Ubisoft's View of Ancient Rome

I wanted to put out a quick blog post this holiday weekend about something that came to mind in the many hours I've spent playing Assassin's Creed Brotherhood (ACB).

This game focuses its story primarily in Rome, Italy in the year 1499. Side note, past Assassin's Creed games have spanned different cities or regions of ancient cultures and countries. What I've noticed, though, through playing ACB is that as I tour the city, I see where the modern buildings for 1499 are built among the ancient ruins. As an example, there are standing Roman columns, or what is left of them, scattered about the city along with the large moments that still stand in the modern city today in 2010. You can travel out of the cluster of homes of the metropolis area and out in the larger ancient structures or tombs. It's quite fun and interesting.

Having visited Rome a few times in my world travels of the past, I recall hitting the major destinations and observing their condition and relation the rest of the city. Having this in mind and then playing the game I just found it intriguing that people of 1499 would have built their homes around the ancient ruins instead of just fixing the old structures or tearing them down completely. Along with this, the game has what looks like small farms and pastures and vineyards all within the city walls. My world history is about as good as our US schools have provided but I don't recall cities building farms within their walls, I thought they were typically outside such things.

In any case, I thought it was very interesting that Ubisoft built Rome to function and look the way it does in game. Did they consult w/ historians, complete historical research, or did they just take a tour of Rome and build an imaginary civilization based on that? Either way, I find it pretty incredible and, if its accurate, I think a game like this is an excellent way to help students understand how ancient cultures lived. Has anyone else played this game or series and have thoughts?

By the way, I'm REALLY enjoying this game. I had mentioned I was on the fence about it, but the single player has me roped in and is worth the cost alone. The multiplayer is very exciting, and I had issues at first, but now that I've got the gameplay down its great. The online feature would definitely be fun to play w/ a group of friends for sure.

U-Play and an Achievement Reward System

For any of you gamers who've played an Ubisoft published game in the past year, I assume you are familiar with the system they've established for their games called U-play. For those of you unfamiliar with U-play, it is essentially a reward system for achieving specific milestones in game. 

I first came across U-play when I bought Assassin's Creed 2 (AC2) last year when it launched.    I believe all Ubisoft games created since late 2009 will have this system in place.  It would be interesting if Ubisoft also released updates to allow older games U-play access.  

When a gamer loads up his game, at the main menu, an option will be presented that directs the player to the online U-play servers.  From here a new menu is displayed where the user can navigate among challenges, rewards, shopping and profile options.   U-play is still in Beta mode, so a number of menu options have place holders but do not seem to be functional currently.   In the past year I've played to excellent Ubisoft games: Assassin's Creed 2 and Splinter Cell Conviction.   Both games were supported by U-play and had very good in game rewards.   For each of those games, logging into the U-play dashboard I was able to see that each game had at least 4, if not 5 challenges for me to pursue.   There is a points value listed next to each challenge, plus your points balance will show any residual points you may have from another game.   All games challenges are cumulative, so earning points for AC2, I can still cash in those points for Splinter Cell or any other game U-play supports, so that is a bonus as well.

On the rewards menu, there can be a variety of choices.  For AC2, some of these included a new Xbox Dashboard theme, in game attire for Ezio, weapon upgrades and extra playable game content.  Similarly for Splinter Cell, weapons and game modes were unlockable.   Each game's challenge points will tally the total # of points required to unlock all rewards for that game if you desire.   A couple of challenges I completed and didn't cash in left me with 70 points which I just used last night to unlock some attire and weapons for my newly acquired Assassin's Creed Brotherhood.   I'm looking forward to diving into that game.

So, it has only been about a year, and honestly, I don't recall much of any media or press around U-play.  However, I think it would be an excellent idea for Sony and Microsoft to consider a reward system for its hardcore gamers who dedicate so much time and effort to completing challenges and playing games.   Reward suggestions can be avatar unlocks for Xbox or Playstation home, it can be dashboard themes to apply to your console, or it can possibly even accrue enough to unlock entire downloadable games.  

Does anyone know of other game reward systems available today?  Any thoughts or suggestions to enhance U-play?   I think its a great system and a definite model to build on top of.

COD Black Ops and your First Person Shooters

This week the world bowed to the release of Call of Duty Black Ops.  The game was released on 11/09/2010 and so far has had an outstanding turnout in sales.  Day 1 sales measured 5.6 million copies sold equating to around $310 million dollars.    News on top of the sales and marketing figures stated that within the first 24 hours of release over 2.8 million players were playing online across all gaming platforms.   Xbox Live did top out the highest number of users around 2.1M users (source: http://tinyurl.com/25yutes).

As I’ve proclaimed before, Bad Company 2 is my choice of shooter.    I’ve yet to pick up or play Medal of Honor and I have not yet tried Black Ops.   I do plan to try them at some point, but I won’t be spending much time online with them.    I may have changed w/ time and age, but I just can’t keep up with more than a handful of shooters at once.  The market is flooded with options, and a few stand out, but if you’re a hardcore or dedicated gamer, it is too much work to play all of the games and work your way through the ranks and online in game awards such as new guns, perks, etc.  

So Black Ops has been released, has great critic and user reviews and Activision and Treyarch are rolling in more cash than a movie studio.    I’ve heard more good things about the campaign for Black Ops than online play.  On the surface, the online play seems to be more of the same, just new maps, new perks, and some in game features.   For those who loved MW2 I’m sure this is a great refreshing way to get back into the game.   However, it’s only been a year since MW2 came out, so there must  be a pool of people who weren’t ready  and love MW2 for all it is, but the sales definitely don’t reflect that.  

I’m not against the COD series, I’ve enjoyed it in the past.  I’m personally getting tired of it.  The game stories do pull me in, so I will try to find time to borrow or rent both Black ops and MOH, but like I said the online has no appeal to me, for a number of reasons.   When I last played MW2, it was quite fun, yet always frustrating.    Within the first minute of action someone on the enemy team, or my own, would have attained a kill streak and then came the non stop air attack bombardments.  At times you had harriers, C130s, attack choppers, UAV missiles, and maybe a stationary drone gun dropped off.   It just seemed like endless chaos.   I’m getting old and I guess slow, but I wasn’t adapting well to it.  I like more strategy and teamwork, but COD had me feel like run and gun the whole time.    It doesn’t help that the maps made be claustrophobic, as the small space for so many players and weapons really cramps you up at times.  

Bad Company 2 makes up for all those issues I wasn’t liking in MW2 and what I assume will exist in Black Ops.   Bigger maps, a full arsenal of vehicles, and a class system the promotes teamwork and strategy.  On top of all that we have some fun game modes such as Rush.  I can never seem to get enough of Rush and wish more BC2 maps had that mode available.  

As a gamer going into the holiday there are many shooter options.  Halo reach, any Call of Duty game, the Battlefield series top the charts along with Medal of Honor, the new comer.  What else are people playing for FPS is not any of these top rated games?

Microsoft Kinect, is it for you?

Microsoft released its new product “Kinect” this week and big things are expected for it.   Microsoft hopes to sell 5 Million units this year and is banking on its large $200M investment on advertising and promoting it.  

I was able to get a hands on demo of the hardware and some of the games that you can buy and play for it today.   I can easily say that from the limited experience I had with it, I really enjoyed it.  However, I’ve played Wii and usually always enjoyed that as well.   Overall, I feel the Kinect is coming into the ‘interactive’ gaming space quite late but Sony just released their product as well.  Maybe you can think of these products kind of like how our mobile service providers work.  There is a large pool of targeted users you know exist, so you want to claim as many of those users as yours.   The race at first was to get your product into everyone’s hands and keep the “new user” adoption rate in  your favor.  However, once every  user finally has a product, you must then shift your focus to snatching users away from competition.  For mobile phone companies you can see how users are cannibalized by competitors deals either for pricing or phones.  In this analogy w/ Kinect, I think with Nintendo’s domination of the gaming market for the Wii, that market is likely tapped out.  Kinect will appeal to Microsoft fans in general, may appeal to those who are completely bored w/ Nintendo’s gaming line up and anyone who is looking to just try something new.

First off, Kinect is fairly priced.   It won’t cost you an arm and leg to get the add on camera system and Microsoft plus their retail partners have put together a bundle for the holidays.  I wouldn’t be surprised if you see retailers dropping prices and creating their own in store bundles to pull people in on Black Friday or other big shopping days as the year closes out.

I will give my review and some advice on things to think about if you’re looking to pick up Kinect this holiday season.   I was able to sample a few bits of each of the games that were released this week w/ the Kinect.  To start off I tried Kinect adventures.   This game was well made and fun, but overall it is quite childish.  Kids will love it since it definitely is a game that fits an energetic and imaginative person.   It was fun to play and even compete with friends for the best scores or to work together as your river raft goes down the rapids, but for my style of gaming, this appeal wore off quick.   I personally need more depth.  This game would be great for when friends come over and you want some entertainment for a bit, it is also something you plop kids down in front of and let them go wild.   Another game I sampled was Dance Central.   This is just how it looks and honestly it is fun.  If you like dancing it is a definite, and if you aspire to dance at all, then this can work for you.  However, keep this in mind, there was only one song available on the demo I played so I’m not sure how the overall game soundtrack is or what playing it for hours on end will be like.  Its if like rockband, then you can definitely get your money’s worth.    Kinect Sports only had volleyball available on the demo and truthfully that was my favorite game we played.  I’ve loved Wii sports and all the different game types like it, but there was just something more to Kinect sports.  For the volleyball game it was great to NOT have to hold anything in your hand, kinda like how you would play volleyball in real life.  It was neat to step up to the net, sort of, then jump and swat at the ball as it came down.  The swat and jump motion were both captured by the game, so my character mimic’d my movements.  It was awesome.  As for the wii, I know it captures your swing, but can it catch you jumping?    The final game we played was Kinect Joy Ride.  This is a racing type game and was interesting in how you control and play, but worked quite well.  I used to be a big fan of racing games, but have since placed my gaming emphasis on shooters and adventures.  This game was quite fun, but the demo only had one track and we played this game at the very end of our session so we kinda ran through it quick.  It is neat to hold your hands up like they are gripping a steering wheel and then pretending to drive.   The game itself was quite simplistic, but had an added battle portion to the racing where you can attack players in front or behind you.  

A few things to keep in mind if you’re looking to get Kinect for yourself or as a gift.  #1 – Space.   This is not the wii, this is full body motion capture.  The games are fun and you will get excited and you will be moving around.  This is more than a step left or step right.  You might go leaping you might…dive?   Well, either way, if you’re an apt or condo dweller, space is key and also think of your neighbors.  If drumming on Rockband bothered people, then banging on the floor, walls, etc will only infuriate them more.    #2 – Camera recognition.   The camera system has a key area where it can recognize you.  When playing if you move out of this zone it will notify you, which is great.  The camera can recognize more than one person and may even have voice recognition (I did not test that feature).  However, if you’re gaming and large pet or small child walks nearby, the game may get mixed up.  I guess that is not a big deal, but it happens you know.  The cameras can detect your large body parts, but it cannot detect your fingers.  So finger motions or positions are just one stumpy hand to the game.  Maybe in the future they can upgrade the detection tech.  #3 - Gamerstyle.  I still don't see motion sensing games as being something hardcore gamers will get into.  They are a nice break and can involve anyone interested in gaming, but I won't be buying this myself anytime soon.  I prefer my hardcore games for all the offer and the depth provided.  The motion sensing games appeal to the mass audience so they lack that quality.   I am interested in using Kinect primarily as a hands free way to navigate through the Xbox dashboard, but it ends up that sitting on the couch won't fly, unless you happen to have the camera aimed directly at your sitting spot, and even then the navigation can be awkward.

So, overall its a great value and lots of fun and works really well for easy gaming.  If anyone you know gets it for Christmas, I highly recommend checking it out.  I look forward to seeing  new enhancements and game additions to the library. 

Gears of War 2, A Serious Time Commitment (or waste)

This past weekend Epic games held an XP event for Gears of War II (GOW II).   This game is coming up on its 2 yr anniversary from its release in November 2008.   To keep activity going online until GOW 3 is released a year from now, the staff at Epic has been hosting XP events to help players boost their levels up in order to reach the top rank of 100.  

I spent probably 12 hours this whole weekend gaming in solely in GOW II.  3 hours Friday, 7 on Saturday and 2 yesterday, at least.   You may gawk and wonder why, so do I.  To add on to this and make it worse, I’ve been playing this game off and on since it was released.  Total, I’m sure I’ve amassed over 500 hours playing this game.    As of Sunday night, when I finally shut down the Xbox, I was at rank 96.  I still have 4 more ranks to go to the top rank of 100.

My final two missing achievements:

Veteran Gear - 75 G  - Reach level 100 and win a match on each of the 4 Snowblind Map Pack maps (Public only)

Seriously 2.0  - 50G - Kill 100,000 enemies (in any mode)

A gamer needs a total of 6,825,825 points to reach level 100.    The progression scale for this game is not linear its more of an exponential multiplier.  My current score is somewhere around 6,186,400.  It’s a guess, but I noticed my progression bar was close to ¾ of the way towards level 97 last I played.   In any case you can see I still need more than 600K points to reach the top level.  A player's efforts benefit from a few things including 1)your game type you’re playing  2)your personal performance and 3)whether your team wins will help decide your final point tally for that game.  On average, as a rough guess, a player may earn 1000 points per game.  An average game may take 15-20 minutes.     With all this in mind, playing the game on its normal XP set up, it would likely take me 200 more hours of game There is an excellent calculator online here: http://www.markwillis.co.uk/gow2exp/.  According to this site, if I played a few matches a week and averaged 12,000 points a week even being rank 96, it would take me over a year to complete the rank progression to reach level 100.

Once, if ever I finish the Veteran Gear achievement I still have to tackle Seriously 2.0.   For this I have to reach 100,000 kills in any game mode.   My current kill count is just around 17550 kills.   2 years of gaming and over 500 hours, and I’m not even ¼ of the way to 100,000.   It's probably a pipe dream that I would ever spend the time to complete that one.

This blog post ties to my last blog one, bad game design.   Although achievements are afterthoughts in most game designs, these two achievements are RIDICULOUS!   With all the options for gaming and things to do in the world, plus the fact that the average gamer is 32 years old, who in their right mind would spend this much time chasing these achievements (sigh).   It's been noted that less than 2% of the Gears of War population have achieved either one of the achievements mentioned in this post.    It’s a pretty ridiculous ask of a gamer but truly, maybe this was their plan the whole time.  Is that even fair?

I hope like hell no other games coming out in the future tax gamers like this.   I’ve know other similar achievements exist for a number of other games out there, so good luck to anyone chasing them down as well.