ARQuake: A Way to Play Quake Without the Need of A Mouse & Keyboard

Benjamin Close, John Donoghue, John Squires, and Philip DeBondi, four honours students from the University of South Australia, have created a fully functional augmented reality version of Quake that they've entitled as "AR Quake". ARQuake has been around for nearly a decade but footage of it hasn't been available until about two years ago when a few videos were uploaded to Youtube.

ARQuake is a version of Quake that utilizes physical space and movement to play. You are inserted into the game and instead of relying on thumb sticks and buttons to defend yourself, your own movements and actions determine your in-game survival. The console that runs ARQuake is a large machine that is assembled out of a laptop, a GPS system, goggle headset, and an inertial orientation sensor. Once the device is properly assembled, the player wears it like a backpack and fastens the headset. The completed ensemble looks a tad like the Virtual Boy's specially challenged nephew.

In order to make playable levels, you would have to make a map of a desired location and download it to a GPS, and once you have the locale mapped out, you would have to add in monsters, power-ups, etc. After all the programming is finished, the games runs quite well. (Bear in mind that this is a proof of concept tech demo that doesn't show off ARQuake's full potential)




Sure, there are some kinks to be ironed out, but those videos are from eight years ago and the game is still being worked on today. A gentleman by the name of Dr. Wayne Piekarski has been working on improving the game in recent years. Unfortunately, there aren't any current videos or screenshots of what he's done to the project. I wouldn't get my hopes up for purchasing this console someday. The development team has no intention of making ARQuake a commercial product, and even if they did, they would have to get id Software to green-light this game and it probably won't be too cost effective to mass produce a machine that requires a lot of pricey bells and whistles in order to run one program.

While we won't ever have the privilege of fragging friends in our back yard, we can at least sit and marvel at how interesting augmented reality games are. Maybe in the near future, we'll see an indie developer take a crack at another augmented reality first person shooter. With devices like Kinect and Playstation Move becoming more affordable and accepted amongst mainstream gamers, we might see some upcoming titles that combine reality and fantasy in new and unique ways. Only time will tell. -Addison Gumprecht-

Demise of Rental Chains

I drove into town today and saw something that deeply saddened me. There were two different Movie Galleries and Blockbusters with huge "Going Out Of Business" banners hanging over the main entrances. For the past few months, I've been hearing on and off that big-name rental chains like Movie Gallery, Blockbuster, and Hollywood Video were shutting down all across America and it seems that it's finally effected my town. It felt like forever since I had stepped into a Blockbuster so I thought I'd take a look inside for old time's sake. It was a depressing sight. People cradling armloads of movies and games to purchase, empty racks strewn about, lots of vacant floor space where kiosks once were, retail and rental cases scattered across the floor, and it just feels upsetting to be there. It's sad to see that a once popular practice is now fading away and never coming back.

I'm sure that everyone reading knows that this is all because of video on demand services such as Netflix. I remember when their whole advertising campaign focused on making rental shops look bad in comparison and consisted of quotes like "Take the drama out of renting". I guess they can't really take that angle anymore, they've succeeded in driving the competition out of business

I was born in 1994 and while I'm still quite young, I had the opportunity of growing up in a time before Netflix and Hulu were all the rage. The reason why the demise of rental chains is so upsetting to me is because I've got quite a history with them, namely Blockbuster. Some of my earliest memories are when my family would go to Blockbuster every other weekend and pick up a new movie and game.

I have Blockbuster to thank for my eclectic taste in games. As a kid, my parents didn't always have $50 to throw down on the newest titles, so we resorted to renting. I got to play through most of the 32/64 bit era classics thanks to the broad selection offered by my local rental shops. By the age of six I was playing and watching my family play games such as Silent Hill, Metal Gear Solid, Syphon Filter, Tomb Raider III, The Spyro the Dragon trilogy, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2, etc, etc.

Not only did I experience new games from rental shops, I also expanded my collection by buying up some of their games. Most of my Sega Mega Drive and original Playstation games are from Blockbuster's "For Sale" aisle. My copies of Syphon Filter and Jurassic Park: Rampage Edition have little Blockbuster sticker receipts printed on the back of the boxes that list the console platform and the date they were offered for sale. I also think I have an old Genesis Madden cartridge kicking around that has a "Please rewind this VHS" sticker plastered on the back of it.

In more recent years, I've started heading to Movie Gallery to scope some game deals. I've picked up factory sealed copies of Quake 4, Katamari Damacy, and Crackdown for less then $10 a pop. I have saved alot of money on triple A titles by buying from Movie Gallery but I also screwed myself out of making a boat load of cash one night. Around six months ago, when Movie Gallery was radically lowering their prices to keep their heads above water, They had a stack of sealed copies of Chrono Trigger DS for $20 a piece. I was an idiot and passed on them not thinking about how hard and expensive that game would be to obtain in later years given the fact that the Super Nintendo cartridge alone goes for ridiculous sums of money on popular internet auction sites.

Content delivery services like Gamefly and Netflix are great and practical, but there's something to be said about going to the store and checking something out.

-Addison Gumprecht-

The Island of Forgotten Games - Qix: Neo

Qix: Neo is an overlooked retro revival of Taito's classic, Qix, that was released back in 2003, way before retro revivals became a common practice. Qix gets the Space Invaders: Xtreme treatment with stylized graphics and new elements added to the gameplay.



The original Qix was very limited and basic. There was a flying enemy who patrolled the board and little buggers on the border of the playing field who would zap you if you took too long to make a move. Qix: Neo expands on that by giving you a plethora of new enemies that all require specific strategies to beat them.

Each level has it's own boss and set of enemies that have their own unique attacks and very distinct behavior. Some of the more notable enemies are things such as amoeba-like squares that are magnetically attracted to you once you start drawing a line, there are lady bugs who rotate in place and dart across the map in unpredictable directions, some levels have cockroaches that trail in random patterns but always seem to converge toward your line at the worst moments, and later on in the game you'll come across flies that propel themselves like grasshoppers off of the ledges you have drawn.



The bosses featured in each level are related to the theme of the picture you are covering up. For example, in the stages where you are chiseling away at an image of something that involves machinery, then you'll be facing off against a robot of some sort. Each boss has it's own special attack. Some are snake-like robots that wind and crawl through the environment and shoot bullets at you in a bullet-hell style, there are giant robotic cubes that bounce wildly around the play field and occasionally pause to fire off a missile in all four cardinal directions of the board, and you'll also square off against and giant fly mech that shoots lasers out of every pore on it's body.

Aside from new foes, new obstacles are also thrown into the mix. In the original Qix, as long as you were on the border of your lines, you were safe; That's not always the case with Qix: Neo. When you start a new level, you have 999 points of an energy shield and it gradually counts down to zero. When it hits zero, the projectile attacks that bosses fire can harm you on the side lines. Concrete blocks are scattered throughout the layout in later levels. These blocks obscure certain areas of the map and you can't draw through them. The only way to play with them is to work around them.



When you add up all of the new mechanics, things get progressively more challenging. The later stages have concrete blocks in some of the most inconvenient places and you have to sit and rethink your course of action. Meanwhile, your energy shield is depleting and you have to deal with a new boss and it's wave of enemies.

---Why it didn't catch on---

There were three big reasons that kept this game from getting the attention it deserved.

The first problem was that it was released for a dying console. Qix: Neo was released in 2003 for the original Playstation and by that point, the system was on it's death bed. The very final run of Playstation games that were cranked out were mostly shovelware quiz games and lackluster software that was thrown together to make a quick buck. Only games with name brand recognition, like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4, managed to make profit that late in the Playstation's life. Qix: Neo had no way of distinguishing itself from the abysmal budget software that flooded the Playstation release calendars and as a result, it got lost in the shuffle.

The second reason is that the game was released ahead of it's time. In 2003, the average gamer wanted something that was an immersive, technological masterpiece that pushed their console to the limits. Games like Metal Gear Solid 2, Grand Theft Auto 3 & Vice City, Halo, Silent Hill 2, and SOCOM U.S. Navy Seals were all the rage and all of those games were as realistic and advanced as you could get for the time. Now-A-Days, retro revivals and feux retro games are the "in" thing to do. If Taito would've waited about five years, Qix: Neo could've been the next Space Invaders: Xtreme or Arkanoid DS.



The third and final reason is that I don't think the average gamer at the time knew how good a retro revival could be. I've had this game sitting in my closet for years and just got around to understanding how great it is. When I bought it back in 2005, I played it for five or so minutes and thought that I had been ripped off. I thought that Taito was trying to make money on the same game just repackaged with slightly prettier yet outdated graphics. I didn't play it long enough to understand what it was trying to be and how good it actually was.

Qix: Neo is rather tricky to find if you hunt for games at your local pawn shops or flea markets. It was released so late in the Playstation's life that not many copies were produced. Luckily, it can be found for next to nothing on popular internet auction sites. If you can't enough of games like Bionic Commando: Rearmed, Space Invaders: Xtreme, or Mega Man 9 then it would be in your interest to seek this game out.

Qix: Neo feels like the very last dying gasp of classic gaming, but it also feels like the very first baby step in the retro revival craze.

-Addison Gumprecht-

The Island of Forgotten Games: Omega Boost

This column was originally published December 18, 2008 on Destructoid.com.



Omega Boost is one of the best action/shooter games on the Playstation, and nobody knows about it. Developed by Polyphony Digital (the Grand Turismo team), it's one of the only games to completely capture the Macross mech feel and style for a console game.

The plot is a silly mish-mash of ideas about the Omega Boost mech going back in time to stop the super computer ALPHA CORE from taking over the world of the future (Seriously, what is with video games and giant super-computers? Three of my columns have games that feature evil super computers in their plots.) It also features one awesomely cheesy intro, complete with amateurish live actors and music by the band Loudmouth.

But the game itself? WHEW! Fantastic. Not only does this game show what the Grand Turismo team can do on a game that doesn't involve cars, but a big chunk of the Panzer Dragoon team, as well as lead programmer Yuji Yasuhara, also worked on this, and it shows. The combat in this game is essentially Panzer Dragoon with mechs, with the mech designs of none other than Shoji Kawamori, designer of the Macross saga, giving the game a timeless futurist look, closer to classic shooters like Gradius and R-Type than the sleeker world of Zone of the Enders, not to mention this is one of the best looking games on the PSX, with visuals that miraculously still hold up today.

The gameplay is fast and fun. Your mech can turn in 360 degrees in all directions during battle, as well as use it's back boosters to quickly turn in the opposite direction while firing. The game also has a lock-on system and shoot system, which then sends out a barrage of laser guided missiles, Macross-style, into oncoming enemy waves. The gameplay is fast and furious, and the frame rate never dips below 30 fps, making the game run as smooth as silk.

The game is not without it's faults, however. For one, it's too short. As good as this game is, you're left with wanting more, with only 9 main levels and 9 bonus levels, the game could've used a few more missions and zones. Also, this game gets extremely difficuly by Zone 5, separating the boys from the men, so don't go in expecting a cake walk, you really have to know the controls inside and out for this game. Nonetheless, it remains a riveting and wholly exciting last hurrah for the original Playstation.

Why Didn't it Catch on?

One word: Marketing. For a game being published by Sony in-house, you'd think they would've thrown their weight behind this game when it comes to marketing, not so. Omega Boost was plagued by negative media in Japan reporting the game gave players motion sickness while playing (pansies), which killed sales in the land of the rising sun, and was released with little to no fanfare in the U.S. I came across this game only because of a demo display that a local Target store had up for it in the summer of '99, and bought it as soon as I could.

Very few people know about this game, which is a shame, because it is definitely one of the best mech action games available for any system. It's too bad Omega Boost tanked so badly, now the development team is stuck making racing games instead of unique projects like this. I implore everybody who owns a PSX, PS2 or compatible PS3 to track down this title, new copies are available on Amazon.com for less than ten bucks, it's well worth it.

An Interview with Brian Provinciano

I've been writing about and investigating the history of Retro City Rampage for the past few months. Brian Provinciano, the creator of Retro City Rampage, stumbled upon my articles and was kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule to do an interview via email.

---
Addison: Brian, what was it like growing up? How was your childhood?

Brian: I wouldn't be where I am today without my parents! They're amazing, but the really funny twist is that they were originally afraid that video games would impair my future! Needless to say, I eventually convinced them otherwise. From not being allowed to play Mortal Kombat when I was young to its re-release being one of the first titles I worked on in the industry, read on for the thrilling tale!

The NES was the coolest toy out there when I was young. I remember playing Super Mario Bros as early as four years old over at friends houses. My parents didn't want one in the house, in fear that video games would be detrimental to my future, haha. They held the NES on a stick to keep me in line. If I was good all week, they'd rent the system, which came with SMB/Duck Hunt... if I was REALLY lucky, I'd be able to rent another game too. I'm sure we'd paid for the system in all the times we rented it!

Of course, like any other kid with access to Packard Bell 286 PC, I found a loophole and was able to play games on that. Though my parents got me such stellar titles as “Grade-A Math” and “Spell it Plus!”, one great afternoon in 1990 my Dad bought me Activision's Ghostbusters II for DOS! It wasn't a platformer, but I still played the hell out of it. It was Ghostbusters, and a GAME! Yeah in those days nothing beat a platformer! Another funny memory being when my Dad asked me to turn the volume down, but I couldn't! It was the PC SPEAKER, and IT was in control!! Years later, the shareware movement became the greatest thing to happen to the PC for years to come, with such favorites of mine as Commander Keen.

Back to the consoles, my Mom finally got us a SNES the Christmas it launched, another pillar of my fond memories! I loved those simple days where I could play Mario World over and over for a year straight without even needing to look at another game!



Addison: How did you get into gaming and programming?

Brian: The programming all started with art! One of my fondest memories growing up was when my Dad arranged a visit to an animation studio here in Gastown, Vancouver.

See, the trip to the studio stemmed from the fact that I'd wanted to be an artist from the time I was born. An amazing guy named Rob Davies was kind enough to let us come in and show us around. I think I must've been 8 or so at the time and I brought my art “portfolio” with me. I'll never forget when Rob called everyone else over to look at my drawings. They applauded them like they were masterpieces jolting me full of motivation for years to come.

Eventually I decided that my art was destined for video games. I remember one my first pieces being a Sonic the Hedgehog mock-up level in MS Paint. Amazingly, years later I was lucky enough to work on the two Sonic titles for PSP, a dream come true! Anyway, toiling away making game art in MS Paint but unable to find a programmer, I reluctantly started learning to do it myself. My sister found some Basic books at the library and I began tediously typing in hundreds of lines of code.

I was lucky enough to later find a program called Klik & Play, which allowed me to pretty much just do art and still get things going. Getting that program though was a long process! It came on a stack of floppies, and one didn't work. I sent it back and waited for a new one. What I got back were just the disks, so I had to get them to send the book... but they didn't send the install key, so I had to phone again! What bumps in the road, but I was determined! When I finally got it installed, I was the happiest kid around.

Eventually I jumped into C++, plowing through book after book. When I set my mind on something, I put my all into it. I couldn't wait to finish high school to get going, so I started taking part time programming classes at BCIT during my grade 9 and 10 years on evenings and weekends. I believe I attended their last Assembly language class before x86 ASM was deemed obsolete for the curriculum. However, it was far from obsolete for me! Being interested in deep down low level programming, I chowed down on diassembly, got into electronics and everything. My only regret being the solder fumes that it subjected me to. Despite keeping the garage door open and having a fan, it was still awful. I was too motivated for my own good in soldering the hundreds of wires to get my circuit working, haha. It's good people these days have CPLDs, FPGAs and simulators. I even etched a PCB once, a success, but not something even back then that I was going to do again! Understanding how hardware works though has been instrumental to my programming skills. A key reason why I've been so diligent with Retro City Rampage's authenticity, making exceptions only for the sake of gameplay and function.


Addison: What sparked the idea for Retro City Rampage?

Brian: My love for GTA, my love for the NES, and my desire to both create my own open-world game and something 8-bit. Being the multitasker that I am, I killed two birds with one stone!


Addison: Describe the lifespan of Retro City Rampage from start to finish, including all of the rebrandings and etc.

Brian: There are only two games in the timeline, Grand Theftendo and Retro City Rampage, both open-world retro games, but both completely separate.

Grand Theftendo was an actual NES game, and an ode to GTA3. Written in assembly language, it ran on the original hardware using the MMC5 mapper chip. The same chip used in Castlevania III. I began sketching things up in late 2002, learning 6502 assembly language and drawing the background art.

By the fall of 2004, its development had reached the point where you could roam around an 8-bit version of GTA3's Portland, use weapons, grab cars, collect hidden packages and play some simple missions. It was fully running, but in the big picture that's really only the beginning when we're talking open-world games.

While the goal of that game was to deliver a 2D 8-bit experience functionally equivalent to that of the 3D PS2 game, my focus shifted around 2005. I became less interested in impressing the world with a technological feat and more interested in creating something so fun to play, people couldn't put it down! Retro City Rampage was born. An original title, made authenticity retro, but for modern platforms, with fun at its forefront. By creating an original title, my creativity bloomed and it evolved into a title far beyond a simple GTA clone. As for “Retro Theftendo”, that was the working title for Retro City Rampage, and has no relation to Grand Theftendo otherwise.



Addison: What can you tell us about Retro City Rampage that hasn't already been said elsewhere. Details on the plot, specific mission details, etc.

Brian: There's a power-up with ears and a tail that allows you to move around above people's heads.


Addison: You've been working on Retro City Rampage for the better part of a decade, are you happy with the finished product? Is there anything you would have done differently?

Brian: I'm happy to say that it's exceeded my expectations. My only enemy was time, and I sincerely wish I could've finished it before Mega Man 9.


Addison: What are you planning on doing after Retro City Rampage? Is it going to be retro-themed as well?

Brian: Everyone, go out and buy Retro City Rampage when it's released! I want the capital to make a sequel!

In addition to that, I've already been discussing other possibilities with colleagues of mine, and have plans for a diverse portfolio of titles which consists of of my epic three pillars! The big change will be that future projects will be team efforts, thus not taking nearly as long to finish.


Addison: Were there any problems you ran into during Grand Theftendo's development? Like hardware limitations?

Brian: Nothing show-stopping. However, due to MMC5's sprite bankswitching limitation, there was only one car type at once, though it could be in one of four colors. In addition, as all know, the NES was limited to 8 sprites per scanline, meaning a maximum of ¼ of the screen's width could have sprites on it, and that's not even accounting for overlap. Being the case, having too many cars on screen at once was terrible for flicker. One solution would've been to make the cars smaller, but that's a double edge sword because then you just have more empty roads on screen.


Addison: If you could go back in time to when you first started development on Retro City Rampage, what would you tell yourself?

Brian: Wow. I can't believe how long I've spent on this. I would've recruited people from the beginning and made it a team effort. I also would've taken time out to jump on the iPhone launch bandwagon to help fund it!

I also would've reminded myself how much time the business side takes up. I can go over a week without even touching the code or art and still be working long days!

Addison: Thanks for your time Brian. I sincerely appreciate it.

Brian: Thanks Addison! It's been great to reminisce on old memories that brought such joy into my life!
---

-Addison Gumprecht-

The Final Throws of The PS2

Most Gamestops have started putting out "under $10" bins of Playstation 2 games near the check-out counters. At this point, it's pretty clear that Gamestop has started the gradual process of phasing out their Playstation 2 inventory, much like how they did with the original Playstation.

There's a lot of fantastic games in tip-top condition going for dirt cheap. Playstation 2 games are now in the perfect "sweet spot" when it comes to dying consoles. The system is on it's death bed and it's best-selling titles are piling up in used bins by the dozens and there is little to no demand for them at the moment. If you are thinking about picking up a game like Shadow of the Colossus or Yakuza, now is the time to jump on it because I don't think the games will get any cheaper than this. We don't have too much time before the games become hard to find and go for overblown prices on eBay.





Most of the games in the PS2 bargain bin are in paper sleeves. The tops of the sleeves are open so it's okay to check the condition. I was expecting most of the games to look like they were scrubbed down with sand paper, but to my surprise, most of them are still in pristine condition. Even though the games are missing their case and manual, if you manage to find a complete copy with a scuffed up disc years down the road, you can frankenstein together a mint copy with your disc-only copy.

As I browsed some of the racks, I noticed some of the best Playstation 2 games are going for ridiculously low prices. Metal Gear Solid 2 & 3 are going for as low as $9.99 in complete form. The various Resident Evils and Final Fantasies are ranging from $9.99 to $14.99. Star Wars Battlefront I & II are about $4.99 complete and in good shape. Yakuza for $9.99 in the factory seal. Extermination in a paper sleeve for $2.99. Klonoa 2 for $4.99 in a sleeve. Half-Life for $7.99 complete. Parappa the Rapper 2 for $6.99 complete. The list goes on and on.





If you want to expand your Playstation 2 collection, it'd be best to do so now before the prices roll back up.

-Addison Gumprecht-

Duke Nukem Out of Legal Tumoil Forever

3D Realms/Apogee Ltd. and Take-Two have settled any legal entanglements regarding the development of Duke Nukem Forever. The lawsuit settlement document was recently leaked on fileshack.

http://www.fileshack.com/file.x/19329/Duke+Nukem+Forever+Lawsuit+Settlement+Court+Document

As of May 28, 2010, "The above action, including any and all claims that were or could have been asserted by the parties, is dismissed with prejudice in accordance with the terms of the Settlement Agreement executed by the parties on May 14, 2010,"

What this means is that there will be no legal troubles surrounding Duke Nukem Forever in the future, but the game still needs to be completed and it is still far from finished.

-Addison Gumprecht-