tone at a very low tempo.  It felt dark and dank and a perfect way to emote the underground feeling. The part above ground part was added at the end of the creation to really help create that feeling of going somewhere nasty and scary. The colors darken as you move from screen to screen, then it gets dark and scary and lots of stuff tries to kill you. I got more into the manipulating of the rhythms of lasers and stuff on this one which was super fun and makes for a really tough level.  You really have to pay attention to the rhythm to advance without harm.  There’s a killer ice sheet platform screen that will test anyone’s skill and patience, and of course, rabbit flowers grow down in that dank hole.  Heh.

 ”Diamond Elephunk Factory” – This was the first level I created, but not the first one I published.  After I published a couple “test” type levels I went back and reworked the whole factory, but the song is awesome so it stayed exactly the same. The platforms were essentially in place, but I didn’t really know how to work the editor that well at first, so the rework was key. I added all the red and cleaned up the platforms so that a gifted player could move fast through the whole level. No enemies or lasers on this one, just plenty of red design waiting for you to slip, fall, or jump a little too far.  I think it’s the level that got most of the attention for me early on, so it is very close to my heart.  I was shocked when people were finishing with better times than mine… I was like, “But I created it!  How could they beat me?”…. heh.  Needless to say it inspired me to make harder and harder levels. If you go to the soundshapesgame.com you will see that most of my levels are up at the top of the ”Deadliest Levels” list.  I couldn’t be more proud of that. 

 ”LazerDogAccident – 1SL” – This is the fourth 1SL out of five in the LazerDog Series, and we can thank Daftbomb for this monster.  He had been poking me to make a single screen level for a while, but at the time I was working on “Ninja Seizure Fun Times Commotion”, so I finally finished that level and made my first 1SL.  I basically wanted to break people’s spirit with my 1SLs, or basically make them so hard that people might throw their controller or turn off their Vita, but do it in a way that was kind of endearing.  Enter: the LazerDog.  She (that’s right ya’ll, LazerDog is a ’she’) is a feisty pup that won’t take no for an answer.  In “Accident”, the idea is that LazerDog is playing in traffic and the ensuing madness causes a bus accident, which you then must weave through to get back home.  Close calls occur and quick reactions are required, as in all of the LazerDogs. It’s no surprise that these levels are seldom finished, people just give up I suppose.  And that’s fricken hilarious to me.  I give respect to anyone who can finish all five, but so far no one has.  I’m looking in your direction, Milkmaniac, CrunchKupo, redespair, Old_PopTarts, and DUSTINISGOOD.  I know you guys can do it!  Tame the LazerDog!

 -TheBeejAbides says: “SOUND SHAPES LIFE”.  So start making music! Thanks to everyone who plays and likes my levels…. and hey, Queasy, “HIRE ME!”

I want to thank TheBeejAbides so much for all of his help with this article. The response to this series has been AMAZING, not only from our readers but also from the Sound Shapes community. If you have any questions or comments please leave them below and also follow us at @spawnpointblog on Twitter or TheSpawnPointBlog on Facebook or Google+.

We also have great news! After seeing our initial article, the fine folks over at Queasy Games asked if we could do some collaborative work on this front. We will be working together to showcase even more community members until the end of the year. If you aren’t doing so already, follow @soundshapes and the hashtag #SoundShapers. Look out for these stories to drop on our site and the Sound Shapes blog every Wednesday.

Wizorb Makes Old School Cool Again

Retro games seem to be making quite the comeback these days; whether it be mechanically or graphically, the trend to go old school is everywhere. The lovely folks at Tribute Games not only went retro, they went retro mash-up.

Wizorb is an awesome mix of both RPG elements and a brick-breaker game. I know at first that might sound awkward but Tribute pulls it off without a hitch.

The game takes place in the magical land of Gorudo, where an unknown evil presence has invaded and demolished the village. You step in as the character Cyrus, a wizard who can control light, dark, and the mysterious magic called “Wizorb”.

The brick-breaker elements are pretty straightforward with a couple of subtle twists. The circle button will increase your side-to-side speed, helping you bounce back those obtuse angled returns while the square (light magic) and “x” button (dark magic) use your powers.

You will use them both a great deal, depending on how much magic you have left and what the situation is at the time. The way the developers integrated the use also added an awesome twist to the mechanics. If you time your button press when the orb hits your paddle you will get different results. For instance, if you hit the light magic button at the right time, the ball becomes a fireball that will demolish a bunch of blocks at once. With the X button the ball will stop in mid-flight and will be controllable with the D-Pad. This helps with trying to hit those hard to reach and out of the way blocks.

Check out this video for a better look:

Coupled with RPG elements like collecting power-ups, enemies, and boss battles, this game brings something new to both genres and makes it a total breath of fresh air to the mobile gaming space.

Here is an example of one of the earlier boss battles:

All this coupled with a lush and beautiful 8-bit graphical style and soundtrack makes this one of my favorite games of the year. There is enough of a challenge through the 5 areas to keep people busy while also not frustrating the player. I appreciate that especially because I play the game during my 20 minute commute. It seems like just enough time to get through a couple of stages and save my game.

Wizorb has cemented my want to see anything and everything that Tribute Games will do in the future. Thank you for making old school cool again.

Ellen Page: The Sony Female Character Model

During E3 Sony Press Conference, Sony dropped two exclusives; one was The Last of Us and the other was Beyond: Two Souls. Both had Ellen Page. Now don’t tell me that the chick in the Last of Us isn’t Ms. Page because I’ve watched Juno. Thrice. Found it witty. Yes, I’m a Ellen Page fan and who’s not? Hard Candy all day.
If you are not familiar with the two game titles, here is a quick summary. The Last of Us is a survival horror/action game where you play as a guy that forgot to shave because it’s the end of the world and zombies are real. Oh yeah, other humans are a threat because my life is more important than yours. It’s a good philosophy for the end of the world.

Here’s my question, how do you keep a well-groomed beard during the zombie apocalypse?

Continuing on.

He is accompanied by Ellen Page reprising the role of young girl that hangs out with older grizzled man, with moments of bravery. Naught Dog of Drake’s Fortune fame has brought you this fine tale. If you watched the E3 trailer and saying to yourself, this chick doesn’t look like Ellen Page. You have not been following this game at all. When the first trailer for this game came out, people could not stop referring to EP (Got tired of writing Ellen Page.) Then all of a sudden, people needed to change her face because money, suing, likeness and shit but she will always have spirit of EP.

Now we get to the game that you play as her, Beyond: Two Souls. Quantic Dream is behind this one; these guys are the wedding planners of the game industry. During their games, you will bound to get choked up, maybe even shed a tear. You play as EP who plays as a women that has a relationship with some invisible entity. Just got all of you nerds excited. This title is an action adventure that allows you to make EP run, jump and kick people in the face. Now you can finally get rid of that Ellen Page doll you made, weirdo. 

Now this isn’t a rant or a complaint, what this is a nod of approval. EP is the model of the everyday white girl.  You know, the girl who has been going to the coffee shop that you have been going to for years, you probably asked her for honey a couple of times but never strike up a conversation. Yeah, that girl. I grew up on the super heroine or super model female characters in video games. You know, racks on racks on racks. It’s cool to see two well established companies give their games the “Daria” treatment, hopefully this catches on. Both do story telling well and great gameplay. I know somebody is going to say not true but the girl next door models are the new thing.  Name a game where the everyday girl is a main character besides Beyond Good and Evil and Portal.

I’m glad that video games are heading into realism, not only in graphics but in content. I’m happy to see the video game industry final growing up. Plus, she is a great actress that adds a certain flavor to whatever she does. Hopeful Xbox users will get something like these games in the future. Exclusively. For right now, I have to plan out Ellen Page Day. Mostly likely it will fall on the midnight launch of Beyond: Two Soul. In fact, I think it should be sponsored by Sony; just an all day access to Ellen Page movies on PSN for the  launch.  Ellen Page all day.

NNN Episode 58 – Bass Turned Up

[NNN] 58-Bass Turned Up

Topics: Twins movie sequel, self-driving cars, Instagram, Hunger Games, Best Female Video Characters, Best Female Comic Book characters, GOP War on Women, new video games coming out, Sony’s New Console

Nerdtastic News:

• Today in yes, really: Twins sequel Triplets in the works with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny DeVito, and Eddie Murphy
• Self-driving Google Car
• Instagram Hits Android; iPhone Users Lose Their Shit on Twitter
• Best video game female characters
• Strongest female comic character
• GOP war on women
• New video games out this month/week
• Speculation on Sony’s Next Console

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Videogames..Stop Making Me Feel Things

Originally posted on thespawnpointblog.com here

Late last year I wrote our “Coming in 2012″ article that culminated with my declaration that Journey from thatgamecompany was my most anticipated title of the early gaming season. After playing through it the other day I know without a shadow of a doubt that it was the right choice. Journey has come at a very interesting time of my life. I am getting married in a month and just this past week started writing my vows. Now, I am pretty good at expressing my feelings but having to actually write them down gave me pause and made me choose very measured and thoughtful words when deciding what to say to my future wife. It made me think about many things: promises made and kept, future and past mistakes and most importantly life, death and all the small moments in between. Journey is about all those things and more, and this is what has both drawn me to it and has also made it one of my all-time favorite games

Jenova Chen, one of the founders of thatgamecompany, once said in an interview that every game they make revolves around evoking a feeling. Journey seems like the personification of that statement.

You start off in the desert as a cloaked figure and you can’t speak, but have the ability to make audible “chirps”. These chirps not only are necessary to snag cloth (which when illuminated in your scarf gives you the ability to fly) but also symbolizes your character in the world. You go from stage to stage adding more cloth to your scarf while exploring all these extraordinarily beautiful vistas. Journey has some of the best art direction ever put into a game. People thought that the sand in the last Uncharted game was amazing but Journey uses it in such smart and interesting ways that it blows you away. The movement, the lighting and sound all combine to make a feast for all of your senses.

Your main objective is to get to this mountain in the distance. None of this is explained explicitly but you are drawn to the beacon of light that it’s emitting. I don’t want to ruin any of your 2-hour gameplay experience so I’m glossing over it here but I will tell you about the part of the game I found most intriguing: its multiplayer aspect.

Multiplayer is amazing and done in a very interesting way. There are no lobbies and you can’t invite your friends to explore with you. At first hearing about this I was doubtful that I would want to play that part of the game but after having played it now 5 times through, I’ve found the multiplayer to be its most rewarding and compelling component. You may find yourself in a stage and see another person off in the distance. You can decide to go with that person and continue your quest or pay them no attention at all, the decision is all up to you. If you choose to take someone along, you engage in this audible ping pong of chirps and leaps. I found that every time I played with someone, the experience was different. My first couple of play-throughs had me in the role of explorer/student–my companion would help me recharge my scarf and lead me to hidden glyphs and areas. In the later bunch of play-throughs the roles seem to be reversed and I would be the one leading people to all the hidden spots in a stage. I found that there was a very clear balance between letting the person experience the game for themselves and guiding them to things that they wouldn’t have seen otherwise. That was what kept me coming back over and over again: the feeling like I was an entity of that world. I felt like I was an usher to all the magnificent sights and sounds that the game had to offer. My experiences being with another person and wondering if they had the same emotions during certain parts was exhilarating.

The gameplay is simple, the graphical fidelity is both void of clutter and also filled with gorgeous visual density. Journey’s soundtrack is delightful, whimsical and poignant; the texture it adds envelopes you and gives you an appreciation of the orchestral score.

I want to personally thank Jenova Chen, Kellee Santiago, thatgamecompany and Sony for being extremely brave for bringing a game like this to market. Their commitment to making games that leave you with both something to talk about and require emotional investment is something that I believe gaming sorely needs. The payoff at the end of the game not only wrapped up an amazing experience but also left me feeling like there was some hope that our gaming medium can do more than provide XP boosts, leaderboard climbing and braggadocio behavior. That it can be used to resurface feelings that  humanize us and bring us all closer as people.

Journey is now in my list of all-time favorite games. I implore you to play this game, share your experiences with your friends of all stripes–gamers and non-gamers–and although it’s short, take time within the gamespace to enjoy the hard work and courage it took to get this game made.

If you’ve played it, please leave me a comment. I would love to hear from you.

Slow Your Roll : 5 Reasons Why It’s Too Early For The PS4

After hearing numerous reports from insiders on the Microsoft side of the ocean about a new Xbox being announced this year, many folks started to raise questions about whether Sony would ramp up the idea of a PS4 coming out in the near future. I think folks need to slow down just a tad and here are my top five reasons why it’s too early for the PS4.

5. SEN: Although the SEN is about to go through a re-naming I don’t think it’s come anywhere close to reaching its full potential. There are still uniformity issues that make small things both unnecessarily complex and don’t promote community. With small things like a universal invite system, I understand that a lot of liberty is given to the developers in how they want to implement this but Sony should give guidelines that streamline things for the user. There are other things that I believe they should do, for example put a mic in every box. These are things that grow the community, give devs a reason to add the feature to games and keep everyone on a level playing field. Get these things right before moving on a new system.

4. Install Base: The PS3 has basically matched its competitor in terms of number of boxes in homes after being severely behind for the first couple of years. Unless Sony is going to drop the PS4 before Microsoft debuts their machine I think they need to stay put. With its focus on Kinect and more social media apps, Microsoft has shown that it is less interested in catering to its hardcore fanbase. Right now Microsoft’s first-party support is as visible as Samuel Jackson’s hairline: nowhere to be found. Sony would have the upper hand and could wait to spend that money on research and development so that when the PS4 drops it can have killer hardware packed in.

3. The Vita: I think that there were some lost opportunities to get some things right with the PSP. Sony can totally revolutionize cross-platform play and content if they focus on the interconnectivity these systems have. “Remote Play” was more gimmick than asset on the PSP. I think if they focus on some of these things now, they could have an amazing bullet point on the next PS4 box.

2. Life Cycle: Everyone right now who is clamoring for a new system needs to have a seat. Most of the time they ask for this it’s because of graphic fidelity. I really want these folks to calm down. Why, you ask? Here is your reason: EVERY system gets better graphically with age, most of the best graphical showcase games on PS2 came towards the end of its life cycle. GOW2, MGS3 and Grand Turismo are just some of the beautiful games we got toward the end of the cycle. Even after playing Uncharted 3 this year, I know that games can look better.

1. “There are no original ideas”: People have become complacent with the FPS deluge that we’ve been accustomed to but there are still awesome games coming out in this generation. Twisted Metal, Journey, Bioshock Infinite and Starhawk are on the horizon. Yes, they could have been pushed back until a new system comes out but then what would you have to play? I am as excited to see new hardware as the next person but I also want new ideas and you are going have less of a chance to produce those titles on a new system that needs to sell.

I understand that many folks are excited by new technology but sometimes the want exceeds the actual need. We still have great gaming moments coming this generation and I welcome all the goodness coming our way.

Related articles

• CES 2012: Sony says PS4 won’t be at E3 2012 (gamesradar.com)
• Sony: No PS4 reveal in 2012 (slashgear.com)

(VIDEO) Yeah They Still Work, Part 1: Minidisc

Originally posted at http://shareefjackson.com/blog/2012/2/6/video-yeah-they-still-work-part-1-minidisc.html

Yeah They Still Work, Part 1: Minidisc

I’m starting a new series on some of my old gadgets that still work and are used as primary devices, standby replacements, or just once in a while reminiscing.

Background

Sony Minidisc players. Does anyone even remember them? They were quite popular in Japan but failed to make an impact in the US. The convenience of the hardware was outweighed by total misunderstanding of software and user experience.

I was introduced to the minidisc in college, before CD burners were commonplace. Even if you access to one, CD players had their typical problems of scratching and skipping. Overall, CDs lacked the durability of cassette tapes.

Hardware

The Minidsic solved this by offering a medium that was as durable as a cassette tape but offered the enough space for a few albums. In addition, the overall minidic player was smaller than a cassette tape, and this significantly smaller than a Walkman or CD player. I quickly made minidisc for my favorite artists, and loved being able to carry around 4-5 albums on a single minidisc.

Another great hardware feature was the remote that connected to the headphone wire. All the controls were available on my hand while the device was in my pocket. It even had some features that the current Apple headphones don’t have – shuffle and repeat. Using the remote, you could also access the FM radio and listen to whatever trash is spewing on the waves.

Battery life is decent – can almost get a full day off one AA battery. No plug in charging here – just bring some batteries (regular or rechargeable) and you’re good to go!

Software

Unfortunately, Sony completely screwed up the software. First of all, all songs needed to be converted to the proprietary audio format ATRAC for the device. This took forever, and could only be done on Sony’s horrible software that constantly crashed. Because of this, I didn’t freely edit my minidiscs as I originally planned. Once I made a compilation, it didn’t change.

How Is it Now?

The minidisc player has become a viable option during my iPod / iPhone time when I’ve broken or lost my apple device. When I use it, I never feel like I’m using an ancient device – it still feels good and gives decent sound quality.

Originally posted at http://shareefjackson.com/blog/2012/2/4/yeah-they-still-work-part-1-minidisc.html