Bigfatphoenix's Gamer Journal - Ep 2 : Cave Story, NOVA 2

Caught up with an old classic last week - Doukutsu Monogatari's astonishing platformer, Cave Story. It's an all-time classic, and the PC version is completely free, so you have no excuse not to try. Grab it here - and don't forget to install the English translation.



It looks like a fairly innocuous 2D platformer at first, but stay with it for a while, and Cave Story offers an excellent experience - an austere, surreal and emotional story that is quintessentially Japanese, rock-solid platforming mechanics that make it great fun to run around and shoot all sorts of weird monsters, and some very imaginative level design.

However, the take-away mechanic for me from Cave Story is the run-and-gun leveling mechanic. Your gun levels up as you rack up more kills, and starts firing off increasingly powerful kinds of blasts. However, take damage and it will lose levels, and get back to firing wimpy pellets. It's a mechanic that rewards 'being in the zone', something classic skill gamers will instantly recognize. You grow more powerful as you play more dexterously, evading scores of enemies and racking up kills. Lots of games do offer similar ideas - the special meter in fighting games, for instance - but the powered-up weapons in Cave Story are so much fun to use, it's a genuine incentive for high-skill play (Man, the return of classic skill gaming is something that delights me no end.)

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Also tried out NOVA 2 for Android on my Motorola Xoom. The Tegra 2 powered graphics make this unabashedly Halo-like FPS look pretty stunning. Take a look :

But crap controls. All three control schemes provided are simply too unwieldy on a tablet device, at least for me. It's clearly been designed for smaller phone screens, where I can see the twin-touch or the gyroscope controls working fairly well (due to the smaller screen real estate, as well as the device being far lighter) - but it's a horrible mess on tablets. I've seen a bunch of reviews on the Intertubes that rave about how great NOVA 2 is on tablets, but I simply cannot see why. I'll try again a few more times to get the hang of it and see if there's something I'm missing (also because the game itself looks like it could be a lot of fun) - but colour me skeptical for now.

A couple of points, then :

1. I hate on-screen analog sticks. They suck. They're a cop-out. Deal with it.
2. I'm not sure about shoehorning existing game designs control schemes from one platform on to others which use completely different control paradigms altogether. Shouldn't we be thinking "how do I make games that would be fun on tablets?" instead of "how do I put Halo on a tablet?" ?

Game - Internet Treasure Hunt

Here's a quick game I just thought up. Do try.

Think of an image. Any image. Here are some ideas :

• Michael Douglas
• A can of Coke
• Machu Pichchu

Now find it on the Internet. Just one rule : mouse clicks only. No using the keyboard. 

Try it out. Be imaginative. Be systematic. Or take a few leaps of faith. And let me know how you did it.

Score your performance by counting the number of clicks. Or time taken. Race a friend.

I tried the first two - succeeded once and failed once. It's strangely fun.

Bigfatphoenix's Gamer Journal - Episode 1

It's been an odd couple of weeks - quit Twitter, eased up on the column writing, cut down on drinking, have hardly watched a ball of cricket. All to focus on my first real love - videogames. Making them and playing them.

And I'd say it's been a success. Here's a list of games I've managed to play at least an hour of in this period :

• Minecraft
• Terraria
• Audiosurf
• Marvel vs Capcom 3
• Deus Ex : Human Revolution
• The Witcher 2
• Spelunky
• Cave Story
• Dungeon Keeper 2
• Adventure World
• Glitch
• Myth Defense 2
• Bastion
• Child of Eden
• Rez HD
• Pac Man CE
• Baldur's Gate [again]
• Battleheart
• Everlands HD
• Animal Crossing : City Folk

Nice, eh? Yeah. Much fun.

Plus - I've started blogging again. Here's the rub : 

Instead of doing detailed reviews and insight like I used to normally do in the past, I'll be posting a daily gamer journal. I'll cover the games I played that day, and segue into thoughts and insights that are sparked off by this daily gaming experience. Those of you who follow it will, I hope, be encouraged to discover games and game design along with me and share my journey. As always - do comment and participate. 

Oh - and since it's back to a journal format, I'll post other non-gaming random stuff as well. I hope you'll enjoy it.

Dungeons of Dredmor

Eurogamer has a nice review up, so I won't bother. Read it here. http://pulse.me/s/14DDf

If you've been reading my columns in the past for TNIE or on BossFight, you'll know that I'm a huge fan of Nethack. Dungeons of Dredmor is the coolest roguelike to come out in ages. There's something to be said for wearing a traffic cone and throwing cheese at monsters. And dungeons with Coke machines.

Go play it. Now.

The truth about advertising in cricket.

This is a comic I wrote and drew for the Outlook - ESPN Cricinfo World Cup Special 2011. It's a really great mag, featuring great pieces from cricket's leading writers, and an endpiece from Andy Zaltzman. Do go out and buy it. [click on the below images for a larger, clearer view]

Who will win the cricket world cup 2011?

This article first appeared on mylaw.net


Every time a world cup comes around, the business of predicting the eventual champions keeps aficionados busy for several weeks. Other than cricket itself (which is always the winner in the end, if Shri.R.Shastri is to be believed), it’s next to impossible to predict the winner of a tournament of this nature. But, never being ones to shy away from a challenge, we shall take the plunge and try, trough the process of cold, hard analysis, dispassionately judge each team’s chances at glorious victory and spectacular failure.

INDIA

Why they will win

Everyone knows that India is the strongest team on paper, right? (Let’s disregard the many times in the past when we’ve bungled despite being the strongest team on paper, and also the fact that the one time we did win the cup, we weren’t.) So we’re a cinch to win.

Also, if you go by the Indian media’s build up, India is the ONLY team playing the tournament. So our victory is a foregone conclusion.

Why they won’t

Thanks to the basic cynicism of the Indian cricket sceptic – who firmly believes that the current Indian side will falter, thanks to the weaknesses and mental fragility shown by Mohammed Azharuddin’s team from the 90s. This is like expecting Roger Federer to lose against Rafael Nadal because Stefan Edberg had a weak serve, but try telling that to the Indian fan.

AUSTRALIA

Why they will win

In a similar vein to the previous point, everybody thinks this Australian side will win the world cup because Steve Waugh’s team was impossible to beat. Also, Australians will remind you that they’re ranked No.1 – which means they’re the best side.  Australians always believe that any team ranked No.1 must be the best side, except when India is ranked No.1 in tests, in which case the ranking is meaningless, and Australia or South Africa is the best side.

Why they won’t

Because their best spinner is Jason Krejza.

PAKISTAN

Why they will win

Because they’re a bunch of talented, batshit loonies you wouldn’t dare bet against. And they’re led by Shahid Afridi, the craziest cricket renegade this side of Chris Gayle. This team is the Marat Safin of international cricket.

Why they won’t

Like we said, Pakistan is the Marat Safin of international cricket.

ENGLAND

Why they will win

They won’t.

Why they won’t.

See above.

SOUTH AFRICA

Why they will win

They’ve got a great batting line-up (Kallis, Amla, DeVilliers), a formidable bowling attack (Steyn, Morkel), and are a superb fielding unit. Plus, there’s no Hansie Cronje around to ensure that all this doesn’t count.

Why they won’t

Rhymes with joke. Or poke. Or artichoke.

SRI LANKA

Why they will win

Sri Lanka has the home advantage, they’ve got a team that comprises Sangakkara, Jayawardene, Dilshan, Muralitharan, Mendis, Mathews and Malinga, and that crazy little guy who waves their flag in the stands so hard, even Ishant Sharma can get reverse swing.

Why they won’t

Because the portzlefoobie won’t suit the griddilinx in time for the flutibis. That’s the best reason we could think of.

NEW ZEALAND

Why they will win

Because the law of averages says that, after 1983, it’s the turn of another fairly useless team with a great captain to win the cup. Nobody fits that description better than New Zealand.

Why they won’t

Because the law of averages says that it’s time for the law of averages to fail.

BANGLADESH

Why they will win

Who doesn’t love a talented host side, who nobody takes seriously, to charge to a fairytale win? This could be Sri Lanka in 96 all over again. With players like Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan and Abdur Razzak, the Bangla Tigers have their best shot at glory this year. Plus, their best spinner isn’t Jason Krejza.

Why they won’t

The human chain formed to protest the omission of Mashrafe Mortaza may prevent the team bus from reaching the ground, causing them to forfeit the matches.

WEST INDIES

Why they will win

Chris Gayle is one bad mutha.

Why they won’t

Chris Gayle is their only bad mutha. Also, while in the past they’ve been led by guys with badass names like Frank Worrell, Clive Lloyd and Vivian Richards, their skipper this time is Darren Sammy – whose name sounds less like a Caribbean captain and more like Dora The Explorer’s less-macho sidekick.

ZIMBABWE AND KENYA

Why they will win

See 'England'.

Why they won't

See above.

CANADA, IRELAND AND THE NETHERLANDS

Why they will win

Because between them, these three countries command the powers of maple syrup, whisky and legal Marijuana. Nothing can be more awesome than that – except Chris Gayle.

Why they won’t

Due to the distractions provided by maple syrup, whisky and legal marijuana, they may forget to attend net practice, and possibly the games themselves.

Once Upon A Warrior

A very happy new year to you folks.

It's been a horribly busy few months, but finally, it's paid off. Here's the comic book that we've been working extremely hard on. It's done, we had a great time making it, and we hope you enjoy it. Many thanks to Disney and Prakash Rao Kovelamudi for making a fabulous film, and having the faith in us to invest in this comic book.

It's written by yours truly and drawn by the fantastic Ashish Padlekar. Without further ado, here it is. Hope you enjoy it.

Game Invader - My weekly gaming column for the New Indian Express

Sorry folks - I've been awfully busy with a bunch of things, and hence no time to update the blog. Should be back to semi-regular updating from next week.

I have, of course, been writing my weekly Game Invader column for The New Indian Express. You can read the whole bunch of articles here.

A few selected pieces below - personal favourites.

The genetic make-up of videogames 

Sometimes, as a game developer and a student of the art form itself, I enjoy taking a close look at a game I’m playing, and try and trace the origins and history of specific features found in it. The genetic make up of videogames is a fascinating study.

Monkey Island 2 gets a makeover 


With the release of Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge Special Edition, one of the greatest and most beloved games of all time gets a fresh coat of paint, so that an entire new generation of gamers can enjoy its renowned sense of humour, devilish puzzles and unforgettable characters.

E3 2010 — Nintendo wins again 

The story of gaming over the past five years or so has been one of Microsoft and Sony playing a desperate game of catch-up, as Nintendo, laughing merrily, leaves them eating gaming dust. The story of E3 2010 was no different.

The video game as a software toy 

I’ve just spent several hours playing Just Cause 2, and strangely enough, so far it’s been more of a toy than a game

Learning to Floo : Episode 1 concludes.

My graphic novel for the Centre for Internet and Society, Learning to Floo, has finally completed its first episode. It's been fun writing, drawing, colouring and lettering eleven full-colour pages, some of them with action-oriented panels, too.

Next week, we move on to Episode 2, where we learn exactly what The Floo is, and what the shady government types want with T33ch.

Here's the last page, as a teaser :

Of course, if you haven't already, you should head over to the CIS web site and read the whole thing.