c0de m0nkeying around

Spent a large chunk of my day programming with guys from school. We're rushing to finish our project which is technically due on thursday. While I should've been sleeping just moments ago, my thoughts kept drifting to the code, coming up with solutions for specific problems we're facing. I'm sure this is the classic fight, a fight against resources. You can solve any problem with enough time, most likely. Ah well.

I'll be able to share with you all soon. I'm tremendously excited, but really taxed at the moment, so bare with me. I'm hoping you'll all have fun playing our game :).

How can any gamer not get excited? It's StarCraft 2!

Alright, so I wasn't ever a hardcore StarCraft fan, but it's one of those games you could just go back to over and over again. It has a lot going for it in simple replayability. User made maps added a whole new dimension. It was one of the games that brought RTSs into the main-stream, and changed the gaming landscape.

So... yesterday, when StarCraft 2 was announced in South Korea, people went nuts. Apparently it's being designed by Dustin Browder (known for some pretty high profile RTSs like LOTR: Battle for Middle Earth II, and C&C: Red Alert 2), so there's a lot going for it.

There's a couple of things I want to mention-- first of all, the videos and screenshots for SC2 look amazing, but I'm not seeing a lot to say "This is a new StarCraft". It's almost as if they're content with remaking StarCraft and graphically overhauling it. Well, we can only hope that gameplay will be drastically different, while maintaining what made it great.

Second of all, upon watching the gameplay & art trailer on their website (www.starcraft2.com if you're interested) something occured to me. Some of the art looks a lot like they're working on expanding the world to not just encompass StarCraft2, the RTS. Is a "World of Starcraft" in the works? It sure makes sense. Blizzard's made more money than god on WoW, maybe WoS is the next step. It might not be out for a few more years, but that's fine. The release of WC3 with WoW was very similar, and we'll see where it goes next.

I am awake. Alan Wake. I am A. Wake.

(Click the picture to see full-res version)

I wanted to talk a bit more about what could be my most anticipated game in the coming months, Alan Wake. A.Wake is being developed by Remedy Entertainment, a Finnish company which is well known for it's atmospheric action-packed Max Payne series. It's being described as a 'Psycological Action Thriller' about a horror author who visits the small town of Bright Falls in an attempt to cure his insomnia. Alan's nightmares come back but this time, they're in the real world and they're after him. There's a lot of depth story-wise, including a mysterious woman who proved to be Alan's inspiration. All that's well-and-good, and I can't wait to experience what's sure to be an excellent story... but:

Here's the kicker. This game is going to be entirely free-roam, and in a huge environment resembling the American North-West. Hmm, GTA: The Shining?

Here's a video of what Remedy's got so far. Yeah, most of it's a demonstration to sell people on Intel, but the video is rather impressive regardless. Give it a look, it's worth your time.

An update, and this year's great games.

Hey everyone. Been busy with all that good school stuff ;D. Although none of my classes include programming just yet, I've been getting busy with some of the guys at school. We're developing a unique 2D-puzzle game for the Westwood College SoCal game competition. I'm really proud to be working on it, and I wish I could share some screens but I don't think it'd be prudent ;D. Don't worry, I'll post all of the information once it's finished (we're shooting for the end of May).

Last month (seems like forever ago) we visted GDC in San Francisco. What a wonderful way to get yourself energized about the industry you wanna work in? We got to meet a lot of cool people and do some cool stuff (especially with Microsoft's XNA). I can't wait to go again next year.

And now to the main chunk of this post.. I sit here thinking to myself: Man, there are a lot of awesome-looking games coming out by the end of the year (hopefully). Let's run through 'em.



Bioshock (Irrational Games)
Man, does this game look awesome. Just exploring the flooded, art-deco interiors will be a treat for me. Crazy water-effects, creepy and interesting A.I. and character design make it look way better. I can't wait to dive-in.




Alan Wake (Remedy Entertainment)
This has got to be one of the most underbuzzed game this year. Alan Wake looks kind of like Silent Hill meets GTA: Next Gen. Awesome atmosphere combined with that go-anywhere style gameplay everyone seems to dig. Plus it's the guys who did the Max Payne games. Favorites of mine, to be sure :).




Mass Effect (BioWare Corp.)
New, next-generation space-epic trilogy from the makers of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (Just I, not II)! Can you say OMIGODZ? For sure, I know you can. Because, if you're like my friends and I, you can't wait for this freakin' game to come out. I don't think I need to say any more...


Alright, sure. There are other games coming out, big hyped ones too (Halo 3 anyone?). But these are the big three. And more are gonna come along. I'll post new stuff I find interesting about these in the future.

See you around.