I know Chris just wrote something about the game but we’re often redundant like that.

The game is Reunion by Mike Bithell, I found it on GameSetWatch a few days ago. This is an amazing game. I believe the execution is phenomenal. I need more big sounding words to show how much I like it! Immediately the game reminded me of something I’d see coming out of Cal Arts, such incredibly good design going into it.

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Bryson sent this one my way saying the flash8 bevel function appears to have been used for lighting. I was really impressed: http://www.mikebithell.com/reunion/

The game is interesting, but laggy. Too laggy. To be honest, I couldn’t play through the whole thing because it lagged so much, and I’m on a Mac G5. I’ll have to see how it runs on a PC at home.

What I like about this game is that Mike Bithell demonstrates a keen understanding of tone and this game demonstrates its careful manipulation via visual and aural media. His moves are subtle, but effective.

Lighting, my friends, lighting! Lighting is everything! The use of music is good too. Lighting and music are not used to a tremendous effect. Don’t expect anything mind blowing, but they’re used and used well. Continue Reading…

“I make world-class images. Why not put those images into a game?”

-Micheal Bay

Why does Micheal Bay going into game design worry me? I feel like I just saw a kid drowning kittens and now he’s staring at my pup. . . .

“One thing about my game design is that I never try to look for what people want and then try to make that game design. I always try to create new experiences that are fun to play.”

-Miyamoto

Ahh. Nothin’ like a cool glass of Miyamoto.

I am decidedly against the idea that any art “should” be created in any particular way.

After my post on The Marriage, I felt like this was the obvious next subject. I’ve played a number of games claiming to use game design as the primary avenue for artistic expression. This idea is completely absurd.

These art games are interesting, I like playing them, they’re unique, and maybe they’ll help grab some attention, but they’re not proving anything we didn’t already know. On the contrary, by ignoring 90% of game capabilities and simplifying the last 10% for the sake of philosophy, we will severely retard the progress of our art form. In an industry with so few calling themselves artists, we need everyone we can get pushing games as far as they can. But let me slow my heartrate and digress. . . .

Let’s examine the feat of the art game: the hope to remove all other art forms from games and, in doing so, prove the importance of games to the art world. I’ll use Rod Humble’s The Marriage and Raspberry by Jonathan Blow as examples because these are a couple of games I like by designers whom I respect. Continue Reading…