Back in the Sack

Official logo of Sack Assassins

I am back on task! There are signs of progress in some areas, brand new drawing boards in other areas but the game is back!

Not only is it back but it brought a new name with it too. Sack Assassins. See... It used to be called "Surrogate Assassins" but long story short, the game does not rely on being inside a surrogate.  So without the surrogate, the word has no business being in the title.  So I kept the concept and managed to weave a co-op experience into it as well.  You can play with or even against your friends.
                 The plot is still being developed but it will be steeped in Jaded Gamer humor ... E rated Jaded Gamer humor. The player will be a new initiate into an Assassin's guild that has a rough first day in training.  

Tutorial Hallway

Several changes were made to the old tutorial. Which is largely the same tutorial it would have been had it been called "Surrogate" Assassins.  The player gets hold of the suit and plays around for a bit before disaster strikes.  Then after a bit of taunting, the player is re-educated in the ways of the assassin before the suit.  After you are re-trained, you are sent out into the world to be the best assassin you can be. The tutorial will probably be the only single player portion.

Tutorial room. Portal inspired block of course

Then, thanks to Little Big Planet's sub-level links, the player is sent out to a hub world that is linked to other hub towns. It is slightly open-world in concept but just a side scroller. There will be a prime goal but also random quests can be taken.  The time of day within the game may also dictate which quests will be available to the player. 

Prototype of a Subway car to travel between city blocks.

The game is still in it's creation stage so all I have are urban environments which will have a great deal of Mirror's edge inspired ideas. Gameplay will draw a lot of inspiration, pay homage to, satire and parody my favorite games and hopefully yours too.  

Room with the Ninja Suit in it

In the days and weeks to come, this developer blog will come to life with much more info on game worlds, game mechanics, plot, etc. etc.

Define DLC

Disclaimer: It's Dee-El-See... Not Dilc.. If you call it Dilc.. You are an asshole.
          I don't like on-disc DLC. I don't even like it being referred to as on-disc DLC. Calling it DLC seems like a lie. I'm downloading nothing. I'm unlocking content to a game I thought I already purchased the license to play.
          Now I'm not starting a petition or storming the steps of congress because honestly I'm not freaking out. I simply think the idea of selling me a disc with additional content locked away is shady.
Most people tend to argue that if what you play is worth the money then no harm no foul.
          My argument is this... I don't care if I get 60 dollars of enjoyment out of pressing start or getting all of the achievements... Why does my money not purchase the license for everything on the disc? As a consumer I just find that to being an unsettling president. I mean you could apply the same idea to other industries and it wouldnt make sense. A car with the CD player installed but behind a paygate or paying for utensils at a diner seem stupid comparisons to make but I don't see the difference.  CD players and/or utensils at a restaurant seem like an accepted standard of sorts but really they were just DLC nobody charged us for until production costs got too high and they needed to squeeze some extra dough out the hardcore.
          Why the disc as the delivery system? I'm at the game store already and now when I go home I have to deal with unlocking additional content on a disc I just bought.
Not to contradict myself but if the additional content is something like a bonus multiplayer map... Whatever... But should this "on disc-dlc" morph my $60 purchase in any way or become a part of the core game beyond an elected mission, I think I have a point.
           Besides, if the idea of there being day one DLC on the disc don't bother you now. I bet it will the day it gets pushed too far. What if a game shipped without two levels like in Assassin's Creed 2?... But they were on the disc. What if your favorite RPG had two morality endings but the on disc DLC opens up the infinite shades of gray.
            I get it. If I don't want it then I don't have to buy it. I know. But nobody bothered to tell me I didn't buy it until after I bought the disc it lives on.

Tell your friends about me!

The Jaded Gamer
           Twitter/PSN/XBL
                  IamFN2K

Take a hint from Kojima!

Do you like the Metal Gear Solid franchise? Not everybody does. It is a tough series to like if it isn't your thing and me explaining it now probably will not spur you to jump out of your seats and play the franchise. But if you do decide to play through it... DO NOT START WITH MGS: TWIN SNAKES!  In a nut shell they turned Solid Snake into Neo and have him do the most *R-worded* things. And considering how messed up and absurd the plot gets... That says a lot about how stupid Twin Snakes made the series.

But if there is one indisputable fact about the series... Each game is different in a major way somehow. Kojima productions knows how to do sequels.  Each installment brings either a new take on the series or a new convention every time!

Remember the jump from Doom 1 to 2? What changed? 1 New gun.. and a handful of new enemies and everything else was pretty much assets from the last game.

MGS 2 from 1 improves on every aspect of the previous model even if it turned out to be Kojima saying "See.. I CAN make the same game again and you wont know it til I tell you."

Then Metal Gear Solid 3 comes out and shifts what you are used to and adds more meta type stuff. There is a camouflage meter so you know exactly how hidden you are. The sound is much better and realistic so you can now move through bushes in loud environments without the enemy hearing your footsteps. Let's face it. Metal Gear solids "view cone" made the game seem like stealth pac-man at times. Sound didn't matter so much as you being spotted.  In 3 you have to stay hidden and quiet.

The gadgets in 3 are also more handy by virtue of the fact they are old school meaning that you cant just simply look at a radar, find your foe, point and shoot.  More strategy is involved. The classic boss sniper battle against The End can last 10 minutes or over an hour just by what gadgets you use to track your enemy.  The game has a Cabelis game hunter vibe to it as well. You hunt wildlife for food if you are low on rations. The food can even spoil if left untouched which you can now use to poison hungry soldiers when you blow up their food supplies. There is even a boss you can use that strategy against. 3 is arguably the finest entry into the series.

Metal Gear Solid 4 is definitely lip service to fans. It is very well designed but extremely story heavy which has always been a complaint about the series. And the end game cut scene is pretty much an entire movie. But those mild itches aside, it really is a great journey filled with twists and nostalgia. It may not have the meta elements that 3 did but the battlefield is also very different. There are less places to hide but due to Snake's Octocamo he can hide right out in the open. It is difficult to put my finger on what is so different about 4. But I think the return to form is what makes 4 different. It clashes old and new ideas seamlessly. It is just as modern as it is classic.

Then there is Peace Walker. The best thing about Peace Walker is the one thing missing from portable ops... Co-op multiplayer. Standard missions are 2 player but boss fights against heavy artillery are 4 player skirmishes that are Kojima doing his best to capture the intensity of a Monster Hunter fight. The ability to recruit and upgrade soldiers and their weapons adds tremendous amounts of depth to the game.  I personally don't just want peace walker in HD... But Peace Walker 2 on Ps3 AND the Vita.

Metal Gear Solid is one of the few franchises that makes every sequel feel like it could be a new game not just a grapically superior version of the last entry in the series.

What say you gameland?

IamFN2K aka The Jaded Gamer