Category Archives: Game Design

Feb
02
2010

The Character of Mass Effect 2

[Warning: Mass Effect 2 spoilers that run the gamut of the game's narrative lay ahead. There is also a paragraph near the end of the piece which references ending spoilers from Uncharted 2.]
Mass Effect 2 is a strange game. It’s the most divergent sequel I’ve played in years. Its differences from its predecessors are so [...]

By Trent Polack | Tagged , , , , , , , , | View Comments
Dec
20
2009

Doubt

Because I have deep-seeded mental issues and sometimes am prone to crazy bouts of productivity, I made a new video game (click to play!):

Much like Balance, Doubt was done in under a week using Unity and an entirely particle-driven visual aesthetic. Since the last couple of games I’ve worked on (Magnetic Butterfly and Balance) were [...]

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Dec
06
2009

Meta

The video game designer has an idea. It sprung out of a song on his iPhone as he was walking to a greasy burger joint. And for that one moment, the entirety of the game was perfect in his mind’s eye. Just that one moment.
Precious minutes later, as he picks through a bag filled with [...]

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Nov
27
2009

Awakened in Africa

I awake and find myself in an abandoned armory. All I can hear is the sound of a fly buzzing through the air. Occasionally, some other unidentifiable animals create a serene soundscape of yelps and caws in the background. Despite the complete lack of windows or portholes in the weapon dealer’s hut, I get the [...]

By Trent Polack | Also posted in Gaming | Tagged , , , , , , | View Comments
Nov
12
2009

Justifying the Means

[This post contains spoilers as to the entirety of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's plot. I loved Modern Warfare 2 and will write about the brilliant core gameplay, mechanics, and level design in a later piece, but this is not that piece.]
“Two men took down an entire base. I ask much more from you [...]

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Oct
09
2009

Soul Diary, Souls 4-20

[This post, the last of my Soul Diary, contains spoilers for the first two sections of the first world of Demon's Souls]
Life Two, Soul Four
After my triumph against the Phalanx, I had some dough (souls) to spend. The one thing that sounded particularly appealing to me is upgrading my luck to increase the frequency and [...]

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Oct
08
2009

Soul Diary, Soul 4

[This post contains spoilers for the first two sections of the first world of Demon's Souls]
Life One, Soul Four
After failing to properly heed the advice of the dead guy I watched fall off a narrow path and falling to the same fate mere moments later, my fourth soul respawned at the beginning of the world. [...]

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