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Gadgets
Opinion: "You're playing it wrong"
- Details
- Parent Category: Gadgets
- Category: Video Games
- Published on Saturday, 10 September 2011 05:00
- Written by Ryan Vest
I've finally gotten Cathrinein my hands and I hate it. It’s one of the most frustrating games I have ever played. The controls are horrible, the puzzles are trial and error, the time limit is too strict, and the game does horrible job at explaining itself. If I was reviewing the game I would give it this site’s lowest possible score of 1 out of 4; Except I'm not reviewing the game. In fact, I'm glad I'm not working for a website that is forcing me to review the game, because I would not be able to do this game justice. Everything I complained about is my fault.
No doubt my experience with the game was unpleasant. First, I would often die while hanging off the side of a block because I hit the ''’ button expecting Vincent to climb up. When in reality, it made him drop down to his death. Secondly, when I come up to a wall of blocks with a time limit to worry about, all I can fathom to do is randomly push block blocks around hoping to find the right path. To top it all off, the worst experience was when I finally got a game over on the third chapter of the game which took me to the title screen only to find out that the game doesn't auto save. I now would have to start over from the beginning. From that moment on I hated the game. I don't think there's anything it could do to save itself.
These experiences were all negatively affecting my review before realizing it might just be me. Most people that buy a game like Catherine are probably smart enough to learn the different control scheme and to save when it tells you. It’s my fault that I could not. I remember once upon a time being upset at a certain God Hand review for the reviewer being bad at the game.
Now I find myself in the same spot Chris Roper was in, reviewing a game I just couldn't play correctly. I don't want to do the same thing Roper did and just pass off the game as being bad, but I also can't just ignore my own negative experiences with the game. So then as a reviewer what should I do?
The role of the game designer is to teach you how to play the game so the designer does have to answer for something. The gaming crowd is large enough that there is bound to be someone else who makes the same mistakes as I do and therefore hate the game for it. All game designers work hard and test hard in order to make these incidents as rare as possible, but it’s impossible to catch everything. However, the line has to be drawn somewhere.
Shawn Elliot, of the Bioshock Infinite team, once told a story about tester who would not even touch the right analog stick. No matter how many times they explained the joystick mechanics to him, he still couldn't get it. As a result, that tester must have had a horrible experience with the game, but it would be silly to expect the game designers to put a one hour tutorial teaching players to put their thumb on the right analog stick.
Video games have that unique characteristic of interactivity which can cause opinions to vary more wildly than any other medium we know. How we interact determines our overall experiences with the game which leads to greatly opinionated viewpoints than we are used to. If it takes me a full frustrating hour to figure out a simple puzzle that would take others just minutes to solve, then as a reviewer I have the obligation to detail my reasons for being upset.
I believe I also have an obligation as a reviewer to pinpoints parts of the game that could very well be a problem only I would have. In the end I would probably give Catherine a lower score than most publications. I just hope readers take this article as a warning that video games, more than any other medium, require an understanding on how reviewer reached their overall opinion. Just take this example as a lesson to not take a simple score at face value without reading the reasons behind it. It’s entirely possible all the problems I had would never affect you.
Review: MadCatz Xbox 360 Microcon Controller
- Details
- Parent Category: Gadgets
- Category: Video Games
- Published on Sunday, 07 August 2011 10:00
- Written by Kari MacLennan
As a casual gamer with incredibly small hands, I have found myself exceedingly frustrated with the Xbox 360's controllers. I often find myself trying to stretch my hands to reach the controls, especially the control sticks, and after even a short hour of gaming my hands tend to be sore or cramping. A few months ago, I started what became a tedious and aggravating search for a smaller controller. I got lucky and found the MadCatz Microcon controller.
It’s advertised as being 15% smaller than the standard 360 controller, and while 15% doesn't sound that much smaller the difference I found to be significant. The smaller size allows the controller to be comfortably held in small hands without restricting the controllability or downsizing the buttons too much. The trigger buttons extrude more than on a normal controller, which keeps them from being difficult to find on the small controller. The analog sticks are less sensitive than the official 360 controllers which benefits to give better precision when maneuvering characters in tight spaces.
The controller itself is made out of rubberized plastic with raised ridges on the side. The feel of the controller is quite comfortable and gives more grip than the smooth plastic of the standard 360 controller.
The Microcon also features a turbo key, which can be applied to all of the action buttons including the bumpers allowing gamers to avoid the sore thumbs that come as a result of repeated button mashing. Also available is an analog stick invert switch allowing gamers to invert the right analog stick quickly of those that prefer inverse y-axis control, especially in first person shooter.
MadCatz does offer a wireless version of the Microcon but I was unable to find one for review. The initial concern in purchasing a wired controller is that most gamers like to sit back on their couch and game without worrying about accidently dragging the 360 across the room during heated gameplay. However, the cord was sufficiently long enough to not be too bothersome with overall length approximately 8 feet.
Overall, I really enjoyed this controller and would recommend it to anyone who finds the standard 360 controller cumbersome. The price is okay as a third party controller at $34.99, just slightly less than a wired official controller. One downside to the Microcon is its availability as there are a few available on Amazon.com and none through the MadCatz website. In addition, most local video game retailers do not carry the Microcon.
Score: 3/4
$1 Million Prize for Dota2 Tournament at GamesCom
- Details
- Parent Category: Gadgets
- Category: Video Games
- Published on Saturday, 06 August 2011 20:00
- Written by Christopher Lai
The popular team-based real time strategy Dota is receiving a sequel in dramatic fashion with an invitational 16 team tournament being held during gamescom in Cologne, Germany.
Known as The International, the tournament will be utilizing the new Dota 2 game which hasn't been released to the public. The winning team will receive $1 million in a form of a giant check and can be seen via live stream in which Valve has promised to provide.
Valve has become the primary sponsor in the event providing the prize money for the event with Nvidia giving PC hardware support. Throughout the five-day trade show event, the tournament will consist of a group stage leading to a double elimination playoff format giving teams plenty of opportunity to show off their stuff if four broadcasted languages (English, Chinese, German and Russian).
"The International is the first public Dota 2 event and will give the tens of millions of gamers playing Dota around the world their first look at the new game," said Gabe Newell, president and founder of Valve. "I have had the good fortune to watch the competitors as they prepare for the tournament, and the level of play is extraordinary."
Dota 2 will be available later this year.
Review: GioTeck HF-2 Ergonomic FPS Controller for PS3
- Details
- Parent Category: Gadgets
- Category: Video Games
- Published on Friday, 05 August 2011 10:00
- Written by Christopher Lai
According to some, the PlayStation 3 controller is not conducive to competitive first person shooter gaming. The Xbox 360 controller is considered to be the standard optimal design which may leave out PS3 users in the excitement. The GioTeck HF-2 Ergonomic FPS controller has set out to solve this problem.
Taking inspiration from the Xbox 360 controller, the HF-2 features similarly off setting joysticks with the stock PS3 button layout. A rubber-like skin, similar to the "shark skin" controllers of the N64 era, surrounds the controller creating an overall feel that is comfortable to the touch, but its ergonomic design creates a more bulky feel.
The HF-2 is very well suited for gamers with larger hands, but for the average this might not be the controller for you. The crisp lines on the handles have a tendency to rub your palms slightly creating sore spots after a marathon gaming session, and the shoulder buttons are slightly further out of reach than in the stock controller.
The joysticks feature a concave top allowing for a place to fit your thumbs, but the cross hair extrusions actually counter-act this benefit by digging into the thumbs. The bumps, only serving as aesthetic features, make an otherwise well designed joystick a pain to use over an extended period of time.
Shoulder buttons, R1 and L1, are designed in such a way that the activation point is near the knuckle of your index finger rather than the tip. The hinge of button is located directly under the tip, when resting in natural position, requiring your finger to move down the controller and press rather than simply pressing from the original position. In games like Call of Duty: Black Ops where the L1 and R1 buttons are utilized primarily to shoot, this problem is exemplified even further.
However, the featured control switch at the base of the controller allows for a quick control change from the R1 and L1 buttons (shoulder buttons) to the R2 and L2 buttons (trigger buttons). Basically with a flick of the switch, the shoulder buttons now become the trigger buttons and vice versa. While this switch isn’t really meant for quick in game control, it does allow for the HF-2 to change users quickly who requires different button layouts.
The HF-2 is a step in the right direction for third party controllers on PlayStation 3 highlighted with quality joysticks and buttons. GioTeck had an amazing controller, but the "Ergonomic FPS" idea became too much of a focus in the design. It’s a shame that GioTeck forgot to first build a good controller and then only after add in FPS features.
Retailing for $10 less than the stock PS3 controller and featuring a breathable texture that won’t slip under rigorous gaming, the HF-2 is a buy for gamers with large hands who consistently go on gaming marathons. However, it might be a pass for the average gamer unless they want a very good looking controller to show off at the next LAN party.
Score: 2/4
