The Gaming Grid

If you can’t see it, does it exist?

Does willful ignorance allow you to overcome otherwise insurmountable challenges?

Why is total darkness so terrifying?

When will gaming grow out of this emo phase and get a haircut?

Closure is another artsy puzzle platformer in the vein of Braid or Portal. In the interests of evangelizing this little indie title I’m tempted to gush at length about the startlingly cool game mechanic, but spoiling the experience of discovering it for yourself would just ruin the fun. What I can say is that if you enjoyed the new directions Portal explored in terms of first-person jumping puzzles, you’re likely to be pleasantly surprised by what Closure does with traditional key-hunting platformer motifs.

Unfortunately Closure isn’t nearly as polished as either Portal or Braid (you get what you pay for) so unless you really fall in love with the art style or game mechanics it’s probably not a Flash game worth finishing. There is a story (though it’s so subtle as to be almost unrecognizable) that slowly unfolds as you traverse from one map to the next, and you can expect to perish at least once figuring out every new puzzle. Death is cheap in the minimalist world of Closure, so don’t fret or play any longer than necessary trying to hold out for some big narrative payoff; the game does one thing (innovative puzzle-platforming gameplay) and does it well. Check it out.

In 2003 Savage: The Battle for Newarth hit store shelves, one of the first real-time strategy shooter hybrids to be released as a retail product. Combining the thrill of first-person action with the strategic appeal of a top-down RTS, the game developed a cult following despite it’s meager sales numbers. Five years later the developers released Savage 2, and just like it’s predecessor (which became officially free to play in 2006) the sequel became freeware after a short stint on retail shelves. S2 Games offers free users full access to the game and relies on the subscription fees of paid users to keep the servers running (premium users pay for additional options like replays, extended stat tracking etc.)

Boot this game up and you’re treated to a surprisingly detailed world of dark fantasy, where steam-powered trebuchets share the battlefield with lumbering behemoths and demonic servitors. The graphics are comparable for a game released in 2008, and more importantly they’re optimized for smooth gameplay in multiplayer matches. The rest of the game is technically sound if a little uninspired, and generic fantasy scores will serenade you as you ravage enemy cities.

An experience system means every player starts out as the basic unit of either the Human or Beast side, and you can only progress your character by accomplishing objectives or destroying enemy players on the field. Humans tend to be a bit tougher and perform better at ranged, while the Beasts feature a number of useful stealth and mobility abilities that allow them to capitalize on their strengths in melee. With enough experience any player can rise above the battle and assume the role of commander, where they can direct the flow of battle from a birds-eye perspective.

But what does the commander do when all your units have minds of their own? Beyond allocating resources to upgrades and laying out construction orders for buildings (one of the most influential aspects of the battle) the commander can promote units on the field and suggest orders for individual players. I say “suggest” because there’s no impetus for player cooperation beyond an experience bonus for accomplishing objectives, leading to an interesting game dynamic where the commander is just as beholden to his team’s goodwill as they are to his allocation of their precious resources.

Savage 2 is a solid play experience with a classy combination of the RTS and action genres that was built around online multiplayer. Unfortunately most people aren’t ready to believe in the fantasy of a deeply strategic online game that’s entirely free to play, so the player base isn’t nearly as large as something like Quake Live. The only way to change that is to spread the word about unique experiences like this, so grab the client here and give it a shot.

I won’t lie, I’m a little drunk this week. I know St. Paddie’s isn’t ’till Tuesday, but we’re in the middle of midterms here and it’s important to start celebrating early. In the interests of keeping things light, pretty and browser-based I’d like to draw your attention to the recently release Death vs. Monstars on Kongregate. Death vs. Monstars is apparently what the cool kids might call a 2D arena shooter, similar to XBLA titles like Geometry Wars or Everyday Shooter on PSN. Having never played either, this was my first chance to hop behind the sticks since 1943: The Battle of Midway, which is why I was doubly surprised to find there’s no second stick involved thanks to DvM’s innovative (and slightly loose) control system.

It’s difficult to describe (so I really recommend you hop in and give the game a shot,) but essentially you move little Death around the field with your mouse and control your weapon with the left mouse button, occasionally triggering a special bullet time or rage effect (you gain money to improve your character’s abilities and weapons) by tapping keys on the keyboard. Rather than determining your firing direction with a second input source independent of movement Death fires continuously in a direction determined by how you move him, and you hold the left mouse button to lock in your firing direction and keep it constant.

See what I mean? What that means for you the player is that after a few minutes of practice on the first level you’ll find yourself at the helm of a quirky and thoroughly enjoyable sh’mup with great music, plenty of colorful explosions (the game displays 40-50 enemies on-screen in a Flash player with no slowdown, an impressive feat) and the freedom to play with one hand. What you do with the other one is up to you.

Oh hey, if anyone’s interested I’m Seraph621 on Quake Live. Let’s get together and eat some buckshot, suck down some plasma, ride some rockets and generally try to couch a deathmatch in the most homoerotic terms possible.

As promised this week we’re highlighting Quake Live, the new free browser-based platform for playing Quake III during your lunch break. Developed by id Software and recently opened for public beta, Quake Live offers the gameplay of a perennial favorite coupled with the convenience of Facebook chess.

After signing up for a (free) account, Quake Live requires the prospective player to download a small plug-in for their browser of choice. Once they’ve completed this one-time installation the player can log in and jump directly into the game. To keep downtime to a minimum the basic game files install in the background while the player creates a character and personalize details like control schemes, model skin and the appearance of weapon blasts.

Once you’ve put the finishing touches on your hellspawn of choice you’re confronted with an optional brief training match; for Q3 vets it’s not much use but if you haven’t played in a while give it a whirl, if only to see how the controls have been updated and to ensure you’re matched against players of consummate skill. That’s right, the game features a matchmaking service which automatically ranks displayed servers based on your performance and recommends the top three for your gaming pleasure.

In addition the game offers a hub system from which players can launch multiplayer games, find friends and check out player profiles to keep abreast of each player’s stat log. The service puts powerful emphasis on building a vibrant community, and offers the opportunity to view the statistics of friends and recent rivals. If community gaming isn’t your thing (or you just want an opportunity to refresh your skills before jumping into a pulic match) Quake Live offers practice matches with customizable bots to round out the teams.

The game has suffered from the expected post-launch delays and technical issues (stat tracking is currently disabled to streamline the playing process) but plays surprisingly smooth after only a week of public operation (I noticed no noticeable lag in about four hours of play.) However, there is currently no support for user mods to the base Quake engine; this is troublesome, as when I think of all the great experiences I had playing Quake III in high school they were mostly with mods like Action Quake and Assault. Can vanilla Q3 (even a free version) keep player interest for more than a month or two?

Developed by a handful of guys with the intention of competing in the 2008 “Bootleg Demake” Competition at TIGSource, Gang Garrison 2 is this week’s choice for gaming on the cheap. With a recent upgrade and touch of graphical polish the game’s creators feel Garrison is “now stable enough to start telling the world about it.” It’s obvious these guys fell deeply in love with Team Fortress 2, and Gang Garrison 2 is the knock-off mariachi band they brought to sing sweet nothings beneath Valve’s window at 3 in the morning.

The game was recently upgraded to a stable version 2.0, offering players 9 uncomfortably familiar character classes to enjoy some fast-paced frenetic multiplayer action in a stylishly retro and visually distinct 8-bit style. Most of the levels are obviously Team Fortress 2 maps rebuilt in 2D, but there are also quite a few unique environments built by the team or enthusiastic community members. If the default maps aren’t to your liking (or you think you could do a better job ripping off Valve) the freely available Garrison Builder program allows anyone with a paint application to design their own custom level and submit it to the community for feedback. The team behid GG2 has so far kept the project awfully open-source, meaning interested community members can develop their own game modifications for possible inclusion in later releases.

As a work in progress the game does suffer from a few minor bugs, but the only regularly recurring irritation was the ever-present server lag which often led my tiny avatar to cross the same platforms two, three or even four times before being rubber-banded back a few steps to try again. Only one mode is currently available (Capture the Briefcase) and the classes don’t feature all the abilities of their bump-mapped older brothers, but though the team has committed to adding in features like the teleporter system, disguise abilities etc. I’m not certain GG would benefit from such development. The game is awfully well-balanced as is, and transforms what ought to be a ridiculously perverse experience (a nostalgia title for a game that saw release near the end of 2007) into a genuinely enjoyable half hour that leaves you wondering why you uninstalled the original in the first place. The program weighs in under 5 megs and can be found here.