No Time To Play

Ever since computers became capable of running actual videogames, developers were drawn to try and break free from the limitations of 2D graphics. This became possible with the advent of microcomputers, which were powerful enough to render wireframe 3D and even flat-shaded polygons. But for the most part they’d make do with tricks, simulating depth with the traditional sprites and some optical illusions.

How 2.5D works

Simply put, 2.5D is the generic name for faking 3D computer graphics with 2D. It usually comes in the form of isometric graphics. But there is another technique, that allows for perspective and even polygons, with extremely easy programming, as long as you accept a few limitations.

How easy? This easy:

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So, this week’s been abuzz with talk of old games. And I don’t mean Good Old Games — is there anyone who hasn’t heard of their little publicity stunt and its aftermath? No, this is about something closer to my heart, namely classic computer games, and how they are or not suitable to a modern audience.

It all started with this article about giving old games to young students and the, ahem, interesting results of the experiment. This was followed by a flurry of reactions, ranging from Jeff Vogel writing, essentially, “well duh, old games suck” to Jay Barnson of Rampant Games fame defending them fiercely (unsurprisingly, given his recent declaration of love for retrogaming), with The Escapist going for an unbiased summary that failed to draw any conclusion.

This is all very subjective, of course. But I would like to point out a few things.

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Less than two weeks ago, I wrote a glowing review of a browser-based MMORPG called Pardus. Yesterday, I cancelled my account.

Before I go into the gory details, remember that negative experiences impact us more strongly than positive ones. You know the saying, “Beauty is skin-deep, but ugliness goes all the way to the bone”? That’s how the brain perceives things. It’s why unhappy customers will complain about your service or product way more than the happy customers will praise it — which in turn is why any business should go out of its way to make customers happy, or at least not unhappy.

That’s also why last time I focused on my positive experiences with the game. I knew the good impression wasn’t going to last. I just didn’t expect things to go downhill as fast as they did.

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For the last few weeks there has been an abundance of information related to Square Enix’s new title. And it’s well deserved since the new mmo seems to be the new “monster” in town.

Some would say it is too big of a monster — the system requirements are harsh indeed.These conditions alone will drive away a large chunk of the market. I mean – Intel® Core™ i7 (2.66 GHz) or faster, NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 460 with 768 MB VRAM or equivalent – RECOMMENDED??? I really don’t want to find out what kind of rig is needed for all settings maxed out

For the rest who do possess the “beasts” required… will they buy it? Play it? I mean, seriously… how many fans does the Final Fantasy IP really have? Quite a lot, apparently

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I’ve been playing a couple of MMORPGs lately. Now, that’s not usually my thing, but sometimes one needs to try something out of the daily routine. And since we’re talking free-to-play, it was only going to cost me time. What I find interesting is that both games appeal to me considerably, despite being not just very different, but polar opposites in some regards. So I decided to try and review both side by side, and see if that turns out any useful insights.

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