So first off I want to talk about some of my favourite mechanics within games, I won't go overboard on them but will explain what I like a why I like it. Firstly, The Ocarina of Time - It's no secret that this is one of my favourite games of all time (As cliché as that might be) - I love the idea of this feature and would try to incorporate something similar in any game I make in the future. Having several songs that are used throughout the story that change the dynamic of the game, and as this was an older game the player had to figure out what song to use and when (no major hints all the time like most modern games) to access certain parts of levels or access hidden features (like the scarecrows song). The idea of the Ocarina songs is simple for the most part, but going back to the past or being able to teleport to certain areas as well as accessing hidden areas was something i find fun, amongst the songs actually being quite melodic and holding a place for nostalgia whenever i hear them.
Second mechanic that will hold some significance for me is Banjo & kazooie. Again the mechanics aren't the next best thing in the gaming industry - mainly due to them being old games really - but I found the features fun and offer a diversity to keep the games fresh for the most part. Banjo and kazooie work in tandem to extenuate each others abilities, whether it be running faster/flying or swimming the team work allows the player to solve puzzles in several ways and gain access to other areas of the level they thought unreachable. This goes doubly for the transformation of banjo when he has enough skulls that adds several mini games and such when he can become a small ant/crocodile & other creatures.
The mechanics I mentioned aren't crazy in-depth or amazing ideas for modern day games but I feel they are often over looked despite their age & would like to see some newer version of these abilities utilized in more AAA titles (perhaps i've not looked at many games to compare really).
onwards to victory...
The next section is going to talk about Anger in games!? Now, I'm quite fond of MOBA's (Multiplayer online battle arena games) Such as Heroes of newerth and Dota 2, But there is such a stigma around these games and their communities - rightly so I might add. I play more HoN than Dota and I have to say the community is on par for being one of the worst in the genre. People (myself included many times) get so angry when playing the game. This has many repercussions such as losing incentive to play, making more mistakes because you're not focussed and even just rage quitting making the game even more unplayable for the rest of the team. Now, i can't say I'm a saint and don't rage because I do, but I feel it's warranted mostly. I'm a higher level player in both MOBA's and have played the game for a long time. Now my main annoyance I find when playing at this level is that people just don't learn from their mistakes and are quick to blame team mates for their own mistakes. Either way I can relate to getting annoyed/upset/angry when I'm playing a game for on average 50+ minutes with the same people and feeling no enjoyment from playing. I don't know how to combat my obvious disappointment and annoyance in these long games apart from playing music loudly and trying to shut myself out from the team and just try to have fun regardless.
More of this & less of that
An age old argument amongst the gaming elite: Graphics/Gameplay - Now, as the years go past games are coming to have ridiculous graphics and just as amazing gameplay/stories - here's looking at you Bioshock! I am doing a game design course and it saddens me to hear groups of friends talking about how "X, Y or Z" game sucks because the graphics are awful. I try to not get involved in the discussions as I find that these 20+ year olds have barely played NES/N64/PSOne/Sega etc games and thus have, in my opinion, a very limited outlook on what makes a great game. Retro games are a huge thing for the die hard games of the generation, I'd be lying if I said I don't love getting the N64 out and playing over zelda, Diddy kong racing and other such games. My main sense of argument is games like Minecraft and newly found Cubeworld - Now, whilst these games aren't my cup of tea there's no denying their addictiveness and fun factor despite their lack of graphics and story. I always say the same for old school games, What they lack in modern day graphics they make up for in difficult, game play and story.
For you & me...Let's play...
Mutliplayer games. Well, this will just be a short read for the segment. Multiplayer games are a fan favourite and will hold much nostalgia for the more veteran gamers amongst us - Playing Mario Kart and Goldeneye split screen was nothing short of MAGIC! It seems that every game released nowadays has some form of multiplayer. Firstly I will say that some games just don't require Multiplayer and i feel the design process was/is just an afterthought to try and increase the playability factor for an extra period of time. I don't feel it necessary personally but i do commend developers for doing it. Multiplayer games are one of the greatest features of gaming. It's how you bond more with friends/family, make new friends, guild members, clan friends to play other games with and just increase your fun factor by a thousandfold whilst gaming. Nothing brings me more satisfaction that multiplayer gaming with friends, and the more the merrier I say! A short video below to touch more on some of the biggest names in games and their thoughts on multiplayer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSA84_jW1f4
Curiosity is the engine of achievement
