Andrew Passafiume

New Game+: The pacing in video games

April 18, 2010

Features / New Game+ / by Andrew Passafiume /

Very rarely is this discussed, but sometimes when playing a game, the length of the game will be completely unnoticed by some players right up until the end. If you find yourself playing through a game, looking at your final time and realizing it only took you six hours to finish something that felt like a longer venture, then you may have just played a game with poor pacing.

Certainly, pacing in video games is something that has come up more and more recently with the release of much larger games. And I’m not saying they are large in terms of their length, I’m merely referring to their size and scope, and just how technologically advanced these games are. Many recent titles fit this description, and many of them have excellent pacing.

Surely, this does not (and some will argue should not) be a factor in terms of games like RPGs. I disagree, and find that a lengthy RPG that feels a lot shorter than it may actually be is one that fits particularly well in this category. I believe Mass Effect 2 is a perfect example of how to pace an RPG right. You could be off doing random side missions, exploring planets, or trying to win the loyalty of one of your newly recruited squad mates, and just when you think it may get old, you are thrown back into the main story by a mandatory mission. This brings the player back into focus of the main mission at hand, and these constant reminders give us a good example of how to keep the player attentive during long stretches of mining or galaxy exploring.

On the other hand, most games that have had excellent pacing have fallen into the action or shooter category. The two best examples of games that had perfect pacing are two big PS3 exclusives, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and God of War III. Both are games you find yourself constantly coming back to and most gamers can attest to finishing these games in one or two sittings. Sure, they are short adventures, but what makes them so memorable are just how properly paced they are.

Using God of War III as a primary example, the opening moments of the game are epic and massive in scale. So many things are happening on screen at once, and you find yourself fighting a boss within the first fifteen minutes of gameplay. This moment, however, is not even an hour long, and the action is dialed down completely once you get through it. Some players find this to be a problem, that the entire game should be that way, but stuffing the entire game with just set piece moments like those is exactly what not to do. It would get old, and you would find yourself stopping the game more often than you would otherwise.

Developers have to find a perfect balance between huge action sequences and slower, more toned down moments to keep the played from getting too bored. If they fail to do this, they end up with an experience that lasts eight hours, but feels like eighteen. If paced correctly, you’ll have a game that feels like four hours but is actually eight or ten hours. This is not a bad thing, as it also lends to making a game that is highly replayable. Like watching your favorite action film again, playing through a game like Uncharted 2 is an experience that should never get old.

Although not all genres lend to this style of pacing (generally it only works well in linearly structured games), it still can be applied to other games. If a game takes ten hours just for things to really get enjoyable, RPG or otherwise, then you are playing a game that feels much longer than it actually is. Final Fantasy XIII is the perfect example of a game that, to me, feels much longer than it should, and drags on way too long in the beginning.

It’s hard to strike that perfect balance of action packed sequences and slower, possibly story driven moments, but developers have managed to do it. Mass Effect 2 is an example of how developers can take from other genres to make an RPG that is perfectly paced, but also full of content and many, many hours of gameplay. I’m not saying the next Final Fantasy game should play like Mass Effect, but there is a lot to be learned from how certain developers pace their games so gamers will never grow tired of playing them.

Although paying $60 for a game that is apparently only eight hours in length seems like a bad decision, if it is a game like God of War III, it will be well worth the money. Pacing not only adds to just how enjoyable a game is the first time around, but also makes it that much more fun for future replays; it is one of the most important parts of what makes a video game great.

Perfect Dark

April 4, 2010

Reviews / Xbox 360 / by Andrew Passafiume /

Perfect Dark is a game considered by many to be one of the two classic shooters that defined the genre on consoles (with the other being Goldeneye). And considering Rare’s failed attempt to make a proper sequel, it is clear that the original Perfect Dark is going to be the only game in the series to be remembered by fans. So now these fans, both new and old, have a chance to experience the original, either for the first time or all over again.

The game has been enhanced for HDTVs and, although the game is still clearly an N64 title, the upgrade in visuals really looks nice. It’s hard to say the game has held up that over time, visually speaking, but it is definitely not the worst looking N64 game either. The audio is still as corny as ever, with bad guys spouting inane dialog both before and after their demise.

The game has a lot of content, so let’s start with the single player campaign. There are a ton of missions, each with different parts and several objectives to complete. Not only that, there are three difficulty modes, a co-op mode, and even a counter-operative mode. In Counter-Operative, one player spawns as one of the bad guys in the level to try and stop the first player from progressing. It’s a fun diversion, but it does not hold up to co-op in terms of fun with a friend.

The controls have certainly begun to show their age. For someone who has played this game back on the N64, even if you have played a lot of modern shooters since then, will be able to adapt to these controls fairly easily. They are still a bit stiff, but the auto lock-on feature is incredibly helpful in that regard. Those who have never played this back on the N64, you may not be able to get past the controls. For those people, I recommend diving into the trial version before coughing up the 800 points for this classic revival.

Multiplayer is both excellent and awful all at the same time. It has a wealth of modes, options, and maps to use, including a few maps from Goldeneye. There is also the option to play split-screen with friends, and even include bots. But on the downside, the multiplayer is incredibly cheap and has not aged well at all, with the aiming and controls being the huge downside once again, forcing players to rely on the lock-on function. For those who have played the original, this might be a fun blast to the past, but for everyone else, the multiplayer is an afterthought.

There is not much else to say about Perfect Dark. It is an enhanced port of the original N64 title with online functionality added in. But it is also just that, a port of the original, keeping all of the controls that you may or may not remember. This is a game that I can see a lot of people not enjoying simply because they have never played it before, and for those people, I cannot recommend this game. But for those who loved the original, this is a must buy and one game you will continue to come back to, even almost ten years after its original release.

Pros: Single player campaign is still a blast; co-op is amazingly addictive; plenty of multiplayer options and maps to choose from; the up-scaled graphics look nice

Cons: Controls have not aged well; multiplayer is not as fun as you may remember; hard for those who have never played this on the N64 to get into

God of War III

March 22, 2010

PS3 / Reviews / by Andrew Passafiume /

The God of War series is one that has received a lot of praise over the years for its incredible presentation and visceral combat. God of War III, supposedly the last game in this trilogy, is meant to send off the series with a bang. Simply put, the game does not disappoint, and it shows off the power of the PS3 in a way that has yet to be seen, even in last year’s big hit, Uncharted 2.

The game picks up directly after the events of God of War II, in which Kratos has teamed up with the Titans to try and stop Zeus and bring down Mount Olympus for good. Kratos is in it for revenge, but you soon find out the Titans all have another reason to take down the king of the Gods himself. The story unfolds nicely, and is a lot less convoluted than the one found in God of War II. Best of all, the ending, while short-lived, is a nice end to Kratos’ journey.

In terms of the presentation, God of War III is like no other. The opening moments where you find Kratos riding on top of Gaia, one of the Titans, as she climbs Mount Olympus, is pure eye candy. And shortly after, you are thrown right into the game, where many different things are all happening at once. Not only is Kratos fighting off enemies himself, Gaia is being attacked by one of the other Gods, Poseidon. You not only struggle to not fall off of the Titan, but you must protect her from the attack while trying to save yourself in the process. It’s one of those moments that will go down in gaming history as one of the best openings around.

The music is equally as enjoyable. As you make your way through the game, you are accompanied by an orchestral score that rivals that found in even the best of films. With songs that can be adrenaline pumping at times, and incredibly haunting at others, the music is as unforgettable as the rest of the experience is.

Gameplay has remained relatively the same, but the combat has been almost perfected as you perform devastating moves and combos that really make you feel like you are Kratos. Each attack is satisfying, and it lends itself to the incredibly violent nature of the series well, with moments that may make even the least squeamish people cringe.

The boss battles in particular are all incredible and truly memorable experiences. Some of these battles can last ten minutes, while others may last over 30, with many different parts to them, and many other enemies to fight in between these parts. Nothing is more satisfying than taking down some of these huge encounters as they continue to become more rewarding than the last.

You get a total of four weapons in the game, each with its own upgrades and magical attack. You can switch between the weapons on the fly, and even switch between them mid-combo for some deadly results. During the most intense fights later on in the game, the ability to switch between weapons so fluidly is essential to taking down the waves upon waves of enemies.

As you upgrade each weapon, you gain new attacks as well as stronger versions of your magical abilities. These abilities can truly turn the tides of battle in your favor, as they become more and more of a priority during combat the further you get into this adventure. You also get other items along your way, including the Bow of Apollo that shoots flaming arrows and can take out enemies from afar, as well as the Head of Helios, which can reveal secrets in the game and blind enemies.

Also, in regards to upgrades, you can increase your health, magic, and item powers as you find different hidden objects around the game. For each three of a certain object you find, one of your three meters will increase, which can be crucial near the end of the game. You may not find it necessary to go for these hidden items, you will regret it if you miss too many of them.

There are some camera problems that may get in your way during some of the larger encounters and platforming sections, but this is a very small problem that should not interfere too much with your overall enjoyment of the game. And aside from the combat, which is the meat of the game, there are also puzzles. And while they are few and far between, the ones that are present are very well designed. They break up the action nicely, and add a few interesting twists to the gameplay, which might have become too repetitive without these small sections.

God of War III has exceeded all of my expectations and has turned this series into one of the best in terms of action games. You will not find a more polished, well thought-out, and well executed game on the PS3, and that is saying a lot.

Pros: Amazing presentation; incredibly satisfying combat; memorable boss battles; well designed puzzles; wraps up the story of the series nicely

Cons: Some camera issues

The Death of Local Multiplayer

March 21, 2010

Features / New Game+ / by Andrew Passafiume /

Remember when split-screen in video games used to be the thing to do? A ton of games back in the PS1/N64 era had split screen, and although the majority of them were shooters or racing games, the best ones were addictive and kept you (and your friends) coming back for more. But what happened? Online gaming happened. And although I do not hate online gaming, I hate what it has done to the industry: killed local multiplayer.

Goldeneye 64…what a game that was. As one of the first exclusive console shooters, Goldeneye had it all: incredible missions, good controls (for the time at least), and best of all, four player split-screen multiplayer. This is what kept everyone coming back for more. And the fact that you were in the same room with three of your friends, the experience became all the better. PC gamers had to rely on online only for their multiplayer. Sure, there are LAN parties, but that seems like a lot of effort when you can just pop in good old Goldeneye for some good times.

Nothing is more fun than playing a good game with friends in the same room, and it’s been that way forever. Do you really want to play board games online? No, nobody really does, it’s no fun until you have a good group of friends in the same room with you. No matter what game it is you are playing, there is no denying that it just becomes that much more enjoyable with a group of friends.

So, what happened? PC games had online, but clearly console games could have it too! Online capabilities on consoles truly began with the Sega Dreamcast, which had a few stand out titles, including Phantasy Star Online. From there, Sony and the newcomer Microsoft stepped up and decided to continue the trend. Sure, during this era there were still plenty of split-screen games (Halo being a big one), but they were beginning to dwindle.

Xbox Live came around soon after, and it became incredibly popular, especially with the release of Halo 2. Being able to finally play Halo online was dream come true for many gamers, but I guarantee if you ask any of them, they had the most fun back with the original and group of friends in the same room. Sure, the Halo series still has local multiplayer, but many games seem to no longer support it. Even a lot of racing titles seem to downright abandon it.

These days, online multiplayer (and now online co-op) reign supreme. It’s hard to find a game without either of these features, but it’s almost as difficult to find a game without the ability to play these features locally as well. It’s nice to see that local multiplayer still is not dead, as evident by the new racing title Blur and its strong focus on both local and online multiplayer. But it has never and will never be the same again.

Although local multiplayer may be dead to a lot of gamers, there are still those who hang on to this idea that playing games with friends in the same room is fun. It’s crazy, I know, but we do exist. Not much else we, as gamers, can do about it, except dust off that N64 and start playing some Goldeneye. It may not hold up to “today’s standards,” but a lot of us would never want it to.

Heavy Rain

March 21, 2010

PS3 / Reviews / by Andrew Passafiume /

Heavy Rain is a game unlike any other, if it can even be called a game. It does so many unusual things and follows a narrative that is found in the likes of a film more so than any game, so it is unusual, to say the least. However, what it does do, it does incredibly well.

The story here focuses on four main characters, each tracking down the mysterious Origami Killer who has been responsible for the deaths of several kids and has left a calling card, an origami figure, on each body. All four characters have their own reasons for wanting to track down the killer, and soon enough, you find yourself caring about each and every one of them.

The story has many twists and turns, and although the outcome of all of these events may change completely based on your actions and your decisions, the killer’s identity remains the same in every game. This big reveal will surprise most people, and the story in general will keep you hooked from beginning to end.

This game is technically very impressive. Although there were some occasional clipping issues and a few glitches, the game is being patched, and even so, those problems do not ruin the game’s incredible atmosphere. The voice acting is fantastic at times, and pretty awful at others. Overall, it is great, but some of the actors (mainly the kids) are just plain bad. And finally, there is the excellent musical score, which completes the cinematic experience.

The controls are one of the most important elements of a game like this, and they are generally great, but sometimes problematic. When it comes down to the quick time events that happen during the major action sequences, they work perfectly fine, but the walking controls (which require you to hold down R2 and use the left analog stick to direct which direction the character walks in) are a bit odd. On the whole, they are fine, and the game uses the Sixaxis controls better than most games.

Heavy Rain is full of plenty of intense action sequences that will have you on the edge of your seat the entire time. These sequences, like a section early on where you are driving into oncoming traffic, are well executed and make you feel like you really are in that situation. This game does a fantastic job of making you feel like you are doing all of the actions, with button prompts that appear near where the main action is taking place, and how they simulate the real action.

Fair warning though, this game does start out incredibly slow. I understand why the developers went this way, it gives gamers an opportunity to not only try out the controls, but also to introduce us to the story and characters more properly. Once you get past the first hour, things will really begin to pick up, and it becomes quite hard to put down.

Heavy Rain is trying to be more than a game, and according to the developers, it fits the role of an “interactive drama.” In this regard, we have a game that relies entirely on quick time events and scripted sequences, but also a game that can have a completely different outcome depending on how you play it. Heavy Rain is an adventure every gamer should experience, and one that will not be forgotten for quite some time.

Pros: Truly enjoyable story from start to finish; great cast of characters; innovative uses of the Sixaxis controls; some incredibly intense gameplay segments; high replayability

Cons: Some control issues; some spotty voice acting; occasional clipping issue and glitch

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →