8. 88
DDuuttyy ttoo EEmmppaatthhiizzee
Screen shot from Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. This game
clearly demonstrates player empathy. The prince will miss this early jump
over a pit, but will not be punished and instead can try again the correct way.
9. 99
DDuuttyy ttoo EEmmppaatthhiizzee
Screen shot from Batman Vengeance. The people making Batman games
often do not empathize with fans of this classic comic. Otherwise, most
Batman games would not be so disappointing.
10. DDuuttyy ttoo EEmmppaatthhiizzee
1100
Screen shot from Batman Arkham Asylum. This Batman game got it
right at last. The developers were able to connect with the fan base
and delivered what they were looking for.
11. 1111
DDuuttyy ttoo EEmmppaatthhiizzee
Screen shot from Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude. Without designer
and originator Al Lowe on board, this game lacked the charm and humour
that made its predecessors appealing to players. They just didn’t get it.
Al Lowe’s thoughts on this installment are priceless too …
12. DDuuttyy ttoo EEmmppaatthhiizzee
1122
Screen shots from Kaizo Mario (aka Super Mario World, Kaizo Edition,
or
Asshole Mario). This is a brutally difficult version of Super Mario
world that uses the designer’s ability to empathize with players
against them. The designer knows what the players want or expect,
and then screws them over for it …
13. DDuuttyy ttoo EEmmppaatthhiizzee
Screen shot from Bastard Tetris. This game also deduces what they player
wants or needs, and then refuses to give it to them. Definitely very difficult,
1133
and it earns its name very nicely …
21. 2211
PPaacciinngg aanndd PPrrooggrreessssiioonn
Screen shot from Pac Man. It does a good job of letting novices
do reasonably well, while still challenging experts.
22. 2222
PPaacciinngg aanndd PPrrooggrreessssiioonn
Screen shot from Katamari Damacy. This game is also easy to learn and
difficult to master. And fun. And innovative. And addictive. And …
25. 2255
FFeeeeddbbaacckk
Screen shot from Halo Reach. With audio, visual, and tactile feedback
(through the Xbox 360 controller’s rumble features), a player gets a
good sense for how the game is proceeding.
26. 2266
FFeeeeddbbaacckk
Picture of the FPS Vest made
by TN Games. This vest lets
you feel the impact from gunfire,
explosions, and so on, that
occur within a game. A helmet
is also under development,
with prototypes demonstrated
at CES.
27. 2277
FFeeeeddbbaacckk
Picture of the D-Box
gaming chair. This chair
does a good job of
capturing the motion and
feel of games, including
racing games, flight
simulators, and even
shooters.
28. 2288
FFeeeeddbbaacckk
Picture of the ScentScape. The goal of this device is to allow the
development of “scent-enabled” games. While not the first to try this,
they seem serious in pitching their product through CES and GDC.
29. 2299
FFeeeeddbbaacckk
Picture of a modified Xbox controller, the Xshok. The highlighted points on the
controller are the ground/voltage leads to provide a 20,000 volt electric shock to
the user, instead of vibration feedback. A pest controller provides the shock
at a configurable 0.02 or 0.2 joules per pulse, depending on player insanity.
31. 3311
GGrroouunnddiinngg tthhee PPllaayyeerr
Screen shot from Warcraft III. A quest is assigned. Notice how a map
is available, as well as a quest listing to keep goals clear.
36. 3366
TThhee MMoommeenntt--ttoo--MMoommeenntt
EExxppeerriieennccee
Screen shot of Hover Bovver. While representing a realistic and typically
very tedious and un-fun task, mowing the lawn, it breaks from it in ways that
are interesting and entertaining.
37. 3377
TThhee MMoommeenntt--ttoo--MMoommeenntt
EExxppeerriieennccee
Screen shot of Assassin’s Creed. To avoid traversing the world needlessly,
this game allows you go directly to a city after visiting it. This allows
the player to both experience the world, and move quickly across it as well.
39. 3399
TThhee MMoommeenntt--ttoo--MMoommeenntt
EExxppeerriieennccee
Screen shot from Dead Rising. Dead Rising gives the player lots to do,
and it’s always fun. Sledgehammer anyone? There’s plenty to go around …
43. 4433
IImmmmeerrssiioonn
Screen shot from Assassin’s Creed. A nice game capable of immersing
the player, but it also made mistakes at various times that would jar
the player out of its immersion.
44. IImmmmeerrssiioonn
4444
Screen shot from Grand
Theft Auto IV. Also a
well-done immersive
experience in general.
It’s not without glitches,
however. Having an
ambulance pull up beside
a hot dog vendor
during an emergency
can be funny, but it
can also break this
immersion at the
same time …
Also this and this … hot
dog vendors get around!
45. IImmmmeerrssiioonn
Comic about Fallout New Vegas.
There’s a rather interesting
way of obtaining free goods
in this game. It’s rather funny
to see in action, but breaks
immersion when it happens.
Why do merchants let us get
away with this sort of thing?
4455
47. 4477
RReeaalliissmm
Screen shot from Oni. Despite being unconscious, the guard has absolutely
no difficulty in keep his legs in the air. Such disrespect for the law of
gravity is quite noticeable to the player.
48. 4488
RReeaalliissmm
Screen shot from Burnout Paradise. The crash sequences and collision physics
are very realistic, even if the whole crash-your-car-on-purpose scenario isn’t.
49. 4499
RReeaalliissmm
Screen shot from Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy. Using the Havok engine,
this game has some interesting and realistic physics effects, even though
the game is based on a science fiction premise.
50. 5500
RReeaalliissmm
Video from Unreal Tournament 2003. Note the realistic skeletal
mechanics when you fall and die. Bodies will shape themselves
to
terrain quite naturally.
51. 5511
RReeaalliissmm
Screen shot from Cellfactor. This game was highly anticipated for
its physical simulation. The final game was less impressive because
it did not take as full advantage of hardware acceleration.
52. 5522
RReeaalliissmm
Development photo of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. This game also
went full out to achieve realistic physical simulation …
53. RReeaalliissmm
5533
Picture from Modern Warfare 3 parody. If games were really
realistic, this is what we could end up with …
56. 5566
RReeaalliissmm::
AAtttteennttiioonn ttoo DDeettaaiill
Screen shot and animation from NBA Live. Jumping is done properly,
as one can see a player prepare to jump and also see them stick
the landing properly. Anticipation and follow-through are done
nicely in this case.
58. 5588
RReeaalliissmm::
AAtttteennttiioonn ttoo DDeettaaiill
Screen shot from Dead or Alive 3. A lot of attention is paid to
animating secondary motion of hair, clothing, and so on.
60. 6600
RReeaalliissmm::
NNeecceessssaarryy iinn tthhee
VViissuuaallss??
Screen shot from Jet Set Radio Future. With its cartoon-style cel-shading,
there is a very definite look and feel to the game. It would be hard to
imagine the game any differently.
61. 6611
RReeaalliissmm::
NNeecceessssaarryy iinn tthhee
VViissuuaallss??
Screen shot from Robotech Battlecry. The cel-shading using in this game
takes one back to many Saturday mornings well wasted with the
cartoon series. Difficult to picture it any other way.
62. 6622
RReeaalliissmm::
NNeecceessssaarryy iinn tthhee
VViissuuaallss??
Screen shot from Dragon Ball Raging Blast 2. Again, cel-shading
produced the anime-like look and feel for this game.
63. 6633
RReeaalliissmm::
NNeecceessssaarryy iinn tthhee
VViissuuaallss??
Screen shot from Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja: Storm 2.
Cel-shading again makes the game.
65. 6655
RReeaalliissmm::
WWhhaatt aabboouutt AAuuddiioo??
Screen shot from Doom II. Even though you are fighting out-of-this-world
creatures with out-of-this-world weaponry, the sounds seem to
fit the situation in a realistic fashion.
66. RReeaalliissmm::
WWhhaatt aabboouutt AAuuddiioo??
6666
Screen shot and video from Dark Sector. Sometimes you need to be
creative in coming up with your sound effects …
69. 6699
RReeaalliissmm::
WWhhaatt aabboouutt AAuuddiioo??
Screen shot from Prisoner of War. This allegedly has some of the worst
voice acting ever heard in a game. Apparently, those
German accents were really, really bad!
70. 7700
RReeaalliissmm::
WWhhaatt aabboouutt AAuuddiioo??
Movie counting down the worst of the worst game voiceovers ever.
I was surprised Prisoner of War wasn’t mentioned. Either they
didn’t play it, or these are just awful …
71. 7711
RReeaalliissmm::
WWhhaatt aabboouutt AAuuddiioo??
Interview with Charles Martinet, the voice of Mario.
In the end, he was obviously the right talent for the job!
74. 774
CCoonnssiisstteennccyy iinn tthhee WWoorrlldd
Screen shot from Destroy all Humans. If you thought something would
work in the game world, generally it would. Often with humorous results!
75. 7755
CCoonnssiisstteennccyy iinn tthhee WWoorrlldd
Screen shot from Die Hard: Nakatomi Plaza. The visuals are decent, but
there is an extraordinary lack of variety in opponents. You shoot someone,
round the corner, and there he is again … such consistency is inconsistent!
76. 7766
CCoonnssiisstteennccyy iinn tthhee WWoorrlldd
Screen shot from Grand Theft Auto III. Depending on your mission, the game
was sometimes inconsistent in teleporting characters or removing vehicles if
things were not the way they were supposed to be. Could be very annoying!
77. 7777
CCoonnssiisstteennccyy iinn tthhee WWoorrlldd
Screen shot from Everquest of the first ever killing of Kerafyrm, also known as
The Sleeper, a beast supposed to be unkillable. (Actually it just had over 100
billion hit points.) A small army of 200 players took nearly 4 hours to defeat it.
Their first attempt was unfairly thwarted by Sony, who wanted the creature
alive for the storyline. Sony relented, and let them finish the job, but not
before they shattered the players’ faith in the consistency of the world.
79. 7799
HHaarrmmoonnyy
Screen shot from Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Overall, a great game,
but some players have felt disappointed, noting that the game doesn’t feel
right on the Wii because the Wii-specific elements seem “tacked on”.
80. 8800
HHaarrmmoonnyy
Screen shot from Heavenly Sword. Everything in this game fits reasonably
well together. Even Kai’s twing twang levels fit in place, unlike a lot of
other games with levels that change up the gameplay.
82. 8822
FFrreeeeddoomm ttoo PPllaayy
Screen shot from The Fellowship of the Ring. Among other problems, this
game based on the movie features stunning environments, which the game
will not let players explore. Quite disappointing.
83. 8833
FFrreeeeddoomm ttoo PPllaayy
Screen shot from Hunter: The Reckoning. The game had nice, expansive
levels that looked ripe for exploring. Too bad there were invisible walls
everywhere to prevent you from doing so.
84. FFrreeeeddoomm ttoo PPllaayy
884
Concept art for Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. The scene depicted
here is for the train yard level. Unfortunately, invisible walls on the
trains blocked your way at various points …
85. 8855
FFrreeeeddoomm ttoo PPllaayy
Screens shot from Grand Theft Auto 3. In addition to the usual missions, there
is a lot to do in the game … paramedic mode (shown left), firefighter mode,
vigilante mode, taxi driver mode, plus insane stunt bonuses, and more.
The screen shot on the right is taken from the short film My Trip to Liberty City
by Jim Munroe. This film, shot entirely within the game, is an example
of machinima (movies done using 3D real-time software, typically game
engines) shown at the July 2003 New York Video Festival.
86. 8866
FFrreeeeddoomm ttoo PPllaayy
Screen shots from Halo and Halo 2. Halo lets you do a wide variety of
things in the game world. Videos of game footage taken by players with
way too much time on their hands demonstrate the flexibility of this game.
87. 8877
FFrreeeeddoomm ttoo PPllaayy
Movie clips from Splinter Cell’s Chaos Theory Co-op Theatre. (Courtesy of
X-Play.) Another good example of fun to be had given a lot of freedom.
88. 8888
FFrreeeeddoomm ttoo PPllaayy
Screen shot and video from Crysis. This game had a rich world that
allowed players to create their own fun in a variety of ways … let’s see …
what should I do with 3000 oil barrels?
90. FFrreeeeddoomm ttoo PPllaayy
9900
Screen shot and video from Super Mario Bros. This shows the top
speedrun to complete the entire game in about 5 minutes. Video
and stats courtesy of the Speed Demos Archive.
91. FFrreeeeddoomm ttoo PPllaayy
9911
Screen shot and video from Doom. This shows the top speedrun
for E1M1, which is about 9 seconds. Video and stats
courtesy of the Speed Demos Archive.
92. FFrreeeeddoomm ttoo PPllaayy
9922
Screen shot and video from Quake. This shows the top speedrun for the
entire game, killing everything and finding all secrets in 33 minutes and
33 seconds. Video and stats courtesy of the Speed Demos Archive.
93. FFrreeeeddoomm ttoo PPllaayy
9933
Screen shot and video from Tetris. This tool-assisted run isn’t a
speedrun per se, but is still impressive to watch once you see what’s
going on!
94. FFrreeeeddoomm ttoo PPllaayy
994
Screen shot and video from Super Mario 64. This tool assisted speedrun
completes the game in 5 minutes, 47 seconds through exploiting a
bug to finish with zero stars.
95. FFrreeeeddoomm ttoo PPllaayy
9955
Screen shot and video from Demon’s Souls. This speedrun completed
this ultra-difficult game in under an hour (54 minutes and
54 seconds to be precise). Amazing!
97. 9977
WWrriittiinngg
Series of screen shots from Zero Wing. It does not get much
worse than this! (Thankfully!)
98. 9988
WWrriittiinngg
Screen shot from Battle Rangers. Okay, maybe it can be worse
than Zero Wing after all …
99. WWrriittiinngg
9999
Screen shot from Tarr Chronicles. This Russian-made game was poorly
written and translated, with metaphors describing things like escaping
enemies as fleeing “like puppies from a boiling cauldron”. Its sequel, Dark
Horizon, was only slightly better this way …
101. 110011
JJuusstt IInn TTiimmee IInnffoorrmmaattiioonn
Screen shot of the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The story unfolds
gradually and the player is given information in a “just in time” fashion;
for example, the songs playable on the Ocarina.
102. 110022
JJuusstt IInn TTiimmee IInnffoorrmmaattiioonn
Screen shot from Okami. Okami does an excellent job in delivering
information in a just in time fashion. Trying to learn and use all those
brush techniques could have been very difficult otherwise.
104. 11004
TThhee IIlllluussiioonn ooff
WWiinnnnaabbiilliittyy
Screen shot from Pac Man. The game seems winnable to both
the experts and the novices.
105. 110055
TThhee IIlllluussiioonn ooff WWiinnnnaabbiilliittyy
Screen shot from Katamari Damacy. The player always seems to be in a
position of winning … just make that ball of junk a little bigger!
108. 110088
RRiisskk aanndd RReewwaarrdd
Screen shot from Monopoly. In Monopoly, you risk money by purchasing
property with the hope that you will be rewarded in the future, for example
with income from rents later in the game.
110. 111100
RRiisskk aanndd RReewwaarrdd
Screen shot of Tony Hawk 2. Rewards are provided for various
achievements, like jumping buildings to get the secret tapes.
112. 111122
AAvvooiidd PPllaayyeerr FFaattiigguuee
Screen shot from God of War. A huge variety in challenges and
enemies really keeps the player interested in this game!
113. 111133
AAvvooiidd PPllaayyeerr FFaattiigguuee
Screen shot from WarioWare Smooth Moves. As a large collection of novel
microgames, it keeps things fresh but it can also be rather disorienting.
116. 111166
DDyynnaammiicc aanndd EEmmeerrggeenntt
GGaammeeppllaayy
Screen shot of Thief: Deadly Shadows. This game included a variety of
dynamic and emergent elements. This is the aftermath of a street fight …
that I might have had something to do with …
117. 111177
DDyynnaammiicc aanndd EEmmeerrggeenntt
GGaammeeppllaayy
Screen shot of Thief: Deadly Shadows. Yeah. This one was all me.
I wish I could blame someone else here for this …
118. 111188
DDyynnaammiicc aanndd EEmmeerrggeenntt
GGaammeeppllaayy
Screen shot of Die by the Sword. This was an innovative title that gave the
player total control over how the hero wielded his weapon: direction,
force, momentum, and so on. By proper mouse movements, or key presses,
you could slice apart your opponents in a stunning variety of ways.
119. 111199
DDyynnaammiicc aanndd EEmmeerrggeenntt
GGaammeeppllaayy
Screen shots from Stair Dismount (above
left), Truck Dismount (above right),
and Dismount Levels (bottom right).
These are incredibly fun little games
that employ some interesting dynamic elements and rag doll physics.
Expect to waste lots of time with these gems!
120. 112200
DDyynnaammiicc aanndd EEmmeerrggeenntt
GGaammeeppllaayy
Screen shot of Pain. This downloadable PS3 game is a fun physics-based
game where you launch yourself through the air with a giant sling-shot to
cause various bits of mayhem … and, of course, pain …
121. 112211
DDyynnaammiicc aanndd EEmmeerrggeenntt
GGaammeeppllaayy
Screen shot and video of Rag Doll Kung Fu. In this game, there are no pre-scripted
animations. Instead, players have total control over moving characters
by grabbing a part of the body and moving around the screen. An interesting
concept in which players can define their own fighting moves!
122. 112222
DDyynnaammiicc aanndd EEmmeerrggeenntt
GGaammeeppllaayy
Screen shot from Little Big Planet. This game from the makers of Rag
Doll Kung Fu is again all about dynamic play. The world can be created by
players easily with physics added for realistic and dynamic gameplay.
123. 112233
DDyynnaammiicc aanndd EEmmeerrggeenntt
GGaammeeppllaayy
Screen shot from Little Big Planet 2. This sequel isn’t just a “platform
game” … it’s a “platform for games” according to its creators, allowing
not just new working worlds to be made, but entirely new games as well.
124. 112244
DDyynnaammiicc aanndd EEmmeerrggeenntt
GGaammeeppllaayy
Screen shots and movies from Pseudo Interactive’s Crash demos. These
demos showed off new lighting and shading techniques, new physics models,
and some pretty cool dynamic animation techniques. The demos were some
of the first based on Microsoft’s XNA technologies. Some of this eventually
made it into the Full Auto games, no doubt …
125. 112255
DDyynnaammiicc aanndd EEmmeerrggeenntt
GGaammeeppllaayy
Screen shot from Natural Motion’s endorphin software for dynamic motion
synthesis. Adaptive behaviours are used so that, in theory at least,
characters and game entities animate themselves, instead of relying upon
animation data.
128. 112288
EEnnggaaggiinngg EEmmoottiioonnss
Screen shot from Shadow of the Colossus. This game provides perhaps the
best inner conflict ever faced in a video game. Incredibly well done.
129. 112299
EEnnggaaggiinngg EEmmoottiioonnss
Screen shot from Thief: Deadly Shadows. This level, the Cradle, has been
described as “probably the scariest level ever made” and really establishes the
setting, mood, and tone. As its lead designer put it, “I want my scares to
leave scars”. Believe me, they do!
130. EEnnggaaggiinngg EEmmoottiioonnss
113300
Screen shot from Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. This too was a
pretty scary game at times. Who are those guys and what happened
to their skin and faces?!?
131. 113311
EEnnggaaggiinngg EEmmoottiioonnss
Screen shot from Ninety-Nine Nights. In this game, you can end up
making some pretty tough moral decisions, like sending your troops
into a village of women, children, the infirmed, and the elderly.
132. 113322
EEnnggaaggiinngg EEmmoottiioonnss
Screen shot from Bioshock 2. In this game, and in its predecessor,
you often had the difficult decision on what to do with
Little Sisters …
133. 113333
EEnnggaaggiinngg EEmmoottiioonnss
Screen shot from Heavy Rain. This game had some very difficult
moral questions and emotional challenges to overcome. It was
an incredibly powerful and moving experience at times.
135. 113355
DDeessiiggnn WWiitthhiinn LLiimmiittss
Screen shot from Duke Nukem Forever. This project has been delayed and
rescheduled so many times it isn’t. (Okay, it’s funny, but not if you’re a Duke
fan!) Officially, the project is now due out May 2011. We’ll see though …
136. 113366
DDeessiiggnn WWiitthhiinn LLiimmiittss
A funny Duke-themed Penny Arcade comic. It’s even funnier when
you consider that it’s from 1999! Ouch!
140. 114400
RReemmoovvee IImmppeeddiimmeennttss::
CCoonnttrroollss
Screen shot from Unreal Championship. It is interesting that this Xbox title
has been criticized for a poor control scheme requiring many reconfigurations,
while its PC cousin released at the same time, Unreal Tournament 2003,
has been hailed for its controls and gameplay at the same time.
141. 114411
RReemmoovvee IImmppeeddiimmeennttss::
CCoonnttrroollss
Screen shot from Superman: The Man of Steel. The multiple control schemes
used in this game (free flight and fighting) are quite difficult to use. As much as
you might like Superman, the controls make this game hard to enjoy.
143. 114433
RReemmoovvee IImmppeeddiimmeennttss::
CCoonnttrroollss
Screen shot from Lair. This technically impressive game originally suffered
from being forced to use the motion sensing capabilities of the PS3’s
Sixaxis controller to control your dragon. Definitely frustrating …
144. 114444
RReemmoovvee IImmppeeddiimmeennttss::
CCoonnttrroollss
Screen shot from Nintendogs. This game really takes advantage
of every input mechanism on the Nintendo DS. You can give voice
commands to your dog or blow bubbles through the microphone and use
the stylus to pet your dog, throw objects to play with it, and so on!
145. 114455
RReemmoovvee IImmppeeddiimmeennttss::
CCoonnttrroollss
Screen shot from SOCOM: US Navy Seals. Like many tactical shooter games,
this game allows voice input to control squad mates. Sometimes this works
well in a game, but sometimes it doesn’t. It’s a good idea though!
146. 114466
RReemmoovvee IImmppeeddiimmeennttss::
CCoonnttrroollss
Screen shot from Life Line. This game relies solely on voice input for control.
While promising technology, in this game the controls come off as tedious and
unreliable, killing the pace of the game. A big impediment in this case.
147. 114477
RReemmoovvee IImmppeeddiimmeennttss::
CCoonnttrroollss
Picture of Eye Toy camera, left, and screen shot of game, right. This
innovative peripheral for the Playstation 2 allowed games to put the
player in the game. By tracking motion and position through the camera,
the game can be effectively controlled. The technology was pretty solid
and has been the basis for some interesting developments …
148. 114488
RReemmoovvee IImmppeeddiimmeennttss::
CCoonnttrroollss
Images from Kick Ass Kung-fu. It allows for a motion captured individual
(shown lower left, with targeting scan upper left) to be transposed into a
(shown at right). Weapons and charged energy attacks are supported too!
149. 114499
RReemmoovvee IImmppeeddiimmeennttss::
CCoonnttrroollss
Video from Nintendo’s Wii display at E3 2006. The length of the line of people
waiting to try the Wii is a pretty good indication of just how much everyone
was looking forward to its revolutionary control scheme.
150. 115500
RReemmoovvee IImmppeeddiimmeennttss::
CCoonnttrroollss
Video from the introduction of the Playstation Move in early 2010. Work
on the move began as early as 2001, developing in parallel with the Eye Toy.
It was quite the journey from research to commercial product …
151. 115511
RReemmoovvee IImmppeeddiimmeennttss::
CCoonnttrroollss
Video from Microsoft’s E3 Media Briefing in 2010. This is where the
Kinect got its branding, and people saw the first glimpses of what
would become its launch titles.
153. 115533
RReemmoovvee IImmppeeddiimmeennttss::
CChhooppppyy GGaammeeppllaayy
Screen shot from Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance. While graphically
impressive, this Mortal Kombat was criticized for animation that
is best described as “stilted” and “choppy”. Not a good thing.
154. 115544
RReemmoovvee IImmppeeddiimmeennttss::
CChhooppppyy GGaammeeppllaayy
Screen shot from Unreal II: The Awakening. The co-op multiplayer mode
is a nice feature to have, but the animation is so choppy and the frame rate
is so bad that it is very hard to play. Not up to player expectations at all.
156. Remove IImmppeeddiimmeennttss::
EExxcceessssiivvee DDiisscc
SSwwaappppiinngg
115566
Box contents of Castlevania Lords of Shadow for the Xbox 360. Note that
it requires two discs, which means swapping … unless you load one of the
discs onto your console in its entirety. It is rumored that Mass Effect 3
and other games in the near future will ship on multiple discs too …
158. 115588
RReemmoovvee IImmppeeddiimmeennttss::
EExxcceessssiivvee LLooaadd TTiimmeess
Screen shot from The Simpsons Road Rage. The excessive load times on this
title would make most gamers want to bail out at some point in time.
161. 116611
RReemmoovvee IImmppeeddiimmeennttss::
SSaavviinngg tthhee GGaammee
Screen shot from Grand Theft Auto. Game saving was not allowed in this game,
to maintain the frantic pace of action. Since such a large score was needed to
clear a level, players would need to play for a long time to ensure their
progress wasn’t lost. A big shortcoming of an otherwise good game.
162. 116622
RReemmoovvee IImmppeeddiimmeennttss::
SSaavviinngg tthhee GGaammee
Screen shot from Grand Theft Auto III. Unlike the first version, this allows
saving between missions at your hide out. It is done in such a way that
it does not disrupt the pace of the game, but still allows players to save
their progress in a way that makes sense to the game.
163. 116633
RReemmoovvee IImmppeeddiimmeennttss::
SSaavviinngg tthhee GGaammee
Screen shot from Aliens vs. Predator. When initially released, the game did not
allow game saving. This was done to maintain the tense atmosphere of the
game. After many complaints, a patch eventually added that feature.
164. 116644
RReemmoovvee IImmppeeddiimmeennttss::
SSaavviinngg tthhee GGaammee
Screen shot from Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick. This game has an
interesting approach to saving … as you play, you collect “save tokens”. Each
token can be used to save the game once. Use them carefully!
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SSaavviinngg tthhee GGaammee
Screen shot from Dead Rising. Its save system was quite controversial,
with only one slot per device per profile. The option to save your character’s
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level and abilities also received mixed reviews from players …
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RReemmoovvee IImmppeeddiimmeennttss::
BBuuggss
Screen shot from Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness. On the PC, this game
was referred to by one source as “a bug-ridden mess”. Next time, don’t
rush to release a game to coincide with a movie launch!
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RReemmoovvee IImmppeeddiimmeennttss::
BBuuggss
Screen shot from Showdown: Legends of Wrestling. On the consoles, this
game was full of many glaring and obvious bugs. The disappointed fans
rallied for boycotts and even a class action lawsuit over this one! Then
Acclaim went out of business. Gee … I wonder why?
170. RReemmoovvee IImmppeeddiimmeennttss::
BBuuggss
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Red Dead Redemption was
largely regarded as a very well done
game in general, but it sure had
its share of bugs at the same time!
174. IInntteerrffaaccee DDeessiiggnn
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Screen shot from Bayonetta. An interesting game with pretty unique and
stunning visuals, but some reviewers have complained that several of the
hair-based moves are so large that they can obscure the action.
175. IInntteerrffaaccee DDeessiiggnn
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Video from X-Play. This classic clip goes through the perils of bad camera
systems, including off-screen dangers and poorly handled transitions. Again,
if you can’t see what’s going on, there’s a problem. More on this later …
178. 117788
IInntteerrffaaccee DDeessiiggnn
Screen shot from Unreal Tournament 2003. The interface is simple, clean,
and easy to use. Everything needed can be found with a glance.
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Screen shot from Unreal Tournament 2003. The start-up screen includes
all of the necessary components needed for the game.
188. 118888
CChheeaatt CCooddeess
Screen shot of Doom. Doom had cheat codes to give invulnerability,
weapons and ammunition, power-ups, warps to new levels, and even
the ability to walk through walls. Anyone remember IDKFA, IDDQD,
IDBEHOLD, and the ever popular IDSPISPOPD?
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TTuuttoorriiaall oorr PPrraaccttiiccee
MMooddee
Screen shot from Dead or Alive Ultimate. A practice mode lets players hone
their skills before going into fights with real opponents.
191. Tutorial oorr PPrraaccttiiccee
MMooddee
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Screen shot from Bayonetta. The loading screen lets you practice your
moves and combos. Good thing, because those screens can be there
for a long, long time in this game!
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CCoommppeettiittiioonn aanndd
CCooooppeerraattiioonn
Screen shot from Gears of War 2. It has several different competition modes,
including one of the most well done cooperative modes ever seen.
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BBaallaannccee
Screen shot from World of Warcraft. This is a picture from the “Million Gnome
March”, a protest organized in early 2005 over imbalances against Gnomes
in the game. Why are they mostly naked though? Shudder.
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Screen shot from Warcraft: Orcs Humans. Balance is critical in a
game like this to ensure fairness to all players. Symmetrical
balancing was used here …
201. 220011
BBaallaannccee:: FFaaiirrnneessss
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Screen shot from Warcraft III. Balance is still critical here.
Asymmetrical balancing was used in this case …
206. BBaallaannccee::
CChhaalllleennggee aanndd SSuucccceessss
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Screen shot from Angry Birds Seasons. In Angry Birds, as long as you
get all the pigs, you can advance a level. For a bigger challenge (and more
prestige), you can aim for getting three stars on each level.