Portal:Video games

The Video Games Portal

A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device – such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device – to generate visual feedback. This feedback mostly commonly is shown on a video display device, such as a TV set, monitor, touchscreen, or virtual reality headset. Some computer games do not always depend on a graphics display, for example text adventure games and computer chess can be played through teletype printers. Video games are often augmented with audio feedback delivered through speakers or headphones, and sometimes with other types of feedback, including haptic technology.

Video games are defined based on their platform, which include arcade video games, console games, and personal computer (PC) games. More recently, the industry has expanded onto mobile gaming through smartphones and tablet computers, virtual and augmented reality systems, and remote cloud gaming. Video games are classified into a wide range of genres based on their type of gameplay and purpose. (Full article...)

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  Single-player Computer Space cabinet

  
  Computer Space is a space combat arcade game developed in 1971. Created by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney in partnership as Syzygy Engineering, it was the first arcade video game as well as the first commercially available video game. Computer Space is a derivative of the 1962 computer game Spacewar!, which is possibly the first video game to spread to multiple computer installations. It features a rocket controlled by the player engaged in a missile battle with a pair of hardware-controlled flying saucers set against a starfield background. The goal is to score more hits than the enemy spaceships within a set time period, which awards a free round of gameplay. The game is enclosed in a custom fiberglass cabinet, which Bushnell designed to look futuristic.
  
  Bushnell and Dabney designed the game in 1970–71 to be a coin-operated version of Spacewar!. After the pair were unable to find a way to economically run the game on a minicomputer such as the Data General Nova, they hit upon the idea of instead replacing the central computer with custom-designed hardware created to run just that game. While they were working on an early proof of concept, Bushnell found a manufacturer for the game in Nutting Associates. Working in partnership with Nutting, the pair completed the game and ran their first location test in August 1971, a few months prior to the display of a similar prototype called Galaxy Game, also based on Spacewar!. It was first shown to industry press and distributors at the annual Music Operators of America (MOA) Expo in October. With encouraging initial interest, though mixed responses from distributors, Nutting ordered an initial production run of 1,500 units, anticipating a hit game. (Full article...)
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  Mischief Makers, released in Japan as Yuke-Yuke!! Trouble Makers (ゆけゆけ!!トラブルメーカーズ, Yuke Yuke!! Toraburu Mēkāzu) is a side-scrolling platform video game developed by Treasure and published by Enix in Japan and Nintendo overseas for the Nintendo 64 in 1997. The player assumes the role of Marina Liteyears, a robotic maid who journeys to rescue her creator, Professor Theo, from the emperor of Planet Clancer. The gameplay revolves around grabbing, shaking, and throwing objects. There are five worlds and 52 levels, and the game is displayed in 2.5D.
  
  The game was the first 2D side-scrolling game for the Nintendo 64, and Treasure's first release for a Nintendo console. The company began Mischief Makers's development in mid-1995 with little knowledge of the console's features. The 12-person team wanted to make a novel gameplay mechanic, and implementing the resultant "catching" technique became their most difficult task. The game appeared at the 1997 Electronic Entertainment Expo and was released in Japan on June 27 the same year and later in the United States, Europe, and Australia. (Full article...)
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  Halo: Reach is a 2010 first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie and published by Microsoft Game Studios, originally for the Xbox 360. The fifth installment in the Halo series and a direct prequel to Halo: Combat Evolved, Reach was released worldwide in September 2010. The game takes place in the year 2552, where humanity is locked in a war with the alien Covenant. Players control Noble Six, a member of an elite supersoldier squad, when the human world known as Reach falls under Covenant attack.
  
  After releasing Halo 3 in 2007, Bungie split into teams to develop two different games—what would become Halo 3: ODST and Reach. The developers decided to create a prequel to the original Halo game trilogy, freeing themselves from the obligation of addressing old story threads. As the game would take place on a human world doomed to be destroyed, they focused on making the environment a character unto itself. Longtime Halo composers Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori returned to compose Reach's music, aiming for a more somber sound to match the story. (Full article...)
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  Roberta Williams (née Heuer; born February 16, 1953) is an American video game designer and writer, who co-founded Sierra On-Line with her husband, game developer Ken Williams. In 1980, her first game Mystery House became a modest commercial success, and is credited as the first graphic adventure game. She is also known for creating and maintaining the King's Quest series, as well as designing the full motion video game Phantasmagoria in 1995.
  
  Sierra was acquired by CUC International in 1996, leading to layoffs and management changes. Roberta took a brief sabbatical and returned to the company in a game design role, but grew increasingly frustrated with CUC's creative and business decisions. After the release of King's Quest: Mask of Eternity in 1998, she left the game industry in 1999 and focused her retirement on travelling and writing historical fiction. In 2021, she released her historical novel, Farewell to Tara. Soon after, she announced her return to game development, intending to create a 3D remake of the classic adventure game Colossal Cave Adventure. (Full article...)
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  Panzer Dragoon Saga, known in Japan as Azel: Panzer Dragoon RPG, is a 1998 role-playing video game developed by Team Andromeda and published by Sega for the Sega Saturn. The third in the Panzer Dragoon series, it replaced the games' rail shooter gameplay with RPG elements such as random encounters, semi-turn-based battles and free-roaming exploration. The player controls Edge, a young mercenary who rides a dragon and encounters a mysterious girl from a vanished civilization.
  
  Sega felt an RPG was critical to compete against the PlayStation and Final Fantasy. Development began in early 1995 alongside Panzer Dragoon II Zwei (1996). The project was arduous and repeatedly delayed; incorporating the Panzer Dragoon shooting elements with full 3D computer graphics and voice acting, both unusual features in RPGs at the time, pushed the Saturn to its technical limits and strained team relations. Two staff members died during development, which the director, Yukio Futatsugi, attributed to stressful working conditions. (Full article...)
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  Space Invaders is a 1978 shoot 'em up arcade game developed by Tomohiro Nishikado. It was manufactured and sold by Taito in Japan, and licensed to the Midway division of Bally for overseas distribution. Space Invaders was the first fixed shooter and set the template for the shoot 'em up genre. The goal is to defeat wave after wave of descending aliens with a horizontally moving laser to earn as many points as possible.
  
  Designer Nishikado drew inspiration from North American target shooting games like Breakout (1976) and Gun Fight (1975), as well as science fiction narratives such as the novel The War of the Worlds (1897), the anime Space Battleship Yamato (1974), and the movie Star Wars (1977). To complete development of the game, he had to design custom hardware and development tools. Upon release, Space Invaders was an immediate commercial success; by 1982, it had grossed $3.8 billion (equivalent to over $13 billion adjusted for inflation ), with a net profit of $450 million (equivalent to $2 billion adjusted for inflation). This made it the best-selling video game and highest-grossing entertainment product at the time, and the highest-grossing video game of all time. (Full article...)
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  Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered is a 2016 first-person shooter game developed by Raven Software and published by Activision. It is a remastered version of the 2007 game Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, and was initially released as part of the special edition bundles of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare in November 2016 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows. A standalone version was released for these platforms in mid-2017. The game's story follows the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and the Special Air Service (SAS), who take on missions to fight against a separatist group in the Middle East and an ultranationalist group in Russia.
  
  Development began after an online petition requesting a Modern Warfare remaster began circulation. Activision enlisted Raven Software—who had assisted in the development of past Call of Duty games—to develop Modern Warfare Remastered, while original developer Infinity Ward supervised. Modern Warfare Remastered features extensive graphical enhancements, updated animations, and revised original sound effects as well as new ones. It retains the original core gameplay, with small adjustments. New multiplayer content, and additional single-player achievements and cheats are included. (Full article...)
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  The PlayStation (abbreviated as PS, commonly known as the PS1/PS one or its codename PSX) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was released in Japan on 3 December 1994, in North America on 9 September 1995, in Europe on 29 September 1995, and in Australia on 15 November 1995. As a fifth-generation console, the PlayStation primarily competed with the Nintendo 64 and the Sega Saturn.
  
  Sony began developing the standalone PlayStation after a failed venture with Nintendo to create a CD-ROM peripheral for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in the early 1990s. The console was primarily designed by Ken Kutaragi and Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan, while additional development was outsourced in the United Kingdom. An emphasis on 3D polygon graphics was placed at the forefront of the console's design. PlayStation game production was designed to be streamlined and inclusive, enticing the support of many third-party developers. (Full article...)
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  The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages are two action-adventure games in the Legend of Zelda series, developed by Flagship (a subsidiary of Capcom). They were released in 2001 for Nintendo's Game Boy Color handheld console and re-released on the Virtual Console for the Nintendo 3DS in 2013. The games make up the seventh and eighth installment in the Zelda series.
  
  The player controls the protagonist Link from an overhead perspective. In Seasons, the Triforce transports Link to the land of Holodrum, where he sees Onox kidnap Din, the Oracle of Seasons. In Ages, the Triforce transports Link to Labrynna, where Veran possesses Nayru. The main plot is revealed once the player finishes both games. Link is armed with a sword and shield as well as a variety of secondary weapons and items for battling enemies and solving puzzles. The central items are the Rod of Seasons, which controls the seasons in Holodrum, and the Harp of Ages, which lets Link travel through time in Labrynna. Before he can infiltrate Onox's castle and Veran's tower, Link must collect the eight Essences of Nature and the eight Essences of Time, which are hidden in dungeons and guarded by bosses. (Full article...)
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  Golden Sun is a 2001 Japanese role-playing video game developed by Camelot Software Planning and published by Nintendo. It was released in August 2001 for Nintendo's Game Boy Advance. Golden Sun's story follows a band of magic-attuned teenagers called Adepts on a mission to protect the world of Weyard from alchemy, a potentially destructive power long ago sealed away. During their quest, the Adepts develop new magic abilities (called Psynergy), assist others, and learn more about why alchemy was sealed away. Golden Sun is followed by a sequel, The Lost Age, which together form a complete story.
  
  Golden Sun began as a single planned game for the Nintendo 64 console, but became a mobile title for the Game Boy Advance over the course of development. Facing hardware constraints, the developers decided to split the game into two. Golden Sun was critically and commercially successful, being the top-selling game for four months in Japan and selling more than one million units worldwide. The game was praised as one of the best RPGs on a handheld, rivalling those on full-size game consoles. IGN's Craig Harris said that Golden Sun could "arguably be one of the best 2D-based Japanese RPGs created for any system." The game spawned a series that includes three games and appearances in other media. Golden Sun was re-released for the Virtual Console via the Wii U eShop in April 2014. (Full article...)

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Spacewar! running on the Computer History Museum's computer, PDP-1.

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  Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Wrath of the Darkhul King is a 2003 platform game developed by Natsume and published by THQ. Based on the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the game features Buffy Summers who fights vampires, demons, and other supernatural entities as the Slayer. The player controls Buffy through 16 side-scrolling levels that focus on solving puzzles and defeating enemies by using customizable weapons. Set in the show's fourth season, the story is about Buffy attempting to prevent a demonic warlord from returning to Earth.
  
  THQ produced Wrath of the Darkhul King in a publishing agreement with Fox Interactive, and chose Natsume as the developers because they had been working together since 1999. Influenced by their family-friendly image, Natsume presented Buffy as an inspirational character to their young audience. The developer struggled with adapting Buffy the Vampire Slayer into 2D computer graphics, citing issues with character sprites. (Full article...)
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  Rikku is a fictional character in the Final Fantasy series. Tetsuya Nomura created Rikku, and the character is voiced by Marika Matsumoto in Japanese and by Tara Strong in English. Rikku first appears in Final Fantasy X as one of its protagonists, where she accompanies her cousin Yuna and others on a journey to defeat the monster Sin. Rikku again appears as a protagonist in the game’s direct sequel, Final Fantasy X-2. In that game, she, Yuna, and new friend Paine journey to find missing Final Fantasy X protagonist Tidus.
  
  Square originally planned to make Rikku the protagonist of her own game, but the developer canceled the idea. In order to make a game revolving around a group of female heroes, Final Fantasy X-2's protagonists became Yuna, Paine, and Rikku. To reflect the changing social mores between game titles, Rikku wears much more casual and minimal clothing in Final Fantasy X-2 than the games' predecessor. (Full article...)
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  Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards is a 2000 platform game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64 (N64). It is the first Kirby game to feature 3D computer graphics and follows Kirby as he attempts to reassemble a sacred crystal shattered by Dark Matter. Gameplay is viewed from a 2.5D perspective and is similar to previous Kirby titles; the player traverses levels and obtains powers by eating enemies. Kirby 64 introduces Power Combos, the ability to mix powers to create more powerful ones. In a multiplayer mode, up to four players can compete in three minigames.
  
  Development began in September 1997. The game was intended for the N64's 64DD add-on, but became a standard N64 title after the add-on failed. HAL initially planned to use the N64 controller's analog stick for Kirby 64, but switched to the D-pad about a year before release. The game received mostly positive reviews, with praise directed at its colorful visuals and classic style of gameplay. For some critics, the game's low difficulty and short length left them feeling underwhelmed. It was rereleased for the Virtual Console on the Wii and Wii U, as well as the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack in 2008, 2015, and 2022 respectively, and was included in the Wii compilation Kirby's Dream Collection (2012). Kirby 64 was the last traditional home console Kirby game until Return to Dream Land (2011). (Full article...)
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  Serious Sam VR: The Last Hope is a 2017 first-person shooter game for virtual reality (VR) developed by Croteam VR and published by Devolver Digital. One or two players fight waves of enemies, including bosses, across five thematic planets. The enemies approach from a 180° field and the player can use dual-wielded weapons while moving across a limited space. To develop The Last Hope and experiment with other VR implementations, Croteam VR was established as a specialised division of Croteam. Devolver Digital announced the game at E3 in June 2016 and launched it in early access that October. After several updates, it was released in September 2017 for Windows with compatibility for the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift VR headsets. The Last Hope received mostly positive reviews, with post-release reception lauding the game's gameplay and visuals while criticising difficulty spikes and issues with the online multiplayer mode. (Full article...)
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  Soft & Cuddly is a horror arcade adventure game released for the ZX Spectrum home computer, developed by John George Jones and published by The Power House. It was released in September 1987 in the United Kingdom and in early 1988 in Spain. The player assumes the role of a man armed with a laser gun and a jet pack, whose mother, the Android Queen, has been dismembered. The player's task is to locate the scattered body parts of the Android Queen and sew her back together.
  
  Jones had previously developed a game called Go to Hell. In an interview he stated that he developed the game for his own amusement; he enjoyed the reactions people gave to the game. The original, pre-release, version of the game featured more grisly images. Reviewers praised the game's graphics but had mixed feeling about the scenes actually depicted by the graphics. Some reviewers criticized the game's gameplay as repetitive but praised as being fun and akin to a horror movie by others. (Full article...)
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  Hocking in 2007

  
  Clint Hocking (born 18 September 1972) is a Canadian video game designer and director. He has primarily worked at the Canadian divisions of Ubisoft, where he developed three titles, and briefly worked at LucasArts, Valve, and Amazon Game Studios.
  
  Hocking started his career at Ubisoft, where he first designed and wrote scripts for 2002's Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell. He rose to prominence when he moved up to direct 2005's Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, which was both a critical and commercial success. He went on direct 2008's Far Cry 2, which was positively received by critics. In 2010, he left Ubisoft Montreal due to him being "too comfortable" at the studio. Between 2010 and 2015, Hocking joined LucasArts, Valve, and Amazon Game Studios in various senior roles. Throughout this period, he did not release any new games and in August 2015 returned to Ubisoft, this time at their Toronto studio. At this studio, he directed Watch Dogs: Legion (2020) which was also positively received by critics. By July 2021, he returned to Montreal studio and is due to direct Assassin's Creed: Codename Hexe and co-direct the Assassin's Creed Infinity game platform with Jonathan Dumont. Across his career, Hocking has written monthly columns for the video game magazine Edge, and coined the term ludonarrative dissonance. (Full article...)
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  Gearheads is a strategy video game developed by R/GA Interactive and Philips Media, and published by Philips Media for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS in June 1996. The player deploys wind-up toys to get them across an arena while attempting to prevent toys from crossing from the other side. Players can play against the computer or another player. Single, customisable games can be played, or the player can play a series of games with set rules and a limited number of lives in a tournament.
  
  The game was designed by Eric Zimmerman and Frank Lantz, and developed in eighteen months. A major part of the game's design was the toys' interaction with each other, and the effectiveness of certain toy setups led Zimmerman and Lantz to coin a term for them. Critical reception was mixed, with some reviewers praising its addictiveness and others criticising its sounds and artificial intelligence. (Full article...)
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  Ghost in the Shell is a cyberpunk-themed third-person shooter video game developed by Exact and Production I.G for the PlayStation. A part of the larger Ghost in the Shell media franchise, it utilizes the same English voice cast as the feature film of the same name, although the two do not share a story continuity. The game was first released in July 1997, along with soundtrack albums, an artbook and a guidebook.
  
  The game's story and art design were written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow, the author of the original manga. Ghost in the Shell's plot revolves around a recruit of Public Security Section 9 as he investigates and combats the Human Liberation Front. The player controls a Fuchikoma, a robotic fighting vehicle capable of traversing walls and ceilings. (Full article...)
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  Micro Machines is a racing video game developed by Codemasters and originally published by Camerica for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1991. Themed around Galoob's Micro Machines toys, players race in miniaturised toy vehicles around various environments. The game is the first installment in the Micro Machines video game series.
  
  Micro Machines was developed because Galoob wanted Codemasters to develop a game based on their toy brand, although Galoob and Codemasters encountered legal issues with Nintendo over the game being unlicensed. Micro Machines was ported to several systems, and received remakes for the Xbox, PlayStation 2, and GameCube in 2002. A sequel, Micro Machines 2: Turbo Tournament, was released in 1994, and the series was revived in 2016 with the release of a title for iOS and Android. Micro Machines received critical acclaim, with reviewers praising the originality and two-player mode, although some criticised the sprites on some versions. Retrospectively, it has been considered one of the greatest video games of all time. (Full article...)
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  Yu Narukami (Japanese: 鳴上 悠, Hepburn: Narukami Yū) is a fictional character featured in the Persona series developed by Atlus, debuting as the protagonist of the 2008 role-playing video game Persona 4. In the game, Yu is a silent character whose thoughts and actions are decided by the player. He is portrayed as a high school student who moves to the countryside region Inaba away from his city home, to live with his uncle Ryotaro Dojima and cousin Nanako while his parents are busy working. Shortly after arriving in Inaba, Yu starts investigating a murder case involving victims who are mysteriously abducted and hung on telephone wires in the midst of a fog that plagues the town where he resides. He collaborates with his schoolmates and explores an alternate dimension known as the TV World, where he obtains a power known as the "Persona"—the physical manifestation of his subconscious spirit, in order to confront and defeat the Shadows, the creatures who murdered the first victims. Yu has also appeared in other works related to Persona 4, including an anime adaptation called Persona 4: The Animation, a manga version, and several spin-off games. For these works, Yu received his own characterization and development in the stories.
  
  Yu was designed by Shigenori Soejima who aimed to create an ambiguous character who could appeal to most players by way of reflecting several feelings towards them and through his mannerisms. For the anime, director Seiji Kishi expressed difficulties in giving the character emotions without damaging what the original staff created. The character is voiced by Daisuke Namikawa in Japanese and Johnny Yong Bosch in English. Both actors expressed difficulty in voicing him with Namikawa finding his social life challenging while Bosch also had to voice another major character in the anime. (Full article...)

Did you know -

• ... that Double Fine Productions raised more than $1 million in under 24 hours in a record-breaking, crowd-sourced Kickstarter funding drive for Broken Age?
• ... that due to licensing issues, the 1985 video game Blade Runner was based on the movie soundtrack by Vangelis rather than on Blade Runner itself?
• ... that Torment: Tides of Numenera became the first video game project to raise $1,000,000 in under seven hours on the crowd funding platform Kickstarter?
• ... that Captain America in: The Doom Tube of Dr. Megalomann was the first appearance of Captain America in a video game?
• ... that the simulation video games Cafeteria Nipponica, Dungeon Village, Epic Astro Story, Grand Prix Story, and Hot Springs Story were developed by Japanese video game developer Kairosoft?

This month in gaming history

• October 2003: DigiCube, a subsidiary of Square, declared bankruptcy.
• October 2004: Midway Games acquired Inevitable Entertainment and renamed it Midway Austin.
• 1997-10-04: Video game designer Gunpei Yokoi died in a car accident at the age of 56.
• 1982-10-13: Mystique released Custer's Revenge, a controversial adult video game, for the Atari 2600.
• 1988-10-23: Nintendo released Super Mario Bros. 3 for the Nintendo Entertainment System.
• 1988-10-29: Sega released the Sega Mega Drive video game system.

• 1991: Sega released Sonic the Hedgehog 8-bit for master system and game gear.
• 1991: They released Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit) for the Genesis and Mega Drive.

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