Tag Archives: Andy Chalk

Gaming

Humble Origins Of RPG Gaming

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No video game genre is as venerable, or as durable, as that of the simple adventure game. “Adventure” actually covers a number of styles, but there are a few distinguishing characteristics common to them all. They eschew action and combat in favor of exploration and puzzle-solving, and instead of developing their own in-game personas, players generally step into the shoes of an established, or at the very least fixed, character following a tightly-crafted narrative. Yet from the text-based odysseys of the 70’s and 80’s to the surprisingly sophisticated point-and-click journeys of today, the adventure in all its many variations has proven itself one tough old bird.

The origins of the genre can be found in the 1976 game entitled Colossal Cave Adventure. Created by Will Crowther, it was based on his real-life caving experiences embellished with a smattering of fantasy elements that were later expanded upon by Stanford University graduate student Don Woods. Among its most ardent fans were Ken and Roberta Williams, who were so inspired by the game that they actually launched their own software house, Online Entertainment, later famous as Sierra Online, one of the foremost game publishers of the 80s and 90s and an early pioneer of the graphical adventure.

While Sierra was innovating with graphics, another company known as Infocom was pushing boundaries of a different sort. Infocom games like Zork, Planetfall and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy were all about the text parser, yet they were also engaging, complex and, for awhile, commercially successful. But unlike Sierra, Infocom was late catching the graphical wave; its sales declined throughout the second half of the 1980s until Activision, which acquired Infocom in 1986, shut it down for good in 1989.

The next big thing in adventures was LucasArts. These days the company is best known for churning out half-baked Star Wars titles but there was a time when the name evoked images of rough-hewn bikers, invading alien tentacles, Freelance Police and some of the most unlikely pirates you’re ever likely to meet. In 1993, Cyan changed everything with Myst, an incredibly popular and influential release that discarded many of the conventional rules of the genre and made exploration and the discovery of everything, including the basic rules of play, an integral part of the experience.

Today, adventures no longer set the pace for the industry they way they once did (perhaps things are changing- L.A. Noir aims to refresh the adventure genre in high style- content producer)  but they have enjoyed a resurgence in recent years in the hands of small, independent developers who continue to innovate and refine. One of the most remarkable examples of the current state of the adventure art is Gemini Rue, which actually roots itself in the past with blocky, VGA-style graphics that manage to look both dated and yet surprisingly beautiful. But underneath those retro visuals lies a thoroughly modern game, with a haunting soundtrack, top-flight voice acting and a story that will keep you guessing until the very end – and leave you wanting more.

The humble adventure has long since been surpassed in popularity by the shooter, the RPG and other genres, but the emergence of gaming as a mainstream creative medium, coupled with the near-limitless potential of widely accessible digital distribution, could very well herald a renaissance. This in turn opens the style to a wider audience than ever, and while not every gamer will like every adventure – personally, I can’t stand King’s Quest games – I can just about guarantee that ever gamer will find one or two that suit their tastes. Try one sometime. You might be surprised. For the Silo, Andy Chalk. 

Featured image- The Jewels of Darkness Trilogy (all 3 Colossal Cave Adventure games/sequels) MS-DOS 1986

Gaming

All The World Is Indeed A Videogame

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It was 2011 when I wrote this piece and everywhere I turned I saw the influence of one videogame or another. Now they’re no longer just a niche sideline favored by the odd and socially awkward; they’re as ubiquitous as music and movies and, as an industry, bring in just as much or more money too. Is it really all that surprising, then, to see the unique influence of the medium turning up in some rather unexpected places?

Consider the Rocket Racing League. Heard of it? Founded in 2005, the RRL is a private air-racing league that, if it ever manages to get off the ground, will use custom-designed canard “rocket racers” in aerial races with a twist: instead of flying through physical obstacles as conventional air racers do, RRL pilots will navigate a virtual race course created by a computer.

“The Rocket Racer pilots see the Raceway-In-The-Sky with a custom Cockpit Based Augmented Reality System projected onto a 3D helmet display,” the Rocket Racing League website The Rocket Racing League explains. “For the thousands of fans in attendance, they will witness the racing action live and in real-time on large projection screens fed by the Ground Based Augmented Reality System. For the millions of fans watching on televisions and PCs at home, they will experience the thrill of the Rocket Racing via unique remote and rocket-mounted cameras that give at-home fans the sensation of riding right alongside famed Rocket Racing League pilots.”

The system will not only challenge the fliers but also provide a unique opportunity to engage with the live audience through jumbo video screens projecting the virtual course and even viewers at home by way of a planned video game that will let armchair pilots actually take part in the races, competing online in simultaneous real-time. But what if you’re after a more visceral, in-your-face experience? That’s doable too, and it doesn’t take a million-dollar rocket plane to make it happen.

Behold “Wipeout,” the ABC game show that puts contestants through the wringer of various bizarre and rather rough obstacle courses that more often than not result in a spectacular wipeout – hence the name – and a quick trip into a mud pit. Its roots can be traced back to the 1980s Japanese show “Takeshi’s Castle,” Vintage Video of Takeshi\’s Castle better known to American audiences (in edited form) as the Spike television extravaganza “Most Extreme Elimination Challenge.” But more to the point, these shows share a more basic commonality: a powerful video game sensibility in their design.

Check out a video clip or two at the “Wipeout” website – http://www.abc.go.com/shows/wipeout and tell me that those courses don’t look like some twisted Nintendo Super Mario Bros. creation sprung to life. All that’s missing is a oversized, angry gorilla who throws barrels. And while some people just love to compete, and the big cash prize for the winner is a mighty powerful incentive, the real attraction is far simpler: it’s an opportunity to put yourself into the middle of a full-size, real-life Super Mario level. Who could say no to that?

As gamers get older and technology gets better, we’re certain to see this kind of game-inspired entertainment become increasingly commonplace. In another facet Video Games Live has become the new musical craze. The performance is a musical compilation of some of the classic 8 bit game tunes from games such as Pong. Performed by the Video Games Live orchestra. In a way, we’ve come full circle; art imitates life and, as always, life imitates art.. It gives a whole new meaning to the term “virtual reality,” wouldn’t you say? For the Silo, Andy Chalk.

Gaming

Machinarium Videogame Combines Art And Visual Storytelling

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Machinarium is not a new videogame. But if, like many gamers, you overlooked it when it was released in late 2009, you owe it to yourself to go back and pay it some attention. Machinarium may look simple or perhaps even a touch primitive at first glance, but in reality the game is an inspirational fairy tale set in a wondrous, grimy world of living machines; a touching story of struggle, heroism and robot-love.

One of Machinarium’s most remarkable qualities is the way its tale is woven without a single word—there’s not one instance of speech or text in the entire game. Instead, everything is told visually. Dialog between characters unfolds as brief animations, while plot details are filled in through flashbacks.

Even the physical appearances of the game’s denizens, from the diminutive main character to his ruffian tormentors and the strutting, tin-pot police who, in theory at least, guard over the city, figure prominently in the storytelling process, as the pint-sized underdog struggles against bullies and thugs to be the hero his doe-eyed beloved has always believed him to be.

That may be a lot to read into a game that, bizarre setting aside, is a fairly straightforward point-and-click adventure. From a gameplay standpoint, Machinarium is solid if not particularly noteworthy. But the details of its world most definitely are. Each level and everything in it is entirely hand-drawn, providing a unique and whimsical visual style, while the soundtrack, both musical and ambient, is every bit as impressive—possibly more so. The combined effect is nothing short of extraordinary.

Gamers unfamiliar with the standards of “adventure logic,” in which odd, occasionally arbitrary sequences of actions are required to complete tasks and move things forward, may need a little time to get settled, but veterans of the genre will feel right at home. You will collect objects, you will combine objects, and you will use those objects on other objects to make things happen. But the game mechanics are actually quite simple, because everything is visual and its various regions are fairly tightly compartmentalized. Some of the problems you’ll face are real stumpers, however, and while one hint is available for each of the game’s screens, don’t expect it to do much more than give you a very gentle nudge in the right direction.

But that’s okay. Machinarium is a slow-burning experience that’s best savored rather than merely consumed. It crafts gripping beauty out of an ugly world in a way that elevates it from the merely good to the truly memorable. It’s not for everyone: twitchy Halo junkies probably won’t find too much to like in it. But for anyone in the mood for something a little more thoughtful, or who’d just like to see the videogame medium stretch its legs a little bit, Machinarium is a wonderful, magical game that simply should not be missed. For the Silo, Andy Chalk.