In my last blog I talked about complete immersion in a game and when this was possible for me. Today I'd like to talk about the criteria I use to select a game I'm going to play.

If you look at the list of games not yet released ( or just released) that look interesting: COD:MW2, Dragon age: Origins, Mass Effect 2, Command and Conquer 4, Demon's souls, Uncharted 2, the last guardian, Heavy rain, FF: XIII, Borderlands, Tekken 6, Bioshock 2, Monster Hunter 3, New Super Mario Bros, Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, Mario Galaxy 2, God of War 3 + the collection, AC 2, Lost Planet 2, Dante's Inferno, Dark Void, Brutal Legend, Golden Sun DS, Metal Gear Rising/ Peacewalker, White Knight Chronicles, FF Versus XIII, Diablo 3, Starcraft 2, Gran Turismo 5, Forza Motorsport 2, Pokemon Soul Silver / Heart Gold, Valkyria Chronicles 2, Okamiden, Dragon Quest IX, Left 4 Dead 2, Dead Rising 2, Red Steel 2, Metroid: Other M, ...

I probably forgot a game or two (apologies for any fanboy I insulted). But the question is: based on what criteria do you make your choice out of this list? It probably depends on how much money you have, but let's say you can't buy every game that comes out ( + you don't have the time to play them all). If I have to make the choice out of this list, I usually ask myself a couple of questions:

• Do I want to play a probably very good sequel (COD MW:2, Mario Galaxy 2, Monster Hunter 3,...) or do I want to play some new game of which it is still unclear if it's any good ( Heavy Rail, Brutal Legend,...)?: it would be very easy to buy the sequels on the list because you can be almost certain these are good games. But sometimes I have the craving for something new and fresh. The only danger in buying a game from a new IP is: disappointment (scribblenauts: what have you done to me?!)

• Do I want to play a long, story-driven and intensive game (FF XIII, Dragon Quest IX, MGS: Peacewalker /Rising) or a rather short, action-packed game (dark void, Dead Rising 2, Tekken 6)?: sometimes in the mood to indulge myself in a beautifully created world where I can lose myself in completely. I get completely consumed by the story and the game will eat away 40-50 hours of my life. But sometimes I have the need for a short game that I can pick up and play for a couple of hours and put back down.

• Will I believe the scores the game gets? Reviews are very useful to get information about a game, but that little figure at the end usually doesn't match your own score of the game. This often (VERY often) leads to discussions on online forums because the game "scored too low" or "scored too high". That's why I don't trust scores that reviewers give to a game, but I still do read the them because they give you a general idea of the game. Especially if it's a video review: you can see and hear the game.

• Do I look at the previous games the developer has created? Do you buy games based on the previous games of the same developer? Well I do, I know that a company like Nintendo, Bioware, Square enix... has more experience in creating a high-quality game than a rather "fresh" company. So I would prefer a game of a settled company above one of a new one any day.

• Does the game have replay value (trophies, unlockables,/ achievements, multiplayer)?: some games are great but offer little replay value. Any game with great replay value like multiplayer (COD MW), trophies/ achievements (Uncharted 2, God of War collection,Halo 3 ODST) or great unlockables ( RE5) will always be higher on my list because it offers more gametime for the same money.

• How much does the game cost? All these games on the list above are interesting and probably without a doubt fantastic. But let's face it if I have to choice between let's say Dead rising 2 for 60$ or MGS4 for 10$ ( I bought it recently) I would choose for MGS. This has two reasons: the price (duh) and the fact that the game has been out quite some time and you know it's a good one.

• What do I like personally the most? Every gamer is different and has different tastes. I would choose a game like Final Fantasy or Demon's souls above a game like Gran Turismo or Fifa 10 any day. Just becaus I like those types of game more than the others. But this is completely personal and different for everyone.

• Are graphics important? Games like COD MW2, Forza 3... look way better than others on the list, but graphics isn't my most important criteria. It's fun to play a beautiful game, but I prefer gameplay and story.

So these are my criteria / questions I ask myself when buying a new game. What are yours?

I recently bought a ps3, because I bought one this late I have the choice over a broad selection of great games that I would like to play. With a full wallet I left for the gamestore and came back with an empty one. The games I bought were : Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, MGS4, Mirror's Edge, Resistance: fall of man, Viking: battle for Asgard, GTA4 and LittleBigPlanet.

This was some time ago and I've managed to finish a couple of games. Everybody reading this ( not too many people I suppose...) will probably think I've played MGS4 and GTA4, the two titles who got the best review scores and are commonly thought of as the "better games". But this is far from true, I've not even started up these two games. The games I've played completely through are: Uncharted, Mirror's edge and Viking. Why you ask? Well let me explain...

I've played every GTA and MGS that has come out in the past and I consider myself to be a "fan" of the two series. Both series are known for the great stories the games tell. The stories in these games are so good I get completely sucked in and almost can't think about anything else. I love to immersed in a good game, but it can only take place under the right circumstances. I have to be home alone and not bothered by anyone, I hate it when someone is coming in all the time and asking all sort of questions. I like to concentrate myself and only than can "the immersion" take place. Think of it like this: when you watch a thriller/horror movie in broad daylight it's not as scary when you are watching it in the dark. Sort of like Resident Evil 5 not being as scary as the previous ones.

Lately I've been very busy with my studies so I couldn't concentrate myself on my main hobby: gaming. Therefore I chose to play the games with the less compelling story like Viking or Mirror's edge. Because I knew these game wouldn't suck me completely in and I would be able to concentrate on my studies. A game like Uncharted is almost as good as MGS or GTA but it's a game you can play for an hour and then put it away. If I play a MGS or GTA I'm completely focussed on the story and the world in the game, I can't just play it for an hour, I have to play it for a couple of hours to really enjoy it.

Now that my studies have gotten easier I have the opportunity to play the other games and because I now can enjoy them without any disturbances, I can enjoy them even more.

A couple of games that require complete concentration to really get sucked in are: Max Payne, Zelda and Final Fantasy. (in my opinion of course).

And what about you? What games do you play only if you really have the time and opportunity?

This blog is about the possibilities game developers give us during a game. It's about what we can do in a video game and how the developers control our actions.

In the beginning:

When we look at an evolution in videogames, we should start at the very beginning: Pong. It was one of the first "popular" games. You controlled one bat and tried to defeat your opponent who controlled the other bat. Your options were very limited, you could move your bat up and down and that was it. The developers completely controlled the game and your possibilities in the game. The developers had few possibilities to create a game and therefore you as gamer had few possibilities in the game.

You had so few possibilities and it was so simple.I loved it.

The first evolution:

When the developers' possibilities expanded, so did ours (the gamers' possibilities). The developers were able to create more "realistic" characters, worlds,... It was even possible to create games that consisted out of more than 1 screen (like pong). To explain this I'm going to use "Donkey Kong" from 1981. Your options as a gamer were still extremely limited but still you had more possibilities than for example in Pong. You could move left, right, up, down... It was a small step in the evolution, but an important one.

Just look at those graphics, amazing!

The first "open" world games:

I'm not talking about sand-box games yet ( no GTA here), but about open world games. Again the developers' possibilities to create a more realistic game expanded and they were able to create games with "open" worlds. For example: "the legend of Zelda" from 1986. In this game you controlled Link and you embarked on a huge adventure. Before these "open" world games you did what the developers wanted you to do and when they wanted you to do it. But for example in Zelda you had a world with quests you could complete when you wanted to do them, not when the developers wanted you to complete them. If you felt like exploring the world a bit more, you had the possibility. You obviously can't compare these "open" world games with sand-box games like GTA, but it's a start. The developers still control what and how you do things in this "open" world, but not when.

The beginning of sand-box games?

The "(r)evultion" of the first sand-box games:

For obvious reasons I'm going to pick the first GTA from 1997 to explain this part of the evolution. A sand-box game is a game where you can do things that were not intended by the developers or where you can ignore your objectives. So you still have objectives ( this is a small difference with the so called open-ended games like sim-city where you don't have fixed objectives.) but the developers no longer control how you complete them. You almost have complete freedom, your possibilities are only limited by what the developers put in the game. For example, you couldn't swim in the first GTA games. In a sandbox game you can (almost) do what you want, when you want it.

Almost unlimited possibilities, awesome...

What even more choices in sand-box games?

In the first sand-box games you could do what you want, when you wanted it but every gamer still experienced the main story in a similar way. For this next step I'm going to take a look at GTA 4. In the main story of GTA 4 there were a few moment were you could pick how the main story continued ( for example: "The holland play": kill Dwayne or Player X) and based on your decisions the story is slightly different for anyone who plays it. The developers create a game and story but you as a player decide how you play it.

Live or die, your choice.

User Generated Content:

A feature that has become more and more important the last few years is UGC. The developers give you the tools to create the game yourself. A good example is LittleBigPlanet. In this game there is still a story mode, but it's not the most important feature of the game. The story mode isn't even necessary to play the game. In the game you get an editor where you can create your own levels, story mode... The possibilities are unlimited and you can create your very own game... It makes you wonder what the next step will be. Everyone wants to be a game developer? what are your thoughts, remarks?

What is the next step?