THE GAMER REPORT ON HIATUS, SORT OF

I'm having mixed emotions with this right now. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, I have to put this website on a hiatus. Temporary, maybe long-term.. I really don't know at this point. I won't be updating this site for a while. Possibly a very long time. At least, nothing to do with any specific video games, as my new job may be a conflict of interest. And I'd like to keep this job for as long as possible.

While I may be providing some new interviews, and reviews still, my day to day updates of headlines and blog posts about certain games will have to stop for now.

I'll keep this site up and running for as long as I can. There is still a ton of valuable information for those of you out there looking for personal experiences in video game design education and personal stories of game industry artists.

Browse through the links on the left or go into my archives to dig through some of my older posts and you might find some gems. The Interviews provide an inside look into going to school for game art & design. The reviews are all done by my friend Dane who gives you his no BS honest opinion on whether a game you're interested in, is worth your time, so check those out as well.

I don't believe this will be the end of The Gamer Report forever, but just in case, thank you for visiting and I appreciate you for following me on Twitter and my RSS feed. Hopefully I can restart this blog someday. My life is always changing so who knows what will happen next?

Never give up on your dreams. Remain optimistic and keep doing what you love to do. That's what I did, and I finally got my foot through the door. DO. NOT. GIVE. UP!

Cheers to you all and I hope your 2010 is as positive as mine will be.

-Branden

'LAZY SUSAN' FILM MAKES ONLINE DEBUT

Lazy Susan is a short film I was fortunate enough to be a part of last year. Written, produced, directed and edited by my good friend Albert 'Art' Ferrer, who I met during my time in Vancouver, BC, Lazy Susan is a collaboration of global talent via the internet.

LazySusanFilm.com:

"Lazy Susan is a unique 6 minute short film that combines computer graphics, and live-action in a fully narrated, fantasy tale, in which the orchestral score, and bold imagery take the viewer through a modern take on a classic silent film, of the German Expressionist era."

"Filmed within half a day, entirely on green screen, and in post production for several months, the filmmakers with a very small budget, made a small film, with lots of character."

Thanks again to Albert for allowing me to take part in such a creative film. I am proud to have some of my 3D art on full display in the background. I really have to hand it to the texture artists though and the many months of post production. These talented individuals from around the world really brought my 3D models, and Lazy Susan to life. I hope you all enjoy.


For more info on the film and my friend Albert, be sure to check out my interview with him I posted a few months ago.

Game Career Spotlight: Interview with Albert Art

RED DEAD REDEMPTION LAUNCH TRAILER

The day is finally upon us. After almost six years of development, internal studio issues with management, rumors of the title being a total disaster, and a ridiculous amount of money spent along the way, Red Dead Redemption makes its way to its final resting place, retail shelves on Tuesday May 18. Count 'em guys, that's two days from now. I don't know about you, but I've already pre-ordered this bad boy. I even traded in Modern Warfare 2 and Mass Effect 2 towards this new game purchase. So not only does Rockstar have a lot riding on this game, so do I. I gave up 2 pretty good games, Mass Effect 2 being the best out of the two, in hopes of one spectacular Rockstar experience. Foolish of me? Maybe. But what I saw a few years back in the alpha build, and the artists I met at Rockstar San Diego, make me a believer in this game. I want this game to succeed. Whether you're a fan of Westerns or not, (which I'm not), RDR somehow has shaped up to be one hell of a contender for Game of the Year. Rockstar may never make it's money back on the production costs, but the game and the studio can still be a success. Success being that Rockstar San Diego will prove how capable it is in developing a strong AAA title. Time will tell. I can't wait for Tuesday night.

What about you? Are you going to pick this title up?

'BRIGHT FALLS' WEBISODES: A MUST SEE

Did you ever watch Twin Peaks? Yeah, me neither. But the folks at Remedy sure did, and it was through Twin Peaks that brought on the inspiration for Alan Wake's creation. And now the Live-Action prequel to Alan Wake, the 'Bright Falls' webisodes, are all posted online for your entertainment pleasure.

I've watched all but the last 2 episodes but I can tell you that these short clips, are incredible to watch. They're very short, but sweet and to the point. I really enjoyed watching these and wished that these were a full TV series, or even a mini-series. I don't care, just expand on what was done here and I think it could attract a large audience. Whether or not it gets people to play Alan Wake or not, remains to be seen. What it has done for me however, is it left me wanting more of Bright Fallos. Someone should start a petition on FaceBook to turn this into a full TV production. Hey, it worked for Betty White on SNL, it could work for this as well.

EPISODE ONE

Here are the first 2 episodes if you haven't seen them yet. I'd post all 6, but that's just too many videos for one post. Check out the links at the bottom in order to watch from beginning to end. Thanks to Machnima's YouTube channel.

EPISODE TWO


EPISODE THREE
EPISODE FOUR
EPISODE FIVE
EPISODE SIX

...Enjoy.

THE GAMER REPORT REVIEW: DARKSIDERS

War! Huh, good God! What is he good for? Well, for the sake of this game review, kicking ass and taking names! War, the main character in Darksiders, kicks ass on a daily basis. Although you never really get the backdrop on why he is such a 'BAMF', it's clearly evident from the get-go that your name definitely gets around. Ultimately in the end, you'll have the urge to sink your teeth into this story more than the game allows you to do so. So let me warn you from the start, if you are one of those story-savvy gamers that gets all butt-hurt when a story is not deep or immersive enough, than do yourself a favor and skip this one. If ass-kicking, and hack-n-slash with a heaping dose of clever puzzles is your particular brand of Vodka, then you are going love Darksiders.

Darksiders feels like the lovechild of God of War, Zelda and Ninja Gaiden. I was sold when I found out the art was done by Joe Madureira, famous for the Uncanny X-Men, and several other Marvel comics. The comic book-style approach to the art is evident the moment you fire up the game. The artists and designers held nothing back, and the game just oozes with attention to detail. However, I am in no way saying the graphics are earth-shattering. It's just the little stuff that really caught my eye. Like the designs on the blades of the the weapons and the physical addition of new gadgets, weapons and power ups to War's character model. It's all just very clever, and sort of stands out in its own brand of subject matter.

The game seems to be a mix of many different games even follows recent ones with one awesome CG cutscene at the beginning of the game, and the rest is filled with poorly animated cutscenes from the in-game engine. The aforementioned brief backdrop on whats going on in both War's life, and the post-apocolyptic world he is slashing his way through, kinda leave you wanting more, and also makes you a little curious as to how the world got to the torn-up state it's in. Once you decapitate or slash a few goons in half, all that curiosity flies out the window.

It's a little scary how similar this game plays to the newer 3D Zelda titles. It's also slightly scary how similar to God of War and Ninja Gaiden it is as well. Though, you won't be pulling off extravagant 3 button timed combos in Darksiders. Instead the combos are dumbed down to one button per weapon, which are switchable on the fly, mid-combo. Start off with a few sword slashes, and then break out your Scythe to deal out some hurt. Once you punish enemies enough, the "B" button will finish them off with a God of War-esque finishing QTE. These Quick Time Events are pretty sweet, and range from slicing an enemies legs off, slicing their bodies into thirds or the occasional decapitation. These sequences also follow into the boss battles as well. The boss battles though I found were the weaker elements of the game. The campaign consists of quite a bit of dungeon crawling, often very long dungeons. Lots of back and forth, obtaining keys, unlocking doors etc. Once you conquer these labrynth-style dungeons, the boss fights were pretty easy and felt a little lackluster. It does not take from the overall experience at all, but when you compare it to the likes of Devil May Cry, and Ninja Gaiden's bosses, it surely feels underwhelming.

The game is paced quite nicely. Often times you will find yourself coming back to previous areas once a specific gadget or ability is unlocked. These gadgets and abilities are definitely the highlight of this game, and again, take most of their heritage from Zelda and other games you know and love. You will obtain the Abyssal Chain, identical to Zelda's Longshot, and even a thrown krull star exactly like the boomerang. There are even bombs just like the world of Zelda! You will also get a horse named Ruin that controls and behaves exactly like the horse from Zelda. (Starting to see a pattern here?) Well then how about obtaining a pistol a la Devil May Cry? Believe it or not, this game actually had some 3rd Person Shooter sections. Certain enemies carry cannons that you can pick up and the cannons perform almost identical to the detachable turrets in Halo 3. Pick one up, and wield different types of ammunition ranging from harpoon-style rockets, to machine guns and tracking energy blasts. It's obviously nothing new or exciting, but just feels fresh in this hack-n-slash.

The last gadget I want to share might be a spoiler, but its just too damn cool and under the radar to mention. Again taking its que and DNA from another succesful title, the Voidwalker is the exact clone of the gun from Portal! It differs a bit in that you can only shoot on gate-holes that look a bit like Orange, stained-glass windows. The same momentum priciples apply, and it just feels incredible. You only get it for about the last section of the game, but you will use it quite a bit not only to navigate levels, but also to fight bosses. One memorable section pitted War against a gigantic boss with a club-like mace. When he reared back to swing his mace at you like a baseball bat, a portal on the back of the club was visible. Shoot the portal gun on the back of his club, then next to you on the wall. Once he reared back to swing again, jump through a nearby portal and fly out of his club to land behind him and DO WORK!

All of these gadgets, puzzles and weapons (heck, call them knock-offs if you want) make the adventure feel like a hack-n-slash with weird out of place elements from all your favorite games, that somehow just feels right. The games puzzles were certainly the toughest I have played in a game in a while, and the platforming works well. The gameplay felt very smooth, no framerate issues and no texture problems in sight. It's a great adventure, but extremely long. My playthrough clocked in at over 33 hours. I don't know about most of you, but I certainly appreciate a lengthy playthrough. Too many single-player games these days are over so soon. Even though at times it felt a tad redundant,

Darksiders really took me by surprise. At times during the game I thought to myself, where are the other riders of the Apocolypse? Well, a pretty cool ending that I will not give away, will answer that question. If you have not played the demo, it's over a hour long, and provides a nice introduction to what you will expect in the full game. Give it a go, and if you enjoy long Zelda-like back and forth hack-n-slash, you're simply going to love Darksiders. It defintely ranks above Bayonetta and Dante's Inferno in my humble opinion.

Darksiders receives a 7.9/10 on the Dig-O-Meter.

-DIGGITY OUT

LOST PLANET 2: MULTIPLAYER DEMO IMPRESSIONS

One of the best demos I played when I first got my 360 was the demo for the first Lost Planet. This unique, snow-covered world enticed me to join match after match and battle my friends online for hours. The grappling hook featured in the demo was a welcomed game mechanic I had not yet seen. On top of that it included one of the coolest features I can think of, and as far as I'm concerned should be in every game in some way or another, Mechs. That's all I really need to say... Mechs. Say Mechs and I'm there. (Krazy Ivan anyone?) The Lost Planet demo included everything it needed, to ensure my decision to buy the full retail version, would be a wise decision. And it really was. It would have been better if my friends bought it as well, but that's another story.

I've been saving some trade-in credit at GameStop for about a month now, knowing LP2 would be coming out soon. So I've been patiently waiting, not completely convinced I would buy it on release day, but confident it would be worth the purchase if I did. Still though, as with most games I buy now, I have to play the demo first before I buy. Just like when buying a car, I need to take it for a test drive to make sure my hard-earned money is spent wisely. So, I took the LP2 multiplayer demo out for a test drive.

As expected, the visuals were top notch. Though we no longer find ourselves in a snow covered world like the first game. I assume the snow melted somehow and jungles began to magically form. Who knows? I'm sure we'll find out in the single player campaign. The visuals weren't a major concern really. This is Capcom we're talking about here and I have full confidence in their artistic ability. However, I found the game design for this specific jungle map to be boring and uncreative.

It seemed like this map was quickly thrown together for the demo. Like it was rushed, as none of the game assets that make up this map, and the placement of these assets, made sense to me. Did the designers even think this one through? Usually in a multiplayer demo, I can get into some type of flow. I can quickly pick up the controls, get to point A, complete the objective and then move onto the next one. Knowing how to play this game already, I expected that to happen. But getting from point A to point B, was nowhere near as fun as it was in the first LP demo. And no, I won't stop comparing the two demos. Especially when it's expected the demo for the sequel should be just as fun as the first, if not more.

It's difficult to improve on something that I believe was a near-perfect demo. The spawn points in LP2 were a red flag, which may convince me that a rental would be more justified, so I can play the single player and return it. I found myself spawning directly behind enemies, and enemies spawning directly behind me. Just after I killed them. When you die, you have the option of choosing where you want to spawn and this might not be implemented the way it should. Say, away from immediate danger? That would be nice.

Shooting was also a disappointment. I found myself losing one on one gun battles with the player in front of me, because my character would stop shooting as I tried to dodge the opposing players bullets at the same time. Usually when I move side to side in a third person or first person shooter, I can count on my bullets to fly out of the weapon continuously as I hold the Right Trigger. The shooting was very inconsistent from match to match. Sometimes shooting was spot on, and then other times it was like my machine gun kept jamming. Standing still seemed to work best, if you can believe that. For now, I guess I'll just have to blame the connection. Which for the most part, was pretty good. Especially when finding a game. It was very quick and easy to find a match with a lot of players ready to go.

The best part of this game being the Mech suits (or Vital Suits), I tended to seek them out every chance I could. However, another problem I encountered, was the pace of getting there. Damn these snow pirates are slow! The grappling hook can help you get to your destination faster but you can't always count on an object to be nearby to hook onto. At some points, it felt and looked like, I and other players were running on ice. One dude even looked like he was doing the 'running man' dance. Once I did jump in one of these Vital Suits, I couldn't help but feel like they are even weaker than before. Weaker and slower than the enemy snow pirates who seemed to outmaneuver me with ease. I was quickly destroyed by a snow pirate throwing a couple of grenades a few times. At no point in any of the matches I joined, was I able to kill someone with a vital suit. I didn't see anyone else have luck with them either.

I'm noticing a trend here. This is all pretty negative. I don't think I've mentioned one positive thing about this demo besides the graphics. But of course, graphics do not make a great game. It's all about the gameplay. I know some personal friends of mine that won't hesitate to argue with me on that opinion, but for me, it's a fact. Proven time and time again on multiple titles and on multiple gaming platforms. HD graphics will only take your game so far. If the gameplay does not have the 'fun factor' going for it, then it's doomed. And I guess that's why I am so disappointed in this demo. I expected more fun out of this highly anticipated sequel from a talented developer. I know, I know, the demo doesn't always represent the final product. Blah blah blah. I've been wrong before. But at this point, not even Marcus and Dom or jiggly boobies can change my mind. (Choose the female character in the demo, you'll see what I'm talking about)

It is what it is my friends, and right now, Lost Planet 2 has turned into a rental for me due to my impressions of the multiplayer demo. May is a huge month for video games and I believe my money will be better spent on a title like Red Dead Redemption. I'm sure the Lost Planet 2 single player campaign will be nothing short of epic, but if the multiplayer is going to be anything like my test drive with the demo today, there will be no need to drive it more than once.

YET ANOTHER REASON TO ROB A 7-11

Give me all the money in the cash register! NOW!! Oh, and while you're at it, I'll take a Slurpee, some Slim Jim's and a used copy of Viva Pinata... I said now mother fucker!

Extreme? Yes. Far from the truth? Probably not, depending on the location.That may or may not be the next words your local 7-11 cashier will hear when some crazy dude comes in disguised in a Obama mask. I hope not, but considering a few GameStop's have been held up in the past and the fact that 7-11 stores are a target for criminals already, the recent news about 7-11 beginning to sell used video games just increased the chances of the ridiculous scenario above, actually coming true.

However, with every negative, there is usually a positive.  7-11 jumping into the used video game business, much like Amazon and Walmart did not too long ago, isn't necessarily a bad thing. Competition is good! The more the merrier I always say. Okay, I've never said that in my life. But you know what I mean. It's simple supply and demand. The more choices us gamers have when shopping for the best deal on the games we've put on the back-burner for months, the less money we'll have to fork over when we finally do want to see how bad games like Damnation, Terminator: Salvation and Turning Point: Fall of Liberty really are.

Well, good luck to you 7-11. I don't think you have a store near my home, but if I ever see one, I'll be sure to go inside and see what you have on display. Might I recommend some extra security though? I don't mean to be a pessimist here, but I think the target on your back just grew a bit larger.

I wonder how long before we see some package deals? I predict a video game and a 40oz for $20 in the near future. In all seriousness though, I hope they are successful with their new business plan.


Check out the 7-11 article over at Kotaku

XBLA SET FOR SUMMER OF FUN

I knew there would be another reason to trade in my copy of Modern Warfare 2.  Soon, if not already with Battlefield Bad: Company 2, gamers will slowly be leaving the most played multiplayer game on Xbox Live. I personally just couldn't take it anymore.  Even though all of my closest friends play the game every night, it just wasn't doing anything for me as a gamer. Where happened to the fun? Too much camping, too many people playing for themselves instead of working as a team, too many annoying assholes running their mouth off like the game lobby is a hate-filled chat room, and just too much bullshit to tolerate in general. And then the nerve of Activision asking for even more money for the DLC maps to top it all off? I know Infinity Ward spent time and money making these new maps, well, 3 out of 5 of them, and they should indeed be compensated. But with all the glitchy shit fans of the Call of Duty franchise have had to deal with in MW2, the least they could do is say: "Hey thanks guys. We know we fucked up with the lack of quality testing on this game prior to release, but for sticking with us, here are some new maps... free of charge. Enjoy."

Free content is not to be expected all the time. I know this. I've purchased many DLC packs in the past, when it's worth the value. But when you have inconsistencies among certain developers and publishers wanting to charge for DLC and at the same time, others willing to give DLC away for free, this is the type of reaction you're going to receive. Especially when said content is already on the disc.

Whatever.. that's my quick rant on that. I no longer own it, so I'm moving on. And one game that may help me move on, besides some major upcoming titles like Red Dead Redemption, Crackdown 2, Lost Planet 2 and the Halo: Reach beta, is this new game called Breach, by Atomic Games.

Yes, the same Atomic Games that started a shit-storm a few months back when developing a game called Six Days to Fallujah. I guess that controversial game is still in development, whether or not they will ever get a publisher for that I don't know. But it looks like they have taken what they learned from making that game, and started a whole new game. With a lot less controversy. And the most amazing part about this? It's supposedly coming out on XBLA... for $15!? Are you kidding me? There is no way this is a $15 arcade game. That's what they're saying though. The video shows off some pretty impressive features not found on most $60 Xbox 360 First Person Shooters. Needless to say, I can't wait to see more of this Hydrogen Engine. Expect this game to make a big impact in the way games are priced and purchased.



Another game sure to make a decent impact this summer on XBLA is Hydrophobia, by Dark Energy Digital. Prepare to interact with water in a video game like never before with realistic water dynamics created in the HydroEngine. The game itself takes place on a huge luxury ship the size of a city called, "Queen of the World". While the rest of the world has fallen apart due to overpopulation and a lack of food, the rich prospered ever more and began living on this ship, creating their own little world outside of the chaos that surrounds them. Of course, there is always a "but", and that but is a bunch of terrorists who decide to bomb the ship and it begins to take on water. This is where you come in and play as the hero on-board this massive vessel, Kate Wilson.

The release date hasn't been announced yet but considering this game will be released on XBLA as episodic content, we could see the very first episode as early as this summer. But who knows?

The games mentioned above, along with Perfect Dark Zero that's already available, Hydro Thunder Hurricane if that's your cup-o-tea, and dare I say, Snoopy Flying Ace, are key ingredients to the Xbox Live Arcade summer of fun. Not to mention, possible games that haven't even been announced yet (More news at E3?) and old school arcade games on Xbox Live's Game Room. Now, if I can only get my Xbox 360 returned back to me from the repair center. I might actually get to enjoy some of these games.

Here's to hoping one of these games is as good, if not better than last years XBLA success story, Shadow Complex.

What XBLA game are you excited for?

GHOST RECON LIVE ACTION TRAILER

Like most gamers my age, I've been gaming since Atari. Since PitFall and Pole Position. But those games were just the beginning. Just a dip in the pool of gamer life at the early age of 5. The hardcore gaming did not come until later in my life, when I learned you didn't have to be sitting next to another person to play the same game, at the same time. The hardcore gaming addiction came when Xbox Live first started. I wasn't into PC gaming so being able to play with someone else far away through this series of tubes called the 'internet', was a whole new concept to me. And you'd think the game that started it all off for me would be a huge title like Halo. But it wasn't. The game that got me to go out to buy my first game console since the PSOne, the game that stopped me from being a cheap ass (temporarily) was the original Ghost Recon. I loved that frickin' game! Good times.

I still remember seeing my best friend Johnny playing it at his house. I didn't understand the concept. I was like, what the hell is that thing on your head? Who are you talking to? And then he let me give it a go. Of course after apologizing ahead of time to his friends online, knowing full well I was going to suck and be of no help to them and their multi-player game session. And I wasn't. But it was an eye-opening experience.

That's how it all started for me. Once I got online in Ghost Recon, that was it. I was hooked. And then Halo and a bunch of other games took it to a whole other level but I will always remember and always be thankful for that first moment I played Ghost Recon... when my world changed.

I really look forward to a new Ghost Recon title to come out this year. As long as it's not anything like Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter, then I'm all in. Here's to hoping for a whole new take on the military shooter. Oh yeah, and cloaks!

BRINK: ANOTHER GOTY CONTENDER?

BRINK is swiftly becoming my most anticipated game of 2010. Maybe it's the heavy influence taken from Valve's Team Fortress 2? Or maybe the highly detailed environments, the variety of options to customize your character, or the innovative SMART gameplay mechanic Splash Damage has employed. Either way you slice it, the game is looking good, and the hype is slowly but steadily building. BRINK could actually use some more hype behind it. Splash Damage are out to make a statement with their first original title.  I believe BRINK is another game that can come out of nowhere and hijack the 2010 GOTY award. I really believe this year could be up for grabs. Everyone is saying, God of War III, Heavy Rain, Mass Effect 2, Halo: Reach.. we don't know shit. There are a lot of good games coming out this year. Some we don't even know about yet. The Spike VGA winners are usually pretty predictable, but I hope this decade brings with it a bit more 'unpredictabilityness'. And no, that's not a word, so don't bother Googling it. I already did.