Friday, August 03, 2007

Curious in Illinois

Ok, reading that back, that title kind of sounds creepy. Maybe next time you comment use a different handle so my next post won't sound like the dirty version of a Tom Hanks movie. I thought I would post my answeres to the questions the poster fomr my home state of Illinois posed. I have been in writing mode lately, so I figured I would use some of that writing momentum to get back into the blogging habit. Not sure if I will be able to keep up the pace I am setting here, but I will sure as hell try.

Here is my fairly long winded responses to the questions about my gaming habits/likes/dislikes.


What game systems do you own?
Right now I have a few PS2’s, (One I bought, and my old debug for playing GOW2 discs at home when we were in production) a PS3, a 360, a Wii, a Gamecube, (Cause the new Zelda is more fun for me on GC) an Xbox, (To play Morrowind and KOTOR) a PSP, a DS, a GBA micro, an Astro City arcade cabinet, and my home PC. At one point I did own an Ngage…but that was very short lived as it was fairly lame. Many people at work made fun of me for getting the side talking taco….even though the one I got did not require side talking.

Man…I never realized how much I have until I listed it out like that. I really need to get a life outside of games.

What games do you own?
There are waay too many that I own to list them all out. I buy a ton of games; I am a pretty big geek. It is a wonder that I have ever had sex really. I try to play everything in the action adventure genre, no matter what it is. And then I also tend to buy a bunch of the newer big games regardless of the genre. I have a stack of about 15 games that I need to work my way through.

What is your favorite genre? (I made this one up on my own...that's just how I roll)
I like story based games or games with strong sense of character development. Not that I have anything against other more ‘pure gameplay’ games, I just prefer to have a strong reason of who I am and why it is I am doing things in the world. That being said I really don’t have a favorite genre. I like adventure, action adventure, survival horror, and RPG’s. Not too into music games until a little game called Guitar Hero came along. Before that I had only played a little beat mania, amplitude, and this freaking rad dancing game called Bust-a-Groove. (That game was sweet)

What is your all time favorite three games, and why?
I really don’t have one favorite game, so I decided to talk about three…but even then that is too limiting. There are just too many games that I love!!! But I will name just a few here.

First, Future Wars for the Amiga. (Pictured above) This was a traditional point and click adventure game from Delphine Software (Another World, Flashback) about a guy, who I think is basically a janitor, who gets caught up in a time traveling adventure to save the earth from certain destruction by the hands of an alien race. The story sounds cheesy now, but when I first played this game it was just amazing to me. when asked abotu my favorite games I say this one all the time because it was really one of the first games that hooked me and had me staying up for two days straight playing until the end; I was that into the story and the sense of discovery the game gave me. There was no voice acting, just text and music, but the game had me hooked. This was way before the internet so their wasn’t any gamefaqs.com or strategy guides…so it took forever to figure some of the more obscure puzzles but I loved every minute of it. I still draw some inspiration from the way that certain scenarios made me feel…the sense of wonder these relatively simple graphics evoked in me.

Second on the list is a little adventure game called Grim Fandango. I was debating whether or not to put two adventure games on the list, but freaking Tim Shafer is damn awesome that I would be an idiot to leave off this freaking masterpiece. I wanted to put Day of the Tentacle, or even Full Throttle...but int he end I think this game grabbed me the most of the three. This game was truly in a class all its own. Some of the puzzles were a bit annoying, but all in all, this one was of the most satisfying and unique experiences I have ever had with a game. The writing was brilliant, the art was fantastic, and for the most part the play was great! I can still go back and play this one every so often, just as I do with Day of the tentacle and Full Throttle. One day I hope to be 1/50th as talented as Tim…one day.

The number three slot in this somewhat verbose list is the sweet FPS Half Life. I almost hate calling it an FPS, because when I think of most FPS’s great character development and great story really don’t leap to mind. But Half life really changed my perspective on all of that. I was actually working on an FPS when the Half life demo came out.(Requiem: Avenging Angel) It freaking blew what I was working on out of the water. The demo for Half life was better than our entire game. The level design was unbelievable, the core mechanics were fun and offered the perfect mix of familiar with ‘new’, and the presentation was top notch. Valve started something that everyone in the industry has been imitating ever since.

Cool little side note on that, one of the level designers on that game (Requiem) with me went on to be the Lead Designer over at Tim Shafer’s Double fine studios…he was the lead on Psychonauts…I am very jealous of him. :)

There are so many other games I love that I don’t even think these are my top three. This is the top three I can think of right now…but in an hour the list will change.

What games inspire you?
I think that every game inspires me in one way or another. Some really great games inspire me to get back to work and push harder to make what I am working on better. Really bad games inspire me to get back to work so I don’t end up releasing something that makes people mad they spent 50 or 60 bucks on my game. This is why I buy all my games…so when I get a Spiderman 3; I know what it feels like to feel cheated having spent the money on game that really feels unfun and unfinished. I actually like the second one, but three just did not live up to my expectations of the series.

As for specific games that have inspired me in the past….I would have to say there are so many that I will just name a few.

1. Indigo Prophecy was great…especially that beginning section in the diner. I played through that opening like 5 times trying different things to see what would happen. It’s a slower paced game, but I love the storytelling. I like the way they handled dialogue trees in this game, it felt pretty good. The whole 3D David Cage (The game director) tutorial in the begining was a bit much though...it is kind of wierd to have a game version of yourself teaching people the mechanics of the game. But hey, maybe that is just me. I would not be able to supress the urge to punch myself int he face, or slam my own head in a door, if I had a 3d game representation of me.

2. DMC 1 and 3…you gotta’ love these games. Not that great of story telling, I don’t dig the mission structure, and I am not all that into Dante as a character, but the mechanics of this game are just freaking solid. This game has great animations and interesting enemies and bosses to fight. I don’t really care about the super insane difficulty of the game, that kind of gaming is just not my thing. Some people are all about ‘Dante must die’ mode, which is cool, but it is just not for me. I usually want to enjoy the experience, not get my ass handed to me by it. I love the air combat in this game as well. There is just something cool about how long you can keep Dante and an enemy in the air with the combos. Their effects are always top notch as well; I have noticed that most Japanese games have really cool ‘inventive’ effects. I think that western developers tend to reference a lot of Japanese games for effects. I could be totally worng on that one, just something I have noticed over my years in this business. I also dig the new style system they implemented in the third game.

3. Shadow and Ico…I don’t need to go into why since I already talked about that in the previous post. Needless to say that every time I play wither of those games I feel like I am not working hard enough.

4. Resident Evil 4…this game has it all, great level design, pacing, atmosphere, sweet bosses, and gorgeous art. This game was an all around masterstroke for the Resident Evil series. I was never a huge fan because I hated the survival horror design conventions. I couldn’t stand that the only way to convey fear and tension was to make the character move like a tank, and have characters attacking from off screen. And the puzzles always felt random and out of place. This series drove me nuts….cause I love the horror genre…but the game was just too frustrating to play. When RE4 came out, it freaking blew me away. That is until I wasted all my ammo getting to the Gondolas and I had to go back to an earlier save and play smarter. I still thought the game rocked, but I was pissed that I was so dumb. Anyway, this game kicked me in the pants and made me wish I was working on a horror game. It also made me take a second look at how I approach certain design decisions.

5. Medal of Honor…the first one. I mean, storming the beach at Normandy was freaking unbelieveable the first time you did it. This game raised the bar for immersion I think. I know that I still look at these games a lot to see how they are handling the narrative through real time NPC’s and events. It really is wonderful stuff. The later games in the series got a bit derivative, but I have high hopes for Call of Duty 4 and Airborne…we will have to see how it all pans out.

6. Marvel vs. Capcom 2...I just love this game. even though I am probably the worst of all the people I play it with, it is still fun. the game is fast, and sometimes confusing, but always a blast to play. The cast of characters is diverse and huge and for the most part the combat in this game is amazing. I don't think I will ever get tired of this game, it allows sloppy players like me to have fun in a way that Street fighter just can't do. I like most of the Street Fighter series, but most of the guys here I play with are just so damn good at it that I just dont have fun. And I really don't have the time to dedicate to getting better.

Ok…that is all I have for today. I am going to get back to the other four documents I am trying to finish. No more slacking for me today. Have a good weekend everybody!

Cory

46 comments:

Anonymous said...

A hardcore indeed.

Anonymous said...

WOW, a "games that inspired you question" and nothing from the Metal Gear Series? That's hardcore. I thought EVERYONE in the industry owed their life to Kojima-san!

I gotta tell you man that Grim Fnadago is one of my favorite games of all time too. I was really disappointed that Tim didn't see blockbuster money success from Psychonauts. All the critics loved it but no one bought it.

So I'm surprised that no one asked but what's inspires/d you artistically and in story telling? Comic books, graphic novels, art? Just thought I'd ask. I'm in the middle of reading "The Watchmen" for the upteenth time. Whenever I'm looking for a new story or fresh perspective, I always head back to that novel. Alan Moore is a genius writer and Dave Gibbons has a really cool eye.

Dutch
www.thedigitalblast.com

Anonymous said...

Hello Cory. I was wondering why you left film and what movies did you work on? I'm trying to make a choice on whether to go into games or films after I graduate with my business management degree. I can eventually do both in succession I believe. But, which one do you think will be more suitable for telling a good story, even as the future comes?

Anonymous said...

great post.

not to get technical on you, but medal of honor:frontline was actually the 3rd installment in the series. the 1st two were great. the 1st one is unbelievable.

Samuel Coelho said...

Hey Cory, can I have some talk with you please? Its about your career, I mean, the career of people working in the same industry as you. I'm about to make a great and imprecise decision, and I just want to know if I'm doing the right thing.

Please, answer this as soon as you can. If you say yes, I'll post my contact e-mail ok?

Cheers!

David Han said...

I totally agree with you on the dmc series. the ability to really mix and match your own style with all the weapons and abilities in those games really gives off a distinct "gaming bliss" like no other.

I absolutely love games that give me freedom and choice to carry out missions or objectives how I want. Nothing too free like the gta series or anything, but something more on the lines of hitman. something with a linear progression system, but with enough space to let you go about how you want to. Now the animations and mechanics in those games aren't spot on, the characters don't feel grounded or have weight, but what sells the game to me is the fact that it let's me assassinate my targets in numerous different ways, allowing me to, in a sense, be the director of the game. That's why I look foward to games like stranglehold. it's got a linear path but still allows you to get rid of the baddies in plenty of different ways with the interactive environment. This goes back to allowing the player to "be the director" and choreograph how the gameplay flows out. In games, like splinter cell, I don't just go through the mission. I'll progress specifically, dispatching one goon, this way, and knocking another out that way. Then I'll hide behind this wall, and wait for this baddy. For me, it's all about making it cinematic, and look cool. Almost like I'm demoing the game for an audience. This is what I love about many games. It's even helped me think of my own action scenes for comics or 3d animation.

Sorry for this geeky rant, I was just going to make a short reply but all these things about gameplay flow and "being a director" started popping into my head.

if you've gotten this far, thanks for bearing with me and reading all the way!

Unknown said...

I can read in your words a lot feeling I had... damn I'm old.
The bad thing in Grim Fandango is that you can smell the end of a genre in it. The first though i had playing GF was "awesome!", the second "adventure games are over". I prefer to remember the great overture of Monkey Island or the pinnacle o DotT.

Anonymous said...

Hi Cory i a huge fan from germany..i cant god speak and write english..i have a question Cory! Where is the heroe Hecules? I Think he is a boss in the game????

Anonymous said...

i think your writing spree has died out lol.


Sean P.

Anonymous said...

On psp,kratos run is diferrant.

Samuel Coelho said...

Grim Fandango is one of my favorite games too! :)

But there isn't many people who knows this game where I'm living so when I query my friends about the game, most of them thinks that this name refers to these cheesy chips ¬¬:

http://aletp.com/images/blog/fandangos.jpg

Samuel Coelho said...

BTW Cory, do u know a game called Albion?

Samuel Coelho said...

Hey dude from germany, you'll find your answer here:

http://ncroal.talk.newsweek.com/default.asp?item=567323

I think the main cause is related with time constraints.

Anonymous said...

Hello Corry,

I am from India, 27 and an ardent GOW fan, however i am also a thinker and i feel i can give some creative inputs (dont worry i am not asking for a job or money in return !) that you might want to consider thinking and expanding more about in GOW 3 or any action/adventure game u are a part of .

If u think its a good idea, crack me a mail at dalalram@gmail.com.

Ryusennin said...

Hey Cory,

Funny that you mentioned Future Wars on the Amiga. Fumito Ueda was one of the very few Amiga fans in Japan, back in the days. Playing at all those imported Psygnosis gems must have influenced his visual style somehow :)

Anonymous said...

Hire the lighting guy at Ninja Theory to help out on God of War 3.

That is all.

Anonymous said...

Cory,

A lot of sites are now posting 'God of War: Chains of Olympus' with a Q1 2008 release date. What happened to Fall 2007? I was in the live chat with RaD, and they were still stating Fall 2007. Or is this just some confusion going on due to Leipzig going on now, and Q1 2008 is for the European market. Is the demo still slated for Sept 7th?

Thanks

Samuel Coelho said...

You've gone huh Cory :(
Well, I've just got my first job in the game industry... Thx for the blogposts and all. I'll try to be just like you when I "grow up" :). I'm just having a little uncertainty about my own capabilities right now, I'm very naive and all, but sooner or later I would have to face these things huh? And I think its better to be now.
I wish I could talk to you now but you must be busy, well if you get in that writing mode again, could you plz tell us a little about you career's journey, just like your ex-colleague Derek Daniels did in his blog?

Samuel Coelho said...

Am I being annoying? Sorry if I'm...

Anonymous said...

Hey people check this out ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNHCCC1pOVA&mode=related&search=

Redmond said...

Hey,

We at Team ICO Gamers (http://gamers.eurogamer.net/groups.php?group_id=121) were sort of inspired by your interview about Shadow of the Colossus and did ours with Derek Littlewood, Project Lead for HAZE, the upcoming PS3 FPS.

It can be found here: http://boardsus.playstation.com/playstation/board/message?board.id=shadowofcolossus&thread.id=39852

Anonymous said...

hey people!

it's been a long time since i last been here. i just want to say i'm very exited about chains of olympus! and all my little things i once said and asked here, are coming true! chains of olympus, plays in the 10 years kratos served the gods! and you get to visit tartarus! i once said those things before it was announced! so all the things i wanted to see are in here! :)

mike

ps. i hope my idea of that zelda thing is in god of war 3!

Anonymous said...

u dont update anymore you prick lol. i got an idea though. not a very good idea but a simple one lol. i want you put some of kratos's magic in the quick time attacks. i think it would be pretty cool to see him through a fuckin lighting bolt(or shoot an arrow) through a cyclops knee then jump up and finish him off somehow or something like that. and also UPDATE THIS FUCKING BLOG

Zodiak said...

*pokes Cory for a new blog* lol.

Anonymous said...

LOOK AT THIS!!!

http://boardsus.playstation.com/playstation/board/message?board.id=heavenlysword&thread.id=7587

very cool!

and also EOS looks a little like NARIKO!

http://news.filefront.com/god-of-war-explores-the-cave-of-eos/

mike

Anonymous said...

Dude, where'd you go? What's going on with your current project, GOW PSP and GOW 3?

Dutch
www.thedigitalblast.com

Anonymous said...

Are u ill or something?!

Anonymous said...

what the fuck its been almost 2 months? where'd ya go? u forget about us. hopefully your hard at work on GoW 3 or your next game and been to lazy to type up a post. and not sick or something.

Anonymous said...

he is doing that!!! although he won't admit that ; ) this is what i think!

god of war was released march 2005

god of war 2 also march 2007

and guess what... chains of olympus on march 2008!

so i think god of war 3 will arive arround march 2009!

i also expect we will see first footage after chains of olympus is released!

mike

ps. those dates where european dates!

Samuel Coelho said...

He's been locked at SCEA, along with all the GoW team, incapable of having any contact with the outside world :).

The poor ones have been receiving food weekly throught a small opening at the SCEA's front door.

Anonymous said...

where did u go : / we need to hear about how far gow 3 is in progress : / come back!!!

Anonymous said...

HOLY SHIT HE IS ALIVE.

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2007/09/27/god-of-war-chains-of-olympus-special-edition-demo-disc/

Samuel Coelho said...

"HOLY SHIT HE IS ALIVE."

lol :P

Hey sean p. the link is broken...

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2007/09/27/god-of-war-
chains-of-olympus-special-edition-demo-disc/

Unknown said...

So....Cory...

How's God of War III development coming along? ;)

And when are you going to update your blog? You're leavin' us hangin' here!

:P

Anonymous said...

http://www.n4g.com/News-70943.aspx

hehe cory;)

Anonymous said...

Hey Cory where are you???
I hope you work for gow3)

Anonymous said...

Three god of war,three director.
Similar at the image of the futur against zeus.
who on gow3? I hope you three!

Nino Mojo said...

OH God I remember yealling "HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" when I saw the 3D David Cage. This is so uselessly self-centered and arrogant.

If you liked Another World, maybe you know that Eric Chahi is the single artist behind Future Wars too. But I bet you already know that...:)

Anonymous said...

Wow. Every negative post about Cory getting busted or some random weird person defending him has been deleted from here. This whole blog has had comments deleted. Oh my...

Anonymous said...

I'd say its to late though.

Anonymous said...

hmm lol wrong blog

VideoGameCafe said...

Hi Cory! Nice answers there! Well I'm Brazilian and a researcher on games and semiotics of PUC-São Paulo. I'm studying the process of semiosis on games and God of War I and II are selected to the masters' dissertation. I would be very pleased if you could talk with me just a little bit about GOWII, since you had done an amazing job on it! I'm trying to talk with David Jaffé too... but it would be fine with you could make contact on my e-mail adress: daniel_area26@hotmail.com.
The others games are: Okami , Hal-Life, Metal Gear 3 and possibly Super Mario Galaxy...
Thanks for all the information you provide at your blog!
Daniel Guimarães

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