UPDATE: Sketch Nation Studio is available now on the App Store. As promised, it's free! Check back here for updates on my progress of making a game.
I've always been interested in the idea of making games, but I don't have the mind for coding. On
multiple occasions I've said to myself - "I can figure out how to make
an app! How hard can it be to learn coding." Five minutes in, I've
completely given up - its just not something my brain was made to
handle. That's why I scoop up games
like Little Big Planet or N+. These games have fully featured level
creation tools, and I often find myself sinking dozens of hours
perfecting my creations.
A couple months ago, I thought that someone should develop an app that lets you build your own app or game. And someone did.
Engineous Games will soon be releasing Sketch Nation
Studio - a fully featured game builder that lets you make a game in one
of five common AppStore genres. These are: Up-Jumping (think Doodle
Jump), Down-Jumping, Side-Running, Side-Jumping and Side Flying. All the
mechanics and physics are baked in, allowing you to focus on creating
your own art, rules and extras.
But here's the best part: The app is free.
They plan to monetize the game by making money off your games. Once you
finish your creation, you can submit it back to Engenious, and if they
feel it'sgood enough, they in turn will submit it to Apple. Games will
sell for a buck, apple takes 30 cents and you split the remaining 70
with Engenious - giving you 35 cents for every download. Sell it to 100
Facebook friends and you get $35. Not bad.
No release
date is set for the US as of now, and they plan on releasing the game in
Canada as a test prior to the American release. Keep checking back for
updates on the release date.
I'm beyond excited for this. I have a game idea that's been floating around in my head for several months. I'll be sure to keep you dudes updated on any progress and if I actually make it to the App Store.
Arkham City has completely overcome my distaste for open world games. By simply following the story and disregarding what I "might be missing" I have found that sweet spot that the first game comfortably sat in.
I'm about 40% of the way through the main story and have really been enjoying it. The open world aspect of the game only applies between missions - most story missions take place within a confined, indoor environment which is much closer to how the first game played out, and those are the moments that really shine for me. The guided tours through puzzle solving, riddle guessing and silent knockouts.
The developers also created a real sense of anarchy in the city via the idle chatter of the goons scattered around the city. Every group is loyal to a Batman Supervillain and can be heard talking about how Joker treats his guys poorly, or Penguin is giving a ton of money to anyone who catches Batman. So like in the previous game where you had a good sense that you were in an actual insane asylum, Arkham City feels like what it's supposed to - a city turned prison.
I'm hoping to make significant progress over the next few days and hopefully finish it up before my vacation in a week.
I'm not doing a very good job of clearing my backlog. This is now the third new game I've played since Christmas. On the other hand, I haven't spent any real money on any games yet, as this one was borrowed from a friend.
So once again I find myself in the role of Batman. I played and reviewed the previous game in this series, Arkam Asylum - finding it extremely enjoyable. As Arkham City's name suggests, the game is set in a much larger environment than the first game, as the prisoners have been moved from the Asylum to a walled-in portion of a whole city. Making this an open world/sandbox game.
I usually stink at these types of games, and generally don't enjoy playing them at all. I never got into the Grand Theft Auto series, find myself overwhelmed by things like Elder Scrolls and Fallout 3, and I had that same initial feeling of overwhelminess when booted up Arkham City for the first time.
You're essentially dropped in the middle of the city and told to go to one specific place - but you don't have to...the entire city is literally open to be explored as soon as you begin. I don't know why that makes me nervous, but when I first start playing a game, I get that naggy sensation that I'm missing everything if there's more than one path to explore.
And every two minutes you get a popup that says you have a new side mission, or a new Riddler trophy or a new upgrade. It's a hell of a lot to swallow all at once. Eventually I got a handle on where stuff is, what I should pursue and what I can ignore and what's not worth my time at all.
I can't even imagine the commitment it would take to 100% this game. So I'm not even going to attempt it. I'm gonna do the story, complete the side quests that interest me, collect the Riddler Trophies that I happen to see, and just enjoy myself.
Then I really need to get back to my backlog, cuz I'm netting zero games completed for the past four months!
Rayman Origins is a Sidescrolling Platformer. For those who didn't grow up in the 90s, or weren't into gaming back then, Sidescrolling Platformers were the most ubiquitous genre - the way First Person Shooters are today. Nowadays you really have to dig to find a 2D Platformer, so when a company is bold enough to release one, it better be damn good.
Gameplay and Design. On the surface, Rayman Origins is a blueprint copy of 2009's New Super Mario Bros Wii- classic 2D side scrolling action with up to four player local co-op. Overworld level map. Out of the way collectibles. Check, check and check. Yet with all the similarities, I was not once reminded of the portly plumber's side scrolling adventure. Rayman Origins has a feeling all it's own, with character and level design that borders on the good side of absurd.
Bowser this is not.
The game's ten unique worlds are made up of about 5 - 8 levels within each, taking approximately ten hours to beat - that time easily doubling by going for 100% completion. And that's the really unique thing about this game - you can alter the difficulty for yourself based on how obsessed you are with collecting 'lums' - Rayman Origins' version of coins. The more you collect, the more 'Electoons' you get which allow you to open new levels and unlock new playable characters. But collecting the par of 300 lums per level takes a level of commitment, memorization and precision unheard of in games these days. This is what poses the challenge for seasoned players - but for kids, or those simply don't give a crap, you can play through and finish the story mode without worrying about collecting a single thing.
Speaking of the difficulty, one of the smartest design decisions Ubisoft made was in the way the game handles player death - because you will die a lot. Each level has 4-5 check points, and when you die, you are sent immediately back to the last checkpoint you reached. No backing out to a menu, selecting the level, being shown your current life count, waiting to load and then giving it another go. You die and literally are trying again three seconds later. In my view this is what kept me "on the horse" and pushing through the tougher sections - I didn't have that moment of a mental break to say "screw this!" and give up.
And without that momentary downtime, I found myself driven in most levels to attempt a perfect run. The game definitely encourages you to go for the hard to reach collectibles, which often require you to chain multiple risky moves together to get all the lums in a single area. With one hit kills, this can be extremely difficult. In this regard, the game reminded me much more of Bit.Trip Runner than Mario. When you do pull off a set insane jumps and wall kicks though, man what a feeling.
The last layer of collectible for the most OCD of gamers is "skull teeth" which can be found in bonus stages where you chase a treasure chest through hazard ridden areas. These levels are where your true skill and patience are put to the test. You have to be 100% pixel perfect with every single jump, punch and duck. Miss a single jump, and you start this whole sequence over.
Though aside from those few things, the gameplay is actually fairly uninventive. There are no breakthrough design methodologies at play here. Even the beautifully designed bosses are pretty ordinary "find the weakpoint and attack" type fights. You're getting an expertly crafted, triple-A platformer, don't get me wrong, but if you're looking for innovation and unique ways of playing a game, you won't find that here. It still feels unique because it's a retro genre being released in a modern environment where everything else is a shooter. I call this the 'Adele Effect'. Adele's style of music isn't new or revolutionary at all and is actually fairly derivative - but because it's coming out now when the most popular artists are people like PitBull and Katy Perry, it naturally sets itself apart by default. In the same way, Rayman Origins presents nothing new in the gameplay department, but is seen as a breath of fresh air because of the environment in which it was released.
Presentation.
Hyperbole time. There is no single game that will make you glad you own an HDTV more than Rayman Origins. This moving interactive piece of art called Rayman Origins will humble your perception of what HD can look like. This is the sharpest, most colorful, smoothly animated game I've ever played. It's like playing a well made storybook or a big budget cartoon. The look is simply stunning and it's all thanks to the Ubi Art Framework.
And that is the biggest innovation that comes out of this game.
The main aim of this engine is to allow artists and designers focus on
the art itself, without having to worry about technical aspects of game
development. [Wikipedia]
Click on this to view it fullscreen. Trust. This is in game.
In addition to the almost-unreal visuals, the sound and music design deserves special accolades. Christophe Heral, who composed the music for Beyond Good and Evil lends his talents to Rayman Origins adding to the overall goofy, lighthearted feeling this game already had going for it. The music isn't as introspective as Beyond Good and Evil's soundtrack and isn't really something you could sit and listen to outside of the game, but when you're in the zone and grabbing that little lum in the corner, there's nothing sweeter than this.
Rayman Origins Would be Best for Gamers Who:
Have a fondness, nostalgic or otherwise, for side scrolling platformers
Are looking for a hefty challenge
Are sick of the Call of Duty train and want something different
Are playing with kids, or in fact are kids.
While there's nothing necessarily new in the gameplay department, Rayman Origins delivers a stunning visual/audio experience through a unique and inventive engine. It's a fun, and challenging ride that is well crafted by a solid team of developers. The price is down to $20. Just get it.
Review in Ten Words or Less:
A visually stunning 2D platformer that offers a serious challenge.
So about a week ago, I moved my PS3 from the bedroom to the living room. I found that playing a game that required this level of attention and precision is best not played in the sleeping position. Once I started playing sitting up, I was able to play for longer stretches and started really enjoying it a lot more.
This is a fantastic little game. I take that back, this is a fantastic HUGE game of which the very retail release is a mark of the industry heading in a good direction, or at least giving a good direction a cursory glance.
