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mYTH_2k4 - Making your eyes & brains cry out for mercy... one blog entry at a time.
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• 21Dec 10

  Ornament Hunt

  CLUE 1: Van Nguyen

  CLUE 2: Jody Robinson

  CLUE 3: Guy Cocker

  CLUE 4: Matthew Gravish

  CLUE 5: Chris Watters

  CLUE 6: Kevin VanOrd

  CLUE 7: Aaron Sampson

  CLUE 8: Alex Sassoon

  CLUE 9: Wernher Goff

  CLUE 10: Jan Heir

  CLUE 11: Randolph Ramsey

  CLUE 12: Andrew Park

  CLUE 13: Mark Walton

  CLUE 14: Justin Calvert

  CLUE 15: Sophia Tong

  CLUE 16: Kurtis Seid

  CLUE 17: Giancarlo Varanini

  CLUE 18: Justin Porter

  CLUE 19: Ryan MacDonald

  CLUE 20: Tyler Winegarner

  CLUE 21: Maxwell Mcgee

  CLUE 22: James Kozanecki

  CLUE 23: Frank Adams

  CLUE 24: Sarju Shah

  CLUE 25: Shaun Mcinnis

  CLUE 26: Ricardo Torres

  CLUE 27: Tom Magrino

  CLUE 28: Dan Chiappini

  CLUE 29: Homer Rabara

  CLUE 30: Takeshi Hiraoka

  CLUE 31: Tor Thorsen

  CLUE 32: Jim Maybury

  CLUE 33: Carolyn Petit

  CLUE 34: Tom Mcshea

  CLUE 35: Dan Mihoerck

  CLUE 36: Jane Douglas

  CLUE 37: Brendan Sinclair

  CLUE 38: Laura Parker

  • Posted Dec 21, 2010 10:47 am GMT
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• 25Dec 09

  But it could've been a GoTY! (Part I)

  Abortion, noun,the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy. (1)

  It wouldn't be unwise to make the assumption that the mere mention of the word mentioned above has the power of inciting a 500-post-long flame war in almost any online community. That word can even hold its own in the face of some stiff competition by evergreen flame-inducers such as "global warming" and "world peace".

  But why oh why should that word merit a mention on the blog of a humble gamer? And that too, in a bizarrely titled entry that seemingly has nothing to do with either pregnancy or stem cell research?!

  Being an unabashed lover of mathematical equations, I'll try and explain my vague introduction with some interesting substitutions. So, let:

  Abortion = Cancellation
  human = video game
  pregnancy = development project

  Upon substituting the values and making some appropriate grammatical changes in definition (1), we have:

  Cancellation, noun, the deliberate termination of a videogame development project.

  I do beg your pardon for the cringe-inducing introduction (references to Ikari Warrior II wouldn't be misplaced here) but I am a sucker for needless drama. As you've probably guessed by now, this article is about "what could've become of games that ended up being cancelled". I hope that didn't sound too obvious! And I also hope that my facepalm-worthy analogy atleast seems in context now.

  Like most of the people who've been following video games for quite a while now, I've had my fair share of heartbreaks while reading about the games I was really looking forward too being cancelled. To have waited patiently for a coveted title for a considerable amount of time only to realize that it was no longer meant to see the (LASER) light of the CD/DVD player didn't do so good for my Hyperacidity problems.

  After an initial period of gloom, the reality hit home and my thoughts shifted to how well that game COULD've done - both critically and commercially. And so, in this entry, I wish to present to you a brief countdown of some games that, as my thoughts decreed, would've done pretty well for themselves. I, therefore, give you:

  .

  mYTH_2k4's list of the TOP 10 GAMES... NEVER MADE!
  

  ---

  A brief word of caution before I begin narrating my countdown - I am a PC nut. So the following list heavily features titles that would've made a release on my preferred platform of play. This is not to say that there were fewer heartbreaks on the various other platforms out there or that the following is a comprehensive guide to PC may-have-beens. Like every other list ever created, the following is nothing more than an opinion. So, without further ado (can't believe I just wrote that), the countdown is as follows:

  10. Marvel Universe Online (Cryptic Studios)

  One look at my avatar would tell you that I am a Spiderman fan. So whenever a game featuring the webslinger comes around, I usually try and give it a shot. If only to test whether they implemented my favorite superhero quite the way I wanted them to. Anyway, playing as Spiderman in a single player game is one thing, but playing as him in an open ended universe where I could interact with some guy playing as Iron Man or Captain America or the Human Torch was an idea that sounded way beyond cool! Ofcourse, it is easy to see the logistical problems involved in creating a game which seeks to manifest pre-made comic characters in an online world. The very first problem is simple: Would I get to play as Spiderman? I mean, there can be only ONE Spiderman in the Marvel universe! Or atleast one per server...

  That left the character creation alternative open. But what was the use of the Marvel franchise then? Would the Marvel heroes be reduced to interacting with PCs in quests? And wouldn't the character creation option throw the Marvel world open to DC-like creations? I would've loved to explore the answers to those question as more details about the game surfaced, but saying that the game wouldn't meet Microsoft Game Studio's "definition of commercial success", Mr. Shane Kim confirmed the abortion of the game in February 2008. And with that, MGS killed my hopes of getting Spiderman to PvP with Wolverwine.

  

  9. Call of Cthulhu: Destiny's End (Headfirst Productions)

  Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth was an exceptionally brilliant game that featured some brilliant gameplay mechanics which made the survival/horror setting of the game that much more realistic. The absence of an HUD coupled with the realistic weapon mechanics and the strong storyline made the game a truly memorable experience. Destiny's End promised to deliver the same and a lot more. The game was to be based in modern-day New England (an intelligent mix of new ideas and a familiar setting) and featured a seamless co-op mode. The sanity meter was revisited and the game, as far as the previews were concerned, looked to maintain nerve-wracking atmosphere of the Cthulhu world. The game was announced in May 2005 and was considered cancelled when Headfirst went down in March 2006. For fans of the Cthulhu franchise atleast, this was a sad loss.

  

  8. Ultima Worlds Online: Origin (Origin Systems)

  Ultima Online was, arguably, the most instrumental game in the development of the MMORPG genre and making it the way it is today. The fact that its servers are still up and running today, over a decade after its release, is a testament to its popularity and importance. After its groundbreaking success which saw a whopping 100,000 subscriber registrations in the first 6 months of going live, a sequel seemed inevitable. Ultima Worlds Online: Origin or UO2 was first announced in September 1999. As the development progressed, it became evident to Origin's parent company Electronic Arts that UO2's 3D based graphics, emphasis on grouping and a much more balanced combat and PvP system would eat into UO's (still growing) subscriber base. It was, thus, cancelled in March 2001 for being a threat to the original. For me, that was one of the most shameful cancellations in the history of gaming.

  

  7. Jazz Jackrabbit 3 (Epic MegaGames)

  Both Jazz Jackrabbit and its sequel have been among my favorite 2D platformers of all time. Although the quirky and funny storyline seemed to target the younger lot, the very same quirks made for some fascinating and unforgettable level and character designs. The introduction of Spaz in Jazz 2 added loads of variety to the gameplay and made way for some of the funniest idle-sequences I've seen in a game. Jazz 3, the Adventures of a Mean Green Hare, was to mark the transition of the series into the 3D realm and, amazingly, that very transition was built into the storyline! The game was cancelled in May 2000 after Epic failed to find a publisher for what could've been another hare-raising and delightfully wacky adventure.

  

  6. Dungeon Keeper 3: War for the Overworld (Bullfrog Productions)

  How many game franchises can boast a tagline even remotely close to this one's assurance of the fact that"Its good to be Evil!"? Not many. And how many franchises can put you in control of such monstrosities as Bile Demons, Horned Reapers and Demon Spawns... all in the same room or area... feeding on chicken? My mind struggles to draw parallels for this dark-on-the-outside but funny-on-the-inside strategy franchise that, for once, tells the tale from the other side and still manages to keep it engaging. And who can forget Richard Ridings' brilliant I-could-care-less commentary as the The Mentor? DK3 was supposed to be set in the surface realm with the Keeper now in direct confrontation with the goodly heroes. Unfortunately, the game spent only a month or so in the conceptual phase and the cancellation was officially announced in August 2000.

  

  To be continued...

  • Posted Dec 25, 2009 5:18 am GMT
  • Category: Editorial
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• 30Nov 09

  A Decade of Torment

  Exactly 10 years ago, in times when the word 'gamer' conjured up images of creepy guys staying in their parent's basement (well, it still does, but not quite THAT often), Black Isle Studios and Interplay gave the world something special. For all practical purposes, the commodity that went on sale that day was but a Video Game. But to some of the people who were attributed with the glowing 'gamer' tag at the time, that particular Video Game became something much, MUCH more.
  
  I am, of course, referring to Planescape: Torment.
  
  For the uninitiated (I just love using that phrase), PS: T is an Advanced Dungeons and Dragons based RPG set in the Planscape universe. You play the game as The Nameless One, who, after waking up in a mortuary with no memories of his past, must now undertake a journey of rediscovery. Typical RPG fare you say? Well, no. The catch here is that the guy you're playing is Immortal (you can't just 'wake up' in a mortuary just like that now can you?). So apart from the re-discovery fare, he also needs to find the reason behind his immortality. Pretty unique premise for a game now isn't it?
  
  Anyway, I managed to get my hands on that game only about a year after its release. Being only 13 at the time, my mind was not wizened enough to comprehend the true intricacies of the plot and the depth of the characters that I interacted with. Nonetheless, I continued to play the game and finally beat it. But for probably the very first time since I had started referring to myself as a gamer, I completed a game... to finish the story.
  
  Upon revisiting the game a month back, I noticed that although my teen-self had not managed to fully grasp the sheer wit behind the dark humor, the cleverly disguised puns, the beautifully crafted alignment system or the reason why a floating-skull would want to have intercourse with a Tiefling (I understand now... completely), he did realize that what he had just beat was not your run-of-the-mill RPG.
  
  Even now, when I read the beautifully chosen words that describe, in precise detail, the areas, objects and characters that make up the world of PS: T, the magic reworks itself into my system. There are more than a few occasions when I feel a shiver run down my spine when I read a particularly well-written piece of conversation or gape in utter amazement when I see the consequences of a previously-unknown bit of information revealed to my character.
  
  It is rare to see a game made with such love and passion in nearly every minute detail. Even though the 2-D isotropic view in which you play the game is dated, the game still manages to convey the beauty, the wretchedness, the squalor or the gloom of a place very effectively. The music and sounds strike a perfect mood for exploration. And it still amazes me how the same track can seem delightfully relaxing at one instance and yet goose-bump-inducing-ly spectacular at another.
  
  I have played a lot of RPGs in my life as a gamer. Games like Oblivion, Fallout and KotOR to name a few are all right up there in the list of my all time favorites. But the very way in which this game conveys its philosophy and unveils the true nature of the characters you interact with is especially astounding. The revelation about Morte and his Baatorian smell, the unraveling of the Circle of Zerthimon and the episode in Ravel's maze are all experiences that one must have for oneself (unless, of course, one has a Sensorium).
  
  For me, it was a privilege to have played (and re-played) this gem of a game. If you have not managed to get your hands on this thus far, I strongly suggest you do so. For those who have already had their Immortality woes sorted before, I suggest you give it another go.
  
  After all, in the words of the Nameless One himself, "I wonder what it was I said that made death reject me."

  • Posted Nov 30, 2009 1:32 pm GMT
  • Category: Editorial
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