Better Game Characters by Design- P12 doc

APPENDIX her to Ico’s side. As Ico vigilantly protects Yorda, she returns the favor by unlocking magical doors throughout the game, which Ico cannot do by himself. ICO is renowned for its elegant, aesthetic environment and ambient sound, adding to the game’s immersive quality, similar to the experience within the Myst series. The dramatic scale of the environment—vast, vacant rooms and bottomless depths—contrasts with the diminutive size of Ico. This is an interesting choice of hero: a small boy shunned by society, rather than a powerful fighter, as seen in sev- eral popular action-adventure games. Although the game was not a best seller, it acquired a strong following and was much appreciated, as evidenced by the numer- ous awards it has received. ICO is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. ©2001 Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. Jak and Daxter:The Precursor Legacy 302 DEVELOPER: Naughty Dog GENRE: action, platformer, adventure PLATFORM: PlayStation 2 RELEASED: 2001 AWARDS: International Game Developers Association Game Developers Choice Award 2002: Original Game Character of the Year (Daxter) GAME SUMMARY: Jak and Daxter are adventurous best friends who disregard warnings against travel- ing to nearby Misty Island. At the game’s beginning, they have set off to investigate the ruins of the ancient Precursor people. Unfortunately, Daxter falls in an evil substance that transforms him into a muskrat. After conferring with their mentor O921-Appendix.qxd 04/19/2006 05:19 PM Page 302 APPENDIX back at home, Jak, with Daxter on his shoulder, sets out on a quest to find a way to return Daxter to his human form. Although the game is primarily a 3D platformer, it has a bit of adventure genre game play as well—the player is asked to solve small puzzles, and to retrieve items for characters encountered along the way. These elements, as well as several minigames, are part of the central story line as the two friends close in on the wise sage who holds the muskrat cure. Most of the game play is action-based; Jak can jump, kick, spin, stomp, pilot vehicles, battle enemies, and make use of magical potions to extend his powers of speed, attack range, health, and weapon selection. Daxter is along for the ride, perched on Jak’s shoulder, and occasionally offering game-play tips or witty commentary. Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy is a registered trade- mark of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. Created and developed by Naughty Dog, Inc. ©2001 Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. The Legend of Zelda:The Windwaker 303 DEVELOPER: Nintendo GENRE: action, adventure PLATFORM: Nintendo GameCube RELEASED: 2003 AWARDS: GameSpot Editor’s Choice; and Golden Joystick 2003: GameCube Game of the Year O921-Appendix.qxd 04/19/2006 05:19 PM Page 303 APPENDIX GAME SUMMARY: A continuation of the successful Zelda series, Nintendo’s colorful Windwaker opens with a cut-scene of the main player-character, Link, and his sister playing around their home island. The sister is soon carried away by an evil bird, and Link’s adven- ture begins. Link sets out to save his sister in hopes of eventually realizing the higher goal of defeating a growing evil throughout the islands. As Link confronts various helpers, enemies, and boss monsters on the several islands throughout the game, he also acquires objects that enable him to perform certain actions and thus progress further in the game. These objects include bombs, arrows, a grappling hook, iron boots, and power bracelets. A key object in the game is its namesake, the windwaker, a baton which allows Link to perform various mag- ical spells, from controlling the direction of the wind to controlling the movements of another character. Game play can be open-ended, especially in the latter half of the game in which the player-character is encouraged to visit various islands to explore, trade, collect, and to engage in minigames. Alternatively, the player may choose to be more direct in following the story line to defeat the pervading evil. The Legend of Zelda: The Windwaker may initially have shocked some fans of the series by not offering a more realistic art style. Instead, it uses cel-shaded graph- ics that seem Disneyesque. The effect seems to work, creating a lively 3D cartoon infused with excellent animation and emotion. Image courtesy of Nintendo. 304 O921-Appendix.qxd 04/19/2006 05:19 PM Page 304 APPENDIX Leisure Suit Larry 7: Love for Sail 305 DEVELOPER: Sierra Entertainment GENRE: adventure PLATFORM: PC RELEASED: 1996 GAME SUMMARY: This is a continuation of the popular adventure game series based on an unlikely hero’s stereotypical bachelor escapades. The Leisure Suit Larry games have always pushed the boundaries of taste with plenty of sexual innuendo along the lines of the TV show Three’s Company. The player advances by helping Larry choose dialogue artfully with the goal of getting close to a series of women. The first game was a text adventure; this edition of the game allows the player to use the text interface as well as dialogue menu choices. The game takes place on a cruise, hence the subtitle. Leisure Suit Larry is provided courtesy of Sierra Entertainment, Inc. O921-Appendix.qxd 04/19/2006 05:19 PM Page 305 APPENDIX Max Payne DEVELOPER: 3D Realms,Remedy Entertainment GENRE: action, third-person shooter PLATFORM: Windows,PlayStation2, Xbox RELEASED: 2001 AWARDS: Golden Joystick Awards 2002:Runner-up Game of the Year;Golden Joystick Awards 2002: Runner-up Game Innovation of the Year;Eurogamer “Gaming Globe”Reader Awards 2001:Best Game Cinematography; Eurogamer “Gaming Globe”Reader Awards 2001:Best Game Character; Computer Gaming World 2001: Best Innovation Destined for Overuse;IGN 2001:Best Adventure Game of the Year; IGN 2001: Reacher’s Choice for Best Storyline,Graphics, Sound Use,and Game of the Year GAME SUMMARY: Max Payne, a young and energetic narcotics cop, arrives home to find his baby and wife being murdered upstairs before he can save them. With nothing to live for, he goes deep undercover in the hopes of rooting out those behind his family’s death. The game occurs in real time during the worst snow storm in New York’s recent history. Max unleashes his fury-laden brand of justice on an entire drug distribution network, starting at the bottom and ending literally at the top of the empire. The game embraces graphic-novel motifs to illustrate Max’s monologues and dialogues throughout the game with impressionistic images and stereo sound effects. Max provides the voiceover to his own life while annihilating everyone in his path. The game is divided into “chapters” at the beginning of which Max pro- vides the details about what he is about to do and the level of self-loathing and vengeance he is feeling. His words are melodramatic and heavy with metaphor, but it works, and works well. Max’s health indicator is a “pain meter”—a chalk outline graphic that fills with red when enemies harm him. When the meter fills up to its head, Max begins limp- ing around until the level drops to the shoulders. When the meter is red from head to toe, Max dies and the player has to restart from the last saved position. In order to heal himself, Max chomps on painkillers that he takes from medicine cabinets and from his enemies’ remains. Since the game is a retelling of Max’s life, the player does not make any deci- sions about the direction the story takes. The only influence the player has is how long the story takes to unfold and how many people die in the process. The quality writing holds the game together, and Max Payne was also lauded for showing how The Matrix’s “bullet time” effect can work in video games. Max has the ability to slow down time so that he can dodge bullets more easily, aim more 306 O921-Appendix.qxd 04/19/2006 05:19 PM Page 306 APPENDIX precisely, and fly through the air just a little bit longer. The effect inspired a Matrix patch that substitutes a Neo-inspired player-character for the Max Payne figure. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty 307 DEVELOPER: Konami GENRE: action, adventure,strategy PLATFORM: PlayStation 2 RELEASED: 2001 AWARDS: E3 2000 Award: Best of Show; Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences: Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design,2002 GAME SUMMARY: Metal Gear Solid 2 is a continuation of the adventures of Solid Snake, an action hero who combines stealth with fighting prowess. The game was a landmark due to the extensive (some would say too-extensive) use of breathtaking cut-scenes using the game engine itself, directed by Hideo Kojima and rivaling the cinematog- raphy in an action movie. The game was also noteworthy for a sound-track develped by a Hollywood sound designer, which adjusted to shifts in game play. Play primarily takes place in third-person perspective, although the player can shift to first-person for easier targeting. Metal Gear, Metal Gear Solid, and Sons of Lib- erty are registered trademarks of KONAMI COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT JAPAN, INC. ©1987–2005 KONAMI COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT JAPAN. KONAMI is a registered trademark of KONAMI CORPORATION. O921-Appendix.qxd 04/19/2006 05:19 PM Page 307 Mortal Kombat APPENDIX 308 DEVELOPER: Midway Games GENRE: action, fighting PLATFORM: DOS, SNES, Game Boy, Sega Master System,Sega Genesis,Sega CD RELEASED: 1992 GAME SUMMARY: Mortal Kombat brought video motion capture and gratuitous gore to the arcades and consoles. The game pits the player against a series of fighters in a tournament-style competition. Each character has a standard set of punches and kicks and a set of special and unique moves that influence the character’s fighting style. For instance, Johnny Cage’s special moves tend to be effective only at close range, while Scor- pion’s tend to work well at a distance, and Sonya’s rarely work well at all. The spe- cial moves are activated by pressing the attack and directional buttons in a certain order for each character, which gives an edge to the experienced player. At the end of each match, the player has an opportunity to execute his opponent with a “fatality” move. After pressing the buttons in an order specific to that charac- ter, the player kills the opponent via moves like super uppercuts, electric shocks, and deadly kisses. Players can also forgo the tournament mode and its tenuous story line to play head-to-head with a human opponent. When the characters get punched or kicked, they scream and, in the noncensored version, they spurt blood. Mortal Kombat’s popularity in the arcades and on the Sega systems made Nintendo reconsider its ban on realistic violence. Nintendo released the game as a heavily censored fighter, changed all of the fatalities to be more “family friendly,” and replaced the blood with a white liquid that was interpreted as sweat. Nintendo’s version did not sell nearly as well as Sega’s, which kept the blood and gore. The game’s graphic violence was cited as the cause for formation of the O921-Appendix.qxd 04/19/2006 05:19 PM Page 308 APPENDIX 309 industry’s Entertainment Standards Review Board, after a public critique by Senators Joe Lieberman and Herb Kohl. Mortal Kombat ©Midway Amusement Games, LLC. All rights reserved. Mortal Kombat ©Midway Amusement Games, LLC. All rights reserved. Mortal Kombat, the dragon logo, Midway, and the Midway logo are regis- tered trademarks of Midway Amusement Games, LLC. NBA Live 2004 DEVELOPER: Electronic Arts GENRE: sports PLATFORM: PlayStation 2,Xbox,Nintendo GameCube, PC RELEASED: 2003 GAME SUMMARY: NBA Live 2004 continues a tradition of NBA basketball games from developer Elec- tronic Arts. This popular series focuses on realistic team basketball in which you play as one NBA team against another. Teams are composed of the real-life 2004 season NBA rosters. For example, you could be playing as the 2004 Sacramento Kings against the Los Angeles Lakers, complete with realistic statistics for every player. Other modes of play include one-on-one practice and dynasty, in which you build up a team franchise. During the game, the currently activated player is indicated by a blue circle at his feet. The player can execute offensive or defensive moves or can switch to control another player on his or her team. Players on your team who you are not control- ling act as one might expect on the court, positioning themselves to cover an oppo- nent or to accept a pass. The game, and its predecessors in the series, have focused on a realistic NBA basketball experience, from the player’s probability of making that three-point shot and the realistic arena representations down to the accuracy of players’ tattoos and brands of sneakers. Commentary is provided by well-known Marv Albert and Mike Fratatello, and hip-hop music supplies an upbeat backdrop for the game. Anima- tions in NBA Live 2004 are successful, thanks to 10-man motion capture during pro- duction, and famous athlete faces also seem realistic. O921-Appendix.qxd 04/19/2006 05:19 PM Page 309 Neopets APPENDIX 310 DEVELOPER: Neopets (www.neopets.com) GENRE: online,multiplayer PLATFORM: Web RELEASED: 1999 AWARDS: 2003 “Best of the Web”from WiredKids.Org GAME SUMMARY: Neopets is a Web-based “virtual pet community,” where children (and some adults) choose and care for a virtual pet. They engage in a variety of pet-related activities, such as feeding, training, and caring for pets as well as entering them in contests and games. The game’s developers earn revenue through targeted advertising as well as through expansion into a real-world card set, plush toys, CD-Rom games, and porting of the pets to handheld and mobile platforms. Neopets, characters, logos, names, and all related indicia are trademarks of Neopets, Inc., ©1999–2005. All rights reserved. O921-Appendix.qxd 04/19/2006 05:19 PM Page 310 APPENDIX 311 PaRappa the Rapper DEVELOPER: NaNaOn-Sha GENRE: action, rhythm PLATFORM: PlayStation RELEASED: 1996 AWARDS: IGDA Developers Choice Awards: Best Game Soundtrack, 1998; Japan Game of the Year,1997 GAME SUMMARY: This game confused those who first viewed it at games trade shows—some spec- ulated that it was designed to teach players how to operate the buttons on the PlayStation controller. The rest is history: PaRappa launched the rhythm-game genre—games in which the player must hit buttons in time to music. The player’s button-mashing in PaRappa causes the player-character to rap, and he must rap well enough to make it through the game’s simple story. PaRappa was also noteworthy for its original art style—characters rendered in 3D but resem- bling flexible cardboard cutouts that the player could see the edges of as they moved onscreen. The game was designed by Masaya Matsuura, now a legend for his innovations in the rhythm-game genre. ©1997 Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. PaRappa the Rapper is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. ©Rodney A. Goldenblat/Interlink. O921-Appendix.qxd 04/19/2006 05:19 PM Page 311 [...]... Cinematics (tie)—Gamespy’s Best of E3 2002 Awards Game of the Year—Gamespot; Game of the Year—Macworld; Game of the Year—Xsages; Game of the Year—Fragland; Game of the Year—Cinescape; Game of the Year— Gaming Illustrated; Best PC Game of the Year—GameNOW; Best RealTime Strategy Game of the Year—PC Gamer; Best Multiplayer Strategy Game of the Year—Gamespot; Best PC Strategy Game of the Year— GameNOW; Best... Strategy Game of the Year Game Revolution; Best PC Strategy Game of the Year—Telefragged; Best PC Strategy Game of the Year—OCAddiction; Best PC Strategy Game of the Year (Reader’s Choice) —GameSpot; Readers’ Choice 2002: Best PC Game of the Year— GamePro; Strategy Game of the Year—Gamer’s Pulse; Gamer’s Choice: Overall PC Game of the Year—Gamespy; Gamer’s Choice: PC Strategy Game of the Year—Gamespy;... switch them out later The game blends several genres of both video games and cinema KotOR has three minigames to break up the action and provide a respite from lengthy dialogues: a card game, a space combat game, and a racing game The latter two games are important in order to advance the main story line, while the card game is a way to earn money but is not essential The game tells tales of redemption,... Award: Best “Other” Game; 2001 GameSpy GameCube Game of the Year; 2001 Japan Media Arts Festival Excellence Prize 313 O921-Appendix.qxd 04/19/2006 05:19 PM Page 314 APPENDIX GAME SUMMARY: Created by design heavyweight Shigeru Miyamoto of Mario Brothers fame, Pikmin provides a cute and fun game experience that has become synonymous with Nintendo releases In this strategy and problem-solving game, the player... 320 APPENDIX SSX™ 3 DEVELOPER: Electronic Arts GENRE: action, racing PLATFORM: PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube RELEASED: 2003 GAME SUMMARY: SSX™ 3 is the third in a series of snowboarding games developed by Electronic Arts The game brings back familiar characters from the previous two games in addition to some new faces Each character has his or her own repertoire of special tricks and “Übertricks”... Achievement Awards: Outstanding Achievement in Game Design; 3rd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards: Outstanding Achievement in Game Play Engineering; 3rd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards: Game of the Year GAME SUMMARY: The Sims™ is the social simulation game from the creators of the SimCity™ series, the city simulator The goals of the game are largely determined by its player; one player may choose to... how the game characters, called “Sims,” lead their lives 317 O921-Appendix.qxd 04/19/2006 05:19 PM Page 318 APPENDIX The player begins by selecting a ready-made Sim, or by customizing one or more Sims by adjusting gender, age, physical build, face, hairstyle, clothes, and personality traits such as playfulness and neatness Next, the Sim or Sim family is moved into an existing house in the game s neighborhood,... cartoonish and nonhuman appearance of characters, 119 female gamer style, 112–115 non-player characters in, 46 animation, 171 anime-style video games, 57–58 appeal, game, 255 Arabic culture/gestures, 51 archenemies, 245–246 Area 88, 68, 74 articulation, 184 Asheron’s Call, 125 asset creation, 257 attraction, 118, 232 attractiveness, 7–10 audiences, 246–247, 267–268 B babyfaces, 10–12 back-channel responses,... three-part, single-player game Game play consists of various races in which the player-character drives a vehicle equipped for shooting at opponents The player also has to avoid oncoming attacks by other characters in their own vehicles Each level consists of a race to defeat all of the opponents for the particular level The player has two lives for each level but can increase health by finding objects throughout... PM Page 316 APPENDIX Prince of Persia DEVELOPER: Nintendo GENRE: action, platform PLATFORM: Apple II, Mac, DOS, NES, Game Boy, Atari, Sega Master System, Genesis RELEASED: 1990 AWARDS: PC Gamers Ranked 43rd “Best Games of All Time,” 1999; Game of the Decade,” Generation 4/Canal, 1997 GAME SUMMARY: The Prince of Persia has 60 minutes to break out of the kingdom’s dungeon in order to save the Princess . 2,Xbox,Nintendo GameCube RELEASED: 2003 GAME SUMMARY: SSX™ 3 is the third in a series of snowboarding games developed by Electronic Arts. The game brings back familiar characters from the previous two games. Nintendo GameCube RELEASED: 2001 AWARDS: BAFTA 2002 (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) for Interactivity; 2001 CGN Gamer’s Choice Award: Best “Other Game; 2001 GameSpy GameCube Game of. 1996 AWARDS: IGDA Developers Choice Awards: Best Game Soundtrack, 1998; Japan Game of the Year,1997 GAME SUMMARY: This game confused those who first viewed it at games trade shows—some spec- ulated that