| Seeing how it’s been FOREVER since my last post, I got to thinking “what have I been doing the past few weeks that’s tech related?” Then it hit me, “VIDEO GAMES.” I’ve been playing a ton of Valve Software’s games. So, I’m going to be writing some reviews on a few of my favorites. |
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| Half Life 2: Lost Coast While this is not exactly a game per se, it is still really really fun. This was a proof of concept for a new technology called HDR. HDR is used for dynamic lighting and textures in game. Just in this screenshot, you can see the light coming in the window because of the dust in the room, and the chandelier in the back is swaying slightly. The physics engine used is called “Havok” and is common in most modern games, and is even used in “Age of Empires 3.” The “Zero Point Energy Gravity Gun” uses this technology where you can pick up and use most anything that is not bolted down, opening the door for a whole host of new puzzles in Valve’s games. |
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| Portal Portal is a puzzle game. No killing, no shooting realistic guns, just a Rubik’s Cube of computer games. You get the Aperture Portal Device, and you are given the ability to shoot two portals. The portals are able to instantaneously send an object from one place to another. You can walk through these portals to reach heights that you could not reach otherwise. You can see right through these portals, as you demonstrated in the screenshot. This game, albeit short is great fun for about 2 solid hours of play time. Using Valve’s Hammer editor, a more advanced player can create their own maps and puzzles to add to the 19 puzzles already included. |
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| Team Fortress 2 Of all of Valve’s games, this one is my top favorite. Using a cartoon style animation, it is able to be kind of serious, while being extraordinarily fun. This game is either a Capture the Flag style of game, or a control point style, where a team has to occupy a space for a set amount of time, while the other team defends it. The player can choose one of nine classes (Sniper, Engineer, Medic, Heavy, Soldier, Pyro, Scout, Demoman, and Spy). Each class has its own weapons and abilities, such as the Engineer can build sentry guns and teleporter, whereas the Spy has a sapper to destroy the Engineer’s buildings. So, it has extremely balanced play, and has something for even the most inexperienced players. I highly suggest this game to absolutely anyone. |
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| Well, I hope everyone enjoyed this overview of some of the games that are out there. And, now, I’ve got to get back to playing. |