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[gamefansteve]

Game Engines

In video game media we hear about game engines. For me personally I did not really understand what a engine was until I went to School for game design. So what is a game engine and why do they matter. In my understanding a game engine is a piece of software that connects the back end technology such renderer, physics system with front end assets such as art and gameplay programming. In more simple terms software engineers provide tools and an interface for game designers, game play scripters and artist to make a product come to life.

Game Developers can either use a proprietary engine (Frostbyte, Luminous, Creation)  or a licensed engine such as Unity, Unreal or CryEngine. A proprietary engine is developed by a company for use in it’s games and a licensed game engine is developed by a third party and then licensed to a developer. Advantages for proprietary engines include no royalty fees and they have the opportunity to optimize the engine for the specific interactive creation. While using a licensed game engine allows developers to focus on developing games without worrying about developing a tool set. This can speed up the game development process and is great for developers who don’t have the resources to develop their own engine.

Also, many licensed engines are available for free if you never make money on a game or use them strictly to learn. Unity and Unreal are the two most popular free engines to use. So if you are an aspiring game designer you can learn these tools. If you are new to game development I would personally recommend Unity. Unity has a lot of educational videos on the internet. I would personally recommend the official Unity website, a YouTuber name Brackeys and the website gamedev.tv. The Unity game engine is also pretty intuitive to and runs well on lower spec systems if you don’t have a high powered computer. I would then move onto Unreal engine after you learn the basics of creating a game. Unreal optimized more high powered consoles and uses C++ which is the most popular video game programming language. Versus Unity’s C# which is still a good language but is not used in the industry as much as C++.

[gamefansteve]

Ni No Kuni II Review

Intro

Hello everyone this is gamefansteve reviewing Ni No Kuni II Revenant Kingdom. I was a huge fan of the first one so I have been eagerly waiting to play it’s sequel. The game is great but if you were expecting a carbon copy of the first one the second Ni No Kuni switches many aspects of the game mostly for the better.  

Story

The story of Ni No Kuni II follows  Evan a young boy who lost his kingdom overnight to a coup and Roland a president transported to Evan’s world after being caught in an explosion. Seeing a lot of potential in the young former king; Roland decides to help Evan build a new kingdom and unite the world. The main story while solid is ultimately forgettable. Outside of each party members character arc outside of Evan and Roland their is little character development which is disappointing. Many of the story’s main plot points are predictable. Which is a shame since the main draw of the original was it’s emotionally compelling  story. While the main story is lacking I enjoyed environmental storytelling of each kingdom. All of the kingdom’s have different aesthetics and themes. For instance, the kingdom of Hydroplosis has a very classic florence Italy aesthetic and a theme of suffocating love. Each kingdoms aesthetic and theme create a compelling world that makes up for the lack of emotional and character driven storytelling.  

Gameplay

Ni No Kuni II changes and adds a lot of gameplay systems compared to the original. For one the game now has an action rpg battle system that is comparable to the tale series with the addition of orb collecting from the Kingdom Hearts series. Also, the creature collecting/battling system with familiars is replaced with a system involving monsters called higgldies. This higgldies system is not a huge addition to combat but allows you to use special moves such as spells and attacks during combat. These spells and attacks are largely optional to use versus the original’s familiar system. Outside of combat changes other gameplay changes include a new schimish system and kingdom building system. The schimish system adds a new real time strategy type mode that has the player control armies in order to win battles. The system uses weaknesses based on weapons and troop resource management to win battles. The kingdom building system is personally my favorite of the new additions. Outside of main story you can partake in side quests to recruit new members for your kingdom. As you recruit members you can build new facilities in your kingdom and research various topics to help provide in game bonuses. The more time you place into kingdom development the more bonus and quests become available. Both the addition of schimishes and kingdom building are a welcomed addition. They feed into the overall theme of the story and provide the player with a lot of optional tasks to partake in outside of the main story. My main critique of the two new systems is that in the rare instances in the story you are required to do them which I feel can hurt  pacing at times.

Overall

Ni No Kuni is a great but not spectacular JRPG. The world is unique and many of the new gameplay systems are interesting. On the other hand the story is largely forgettable which is a crime due to the originals phenomenal story. Overall I recommend Ni No Kuni II for any Japanese RPG fan looking for their next fix. As long as you are welcomed to change the game provides an enjoyable experience. My rating is a B+. Hope you enjoyed my review till next time this is gamefansteve signing off.

[gamefansteve]

Nintendo Switch and it’s place in the industry

As a long time Nintendo fan, I have been excited to play the console every since they announced they were making a next generation device. I liked the Wii U but it’s lack of third party games and unique features really made me feel as though it was just a Nintendo machine.

On March 3rd I purchased the Switch and I have been enjoying it ever since. I spent 70 hours in the Legend of Zelda and have since purchased Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. I also love the portability and hybrid console idea too. Many times I get to watch sports programs and play Switch instead of having to choose. I also, got to test it on a long car ride in which I fortunately was the passenger. 

The battery life isn’t terrible. Many people forget that the original 3DS was just as bad. Although it still means that I always have to be aware of it’s battery when I am gonna use out of dock for a long time.  That’s my main con. I honestly wish I was located in a city with good public transit to try out more of it’s portability but unfortunately that is not the case. 

As far as the future goes I am still unsure of how it will turn out. The beginning of it’s life cycle seems promising. I honestly think it will continue to grow a huge following in Japan. The Japanese seem to love portable consoles. Also, based on sales numbers the PS4 and Wii U are not too far a head even though both have been released for years. It’s almost as if they are hesitant of this generation of home consoles. 

The US and European regions are more difficult to predict. Western AAA developers seem to be hesitant towards the Switch. It’s understandable due to the difference in technology makes it a little bit tricky to port to the system. I understand Nintendo has addressed the compatibility with Unreal Engine and third party propriety engines. Still the lack of power can still deter third party developers. As I like to tell people it’s harder to port down then up which means the Switch would have to be the system they build their games around. Although if the demand for Switch games are their they will not ignore the system completely. 

Although, a lack of AAA developers actually might work in favor for indie developers. Many indie developers do not have the same budgets as AAA studios. So there may be more initiative to launch on Switch and ported up to other platforms.

All in all, it’s an exciting time in the industry. A new system launches with the capability to be a home and portable console. The initial reception is has been positive although their is some concern especially in the west about the future potential of the Switch. Hopefully some of those questions will be answered by the time E3 2017 comes around.