TItle: Antichamber Designer: Alexander Bruce Publisher: Demruth Music Composed by: Siddartha Barnhoorn Engine: Unreal Engine 3 Release Date: January 31, 2013 IntroductionOf the many titles to appear on the indie scene over the years, few have piqued my interest as much as Antichamber. Originally conceived as a multiplayer combat arena version of the game Snake, the game is another story of a side project that became an award-winning success story. Its minimalist art style, soothing soundtrack and mind-bending, space-warping puzzles all combine to create an experience that, while no Portal, stands out as unique and engrossing amidst a multitude of other such first-person puzzlers. You can buy it on Steam for $19.99, though I really recommend that you be a fan of puzzle games if you're interested, as it can force you to rely heavily on intuition and inference, which, if you're low on either, can spoil the experience. This is a true brain-twister. There are no inscrutable riddles requiring knowledge of Shakespeare, but there are plenty of moments that require a pause for consideration and rethinking, so be sure of your temperament before purchasing. The game is not without a sense of humor, or irony for that matter. I personally found myself thinking the same as this signpost quite a bit throughout my playthrough. However, the game encourages determination. If at first you don't succeed, come back after a little thought. GameplayAntichamber's abstract design eschews story in favor of simplicity. The game plays more like a series of life lessons that, as with so many things in reality, must be learned via trial and error. You play a faceless, nameless, voiceless protagonist who wakes in a small white and black room, an antechamber of sorts (ha-ha, irony), with a screen on one wall displaying a map that will fill out as you discover new areas and a timer that starts at ninety minutes. Don't worry about the timer however. If anything can be said about Antichamber, it's that it's inherently relaxing and there are no consequences for failure except perhaps some back-tracking. This may be spoiling the experience, but I believe the timer exists to stress the player for the first hour and a half, much like how many people stress about how childhood is too short, or that there always seems to be a deadline for everything. In truth, you cannot beat the entire game before the timer runs out, as once it depletes, it gives you a new panel to look at. To quote the game itself: "Sometimes it's about the journey and not getting to the end." Once you leave the black box you begin in, you are thrust into a world of non-Euclidean rules, where virtually anything is possible. The game masterfully plays on expectations, with every puzzle pushing the player to consider the rules of reality and how they might be broken. One perfect example of this is a puzzle involving a pair of staircases, one red, one blue, and both leading opposite directions. While it seems simple at face value, descending or ascending both lead the player in an Escher-like loop that inevitably leaves them back where they started. I won't spoil the solution, but this is just one of many such initially frustrating, but thought-provoking conundrums the game offers. Eventually, when the basic mechanics of movement and various bizarre environmental mechanics have been showcased, new features are introduced, starting with a 'matter gun' that allows players to suck up and deposit the various types of colored cubes that exist throughout the game, all of which have unique functions and serve innumerable purposes. Of course, to manipulate each of the four types of 'matter', you must collect upgrades for your instrument through the completion of specific puzzle sequences. Apart from this forced progression, the rest of the game is remarkably open to roaming. Cleverly hidden shortcuts provide access to new and ever more devious problems to solve, while a fast-travel system, accessible via the map in the main antechamber, allows you to teleport straight to any previously completed section. Each puzzle is identified by a black square with a pictograph on the wall near it that acts as both checkpoint and humorous explanation for what lesson the puzzle is trying to teach. Of course, one of the most important parts of the game is that nothing is explained to you directly. Apart from some basic info on how to control your character, written on the wall of the starting room, the game expects you to work out everything on your own. Normally this would be terrible, but Antichamber is so bereft of punishment or consequences that it really doesn't feel so bad. It can get frustrating if you run up a puzzle that repeatedly rebuffs your attempts to solve it, but eventually you realize that as in life, some things are best approached later, with more preparation. The learning process feels fluid and exciting, with every success evoking a variety of emotions. Sometimes you'll read the message behind the checkpoint and feel abashed that you didn't work it out sooner, while on other occasions, you'll feel relieved or even amused. The game is all about perception, and reminds you of it constantly. When reality makes no sense, try looking at a problem differently. You'll be amazed at how solutions seem to appear like magic once you stop trusting the rules of physics Of course, the game's replay value is limited, like most puzzle games. There are a few secret rooms, and mysterious pink cubes that serve no purpose but are fun to track down, but apart from the main experience, Antichamber is generally something you'll want to play once or twice a year, if you're really enthusiastic. It's an unfortunate truth about adventure games revolving around puzzles that you can only play them so often, or else you run the risk of memorizing the solutions and thus spoiling the experience. This is especially true of Antichamber, where working things out for yourself is half the fun. Also, unlike some other titles, the puzzles generally only have one solution, which limits freedom of choice when it comes to solving them. It's unfortunate, but the game's efforts to make every problem a parable, it sacrifices flexibility in terms of solutions for communicating the messages behind its madness. Sound & DesignAntichamber's entire structuring is very much rooted in New Age and Minimalist styles. The blank white environment, disrupted by splotches of bright and vibrant colors, could almost be considered a metaphor for life itself: long boring intervals punctuated by bouts of excitement and emotion. Outlines are sharp, almost cell-shaded, defining every twist and turn clearly. Meanwhile, a powerful combination of nature-noises, chimes and calming tones permeate everything, preventing the abstract and alien environment from feeling empty or menacing. There are no loud or sharp noises, in fact. Everything is dampened in terms of sound. Thrumming, the rustle of the wind, thumping; all are present, but apart from some distant thunder, there was nothing like the crackling buzz of electricity or any sort of violent klaxon. The world feels stripped down, bereft of danger (though not without moments of shock). It's an interesting sensation to play a game without stakes and where there seems to be no pressure. This may not sit well with everyone, but then the game isn't about being rewarded. It's about learning as you go. Again, the journey is everything. Some puzzles have multiple phases as well as forking paths. This room in particular will have you coming back more than once after upgrading your matter gun with new capabilities. Meanwhile, each exit leads to a different puzzle, with its own set of lessons to teach. Final VerdictHow do you rate something that's never been done before? In my experience, Antichamber is unique. I have never seen a game that tests its player so; that challenges them to reach the answer for themselves. Nor have I ever seen a title play so creatively with expectations and reality. It's a slap in the face to all the conditioning inflicted by the games that have come before it. It rarely holds your hand, but it's puzzles are never inscrutable or impossible. It teaches you its mechanics fluidly, allowing you to reach your own conclusions, while forcing you to constantly challenge any assumptions you might make. It may not have a story, but a story would defeat the purpose of the game. Certainly, it's bare-bones aesthetics may not charm everyone, and it's certainly not for those without patience, but those are matters of personal preference. Antichamber, like it or not, is a brilliant game, with more mind-bending cleverness than an art exhibit by Escher himself. I highly recommend it. After all, a journey of self-discovery is always worth taking.
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TItle: Condemned - Criminal Origins Developer: Monolith Productions Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Writers: Frank Rooke Music Composed by: Nathan Grigg Engine: Lithtech Jupiter EX Release Date: April 11, 2006 INtroductionWhen it comes to scary games, Condemned: Criminal Origins is a mixed bag of good work and faded glory. Released almost a decade ago at the time of this writing, time has not treated this first-person beat-action-horror title as kindly as Monolith Productions' other, more memorable title, F.E.A.R., and it shows. To be fair, the game was originally released for the Xbox 360, and PC ports often suffer far more issues than games that are designed initially for multi-platform releases, but you'd think the developer would've bothered with some post-release polishing or patches over time. Unfortunately, they haven't, and so Criminal Origins fate rings true with its title, left to rot. Indeed, the entire series has since been abandoned after Condemned 2: Bloodshot received poor sales that discouraged Monolith from pursuing a PC version. Criminal Origins is available for $14.95 on Steam, though I'd recommend waiting for a sale rather than paying the whole price. GameplayCriminal Origins is played in the first-person, and its combat system is more beat-em-up than shoot-em-up. Firearms exist, but are limited to the number of rounds they contain when picked up. A heavy emphasis is placed on melee combat, where reflexes and the ability to recognize physical cues are key to survival. In Condemned, many things can be weapons: a board with some bolts in it, an electrical conduit pulled from a nearby wall. Heavier weapons, such as fire axes and crowbars, serve a dual purpose, granting the player the ability to access sealed or hidden areas and items. All the weapons are rated on their swing speed, blocking power, reach and damage. The player can also kick enemies if they manage to knock them down, or perform scripted finishing moves for extra style if they''ve scored a disarming blow. If you get swarmed (and you will), you can fall back on your taser, which has infinite ammunition, but needs to recharge between uses, rendering it very timing-sensitive in terms of usefulness. The combat is brutal and hectic, requiring much practice to master. It can also be excessively frustrating to get used to. Believe me; I know. I feel that on some level the reliance on melee was part of a decision to slow down the pace of the game. Fights are relatively few and far between, with ambiance and atmosphere getting the maximum chance to sink in. However, while I recognize the design choice, I do think it could've been handled better. It's hard to put a finger on just what makes the game so frustrating and exhausting but there are numerous small things. The inability to skip cutscenes; being trapped in rooms by invisible walls while phone conversations provide exposition; the small spaces provided by the environment for combat that often lead to being trapped and swarmed by enemies; the long, boring back-tracking sessions. All of these, piled on top of a plodding movement speed that should help engender caution, but somehow just feels like the players is wearing lead overshoes, not to mention a sprint bar that feels painfully small and slow to recharge during basic exploration. I feel if the developers had made players just a tiny bit faster, or given them some means of improving the sprint mechanic, things would've been less of a chore. The game also does not feature a jumping or crouching mechanic, which might be passed off as a restriction of the game's design, were it not for the fact that the lack of such abilities is a huge damper on immersion, which is what the goal of slower pacing should be. If I can't hop over a table, it it just makes it feel even more like I'm in a video game and less like a cop wading through a city full of psychos like the game aims to portray. Really, the whole movement system was a huge downer in regards to my enjoyment, and combined with all the other little grains of salt I had to put up with, it quite spoiled the whole game, to the point where I sometimes quit out of frustration or boredom rather than fear, which is a shame, because Condemned has the capacity to be a very frightening game. Count your bullets! Condemned trades convenience for immersion in quite a few places. There's no ammo-counter on the game's heads-up display. If you want to find out how much ammo you have, you need to open the gun and find out. One part of the gameplay I did enjoy above all was the integration of a detective-style mini-game, which pops up at various intervals to help progress the plot in a very immersive manner. The player is equipped with a suite of somewhat futuristic evidence-gathering tools, including a a UV projector for locating organic materials, a laser-light that marks trace elements and a pocket gas-spectrometer that can help locate corpses. Now and then, the player will run across a crime scene and need to work out the details to progress. Really, it's not that complex a system and the size of the equipment often makes you wonder if carrying all this stuff is what's slowing you down, but I found it highly enjoyable and immersive, though sadly not enough to make up for the game's other flaws. StoryThe story of Condemned is...weird, to put it bluntly. You play as Ethan Thomas, an FBI agent stationed in Interchangeable American City #12948-B, a.k.a. 'Metro'. Metro is suffering from a massive crime wave, and the game starts with Thomas and his very unmemorable partner being called in by a street cop to look at a murder which bears the marks of a serial killer the Bureau has been tracking called 'the Match Maker'. Shortly after arriving on the scene, a whiff of cigarette smoke alerts the trio of police to the fact that they are not alone. After pursuing the suspect through the building and experiencing some inexplicable hallucinations, Thomas loses his gun, which is then used to kill his partner and the officer helping them. Cut to the next day, with some odd continuity errors sprinkled on top. Thomas wakes from a nightmare about a freaky guy with dental problems to find that he's being watched by a man who introduces himself as Malcolm van Horn. van Horn tells Ethan that because the killer used his gun, the police will mark him as the culprit and arrest him. Ignoring the logical fallacies and unanswered questions (such as how van Horn got into the apartment, and why Ethan isn't more worried about a stranger watching him sleep), Ethan takes his advice and flees just as the police arrive. From there, things get progressively weirder. Honestly, it's really down to a question of whether or not you view it as an effort to enhance the surrealistic nightmarish nature of the whole game, or the writers just being bad at plugging plot holes. The characters come across as rather flat upon closer examination, which is fine for a shooter, but not a horror game. The voice acting is also pretty two-dimensional. except possibly for the enemies, which is always good. All told, the universe of Condemned has a lot of potential, but so much of it seems delivered in the most confusing manner possible. The game left me with a mountain of questions and too few answers. Why are there so many psychotic homeless people scattered through the game? What's causing these strange hallucinations Thomas seems prone to? Where do the emaciated, nameless freaks with a body-modification fetish fit in? What's the villain's motivation? Why are there so many violent and psychotic homeless people around the city? The world may never know...at least unless they play the second game. This just seems like sloppy story-telling to me. I was left disappointed in the ending, which resolved little and revealed less. They could've simply finished with revealing Ethan was suffering schizophrenia the whole time and I would've been less embittered, especially considering how exhausting the game is. Malcolm van Horn (on the right), claims to know Ethan's father, who is never discussed in detail. He never offers any proof of this either, which seems silly to me. I was more surprised that Ethan didn't shoot him on reflex than I was that the start of this section turned out to be a nightmare sequence. Sound & DesignThe saddest part of Criminal Origins may be the fact that on the surface, it looks and feels really scary. The game's focus on decaying and dilapidated environments is a big plus to its spook-factor, as is its choice of venues. The chapter set in the abandoned department store was particularly unsettling, and a very original choice. The difficulty is also a plus in this area, as I found myself dreading combat wherever it was threatened. Thomas feels fragile and human in the face of his enemies. My only gripe is that sometimes this sense becomes too strong. I didn't need him to smack down enemies in one hit, but perhaps if he could run for longer than a few seconds at a time, I wouldn't be so infuriated by Thomas' fragility. It would've also helped with the game's pacing, which is another element that burned me out incredibly quickly. The game's ten chapters might not actually be all that long, but even playing for thirty minutes at a time left me feeling like I had run a marathon with my wrists and wits, and achieved little. The game's replayability is also quite low. It has no multiplayer, and the collectibles and achievements (which consist of TVs, nondescript bits of metal and dead birds) are often hidden a little too well. Frankly, the game doesn't feel like it rewards you enough for exploration, given how many dark corners it has. Too often some areas felt like wasted space in terms of level design. Running up against dead-ends with nothing in them quickly became a persistent theme of my play-through. I'd also like to note that there is never a clear in-game introduction to the fact that certain objects can be moved to reveal hidden items, something I never suspected until much later. There's very little indication that this is possible given how static most of the environment is. That's another problem: the physics system sucks. You can smack a computer monitor with a crowbar and not budge it an inch. Too much of the world feels nailed down and inanimate; a constant reminder that none of this is real. It's confusing too, since the game clearly has a physics engine. It just appears the developers didn't put the effort into extending it to most of the environment. The sound design, alas suffers from major issues. When it does work, it's okay, although its obvious to most well-traveled gamers that a lot of the sounds used are recycled or public domain assets. I picked out noises and background ambiance that seemed to have been ripped straight from id Software's Doom 3, somewhat spoiling the effect. It was scary, but not enough that the fear caused me as much concern as my temper and tiredness. When the sound doesn't work, you'll notice quickly. One of the worst instances is a bug that no one has fixed in the third chapter where you find yourself clinging to the back of a subway train in motion and yet find it's not making any noise. It makes the whole sequence feel broken and laughable rather than terrifying and hectic. Birds are another hanging thread in Condemned's messy tapestry of story. Intermission screens talk about how Metro appears to be suffering from massive avian die-offs, though how that ties into the story is never really explained. Final VerdictCondemned is a game with so much promise, but in the end it falls flat on its dirty, bandage wrapped face. It makes a good presentation, yet is held back by its numerous flaws. Again, I'd like to stress this game was originally made for the Xbox 360, and that console-to-PC ports have a history of being bad. That still doesn't excuse the quality of what I saw. All I can really say is I feel so disappointed and tired by what should've been an electrifying and heart-pounding experience. Personally, I'm torn between buyer's remorse and what little enjoyment I got from what the game did right. I'm a cautiously optimistic person, and I always try to look at things in the best light, but alas, Criminal Origins is just so smudged in filth and grime that its hard even for a thriller-lover like me to love. If you really want to play it, I recommend doing it in twenty-minute bursts. That's how long I could stomach it before having to throw up my hands and find something with a bit more energy and polish to play. I only wish Monolith had cared more. Maybe then Condemned wouldn't feel so much like the rotting apartment buildings it puts you in.
In the waning days of the 1990's, id Software released Quake, which is generally accepted as the first great 3D first-person shooter. Despite its extreme age, the game maintains a thriving community of fans and has an enduring legacy in the form of the many titles from all over the genre that went on to emulate it. Featuring a bare-bones story with loose ties to Lovecraft as well as blazing-fast multiplayer combat, Quake was unlike anything anyone had ever seen upon its release. It was an astounding achievement, but even then, few could've predicted how high the franchise would rise. Three years later, Quake III: Arena became the gold standard for competitive high-speed multiplayer in shooters, its popularity equaled only by the original Unreal Tournament at its release. Now, two decades later, the gore-soaked success of the new Doom propelling them forwards, Bethesda and id Software have combined forces once more to return the king of Deathmatch to its rightful throne. At E3 2016, they unveiled Quake: Champions, a brave new vision for the series that combined elements of the first and third games as well as more modern ideas, all in an effort to recapture the glory of the franchise's origins. Of course, things never go as smoothly as hoped, especially when they're as big as this. For years, id Software has hinted at the fact that they were dying to make another Quake. Unfortunately, the questionable success of Quake 4 left the series in limbo, while id's acquisition by ZeniMax Media, Bethesda's parent company, further pushed out any dreams the franchise's creators might have of continuing it. Now, with the cat out of the bag, many fans have voiced complaints about the chosen path the new title appears to be taking. An interview with Tim Willits, director of id Software, has revealed that despite any initial assumptions or fears, Champions is not a MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) like League of Legends or DOTA 2. However, it does seem to share characteristics with Blizzard's new title Overwatch, a fact which caused a fresh wave of displeasure in itself. Among other things, the interview discussed how the roster of playable characters will have unique features, as well as one unique ability tied to them. I cannot count the number of angry Youtube comments I saw frothing at the mouth about how Visor (seen at the end of the teaser and generally accepted as one of Quake's chief mascots) now had the power to temporarily see through walls. I also cannot count how many expressed they felt this, among other things was a sign of a betrayal of Quake's identity and the spirit of high-octane and skill-based gaming it represented. This whole scenario has given me flashbacks to the original announcement of the latest Doom and the reaction of id's fanbase to that effort to teach an old dog new tricks. People back then were angry at the introduction of 'glory kills', timed execution moves that they felt would slow down what should've been a game that felt like the charge of the Spartans in Zach Snyder's 300, except set on fast-forward instead of slow-motion. Despite all the wailing and gnashing of teeth however (or possibly because of it), Doom has become a massive commercial and critical success. I can't help but wonder if we're setting ourselves up for a repeat of history. It'd be nice to think so. Tim Willits has since stated that the game will ship with a mode that disables player powers for those purists that want the 'true' Quake experience, so perhaps it's not all simply entitled whining (though given the tone of those Youtube comments its not hard to see how it could be mistaken as such). The footage of Champions that debuted at QuakeCon seems to show the game is combining elements of the first and third installments of the franchise. Many of the wild and creative characters of Arena, such as Anarki, a hover-boarding cyberpunk nightmare with stitched lips, have returned, while also being joined by new faces, such such as Scalebearer, a hulking brute whose special power is to charge his enemy like a freight train and plow through them with roughly the same effect. At the same time, the heavy satanic imagery of Arena has largely been eschewed in favor of bizarre alien environments similar to those of the first game, complete with Lovecraftian themes. I have to say, I love their choice of set pieces. Between the giant eyeball and the enormous dead bug...thing, it certainly does a lot to lend the environment atmosphere. Experienced fans will also spot returning venues with refurbished looks. The aforementioned insect was positioned atop a pillar that looks a good deal like the infamous Campgrounds map from Quake III. All in all, it combines with the action to make a powerful impression, which hopefully is reflective of the quality of the final product.
Quake: Champions is another effort by an old company to refresh the glory of yesteryear, something that seems to be happening an awful lot lately, and not just in the video game market. I have high hopes for this one, having been a fan of Arena back in the day. The word is that it will only be released for PC, a sad loss for consoles, but hopefully not something that is not beyond being subject to change. Here's to the king! LONG MAY HE REIGN!
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