Half-Life 2 and Steam

There's not much I can say about Half-Life 2 that hasn't already been said.

It is true that it is visually stunning. It is true that the level design is nearly genius. It is true that the weapons feel satisfying. It is true that even though the physics engine is severely over-exploited, dismembering enemies with flying sawblades and creating makeshift ladders/bridges never fails to amuse. It is true that the game is so immersive that you'll find yourself yelling "why can't Gordon Freeman climb a god-damned fence or flip a table back to its proper position?!" It is true that even with a minimum of dialogue (or, indeed, perhaps because of it), the plot development is more intriguing than most you're likely to find in any game, shooter or not.

So what's the problem? In a word, Steam. Half-Life 2 brought my first exposure to Valve's content distribution system. My experience thus far is that Steam is clumsy, obtrusive, and an incredible detriment to the way that I want to play.

You're required to install Steam in order to play HL2. No connection to the Internet or the Steam infrastructure's too busy/not available? You can't launch HL2 for the first time. You're planning on playing HL2/Counterstrike: Source at a LAN party with no Internet connectivity present? Make sure you have backup games, since despite what Valve tells you (specifically, that if you tell Steam to remember your username and password, then you can play offline) you'll still ocassionally get "Steam ticket expired" errors and won't be able to launch any of Valve's games. To add insult to injury, don't forget your CD - even if you launch your game through Steam, enter your username and password, let Steam validate that your credentials are good and you have a good CD-key via the Internet, you STILL NEED THE HL2 CD IN THE DRIVE TO LAUNCH THE GAME. Complete and utter idiocy.

I'm a gamer, so I have a vested interest in rewarding good game developers by purchasing their games instead of pirating them. I also believe that some anti-piracy measures are tolerable. In the end, though, when I buy a software product, I expect to be able to use it how and when I choose. UbiSoft's Rainbow Six 3 patches which disabled the ability to play the game off of virtual CD drives were understandable, but annoying. Yes, launching the game from a virtual CD image instead of a physical CD made piracy easier, but it also made legitimate gameplay easier - if I have the hard disk space and I want the added performance of playing from HD instead of CD (not to mention the ability to stow my physical CD away and not have to fish it out every time I want to play), then I should be able to. However, that measure pales in comparison to a software package that requires me to check with the manufacturer every single time I want to use it to make sure I still have the right to do so. This is simply the case of a software company presuming that all of their customers are guilty until proven otherwise. Valve has decided that breaking their software for legitimate customers who can't (e.g. on an airplane, on a trip, at a LAN party, etc.) or don't want to use Steam is an acceptable loss in order to weed out potential pirates.

Once I finish the single-player game, Half-Life 2 is going to be relegated to a shelf and I will be as thrilled to eradicate Steam from my system as I would any other piece of spyware. No multiplayer (not that there's much to speak of anyway), no expansions, and no mods. Much like I wouldn't go to a restaurant that punches me in the face, takes my wallet, and checks for sufficient funds before seating me, I simply have no use for a company that treats me as a potential criminal first and, after rigorous and intrusive examination, delcares, "oh, sorry, my mistake, we have already made money off of you after all..."

Heroic Proteins

Behold - the Heroic Proteins!!!

Make sure to sign up for the Bungie.net group at the link above if you are (or want to be) a Heroic Protein.

Games glut

As ColdForged has noted, there are a lot of games hitting the shelves now-ish, just in time for the holiday season.

Desiree picked up Zoo Tycoon 2 over the weekend (which, oddly, appeared as though it had a "stealth" launch) and it seems to be good if you were a fan of the original.

Today there's that little obscure indie game, Half-Life 2, plus its brother-in-technology Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines. (If you were wondering, I'll probably get Bloodines before HL2, now that I know the only multiplayer component for HL2 is Counterstrike: Source.) The expansion for Joint Operations, Escalation, also hits shelves today - which, given the competition, might not have been NovaLogic's smartest marketing move. My brother-in-law loved Need For Speed: Underground so he'll be happy to know that the sequel also goes on sale today.

If you never plan to have any interaction whatsoever with Sony's customer support (or enjoy the sensation of sharp, heated objects being inserted in unpleasant places), then you might be excited that Everquest II is already shipping; otherwise, if you're a fan of MMORPGs where the live team doesn't hate the players, then you're more likely to care that Blizzard's World of Warcraft launches simultaneously for Windows and MacOS on November 22nd.

Finally, there's even a new RTS to get excited about... EA's The Battle for Middle Earth will be released on December 8th.

Don't forget the new ATI drivers (or nVidia ForceWare drivers) while you're checking the Windows games out.

I am Dan's smirking revenge

Apparently, I deserved some punishment. Was it for playing Halo 2 first? Was it for thinking that being so good with a mouse and keyboard would translate back into thumbsticks with little-to-no practice? Was it for thinking that team and large game skills were transferable to 1-on-1 skills?

Whatever the reason, punishment was required and ColdForged was there to provide it. Even worse, the evil geniuses at Bungie.net have made the evidence incontrovertable.

Oh, have no doubt, I will have my revenge... and, thanks to Bungie.net, everyone will know about it. :)

Hands-on preview of Halo 2 multiplayer

Ahhhh, Halo 2.

Full disclosure: I am not a Bungie fanboy, but Bungie's Marathon games and the original Halo remain to this day the only FPSes that I played through to the end because I cared about the story. I also cared pretty deeply about the story in I Love Bees. I am loving Joint Ops for Windows and would play Rainbox Six 3 on Windows over Xbox any day of the week and twice on Sundays. Bear in mind my heavy bias for PC FPSes as you read this.

First of all, the Chicago event last night took place in a movie theater. When we got inside, we were given a DVD with all of the "I Love Bees" audio clips, credits, some "making of" information, which was a classy touch. We were also given a raffle ticket.

Inside, Halo 2 was set up on 5 Xboxes and TV screens. 4 of the Xboxes were system-linked for a local LAN 8-player game, while the 5th, middle Xbox was hooked up to the other three "training exercises" in Austin, New York, and San Francisco via Xbox Live. This was also the system that was projected on to the big screen.

Playtime was raffled off, as were 5 "prize packs" which included Halo 2 Limited Edition, the Plantronics Halo 2 headset, Xbox Live Starter kit, and 12 months of Xbox Live. These prizes are being sent out next week, so don't fret that some people are playing (the legal, English version of) Halo 2 already.

I didn't win a prize pack, but I did win some time on the system link. This game unequivocally lives up to the hype and then some. There will be ZERO disappointments next week.

Let me get the obvious stuff out of the way - the graphics and sound are the best of any console FPS, period. Frame rate was high and fluid and the controls are the ones you know and love from the original (if slightly more responsive). As with everything, the controls are very (but not totally) customizable - you have a variety of preset gamepad layouts to choose from, you can disable inverted look controls, and you can even set sensitivity sliders for the thumbsticks.

I played in a (non-team) Slayer match. (That's what every other game calls "deathmatch", for those not in the know.) Some of the subtle things were quite incredible - dual wielding, for example, is all you hoped it would be and more. John Woo should be jumping for joy. In my short time playing, I got pretty handy with a run-and-gun technique with a submachinegun and a pistol - spraying bullets from my right hand while closing the gap to my enemy, then finishing him/her off with a few shots to the head from my left from up-close. Of course, dual plasma rifles aren't too shabby either... and I consider it a personal point of pride that I've destroyed opponents with the Covenant sword before the rest of the free world gets a chance to. The maps are well-designed and the speed of the game is perfectly tuned to be andrenalin-pumping but not cartoony... think Goldeneye for N64 with killer graphics and far more interesting weapons and you're starting to get the idea. The HUD is great and is tailored to the incredible variety of game types. For example, in CTF it shows you where the enemy flag is and where your base is without being too obtrusive.

Speaking of game types, this isn't your father's CTF (at least not with the options we used). Instead of both teams hunting opposing flags that require capture and return to your own base, the CTF we played had one team on offense (i.e. get the flag and return it) and one team on defense. The offensive team won a point if they capped the flag and returned it to their base - the defensive team won a point if the offensive team failed to do so within a set time. Once a point is awarded, the teams switch roles (offense/defense) and the teams play again until one team has 3 points. Sort of a mix of regular CTF and the Unreal Tournament series' "Assault" game mode. SO sweet. The other game modes are crazy - in addition to the free-for-all "Slayer" and this new-style CTF, there was also "Team Slayer" (not limited to two teams - I watched a 2x2x2x2 game last night), "King of the Hill", "Team King of the Hill" (also not limited to 2 teams), "Oddball" (a game mode from Marathon in which you try to hang on to a skull-shaped ball for as long as possible and the first person to accumulate 2 minutes with the ball wins; the only problem is that when you have the ball, you show up on everyone's radar and your only offensive option is punching), "Team Oddball" (again more than 2 teams are allowed), and probably several more that we didn't see (for fear of plot exposure, we obviously didn't get to play Co-op, though it was on the menu). Of course there are subcategories of the Slayer and Team Slayer modes called "Swords" and "Rockets". I'll let you figure out which weapons you're limited to in those modes. :)

Perhaps most impressive of all are the overwhelmingly incredible Xbox Live features. This may be old hat to people who have read all of the press releases and gaming site/magazine articles, but I hadn't - and the Xbox Live options BLEW ME AWAY. If this game doesn't sell a bajillion Xbox owners on the service, then I'll let CF blast me repeatedly with a Covenant carbine.

Where to start... there is a "Party" system, which allows you to grab a few of your buddies and move around from game to game as a block. Bungie calls this the "virtual couch", because it allows you to stay in the same games and on the same teams as your friends with zero effort, just as if you were all sitting on the same couch. One person is designated the party leader, and they make the choices regarding which games to join (or what options to host with) and the other members of the party are automagically brought along in tow. It's so goddamn cool it practically hurts. The matchmaking options for individuals and clans, the clan support in general for that matter, the avatar customization, it's just simply breathtaking. The absolutely ginormous number of stats that are tracked in-game (and ultimately, on Bungie.net) will make your head spin. In fact, after November 9 I encourage you to go to Bungie.net regularly to see how many times Coldforged has killed me via tragic Warthog "accident"... (CF, you do realize that you're the designated driver given my, uh, limited PGR2 skills, right?) All this plus the regular Xbox Live features like hassle-free voice chat, friends lists, etc. is almost too good to be true.

I was a bit too caught up in the excitement to give a more in-depth preview than this, but suffice it to say I'm sure that the stuff I didn't see (single-player, co-op, all of the customization options for controls, displays, and multiplayer game types, under the covers of the Live features) can only make me more excited about this game.

This is it - this is the pinnacle of online FPS gaming on any platform, including Windows. It's so easy to set up exactly to your tastes, it's such a snap to get in to games with your friends, your clans, others of your skill level, and of course the content is beyond your wildest expectations. It's not as good as you thought it'd be, it's not as good as you hoped it'd be, it's BETTER. Bungie has anticipated features that you didn't even know you wanted and overdelivered on everything you could have possibly dreamed of.

If you've ever enjoyed an action-oriented video game, then pre-order this game now. If you don't have an Xbox, then get one. If you don't have Xbox Live, then sign up today. The gamer in you will thank me later.

The silence of the bees

Well, the "I Love Bees" ARG ends today, but hopefully it's going to be a bit of a blowout. Tonight I have a confirmed reservation to attend a special "training exercise" here in Chicago - which will probably mean I'll get to play Halo 2 before the rest of you! (I promise lots of multiplayer details, CF...)

Also, it's nice to know that the little group of intrepid "I Love Bees" players that I formed, the Fireflies, had our site (ilb.extrasonic.com) mentioned in the New York Times.

On the other hand, it'll be sad to see it go - it's been a blast!

Gaming news

Random newsbits:

• Settlers of Catan Online will launch this month on the MSN Gaming Zone. Catan is an amazing board game, probably my favorite.
  
• Half-Life 2 has gone gold and will be released internationally on November 16.
  
• In preparation for HL2, go grab the new 4.10 Radeon drivers from ATI.

Downloadin'

Here are some downloads to check out this weekend (since I'm about to head out of town for work):

• Axis and Allies demo
• Unreal Tournament 2004 dedicated server (v3323)
• American McGee's Scrapland demo

Console control

I think I'm going to enjoy Halo 2 a whole lot more with the ability to plug in a PS/2 keyboard and mouse to an Xbox.

precision == good

Gaming goodies

Good reads if you're interested in the gaming industry: RPG Vault takes a look at alternative revenue models for massively multiplayer games (other than the semi-ubiquitous monthly subscription fee), and Eurogamer has a glimpse of what the online services for Xbox 2 might look like.

Oh yeah, grab the latest patches for Star Wars: Battlefront and Doom 3 while you're still thinking about games.

ROFLAttack

Here's a game you won't see on Jay Bibby's site anytime soon: ROFLAttack.

Hard to describe, ROFLAttack is a flash game with ASCII graphics that pits you as an elite ROFLer who must destroy LOLerskaters and LMAOplanes, armed only with your ROFLcopter's ROFLcannon, WTFbombs, OMGmissles, and the all-important BBLshield.

(First seen on on the MESH DiaWebLog.)

Even more demos

I still haven't tried out the last batch of demos, and yet here we are with some new ones:

• Doom 3 3-level demo - now you too can see how slowly your computer runs Doom 3!
• Full Spectrum Warrior demo - in case you missed it on Xbox.
• SuperPower 2 demo (updated) - the first SuperPower was a great game concept with poor execution; I'm hoping this one will be better.

Computer gaming updates

It seems the computer gaming world didn't put itself on "pause" while I was away! (I'm miffed.)

Things one or both of us will be checking out - and hey, maybe you should too - are:

• UT2004 (patches)
• CSI: Dark Motives (demo)
• Warhammer: Dawn of War (demo)
• FIFA Soccer 2005 (demo)
• Tribes: Vengeance (demo)
• Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault (demo)
• Evil Genius (demo)
• Joint Operations: Typhoon Rising (level editor)
• Zoo Empire (demo)

ilb.extrasonic.com

As mentioned in my previous post, the ilovebees ARG has more or less consumed my productive free time. Believing (foolishly) that the fastest way out of this obsession is to plow through it, I invited some of the smartest and friendliest people on the Unfiction Haunted Apiary Forums to form a little think-tank. We call ourselves the Fireflies, and you can see the fruit of our labor on our read-only wiki.

(By the way, CF, don't think I failed to notice that you enhottenated an axon!)

Some of the Fireflies have their own websites/blogs too - check out:

Clamatius
thebruce

(My apologies to the other Fireflies if they have sites that I've forgotten to mention!)

Miscellaneous gaming stuff

To collect all of the gaming tidbits I've seen on the web, in e-mail, and in IM for review over the weekend:

• A potentially huge DOOM 3 performance tweak on this PlanetDOOM thread (thanks to my brother-in-law)
• 7 "mods" for DOOM 3 including 32-player deathmatch and co-op (need to see if there's a better download location)
• A massive 30-minute movie showing off various aspects of the HL2 engine-powered Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines (discussed and linked to in this Gamespy article)

ilovebees.com

Ok, so what was up with the URL http://ilovebees.com/ getting flashed on the screen at the end of the Halo 2 trailer?

A lot of people (myself included) are working hard to find out...

Doomsday

The next generation of PC games has arrived.

Doom 3 will be commercially available in less than 3 weeks, sometime between August 2-6 (depending on how motivated your retailer is).

Fallout 3

Although I was not nearly the fan of The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind that Desiree was, I am nevertheless very happy to learn that Bethesda Softworks has licensed the Fallout franchise and will begin work immediately on Fallout 3. (Thanks for the link go to Jason at Loonyblog, who appears as excited as I am about all of this.)

Let me make one thing clear - I love the Fallout franchise. Wasteland had a profound effect on me back when it first came out for C=64. I'm amazed that I can still remember that Wasteland's gaming system is based on Stackpole's Mercenaries, Spies, and Private Eyes pen and paper system (and that I also ran a campaign of MS&PE in high school), that designer Brian Fargo put himself in the game as "Faran Brygo", that you never wanted to be on the business end of a Meson Cannon, and that I once ran a BBS called "The Temple of the Servants of the Mushroom Cloud". It's a testament to the lasting impression this game (and the series) can leave on you.

If I'm willing to thoroughly date myself and expose my inner deep-geek by talking about things like pen & paper RPGs and BBSes just to praise an (offline!) RPG, then you know the love affair is serious. See if you can find some remnant of the Wasteland/Fallout legacy to try for yourself before Bethesda delivers the gooey, irradiated goodness of Fallout 3.

Next verse, same as the first

There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth among MMORPG players when Electronic Arts announced its cancellation of what was, by all accounts, the best MMO game in development on 21 March, 2001 - Ultima Online 2. In hindsight, maybe it wouldn't have been that great, since the lead designer, Raph "DesignerDragon" Koster, went on to design what is arguably the best MMORPG on paper and one of the worst in execution - Star Wars Galaxies. "Who let the fun out?" indeed.

Fast forward to today, a little over 3 years later, when Electronic Arts has now cancelled another companion for the venerable Ultima Online in the MMO market again - Ultima X: Odyssey has officially been canned.

While I find the trend of large gaming publishers abandoning the MMO business somewhat troublesome (since it's probably my favorite genre), what I find even more disturbing is how similar the two press statements are:

• Ultima Online 2's cancellation notice from 21 March 2001
  
• Ultima X: Odyssey's cancellation notice from 30 June 2004

I felt like I was in some sort of time-warp after reading those.

Spider-Man 2 (Xbox)

My thumb hurts. Coming from me, that's pretty high praise for Spider-Man: The Movie 2 (hereafter referred to as Spider-Man 2 for brevity's sake) for Xbox. After picking up the game yesterday, I ended up playing for about four hours, losing all track of time. Now here I am the next day, with my thumb still throbbing. Console games rarely have that effect on me anymore, especially when they're not of the RPG variety.

Personally and professionally, I've always felt it's important to use the right tool for the job at hand. I'm of the opinion that nothing beats a mouse and a keyboard (except possibly a trackball and a keyboard) for games which require precise or nuanced controls (e.g. first-person shooters and real-time strategy games). I also strongly prefer the mouse/keyboard combination for games which require a lot of interactivity and communication (e.g. MMORPGs, open-ended single player RPGs). And, let's face it, while there's no question that the Xbox has the best price-to-graphics performance ratio of any gaming platform, a fast computer with a lot of RAM equipped with a top-of-the-line monitor and video card is a visual wonder to behold. Doom 3 may be coming out for Xbox, but I don't think anyone would argue that a well-equipped PC is going to be the preferred way to play. Finally, being fortunate enough to have a wife who is not only an avid gamer, but also is an avid gamer with good taste, I tend to play a lot of cooperative multiplayer games. With two networked computers, this is effortless and highly entertaining, but without multiple consoles and televisions, this is either impossible or impractical (trying to play a game like Batman: The Rise of Sin Tzu, Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles, or even The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures where both people have to stay on the same screen at all times is irritating at best after playing through, for example, Diablo and all its expansion packs/sequels).

That pretty much relegates the consoles in my house to the realm of Japanese-style linear RPGs, action/fighting/sports games, and the ocassional party game (DDR, Mario Kart, Super Smash Brothers Melee, etc.). This isn't necessarily a bad thing; it just means that a console game doesn't usually hold my attention for extended gaming sessions.

This is where we come back to Spider-Man 2. (Fear not, I do actually have a point to all of this.) I grabbed the game because it seemed like it'd be a nice action title to add to the library from some of the previews and other pre-release material. When I popped it in, I quickly came to think of it as Grand Theft Auto: do it and Spider-Man will kick your sorry butt. The structures of the two games are remarkably similar - you can go anywhere you want and make up your own fun by performing tasks for various people, and then when the mood strikes you, there's always a mission or goal that will advance the plot of the game. The big difference is that in GTA, you're cutting people up with chainsaws, hiring prostitutes, and stealing cars, while in Spider-Man 2, you're beating up thugs and supervillians, rescuing New Yorkers, and returning stolen cars. I also found that the missions are easier in Spider-Man 2 than in GTA, which helps keep the novice engaged and the experienced player focused on whatever they'd like to be doing.

With a few action-packed hours under my belt, I've decided that the Console Gold review is the one that best matches my feelings about the game. Yes, the textures are a little simple, but it's worth it for the incredible draw distance. Yes, the random missions get a little repetitive, but they were obviously engaging enough to keep me occupied. What the review fails to communicate, though - even though it's clear that they like the game - is just how damn fun it is. Swinging around a fully-realized, accurately depicted Manhattan as your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is just something you have to experience for yourself. If it turned a hard-core PC gamer (yet casual console gamer) like me into a true believer, then imagine what it'll do for people who prefer the console platform! (And don't forget to take a swan-dive off of the Empire State Building for me.)

A special P.S. to the gaming industry: Even though my thumb is sore now, a Batman game using the open-ended, "GTA-style" format to solve crimes and dispense vigilante justice would have reduced it to a bloody stump. This game proves that superhero video games, as a genre, can be elevated from the level of horrific garbage (as seen in Batman: Dark Tomorrow and Superman 64) by giving us huge virtual Gothams and Metropolises to patrol.

Castle seige

I don't play Lineage II, but anyone who has played a MMORPG or has enough of an understanding of the technical challenges involved can appreciate the Adrenaline Vault's spectacular pics of a castle seige involving an incredible number of player characters (make sure to look at all 5 screenshots).

Full Spectrum Warrior

I'm not sure if I've ever written anything like a full-blown video game review before, but at the prompting of ColdForged in his comments on this post (presumably because it was at the top of the heap at the time), I'll give it a try.

The format of Full Spectrum Warrior is a bit of a hybrid of existing game styles; it is a love-child, if you will, of the tactical shooter (e.g. Rainbow Six or Counterstrike) and the RTS (e.g. Age of Empires or Rise of Nations) genres. The closest thing to a comparable gameplay mechanic would be Myth from Bungie (yes, the Halo Bungie, if you're too young to remember) not only because Myth was also a squad-based RTS without any of the standard RTS conventions like resource gathering, but also because it relied heavily on deformable terrain and a comprehensive physics model (which was usually put to good use by trying to launch the dismembered body parts of your fallen foes into low-earth orbit with Dwarven demolitions, but I digress). FSW gameplay is enhanced by a pretty slick physics model of its own, since (as far as I know), it is the first game to market featuring the Half-Life 2 HAVOK physics model - more on how that impacts (no pun intended) gameplay in a bit.

[Edit (07 June 2004): Apparently, "as far as I know" isn't far enough. As I learned from ColdForged's comment, the HAVOK physics model is actually a standalone product that's been used in many games. -d.]

Now that I've dropped enough other game titles to exceed my italics per paragrah limit, let's talk about the game's premise and presentation. FSW places the player in command of two fireteams of U.S. Army infantry that are embroiled in a fictional war in a fictional urban setting. Since a version of this game is used by the U.S. Army as a training aid, you might expect some authenticity here, and you get it - the urban setting is believably laid out and graphically gorgeous. Not Pandora Tomorrow gorgeous, but pretty good nonetheless. The squad animations are fluid and the Saving Private Ryan / Black Hawk Down "shaky cam" effect you experience when your camera's following a squad on the run is really well-done. The authenticity also extends to the banter between the squadmembers you command, so don't be surprised when you hear a few "MOTHERF---ERS!!!" from your squad. The "M" rating isn't all about blood here. Sound effects are good enough but not great.

The control scheme is very similar to an RTS - you select one of your two fireteams, and move a cursor to the location you want them to move. There are two movement styles - an all-out run and a more cautious bounding maneuver, both of which have their uses. The cursor itself is context-sensitive - if you place it over a fallen comrade, the default action will be to secure his body; if you place it at a corner, the fireteam will take a doctrinally-appropriate formation, complete with a fast glance around the corner for Tangos by the team lead. You have a couple of other control options, such as setting up observation/firing arcs (either on a "whole team" or individual basis) for teams that are remaining stationary for a bit. You can also aim frag/smoke/M203 grenades and other indirect fire. This is as close as it gets to standard first- or third-person shooter-style controls; other than when throwing a grenade, you never control the actions of a particular soldier directly. They respond to your general orders as fast as they can, given their situation, and will take independent action as appropriate - they will go prone and return fire on enemies who catch them out in the open, for example.

Again, since FSW was originally concieved as a training aid, gameplay focuses mainly on moving safely and effectively through hostile urban terrain, eliminating threats using coordination between the two teams. If one of your squadmembers is taken down, you can secure his body and take him to the nearest CASEVAC (casualty evacuation) point, after which he'll pop back up, good as new. This effect was sort of annoying, as it really sticks out as horribly unrealistic in a game that's otherwise trying to maintain a high level of realism, but let's face it - it'd be a lot more irritating to have to restart every time a man takes a bullet. Hopefully you won't find out what happens when a second squad member goes down before the first one is healed - to paraphrase Josef Stalin horribly, one death is a tragedy, but two deaths is an extraordinarily long load time back to your last saved game.

The HAVOK physics are great - anything destructable in a frag grenade's blast radius goes flying as you'd expect, and different materials have different decomposition rates while taking fire. Remember - that ratty couch in the middle of the street isn't going to protect you as long as, say, a concrete block.

There's a couple of other neat things thrown in as well, such as the ability to call in aerial recon and to control a third team (which, in one mission, is a sniper team) in particular circumstances. So far, so good - all the makings of an excellent game; authentic, squad-level urban military tactics from a commander's perspective. However, there are a couple of rough spots.

The level design makes gameplay almost linear - there's rarely more than one path to your next objective, and as a result there's usually only one (fairly obvious) tactical choice for overcoming the current obstacle in your way. Good for training, bad for the armchair warrior. The game seems capable of tactical depth, but the level design - and possibly some engine limitations, since there doesn't appear to be any ability to go into buildings or on rooftops - essentially robs the game of that potential. It also doesn't help that there's no randomness to enemy placement; get killed by a threat, reload, and you'll know right where he'll be next time. More freedom to come up with creative solutions to the problems at hand - and the flexibility to tackle those problems in an order of your choosing - would greatly enhance the gameplay experience.

While the AI of the teams you command behave realistically and according to U.S. military protocol, the enemy AI is a little weak. The enemies rarely move from where they're first spotted - you can almost hear them think, "ooh! shiny!" as they stare motionless at a grenade that just plopped in front of them. They're also very predictable - you can count on an enemy to fire at a team that's behind impenetrable cover endlessly until your other team can outflank and kill him. Perhaps this is a function of the difficulty level that I'm playing on, so YMMV.

I've not yet played the Xbox Live version of the game - I'm hoping to talk my brother-in-law into playing tonight - but the two-player co-op campaign (there is no head-to-head play) is perfectly identical to the single player campaign. The only difference, of course, is that instead of switching between teams, one player permanently controls Alpha and the other permanently controls Bravo. Since squad coordination is so important to be successful in this game, network play using the Live communicator will almost certainly make the game a lot more fun.

Overall, it's instantly become one of my favorite Xbox games and a worthy rental/purchase for military tactics and strategy buffs. The freshness, uniqueness, and authenticity (well, authenticity except for the magical CASEVAC) of the gameplay easily overcomes the limitations of the level design, but honestly I'm not sure what'd compel me to play after I finish all the missions the first time through. If only there were more freedom and smarter enemies... -cough- SEQUEL -cough- Oh well, here's to hoping for downloadable content via Live, which the developer (Pandemic) has promised!

Microsoft hates MMORPGS?

It's too bad, because I probably would have given this a go (and I know Desiree was planning on playing it) - Microsoft has cancelled the development of its Xbox MMORPG, True Fantasy Online, citing a "crowded" MMORPG market. Microsoft also cancelled its Norse mythology-based PC MMORPG, Mythica, back in February, and of course sold Asheron's Call 1 and 2 back to Turbine.

This completely clears Microsoft's plate of all current and future MMORPG titles. Does Redmond know something that we don't about the economics of MMORPGs? I mean, Microsoft isn't exactly known for backing down from a fight, especially when money is at risk of being left on the proverbial table, so the "too much competition" excuse rings a bit hollow for me. Of course, Microsoft isn't leaving the pay-for-play arena entirely - they're still happy to charge you US$5.99/month for the Xbox Live online service, plus a few dollars here and there for "premium" downloadable content to add to the games you've already purchased.

For a company that's invested heavily - and intelligently - in producing games by great development houses (Bungie, Rare, etc.), you'd think that they'd be primed for charging $12/month for access to each great online game vs. $6/month to act as a network service provider / matchmaker. Granted, the infrastructure is less costly if you're simply facilitating directory-esque services, but if Microsoft can't make sub-$15/month MMORPGs work financially, then what hope can we have for the future of the genre?

UT2004 miscellany

Posted here mostly for my own benefit, UT2004 downloads that need to be snagged:

• UT2004 v3204 patch for Win32
  
• Epic Onslaught Bonus Map Pack
  
• UT2004 Community Bonus Pack

Finally! An excuse for neglecting our weblog!

I'm not sure about its staying power, but I am having way too much fun with City of Heroes.

Dan and I preordered (and I was in the Beta), so we were able to hop on to the 3-day headstart.

After about 5 million discarded character templates (oh, just play with the random costumes button...they can be hysterical), we were on and playing. I'm playing with two different characters, Feu (my fire chick) and The Goddess Bastet (check my Wolverine style!!).

Here's a picture of Feu and one of Dan's eventually discarded characters, Convergence (he, like so many Marvel characters, has been reincarnated into another form).

Anyway, it's mindless fun and more addicting than I had anticipated. You can levitate at level 6...the precursor to flying and damn, that's just going to be awesome. I decided to skip flying with Bastet because, darn it, cat goddesses have to keep all four feet on the ground!

Up up and awayyyyyy!!!

Yep, we'll be playing. Keep an eye out for us (not sure which server), I'll be the chick with a moon on her chest. :)

What are these "games" of which you speak?

Being on the road a majority of March has made it difficult to do the little things - you know, think about something other than work, have a social life, spend time with my wife when I'm not asleep or unconscious, etc.

Well, things are very slowly returning to normal (although the next two weeks will continue to be dicey), and an important part of normalcy involves making time for some rest and relaxation. This past weekend I tried to do just that with a bevvy of new games.

First up - Unreal Tournament 2004. Anything you didn't like about UT2003 is fixed or gone. For old school (think cartoon physics and "gibbing") first-person shooters, it just doesn't get any better. The graphics are great - clean and vivid - and the damn thing plays like a mongoose on crack. With ADD. Beautiful visuals, mass carnage, high speed, incredible polish. The new game modes, Assault (from the original UT) and and Onslaught (which is suspiciously like a non-persistent Planetside, complete with vehicles) are fabulous. I still haven't played with the voice control for the bots, but I'm sure that'll be more icing on an already rich cake. Highly recommended.

Next was Battlefield: Vietnam. If UT2004 was the high watermark for speed and mayhem among the three new games, then this is squarely in the middle. To be perfectly honest, this plays a lot like the BF:1942 mod Desert Combat, with a much better soundtrack and much more interesting/challenging terrain. The huge amount of available cover makes stealth a very viable strategy and slows the game slightly over its predecessor, but not as much as you might think - the update from WWII-era weapons to Vietnam-era weapons means it's much easier to kill and be killed. The game balance is a bit off - I'm still trying to figure out a reason why you would play with anything other than the M60/LAW rocket kit - but all-in-all, BF:1942 with new weapons and an entirely different style of maps is still a well above average game.

Finally, I couldn't resist the lure of Athena Sword, the expansion pack for Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield. This is more of the same - and I mean that in a good way. Athena Sword has several great-looking new maps which pose some unique tactical challenges for slow-burning, tense gameplay punctuated by some dazzling firefights. This pack does what it sets out to do - it extends the useful life of Raven Shield for me (and anyone else who agrees it's the best tactical shooter ever made) by many hours. Raven Shield still gets the lion's share of time at the semi-regular LAN gaming sessions I attend, and with Athena Sword, that's unlikely to change anytime soon.

In case you had any doubt that I played a lot of videogames this weekend, I also checked out the demo of Far Cry. While it's graphically impressive and I love the AI on the bots, I can't see myself getting into this game without the ability to play cooperatively with other people. Between the three games above as well as the potential for Doom3, Half-Life 2, and Halo 2 before the end of the year, my dance card's too full for any game that prevents me from teaming up with my wife or my friends.

The perfect bot

As I reflect on my MMORPG experiences, all I can say to this article is... Dude!

Voice-controlled bots in UT2004

Sure, it was neat in the Xbox version of Raven Shield, but I've got two words for the voice control in UT2004 - holy crap.

Games new and old

My gaming has been largely centered around older PC games recently, but to paraphrase Steve Martin in The Jerk, "The demos are here! The demos are here!"

• Unreal Tournament 2004. Faster and with vehicles. w00t!
• Hidden and Dangerous 2. Single player AND multiplayer demos available.

Also, make sure to grab:

• Desert Combat 0.7. Still the finest mod ever made - with no apologies to Counter Strike. Requires the BF1942 1.6 patch.

Speaking of patches, these are pretty useful:

• Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield 1.53
• Call of Duty 1.2

Finally, Microsoft (of all organizations) has done something really cool. They once had a little-played space sim called Allegiance. On paper, it sounded very cool - there was a lot going on, jumping from tactical team-based play with roles (think BF1942 with everyone in vehicles) to resource management to the ability to pop out into a 3rd-person, RTS-style interface and issue orders. I think my brother-in-law was one of the 12 people who bought it. :)

At any rate, it died due to lack of interest but there is still a hard-core following. In order to keep the Allegiance legacy going, Microsoft has released the complete source code (including comments) to the public. Score one for making old games part of the public domain!

Favorite games (2003)

Last but not least, our favorite games of 2003. With music, TV, and film, Desiree and I have close enough tastes that we can agree on a single list. When it comes to gaming, though, we'll keep with tradition and maintain distinct lists to reflect our differing sensibilities.

Favorite games (2003) | Last year's list

Dan
12 (tie). Batman: The Rise of Sin Tzu (xbox)
12 (tie). Mario Kart: Double Dash (cube)
11. Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy (pc)
10. Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire (gba)
9. Advance Wars 2 (gba)
8. UFO: Aftermath (pc)
7. Final Fantasy Tactics Advance (gba)
6. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (xbox)
5. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (cube)
4. Rise of Nations (pc)
3. Silent Storm [uk version] (pc)
2. Call of Duty (pc)
1. Skies of Arcadia: Legends (cube)

Desiree
12. Dungeons & Dragons Heroes (xbox)
11. Soul Calibur II (xbox)
10. The Sims Bustin' Out (xbox)
9. Mario Kart: Double Dash (cube)
8. Donkey Kong Country (gba)
7. Rise of Nations (pc)
6. Golden Sun: The Lost Age (gba)
5. Morrowind, Game of the Year Edition (pc)
4. Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire (gba)
3. Skies of Arcadia: Legends (cube)
2. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (xbox)
1. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (cube)

Nintendo DS

The new portable from Nintendo - codenamed Nintendo DS - has some intriguing gameplay possibilities, but I'm concerned about it being more of a gimmick than anything else... I guess I'm having a hard time envisioning just how this thing will work.

Kaboom!

For many, many years I have lamented the loss of my favorite Atari 2600 game ...Kaboom! Hope was raised when I came across these joysticks at my local gaming shop. Still, there was no Kaboom!, and boy was I good at that game. I would get almost zen while sitting there in front of the tv screen catching those damn bombs.

Well, imagine my delight to come across this flash version of Kaboom! I wish I had the paddle, but it's still so fun to play.

Live

Armed with a bevy of Christmas gift cards and old games to trade in, I finally broke down and purchased Xbox Live.

Currently, we're equipped with the following Live-enabled multiplayer titles:

•Ghost Recon: Island Thunder
•MechAssault
•Project Gotham Racing 2
•Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield

Add us to your friends list if you're up for some games!

Gamertag: Extrasonic

Gaming gifts

It is the gift-giving season, so here are some gaming freebies to enjoy:

If you're like me, then you couldn't wait for the North American release of Silent Storm and had to order the UK import version from GoGamer.com as a pre-Christmas gift to youself. You know who you are. Make sure to grab the version 1.2 patch.

If you can't get enough of squad-based strategy, then don't forget to patch up your UFO: Aftermath to version 1.3.

If larger-scale strategy is in the cards for your playtime, then I suggest checking out the Massive Assault demo. This is sci-fi, turn-based planetary-scale warfare. It mixes deceptively simple board game-style mechanics with some serious thinking about combined-arms tactics and overall logistics strategies. Entertaining.

But, come on, let's face it. You want to get behind the controls of a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier as much as the next person. Get the Nimitz and a whole host of new stuff (including the absolutely wild DC Urban Siege map) when you download the v0.6F version of the Desert Combat mod for Battlefield: 1942.

If you'd rather give than receive, then check out our firewall configuration for game servers page. (Provide any suggestions by commenting on this post.) Happy gaming!

Digitally listless

I am not sure what the problem is. I am struggling to stay interested in any games at the moment, and that's pretty unusual. I am home by myself today - I took a vacation day a) because I have to "use or lose" my days off before the end of the year and b) for mental health/de-stressing purposes. Normally, this would mean a lot of aggression and tension relief via excessive videogame playing, but I just can't settle on one.

The Desert Combat 0.5L mod for Battlefield: 1942 is buggy enough for me to put me off, I've recently finished UFO: Aftermath and Wizardry 8, Call of Duty is entertaining (but only in small doses), and I don't really enjoy the handful of MMORPGs that I play unless I'm playing with my wife. As Reid mentioned, the Deus Ex demo was irritatingly bad, quite possibly more of "t3h suck" than the Halo demo.

On the Xbox side of the house, Gladius really seemed like a good purchase at the time, until I learned that the tactical portion involves using the same gladiators over and over again in exceptionally similar wide-open pits (i.e. not that tactical) and that the RPG portion involves a stupid story and requires about 349574987^1000 of the aforementioned numbingly repetitive battles to level up any of the characters (i.e. not that strong on character development). Never has a game claimed to have so many elements that I typically crave, been so (relatively) well-reviewed, and yet utterly failed to entertain.

Maybe I'm in a "gaming enthusiasm slump", but if so, then I'm not sure what will get me excited to play again.

Jedi Academy v1.01

Go grab the patch here.

Desert Combat v0.5

Desert Combat v0.5 is available for download, as is the v1.5 patch for BF1942 itself.

Doom3 website launched

'nuff said.

XGenStudios

I apologize in advance for the pop-ups and wasted productivity, but here's my Halloween gift to you - XGenStudios, home of obnoxiously addictive web browser-based games, all made with Flash MX.

Currently, I am playing the sadistic yet oddly compelling Castle, based on a tip from Mark and Zack (thanks guys... I think).

Diablo II v1.10 patch released

Blizzard has finally released the official v1.10 patch for Diablo II, the greatest co-op game ever made (in my opinion). (You can get the patch for the expansion, Lord of Destruction, here.)

This patch changes a lot of gameplay mechanics and could breathe more life into this game if you've got it in your library (and since it was one of the best-selling games of all-time, it's a safe bet that you do). Definitely worth a look.

Call of Duty redux

There's a new Call of Duty demo featuring a new level. The full retail version of the game is slated for release this week.