Misty eyes and aching fingers

GAMES/REMINISCENSE

Whilst I've been hooked on Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike for a few years and am looking forward to seeing more of the fourth game, it's easy to forget that the second game had a significant impact on my life as a gamer, as it did for many others. Although the title is rightfully praised for it's evocative backdrops, memorable music and flawless structure, it's the characters of the game that take centre stage - the inevitable crushing defeat a newcomer may face when meeting a particular adversary would lead them to use their opponent's supposedly superior moveset to battle through their next playthrough...only to be stricken down by an opponent previously thought to be a pushover. The 12 (or 16 if you're playing Super) stars of beat 'em up history are undoubtedly what makes the Street Fighter II series so special, as it demonstrates a remarkable balancing act of strenghs and weaknesses between characters which makes it hard for someone to pick a character who can easily beat all corners with little need for tactical variety (and let me stress that by "someone" I mean your typical man on the street - no doubt the obsessives would argue about tiers and unfair advantages, but when you only have time (and money) for a couple of plays at a seaside pier you don't think about these things.)

In order to appreciate the variety of these characters, and the balance of movesets and their various blends of damage, range, defence and whatnot, one needs to do the only sensible thing, and dust off their cabinet/copy of Anniversary Collection/XBLA library/SNES/MAME database for a hands-on trip down memory lane. Which is just what I did today, digging out my ROM of Champion Edition and taking Ryu through some of the most cherished memories of any veteran gamer (again, it's worth remembering that despite the increasingly anal perfectionists compiling excruciatingly detailed databases of damage conditions, frame data and God knows what else, this game used to be played much more casually by people who couldn't afford to piss away 10ps memorising such details, so my recollections will have a hint of the average player about them.)

Firstly, Street Fighter II (CE, but I'll probably continually shorten it to SF2 during this post) is difficult. On the one hand, this might seem as something of a surprise, especially coming from a 3rd Strike obsessive who whips through 8* arcade mode to kill time, but on the other hand it's worth remembering that this is an arcade game first and foremost, designed to get ever harder so that it coaxes ever more money out of determined players. Now at first, it doesn't seem like a particularly hard game. Oh sure, it's a bit of a challenge, as it's meant to be, but the challenge comes from learning about each of your opponents - when they are dangerous, when they are vulnerable - and exploiting the windows of opportunity you find...and that process of learning and exploitation won't eat up too many of your credits, because the specials aren't so damaging that you'll die before you've understood what makes your opponent tick. Following this evening's playthrough, discovering the pros and cons of each character's moveset is what makes the game so appealing; Blanka's ridiculous somersaulting leap into the air where he comes crashing down on the player might catch them by surprise at first, but maybe once they know to expect it they could perform a speedy getaway (say, a Spinning Bird-Kick to the other side of the screen if they're using Chun-Li) before it's too late.

However, if there's one point in CE where the difficulty of the game and the importance of knowing the movesets hammers home, it's during the final few enemies. Sagat, Vega, Bison and Balrog all have some ridiculously strong specials: Sagat's uppercuts, Vega's "climb around the background then dive" thing, Bison's Psycho Crusher, Balrog's ridiculously strong punches - they all mess up a player's health bar really badly if they're not expecting it, and they all caused me a lot of finger cramp as I tried to escape these deadlier moves. I think that, of those four, it was Vega who received most of my anger and hatred. Doing massive dives and taking huge chunks from my lifebar is one thing, but doing it after climbing up the background, which no-one else can do? Grr. Every time he began the climb, my heart sank as I prepared to get annihilated. :P But anyway, whether it's Vega or another boss - or even whether it's a boss or a standard character - the variation of fighting styles always encourages you to keep changing your own style, all without feeling too unfair. Well, usually.

I'll admit that there's not much point to this blog, it's just a little nostalgia trip that I thought I'd share with you (not that I'm saying that my thoughts were clouded with nostalgia when playing - SF2 is as intense an experience today as it ever was). Nevertheless, I hope you've enjoyed what I've had to say. Before I go though, I'll offer a few playing habits I found myself sticking to during this playthrough, for anyone who wants to get back into old-school SF2 (shoto) action.

Strong normals are more valuable than you think. Normally I stick to specials to keep enemies at a distance and create damage, and sometimes I use light normals when pressured, but strong normals frequently proved to be a convenient escape, and one that only required a single button-push.

Throws are great for causing damage and creating distance. I mainly know this because during my playthrough I was on the receiving end of quite a few, and it was usually when I only had a small chunk of my lifebar remaining; it eventually led to me keeping my distance if I was in danger, lest a throw finish me off. However, if you find yourself cornered, a throw is a convenient way to create some space and back off whilst they're recovering.

Tatsu escapes from corner traps are fairly handy. Essentially as useful an escape as a throw, they're best used when the enemy is airborne (natch). Again, Blanka's crazy somersaulting is an apt example of when to use a tatsu to get the hell out of there.

Best of luck!

Disposable's Games Editor no longer biased towards handhelds

GAMES/SELF-INDULGENCE

Let me take you back to, er, late 2004: the specialist gaming press had lifted the lid (no pun intended) on Nintendo's DS system; the console was due to launch in the states on the 21st November, and promised to offer inventive gaming experiences that we had never experienced before, rewriting game design books and opening up a whole new way of thinking about what makes a game. From the moment it was announced, the DS was ripe with potential - the question that followed this announcement was, of course, "how soon will this potential be realised?"

Personally, I was excited about the potential of the system, but unimpressed by the launch line-up; games that you knew would be perfect for the system (Wario Ware, Polarium) sat alongside more convential material (Spider-Man 2, Madden and of course the ubiquitous (read: "just fuck off and die already") Rayman.) This mix of creativity and convention left me unconvinced of the DS' immediate appeal: a few games of Wario Ware Touched and Yoshi's Touch 'n' Go on a friend's DS proved to be a nice distraction, but at the time I was still enjoying the more conventional 16-bit ports on my GBA: with a gaming structure I was comfortable with, those games had a more tangible sense of progress than the gimmick games in the first wave of DS software. So it wasn't much of a surprise that I soon found my gaze drifting towards a forthcoming rival.

With structures so familiar, so comfortable, the games in the PSP's line up were an immediate draw for me. Here were titles that had that sense of progress I'd loved in the GBA software and longed for in the DS' library of games. Avoiding something as risky as the DS' design gave Sony the opportunity to play it safe and deliver the kind of games they already knew there was an audience for, and this approach proved to be effective in my eyes - I was fascinated by the promises, by the Sony classics I loved playing at home that could potentially be played in my hands. So it's obvious which handheld I ended up buying first. Isn't it?

Well, as you know, Disposable rarely gets the chance to review stuff for free (apart from my Freeware column, of course :P) and as much as I liked the PSP's line-up I couldn't justify spending that much on the console. If I recall, it launched at around £180 in the UK; something of a joke when you consider that the announced price for Japan was a shade over £100. The GBA market had pretty much dried up, save for a few ill-advised licenses, and I was casting my eyes towards a new handheld. Any new handheld. Suddenly I feel a pinch on my bum - it's the bite of Karma, letting me know that as much as I loathed the launch line-up, I would end up buying into the potential of the DS, hoping against hope that the future was brighter than this shaky beginning. Actually, I'll confess, it wasn't just the price difference that sold me a DS - it was Ouendan. But that's another story.

So I have my DS and a copy of Polarium, and I later bought Ouendan and enjoyed it. A lot. Maybe there is something to this "gimmick" console after all. However, the DS was still getting out of it's "1. Implement any form of touchscreen interaction 2. ??? 3. Profit" phase, and in the end it was inevitably the games with more conventional structures that won me over. Sonic Rush. Portrait of Ruin. New Super Mario Bros. Even Phoenix Wright, which can be played entirely with the DS' gimmicks, is (bonus case aside) a port of a game originally developed for the more conventional GBA. I was a DS convert: Nintendo had once more won the battle for my palm sweat. Well, until last Tuesday.

At £70 - a shade over the average price of a 360 or PS3 game if you shop at the wrong places - a local indie was selling a preowned PSP. Delightedly, I snapped it up a day after I first saw it and have since been enjoying the system I had originally planned to buy all these years ago. I have a lot of catching up to do with my games library - so far I only have Wipeout Pure, GTA: VCS and Tekken: DR to play - but I haven't felt so happy about a new gaming purchase since The Orange Box. Which arguably is still quite recent, but whatever.

So, as an afterword to that happy ending, I'll say that you can expect a bit more balance with regards to the handheld reviews in Disposable, and I hope that this anecdote has served as a reminder to the jaded old folk (trust me, I'm one of them) of the joy that gaming can bring. Happy playing.

Ace Attorney: Apollo Justice (or is it the other way around?)

GAMES/FIRST IMPRESSIONS

I've put it off for quite a while now so that I could get a feel for the game, but as I'm currently playing through the first trial of the final case of Capcom's fourth Ace Attorney game (and the first DS-exclusive one), I believe some impressions are in order.

The last time I critiqued an Ace Attorney game was when I rambled about the third game and how the narrative was excellent but it still had the same mechanical flaws - over-elaborate cases with far too many ways of explaining something in your head but only one way of explaining something in the game: that horrible problem where adding leniency and allowing different methods of answering could promote wild guessing - eventually I probably blamed the penalty system for punishing creative answers, but conceded that the ability to save almost anywhere in the game allowed some creative problem solving without too much risk.

Apollo Justice keeps the penalty system. It keeps the punishing consequences for failing to second-guess the game. It keeps the elaboration, the lack of "quick-burst" cases and the overload of information from the Court Record, testimonies and everything else. Re-reading that it sounds like I have my own idea of what an Ace Attorney game should play like, and that my opinions are at odds with those of other fans. Rest assured, I can tolerate the current structure, otherwise I wouldn't have played and bought the first three games - I'd have probably said something like "oh, so these Psyche-Locks punish me before I've even entered court? Sod that." What I am trying to say is that the fourth game probably won't convert those who didn't get on with the fundamental mechanics of the previous games. Aside from the gimmicks we already saw in the first game's DS-exclusive fifth case, there are one or two other changes: Psyche-Locks are (so far, at least) absent, replaced by something called the "Minuku system" (more on that later), the 3D capabilities of the DS are put to good use in new crime scene investigation phases similar to the moments in Phoenix Wright games where you'd have a grey plan diagram of the scene and use it to prove your case, and there are even FMV style scenes between gameplay.

The Minuku system is arguably a bit simpler than the Psyche-Locks of old; again, you'll know when you need to use it (rather than having to try and use it at every statement), and it doesn't require cross-examination of evidence and testimony, so you won't need to present everything at every statement; it's more about looking for inconsistencies in behaviour (mostly via unique animations of characters) and then using the Minuku system to look into those inconsistencies in more detail as the statement is repeated in slow-motion: point out the moment in the statement when they occur, and you'll succeed. It's certainly weirder in presentational style than the Magatama's locks and chains, but it's very satisfying and perhaps slightly more accessible (since it's just about visual cues - not evidence).

If not for the penalty system (why not allow infinite penalties, then rank the player - from D to S - based on how many times they were wrong? :P ) Apollo Justice would be the most accomplished follow-up yet. It bravely departs from the narrative and mechanics of old, whilst introducing new ones that are just as appealing. The new prosecutor, assistant and even Apollo himself are excellent: swiftly casting aside any fears that Capcom set the bar too high with Maya, Edgeworth et al. Meanwhile, the Minuku system adds depth without being different for the sake of it. To conclude, it hasn't fixed the problems it already had, but it's built on the foundations of the mechanics that make the series such a success.

Just a shame that the import-averse are still waiting for Trials and Tribulations... *grumble*

Tumbleweed Interactive announce Umami

GAMES

Since it was the birthplace of the magazine, Disposable Media is often sourcing news and gossip from Edge Online spinoff Rllmukforum, and being the freeware/indie correspondent I'm always looking for news from the creatives and developers over there. So when vamecum, a passionate gamer and regular at the Development folder of Rllmukforum, publicised Umami, the latest work-in-progress from Tumbleweed Interactive - a fairly young development studio he co-founded with three other developery people last year - Disposable Media thought it'd be worth a mention over here. We can't reveal a lot beyond the information on the official site, but having spoken to vamecum and had him share a few bits and pieces about the game, we think it's well worth mentioning here. One to look out for.

"I'll be available for Forzing whenever"

GAMES

forz (v.): to play the Xbox 360 game Forza Motorsport 2 (often shortened to Forza), usually online.

Example of forz in the present continuous form:

"I would be forzing tonight but my internet connection is playing up"

Additionally, the suffixal morpheme "er" can be applied when forz is used as a verbal stem:

"Is he playing Halo tonight?"

"Nah, he's a veteran forzer these days."

Due to the common pronounciation of the game's title, however, it's important to clarify whether you are using the noun or the verb+suffixal morpheme in conversation. Once understanding is established, using forz in casual conversation becomes effortless.

Student Arrested For Planned Shooting in CoD4

GAMES
An American student has been arrested after discussing plans to 'shoot up' Frostburg State University over voice chat in call of Duty 4.

read more | digg story

Call of Duty 4- Some much needed change is on its way

GAMES
The changes are split between two groups: playlist and patch changes. The playlist changes are numerous, and really help to balance and perfect the online experience. Maps are being added to rotations, new playlist variations are being introduced, and some rules are being changed.

read more | digg story

BioShock Propaganda Goes to the Grocery Store

GAMES
Sometimes you see a Photoshop fake that is SO good you just wish it was real. Such is the case with this genius and extremely well executed pic

read more | digg story

Call of Duty 4 Outsells Super Mario Galaxy

GAMES
NPD Group today released sales data for the month of November 2007, and Call of Duty 4 outsold the biggest name in video games.

read more | digg story

Strange Xbox Signal Suspected of Jamming Wireless LANs

GAMES
Microsoft's Xbox 360 game console can create a strong and strange signal that disrupts wireless LANs, according to IT staff at Morrisville State College. It's not clear whether the signal disrupts the college's WLAN access points or students' wireless notebooks.

read more | digg story

Art, emotion, and nice animation

GAMES

NB: this was originally posted by qazimod under the DM account as part of a new posting template test thing (but it was crap), hence the "disposable media" author.

I can't help but laugh at the "games are art" people sometimes. Well, not exactly laugh, but I do sympathise with them. I mean, it's hard enough convincing people that games aren't the spawn of the Devil, that they won't destroy our inner humanity, that they aren't about to defile our grandparents and bring about the collapse of society as we know it. So how on Earth are you supposed to put forward an argument for gaming as an artform? I don't want to get into that debate just this moment, but I will say that Ico has frequently been touted as a game that provides ammunition for those who think games are more than just FIFA and Def Jam.

I haven't had a lot of time to play the game, but I must admit to being suckered in by it's lack of complexity: think of all the squad -based firstperson shooters where you're launched into a chaotic battlefield with meaningless marine jargon babbling in your ear from the offset; it's not the most subtle welcome, and after a while it gets a little predictable. However, Ico's introduction is nice and understated: you have a chance to get a feel for the surrounding architecture, mess around with the swinging and jumping of Ico himself (I really like the attention to detail in Ico's animation, by the way), you meet Yorda, and then you fight the weird shadowy creatures.

One of the other things I like about Ico's initial combat sequences is that the shadow creatures have no distinct form, and you can vaguely swing at them and they'll collapse beautifully. Again, the little details in the animation are brilliant; it's like playing something like Flashback for the first time. And I thought Ico himself would be a lot more dorky than he actually is, but the characterisation isn't all that bad (as for Yorda, the first thing I tried to do was swing my stick at her - old habits...)

Anyway, I've barely scratched the surface, and I'm in the middle of a few other titles as always, but it's comforting to know that it is still possible to find a copy of the game if you are determined enough. :P

Activision Blizzard campaigns for innovation

GAMES

Not exactly the most surprising news around, but it's not hard to imagine Guitar Hero going the way of the Birdman, with new releases (read: shameless rehashes) every six fucking months. Jesus wept.

EDIT: thanks to some tinkering by one of the staffers, we can now make links out of blog titles, so if you didn't notice that clicking the title leads to the news in question, have a look!

Ookiblocks heading to the IGF

GAMES

For this English writer, my interest in Euro 2008 has rapidly disappeared after our utterly useless team of overpaid cretins failed miserably. The tournament might be great, but it just isn't as fun when you've not got anyone to support. Thankfully for the Independent Games Festival, we have.

Disposable Media is always happy to promote projects that are up to the high standards we like to see being achieved, but it is also nice when there is some vague knowledge of the people creating them. Pleasingly, Ookibloks falls under both categories. Plus, it gives us someone to cheer on at the next IDF, which whilst being one gaming event we're always firmly behind it is more fun when you have someone to shout for.

The full list of nominations includes some fantastic titles that have made a name for themselves in the last few months as well as some that we've never heard of before (the full list is here) which is almost always the way. And sure, it is one of those events where everyone is a winner but that doesn't mean we aren't looking forward to finding out who the proper winners are in February.

The title we are backing? From the official description...

OokiBloks is an innovative action puzzle game, filled with comical mischief, upbeat dance music and synchronized sound.

Take control of Ooki the monkey and leap around the colorful cartoon play areas, making music and changing blocks to their rightful color!

But more interestingly, have a look at the video:

Monkeys, music, crabs, monkeys, war, rhythm, monkeys, monkeys, monkeys...what more could you want from a game? It is certainly enough to get us wanting to play it and supporting it...

Visit the official Ookibloks website at http://www.ookibloks.com

GAMES/FEATURE

Space Giraffe vs. Tempest

Even though it's not really a sparkling new release, Jeff Minter's Space Giraffe has still been generating a fair bit of debate around various online communities; some think that it's too complex, others think that it's too desperate, some say that it's humour is rubbish or that it's impossible to see the bullets, but most people say that it's like Tempest. It's easy to see why people would come to such conclusions; no-one needs reminding that Minter has been responsible for remakes on the Jaguar and Nuon, and if you were to look at a screenshot of Space Giraffe, you would think that it played like Tempest. However, claiming that the Tempest series and Space Giraffe are one and the same isn't an exact science; certain gameplay principles set the two games apart as easily as others bring them closer together. Look at it another way; if you were to summarise the gameplay of Tempest - the original black-and-white wireframe Tempest - you would do so by saying that, I don't know, "enemies come from one end of the playfield and you must prevent them from reaching the other end by shooting them whilst positioned at this other end". Space Giraffe has a bit of this - it's flowers are a lot like Tempest's spikes and will kill you if they reach the end you are moving along, and you can die by touching an enemy at the other edge if your power zone is non-existent, but the nature of ramming off enemies whilst your power-zone is active goes against what you learn from Tempest. This power-zone always drains over time but can be replenished by shooting enemies, so it's like...a rechargeable shield. Yes, that's it: Space Giraffe is Tempest with a rechargeable shield. Or is it? Ah well, time to find out. With a DS. Digging out Ninty's handheld, I root around for my copy of - and I'm ashamed to admit this as I normally dislike such shameless profiteering from publishers - Retro Atari Classics. Firing up Tempest, it's surprising how simple the formula is and yet how exciting it can be - you have left, right and fire, and that's it. The DS version has an analogue twist, but that's immaterial. In the game proper you zoom around various shapes shooting into the distance as enemies come towards you and attempt to either shoot you down or grab you if they reach the edge. Later levels introduce things like the spikes and the enemies that break into two after being shot, but the core principle is still the same; shoot stuff before it reaches the edge.

Firing up Space Giraffe, I decide to choose "Origin", a suitably Tempesty arrangement. Flicking the analogue stick to and fro I wipe out the first few enemies and then get destroyed by something near the edge, although I couldn't tell what it was because the pyros, er, got in the way a bit. Origin's a great example to use, as it shows the basic disciplines of bulling and bullet preservation, and so I can career into enemies without the same fear as Tempest, and if I get behind them quick enough I can reflect bullets and get a higher bonus. Moving onto Space Level 4, I go for a simple left-right strafing run as it's a nice flat level: in essence, I'm shooting stuff before it reaches the edge. Not only does this help me when the bonuses get counted, I also get to bull stuff safely. When I'm eventually bulling, I'm no longer shooting stuff before it reaches the edge, but in order to do this bulling I have had to shoot stuff before it reached the edge. Anyone still with me? Good, because I'm now on Space Level 5, the traditional cylinder arrangement. This time I concentrate a bit more; the enemies fade into nothingness and all I'm focused on are the bullets and the power zone; as long as the latter is still in the distance, I can shoot the former before they reach the edge for big bonuses. Peasy. I make it to the next level, but I don't last long as a cocky dash for a bullet costs me my last life.

I return to the desk and think about the two games; one focuses on shooting enemies before they reach the edge, avoiding bullets and watching out for spikes... whilst the other focuses on shooting bullets before they reach the edge, ignoring approaching enemies and watching out for a dead power zone. I'll admit that SG plays a clever trick by making you ignore most of the chaos to focus on what's important (power zones and bullets, at least initially), and this is a great "zone" feeling, but when you are in relative safety most of the time - as long as the power zone is active, anyway - it lacks some of the intensity of Tempest because said power zone acts as a shield. Sure, you could bounce bullets back and forth and they would be threatening, but you could also choose not to. With Tempest boasting a greater sense of threat earlier on, Space Giraffe feels like Tempest with a rechargeable shield. Perhaps.

GAMES

Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights Review

I have a bit of sympathy for this game. I mean, how can you not feel a little sorry for any racing game which appears slap bang in between Forza Motorsport 2, and Project Gotham Racing 4. And that sympathy made me overcome some preconceptions to discover what is actually a rather fun racing game.

Like Max Power, and US TV show Hot Import Nights, the game has a lot of show. It's slick, nice to look at, and there's a huge range of ways to customise a fairly large catalogue of available cars. You get the choice of racing and drifting events - from traditional races, to single drifting, to eliminator team drifting - and progress through several levels to prove you're the best in the world.

As expected, and like a 17-year-old with a modded Corsa, there's a bit more show than go. The racing itself is enjoyable in an arcade style, and there is some impressive speed when you indulge in a nitrous boost (recharged with powerslides). The handling is very arcade, with only the American muscle cars feeling really different to the Japanese and Euro offerings.

In addition to the racing, you can place bets with a single rival before a race, who will then consider your offer and could raise or lower it before the deal is done. In some races, you're also expected to offer up one of your cars as collateral. This adds a bit of fun, but after 10 minutes you'll know which racer always raises, which one always lowers, and how to guarantee bigger earnings. Online racing is also available with betting etc, but because it mirrors the Career mode, it can seem very time consuming to move up through the ranks and achievements, and it can be tricky to find opponents considering the other racing games around.

By the same token, you can choose a huge range of tuning, styling and paint options for your car, but despite the different brands of tuning products, there's no real reason to choose one over another. And although investing in styling could boost your earning potential when you sell your car online, you're going to struggle to find buyers who have picked this over FM2 and PGR4...

Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed Juiced 2: HIN. As a fun arcade racer, with nice graphics and flashy cut scenes, it hits the spot. Don't think of it as a rival for PGR4, or FM2. Think of it as a slightly more realistic Ridge Racer. 3/5

GAMES

Succumbing to the power of Halo 3

Well, I finally capitulated and bought Halo3. Partly because my friends list was empty without it, and partly because it's the first game in over 18 months of Xbox 360 ownership which has made my girlfriend want to play

You're sure to have read plenty of reviews, and thankfully Bungie has avoided spoiling the series, even in the midst of splitting from the close tie-up with Microsoft. but one thing I have noticed is that you really do need a big HDTV. Playing it on an old CRT, particularly in split screen, can be really annoying, as snipers are very, very hard to spot, and the targeting reticule doesn't turn red even when you can inflict damage at extreme range. I blame Bungie for the impending delivery from a TV warehouse... And I can't wait!

Oh, and there are claims the 'No information from the Halo3 server' is client side, and also fixed, on Bungie's own forums... sadly it isn't the case, as it seems to be affecting a lot of people, and be more time dependent than hardware dependent. We'll be keeping a close eye on what happens...

GAMES

Where has everyone gone?

It's quite a spooky time on Xbox Live. If you're not playing Halo 3, you haven't got a hope of meeting up with your friends...

Which makes it hard for any game we have for review at the moment. I'm currently working on about 3 or 4 reviews for this very blog, but testing online modes is lonely work... Still, when I've got the reviews done in the next few days, I have an excuse to get hold of Halo3, just as everyone else is either bored, or so skilled I don't even say them before I get shot, corpse humped and depressed!

On the bright side, DM 9 might only just be available, but plans are already underway to celebrate our 10th issue - which we're planning to publish at the start of December...

GAMES

The most unusual achievement

The achievements list has now been released for Project Gotham Racing 4, and it features one of the most unusual achievements I've seen

Simply beat one of the PGR4 team (Bizarre Creations), or more boringly, someone else that has, and you win yourself 10G shiny achievement points. See the more boring achievements here.

GAMES

Discoveries

We play to discover. Well, most of our life revolves around discovery; each new piece of information - every new discovery - has the potential to determine our immediate or distant future. However, it applies as much in games as it does in life, and whilst discoveries are necessary in order to formulate immediate solutions to immediate problems, they also play a vital part in enhancing the longevity of a game. In play, these discoveries are often a consequence of a flexible means of interaction within the gamepay environment - if a game offers spin-jumps, diving attacks, long jumps, ground stomps and whatever else from the offset, it's likely that you won't discover their usefulness until you are forced to use them in challenging situations. First give the player all the tools he needs to beat even the hardest enemy, and then let the player discover how the tools work under various circumstances.

It's not just gameplay that revolves around a theme of discovery - it's an obvious component of story and plot devices. Okay, a lot of the time developers simply shoehorn in lazy double-cross "twists", but when a story gets it right, the discovery can be powerful enough to turn your emotions, motives, or determination on its head. The Half-Life games, Phoenix Wright games, Beyond Good and Evil, (some of) the Final Fantasy games - all fine titles, all examples of stories where new discoveries are implemented with care and attention: simply shoving plot twists into every five minutes does not immediately turn a story into gold.

Discoveries are in many of my favourite games - Street Fighter III 3rd isn't an 80-hour epic adventure, but I keep coming back to it because I keep finding out new techniques, and new opponents force me to try out new play styles. Space Giraffe is expertly judged in terms of pacing and the introduction of new elements, and it gives you plenty of flexibility to discover your own tactics and techniques. Guitar Hero II sees me fail a song one day, then try sliding down the fretboard instead of trying to tap the individual buttons, discovering a useful new technique.

By now you're doubtless wondering if my definition is so wooly that discoveries can be found in any game, but remember that these examples help to redeem a game that might otherwise be run-of-the-mill. If a new use for an item is found and you think "what's the point of that? I might as well stick to the standard attack", the effect of the discovery has failed. I remember playing this rubbish FPS - it might have been Red Faction - and it took me a while to realise that, as well as beating people with your electric baton thing, you can also stun them, a bit like the prod charger in Deus Ex. However, out of those two options, I preferred neither, sticking to my guns. So, whilst they might not make or break a game, discoveries help to give games variety and longevity, encouraging play for play's sake and helping you come back for more.

GAMES

Bug spotted in Forza Motorsport 2

Members of the DM team have been hammering Forza Motorsport 2 in a quest to finish the final achievements. And they've also noticed an interesting graphical glitch

If you're racing on Maple Valley Reverse (the only time we've seen it), keep an eye on the track as you cross the bridge back over the hairpin section. If you're far enough ahead to be on the bridge as cars pass underneath you'll see strange dark patches fly across the track, from side to side. The reason?

It's the shadows of the cars driving along the track underneath...