Monthly Games Online

Please stop on by the forums and suggest your game for February.

We have created some new rules for our nominations.

• First games must be on topic. This months topic is Indie/Casual.
• Second all games suggested must be less than 20 dollars.

That is it.

Forum link: http://www.monthlygamesonline.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=53&p=284#p284

Are video games Art? That is the question. And fortunately it is one easily answered. The definition of art is:

Art: the conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects

And by this definition we should be able to see that video games are indeed art. All video games come from some creative imagination and then are transformed under the hands of skillful artists and programmers into objects enjoyed by an ever growing audience.

In the world of video games as in the world of art not all art is “good” art and I am in no way saying that every video game created should be in a museum but there are a few which should be up for consideration.

In my nightly internet wanderings I have come upon a small group of web games which are the perfect argument for games as art. They are small games that require only a minimal time commitment and are easy and accessible for all audiences. I believe that these games could fit right alongside works of art in a museum. I can see monitors hanging on a wall with a controller for the patrons to interact with their art. Anyway here is just a few of the games I came across. Please play them then comment on the forums I am very interested in hearing what you think of each of them.

6 Differences
http://ivoryboy.com/difference2.html
This difference spotting game brought back images of Sesame Street from my childhood. The game uses images of everyday objects and surroundings but have an artistic slant to them. Try it out and see if you can complete all the stages.

Hoshi Saga
http://nekogames.jp/mt/2007/05/post_16.html Stages 1-35
http://www.nekogames.jp/mt/2007/09/2.html Stages 36-70
http://www.nekogames.jp/mt/2008/09/_hoshi_saga_3.html Stages 71-100
The object of the game is to find the star hidden on each level. Each level design is a creative use of shape and color and thus my second argument.

You Have To Burn the Rope
http://www.mazapan.se/games/BurnTheRope.php
The name says it all … you have to burn the rope. This flashback to sprite like graphics is short and definitely creative. Make sure to stay for the credits or you will miss the entire point!

Music Catch
http://home.scarlet.be/~bbonte/portal/musiccatch.html
This game is based around a very pretty piano solo with a some points and a leader board to mix it up a bit.

Auditorium
http://playauditorium.com
My final submission is another music game but this one has you create the music yourself if you can solve the puzzle that is. That combined with a very elegant interface and some very soothing music makes it my favorite game on this list.

I hope you can all enjoy playing these games and please remember to give me some feedback on the forums.

Remember:

It is time we all meet up for a discussion on the September game of the month Indigo Prophecy. If you are in the Salt Lake Area then come meet up at Hard Rock Cafe at 505 South 600 East Salt Lake City, UT 84102 at 7pm on Wednesday October 1st. If you have not finished the game still come and enjoy the food but know you might get some of the finer parts of the game spoiled for you.

Please RSVP on the forums here.

It is time we all meet up for a discussion on the September game of the month Indigo Prophecy. If you are in the Salt Lake Area then come meet up at Hard Rock Cafe at 505 South 600 East Salt Lake City, UT 84102 at 7pm on Wednesday October 1st. If you have not finished the game still come and enjoy the food but know you might get some of the finer parts of the game spoiled for you.

Please RSVP on the forums here.

Our next game for our club has been decided here.

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver

Platform: PC-CD, PlayStation, DreamCast
Developer: Crystal Dynamics
Publisher: Eidos
Plot: Soul Reaver takes place within the fictional world of Nosgoth. In Nosgoth, the health of the land is tied to the nine Pillars of Nosgoth, and each pillar in turn represented by a guardian. Prior to the events of Soul Reaver, the guardians became corrupted, and Kain killed eight of the guardians and discovered he was the final one. Refusing to sacrifice himself, he doomed Nosgoth to eternal corruption and decay and proceeded to raise his vampire lieutenants including Raziel and besiege the land. By the time of Soul Reaver’s introduction, the humans have largely been decimated and the vampires have each laid claim to a region of Nosgoth and turned their attention to internal matters.

An expanded group of our members met this month to discuss, Shadow of the Colossus. This post will be some short notes from our discussion for your use to further talk about the game on the forums. There will be SPOILERS so please do not continue to read if you have not finished the game. It is important to note that many of us have had experience with this game but only two of us had completed it in the last month thus only Fikus and Drfeu will be mentioned in this post.

Overall Opinion:

• Fikus - Must Own
• Drfeu - Must Own

Controls:

• Riding – Overall this mechanic was a huge headache for me. However that does not mean I didn’t like it. The horse responded exactly like a real horse. If you give it too many instructions or you are too forceful with it you will confuse the horse. I don’t know if this was intentional but it works.
  I enjoyed the riding once I got the hang of it. Didn’t like running into trees. I cannot discount the game for being realistic. Found riding easier when I let the horse navigate on its own. Intelligent on paths and found it easier to fight the horse intensive colossi.    
• Climbing – This mechanic worked very well only on the rarest of occasions was I frustrated by it. Most of the time the controls and the abilities your character were easy to use and well defined.
  I enjoyed it completely. Grip meter is brilliant and made sense.  
• Fighting – Fighting was well played. Bow and Arrow use was frustrating at times but never to the point I would call it a flaw. Using your sword was easy but had a hint of difficulty in timing that made it work.
  Loved every minute of it. Had to remap my buttons so jump was in the right place. The fights were hands down the best part of the game. Every fight was like a boss fight.
• Camera – As usual for games of this time period it was very frustrating. However better than most games. This is the only area in which the game has not aged very well.
  Horizontal movement was fine. Vertical movement frustrated me a bit. Sometimes I loved the “look at Colossi feature” sometimes I found it a frustrating.

General:

• Acting – With very little voice acting it was hard to get a good grasp of this. However in the small cinematic moments it appeared to be spot on.
  Sims-esque dialog. Mumble mumble grok. Made the game mysterious and set an ominous mood. Not really voice acting but effective dialogue.    
• Graphics – Very impressive for the time. The character animations made this game feel like a modern title. The game used a series of blurring effects at time to cover up some of the graphics but it felt natural and not forced.
  Too much blur, even for the time. However, if any part of the game had to be sacrificed to up the graphic quality, it would not be worth it. Animation was simply amazing. Extremely realistic animal movement.

Characters:

• Man – The main character was the strong silent type. With very little story to start the game you felt very sad for him in this vast and expansive environment all alone.
  You immediately feel for him. Want to help him save his (significant other? Sister, wife, girlfriend, random stranger?).    
• Horse – The only companion for the man. This horse never really seemed to be too important for me until near the end he falls down a ravine. I nearly cried.
  I agree. I also cried for a second when the horse fell in the ravine. it was my only friend. Never realized how much I was attached to the horse until it fell.
• Girl – You never see her move until the cinematic ending. But she seemed very motherly and because of the quest you were undergoing you had a feeling she was worth the effort.
  Lifeless. Must be someone important since she seems to have given birth to a nation by the time ICO comes around.
• God – From the very beginning you had the feeling that this guy was playing you for a fool. Through the whole game he says little but to guide you to your next target. His character being the most transparent was a very necessary element to the story.
  When the game ended, I said “I knew it” I knew he was using me. I was very sympathetic toward the colossi at first. But finding out he was trapped in them, brilliant. Great story.

Level Design:

• Boss Fights – In a game where all there is are boss fights you expect it to nail them. And Shadow of the Colossus did just that. They were all unique enough to add a challenge to the game to make it interesting. Personally I thought 12 instead of 16 would be a better number but enjoyable none the less. The bosses were so well laid out that you actually felt bad for killing them, something I rarely experience in a game.
  I agree, however, I would have killed 50, they were so fun.
• Over-world – The world was amazing and vast. The experience of being the only person you see in this enormous wilderness is a bit lonely but that was the intended effect. I really cannot say enough about the overall design of this world. The terrain moves from forest to marsh, from desert to lakes, and from mountains to valley all so seamlessly that it feels real.
  Lifeless, empty. Gave a very solitary feel. Really became one of the characters more than anything else. Very diverse and beautiful.

Favorite Bosses:

• Fikus – 13^th a Flying Colossus (named Pelagia).
• Drfeu -8th Kuromori (the Lizard)

Conclusion:

I enjoyed this game very much. The feel of being lonely in the environment while still having your companion horse was extraordinary. The pain I felt when I thought the horse died nearly made me quit playing the game until the overall joy when he returns. I cannot say that I completely understood the ending, but it was entertaining none the less.
A definite classic in my book. I wonder why I never played it or had even heard of it until now. I have very few things that I did not like about the game. I thought the developer took an amazing risk by letting you play as the shadow creature in the end and then also as yourself escaping the swirling vortex. You had to die. You had to give up. That was the only option, it was futile to try to survive. It actually conveyed strong feelings. I have played very few games that have instilled such emotion. Games are in a constant battle between art or just entertainment and this is one of those games that shows that games can be art.

Bugs:

None

Future Games:

This game made me very interested in playing ICO as well as seeing what this team of talented people can do with something as powerful as the PS3.
I am also excited to see what team ICO has is store for us. It is hopeful that they will make an announcement at this years Tokyo Game Show.

Yes I am still alive and I hope to have a few more posts up soon.

One on our thoughts from Shadows of the Colossus
And a bunch on Classic Games I have been playing.

Also my impressions on Spore.