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Eric Swain Recent Posts, Thoughts

What is Video Game Completion?

In the gamer scheme of things I am a freak of nature. I finish nearly every game I buy. Weird right? The fact of the matter is that most narrative based games are not completed. It was considered an enormous success by the developers of Bioshock that 50% of those who played it reached the end. Even the Half-Life 2 episodes, which are only about 6 hours long and have extremely friendly level design aren't finished more that that. | more

Eric Swain Game Issues, Recent Posts

The Generations, Ages and Eras of Video Games

A few weeks ago I talked about games in their console generational context and received the internet equivalent of blank stares. After a little clarification I mentioned I had a post idea to define the generations and explain my own unique ways of dividing the history of video games. Someone said they liked the idea and so here we are. For anyone to really understand the evolving state of an art form or medium must understand where it came from. | more

Eric Swain Recent Posts, Thoughts

Pretending to be Nostradamus

Anyway I was thinking about what to write as a quick of the top of my head post and it occurred to me. I did a post last year, I Called It, which was kind of pointless being one of the first half a dozen things I posted on the site. I could have written anything that happened and said I say this would happen. Well I did say those things, maybe not on the net, but in real life to anyone who would bother to listen to me. This year I decided to put my money where my mouth is so to speak and play act as Nostradamus of a little bit, without the cryptic speech that can be interpreted any which way of course. | more

Eric Swain Critical Responses, Recent Posts

January’s ’09 Round Table Entry – Sister Carrie

Putting the Game Before the Book: What would your favorite piece of literature look like if it had been created as a game first? ...rather than challenge you to imagine the conversion of your favorite literature into games, I challenge you to supersede the source literature and imagine a game that might have tried to communicate the same themes, the same message, to its audience. Better late than never. | more

Eric Swain Recent Posts, Thoughts

Prince of Persia’s Epilogue DLC – WHY?!?

I decided to not write on it immediately, get a good night sleep and and take some time to digest what Ubisoft has just done. I was angry last night when I checked IGN and found this little tidbit heading the day of news. Basically Ubisoft will release a DLC pack for their recent game, Prince of Persia. It will included an increase in difficulty, two new unlockable skins, a new attack for the Prince, and a new power for Eleka. | more

Eric Swain Game Essays, Recent Posts

The Failure of Prince of Persia’s Story Structure

The title pretty much sums up thesis for this essay. Prince of Persia has fallen to the trend of non-linear gameplay. It's the new buzzword in the market. That's all fine and dandy, and in the weeks up to its release even I praised the design as a merging of story and gameplay. However, now having played the game Prince of Persia has replaced Mirror's Edge as my most disappointing game of 2008. It has nothing to do with the gameplay. It has to do with the story and more specifically with the story's structure. | more