VLOG: Originality in Movies and Games – Dead or Alive?

In this weeks gaming themed THOUGHT FOR FRIDAY VLOG, I show you a walk through of the training mode from the new TITANFALL videogame (available 14 March 2014 on XBox One and PC), whilst discussing a question that this very game brings up…

In the modern world of Films and Video Games, releasing known franchise sequels and relatively minor updates tends to take priority over originality and innovation (at least in AAA titles) – there are obvious marketing and profitability reasons for this, but it can mean that the true pioneers in the genre don’t get as much of a look-in with casual audiences.

 

Where have all the Codeboys gone?

Taking video games into account: I grew up in the era of the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad and C64 – a time where you could open a magazine and find ads for both AAA titles from the likes of Ocean and Codemasters right alongside ads for Indies and “Bedroom Developers” – the same was true in the shops – everything was clearly on view for all to see, and new styles of games were getting published and more importantly noticed all the time.

Due to my blogging for websites and Media Production, I am lucky enough to work within the games industry itself to an extent and therefore get to see details of all sorts of games from all genres. There are also many “Hardcore” gamer fans out there who eat up every morsel of gaming information on the net and frankly take it for granted that everyone knows what they know…

However; look from the perspective of a “casual” gamer and you realise that many people for many years in the last generation of consoles only “see” the big name games out there – the Call of Duties, the Battlefields, and the FIFAs of this world and don’t get to see the hidden gems buried deep within the pages of Xbox Live Arcade, PSN, and Steam – and that to me is a crying shame for the entertainment industry as a whole.

 

Hello? It’s good to be back!

However, as mobile technology started getting more sophisticated and more importantly cheaper, and with the rising popularity of Android games consoles, we seem to now be in the opening years of a resurgence of smaller dev houses and even the “bedroom developers” of old – we only have to look at the most recent example of the worldwide mobile smash “Flappy Bird” taking the world by storm and then just as quickly being taken down by it’s own creator who claimed he couldn’t cope with all the attention he was getting.

This isn’t to say that tablet and mobile gaming isn’t without it drawbacks, or that every game is truly original (Since Flappy Bird was taken down, hundreds of clones are now available to download from the app store), however apps do offer the best chance of a true original “game changer” to get noticed by the crowd.

 

Game fashions fit? Put it on the risk!

I believe that via a combination of a direct response to this and also the latest console hardware advances, we are beginning to see AAA companies taking a couple of risks too – Titanfall does seem to be amongst the first of these new IPs to try something new, albeit no MASSIVLY new – and for the most part is succeed brilliantly…

I just hope that this is a sign that there is more change to come and that the latest generation of big consoles are not doomed to yearly update mediocrity like (with hindsight) the last generation mainly seemed.

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Retro Review: “Future Looter” (ZX Spectrum – Released 2011)

 It may be hard for some of you to belive that the ZX Spectrum is 30 years old on 23 April 2011.

It may also be harder for you to believe that even today, there is STILL an army of “Bedroom Developers” making games for the system!

Here is one such game…

Game Title: Future Looter

Year of release: 2011 (Yes you read that correctly!)

Publisher: Timmy (Netherlands)

Author(s): Timmy, Mister Beep

Machine type: ZX Spectrum 48K

Number of players: 1

Controls: Kempston, Interface 2 (left), Interface 2 (right) and Keyboard

Type: Arcade: Action/Puzzle

Message language: English

Original publication: Freeware – available to download free online (search “Future Looter Spectrum game”)

Those gamers who just point blank refuse to give in to peer pressure and replace their ZX spectrums with one of those fangled CD based systems may have felt a distinct games drought in the last 10 years compared to their smug friends with their Play-boxes and X-station 630s…

 

…Why should WE have to put up with this when we are still using our original Spectrums, which are still in full working order, when “Jonny next Gen” probably is on their 2^nd or 3^rd version of their console in as many years?!?
But contrary to popular belief, that doesn’t mean that game development for Spectrum has completely dried up, as there is still an army of Bedroom Developers bringing out new games every year.
One of the better games of the last year is Shooter/Puzzler FUTURE LOOTER, released in 2011 by Polish Developer Master Beep.

 

Gameplay: Future Looter is a game light on plot but heavy on lovely old school gameplay. You control a hovering Spaceship…thing that must make its way safely to the end of a very Metriod-like underground maze, collecting the power star hidden at its core.

 

There are three levels in total, each containing several gameplay fields – some of which contain “shooter” sections, some containing a mind bending puzzle that must be solved before moving on to the next challenge.
Obstacles to avoid include the classic Missiles, floating faces that change direction whenever they touch a block or wall, and plenty of easy to shoot cannon fodder that attack you as you make your way through the levels.

 

Puzzles are fun and varied, from the simple “avoid the baddies” screen to timed challenges that involve you collecting an invincibility power-up and flying past a turret before it runs out.

 

The most challenging puzzles include the afore mentioned “Thwomp-like” floating faces, which must be used to destroy “un-shootable” bricks that are blocking your exit to the next screen. As they change direction whenever they hit a “shootable” block, you must work out which ones to shoot to guide them to the exit, thereby clearing your path – it’s not as easy as it sounds!

 

Graphics: The graphics as you can see from the video are fantastic (remember – you are looking at original ZX Spectrum code) with plenty of colour and hardly any colour “bleed” – a rather remarkable achievement in my humble opinion, and the title screen music is cool and catchy (full title screen music can be found on an accompanying RetroCastUK video).

 

Conclusion: All in all – this is an excellent game by any gaming generations’ standards. It looks great (considering), sounds retro as hell (in a good way) and still poses an enjoyable challenge on some screens! The fact that people are still making ZX Spectrum games in 2011 and 2012 warms the heart and shows just how popular and well respected the system is to this day…

 

5 multi-coloured explosions out of 5